Superkid, YOU are strong! YOU are filled with Jesus and YOU are going to WIN! How do I know that? Because your Savior, Jesus, has already won the fight for you! He has a victory plan for you and if you stick with Him and let Him lead you, He promises you’ll win!
That doesn’t mean hard things won’t happen. Satan has attacked the whole world with a virus that has affected many people. Never before have people all over the world changed their way of life: staying home from school, work, shopping, playing and being around other people. It can be scary when panic has gripped the media, government leaders and perhaps those around you. Hurts range from the loss of a loved one to the loss of normal, everyday life.
You may have lost part of your school year, time with friends, your birthday party or vacation plans. Whatever loss or change you have experienced, Jesus is right there with you, even if you feel like He doesn’t care. Satan would love for you to believe that you can’t count on Jesus in times of trouble. But Satan is a liar!
Jesus is always faithful! Let Him strengthen you in the truth. When struggles and hardships come, we choose what we believe. Some people choose to believe that God brings sickness, death and loss. That is what Satan wants us to think!
Jesus tells the story of the Good Shepherd in John 10:1-9, The Message. He is clear about who is for you and who the enemy is!
“‘Let me set this before you as plainly as I can. If a person climbs over or through the fence of a sheep pen instead of going through the gate, you know he’s up to no good—a sheep rustler! The shepherd walks right up to the gate. The gatekeeper opens the gate to him and the sheep recognize his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he gets them all out, he leads them and they follow because they are familiar with his voice. They won’t follow a stranger’s voice but will scatter because they aren’t used to the sound of it.’ Jesus told this simple story, but they had no idea what he was talking about. So he tried again. ‘I’ll be explicit, then. I am the Gate for the sheep. All those others are up to no good—sheep stealers, every one of them. But the sheep didn’t listen to them. I am the Gate. Anyone who goes through me will be cared for—will freely go in and out, and find pasture.’”
Jesus is comparing you and me to sheep, and sheep will only follow their shepherd’s voice. Superkid, Jesus Himself said that sheep know their shepherd’s voice. He knows His sheep by name and He takes care of them, safely leading them out to pasture and back home. Sheep follow only their shepherd! But there is a stranger who wants to lead the sheep into trouble.
“A thief is only there to steal and kill and destroy” (verse 10). Satan is the thief—the enemy of the Shepherd and the sheep!
“I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of” (verse 10).
Jesus is letting you know what His whole life is about in these scriptures. Not only is He NOT the one who is trying to hurt you, He came to take care of you! He came to PROTECT you from the enemy!
“I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd puts the sheep before himself, sacrifices himself if necessary. A hired man is not a real shepherd. The sheep mean nothing to him. He sees a wolf come and runs for it, leaving the sheep to be ravaged and scattered by the wolf. He’s only in it for the money. The sheep don’t matter to him” (verses 11-13).
Someone who is paid to care for the sheep will not give his life for them. If he sees a wolf coming, he will leave the sheep BECAUSE THE SHEEP ARE NOT HIS. This is NOT how Jesus looks at us!
“I am the Good Shepherd. I know my own sheep and my own sheep know me. In the same way, the Father knows me and I know the Father. I put the sheep before myself, sacrificing myself if necessary” (verses 14-15).
Superkid, 2,000 years ago, Jesus did just that. It WAS necessary for Him to give His life for us, His sheep. When He died on the Cross, He gave His life to free us from sin, and at the same time, He paid for us to be free from ALL sickness and disease! First Peter 2:21-25 says:
“This is the kind of life you’ve been invited into, the kind of life Christ lived. He suffered everything that came his way so you would know that it could be done, and also know how to do it, step-by-step. He never did one thing wrong, not once said anything amiss. They called him every name in the book and he said nothing back. He suffered in silence, content to let God set things right. He used his servant body to carry our sins to the Cross so we could be rid of sin, free to live the right way. His wounds became your healing. You were lost sheep with no idea who you were or where you were going. Now you’re named and kept for good by the Shepherd of your souls.”
Superkid, read that passage over and over, until it really sinks into your heart that you can count on Jesus. He is here to defend you, heal you and take care of you. Jesus, your Savior, is here to give you the BEST life! Your enemy, Satan, comes ONLY to STEAL, KILL and DESTROY. Whenever someone says that God is making people sick, don’t listen.
The next time fear tells you that you are going to lose your friends, family, school or the fun times ahead, shout this out:
“I follow the Good Shepherd and His Name is Jesus! He laid down His life for me and I only listen to His voice! He has named me, called me and kept me safe! I am not only winning, I have already won!”
WINNING WITH YOU,
Commander Kellie ♥