Devotional Details

THE CHILDREN’S BREAD

– MONTHLY DEVOTIONAL –

1^st. August 2023

SCRIPTURE:

“So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

Matthew 6: 31-34, NIV.

Child of God, I welcome us all into this month of August 2023. I hope and believe that we are all doing good.

50 Cent, I do believe has a hit album, titled, “Get rich or die trying”, which from a worldly point of view seems quite harmless, but from a spiritual point of view and especially from the perspective of a true follower of Christ, is a declaration that rattles our spirits, or robs us of true peace. This Phrase can be interpreted in different ways, and these are the different scenarios it can be rephrased:

• IT IS EITHER YOU GET RICH ASAP, OR YOU WILL DIE WHILE TRYING.

• YOU BETTER DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO GET RICH, OR YOU WILL DIE TRYING, THE USUAL WAY.

• IT IS EITHER YOU GET RICH, OR AT LEAST, DIE TRYING TO GET RICH.

Regardless of which interpretation we might end up with as it relates to becoming rich, it doesn’t really matter as I am mainly channelling my attention to the phrase or the title, and not even, the reason why he decided for the title, which could make more sense if you would hear the story behind it, I would suppose. I have actually not listened to the album, but if I have, then, since it has been many years, it most definitely has escaped my memory- The ones I clearly remember, that I used to listen to back in the day before I had a change of mind in this particular area, were: Welcome to the….., and It’s ur B….☹, which I am not advertising here for followers of Christ to listen to, or watch as they are extremely worldly, and we wouldn’t want to be triggered by such images, and lyrics. Therefore, please, don’t go back into such spaces if you happen to be like me, who used to listen to such songs and watch such videos because I didn’t know better, and I thank the Holy Spirit Who led me out of such spaces. Even now, I do get to watch such videos every now and again, when the LORD God is talking to me about that particular artist, or when I just feel like going through the videos, sounds, or lyrics to see what the Holy Spirit could have been revealing to me within such videos or songs back in the days, which I would have been oblivious to, due to the lack of knowledge.

DISCLAIMER: Therefore, because you have now read this, heard me say this, or heard someone else, whom God uses in this manner; that I do receive such assignments, hence, I am admonishing you child of God; Don’t rush into such spaces and things with a “#ME2-Mindset”, to eventually give it as a prophetic word, as very many people who claim to be Christians in the prophetic have formed the habit of doing, which is demonic as that is the kind of sin which in most cases, might not be forgiven, since you are now defaming the character of the Holy Spirit and using HIS name to merchandise what HE never even conveyed to you, or sent you to do! The danger of doing this, even if you have a large following and things seem to be going very well for you in the natural is, that as you delve into such spaces without permission from the Holy Spirit, and because God Almighty never told you to take up such assignments, then, unlike sister Susan, you might never spiritually come out whole, but rather, you could be captured by the enemy, who would begin to use you as his spiritual slave, but outwardly, you seem to be doing just very fine – Selah.

Let us take 50 out of this picture as this has absolutely nothing to do with him as a human being or even as a hustler that he was and still is, but let us rather fix our gaze on the title of the album, which for this devotional, I am borrowing from him, as well as paying attention to a particular spirit and soul, in order, for you child of God, to ponder with me for just a second if you will, on how desperate such a spirit and soul must be, just to make money, for them to make such profound declaration over themselves, which is, that regardless of the risk to their lives and souls, it is nonetheless, one, that is worth taking. Think about the condition, and location of that particular soul at the time of such declaration, where they literally swear, that it is either they get rich, or they don’t mind dying, while trying to get rich. Don’t forget, that this particular soul is not just making this declaration over himself alone, but rather, they are so convinced about it, so much so, that they decide to sell it as their helpful counsel to those who would listen to them. When I hear such words from people, it is easy for me to know where they are, and from where they are speaking; The pit of bondage, in order words, from a spiritual prison house!

I have literally heard young people (different races) earnestly say this: Yes, we know that earning money through Satanic means is evil, but we are nonetheless prepared to go ahead to make it through such means, in order to enjoy the benefits, which such money offers, even if it’s just for a day before we face the consequences, as opposed to not to having it at all, and keep suffering! When I hear such statements, at first, I would mostly rest my case in an attempt to convey to them: I understand you! Child of God, you see, when you hear young people talk like this, it really should hurt the heart of any Godly person because more often than not, it is a reflection of where they are; What they have experienced, what they are still experiencing, as well as the things that they no longer want to be associated with – Financial poverty, hardship of some sort, and the unending mal-treatments, which they seem to endure for being financially handicapped. It is like telling a child from a very poor home, who hardly gets to eat even a good meal a day, the truth about what he is confronted with, “Do you know, that the delicious looking extra-large cheese burger, which they are offering you is in exchange for your soul, life, destiny, or divine inheritance? It is poisoned and not good for your health, etc. Don’t eat it, it will destroy you!” In most cases, I bet you, he would look you straight in the eyes, and tell you, that it is better to eat it and die, than to die out of hunger, and his reason being, that at least, one seems better than the other; Hunger is not a good way to bid the world farewell! Sad, isn’t it?

Child of God, it is indeed an unfortunate fact, that on one hand, there are segments of people within our societies, who are downright greedy, and covetous, therefore, since they are as greedy as the grave, they would never be content with whatever it is, that they are blessed to have, thus, they would delve into all sorts of dubious ventures, in order to make money, or to keep making more as they are in deep torment of what would become of them, without their god, see Proverbs 18:11. These people are plagues of the society, and of course, they will always be amongst us regardless of how diligent the states try to enforce the law, either to curb, or stop them completely. What I believe is this; unrepentant thieves and robbers would always be thieves and robbers, which means, that if someone’s tradition, or religion is theft and robbery, and if they happen to be steeped in it, then, regardless of how rich they are, they would always steal and rob, even if it is just for fun, in order to prove that their theft and robbery skills are indeed, still intact! On the other side of the spectrum though, there are those who are not thieves, or robbers, but who are literally forced by the conditions in which they find themselves, and as a result, they resort to going down the very dark alleys of life, just to make a living, which, would they have been presented with better solutions by their communities, states, and nations, they would never have even entertained such thoughts of going the other way, just to survive.

Well, child of God, there is nonetheless, another declaration which I do believe, that both 50 and I, by now, should fully agree with, “Get saved or better die trying!” Why so, you might ask? Child of God, because if we should take the first sentence from the main Bible portion for this devotional without a follow-up, which states: Don’t worry… , then, it wouldn’t be easy for any human being to live by, especially in our time, but I thank God Almighty, that our Savior clarified Himself, by expounding more on it as He reminded us, that our God who loves us understands that we have need of such things too, but that more important than these material things should be, that we seek first the Kingdom of the true source of all good things; God Almighty and His righteousness, then, over the course of time, all these other good things that we desire will be released to us as well, one way or the other. This would imply, that in most cases, it is very dangerous to acquire these things before getting to know God Almighty, His Kingdom, His nature and His righteousness as it would be equivalent to giving a toddler a fully loaded bazooka as a birthday gift, and telling him to do as he pleases with it. It is far better to get delivered from Satan, his evil kingdom, darkness, from the source of our bondage, or die trying; while running out of darkness, and at least, towards the kingdom of light, even in a case, where from a human perspective, it seems that while running towards it, you might not even make it, which in most cases, is not the case, see Proverbs 18:10.

I would rather be found dead at my appointed time of departure by God Almighty, with my back against the kingdom of darkness, while running towards the gate of Heaven, than the other way round. There are so many things that Satan uses to bind us so tightly to this world, and having said that, I am not naïve to claim that it is easy to resists such things! On the contrary, it is very difficult as he makes it even harder to resist by day! And this is not just harder for a particular gender, group of people, race, nation, religion, but rather, for all who are trying the best they can, to live Godly, or at least, to be in this world and still hold on to their godly conscience. Regardless of your gender, race, ethnicity, tribe or religion, the enemy of God Almighty to whom you belong, has the right things that he has specially designed to lure you away from your true identity, therefore, we ought to remain humble before God Almighty, as not to over-rate ourselves, by underestimating satanic potentials.

Many people have good and impressive things to say, that notwithstanding, saying good things and doing good things are two different things. Saying good things and living a life that is godly can be very hard to do, or to even combine. A true Godly life is like a hidden pathway, which unfortunately, many will never get to find. It is written in The Book of ultimate truth, that: By their fruits you shall know them, and also that, “Wisdom shall be judged by her children.” Therefore, child of God, let your public and private lifestyles, and by that, I mean the one, which God Almighty approves of, yes, let it become that, which should speak for you and having said that, I am not implying that you must live your life like a monk or a nun to be a godly person! Absolutely not, because:

• That someone is a fighter or a champion for social justice does not necessarily imply that they are Godly, because even the unbelievers fight for social justice more than the believers do, this, I have also come to observe.

• That you are a man of God, a modern-day father of faith, respected by all and sundry, means absolutely nothing, if God Almighty no longer approves of your conduct.

• If you do not live by the standard of the truth, which you are teaching, preaching, and what is required of you by God Almighty as a true child of God, then, unlike priest Eli, but like king Saul, don’t be shocked when God sends a Samuel to you, in order to inform you, that He has departed from you. Hence, the following exhortation from our Savior Jesus Christ to us, who are His followers, hits the nail on the head of this particular truth in question,

“So you must obey and follow everything they tell you to do; do not, however, imitate their actions, because they don’t practice what they preach.”

Matthew 23:3, Good News Translation.

Let us ponder on the saying of THE WORD OF GOD Himself, the ultimate and eternal High Priest, the One, Whose subordinates, everyone else is bound to remain! Jesus told his disciples not to emulate the lifestyles of the Pharisees, implying, that on one hand, they openly taught those who listened to them to live Godly lifestyles, while on the other hand, they themselves do not deem it appropriate to do the same as they lived their lives contrary to the kind, that they taught all others to live. I do believe, that even the Pharisees in Jesus’ day were more honorable than the ones we now have. Why such statement sister Susan? Well, child of God, the Truth Himself told those who were following Him, that they should do all, that the Pharisees taught and told them to do, but not to emulate the things that they did, which means, that if there was an area or one thing, where Jesus did not find the Pharisees wanting, it definitely was their teaching! At least, those men were perfect teachers; they knew their Torah, and would teach it to the fullest. I do believe, that it would mean, that they would tell you point-blank, what’s up: “Don’t commit adultery. Don’t kill. Don’t be greedy. Don’t be covetous. Don’t envy. Don’t worship idols! Love your neighbor as yourself. Help the needy. Tell the truth. LOVE GOD above all else, and many more.” But where they lacked, was practicing any of those things which they taught everyone else, and that is the very reason the Messiah baptized them with the name – HYPOCRITES! Let us take a quick look at how Jesus Christ, The Owner of the Church or the Temple, which they over-saw, rebuked them,

“But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.”

Matthew 23:13, NKJV.

The modern day Pharisees, would neither teach us the hard truth, especially if it threatens their money bags, nor practice it for us to emulate, not to talk of “genuinely” commending us for searching it out with the help of the Helper; the Holy Spirit – selah. 

Like I would continue to re-iterate, there is always a price-tag that Satan has on each and everyone of us, which he believes that our souls are worth, but that is where the word of God exposes him as a deceiver, thief and robber as it declares in Mark 8:36, where it asks the question, which is at the same time a warning to us who believe:

And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?

Consequently, although you would have gained your heart’s desire as it relates to being rich; no longer broke, busted and disgusted, nonetheless, if you get rich through ways that are contrary to the will of God Almighty, and to the detriment of your true Godly nature, it should be clear to you, that you gave something that is priceless in exchange for the amount of money you believe you have made, which regardless of how much money it is, the truth is this, that it is nonetheless peanuts, compared to what you would have given up – Your precious soul, or your divine inheritance in God Almighty.

I want us to think for a moment about the story where Jesus, The Christ, walked into the temple courts and saw the money changers doing what they were proficient in doing; BUSINESS! I would suggest that the business that they were doing was also beneficial to the temple. I do believe that the proceeds which came from the business that they engaged in within the temple courts, were also invested in the temple and the communities where the temple was situated. They could have paid their tithes, given offerings, sowed dangerous seeds, and also helped to keep the temple thriving, by making men and women who would otherwise never have come to the temple, decide to come to worship, either before, or after buying whatever it was, that they needed in the temple courts. Their business, most certainly, also helped to maintain the temple in very many other ways. That Notwithstanding, when The Messiah came into the temple courts, a greater One than the temple itself – The very One, to Whom the temple belongs, and the Only One, Who should fully know what the temple was, and is made for, that was the only time recorded in the Scriptures if I am not mistaken, that He became violent- Jesus got very angry, and whooped them bad, yet, this righteous anger or indignation was not counted unto Him by the Kingdom of Heaven as sin, or ungodly rebellion, but rather, as righteousness!!!

As I approach the conclusion of this month’s devotional, my main aim is to use this writing or devotional, to urge, and plead with those of you, whose hearts are set on getting rich by hook or by crook, to re-consider your decisions by changing your minds about the way to get rich, if you are genuinely a child of God. JOSEPH in the Bible should always be our example of a rich and powerful man of integrity, one who carried within his spiritual and physical loins, wealth, power, authority, and fame, which Satan and his evil emissaries, both mortal and immortal, could neither covet, hide-away, ignore, subjugate, pollute, alter, nor destroy. Joseph was a man, who, despite the fact, that he was Godly, and powerfully blessed by God, suffered, but nonetheless, eventually got rich, famous, and powerful, without having to kill, deceive, or cheat anyone. He didn’t have to sell his soul, give up on his God, or the true identity, which God Almighty gave to him from the foundations of the world, in exchange for riches, fame and power. Despite the truth, that he had the mantel, which his earthly father gave to him, stripped off him, by his ungodly-competitive, envious, and jealous siblings, that notwithstanding, all through his bondage, the things no one could strip off him, and which he tightly held on to, by God’s divine power, were His God, his inner convictions and the dream which his God gave to him as a promise; he was loved and blessed by God Almighty, despite any evil, which was done to him or could ever be done to him. Although he was a man of valor, and highly gifted by God Almighty, yet, he was comfortable, even in different lowly positions which he was placed in. Lowly positions they were, if compared to who he truly was – Blessed of God Almighty and highly favored by Him. Let us not forget, as it is quite easy to forget in this deceptive world, that the situations Joseph found himself in, were not of his own error or making, as well as, the fact that they were situations beyond his human control, and that, for very many years, nonetheless, this one thing remained his trade-mark; whichever position he found himself in, he neither used the opportunity that presented itself, to the detriment of his God, nor his God-given identity, which is A TRUE CHILD OF GOD ALMIGHTY. Do you understand, that Joseph would have been one of the fastest, and the youngest self-made millionaire in our day, should we access him through the polluted minds and eyes of most men and women today? I mean, the wife of Potiphar would definitely have been his first-class ticket to wealth, without anyone ever getting to know, that she was the missing puzzle in that thinga, which they would eventually re-frame or re-brand to “self-made?”

CASE STUDY – MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE

I would never forget many years ago, when I was in my early twenties, and I was not as spiritual then, as I am now. Having said that, it is not to say, that I have arrived where I would love to be spiritually, but at least, I am world apart from where I used to be – By His grace and I truly thank God for His faithfulness!

DISCLAIMER: Before I delve into telling this experience, I must first make certain things clear to those of you, who at least, would love to hear the truth about me, and from me:

• I did not come to Europe by the help of any sex-trafficker.

• I was never a sex-worker, neither have I ever been into any of such spaces.

• I did not come to seek political asylum.

• I did not come in a boat, neither did I swim across the Atlantic.

• I also did not get to marry anyone who brought me over, neither did I marry anyone whom I brought over!

• I never married any one for passport. No husband gave me passport, neither am I seeking for anyone to give me passport as I have been a citizen of the country I live in, for many years.

Why do I have the need to give such information about myself, which I believe to be personal to me? Child of God, it is in order to stop wagging tongues who would stop at nothing in their efforts, either to tarnish my image, or to get information about me, and they, being frustrated at their failed efforts, would delve into manufacturing lies to fill the blanks! Therefore, this is by no means to undermine those who are suffering, and have to make it to a greener pasture, or those who have used different life-endangering means to reach any destination at all, where they seek to take refuge from places, where they would otherwise have been killed should they have stayed behind. It is also not to condemn sex-workers, although, I advocate for girls, boys, women and men to come out from such industries for their sanity, and the salvation of their souls.

Back to my personal experience – On a particular occasion, this dude, told me, “Hey, I am about to venture into a very lucrative business, and it is going to rain moneyyyyy!” Being true to myself, I asked him what kind of business it was, and he replied me, “Brothel business!” I stood in a state of shock as something like that was foreign to who I was, and still am. Like I mentioned above, this is not to condemn those in such businesses or lifestyles, but the truth be told, I just felt like a tornado was erupting within me as I stood at that same spot gazing at him in a state of shock and utter disbelief, while he stared back at me, smiling, and apparently hoping that I was going to jump, or at least, fall into his arms to give him a go-ahead hug! I am sorry people, but I cursed that dude out – I literally rained fire and brimstone on him that day- Ain’t no shame in my game, people! While I was shouting, charging, huffing and puffing at him, it struck me after a while, that all those wild exercises that I was engaging in, were literally in vain as he didn’t even understand why I was angry at his business idea in the first place! Eventually, I understood, that we had two different understanding about money, making money, happiness, success, breakthrough, and life in general. On one hand, I may not have been spiritual, during that time, but I did not lack morals, while he on the other hand, lacked both! Therefore, although I managed to deploy every means legal and illegal; Whining, nagging, crying, snorting, going on a hunger strike, silent treatment, no contact, no this, and no that, just to convince him not to venture into that business enterprise, which I thank God, that I eventually succeeded in doing! Nonetheless, it is clear that as long as an individual lacks strong Godly foundation, or at least good morals within their hearts, over the course of time, those same people, would definitely dabble into another, yet, the same kinds of ungodly enterprise, and imagine that the wrong person or persons are with them, then, it sure would rain money like he said, but most definitely, not good money, not money from God, that which HE permits or which glorifies Him! Subsequently, what was the consequence for me, you might be eager to know? Well, I did not get to enjoy the money-rain, which would have come from that particular business that I stopped him from venturing into, while somewhere else; another relationship, place, etc., another woman, or lady, would have fully encouraged them to plunge into it headlong, and thus, she would have been bathing in such money, and living her best life, as a result of her back-up, counsel and her encouragement – Child of God, do you see how it works sometimes, and do you get the difference between peoples? Having said that, a short while after that situation, in which I was used by God to stop him from that ugly venture, as I have come to fully understand, God brought a bigger and better business offer his way, which launched him into the kind of business lifestyle, which opened better doors for him till date as opposed to the one he would have walked through- The lesson I learned from this is, that the choice is always ours to make, and sometimes, we may suffer a bit, or wait longer than we anticipated, but in the long run, there is always another way, which is always a better, morally acceptable, and Godly way to achieve what we are aiming for – Selah.

PRAYER

• I pray it shall be well with you, child of God Almighty.

• I pray, that since you belong to Him, you shall receive justice from God Almighty, the only One Who is the righteous Judge of all, and the One Who has the final say in all things.

• I pray that He grants us justice wherever it has been denied us.

• I pray that even in human courts of the law, that the adversary must come face to face with the spirit of justice, in order, for the spirit of the law-less one, to be dethrone in places where he once had his reign; Our lives, families, places of work, communities, and nations.

• I also pray, that the evil and unjust-troubler of true justice in any department of our lives, be troubled by the Holy Spirit of justice, till justice is granted the children of God, the vulnerable, the poor and the needy in the most righteous and faithful name of Jesus Christ, amen.

• I pray that wherever the department of true justice has, either been silenced, polluted or put to death in our lives, homes, spaces, communities, and nations, that God Almighty resurrects, cleanses and permanently puts her back in her rightful position, to the glory of God, and for the good of His righteousness.

• I thank You, our Holy and righteous Father God Almighty, that You have heard and answered my prayers.

• All these, I have prayed in the most faithful name of our righteous Deliverer, Jesus Christ, amen.

Child of God, as it relates to MONTHLY DEVOTIONALS, till the first of next month, be happy and stay blessed.

Jesus loves you!

Yours Sister – Susan.