THE CHILDREN’S BREAD
18th JULY 2022
“But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” James 4:6, NIV.
Child of God, I tell you the truth, that on your own, you can do nothing! Regardless of how powerful, anointed, rich, beautiful, handsome, intelligent, or even prayerful you are, without the grace of God as a gift to you, you can do absolutely nothing! God loves the humble; Those who submit themselves to Him and fully put their trust in Him, both in good and in bad times – These are those who receive grace from Him in their times of need!
On the other hand, God hates the proud because proud people always put their trust in themselves, or something and someone else, besides God! Proud people believe that all they have achieved is by their power and smartness. They put their trust in material things; Their bank accounts, connections, contacts, academic qualifications, looks, positions, platforms, the demons that some of them consult, as well as in things, that they have been able to acquire, and can showcase.
Proud people have no need of God within their hearts; They shun Him, and don’t truly believe in Him, or submit to Him, which reminds God of the father of all pride; His foe, Satan!
Child of God, our Holy and good God, resists the proud, but shows grace to the humble in heart, therefore, let’s get our hearts right with God, that He may show us mercy (grace)!
God had to literally strip me naked in order to help me to confront the spirit of pride as we all deal with this wicked spirit in some areas of our lives. In which area did the spirit of pride sneak into your life sister Susan? In at least, two different areas that were extremely important to me, which I would definitely talk about some day. Pride is sneaky because when he comes in, it may take a while before you even realize his presence. I am not only made aware of this in the spirit realm or when reading the bible, but even more clearly, when I observe the way many wonderful people, whom I truly love and respect, talk, or behave! I am so grateful to God for the privilege of being able to observe them as it helps me to think about myself because if they could entertain this spirit, without even being aware of his presence in their lives, then, there is every possibility, that I could, too! Thus, self-evaluation from time to time, is always advisable. I want us to realize, that when Jesus spoke, He came across as prideful, although, He was not, rather, He was and will forever remain the most gentle-man, who would ever walk this earth, and that is one of the reasons why most of us willingly submit to Him, and gladly follow Him, even when it seems as though we are not appreciated by the world, or there is no material reward! Nonetheless, I do believe, that regardless of how much He must have tried to minimize His sovereignty to make people comfortable with Him, His mere presence must have exuded His identity, which made Him come across as proud, boastful, as well as haughty to those, who were already insecure in their own identities, or those who were always biased in their judgement of others. If I was alive in His day here on earth, I definitely would have also accused Him of being proud, and boastful because there is absolutely no humble way, to have conveyed to natural minds, who had never been fully prepared for the coming of the Messiah in human flesh, that He was the Son of God, the Savior of the world, on whose shoulders the government rests, and that to His government and peace, there would be no end. Furthermore, that standing before them as the seed, that came out of Mary’s perceived wayward behavior, was the wonderful counselor, and Mighty God (Isaiah 9). How in the world, could He ever have related these things to them in such a humble manner, that would have made them to like, or believe Him, and understood, that He was humility in word and in deed? It was just not humanly possible! Consequently, in as much as we are not Jesus Christ, and in our own strength, knowledge, wisdom, power, and abilities, do not have the government as our responsibilities, or even have any power to save any soul, yet, Jesus clearly gave us authority and power through His name (Luke 10:19) to effect godly changes through our prayers, and not by injustice (lawlessness), racism (pride, and hatred), or wickedness!
I guarantee you, Child of God, that if Jesus Christ were to come back today, most apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, bishops, and teachers, would never recognize Him; They may not even open the door of HIS Church for Him to come in, in cases like, should He refuse to pay His tithe, or even, delay with His tithe payment😊! That is the reason we all must keep taking inventory of our hearts as we still have work to do within ourselves as His followers.
Child of God, regardless of how much money you may have, if you are really determined to be humble, it is possible, and is still much easier for you as a human being. If you are genuinely humble, over the course of time, good people will see, and believe it, while if it is only a facade, the mask will eventually fall off, and you will be exposed for who you truly are. On the contrary, from our perspective, Someone on whose shoulders the Heavens and the earth rests, cannot tell us such truth and still look humble before us! Conclusively, had they not crucified (hanged) Jesus Christ, they would either, have drowned, or burnt Him because according to their understanding, the Grace and Truth, Who came down from Heaven (John 1:17) was a proud liar! If you love God, with all your heart, then, do not fret because even when people consider you to be proud, haughty, and arrogant, as long as you, Child of God, know the real you; What God says about you, then, their judgement of you, doesn’t really matter! That notwithstanding, we have to make deliberate efforts in our daily walk here on earth, not to come across as proud, in order not to make those who are not able to discern your heart and spirit to stumble (1 Corinthians 8:13).
MY PERSONAL ADVICE: Because I believe in the grace, and timing of God, I don’t mind waiting for God’s perfect timing as His grace is sufficient for me, but If you, child of God, are in a hurry in life, and can’t wait for God to work things out for you in His time, then, go ahead and do what you feel will make you happy- As long as your Godly-gut tells you, that you will be truly happy, and that your decision is to God’s glory, and not based on pride; Protecting a false ego! Then, Child of God, go ahead; If it turns out good, praise Him, but if it turns out bad, don’t blame Him, but praise Him, nonetheless because as long as you belong to Him and love Him, then, I want you to be rest assured of this truth, that He loves you, and would make all things to turn out for your good, even if it ends up looking like a real mess- I approve of this message!
PRAYER!
Father God, forgive me for the sin of pride, haughtiness, arrogance, and rebellion. Help me to be genuinely humble before You and grant me mercy and favor in Jesus’ mighty name, amen.
Jesus loves you!
Stay blessed, and happy!
Jesus loves you!
Written by Susan Ikeokwu