THE CHILDREN’S BREAD
29th. August 2022
SCRIPTURE:
“But Sarah saw that the son whom Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham was mocking her son.”
Genesis 21:9, Berean Study Bible.
Child of God, this week’s devotional is about how God always has His protective eyes over us, and how we are to equally have our protective eyes over what God has entrusted into our care. Using the above Scripture as reference, Sarah had her eyes on the blessing of God to her. Her focus was on the most precious thing she received from God; Isaac was so precious to her because she knew he was fully hers as she was not going to share him with another. In contrast, she was already sharing her husband with another woman, but Isaac was that special blessing from God to her and her husband, which God gave to her as He called her by her name, when the blessing was released to them. God made it clear that the promise he had for Abraham, was not going to come through anyone else, but Sarah! This alone should have consoled Sarah, and made her understand how very much God loved her. God is sovereign and could have made any other woman, eligible to have conceived the promise, but He insisted it would be nobody else if not Sarah- I love the LORD God Almighty for His faithfulness; He is indeed a faithful friend, so faithful, that someone like me who is considered a rebel-rouser, could never do without, as the Captain of my team! God is better to us who truly belong to Him, than that wonderful and loyal friend, who doesn’t mind what you did, but who would go all out to save you first, before asking, “By the way, why did we have to go through all that?!” and you’d be like, “Ehmmm…you wouldn’t want to know- It’s complicated!”
Isaac was a promise and a blessing, which was designed to take away both the shame, mockery, and pain that constantly plagued her. Isaac brought back the honor, and the joy she once had, but lost in her marriage due to her barrenness. Isaac was everything to Sarah, a beautiful gift she received at a time everyone had counted her out. If not for the faithfulness of our Holy God, who showed up in her hopeless situation, and finally brought laughter to her soul, her situation would have remained the same and her enemies would have had the last laugh!
Wherever the blessing is, be sure to know that the enemy will always introduce thorns and thistles around it to keep it in a particular unfavorable condition as to stop it from manifesting. Abraham and Sarah were both promised the seed, but because of their impatience, or should I also say, their unbelief, the enemy upon hearing the plan of God for them, quickly made his own plans to thwart God’s, by introducing thorns and thistles into their lives, in order to make them forsake, forget, dismiss, cancel or abort the promise of the chosen seed. These thorns and thistles are around, or in close proximity to the blessing, for the very purpose, which is to constantly harass its peace, and to eventually choke it, peradventure it somehow still succeeds in manifesting. Nonetheless, the LORD GOD will always keep His protective eyes on us, as well as, on the blessings which He has promised and given to us. He will always protect us and eventually separate us from those chaffs, thorns, and thistles around us, far and near. Therefore, child of God, fear not, for God is watching over you because you are His own- He chose you!
Although, our God Almighty, is the ultimate Protector of our blessings, that notwithstanding, the very moment He blesses us with something or someone wonderful, He expects us to do our parts as human beings and as custodians of the blessings He has given to us. It is our duty to watch over our blessings to the best of our human capabilities, in order to make sure that they are protected from different forms of dangers. If you have suffered and gone through so much to receive the blessing from God, then, I believe that you already know what to do once the blessing is with you because you wouldn’t want anything to take you through the same ordeal, which you have been through, again. When I think about Sarah’s attitude, she reminds me of a woman who has been through a lot of secret battles, that not many around her were aware of, thus, she learned to look out for herself, and her own. Sarah was by no means evil, she only saw the danger ahead (Job 17:2), which her husband was clearly blind to, thus, she had to act to save the promise! Think about it, how come, that the other woman did not see what her son was doing wrong? How come Abraham did not notice what was going on; That Isaac was being mocked by Ishmael? How come Sarah was the only one who saw it? I do believe it was because Sarah was the one, who was fully committed to looking after the promise; She was dedicated and showed gratitude to God, through her watchfulness! She proved that she did not take the blessing of God to her for granted! She understood the danger that was right before her face when she saw Isaac being mocked by Ishmael, and I believe not the first time (Job 30:1). Sarah and her son Isaac were the promise carriers, and never the bond-woman! The question is, where did that mockery come from? Who taught him to mock Isaac? What kind of mockery was that which made the alarm bells go off within such a Godly woman of Grace like Sarah? It must have been the kind of mockery that hurt different from the one, that she was obviously used to! It must have stirred up anger within her as she herself must have constantly been mocked by the bond-woman, although in subtle ways, and Sarah realized that she had to put an end to that evil, which was brewing beneath the surface as prevention is always better than cure. She had already made the worst mistake of her life by not believing in God’s promise to her, thus, it resulted in something that was so sinister, which was now threatening the real blessing; Sarah came to the end of the road- A road, called a place of decision; She was in a damage-control-mode!
BOND WOMAN: The bond woman in this case, is symbolic of those who are not the carriers of the promise, but who so happen to be fortunate enough, to be in a place, where the blessing is, thus, they benefit from it, but over the course of time, they become a thorn in the flesh- To the blessing!
Child of God, when our Holy Father promises us something and we truly heard Him well, then, we must understand that His promise to us is, “Yes and amen in Christ!” Meaning, that it is His word, which will ultimately stand, just as the Scripture confirms to us; That His word is forever settled in Heaven! Which further explains this truth of the word of God, that whatever is loosed in Heaven is loosed on earth! Nonetheless child of God, this is where it becomes really tricky; It is the timing, and the process of the manifestation here on earth. That is exactly where the enemy has a strong hold on most of us! I am not in denial to tell you, that it is not difficult, and daunting to wait long for the manifestation of something promised by God Almighty; Of course, it is! But that is where the difference is seen, between a child of God whose faith is strong in God, one whose faith still needs to be strengthened, and the other, who is an unbeliever (Hebrews 11:13)! We just have to be patient in waiting as anything we do through our human understanding, knowledge and wisdom, in order to help God to bring it to manifestation, will of course, not stop the blessing from coming to pass, but rather, it is going to become that which will be a very painful thorn in our God-ordained, and promised blessing, when it finally arrives! Consequently, we cannot and should not blame God for the thorns as we are the ones who created them, and not HIM!
The LORD is responsible for the Promise of the blessing, its timing of manifestation, and its protection, but we are fully responsible for the idols, or the thorns which eventually becomes a monument of harassment, and opposition against our blessings, if we do not wait for God to have His way and in His time- Let’s all not forget that!
A wise person would be convicted, by understanding that they created the idols and the thorns, subsequently, they will begin to repent, ask God for forgiveness, and seek His face on how to handle the situation to rid themselves of the evil which has already come home to roost, as well as to live their lives in such ways, that are in alignment with the will, and nature of God, at least the best way they can, but not so the unwise, who would keep blaming, and hating on God Almighty for the mistakes that they were fully responsible for!
WAITING TO CONCEIVE?
I would want to pause here for a moment, to encourage any couple, who has been waiting on God for a child, that I know what it feels like, waiting to conceive. It is like going through hell and back, but in hindsight, that was one of the seasons, that made me stronger in God as my faith was embattled from every angle, yet, strengthened even more in Him during that season! Therefore, as you wait on God, through prayers, and through Godly means to receive help for your conditions, do not lose hope because God’s time is always the best, and please dearest child of God Almighty, believe this word of our Holy Father, and not mine, that it is better to have just one child from God, than to have a thousand children which He never gave to you! It is also better not to have a child at all, if after doing all to have one and it still did not happen than to have any, that He never gave to you! When I mentioned, that I would specially want to encourage any lady, or woman reading this week’s devotional, it should be so, because women are the ones who go through more pain and nightmare in such seasons than men. It is not that men do not agonize in those seasons, but for them it is not as bad as it is for women. For women it is almost as though their whole lives, and being are invested and dependent on it- This is the truth because I experienced it myself, and I have also heard and seen many women and men during such seasons, thus, I am able to come to this conclusion. I am reminded of Hannah, the mother of Prophet Samuel, whose public lamentation brought God into her situation through Priest Eli! They are the ones who do the prayers during such seasons like no man can possibly do. I do also believe, that they are the ones whose inner conflict and emotions, invites God to the situation. They are the ones who are running to the doctors to find out what is going on? Has any of you men ever been to the gynecologist before, to see for yourselves how many men come along with their wives who are visiting for the sake of conceiving the child, that is to be for both of them? They are the ones who pull the men along! They are the ones who are more desperate to see the family grow! I am appalled that in the age we are now living in, many men want the recognition due women, and many women want the respect due men- Everyone should learn to stay in their lane, accept, be allowed to accept, and be satisfied with that which is their Godly due, except it is God’s will to make exception to the rule just for you, but for His glory, else, it is destructive and counter-productive, for according to the word of God, if we, having been created differently by God Almighty, should constantly keep comparing ourselves with one another, by so doing, we are not wise!
ATTENTION: When I talk or write about Godly women, I am not talking about women who have decided, that they will not live according to the Godly standards which God has set for His daughters, but rather, I am talking to, and about the women, ladies and girls who are appreciative of whom, and how God has designed them to be, as well as those who love God Almighty and are willing to submit to Him and not man’s traditions.
I am honestly tired of seeing this particular group of Godly girls, ladies and women suffer the most, even within the church! What we must all consider is that because they decided, unlike others, to obey and submit to God Almighty, does not mean, that they have to be taken advantage of, or that God’s will for them is to continue forever, to wait or be patient in evil circumstances. God is clearly against such evil that is being done to these group of daughters and sons, who belong and submit to Him!
What many greedy and foolish believers believe is this, that they must be the ones to manifest the promise of the kingdom, when God is saying, that His kingdom here on earth is like a marathon, and relay race! A marathon race because of the duration, stamina, and the perseverance required. It is likened to a relay race because of the principle, which it is built on; Regardless of how good a sprinter you are, there is a baton which must be transfered for the team to be victorious! This is what the LORD GOD also made king David to understand, when David wanted to build the LORD a house to dwell in. God rejected that particular offer from David and rather insisted that his son, Solomon would be the one to build Him a house. Concerning that particular assignment, king David did not rebel against God by going ahead to build the temple, in order to go into history as the man or king who built the temple, but rather, he concurred and allowed the will of God to be done as opposed to his own desire! You must learn to pass the baton over to the next person, to the next generation, whom God has ordained, for the kingdom of Heaven to keep expanding according to His ways, rather than to become a demonic solid rock; An obstacle, holding unto the baton when your lap has come to an end. If you have completed your part of the race, then, still holding on to the baton, or intentionally passing it over to the wrong person; Someone whom God never chose to handle it, would ultimately mean, that you are in willful rebellion to God Almighty and His kingdom, which makes you an agent of darkness, who is deliberately working against the kingdom of Heaven to weaken or undermine it- PeriodT! Thus, we may not even be able to fathom the penalty which God Himself, will definitely impose on such a wicked spirit, and unrepentant person!
How would Moses have been represented in the Bible, had he rebelled against the LORD and killed Joshua, in order to fight, and hinder the manifestation of the word of God because it didn’t please him when he was told by God, that he would see the promised land, but would not enter into it? We would have read this about him, “The man called Moses, who did more evil, than all other false prophets before and after him combined! Thank God Moses was a true servant and lover of God Almighty- He saved his soul, his Godly name, and his position in God because according to the Scripture, the Spirit of the LORD makes it clear, that God is the only One who decides on a thing, and when He does that, we are to accept His decision without having to oppose Him for it, else, it will be to our detriment and not His (Isaiah 45:9)! This is one of the beautiful spiritual recipes, that we are missing in our time; Unlike Sarah, those entrusted with the promise of God, are no longer dedicated to preserving it, or protecting it as long as they believe it is not for their personal benefits! They do not only mock those, who are dedicated to doing what they themselves are not willing to do, but they also go to every spiritual and physical length to undermine them. It is so sad to see how God depicts the evil He says, that many of such people, who have been entrusted with the keys of the knowledge of the mysteries the kingdom of Heaven are doing against Him; Most of them are no longer committed to upholding what they have received, but rather, they are running for quick fixes and quick gains, in order words, Yes, they are indeed very busy like the busy- bees; Building, but not for HIM, but rather, for themselves!
Conclusively Child of God, we have to be more committed in whatever it is that God has blessed us with. We have to do the best we can as human beings, who love the LORD God, to take care of whatever it is that God has blessed us with, regardless of how small or insignificant we might think they are. It could be a spouse, whom you need to give your best to help, respect and love- Just pour all that you can for the sake of God, so that when there is nothing left to pour into them, like Apostle Paul did, you can say with your head lifted high in surrender to God, even if you must separate yourself from them afterwards, that like drink offering, you have poured out yourself as a sacrifice unto God Almighty. Having said that, I would not encourage everybody to take the above advice literally, by going to the very end of completely depleting yourself for another person as God created us all differently, and different people have different limits to their human and even, spiritual endurance! Therefore, a blessing is something that brings you joy, latest, in the long run, if not in the very beginning! Just like Sarah did not receive her blessing in form of Isaac in the very beginning but eventually got it later in her old age, you child of God will recieve your blessing and no one will stop it in Jesus’ faithful name. Nonetheless, whatever it is, that the Spirit of the only true God reveals to you, that both in a short and long term, will never bring you any form of joy, peace, and Godliness, then, it is not a blessing, but rather you are dealing with a thorn and a thistle! Consequently, if you know that something is going to literally kill your relationship with God Almighty, make you lose your soul, and lose your peace to the enemy, then, commit whatever that is to God, and get yourself out of that situation as best, Godly, and fast as you possibly can!
As a parent or a steward to a child, or children, you have to give the very best that you can as children can be quite difficult to deal with sometimes. If you are a friend, then, why don’t you be that Proverbs 18:24 kind of friend, by being a very good one; That friend who sticks closer than a brother? In your place of work, that is the same attitude you have to cultivate because God is in the details; It is those little, and insignificant things that we do not appreciate or even acknowledge, that God does take great delight in. Therefore Child of God, I am determined to do my little part to make God Almighty, never to repeat these words: I REGRET THAT I MADE HUMAN BEINGS!
PERSONAL INFORMATION
Why am I more comfortable writing THE CHILDREN’S BREAD- Weekly devotionals? I love the very fact, that you don’t have to watch me say the things that I write, which over the course of time, may become even more intense, according to the directives of the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY! I used to be a really nice, soft and laid back kind of person, but that has changed for a while now, and because I am still learning to be the new me, according to the will of God Almighty, writing makes it more easy for me- To gradually slide into whom God has truly called me to be!
Am I a coward? No, I’m not! I really believe that I am not! It is just that for me, writing works well, although I am still not perfect in it. It takes away the emotions that could make many people very mad at me, and at God, while they completely overlook what the Holy Spirit is actually using me to point at. With writing, the content could cook you up, but at the same time, give you the opportunity to go through it again, without seeing my human weaknesses in live display, thus, give you the space to ponder on what you read, or are reading as opposed to the one before your very eyes, tempting you to throw your device at her 😊! Therefore, I think I will only stick to writing for now; No videos, no audios, till the LORD says, or makes me feel otherwise or when He says something that really needs you all to either see His anger, or laughter on my face; Something that is for public consumption. Having said that, it is not to encourage you to rush into writing devotionals or writing at all, if it doesn’t work for you as you may be a better presenter through videos or audios; You just have to find something that works well for you and also makes you happy!
Child of God, from my perspective, my life is VERY BORING BUT SOMEWHAT INTERESTING, ALL AT THE SAME TIME! What I have come to learn is this, sometimes, we want the most interesting things, but what if the life we consider as boring is that which is very interesting in the eyes of God? He is the only true Potter, and we are nothing but His clay. Let us allow Him to mold and use us however He wants to because He is the only One, Who has the burden of decision as it relates to His intention for creating us; What He has need of us for- Not us!
PRAYER
Father God, please watch over me and do not allow the enemy of my soul to choke me or the blessings, that You have promised and given to me. Let Your loving, and watchful eyes never depart from me all the days of my life, for I am Your child, and I put my trust and hope in You, and in You alone in Jesus’ mighty name, amen.
Child of God, whatever you are dealing with, as long as you belong to Him, and believe in Him- He has never failed and never will He fail you. Thus, I pray for you that the LORD God, will protect and deliver you in Jesus’ most powerful name, amen!
Child of God, stay blessed, and happy!
Jesus loves you!
Written by Susan Ikeokwu