Devotional Details

THE CHILDREN’S BREAD

– MONTHLY DEVOTIONAL –

1^st. June 2023

SCRIPTURE:

“’Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way. But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared. So the servants of the owner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’ He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants said to him, ‘Do you want us then to go and gather them up?’ But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.”’

Matthew 13:24-30, NKJV.

NOTE: Child of God Almighty, in this month of June, I will be posting just ONE little prayer at least 2 times per week, according to what the Holy Spirit puts in my heart for, either just ONE child of HIS, or for a group of people who belong to HIM.

Child of God, I welcome you into this beautiful month of JUNE– I pray over you, a very happy, peaceful, prosperous, and blessed new month in the most gracious and powerful name of our LORD and Deliverer- Jesus Christ, amen!!!

In this monthly devotional of June, let us consider just a bit about who a GATE-KEEPER is, and who he is definitely not. From the perspectives of both realms; spiritual and even physical perspective, the job of a gatekeeper is a very delicate one. In order words, a gatekeeper is synonymous with a security personnel. It is very unfortunate that in most countries, the good and honest gate-men are hardly appreciated for their services, which could be due to different reasons- NOT evil, or evil. The job of a gate-man is one, that not everybody should be qualified for, as well as accepted for. If you happen to have an honest, and dedicated gatekeeper, then, you, my friend, have hit a jackpot! This is so because they are not just extremely vigilant, but they are also ever ready to engage the threat, and under their care, your safety is guaranteed, at least, as long as they are alive, or are able! The only way thieves and robbers are able to come in, to steal, kill or destroy those, or things within the house, is when they have successfully taken out the gate-keeper, and this can happen in different ways, shape, and form (To be expounded on, at another time, as this is where the rubber meets the road with regards to who a true gate-keeper is, and is not – John 10).

You really have to go through a gate-man before you are able to get into the house, and to those within it:

• Gate-keepers or security personnel are those who keep watch when others go to sleep, or just for others to be at ease to do their jobs, without fearing for their lives, like in the court houses and in the banks.

• These are people who are the first point of contact with everyone, which includes, intruders! Thus, they are awake, in order for all others to be safe while asleep, in the case of a personal house.

• These are also diligent, but Godly-hearted custom, or immigration officers, employed by the nation to keep their borders free from danger, either coming into their respective nations, or even dangers departing their respective nations to become a whole nuisance to another.

• These are gate-keepers who watch over houses, or offices of their employers.

• These are also people like personal body-guards, who are responsible for the security of their employers or those whom they have been employed to safe-guard.

• These are those in homes, and communities; Fathers, mothers, husbands, wives, sons, daughters, brothers, etc. who are responsible and called by God to keep these places safe.

• A gatekeeper must be fully trusted to keep you and your home, else, there should be no need to engage someone to watch over you, in whom you do not have full confidence with regards to your safety.

Child of God, the truth is, regardless of how diligent we are, in trying to man our posts, giving the fact that we are humans and not machines, everyone of us at one point in time, needs some rest, in order to recoup, or to be refreshed. Even a machine, eventually shuts down when over-used, as a result, while we rest, sleep, or are focused on something else, which is equally important, things we never intended to happen, may occur. All these different scenarios, which I have listed above solely relates to gate-keepers or security personnel as it pertains to the secular world, or the physical realm, but there is another security, which is more important than all that, which has been mentioned so far, and that is the spiritual security, which comes from God Almighty alone. Hence, the lack, or the presence of it, is bound to greatly impact the physical sphere, which we are all a part of. God is a Spirit and for Him to get involved in the affairs of men here on earth, He needs bodies to manifest, just like Satan, also needs bodies to manifest here on earth. Therefore, there is an institution which God Almighty through His Son, Jesus Christ has set up here on earth to govern us, who belong to Him and who believe in Him, and that is the CHURCH – The Bride of Christ!

Before Jesus Christ left this world bodily, and according to what we have, in our possession as written in the Scripture, He asked Peter three different times if he loved Him that much, more than all these other things- Material things; food, drink, titles, accolades, fame, platform, opinions of men, traditions of the elders, going-viral, etc. and at that particular point in time, and understandably, Peter, not fully understanding why Jesus, Who knew all things would be nagging him with repetitive questions, which should have been obvious to Him from a human perspective; that he loved HIM! Unbeknownst to Peter, Jesus knew what His disciples would be confronted with, from the very moment He departed from them bodily; they were going to be thrust into the worst kinds of storms that they have ever been in, but this time, on their own, without a super-human-helper to intervene on their behalf!

WHAT WERE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT JESUS KNEW, WHICH PETER AND THE OTHERS DID NOT FULLY COMPREHEND?

• He knew that the Pharisees and the Sadducees would do to them, the same things that they did to Him, even worse if need be, since they dared to oppose them, by following or aligning themselves with Him.

• He knew that their good names would be spoken evil of.

• He fully knew, that they were going to be tempted beyond their wildest imaginations.

• He knew, that the very things which their minds had always craved for, but which was denied them; things like wealth, positions, titles, women, etc. were going to be laid at their feet just like that!

• He knew, that their lives were going to be covertly and publicly threatened because of the Holy GOSPEL!

These and many more, Jesus had already seen and was aware of, but they did not fully understand, thus, His need to make Peter understand, that just like He had told him before it all happened, as it pertained to Peter denying HIM three good times, even before the Cock would crow, so also, that even he – PETER, who loved Him so very much, was going to completely DENY himself of everything, which he once cherished as He would thence-forth, only live and eventually die for the work of the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus was trying to tell Peter in His artistic mode of speaking, that like-wise, these hard tests would come his way, in order to prove and strengthen Peter’s loyalty to the course and for the good of the Gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven.

To be an “OVER-SEER” for the things of God Almighty here on earth like Peter was, God had to test him, like even our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ was tested, but unlike Jesus, Who was severely tested as He knew afore-time, that He was going to be literally crucified and die for our sakes, the disciples’ tests were somewhat different. The disciples were also tested with no guarantee of physical rewards, or even, that they would make it out alive bodily, yet, unlike Jesus, Who concluded on His fate in the Garden of Gethsemane, somewhere within each and every one of His disciples, even till the very last second, they still hoped that the cup would pass them by.

God had to sharpen, and refine Peter, through the fire of trials and tribulations. Having said that, I must pause right here, to make a disclaimer, which is, that it is not everybody that God Almighty chooses to sharpen this way, though we are all called as children of God Almighty, to carry our cross daily and follow Him, which brings us to the topic of: STAY IN YOUR LANE!

It was not the titles which men bestowed on Peter, that made him an overseer for the things of God here on earth in his time – No! It was rather the election of God Almighty by His unmerited grace, and favor, as well as through the tests he had to endure for the task which was ahead of him, many of which we, have never even read about. Peter’s love for Christ was test-proofed, solid, and unwavering, till the very end – I truly honor APOSTLE PETER, the other Apostles, as well as men, and women in our time, who are walking that same path, though they be very few!

Despite his position as the General overseer of all the other Apostles, when Peter was confronted by Paul, with regards to his foolishness as it pertained to wanting to hold positions, even in the area God Almighty, never assigned to him, please child of God, let us now reason this thing together; what did He do?

• He concurred, and this he did, not because he had lost his passion for chopping off ears, but because he remembered the Promise he made to Christ before his commission as an Apostle.

• Peter remembered what He promised the Owner of the CHURCH – “I love YOU Jesus Christ!”

• He remembered his commitment: I promised God Almighty through Christ to feed and take care of His sheep and lambs, more than all these other things!

• He remembered that He was not there to claim positions, titles, rewards, or assignments which God never gave to him, neither was he there to take credit for the work which God had begun, or was doing, but through another!

• He understood that his work for the Kingdom of Heaven, was not to oppose, compete with, covet, hinder, delay, distract, block, enchant, deceive, gang-up against, or stop anyone to whom God Almighty has opened a great door for effective work for the Kingdom of Heaven unto, but rather, to support, help and pave the way for them for the good of the Gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven!

• Peter knew how to test the spirit speaking to him and this is because he knew the voice of Christ, even when it came to him in another form, which was only possible because he had genuinely walked, dined and wined with Christ. Even in his error, this time, Peter was able to pause without pulling out his sword, or throwing a punch, in order to connect within himself, with that same Christ, with Whom He had had an intimate holy relationship, though it spoke to him through an unlikely vessel- PAUL!
• He didn’t pretend to accept Paul before the people, but go behind his back to undermine him or affiliate himself with temple hoodlums or prostitutes, in order to gang-stalk and threaten Paul, be it openly or subtly- No, that was not PETER– A true OVERSEER- The Apostle of CHRIST!

That, my friends in Christ, is an APOSTLE of CHRIST- Nothing less than that! Therefore, anyone, who is found engaging in evil practices, some of which are stated above, is not an Apostle, or at least, not a Godly one. That person is not a shepherd, or not a Godly one, nor a gate-keeper of Heaven for here on earth, but rather someone, who for whatever reason (which means, that amongst those who do these, are also some, who are indeed the children of God, but are nonetheless..) is constituting unfathomable nuisance to this Holy Kingdom, and this is regardless of their titles, positions, platforms, multitude of their followings, their fame, financial status, age, and even track records!

Child of God, there is something I am feeling right now; I can’t help but stop here to say a little prayer for any of us who this is for:

Holy Father God, in any way I have ever denied You, I whole-heartedly repent, and ask you this day and this month to forgive, and permanently restore me back to You in the most faithful name of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, amen.

As narrated in Mark 4:37-39, Jesus Christ, was asleep when the storm began to rage, which is indicative of the fact, that HE too needed sleep as a Man. Thus, a good Shepherd, Savior, and God He is, nonetheless, fully Man when He walked amongst us and as a result, every now and again, He too needed some rest, and it was on one of such occasions that a storm broke out. Hence, it was those who were keeping watch, while He slept, that saw the storm and woke HIM up from sleep, so that they are not all destroyed by the storm. Child of God, did you also notice, that although they could see and even feel the storm, yet, they were not in the position whatsoever to do anything to stop it, while the only One, Who had what it takes to stop it, could neither see, nor feel it because from a human perspective, He was asleep, and seemingly not aware of what was going on around HIM. Wow, I love the insight I am receiving from the Holy Spirit this very moment while reading this passage, and writing about it – I am going to keep the rest to myself to ponder on it a little further, and feed myself first, before writing or teaching on it – Someday.

Jesus, the good Teacher and Master, did not only come to teach His disciples how to seek, and fish out the souls of men from this wicked world, which has swallowed them, but also to teach them how to be good watchmen in this wicked and adulterous generation as not to allow Satan, to steal the souls of HIS children in the first place. Where the watchmen in most churches, homes, and communities are failing miserably, is not being able to understand, that it is much wiser to stop the wolf from coming into the sheep-pen, than it is, to have to run behind it, in order to recover the sheep, only after it had already made away with the children of God.

ALL of us (myself including) are found wanting in most of the things, which I write about as exhortations to the Body of Christ, thus, we must all repent the very moment the light of God shines on wherever we know, that we have fallen short of the standard of a true child of God, ask God Almighty for forgiveness and make amends where we must.

THE MONTH OF HUMANITY AND HUMILITY

IN THIS MONTH OF HUMANITY- JUNE, as human beings, I want us to be reminded of our frailty, weaknesses and vulnerabilities. We are to always put this truth before our faces; we are nothing but humans, who originated from dust and unto dust, our physical suits/ earthly bodies must all return. Therefore, regardless of how watchful we are, every now and again, a wolf, or hireling will escape our vigilance, and as a result, we should be able, willing and humble enough before God Almighty, to admit our humanity, and weaknesses. We have to be able to always remember that without God in and with us, we are absolutely nothing, can amount to nothing, and will never be able to achieve or sustain anything good. Consequently, we are to always do everything that we possibly can as human beings, to always remain connected with and in God Almighty, our Holy and faithful Father, in order for HIM to be our faithful Helper, by being our protection, and the protection for those who belong to HIM, especially with regards to the things of which, we are powerless over, in the most faithful name of Jesus Christ, amen.

As a good gatekeeper, you have to man the post you are responsible for, in such a way that makes it nearly impossible for the wolf and hirelings to come into the space which you are manning. Nonetheless, having done all within your power to be a Godly gatekeeper, which entails stopping the wolf and hirelings from coming in, and after your efforts to stop them from coming in has failed should that be the case, then, you child of God, would also have tried everything you could, to stop them from carting off with the sheep – Nonetheless, they still did? In such a case child of God, I want you to be at rest within your soul because at least, you have given your utmost best, which God Almighty and the Holy Spirit can testify to as He is the Witness of Truth. After you would also have gone after the wolf to recover the sheep, and regardless of how the rescue search turns out – Without any dent of guilt, you would be able to say to yourself: I did all that was in my power, and which is required of me by God Almighty, in order to protect, as well as to recover the sheep, nonetheless, I couldn’t recover this particular one. Coming to this conclusion, you now rest your case in the LORD GOD Almighty by giving that person, situation, and thing over into His care, wash your hands off that particular situation and move on. From thenceforth, that particular issue, situation, or person is no longer within your jurisdiction of responsibility as a human vessel that you are, but rather, God Almighty’s! Subsequently, IN THE CASE OF A PERSON, as long as that particular individual is not a son or daughter of perdition, they will be recovered by God Himself, BUT only under His own terms, conditions, and timing. From my perspective as a watchman (woman?), it is always very interesting to observe how God’s way as it relates to HIS deliverance always works out in the lives of such individuals who truly belong to Him, but who have embraced the kingdom of darkness for the purposes of elevation, prominence, wealth, and benefits, that comes from the kingdom of darkness, as this particular kingdom does indeed give benefits, but with no Godly accountability, terms and conditions attached to it. Thus, as a matter of truth, the opposite is the case because the unfortunate and sad part of these kinds of benefits is, that the recipients fail to see the truth from the unset, which is, that it ultimately leads to the worst kind of slavery – Bondage, and the very kind, which they would rather never want to be sold into – Selah.

DISCLAIMER: I MUST REITERATE FOR EVERYONE READING THIS DEVOTONAL TO FULLY UNDERSTAND, THAT THIS IS A GENERAL WRITING, WHICH MEANS, THAT NO ONE PERSON IS BEING HIGHLIGHTED HERE – BUT RATHER, THIS IS AN EXHORTATION TO US ALL, WHO ARE A PART OF THE BODY OF CHRIST, AS WELL AS EVERYONE WHO IS A CHILD OF GOD – NOT EXCLUDING MYSELF.

THE DIFFERENT KINDS OF WATCHMEN

From the above illustration; Jesus, sleeping, while the storm was raging, teaches us that even the best and most powerful watchman gets to sleep, or at least takes a nap, but the difference between the good watchman and a hireling is:

• A good watchman never takes Valium, or liquor to sleep, therefore, when there is a need for him to wake up, he does so, ASAP!

• A very bad watchman or hireling takes whatever he decides is necessary for him to get a very comfortable, wonderful and prolonged sleep, thus, when there is a serious need for him to get up at once, he would never be able to do so, but even if he does, the probability that he might take down the house owner, while gleefully welcoming a robber is very high as he, being so drowsy would not be in the right state of mind to distinguish between the owner of the house, and an intruder.

• In contrast to hirelings or wicked gatekeepers, when a good gatekeeper eventually wakes up to the truth, instead of sugar-coating it, or using deceptive means to maneuver his error, they openly correct their mistakes and even sound the alarm to warn others about the presence of the intruder within the house, who has come in to steal, kill, and destroy, while he slept.

• A good gatekeeper is not in alliance with Satan and His evil kingdom, thus, if suffering is what is required to get the work done, he is willing to suffer, in order to see to it, that the vulnerable are safe, and the Holy Kingdom is exalted!

• Another striking attribute, and one which should never be overlooked, which differ a good gate-keeper from the evil one is, that an evil or wicked gatekeeper would be ever willing to submit those under his care to any satanic altar, by opening the gate of the house to thieves, robbers, evil spirits, etc., to come in and do whatever they so wish with those within it, just for gain, quick elevation, and benefits, or favor that comes from darkness.

PRAYER FOR THIS MONTH OF HUMILITY- JUNE!

• I bring any impending crisis, which has been programmed for my life and loved ones for this month of June, under the power of the blood of Jesus Christ, to be annulled and destroyed in the merciful and faithful name of my LORD and Savior Jesus Christ, amen.

• In this beautiful month of HUMILITY unto YOU, my only Holy God Almighty, and because I belong to YOU and submit to YOU, I speak the HOLY RAINBOW, which is YOUR HOLY PROMISE of eternal mercy, as well as YOUR unfailing blessings over my life and loved ones, in the most faithful name of Jesus Christ, amen!

• I invoke the promised blessings of God Almighty over my life to now prevail over every yoke, curse, and word of darkness which is at work in my life, or looming over me in the most powerful name of Jesus Christ, amen.

• Holy Spirit of God Almighty, raise a formidable standard on my behalf, and against every confederacy of wickedness, that is working, planning, scheming and plotting against Your will for my life in the most merciful name of Jesus Christ, amen.

• Thou Holy Spirit of Truth, expose, and over-rule every lies, deception, tricks, ungodly evidence, and evil witness, which evil workers; agents of deception, tricks and lies have presented, or will present against me anywhere in the most righteous name of Jesus Christ, amen.

• Almighty God, by the power of Your Omni-Potent hand, in this month of June 2023, I bring before You, any evil hand, which is tightly clutching unto any glass-cup of demonic judgment against me- Overpower that hand and destroy their cup, along with its evil content in the most powerful name of Jesus Christ, amen.

• Holy Father, cast down and cast out any covetous spirit that has vowed never to allow me to possess my God-Given possession in the most faithful name of Jesus Christ, amen.

• Thank You Holy Father God, for hearing my prayers, and granting my request in the most faithful name of my LORD and Redeemer- Jesus Christ, amen!!!

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

Jesus loves you!

Yours Sister – Susan.