OUR DAILY BREAD by Lesley Lerasa

  I know what it feels like to be chained. To wake up and feel like your body isn’t yours, like the cravings are louder than your own thoughts. I’ve been there. Drugs had me, or so I thought. But here’s the truth I’m living now: the addiction doesn’t have power over me anymore. I put my trust in God.  “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” – Philippians 4:13  When you’re in it, the lie is that you’re alone. That nobody understands, that you’ve gone too far, that freedom is for other people. I believed that lie for a long time. But God doesn’t write people off. He comes into the mess, into the shame, and He calls you by name. He didn’t come for the perfect. He came for the broken.   “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.” – Psalm 34:18   Breaking free didn’t happen because I was strong enough. It happened because He is faithful. Every day I chose to pray instead of pick up. Every night I chose His word ...

  We live in a world filled with diverse cultures and traditions, each one unique and special in its own way. We see these differences in the music that moves us, the clothes we wear, the food we eat, the languages we speak, and the rituals that shape our lives. On Heritage Day, people come together to celebrate their heritage, honoring the customs and traditions that make them who they are . Growing up in Khayakhulu village, nestled in the heart of North West Province, South Africa, with the AmaHlubi tribe, I've seen firsthand the beauty of cultural heritage. Our village has a rich history, dating back to 1924 when 19 families from Eastern Cape settled on Rhenosterboom farm, later renamed Khayakhulu. We celebrate our arrival and heritage with the vibrant Isikhumbuzo saMahlubi festival, a time of music, dance, and feasting. As followers of Christ, we're called to something greater – to live like Jesus, to love like Jesus, and to serve like Jesus. We should speak words that upli...

  There is one sun and one moon in this world we're living in, but we got seven continents and one hundred and ninety-five countries. All with different timezones, I usually have online bible studies with the brothers and sisters in Christ across the world. The first thing that comes into mind is to want to know what time it is on their side, in order to keep track of their schedules and also knowing the seasons. You might wanna know where I'm going with this, well, it's all about our lives as Christians. We are many and for different purposes, yet there's only one Holy Spirit and one God. As I continue my journey with God, fellowshipping around the country and being in touch with brethren around the world, God made me realize a lot that is taking place among Christians that causes divisions. We've got the group that calls others religious and some call others lukewarm, and all this because of our appearances.  But in fact, God has placed the parts in the body, ever...

  Growing up before I was involved in drugs, I recall when we were told that "Those who don't listen to their parents end up on the streets." and "Focus on your studies and you'll never end up on the streets." Sounds like a good idea or something encouraging to tell someone? It happened when I was on the streets smoking and being involved in bad habits with some individuals. So usually there are times where we share our stories and experiences, some they ended up on the streets because they had abusive parents, some had depression and had no support from their parents, some had studied to the point of reaching their masters but because of the high percentage of unemployment that keeps on raising when the graduates keep graduating. ‬‬ I have seen something else under the sun: The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favor to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all.(‭‭Ecc...