FAITH CAPSULE: Challenges assess one from a different angle. 

Psalm 27

Pride is a prominent avenue to trouble. 
Job identifies what it means to be in trouble.
Job 3:26 records, “I am not at ease, nor am I quiet; I have no rest, for troubles come.” 
Going by the testimony of Job, the evidence of trouble in the life of the troubled ones, not being at ease, not being in a quiet state of mind, and lack of rest. 
Anywhere there is trouble, confusion will abide, and the making of wrong decisions prevails. 
Is there any evidence of trouble in your life? 
Trouble can come through a different avenue that is beyond the control of anyone with trouble, like that of Job. 
However, anyone in trouble can take a position allowing God to take charge by resting and hoping on the promises of God. 
Are you with troubling challenges?
Challenges assess one from a different angle.
Among the route of trouble comes through pride.
King Herod had no reason to be troubled by the announcement of the birth of Jesus. 
Matthew 2:1-3 records, “Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.” When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.”  
The pride of King Herod was his trouble that is rooted in his wrong perception and intimidation of the birth of a new King. 
The trouble that came into the life of King Herod led him to make wrong and confused decisions. 
Trouble is the root of making a wrong decision and the calling of bad judgment. 
Herod made an error in judgment and a wrong decision in his attempt to terminate the divine agenda of God.
The decision of the wicked king to terminate the divine agenda of God brought to life the way and the unfailing word of God to manifestation. Hosea 11:1 states, “When Israel was a child, I loved him, And out of Egypt I called My son.” 
The trouble in King Herod brought confusion into his life to think he could terminate the King of kings, the Lord of all. 
Are you experiencing any trouble? 
There is a place in time for believers to run as a hiding place.
The Psalmist states, “For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; in the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock.” (Psalm 27:5). 
God is at work, and He is on behalf of all who seek refuge in times of trouble. 
Seek God for the trouble to cease.

Prayer for today: Ask to be one that will dwell and abide in the hand of God, not to be a victim of trouble.

FAITH CAPSULE: Take all your challenges to God and not take them back. 

Genesis 32:22-32, Matthew 15:21-31

Are you laying all at His feet or bagging back all that made such to seek His feet?
Matthew 7:7 records, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” 
Asking, seeking, and knocking demands is to find God meeting expectations.
Asking, seeking, and knocking are engaging in a position to get His attention. 
However, the position to engage Him is looking up to Him without having any place to look up to as a backup plan.
Taking a position at the feet of God is a place to gain the unfailing attention of God.
Taking a position at the feet of God is compared to making a statement such as, “I will not let you go if you do not answer my request.” 
Jacob once wrestled with the Lord and insisted not to allow the departure of the Lord until He blessed Him. 
It is good to come to His feet, but not enough if not to lay all for God to intervene. 
Great multitudes came to the feet of Jesus, and they received healing. Matthew 15:30 states, “Then great multitudes came to Him having with them the lame, blind, mute, maimed, and many others; and they laid them down at Jesus’ feet, and He healed them.” 
Before healing was possible, they came and lay at the feet of Jesus, and all experienced deliverance with breakthrough miracles. 
Just as multitudes laid it at His feet, the rulers also laid it at His feet.
The Bible documents, “Jarius, one of the rulers of the synagogue came, and when he saw Him, he fell at His feet and begged Him earnestly, saying, ‘My little daughter lies at the point of death. Come and lay Your hands on her, that she may be healed, and she will live” (Mark 5:22-23). Those who went to His feet demonstrated expectation for manifestation by laying it all at His feet. 
Have you been going everywhere named in the Name of God, but the situation remains unchanged? 
In your going, are you laying it or bagging it to take it back with you? 
It is one thing to come and not to lay it down. 
It is another thing to come and lay it down before Him. 
Whenever all challenges are the feet of God, all shall experience the rest of God permanently, not to rise. 
In your going or coming to Him, let expectation begin to reign, the evidence of faith. With faith, God is pleased. (Hebrews 11:6). 
In your going to His feet, make up the mind to lay it all down at His feet. 

Prayer for today: Ask to be enabled to know giving all up at His feet to experience the manifestation of expectation.

FAITH CAPSULE: Jesus prevailed by reminding the evil about the word of God. 

2 Samuel 11, Luke 4:1-15

Letting down guard is allowing the enemy to bring war to the front.
How one engages temptations in one direction will determine not to become a victim of temptation.
The devil is the author of the temptation to bring all down and not stand for God.
All should know that the devil is a stubborn animal with no respect for any of his targets. 
Temptation orchestrated by the devil for Jesus is evidence that no one is above experiencing the temptation.
The devil approached the Lord Jesus Christ with temptation. 
Luke 4:1-2, Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, being tempted for forty days by the devil. And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry.” 
If Jesus could experience such, no one is immune to the war of temptation. 
How are you upholding your guard against the advance of temptation from the enemy?
Temptation is not the sin, but it is the driver of sin and sinning against the word of God.
It is how you uphold your guard that will determine how you hold against the move of the enemy. 
Jesus did not let down His guard when the enemy located Him with temptation. 
One that puts up guard has the word of God in the heart with a guard to overcome temptation.
Jesus prevailed by reminding the evil about the word of God. 
Jesus was at the right place, at the right time, for the evil one failed. 
All for God are with the mark pointing that the enemy cannot tolerate.
Avoidance of careless standing will call for an evil plan.
Despite all the victories of King David, he was not able to fight a war of success when adultery brought war to David via the lane of temptation. 
One of the major causes of the loss of King David records, “It happened in the spring of the year, at the time when kings go out to battle, that David sent Joab and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the people of Ammon and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem.” (2 Samuel 11:1) 
King David was at the right place at the wrong time. 
As a prime target of the enemy, there is no room for consuming life mistakes. 
A believer should know no that being found out at the wrong place is not acceptable.
Consistently, a believer should avoid taking a position in the wrong place at the right time.
Life-terminating testimony will come, but the word of God can deliver. 
Take to the advice of the apostle Paul, who states, “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” (Ephesians 6:10-11) 

Prayer for today: Ask for deliverance against every plan of the evil one against your life

FAITH CAPSULE: Desire for wisdom, understanding, and knowledge to increase in your life.

Proverbs 4

God delivers His own when called on, and He acknowledges.
The children of Israel, in time of their challenge, cried out to God. 
God looked upon them.
Exodus 2:25, “And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God acknowledged them…”
In this challenging time, one that calls on Him, that looks upon Him shall experience the move of God, answering His people.
Instability is the core of the challenges of today.
However, call upon God to experience stability, not to be a victim of the challenges.
Isaiah 33:6 says, “Wisdom and knowledge will be the stability of your times And the strength of salvation; The fear of the Lord is His treasure.”
God treasures it when living by the fear of God is the character of one with wisdom and knowledge.
It is wisdom, understanding, and knowledge that are not separated, being possessed, that will enable one not to live unstable in the challenges of instability.
Are you one with wisdom, knowledge, and understanding that is rooted in the word of God?
Three things not to stop asking from God are wisdom, understanding, and knowledge.
WISDOM is the instruction of God. 
1 Corinthians 1:30 records wisdom, “But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God…”
UNDERSTANDING is giving attention that is listening to the word of God.
KNOWLEDGE is the application of wisdom. 
Knowledge is having wisdom, then with an understanding of having the edge in life endeavors. 
Are you a believer in wisdom, understanding, and knowledge not to perish, a life of waste?
Hosea 4:6 clearly states, “My people perish because they lack knowledge.”
Wisdom and understanding are the evidence of knowledge.
Pages of the Bible emphasize wisdom and understanding as the key to having a knowing edge.
For example, Proverbs 4 records the importance of wisdom and understanding.
PROVERBS 4:1 “Hear, my children, the instruction of a father, And give attention to know understanding”
PROVERBS 4:5, “Get wisdom! Get understanding!”
PROVERBS 4:7, ‘Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding.”
The wisdom of God is in place for one who will give to gain the understanding for the application of knowledge. 
However, many do not understand the word (wisdom) of God.
A lack of understanding is a listening disability.
Jesus points it out in John 8:43 when He asked and answered rhetorically, “Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word.”
Understanding is crucial to living as a believer, not just knowing about believers.
In this challenging world, one who does not have the wisdom (word) of God and does not have the understanding to navigate knowing God is able in all areas of life is bound to perish.
John 8:45 records the word of Jesus, “But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me.”
All should consciously press for growing as a believer to gain wisdom, understanding, and knowledge, not to perish, a life of waste.

 Prayer for today: Ask to be enabled to gain wisdom and understanding, knowing.

FAITH CAPSULE: Give yourself to the task, not just your title.

Mark 5

Mark 5:22-23 records, “…Behold, one of the rulers of the synagogue came, Jairus by name. And when he saw Him, he fell at His feet and appealed to Him earnestly, saying, ‘My daughter lies at the point of death. Come and lay Your hands on her, that she may be healed, and she will live.’”  
A synagogue is a Jewish place of worship. 
Synagogue services are of reciting the Shema (Shema is the confession of faith in Judaism) 
Praying, scripture readings from the Old Testament, giving sermons, and benediction are the patterns of synagogue worship. 
Jairus, one of the rulers of the synagogue, put aside his religious title that could have built an empty pride in him. 
The title of Jairus did not measure to the task at hand as he went to meet with the only King of kings and the Lord of lords. 
Is there a religious title between you and seeing where miracles are? Jairus needed to have his daughter delivered from the point of death when he dismissed his title, going for Jesus to give him attention. 
In the attempt of Jairus to get the attention of Jesus for his breakthrough miracle, he engaged in three things: 
First, he put aside his religious burden and met Jesus at the right location, the crossing point. 
Your crossing point could be on the ground of fellowship. 
Often, many have missed their crossing point because of the title.
To many, the title takes a position of pride.
Jairus could not allow his title to deny his miracle but approached Jesus for his desire. 
How are you responding to altar calls where there is? 
It does not matter how often you have stepped out in the past, answering the calling to give yourself to God, but know to persist and insist on your expectations from God. 
Secondly, Jairus saw Jesus, and he took a step of faith. 
Jairus’ stepping out caused him to have direct contact with Jesus. 
Jesus knows all things, but the need of Jarius was not strange to Jesus. His stepping out and seeing Jesus was a renunciation of not being a part of the multitude to becoming one who was on purpose and not flowing with the crowd. 
Let Jesus see you in your need and not just in the crowd. 
Finally, Jairus fell at the feet of Jesus, meaning He laid it all unto Jesus. Imagine Jairus begging earnestly for the life of his daughter by saying, “Here I am, a poor religious, have mercy on my dying daughter.” 
While begging at the feet of the Master, he made his request without paying attention to his title and the multitude. 
Watch out, “Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall.” (Proverbs16:18) 

Prayer for today: Ask God to deliver you from every spirit of pride.