FAITH CAPSULE: Gain to retain the presence of God, maintaining His presence.

Acts 20

Have the desire to live for God by allowing His word to build you up.
Sins and iniquities will deny one the ability to maintain oneself with God.
To gain and retain the presence of God demands walking in the word of God.
To maintain with God is encapsulated in knowing God.
Knowing God is not the same as knowing about God.
The majority, particularly acclaimed believers of God, ones that live life in the building in the name of the church, only know about God but do not know God.
Many are conversant in quoting the word of God, but do not walk in God.
To know God, start by listening to Him.
Listening to the word of God prompts one to be for God.
The word of Jesus testifies to the importance of listening to gain an understanding of knowing God.
Jesus spoke: “Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word.” (John 8:43)
The speech of Jesus is the word of Jesus.
To know Him and love Him is to listen to His word and gain an understanding of Him.
Under heaven, no one is born with understanding and knowledge of God, but learn to know God.
Romans 15:4 records, “For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.”  
Here are some of the bible verses written to know what it takes to maintain self with God:
Acts 6:4, “but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”
Acts 20:32, “So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.”
Jude 20-21, “But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.”
When one listens to the scriptural verses above, one is bound to maintain with God by seeking God diligently:
You should continually but not casually give yourself to the word of God.
One who remains with God makes the word of God a way of life.
Be prayerful to be in the word of God to remain with God.
Allow the word of God to enter you to fill you and be faithful.
Are you an acclaimed believer in God?
Live for God by His word.
What one knows that is not of God should walk away from such.
How is your walk before God?
God oversees the affairs of all.
Give yourself to the word of God continually.
Apostle Paul encourages, “So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.”

Prayer for today: Ask that the mercy of God will draw you close to Him.

FAITH CAPSULE: To gain in the word is to be dressed by the word of God.  

2 Kings 5

Is pride a hidden identity that is clouding your destiny?
Sin and sinning drive away the sinner from God.
Pride is like the driver of sin and sinning.
Are you living life as a sinner, which is rooted in pride before God?  Leprosy was the most dreaded disease in biblical times, which kept one with leprosy away from others.
Leprosy is a type and picture of sin.
Interestingly, the Bible repeatedly does not speak about leprosy healing but talks about being cleansed of leprosy.
Luke 5:12-13 documented a case of leprosy cleansing, not mentioning healing: “And it happened when He was in a certain city, that behold, a man who was full of leprosy saw Jesus, and he fell on his face and implored Him, saying, ‘Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.”
Then He put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately, the leprosy left him.”
Are you conscious or unconscious if there is a need for your cleansing of sin (leprosy) to be able to get near to God? 
Pride is a sin.
Complete submission is a condition of cure, while pride is a hindrance that will deny obedience to submission. 
Naaman had a cloud of leprosy.
What is reducing you from answering fully to what God has called you to be?
The case of Naaman:
Pride was a hindrance that clouded Naaman.
When Naaman approached Elisha for his healing, the cloud in his life stood between him and the word of the prophet.
The Bible records, “Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored to you, and you shall be clean.” (2 Kings 5:10) The healing word of God through Elisha stated: “wash and clean” The power of cleansing for Naaman was not in the Jordan but in the word of the prophet for life of Naaman.
The clouding hindrance in Naaman denied his listening ability. The Bible records the pride of Naaman, for cleansing: “But Naaman became furious, and went away and said, ‘Indeed, I said to myself, ‘He will surely come out to me, and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, and wave his hand over the place, and heal leprosy.’  Are not the Abanah and the Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?” So he turned and went away in a rage.” (2 Kings 5:11-12)
Is pride a hidden identity that is clouding your destiny?
The word of God is like a mirror to observe.
For one who observes is to be a readress and let the word become the frame for one to live for God.

Prayer for today: Pray against any force that will deny you from receiving from God.

FAITH CAPSULE: What does humility mean to you?

Deuteronomy 8

One living life to be humble before God is taking a position to be blessed by God.
Proverbs 22:4 records, “By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches and honour and life.”
The word of God identifies three rewards for those who walk in humility and the fear of the Lord:
This verse is a powerful and profound promise, offering insight into the heart of God,
His blessings for those who walk in humility and reverence before Him.
About the riches: It does not always mean financial wealth, but speaks of provision.
God blesses those who trust in Him, whether through material resources, spiritual riches, or relational prosperity. 
For honor: One who lives humbly before God is bound to be lifted at the time of God. (James 4:10)
For life: A life lived in obedience to God often leads to a long life.
What does humility mean to you?
Philippians 2:3 speaks to all, “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.”
Living a life of humility is not evidence of weakness or a lack of confidence.
One with humility will acknowledge God for all and will develop a heart position to obey the word of God.
The fear of the Lord is not a fear that drives one away from God but rather a deep reverence and awe for His holiness, power, and authority.
Proverbs 9:10 states, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,  and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”
Living in the fear of God will prompt making the right choices to avoid sin and to walk in obedience to God.
Living in fear can be described as the foundation of a life for God.
It is worthy to live a life of humility, the nature of Christ exalted by God.
Why not pray to walk in true humility and the fear of the Lord, embracing the abundant life He has promised?
What is the result of taking a position not to humble God?
A hindrance agent who hinders others from serving God is not humble before God and will not experience blessing. 
The Pharaoh of Egypt was a hindrance, as he denied the Israelites from serving God. The Bible records, “So Moses and Aaron came into Pharaoh and said to him, ‘Thus says the Lord God of the Hebrews: ‘How long will you refuse to humble yourself before Me? Let My people go, that they may serve Me.” (Exodus 10:3) 
Pharaoh repeatedly denied the Israelites the opportunity to serve God, as he experienced a curse but not the blessing of God.
CONFESSING INIQUITY BEFORE GOD IS AN ACT TO HUMBLE GOD
It is essential to acknowledge wrongdoing before God.
Confessing iniquity will prompt a remembrance of the promise of God.
The word of Leviticus 26:40-42 for the Israelites speaks to all about what it means to be humble and be blessed by God: 
It is worthy to confess iniquity to experience the blessing of God that remembers with favor and visits with salvation.

Prayer for today: Pray to be humble before God in all ways of life.

FAITH CAPSULE: Fear God to serve Him right.

Psalm 139

Seeking God out of His request, will not find God.
Seek God in His way, not in your way.
Seeking God in His way is rooted in having the fear of God.
Obedience is the character of one who fears God.
Seeking God is serving God.
Serve God with fear!
Psalm 2:11 said it all, “Serve the Lord with fear…”
Serving God right is the evidence of being righteous before God.
How are you serving God?
Are you serving God with the evidence of fear for Him?
David demonstrates his fear of God repeatedly in his word.
For example, Psalm 77:6 records, “I call to remembrance my song in the night; I meditate within my heart, and my spirit makes diligent search.”
Psalm 139:1, “O Lord, You have searched me and known me.”
Psalm 139:23, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties.”
In your learning and prayer, know to fear God, to be righteous before God.
Isaiah 3:10-11 records the mind of God regarding how individuals serve God, “Say to the righteous that it shall be well with them, for they shall eat the fruit of their doings. Woe to the wicked! It shall be ill with him, for the reward of his hands shall be given him.”
How one serves God will determine what one receives from God, which is the evidence of a fear of God.
Who are you before God? How are you serving God?
Are you righteous or are you wicked?
Answering the questions above positively is evidence of learning to fear God.
The word of God for the heart, not just in the mouth.
To learn from the word of God is to know and grow in the fear of God.
One who knows the word in the mouth but not in the heart is the evidence of a wicked one.
Jeremiah 12:1-2 records, “Righteous are You, O Lord, when I plead with You; Yet let me talk with You about Your judgments. Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why are those happy who deal so treacherously? You have planted them, yes, they have taken root; They grow, yes, they bear fruit. You are near in their mouth but far from their mind.”
One who is wicked cannot possibly be a righteous one before God.
The wicked ones are quick to quote the word of God, but the word of God is far from their minds, with the absence of the fear of God.
One with the mind of God answers as righteous ones with the fear of God.
The fear of God answers as the treasure of God.
Fear God, live for God, excel for His glory.
Learn the word of God to know to fear Him, and you will undoubtedly live to fear Him.

Prayer for today: Ask God that you know to fear Him, living right before Him.