FAITH CAPSULE: Substitute concern with commitment before God.

2 Samuel 6

David gathered choice men of Israel from Baale Judah to bring up the ark of God from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. 
Uzzah and Ahio accompanied the ark of God. 
When they got to a threshing floor, Uzzah was concerned for the ark of God. 
The Bible records the concern of Uzzah, “…Uzzah put out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen stumbled. Then the anger of the Lord was aroused against Uzzah, and God struck him there for his error, and he died there by the ark of God.” (2 Samuel 6:6-7) 
The concern of Uzzah for God was an error against the command of God. God had warned His people not to touch the holy objects of the tabernacle.
Also, anyone that disobeys the warning of God takes to the position of the death penalty. (Numbers 4:15) 
Uzzah violates the warning of God to die an untimely death.
Uzzah was concerned for God.
The concern for Uzzah to act as good intentions was evidence of a foolish reaction from his heart. 
In every assignment of God, there is no excuse for a foolish reaction. 
The word of God is not to become violated for no reason.
A believer can be ignorant to violate the word of God, but ignorance is what makes destitute of a believer.
Are you concerned for God or committed to doing His command?
Moses was concerned for God by violating the command of God.
It was God alone and not any man that called Moses out to go and lead the children of Israel out of the bondage of over four hundred years. Moses, out of his concern for God, reacted to the rebellious act of the children of Israel toward God. 
With concern, Moses took it upon himself to strike the rock when he was to speak to the rock for water. 
God responds to Moses, “Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not believe Me, to hallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.” (Numbers 20:12) 
Moses violated the command of God, and his journey was complicated. 
Moses could not step on the Promised Land when he struck the rock instead of speaking to the rock. 
God alone calls man for assignment, and He knows the end from the beginning. 
The word testifies, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.”(Jeremiah 1:5) 
What could have gone wrong in your assignment before God?
Do not be concerned for God but be committed to His command.

Prayer for today: Ask God to enable your answer to His designated assignment for your life.

FAITH CAPSULE: Adversaries can only delay but not deny one that keeps focusing on God.

Ezra 4, 5

The word of God is consistent to perform and perfect for all that walks in the word of God.
Evidence to walk in the word of God is encased in having trust and hope in God. 
Isiah 55:11 testifies of the word of God, “So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:11)
Word of God does not return void but will perform to open where the door is closed.
Apostle Paul testified, “For a great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries. (1 Corinthians 16:9)
Certainly, adversaries will always attempt to shut the great and effective door, but failure belongs to the adversaries.
Are you working the works of God? 
Jesus makes all realize that to work the works is to believe in whom He sent. (John 6:28-29) 
Work the works of God and not be a victim of adversaries.
Once, King Cyrus, a pagan king, issued a decree to open the door for Israelites to return home and rebuild. 
The Bible records, “The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes.” (Proverbs 21:1) 
God turned the heart of a pagan king to bring to pass the prophecy of 140 years. 
Does it seem like your breakthrough prophecy is taking too long to manifest?
The King responded to the prophecy of 140 years before his reign. (Isaiah 44:28; 45:1). 
The decree of King Cyrus made the children of Israel go and rebuild. As the Israelites were to build, deception rose with a plan to derail the building but failed.
Ezra 4:1-3 records, “Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the descendants of the captivity were building the temple of the LORD God of Israel, they came to Zerubbabel and the heads of the fathers’ houses, and said to them, “Let us build with you, for we seek your God as you do; and we have sacrificed to Him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us here.” But Zerubbabel and Jeshua and the rest of the heads of the fathers’ houses of Israel said to them, “You may do nothing with us to build a house for our God; but we alone will build to the LORD God of Israel, as King Cyrus the king of Persia has commanded us.” 
The deception of adversaries only delays the rebuilding process for two years. When God opens the door, delay by the adversaries will not deny.
With trust and hope, know that God opens the door.

Prayer for today: Ask for the word of God to establish God for the glory of God over your life.

FAITH CAPSULE: With God, no excuse is excusable for disobeying the word of God. 

1 Samuel 2:22-36

The Bible records the evil activities of Hophni and Phinehas, the sons of Eli. 
The sons of Eli were corrupt and did not know the Lord.
1Samuel2: 12-17 documents how they despised the word of God in Shiloh to all the Israelites.
1 Samuel 2:17 mentions, “…the sin of the young men was very great before the Lord, for the men abhorred the offering of the Lord.” The evil sin rooted in not knowing God by the sons of Eli (Hophni and Phinehas) also counted against the household of Eli, with no exception for Eli.
Are you paying attention if there is dishonoring God having a place in your household? 
Is your children’s dishonoring of God that will count against you or our household? 
1 Samuel 2:30 records that God reacted to the house of Eli because of the evil sin of Hophni and Phinehas, “Therefore the Lord God of Israel says: ‘I said indeed that your house and the house of your father would walk before Me forever.’ But now the Lord says: ‘Far be it from Me; for those who honor Me I will honor, and those who despise Me shall be lightly esteemed.” 
The Sons of Eli reduced Eli to the curse caused by their disobedience to the word of God.
Eli warned his sons of divine judgment (1 Samul 2:25), but the sons did not respond to his warnings of Eli.
Are you engaging in serious measures more than giving mouth warning to your children or anyone in your household to avoid the consequences of dishonoring (despising) God?
One or two sinners against the word of God in the house will make the household experience the consequence without exception.
Eli should have engaged more than mouth warming to correct the sin of his sons to avoid the consequences of violating God. 
Eli recorded everything right for God but not enough to avoid the destruction of his household. 
God spoke to Samuel about the sin of Eli: “For I have told him that I will judge his house forever for the iniquity which he knows, because his sons made themselves vile, and he did not restrain them. And therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever.” (1 Samuel 3:13-14) 
The Sons of Eli were warned by Eli but not restrained from their evil.  
The sin against God by the sons of Eli made the household pay the consequence of their evil.
With God, no excuse is excusable when God is despised. 
Proverbs 13:13 buttresses, “He who despises the word will be destroyed, But he who fears the commandment will be rewarded.” 
As one with the fear of God, spare no excuse for children to violate God by their way of life against the word of God.
The Eli warning for Hophni and Phinehas was short but not counted as an excuse for him from the consequence of sin before God.

Prayer for today: Ask God to cause you to hear and obey His word.

FAITH CAPSULE: The conclusion in the way of life is to fear God.

Psalm 34

The book of Ecclesiastes 12:13 documents how to live life, “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandment, for this is man’s all.” 
The conclusion for living is for all to live by the fear of God.
The understanding needed to live for God is the ability to listen to the commandment of God (word of God). 
Knowing the word of God is going after the heat of God. 
For example, God identified King David as one after the heart of God.
The fear of David for God kept him and saw him through his life terminating challenges. 
King Saul chased the life of David while David gained the position to kill Saul. 
David was so fearful of God not to kill King Saul when he said, “…But my eye spared you, and I said, ‘I will not stretch out my hand against my lord, for he is the Lord’s anointed.” (1 Samuel 24:10) 
Is the fear of God your way of living life? 
David did not allow foolishness in his heart, and he did not demonstrate a lack of fear of God by killing King Saul. 
David was a man after the heart of God. 
The life experience of David qualifies to teach all the fear of God. 
In Psalm 34, David spoke out, “Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord.” (Proverbs 34:11)
Are you a true believer that listens to hear and is one with an understanding of the fear of God?
Are you aware that the fear of God is a way to provoke the blessings of God? 
Through listening to the word of God, know God by keeping your heart diligently.
David Psalm 34 pointed out four points for all to learn and know the fear of God by stating: Keep your tongue from evil, keep your lips from speaking deceit, depart from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it. (Psalm 34:13-14)
Digesting the four points into life will mark one as a God-fearing one. 
It is the grace of God that is giving life year after year. 
However, not knowing the fear of God is not a way to live before God.
To fear God is for self-good because it keeps such not departing from God. When one can obey fully by fearing God, He will preserve such fully.
Whatever is in line with the word of God and one with a desire for God shall be established by God.
One with a desire for God shall not live a life of waste.
David said:
Keep your tongue from evil.
Keep your lips from speaking deceit, depart from evil and do good.
Seek peace and pursue it.

Prayer for today: Ask God to redeem your heart to fear Him.

FAITH CAPSULE: Thank God with a heart full of joy regardless of any challenging situation.

HABAKKUK 3

Know to set your heart on God with joy regardless of the challenging situation of the wicked world.
Let meaningful praise before God become your character.
It is not enough to praise God without rejoicing. 
Is it your challenge that is denying praising God and not rejoicing? 
Do not praise Him without rejoicing or rejoice before Him with no praise directed to God.
Regardless of your challenge, do not suspend praising and rejoicing before God. 
Imagine the word of Habakkuk 3:17, “Though the fig tree may not blossom, Nor fruit be on the vines; Though the labor of the olive may fail, And the fields yield no food; Though the flock may be cut off from the fold, And there be no herd in the stalls. Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.” 
Praising and rejoicing in times of challenges can be a painful sacrifice.
The Habakkuk 3:17 situation is like a valley where there seems to be no way out. 
The challenging situation with no end in sight can be a source of discouragement for praising and rejoicing before God.
Are you wondering when to come out of the depth of a challenging situation?
Also, no one wants to plant a tree without blossom or not harvest fruit where the vines should be bringing forth fruit as the crown of labor. 
Any hard laborer that seems to be producing a result that matches a lazy laborer will have a reason not to be praising and rejoicing before God.
Always praise and rejoice before God regardless of a challenging situation.
Habakkuk does have a word to encourage all in times of challenging situations like that of the experience of the hard laborer, “Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.” (Habakkuk 3:18) 
Know that joy and rejoicing are the only ways to keep in the ways of God because it positions one in the presence of God. 
Jesus was with the family of Lazarus during mourning over Lazarus.
As they were lifting their voices in wailing, crying, and gnashing of teeth,  “… Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, “Father I thank You that you have heard Me.” (John 11:41)  
In any challenging situation, praising God by giving thanks with a heart full of joy will prompt the goodness of God.
Knowing to praise God in a challenging situation is evidence of trust and hope in God.
Trust and hope in God for all things.
Jeremiah 17:7 encourages, “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, And whose hope is the Lord.”
Know God with understanding, and live life to gain an edge, not a vessel of pity in a challenging situation.

Prayer for today: Ask that meaningful praising God shall be your character.