FAITH CAPSULE: Fear God; be humble and operate the mind of Christ to live life for God.

Philippians 2

The way of life is to be of the mind of Christ, living for God.
Paul admonishes, “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 2:5)  
What is it about the mind of Christ?
Jesus humbled Himself.
Philippians 2:8 records Jesus, “And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.”   
The mind of Christ is the humble mind that is plain, simple, and set before God continually.
Prayerfully desire humility in the mind of Christ. 
James 4:10 speaks to all, “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.”
The mind of Christ is to be great to the glory of God. 
Why not be humble to gain before God?
1 Peter 5:6 points out, “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time.”
The disciples wanted to know from Jesus about the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 
Matthew 18:1 records, “At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”  
Jesus answered that humility is the way to become the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 18:3-4 records, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom.” 
Are you with the character or way of life as the little children?
Jesus said assuredly, meaning: without any other means; with all certainty, heaven is distant until one is converted and becomes a little child.
One converted accepts Jesus as the Lord and Savior, and those who become Christ-like shall humble themselves as the little children to be great. 
Little children whose mindset operates as a little child are examples of one with the carrier of a humble spirit. 
Children do not have pride but are humble and have no trace of malice, deception, and unforgiveness as part of the life of children.
Jesus emphasized the importance of humility when His hour was near (John 13:1).
Jesus, having shown and taught how to be humble, waited until His final hour to give His disciples a lasting impression that revealed the importance of humility.
John 13:3-35 records, “Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands and that He had come from God and was going to God, rose from the supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel, and girded Himself. After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded.” (John 13:3-5) 
There is no perfect way to show what it means to be humble than the demonstration of Jesus. 

Prayer for today: Ask God to turn your mind to be Christ-like.

FAITH CAPSULE: Giving self to living for God is to sow self in God.

1 John 2

All should live life with a desire to give themselves to living life for God.
What does not represent God should not have a place in the life of all.
Revelation 4:11 points out that all exist for God.
What one sows by way of life, such will reap.
The life one lives is what one sows to reap.
All will surely reap from what is a sow.
What are you sowing?
In life, it is impossible to sow the seed of deception and expect to reap the fruit of perfection.
Anyone that sows the seed of a lie will reap the fruit of deception.
Get to know God, and do not be a victim of one that reaps bad in life and the afterlife.
Know to sow yourself in God and keep His commandments. 
1 John 2:4-6 states, “He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this, we know that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.” 
Work without walking in Him is not enough.
Work is to believe, and the walk is to behave, living by the word of God.
God invests so much in man while man extends so little to Him. 
Working and not walking will not get one to where God wants man to be.
The walk of one is the seed that one sows to gain reward from God.
Give self to living for God by walking according to His word. 
Leviticus 18:4 states, “You shall observe My judgment and keep my ordinances, to walk in them. I am the Lord your God” 
Keep the word of God by meditating on his word day and night.
God is good, and doing good is giving self to living for God for the glory of God.
A parable is an everyday truth that has a spiritual application. 
It is an earthly truth with a heavenly meaning. 
Jesus gave the parable of the Good Samaritan.
The parable connotes the mind of God concerning sowing good which is rooted in having a compassionate heart. 
In the parable, a man fell among thieves, was stripped of his belongings, wounded, and left behind half dead.
A priest and a Levite walked past on the other side, but a good Samaritan was able to sow good by reacting to the wounded man.
Knowing to do good but not do is sin.
Sin is turning from giving self to not living for God. 
James 4:17 warns, “Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.” 
Abstain from sin, allow the glory of God to be established over your life, the reap of what you sow before God.

Prayer for today: Ask that the hand of God shall draw you near to Him.

FAITH CAPSULE: Hear from God to live life for God.

Ezekiel 3

To live life for God demands giving an ear to hear through the head and establishing what is in the heart.
For example, Ezekiel heard with the ear and received into the heart.
Ezekiel engaged the assignment of God for his life.
Ezekiel heard a thunderous voice. 
Hearing of Ezekiel indicates reception into the heart.
The testimony of Ezekiel is the truth that one cannot hear from God and not know that He has spoken. 
The testimony of Ezekiel states, “…I heard behind me a great thunderous voice: “Blessed is the glory of the LORD from His place!” I also heard the noise of the wings of the living creatures that touched one another, and the noise of the wheels beside them, and a great thunderous noise. So, the Spirit lifted me up and took me away, and I went in bitterness, in the heat of my spirit; but the hand of the LORD was strong upon me. Then I came to the captives at Tel Abib, who dwelt by the River Chebar; and I sat where they sat and remained there astonished among them seven days” (Ezekiel 3:12-15). 
The testimony of Ezekiel changed him, and his life was not the same after he heard from God.
The word that came to him lifted him and took him away to the center of the assignment of God for his life.
Ezekiel becomes centered in the position of the glory of God. 
The desire of all should be to live for God.
Though, often calling of God comes with painful sacrifices, the Hand of God will always be upon the life of anyone that hears with the ear and receive wholeheartedly, just as Ezekiel testifies, “…but the hand of the LORD was strong upon me”.
Like Ezekiel, Job testifies to the importance of hearing with the ear and receiving with the heart.
Job 42:5 records testimony of Job, “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear but now my eye sees You”. 
Job heard so much from people during his challenges, but the hearing that made the difference came after he was able to hear God with his ear and his heart.
Job lived life for God and received an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. 
Jeremiah 13:15 warns, “Hear and give ear: do not be proud, for the LORD has spoken.” 
One that hears with ear shall receive what is heard from God, making a difference in the life of a believer.
Know to hear the word of God, and what one hears shall become received.
The hardness of the heart denied receiving the word to do according to the word of God.
Avoid the hardness of the heart, which denies one from hearing with the ear and receiving with the heart. 

Prayer for today: Ask God that His word be established in you to live life for His glory.

FAITH CAPSULE: What are you giving yourself to in this wicked world? 

John 1:1-18, Luke 19:1-10
John 5:38 records, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” 
John 1:1 state, “But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe.” 
“It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.” (John 6:63)
The above verses encourage all to give themselves to seeking the word of God as an unfailing source of encouragement in this wicked world of darkness. 
Jesus is the living word of God. 
Give yourself to the word of God, light for getting rid of darkness. 
John 1:4-5 encourages, “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.”
What are you giving yourself to in this wicked world? 
Know to give self into the word of God, the truth of freedom. 
John 8:32 buttresses, “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” 
Jesus, the word of God is the truth, and He confirms, “…I am the way, the truth, and the life…” (John 14:6) 
Seek the truth; to know the truth and give yourself to live by the truth.
Give yourself to the word of God, and allow the word to be your motivator as you seek Him diligently because those who seek Him will find Him. 
Zacchaeus is the evidence of one that seeks God diligently and knows that God is faithful to answer.
Zacchaeus sought Jesus, and Jesus located him and ended up visiting Zacchaeus in his house. 
Zacchaeus was a tax collector.
Zacchaeus was a rich one with a crowd as a factor that could deny him because he was short in stature. 
Despite all the factors that could deny him, he was encouraged to seek Jesus as he ran ahead of the crowd. 
After running ahead of the crowd, he climbed the tree. 
Jesus, who sees saw Zacchaeus. 
Luke 19:5 records, “And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said to him, “Zacchaeus make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house.”  
Be encouraged!
Are you experiencing invincible hindrances? 
Any unexpected challenges? 
Be encouraged in the word of God. 
God has not forgotten you, He never sleeps nor slumbers, but He will gain honor in His deliverance plan for your life. 
Allow His word to gain entrance into your life for a breakthrough miracle. Above all, you shall possess your possession.  
Allow the word to be your motivator as you seek Him diligently because those who seek Him will find Him.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace to know and be encouraged in the word.

FAITH CAPSULE: Prayer before God is asking from God.

James 4

Paul admonishes, “but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” (Act 6:4) 
Give yourself to prayer and His word. 
God is faithful, and He will answer yes, no, or wait.
Praying before God is a key to open up a solution for challenges when not praying a miss. James 4:3 warns against praying a miss, “You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.”
Pray with understanding. Occasional praying is not praying continually.
Let praying before God become your way of life that is waiting on God continually.
God is a good God.
Anyone waiting on God shall experience that God is the unchanging changer that reverses irreversible.
God is God that waits to act for those that wait on Him. (Isaiah 64:4)
God will not ignore one that prayerfully waits for Him but will remember with favor and visits with salvation.
In this season challenging time, wait on God with prayer.
Prayer before God is asking from God.
Is there any of your way before God that is not right but wrong to be a hindrance?   
Ask from God to search you, to know your ways, to correct and lead you.
David, a man after the heart of God, knew to wait on God by asking: “Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; And see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psalm 139:23-24)
Prayerfully, waiting on God to lead you in an unfailing direction.
The way to have the rest of God is by praying before God and not going astray. 
Going astray is rooted in the heart. 
Manifestly, any heart that goes astray will miss in the way of God. 
God is a good God, and to end in an astray way is not of God but the evidence not to wait on God.
God is a God of time and process.
Time belongs to God. In praying, wait, and remain focused on God for His timing to get an answer from Him. not by the time of the world. 
The time of God is not the same as the time of man, and the process of God is not like the process of man. 
The time of God is perfect, and His process is a preparation for where He has time for everyone to be. 
Praying before God demands to remain unmoving, inactive, or in a state of repose, as until expected manifests. 
With your prayer, it is worthy to put off further activity to remain focused on God.
God is a God that gives unfailing attention to those that call on Him. 

Prayer for today: Ask God to enable you with continual prayer.