FAITH CAPSULE: Invariably, faith will fail when the enemy attacks the heart.

Luke 22

The heart of a man is like a playground for the devil when not kept diligently from becoming a victim on earth. 
The bible describes the heart: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it? (Jeremiah 17:9) 
“This is an evil in all that is done under the sun: that one thing happens to all. Truly the hearts of the sons of men are full of evil; madness is in their hearts while they live, and after that, they go to the dead.” (Ecclesiastes 9:3)
Judas spent time with Jesus, but his heart is a testimony of one a victim as a target for the act of Satan in his life. The Bible records, “Then Satan entered Judas, surnamed Iscariot, who was numbered among the twelve. So he went his way and conferred with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray Him to them.” (Luke 22:3-4) 
Satan went after the vulnerable heart of Judas, and he was able to establish his plan to betray Jesus. 
Invariably, faith will fail when the enemy attacks the heart.
Peter was close to Jesus, but he was not the exception of becoming a victim of the devil. 
Once Jesus said to Peter: Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren. (Luke 22:31-32) 
The heart of a man is always a target for the strike of Satan.
Ananias and Sapphira were not forced to sell their possession but lied about the proceedings of their selling. 
Acts 5:3 records the response of Peter to Ananias and Sapphira lie: Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep part of the price of the land for yourself? (Acts 5:3) 
A heart that is engaged by meditating the word of God will keep the heart from negotiation with the devil. 
Determination is not enough to keep focus from giving heart to Satan.
Why?
It was a determination that failed Peter in his attempt to deny Satan, not to deny Jesus. 
Thank God that Jesus prayed for Peter because He knew that determination is not enough against the devices of Satan. 
In your daily journey, to be diligent for keeping your heart away from devices of Satan, pray as David prayed before God: Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. (Psalm 51:10)
In this challenging world of wickedness, what is the state of your heart? 
Prayerfully, meditate of God to be the keeper of your heart diligently, from becoming the devices of Satan.
God answers prayer.

Prayer for today: Ask that God will enable you, that you will not become a victim of devices of Satan.

 FAITH CAPSULE: Are you paying attention to the way the wicked are living life? 

Psalm 73

1Samuel 2:3 records, “…For the Lord is the God of knowledge; and by Him, actions are weighed.” 
God sees all things because He alone is the creator of all things. 
God alone sees growth differently from the way man sees growth. 
In life, growth is possible in every area, but not all measured growth is pleasing before God.  
The fact is that wicked ones are growing just like the righteous ones.
It is also possible for the wicked one to be growing more and better than the righteous one, without God’s reaction against the wicked one. 
Indeed, God sees all growth, and He does not look away to execute His judgment at His time. 
The merciful God has His way of overtaking the wicked ones at their wickedness. 
Are you in a hurry to see God’s judgment of the wicked?
The same God yesterday, today, and tomorrow will not overlook the wickedness of today. The bottom line of it all is what Jesus said in Matthew 13:30: “Let both grow together until the harvest and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.’”  
Is your story in life like the tares or the wicked?
Where do you stand? 
Are you a representative of tare or the wicked?
Tares or wicked are with growth, and often there is clear distinction identifying tares or wicked with better in the eyes of all. 
In life, nothing is hidden from God but hidden from all.
Before God, there will be harvest time to separate tares from the wheat, the wicked from the good.
Today, know that God is not asleep over all His creation, know that it does not matter how long or how soon it takes to for the activities of the wicked world, God will come for His judgment. 
All that will make the difference is for you to be faithful in doing the will of the Father just like Jesus said, “Not every man who says to Me, Lord, Lord shall enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.”(Matthew 7:21) 
Will you be willing to step out of the wicked world into the way of God? Have you thought about your stand lately?
Are you paying attention to the way the wicked are living life?  
The psalmist could not look away from the wicked when he states, “For I was envious of the boastful when I saw the prosperity of the wicked for there are no pangs in their death, but their strength is firm. They are not in trouble as other men, nor are they plagued like other men. Therefore, pride serves as their necklace; violence covers them like a garment.” (Psalm 73:3-6) 
God is never asleep nor slumber; God will come to separate at His appointed. 
Look away from the wicked and not be envious of the wicked.

Prayer for today: Ask God in His mercy to separate you from living wicked.

FAITH CAPSULE: Your excuses before God will deny your heaven.

Luke 14 

When you begin to have a reasonable excuse for yourself, to keep you at a distance from God that is never far but near, you deny God in your life.
For example, the excuse of one sound as praying to God for a child and now have children from God but not have time to seek God in turn. Does that sound like you?
The challenge is, God has sent for all, but all set off from Him.
God sent His word to heal and to deliver all from destruction, the doing of wickedness. Psalm 107:20 records: “He sent His word and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.” 
Jesus, the living word of God, came as sent to give life abundantly, but the majority are occupied by the world with no room to be occupied by the living word of God. John 10:10 records to admonish all: “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life and that they may have it more abundantly.”
Jesus word spoke to the truth that He came, but not that He is yet to come.
God has sent for all, but the majority set off from Him.
God has sent for all, He called all, He invited all, but many did not answer to His invitation. 
By your way of living life, have you answered to His invitation? 
The challenge is that the world occupies the majority to take the majority away with their excuses not to answer the invitation of God. 
The parable of the great supper, by Jesus, teaches a spiritual lesson regarding the invitation of God.
Luke 14:16-24 documents: “Then He said to him, “A certain man gave a great supper and invited many, 17 and sent his servant at supper time to say to those who were invited, ‘Come, for all things are now ready.’ 18 But they all with one accord began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a piece of ground, and I must go and see it. I ask you to have me excused.’ 19 And another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to test them. I ask you to have me excused.’ 20 Still another said, ‘I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.’ 21 So that servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house, being angry, said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in here the poor and the [f]maimed and the lame and the blind.’ 22 And the servant said, ‘Master, it is done as you commanded, and still there is room.’ 23 Then the master said to the servant, ‘Go out into the highways and hedges and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. 24 For I say to you that none of those men who were invited shall taste my supper.’”
There is no reasonable excuse before God but will deny one not see God eternally.

Prayer for today:  Ask God to enable you against the excuse not to miss heaven.

FAITH CAPSULE: Give attention to the word of God.

Exodus 4

In the journey of life, you will experience a life-changing for the better and live life to the glory of God when you have an encounter with the word of God.
In the word of God is what and all it takes to be living heaven on earth.
The word of God is the truth that never fails.
Jesus said it in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
Do you listen to the word of God, to believe?
John 14:1 record, “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.”
Worrying in the place of worship is centered in the heart of the majority.
Worshiping God is foreign to the majority of self-acclaimed believers.
Meditating on the word of God is worshiping God to occupy the mind against worrying.
God commanded Joshua: This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to the word of God. (Joshua 1:8) Meditation is the mind of God, the revelation of God Himself. Meditating is communicating with God and will maintain one that consistently meditates.
Meditating the word of God will teach and lead you to observe and do according to what God wants from all to do.
Meditating the word of God is one of the ways to have an encounter with the word of God to experience a change to live life for the glory of God.
In life, the purpose of a life change is the evidence to be in the right location and right time. 
The right location at the right time can be in a challenging time of life as to where to encounter the word of God.
In the story of the life of Moses, Peter (the apostle), Zacchaeus testifies to having an encounter with the word of God for life changes for good, to the glory of God.
Moses at a time of discomfort (Exodus 4:2, “So the Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?” He said, “A rod.” In Exodus 4:17, “And you shall take this rod in your hand, with which you shall do the signs.” The word of God located Moses to reveal the power of God in his hand to live life for the glory of God.
Peter at a time of discouragement. (Professional fisher had an encounter that LAUNCHED him DEEP for God) Luke 5:4 Jesus said to him, “He said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” How often do you disregard God to remain discouraged because you are giving more regard to world dictate instead of the dictates of God?
Zacchaeus was in a position of broken down because of height that reduced him from seeking to see Jesus when the crowd was a hindrance for him. Luke 19:2-7 documents the diligence of Zacchaeus against his short stature not to be kept down from his encounter with Jesus, the word of God.
Life transformation to live life for God is in His word.

Prayer for today: Ask God to enable your attention to your encounter with His word.

FAITH CAPSULE: Having faith is a determinant not to be living in sin. 

1 Corinthians 3

What kind of church are you answering before God?
Is the church (temple of God) for real today or only receding from what the word of God calls for the church to be? 
Bible identifies the church, “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:16) So many claim to be for Christ (believer) with titles that are high to heaven, but none are in a position like Abraham to be able to hear, see, and to observe according to the word of God. However, sin and sinning build distance between man and God.
How far are you from God that is never far from all?
Growing in sin and sinning will be far from God. Nature of God does not tolerate sin but withdraws God from man. Roman 3:23 buttresses, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” The glory of God, which is His presence, is not full but short in the life of a sinner before God. Despite the shortage of God’s glory as a result of man’s sin, God does not permanently withdraw from a man with His mercy on man. Imagine how beautiful it is for one that is not living in sin without sin before God that does not tolerate sin?
To avoid living in sin is giving self to the word of God, the evidence of standing in faith before God.
Having faith is a determinant not to be living in sin but to living by the word of God that is the source of having faith. 
Jesus once asked in Luke 18:8, “…when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8)
Are you hearing and hearing by the word of God to keep away from sin living by faith?
Give self to the word God, come out of religion; enter into the reality Christ to become established on a ground (a position) of receiving revelation from God. 
As a believer (a Christ reality), live faithfully like Abraham. 
Know that to be faithful is a sacrifice and is not convenient that is cheap but costly. 
To be faithful is a commitment to a lifestyle to live for God, and it enhances the flow of revelation from God. 
Today, the church has taken the opposite direction by turning away from the word of God to the world. 
Turn away from the world of sin and turn to God.
Be privileged of God, give self to the way of living life out of sin, and revelation will flow from God to turn your world around. 
Remember, “Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint…” (Proverbs 29:18) 
Stay away from sin, be near to God, let revelation breeds more restraints, and the avoidance of evil occurrences.

Prayer for today: Ask God to direct your heart not to live a life of sin.