FAITH CAPSULE: Moving forward through the year, trust and hope in God is your vehicle.

Genesis 31

This year, it is true that you have not been looking up to God continually but He has brought you this far. This new month, turn around to be looking up to God continually. God alone brought you this far and He will see you further. The psalmist testified, “I will lift up my eyes to the hills from whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.” (Psalm 121:1-4) With understanding, man will know to engage God’s help which have been in place in place for man since God’s time of creation. God, is the true helper of man and truly he does not sleep nor slumber.
When God calls to move man, no challenge is able to deny God’s calling or moving man forward. In God’s calling to move man forward, mountain shall be removed for man’s passage. God alone will return you to the center of your divine assignment, He will permit no man to hurt you.
The story of Jacob’s return to his location was the unfailing calling of God. Jacob made the choice not to inform nor bid farewell to Laban the Syrian when God called him to return. It is written, “Then the LORD said to Jacob, “Return to the land of your fathers and to your family, and I will be with you.”” (Genesis 31:3) Relationship between Jacob and Laban was no longer favorable at the time of God’s calling for Jacob. After Jacob had left, Laban went after him with bad intentions because Rachel stole Laban’s household idol. Laban’s bad intentions prompted God’s appearance to Laban in a dream which cautioned him to be careful in his dealing with Jacob. When Laban caught up with Jacob, he stated, “It is in my power to do you harm, but the God of your father spoke to me last night, saying, ‘Be careful that you speak to Jacob neither good nor bad.’” (Genesis 31:29)
When God calls for you there will be no other power under heaven that can stand against you. All power belongs unto God. God alone but not man called you for turnaround into His divine purpose over your life. When God called Jacob to return, Laban was no longer in any power position to deny God. Concerning your life, man is powerless but God is powerful. In moving forward by the calling of God, trust and hope is your vehicle. In this season let your moving forward be with understanding and conscious of His presence. In moving, disallow wrong assumption but know it that God will permit no man to hurt you as you. God is not a man that He should falter; He is faithfully capable to accomplish His word.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace of His strength in your going forward.

FAITH CAPSULE: Acclaimed believers are not hearing God’s calling but busy giving self to personal calling.

Matthew 5

Personalizing the written word of God means you will relate with God to answer His calling. It is written, “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.” (Matthew 5:13) The word of God speaks individually to man. The word calls man to answer as salt and be seasoning world but not to live as a “no good one that is place under foot of wicked world.” Are you answering His call upon your life? Matthew 5:14-16 is written as a calling for man, “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” Word of God speaks personally to man that listens to hear. Word of God is calling man as light but not comparing man to light. Are you living as light not as darkness? Have you taken a position outside of God’s calling? Man, that is true to God’s word; living as believer of God should take a position in God’s created world as light. Acclaimed believer is to answer His calling without hiding but terminating darkness. As a believer of God’s word, are you personalizing the word of God to hear His calling upon your life for His glory?
Acclaimed believers are not hearing God’s calling but busy giving self to personal calling. Believers are pleasing self but not pleasing God according to God’s calling. World is not experiencing light while darkness is covering the world. When God calls, He is able to back you and see you through. Did He call you? It is time to answer His calling by rising up and shine for God’s calling. Isaiah 60:1-2 warned with encouragement to answer God’s calling as stated, “Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; But the Lord will arise over you, And His glory will be seen upon you.” Think of it, there is nothing to live for but to live for God. The challenges of living for God are huge and it can be exhausting and painful. However, it is always gainful in every answering for God’s calling. God is faithful and if He calls you He will back you up when you chose not to back out of His calling.

Prayer for today: Ask God to take over your days and moment that you will live life for His glory.

FAITH CAPSULE: When seeking God does not have a place in the heart of man the heart of man becomes dull.

Genesis 18, 19

It is important to seek God for deliverance with a heart that is active but not dull. A dull heart can possibly the cause of taking God’s word for joke. Jeremiah 10:21 pointed out a dull heart experienced situation, “For the shepherds have become dull-hearted, and have not sought the LORD; therefore they shall not prosper, and all their flocks shall be scattered.” When seeking God takes its place in the heart of man the heart of man should not be a dull heart. However, when seeking God does not have a place in the heart of man the heart of man becomes dull.
God spoke to Abraham, “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grave, I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry against it that has come to Me; and if not, I will know.” (Genesis 18:20-21) When God was set to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah because of sin He spoke to Abraham and Abraham took the word of God serious. Abraham demonstrated the evidence of active but not dull heart. By virtue of the fact that he took the word of God serious, he repeatedly interceded on behalf of Sodom and Gomorrah but there was nothing in place for God not to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. The purpose of God revealing His word to Abraham was for Lot to be delivered from destruction which was set for Sodom and Gomorrah.
The angels that were sent to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah approached Lot and said, “…Have you anyone else here? Son-in-law, your sons, your daughters, and whomever you have in the city—take them out of this place! For we will destroy this place, because the outcry against them has grown great before the face of the Lord, and the Lord has sent us to destroy it.” (Genesis 19:12-13) In life, how much one knows God (not knowing about Him) will also determine how serious one take to His word. Taking the word of God serious is not a heart of joke which is not active in response to God. Lot knew God enough not to take His word for a joke. Lot, not wanting his people to destruction, responded to the messengers of God, “So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who had married his daughters, and said, “Get up, get out of this place; for the Lord will destroy this city!” But to his sons-in-law he seemed to be joking.” (Genesis 19:14)
God is not a comedian. Every single word of God should not be taken for joke. A dull heart is not active to obey the word of God. There was no further indication that the sons-in-law followed Lot to the ground of escape from destruction. You can avoid destruction by taking to the word of God. The word of God is for deliverance and preservation from destruction.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace for a heart that is active in responding to God’s command.

FAITH CAPSULE: God invested so much love over man but man extends minute love to Him.

John 3

God loves man more than man knows about God’s love for man. God’s love is not partial because He is a perfect creator. What He says to one speaks to all. God spoke to the children of Israel, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.  And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you, says the Lord…” (Jeremiah 29:11-14) God wants peace for us; He wants a hopeful future for us; He wants our attention by communicating with us; He wants us to seek Him constantly. The love of God is evident as recorded in John 3:16-17, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.”
The point here is that God invested so much love over man but man extends minute love to Him. After many years of privilege life which the Lord God bestows on you, how much are you extending to Him?
It is written, “To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck what is planted.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1-2) It is wisdom to make this a season to upgrade in giving more of love for God. Give self to God by living life to give Him glory. Make this moment your season to change from material gain to walking in the ways of God. Deuteronomy 5:33 states, “You shall walk in all the ways which the Lord your God has commanded you, that you may live and that it may be well with you, and that you may prolong your days in the land which you shall possess.” Walking in all the ways of God’s command is seeking God first. Seeking God will no doubt fulfill every of your desire. Jesus buttress when He said, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.  Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” (Matthew 6:33-34) A better way to seek God is in praising Him to glorify Him and thanking Him to magnify Him. Make your moment to be a season of constant thanks giving.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace of living life for the glory of God.