FAITH CAPSULE: With understanding, seek for God’s eyes and His hand in the course of life journey.

Ezra 8

God that does not look away or block His ear from man in times of challenges is waiting to act on behalf of man that waits on Him. Are you seeking God by waiting on Him for His divine intervention? The Israelites waited on God in times of challenges. Exodus 2:23-25 recorded, “Now it happened in the process of time that the king of Egypt died. Then the children of Israel groaned because of the bondage, and they cried out; and their cry came up to God because of the bondage. So God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God acknowledged them.” At the time of Israelites looking up to God was evidently the beginning of deliverance from bondage of over four hundred years.
At God’s appointed time to act on behalf of the Israelites out of bondage, God said to Moses, “But I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not even by a mighty hand. So I will stretch out My hand and strike Egypt with all My wonders which I will do in its midst; and after that he will let you go. And I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and it shall be, when you go, that you shall not go empty-handed.” (Exodus 3:19-21) When God brought them out with His hand upon them, they did not go empty handed. The hand of God for deliverance answered with favor which plundered the Egyptians. (Exodus 3:22)
Are you consciously seeking God by waiting on Him? Just like the children of Israelites, Ezra waited on God by seeking Him. It is written, “…The hand of our God is upon all those for good who seek Him, but His power and His wrath are against all those who forsake Him.”(Ezra 8:22)  We must seek God to serve God and He will always make good for those who desires to serve Him.
The same hand of God brought Ezra and the children of Israel out of captivity. Understand to be seeking for God’s eyes and His hand in the course of life journey.
Take to the warning word of God, “Understand, you senseless among the people; and you fools, when will you be wise? He who planted the ear, shall He not hear? He who formed the eye, shall He not see? (Psalm 94:8-9) Whatever you do not understand will not work for you. Foolishness which is rooted in lack of understand makes man not know that the one who gives ear, eye does have eye to see and ear to hear. Gain understanding to gain place before God.
Believe it that the eye of God and His hand will keep you going with favor.
Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace to be seeking Him by waiting for His hand.

FAITH CAPSULE: A diligent heart for God cannot be wrapped up in the issue of life.

Proverbs 23

Living life by giving heart continually to God is the price to be carrying out great exploits to the glory of God. Today, man that is not mindful of God is mindful of the world with no heart after God. It is the heart activities that gains God’s attention not the activities of the head. King David was a man after God’s own heart. Acts 13:22 recorded God’s testimony about David’s heart, “…He raised up for them David as king, to whom also He gave testimony and said, ‘I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will.’” Man, with heart after God will be glaring enough for God to see and testify to man’s heart after Him like David’s heart.
What is your heart like before God?
Proverbs 4:23 admonished us, “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.” A diligent heart for God cannot be wrapped up in the issue of life to become exposed to evil agendas. A desire not to deceive self by serving other god is in the activities of heart that is not hiding before God. Deuteronomy 11:16 warned the Israelites, “Take heed to yourselves, lest your heart be deceived, and you turn aside and serve other gods and worship them.”
It is important to know that heart which turns away from God does not give self to God. Turning away from God is bounded not to see in the ways of God. Proverbs 23:24 buttressed, “My son, give me your heart, and let your eyes observe my ways.”
Responsibility according to demands in the word of God is the price of obtaining the hand of God for the glory of God in the life of man. Daniel 11:32 testified, “but the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits.”  Daniel, knew God and was responsible before God by his heart. In his heart, Daniel purposed not to defile himself with delicacies of unbeliever king. Bible recorded, “But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank; therefore, he requested of the chief of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.” (Daniel 1:8) Daniel was mindful of God; he knows God thus he responsibly purposed his heart for God.
Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. It is the entrance of the word of God into man is the certainty that God will have a place in the heart of man. Word of God in the heart of man will make man to be mindful of God and not be mindful of the wicked world. Today, begin to keep heart diligently knowing to treasure love and to fear God. Truly, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:21)

Prayer for today: Ask God to enable your heart for Him all the days He has given you under heaven.

FAITH CAPSULE: Today, learn from Sarah to judge God faithful.

Luke 5:1-11

Hebrews 11:11 recorded, “By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised.” The key for Sarah to live life and obtain the promise of God over her life is clearly identified that she judged God faithful. Is the promise word of God in your life seems to be taking too long for manifestation, in your life? Do not consider extended time as a reason to justify doubt manifestation of God’s promise. Today, learn from Sarah to judge God faithful, ignoring extended time of waiting for God’s manifestation.
After all night of fishing with no gain, professional fish men judge Jesus faithful to become gainful when they were able to launch deep in the place of lack according to the word of God. The ability to launch deep is demonstrating a violent faith. Launching deep is disregarding what is apparent in the physical by giving full regard to the word of God. Launching deep by the professional men demonstrated that they judged Jesus faithful. The bible recorded about professional fishermen who had gone fishing all night and had nothing to show at the morning hour. After having gone all night with no fish to show, they were set to call it a day by washing their nets. As they engaged washing their nets, Jesus showed up by the Lake of Gennesaret.  At that time, Jesus was a stranger to the professional fisher men. Jesus was never a fisherman, but He had the deep at hand. The bible makes us to realize, “In His hand are the deep places of the earth…” (Psalm 95:4) It will take only the deep to call on the deep for the deep to unfold what it takes to terminate struggle.
When the word of God which is deep sounds in man’s direction, only the ones that can hear and obey without any doubt or reservation shall be rewarded. The deep word sounded in direction of the professional fishermen when Jesus gave word to Simon, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” (Luke 5:4) After having received the word, Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.” (Luke 5:5) It was clear that no fish was available but regardless of Simon professionalism the word of His command is superior. Obedience was in place against disobedience, “And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking.  So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink.” (Luke 5:6-7) A net crashing breakthrough was the result of obedience to launching deep.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace obedience not taking a position of disobedient one.

FAITH CAPSULE: Think of it, there is nothing to live life for but to live for God.

Exodus 3

Desire for God, take position for God to draw you near. To be drawn by God demands seeking God diligently but not sleeping off from Him. Think of it, there is nothing to live life for but to live for God by seeking Him diligently. Seeking God diligently is not serving Him: carelessly, ignorantly or thoughtlessly. God cannot be sought weariness or inattentive. Serving God diligently comes with challenges, but it is certain to overcome challenges. Challenges for living for God are not fun fair but can be warfare route of this wicked world. Challenges of living for God are huge and it can be painful and exhausting. However, God is faithful and if He calls you to be counted as chosen one, He will back you up when you chose not to back out of His calling.
Think of it, God did not call Moses in the comfort palace of Pharaoh. Moses was at Horeb, a place at the back of desert when God called him. Mount Sinai is another name for Horeb which means desolate.  Desolate is defined as: devoid of inhabitants; rendered unfit for habitation. A desolate place became the holy ground, mountain of God where Moses ended up before he could answer the calling of God.
At Moses’ arrival to Horeb, “…the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed.” Then Moses said, “I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn.” (Exodus 3:2-3) God waited for Moses to turn aside for His calling. Are you claiming to be a believer while you are yet to turn aside to God? Think of it, you are turning to God in your comfort way but not putting aside your distracting baggage. Man must give self to turning aside to God alone. Just like Moses did, man must turn aside to God. Exodus 3:4 recorded God’s response to Moses’ turning aside, “So when the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.”  God waits to act for man that waits on Him.
After Moses’ coming out of Pharaoh’s palace he ended at Horeb. At his time at Horeb, he was empty with nothing in his hand to hold him back from turning aside to answer God. By the testimony of Moses, answering to God testifies that, until a man his empty, man cannot be full of God. Moses’ relocation from comfortable of Pharaoh’s palace to uncomfortable desert made him empty to turn aside to God. World material is distracting man from turning aside for God’s calling. Desire for God to draw you near to Him.

Prayer for today: Ask God to take over you and live life for Him.

FAITH CAPSULE: Looking back in the past instead of looking forward will derail man from getting to expected destination.

Genesis 19

In making decision, seeking God’s counsel is certain not to make a wrong decision. Man must give self to God’s counsel for right decision. Counsel from God is always nearer for man that will believe to approach and engage His counsel. Deuteronomy 30:14 testified that God is near, “But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it.” Romans 10:8 buttressed, “But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach)”” Making a wrong decision is the evidence of moving away from God’s direction. Making decision outside of God is despising the word of God. Proverbs 13:13 warned us, “He who despises the word will be destroyed, But he who fears the commandment will be rewarded.” For man, it is lack of fear for God to despise God’s word to enter self-destruction.
Making decision outside of God is ignoring the word of God that is always near man. Also, deciding outside of God’s word can be the evidence of disobedience. Ignoring not to approach God and disobeying the word of God is the truth that evidence makes a destitute of a believer.
After God had decided to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah because of the sinful nature of the land, He sent warning to Lot and his wife. “…Escape for your life! Do not look behind you nor stay anywhere in the plain. Escape to the mountains, lest you be destroyed.” (Genesis 19:17) Lot and wife believed God enough to move from destruction into deliverance. However, maintaining deliverance of God over Lot and wife demanded obedience not to make a wrong decision on their route of deliverance. Commanding word of God required from Lot and wife “not to look behind” but the wife of Lot looked back. Lot’s wife decided to despise the word of God. Decision against the word of God resulted to destruction. The Bible recorded, “But his wife looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt. (Genesis 19:26)
Today, just like Lot and wife’s documentation of deliverance, many have received the grace of salvation but could not maintain the grace of salvation because of wrong decision. With salvation at hand, many are looking away from God to find a sudden and untimely self-termination. Whatever in the past which man cannot give away to give self to the word of God is set to terminate man from arriving God’s destination. Looking back in the past instead of looking forward will derail man from getting to expected destination.
This New Year, ask God for the grace to be taking counsel in the word of God to forgive and move forward. Avoid looking back to allow the open door ahead and not to experience shut door. Decision that is rooted in God’s word does not wrong.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace of obedience to be established over your life.