FAITH CAPSULE: Endurance can be painful and can possibly generate unwanted suffering.

Job 2:1-10

Job’s integrity was not hidden before God. He endured in the face of troubling and uncalled challenges which he did not ordered. God testified on behalf of Job in Job 2:3, “Then the LORD said to Satan, ‘Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil? And still he holds fast to his integrity, although you incited Me against him, to destroy him without cause.” Before God, Job was qualified as a man of integrity. Job walked the walk and lived the word of God but the enemy does not excuse him from troubling and uncalled challenges in his life. On top of Job’s challenges was his wife on top of his source of discouragement. Job’s wife attamed to discourage him by asking, “…Do you still hold fast to your integrity? Curse God and die!” (Job 2:9) Despite the discouraging question by his wife, his integrity remained intact before God. The wife of Job was supposed to be a helper to Job in his troubling and uncalled challenges situation. Job’s wife turned to be discouraging agent.
In your challenge, put to remembrance the word of Psalm 34:19, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the Lord delivers him out of them all.” God is in place to answer to His word that has never returned to Him void without performing. God will undoubtedly deliver you if you endure with integrity.
Job with endurance, he did not waver but held onto his testimony of integrity.
Today, is there any kind of Job that endure challenges with integrity? Self-acclaimed believer, pastor, prophet-liars or Apostle-deceiver should be answering as a soldier of Christ. Today’s soldiers of Christ should endure with integrity until missions of God are accomplished. Today’s soldier of Christ should endure with integrity for the cause of the cross that Jesus carried to Calvary when He was crucified. Today, money gospel is everywhere with no endurance and integrity to truly follow Christ as His Christ soldiers. Paul, the apostle, admonished Timothy by using an illustration of a soldier.  “You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier.” (2 Timothy 2:3-4)
The first notable statement in Paul’s illustration for faithfulness is that a soldier (follower of Christ) must endure hardship. Unfortunately, Christian soldiers today do not want to endure hardship, but rather want to enjoy worldly pleasures or live conveniently instead living with commitment. Endurance can be painful and can possibly generate unwanted suffering. However, enduring hardship is what qualifies a Christian soldier as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
As a Soldier of Christ with endurance and integrity, God will not fail to back you up. Keep eyes up to Him.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace of God to make you up and live life for His glory.

FAITH CAPSULE: Jabez called for the hand of God for his deliverance from negative to positive in his life.

Psalm 8, John 1:1-18

God is a caring Creator. He is indeed a mindful Creator of man and He made man a little lower than the angels and crowned man with glory and honor. (Psalm 8:5) God is a loving Creator of man and John 3:16 documented the testimony of God’s love “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.”
Jesus the Word of God came with love when He declared, “…I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10) The love of God is for man to have life more abundantly if man believes and receive Jesus. Believe and receive love of God by giving self continually to Jesus the love of God; the Word of God. John 1:1-3 stated, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.”
In the word of God there is healing, deliverance and preservation to deliver man from destruction. (Psalm 107:20) God, a caring Creator has delivered all in position for man that will make the choice to give self continually to the word of God. As a creation of God, if you will know the word of God with understanding, you will take a position for self-deliverance from destruction that is set against your destiny. Truly, the word of God is written for our learning. The story of Jabez is written for our learning which will enhance man’s self-deliverance from potential life destruction.
Bible recorded Jabez’s self-deliverance: “Now Jabez was more honorable than his brothers, and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, “Because I bore him in pain.” And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, “Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!” So God granted him what he requested.” Jabez recognized the honor of God in his life as he rejected his mother’s negative given name in his life. Jabez called for the hand of God for his deliverance from negative to positive in his life.
The love of God, His word is here for your deliverance if you will give self continually to prayer and the word of God. Honorable Jabez’s calling was his prayer to God. Who are you calling for your self-deliverance from destruction? As a created man by God, you are crowned and honored by God but lack of knowledge denies you. Take note, your self-adopted prophet-liar; your apostle-fortuneteller is not your deliverer but the word of God is your deliverer. The loving care of God is man’s deliverance. Learn from Jabez self-deliverance.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace that to bring you to be alive in His knowledge.

FAITH CAPSULE: Jesus is a saving master not a slave master; be positioned to be served by Him.

Luke 10:38-42

Where are you located in the Lord? Which part have you chosen? It is a remarkable thing to be working in the house of the Lord, for the glory of God. However, when your work begins to take you away from the feet of the Lord then your priority has been misplaced. Where are you? What is your place in the house of God? Martha was in a right place as she welcomed the Lord into her place. Luke 10:38, “Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house.” There is no blessing like welcoming Jesus into our place. To have Jesus come into our place and not being in the right place could be a great loss. Have you let Jesus into your place (your heart)? If received Jesus in your place, do yourself a favor to maintain a right position for Him.
What turned out for Martha in her place?
While Jesus was at Martha’s place, Mary the sister of Martha positioned herself in the better place. Martha in her place was busy working scrambling instead of serving and being served by the Bread of Life. Martha became distracted. Absolutely, there is nothing wrong in getting busy and serving in the Lord. However, when a server begins to feel distracted and not gaining in the Word of God, readjustment should be called for.
In the case of Martha, much distraction took the place of receiving from the Word of God. As a result, Martha approached Jesus requesting for Mary’s help in serving. Luke 10:40, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.” Jesus’ responded to Martha in Luke 10:41-42, “And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things.  But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.” Serving Him in the house should not be allowed to take away being served by Him. Martha was doing a good thing but Mary had chosen a good part. In the house of God where His presence reigns, believer should understand that there is a place to serve Him and to be served by His presence. Mary served taking a better position at the feet of Jesus and was served in His presence. Is your work in the house of God taking away the time to sit at His feet while He is in the house? It could also be a misplacement of priority when distraction is caused by work. It is good to serve Him but not to miss out and not be served by Him. Do not just serve Him, but also be positioned to be served by Him.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace not to be missing out from His service for you.

FAITH CAPSULE: What is the meaning of your name?

1 Chronicles 4

Maybe it is time for you to check the meaning of your name. Your living life might be answering to your name. What is the meaning of your name? The case of Jabez is an example of checking the meaning of his name to reverse irreversible challenges in his life. For Jabez, bible recorded, “Now Jabez was more honorable than his brothers, and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, “Because I bore him in pain.” And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, “Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!” So God granted him what he requested. (1 Chronicles 4:9-10)
Imagine Jabez, a God made to him to be honorable but his mother named him Jabez meaning pain. Answering as pain in the place of answering as an honored man of God is an error. Jabez came out of answering to a meaningless name, a name (Jabez) that prophesied pain over his life.
What is your name? Is your name setting you back from answering fully to the calling of God upon your life? Check it out! Check to change a negative name that you are answering to.
In your life journey, not long ago, you had all that it takes to live life and to live it well because everything was in place for you. Things have now changed compared to where you were then. In your case, help is not in place or in sight; hope dwindles; faith is failing; stagnation; living in shame and it just does not seem like there is a way out to where one as a believer wants to be. Does that sound like you? Above all, God is waiting for you to seek Him diligently and find your self-deliverance just like Jabez sought his solution for his self deliverance before God.  without any doubt, God is God. The Lord God is a good God and He has said in His word that His thoughts for us are peaceful and good. They are not of evil (Jeremiah 29:11) He is a wonderful God. Isaiah 55:8-9, For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.” Remember that and that will solve the whole pain in your life. The name of Jesus is what makes the difference. God made us in His image (Genesis 1:27). He that made us in His image has a name that is meaningful. His name is a name that transforms and in His name, there is power. As a creature in the image of God you should answer to a name that is meaningful; a name that is positive. With a positive meaningful name, Jabez answered as an honorable man created by God.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace of God to reverse irreversible in your life for His glory.

FAITH CAPSULE: Be a keeper of His temple by seeking Him diligently.

Genesis 3, Luke 19:45-48

It is written, “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:16) For real, as a believer, do you not know that you are the temple (House) of God? What we claim to know and not do is the evidence of lack of knowledge or ignorance. If one truly knows, one will do exactly what is known. There is no excuse for disobedience but only consequence. Adam gave the best excuse before God and it failed to count before God. Adam did not ask God for a partner when God made him a partner. God’s partner for Adam (Eve) made Adam to violate God’s command. God wanted to know why Adam violated His command when Adam responded, “…the woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I hate.” (Genesis 3:12) Adam’s excuse was not enough to stop God from unleashing the consequence of Adam’s disobedience.
As regard to the temple of God (you) the bible states the consequence of not knowing to take care of the temple of God, “If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.” (1 Corinthians 3:17) Are you defiling the temple of God in you? It is important for every believer to know keeping the temple in line with God’s way but not to only know about. Violating the temple can never have a reasonable excuse before God.
Jesus, by His word and action clearly demonstrated the intolerance against not keeping the temple in the way of God. Once, He went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in it. (Luke 19:45) In every area of life priority must be in a proper place. Whenever there is a misplacement of priority one is set for self-destruction. The people that were driven out by Jesus violated God by turning His temple to a business center where marketing of goods thrives. Among the identities of church today are the same as business center; converted to money gospel center where lying, deception, and manipulation thrives. Without any doubt, the place of seeking after God and the place of seeking after money does not complement each other.
Jesus declared how His temple (house) was violated, “My house is a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves” (Luke 19:46) Are you violating His temple or you are elevating His temple? Man can be deceived but God cannot be deceived. His temple (church) of today fits into same as den of thieves He pointed out in His days.
It is about time for acclaimed believer to pay attention to what takes place in their temple and not violate God in the temple.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace not to be a failure before Him.