FAITH CAPSULE: Separate to God to avoid living outside of your divine assignment.

Genesis 32

The will of God for man is to serve God. God called the Israelites out of bondage to serve Him as it is written, “When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.” (Exodus 3:12) Serving God is worshiping God. Worshiping God is to be separated to God.
For man, the love of things of the world comes in between man and worshiping God. However, ones that separates self to be worshiping God will definitely abide in God. The book of 1 John 2:15-17 buttressed, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world.  And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.”
To be separated to God by worshiping God indeed grants access to God.
Seeing God is impossible where one is surrounded by the filth of this wicked world.Seeking (worshiping) God demands all of our being and those that are able to seek Him diligently shall be rewarded because He is a rewarder of those who seek Him diligently. (Hebrews 11:6)
Separation to God’s command is always a high order of worship and obedient to the word of God. Abraham separated self to God’s command when he answered to God’s calling to depart his country, his family and his father’s house to a land unknown to him.(Genesis 12:1-2) Abraham’s separation to the word of God was accounted to him for righteousness because it was evidence that he believed God. (Romans 4:3)
When man responds to the word of God by denying self-engagement to the love of world, open door of blessings shall answer to man.
Worshiping God is separation to God.
Separation to God is the avenue which leads to assessing and possessing God’s blessing.
Just like Abraham, Jacob (the son Abraham) encountered and entered into his divine assignment because he separated from his family and all his possession.
It is written, “And he arose that night and took his two wives, his two female servants, and his eleven sons, and crossed over the ford of Jabbok.  He took them, sent them over the brook, and sent over what he had. Then Jacob was left alone; and a Man wrestled with him until the breaking of day.” (Genesis 32:22-24)
Until Jacob was completely separated from all, God did not engage him for the change of his name to Israel. By virtue of Jacob’s separation, God enabled him to live in the center of his life assignment. Be separated to God; live life for God so as to be fully established for His glory.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace to draw you closer.

FAITH CAPSULE: Know the truth to abide in the true vine.

John 15

The key to live heaven on earth is to be abiding in the word of Jesus as stated, “Abide in Me, and I in you…” (John 15:4) What does ABIDE means? Jesus did not force but asked us to abide in Him. Without doubt, any man that makes the choice to abide in Jesus will be undeniable from reward which is heaven on earth. To abide in Him demands commitment that cannot be compromised.
Abide can be described as: To remain or continue abiding in Jesus despite particular situation. Furthermore, to endure, sustain, or withstand without yielding but submitting to Jesus describes to abide. Abiding in Jesus is also to accept condition without questioning authority of Jesus. Abiding in Jesus demands uncommon sacrifice price. Above all, to remain steadfast or faithful describes to abide.
The meaning of abiding in Him is fully mentioned in the above description of the word “Abide”.
With all description above, to abide indeed and in truth will build up connection of man with Jesus. To be connected with Jesus is definitely Jesus’ request from man. However, connection with Jesus today is more of mouth demonstration not the evidence of commitment of heart to Jesus. Are you abiding in Him or you one that is yet to abide in Him? Jesus declared, “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.  You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.  Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.” Jesus is the true vine for man to abide. It is important to note that there are two different kinds of VINES which are: True vine (Jesus is true vine); False vine is the opposite of true vine.
In the world of today, very few are abiding in the true vine. The main reason why more does not abide in Jesus is testified in the word of Jesus as stated in John 8:45, “But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me.” However, many are abiding in false vine. The false true vines are the Prophet-liars, Apostle-manipulator, and Pastor-deception. To abide in false vine consciously or unconsciously will not be counted as excuse before God on the day of judgement. Jesus warned, “…If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:31-32) Are you seeking Jesus so as to be abiding in His truth to make you free? Jesus emphatically mentioned, “I am the true vine…”
Make the choice to seek the truth; know the truth to abide in the true vine.
Prayer for today: Ask for the grace to abide in the true vine all the days of your life.

FAITH CAPSULE: Ones that follow the commanding word of God wholly follow God fully.

Luke 5

To be steadfast in following the living word of God is not a self-satisfying engagement and one who is self-full cannot be possibly steadfast for God.
King David realized the importance and the need for one to be steadfast when he called on God in Psalm 51:10, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”
A steadfast spirit is what caused Caleb and Joshua to wholly follow God. Caleb and Joshua refused to flow with the crowd’s negative confession against the word of God which Promised Land that flows with milk and honey. They wholly followed the word of God as they confessed positive instead of negative in the face of Moses and all the people. By virtue of their positive confession, God declared, “My servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit in him and has followed Me fully, I will bring into the land where he went, and his descendants shall inherit it.” (Numbers 14:24) Ones that follow the commanding word of God wholly follow God fully.
At the time of God’s calling of Elisha through Elijah, “…He left the oxen and ran after Elijah, and said, ‘Please let me kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you.’ And he said to him, ‘Go back again, for what have I done to you?’  So Elisha turned back from him, and took a yoke of oxen and slaughtered them and boiled their flesh, using the oxen’s equipment, and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he arose and followed Elijah, and became his servant.” (1 Kings 19:20-21)
Elisha left all behind when he answered God’s calling. In answering, Elisha demonstrated steadfastness; He emptied self by getting rid of material which could have held him back. Elisha used his oxen’s equipment as a boiler to boil his slaughtered oxen. Whatever man cannot forsake for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven is what will cause Heaven to forsake man from becoming a qualified candidate for the Kingdom of Heaven.
Jesus was passing by when He “…saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, ‘Follow Me.’ So he left all, rose up, and followed Him. Then Levi gave Him a great feast in his own house. And there were a great number of tax collectors and others who sat down with them.” (Luke 5:27-29) Levi gave up all his possession to follow Jesus.
Have you been called for the kingdom of heaven?
What is holding you back from following Him fully?
Is your desire a denying agent that is denying you from answering to God’s calling fully?
Be steadfast in following the word of God fully to be rewarded by God.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace to wholly follow Him all the days of your life.

FAITH CAPSULE: Fear God, live by His word.

Deuteronomy 6

Listen, the whole world is due for due deeds. Wickedness is the deeds of this world. God testified, “Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. So the Lord said, “I will destroy man…” (Genesis 6:5-7) God does not look away from sin. In the wicked days of Noah and Lot God judge the deeds of the world. Today man is not taking advantage of wickedness under heaven. God’s time of judgement is not in man’s possession to decide for God. The word of Jesus buttressed in Luke 17:26-30 “And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man:  They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built;  but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed.”
Understand it that the word of God is perfect to perform. Psalm 18:30 stated it, “As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is proven…” Judgement will come; no man is in position to stop God’s judgement day. God will not speed in response to wickedness of man. Ecclesiastes 8:11-12 said it well, “Because the sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil. Though a sinner does evil a hundred times, and his days are prolonged, yet I surely know that it will be well with those who fear God, who fear before Him.”  From today, stop living outside of His word, with fear for Him live in His word.
Avoid the experience of the Noah and Lot’s time. Fear God! Begin to attend the whole duty of man as stated in Ecclesiastes 12:13-14, “…Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man’s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil.”
Mary said it all in Luke 1:50-51, “And His mercy is on those who fear Him from generation to generation.” Psalmist also stated, “Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, on those who hope in His mercy, to deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine. (Psalm 33:18-19)
Fear God and not become a vessel of self-destruction.

Prayer for today: Ask for the fear of God to be your garment.

FAITH CAPSULE: Be giving thanks to God for all things to work together for good to the glory of God.

Psalm 136, Luke 11:38-44

Thinking thanks is not same as giving thanks. Think about it. Are you thinking thanks or you are giving thanks to God? God does not owe us anything but we owe Him all thanks giving for His every moment of mercy over every man. Are you one that can count how many thanks has been offered to God today? If one is able to count the number of thanks offered to God today definitely there is shortage of giving thanks to God. One that is short of giving thanks to God is not praising God enough. Thanking God is praising God. Psalm 150:6 stated, “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!” The word of the psalmist is worthy to learn the need not to stop thanking God when there is life. Think about it, if thanking God at every breath will give life in the situation of life and death, man will make the choice of giving thanks to God at every breath of life.
Do you have any reason to be giving God a non-stop thanksgiving? Today, let thanks giving to God become a way of life. God alone is worth of thanks giving for His mercy. Psalm 136:1-3 gave a non-stop thanks to God, “Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. Oh, give thanks to the God of gods! For His mercy endures forever. Oh, give thanks to the Lord of lords! For His mercy endures forever.” With thanks giving, God cannot be acknowledged enough for His unmeasurable goodness to man. His mercy is uncountable. Psalm 136:26 also declared thanks giving stating, “Oh, give thanks to the God of heaven! For His mercy endures forever.”
Two things that are certain to gain when thanking God becomes a way of living life are:
First, give thanks to God for all things, in all things and all things will work together for good.
Bible says, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28) Having mind of Romans 8:28, be a doer of the word of Ephesians 5:20 as it is written, “…giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Secondly, God performs in prayer but He perfects in thanks giving.
At the cave of Lazarus, Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?”  Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. And I know that You always hear Me…” Jesus thanked God because He knew that God always hears Him before He delivers answer.
How is your thanks giving to God?

Prayer for today: Ask from God today for a thanks giving heart at all time for all things.