FAITH CAPSULE: Are you experiencing any challenging situation?

Judges 11

In life, the story of hope is enough to encourage the hopeless to gain a new lifting story to the glory of God. Jephthah was illegitimate before his brothers. He was expelled by his half-brothers from his father’s house. It is written, “Gilead’s wife bore sons; and when his wife’s sons grew up, they drove Jephthah out, and said to him, “You shall have no inheritance in our father’s house, for you are the son of another woman.” Then Jephthah fled from his brothers and dwelt in the land of Tob; and worthless men banded together with Jephthah and went out raiding with him.”
Jephthah was in a challenging situation which was not his desire. His challenging situation was not within his control but it was beyond his control. Under heaven, on behalf of man, there is no challenging situation that is beyond the hand of God.
Are you experiencing any challenging situation like that of Jephthah?
Today, hold on trusting and hoping in God. Wait on God regardless of how painful challenging situation is about, God will not failure to intervene for His children.  Jephthah, after having been rejected by his half-brother the children of Israel turned back to him for help. At the confrontation of Israelites by the people of Ammon, Jephthah was turned to as a commander. The elders of Gilead had to go and seek Jephthah for help. Judges 11:6 recorded, “Then they said to Jephthah, ‘Come and be our commander, that we may fight against the people of Ammon.’” Whenever man condemns, God is in position to redeem any condemned. Jephthah was a mighty man of valor but he was illegitimate. He was driven out by brothers and being sought to be a leader. Jephthah responded in Judges 11:7, “So Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, “Did you not hate me, and expel me from my father’s house? Why have you come to me now when you are in distress?”” God made it possible for Jephthah to be called back to rise above and beyond where he was expelled out.
God can never be too late or too soon, God will show up in your situation at His appointed timing. Jephthah accepted the assignment and victory was delivered to the children of Israel. Jephthah did not just end up as a commander but he became the head because victory was delivered into his hand. The story of Jephthah was changed for good.
God is the only God that is in position to turn around hopeless situation to hopeful and glorious situation. Engage trusting and being hopeful to see the glorious of God concerning your challenging situation.

Prayer for today: Ask God to change of your challenging situation to triumphant story of yours to the glory of God.

FAITH CAPSULE: Meditating the word of God and not be dull-hearted.

Jeremiah 10

Proverbs 4:23 recorded, “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.” Are you keeping your heart with diligence? When the word of God requests for keeping heart with diligence, it means that heart needs to be diligent in this wicked world. A heart that is not being kept with diligence will not grow and be as dull heart. Jesus quoted about dull heart from the prophecy of Isaiah, “For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, So that I should heal them.” (Matthew 13:15)
As it is written above, the evidence of dull heart is rooted in ears that are hard of hearings and eyes have been closed. Can you identify if indeed you are not hearing and not seeing where God is waiting to act on your behalf? A heart which fails to hear and see will have no understanding to turn but miss out for God’s healing.
A dull heart is also identified as foolish. Jeremiah 10:8 stated, “But they are altogether dull-hearted and foolish…” In all your engagement, are you altogether foolish? Psalm 14:1 buttressed, “The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God…””  In every action that does not give regard to God one is actually declaring there is no God. Man that fails to keep heart with diligence shall fail to pay attention to actions outside of God and become a dull heart. Without doubt, lack of knowledge is lack of understanding as growth becomes stagnated.
Dull heart does not exempt to man regardless of man’s title or position. If a shepherd can be dull hearted, sheep does not have to give itself to dull hearted too. Today, get self together and not turn self to dull heart, keep your heart with all diligence. Also, in this wicked world of today, seek God to avoid answering as foolish. Listen to Jeremiah 10:21, “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.” Today, keep your heart with diligence, keep your heart growing and not be stagnated. Among ways of keeping heart diligence is meditating on the word of God which is a good prosper that is God’s prosper. Joshua 1:8 says it all, “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 all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” Be wise not foolish; keep heart growing; Keep heart diligent by meditating the word of God; do not be dull-hearted.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace not to be a dull-hearted vessel in this wicked world.

FAITH CAPSULE: Labor in prayer to be established for manifestation.

Genesis 32

Book of Colossians 4:12 spoke out clearly about labor in prayer, “Epaphras, who is one of you, a bondservant of Christ, greets you, always laboring fervently for you in prayers, that you may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.” Labor is prayer. In life, nothing is delivered without prayer. James 5:16 pointed it out; “…The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” A desire for things without prayer is an error. Jesus prayed for Peter for Peter’s faith not to fail. Luke 22:32 mentioned, “But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.” Notably, Jesus was constantly in labor of prayer at the middle of night as His prayers were power loaded for manifestation. Labor is evident in Jesus life as He prayed with sweat like blood. Luke 22:44 testified the labor of prayer of Jesus, “And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.”
The bible mentioned numbers of testimonies about how labor prayer delivered manifestation. Jacob’s wrestle overnight was his labor prayer of breakthrough. Genesis 32:22-25 stated Jacob’s labor in prayer, “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.  Now when He saw that He did not prevail against him, He touched the socket of his hip; and the socket of Jacob’s hip was out of joint as He wrestled with him.” Jacob’s labor in prayer delivered his expectation as it is written, “Then Jacob asked, saying, “Tell me Your name, I pray.” And He said, “Why is it that you ask about My name?” And He blessed him there.”” (Genesis 32:29)
The Labor prayer for manifestation was evidence in Jabez as he desired to be changed from pain to gain. The bible recorded about Jabez, “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) Jabez labored in prayer as manifestation of his prayer was established. It is worthy to make prayer a life style, in confrontation be a conqueror.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace of strength to be able to be standing in labor of prayer.

FAITH CAPSULE: Live for God to provoke the power of God for your deliverance.

Daniel 3

God is the Almighty creator that is in position to reverse irreversible. God alone cannot late to extend His delivering power to those who look up to Him. The only thing, the only one thing which God cannot do is that, “God cannot fail”
Revelation 7:11-12 testified, “All the angels stood around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures, and fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying: “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom, Thanksgiving and honor and power and might, be to our God forever and ever. Amen.” In the above testimony, power is among all that belong to God. The power of God is not the power that belongs to man. Power of man will disappoint but the power of God does not fail nor sleep off to deliver.
The three friends of Daniel demonstrated the power of God that does not fail nor sleep over. The three friends proved what it means to surrender to the power of God in the place of Nebuchadnezzar’s law which called for worshiping gold image instead of worshiping God. The three friends were sentenced to death inside a burning fiery furnace yet they did not struggle but only responded to King Nebuchadnezzar’s commanding power stating, “…our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.” (Daniel 3:17-18)
Power passes power. God alone is able to carry us through and He will never leave us nor forsake us. The key to provoke the power of God for deliverance is to completely be living in surrender to the word of God. In this life, get to know the truth of God, live in truth and the power of His truth and He shall make you free. (John 8:32) The three friends knew the truth as they refused to bow down to a gold image. Jesus is the truth; He is the living word of God. God sent His word to deliver. (Psalm 107:20) Jesus the living word of God testified, “…I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10) Power is the word of God.
The three friends went into burning fiery furnace because they did not bow for gold image. In the fiery furnace, Nebuchadnezzar saw power that passes power as he stated, “Look!” he answered, “I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.” (Daniel 3:25) Listen, live life with submission to God and He will not disregard you.

Prayer for today: Ask today for the grace to be living the word of God in every walk of life.

FAITH CAPSULE: Are you allowing the word of God to enter?

Isaiah 54

The purpose of God’s word is to gain entrance into man’s heart because of the effectiveness of the word of God. Psalm 119:130 declared, “The entrance of Your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.” Are you an acclaimed simple one but yet the mark of simple is not evidence in your life? The simple ones will be simple enough to hear the word of God and do all that the word calls for. Bible identified simple in Proverbs 14:15, “The simple believes every word…” The word of God which enters will give light and understanding that is needed to navigate through the wicked world with no failure. Are you allowing the word of God to enter? With studying, with meditating on the light that enters, a challenge of navigating in the wicked world will exists but shall not keep you down. Word of light encourages, “In righteousness you shall be established; You shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear; and from terror, for it shall not come near you. Indeed they shall surely assemble, but not because of Me. Whoever assembles against you shall fall for your sake.” (Isaiah 54:14-15) Are you experiencing assembles against your life? Allowed the entranced word to lift you up knowing that whoever assembles against you shall fall for you.
The book of Proverbs identified the important of giving attention to word stating, “My son, give attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings, do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; For they are life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh.” (Proverbs 4:20-22) Are you giving your attention to the word of God? Are you inclining your ears, eyes and heart? God can do all things in the world today just like He did all at the time of creation. All that was created was by the word of God. God, in His doing all things, there is only one thing that He cannot do and that is, “God cannot fail.” God has not and will never fail. Are you allowing the word to enter? The word of God is not for mouth decoration, it is to gain entrance and give the light required for the termination of darkness.
The word of God is the command of God. Word will give light. Looking into the word of God will lead one with direction without failing; without being lead into shame. Looking into the word of God, the command of God will keep one from becoming a victim of the wicked world.

Prayer for today: Ask God to enable the entrance of His word to enter you and give you light in this wicked world.