FAITH CAPSULE: With understanding, nothing should come between seeking and following the Lord Jesus.

Luke 9:57-62

Seeking or following God is serving God. Seeking or following God is labor with the reward of retaining the presence of God. To seek God or to follow God is not a fun fair but a war fair. Seeking or following God is not to flow with the crowd. With understanding, nothing should come between seeking and following the Lord Jesus. Following Jesus is not following by the word of mouth but by the word of God. Seeking and following Him should not be for material gain. The bible recorded, “Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to Him, “Lord, I will follow You wherever You go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” (Luke 9:57-58)
The man that volunteered to follow Jesus without any condition failed to count the cost. The man must have been coming with emotion. His desire to follow must have been rooted in his feelings. Following with feelings is not enough to sustain the challenges of following Him. The Bible stated, “Then He said to another, “Follow Me.” but he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.””(Luke 9:59) In following Him there should be no excuse whatsoever between His calling and accepting to follow. He called one to follow and another volunteered, one approached Jesus and said, “…Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house.” (Luke 9:61)
Jesus alone knows the end from the beginning and He sees our heart. Jesus responded to the last one that was asking for excuse to go and bid farewell at house, “But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.””(Luke 9:62) Understanding about living life is to seek or follow Him fully. However, not seeking or following after Him is wandering from understanding. The book of Proverbs 21:16 buttressed, “A man who wanders from the way of understanding will rest in the assembly of the dead.” Jesus said let the dead bury his dead. It is worthy to seek or follow Him by allowing the dead bury the dead. As an acclaimed believer, think it over and let the word of God have a place in your life. It is important for us to know that it is time for us to put aside needs and seek Him fully. Also, in time of seeking or following Him fully challenges will rise but rest in Him shall be in place to reach the expected end of seeking or following Him fully.

Prayer for today: Ask the good God for the grace to follow Him fully.

FAITH CAPSULE: Eternal life demands from us to fight the good fight of faith.

1Timothy 6

God love us by sending His beloved son for us. God’s unwavering love for us is not a liberty for us to live a life of un-accountability. Living life of accountability is nothing but to, “Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life…” (1Timothy 6:12) Without fight victory does not have a place that is victory is to be ready for fight. Eternal life is what demands from us to fight the good fight of faith. How do we fight the good fight? To fight the fight of faith is to flee greediness and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love; patience and gentleness are the way to fight the fight of faith.
Flee greediness:
Love of money is the root of all evil which causes man to stray from faith and it leads to the loss of fight. Greediness is what drives the love of money to the trap of sorrow, pain and unexpected termination. 1 Timothy 6:10 stated clearly, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”
Greediness exempt contentment in is camp. With greediness in man’s life contentment does not have a place. Greediness leads to temptation while the bible warned us to flee temptation. Among ways of fleeing temptation is avoiding situations that can come from friends that lead to unholy desires. Avoiding unholy desires will prompt leaving old friends for ones that are encouraging of what is right. Avoid temptation, “Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.” (1Corinthians 15:33) The word of God has warned enough against temptation as a result man cannot hold God responsible for temptation of man as recorded, “Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am being tempted by God,’ for God cannot be tempted with evil, and He Himself tempts no one.” (James 1:13)
Pursue God:
To pursue God is to hope and trust in God with submission to God’s word will commit man to fight the good fight of faith. Submit to God is pursuing righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness.  Pursue is, to follow in order (direction, instruction) of the word of God. To pursue is to follow close and attend to God. Fighting the fight of faith is to strive and have a great gain. To pursue is the ability to seek to attain from God; to proceed in accordance with word of God and to carry on or continue in the directions of God’s word.
Apostle Paul stated it right, “That you keep this commandment without spot, blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ’s appearing, (1 Timothy 6:12) Flee ungodliness, Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience and gentleness by allowing godliness with contentment be part of the weapon to fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace to fight the good fight of faith.

FAITH CAPSULE: Against wicked and darkened world are you giving self to the word of God for deliverance?

Judges 14

The word of God, the Spirit of the Lord is power of God. Through the pages of the bible, the power of God demonstrated healing, deliverance and preservation. The Bible recorded about Samson and the Spirit of God that worked for him. It is written, “So Samson went down to Timnah with his father and mother, and came to the vineyards of Timnah. Now to his surprise, a young lion came roaring against him. And the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and he tore the lion apart as one would have torn apart a young goat, though he had nothing in his hand. But he did not tell his father or his mother what he had done.” (Judges 14:5-6) With the Spirit of the Lord there is nothing a surprising challenge can do but to fail and not prevail. The Spirit of the Lord came upon Samson when a surprise lion came at him and Samson prevailed against the lion.
In man’s every day journey in this wicked and darkened world, unexpected lions roam back and forth ready to devour man. In your daily journey, are you encountering unexpected lion? A journey that is yet to encounter a lion is not an evidence of a journey that is free from lion. Wisdom is the way to prepare for expected or unexpected lion that is meant to devour man. Taking to the word, the Spirit of God is wisdom. Jesus spoke in John 6:63, “…the words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.” The Spirit of the Lord that is power is the word of God. The word of God is also the light generator and when it enters, it gives light that that keeps man not to stumble. In your journey in the wicked and darkened world are you giving self to the word of God? The word of God is true to deliver. The Spirit of God delivered Samson from his enemies.
Are you spending time to study the word rather than skim through the word of God daily? Encountering the journey of today, in this wicked and darkened world, demands not to leave home without the word. Meditate the word of God that keeps man to God and not to be far away from the presence of God. The lion that encountered with Samson was a surprise, but the Spirit of the Lord upon Samson made him an overcomer of the lion. Give self to the word of God; the Spirit of God that is able to deliver man from known and unknown lions in the journey of the wicked and darkened world.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace to increase studying word of His deliverance.

FAITH CAPSULE: Work the works of God, be a believer, with faith be rewarded by God.

John 6:1-40

Jesus was asked, “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?” Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God that you believe in Him whom He sent.” (John 6:28-29) Jesus identified that believing God is working the works of God.
Working the works of God is to believe and have the Bread of Life with no hunger and thirsty.
Working the works of God is to believe and have everlasting life.
Obviously, working the work of God (believer) will be rewarded.
God is a rewarder. Working the works of God is taking a position to be rewarded by God. Working the works God is a believer while faith is also identity of a believer. Evidently, God is the rewarder of worker (believer) that is a faithful one. Hebrews 11:6 testified, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” God is a rewarder of those that work the works of God, the believer, the ones with faith in God. Are you working the works of God, are you a believer, one with faith? Work the works of God, be a believer, with faith be rewarded by God.
Faith is like the live wire to believe. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. (Romans 10:17) With the activation of the source of hearing and hearing the word of God, believing (working the works of God) shall set believer for being rewarded by God.
Among the source of hearing and hearing by the word of God are: meditating, studying, listening and praying.
Studying word of God is a source of hearing and hearing by the word of God. Studying word is not skimming through the word of God. It is studying that will lead to discovery of the treasure in the word of God; to work the works of God.
Meditating day and night is a way of hearing and hearing by the word of God to become a believer of God’s word. Meditating is observing to know to do the word of God. (Joshua 1:8)
Listening to the word of God brings understand which increase faith. (John 8:43)
Praying and ministering of the word continually builds up faith. (Acts 6:4)
When man is full of word, faith increases for man to work the works of works of God. Working the works of God is to believe as stated by Jesus. Studying, meditating, listening, praying makes man a believer which positions man for God’s reward such as peace. Philippians 4:9 buttressed, “The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.”

Prayer for today: Ask for the word of God to become established in your life.

FAITH CAPSULE: In all, for all, give glory to God.

Psalm 150, Jeremiah 48

Our Lord our God, the ancient of days, the King of Kings, hallowed be thy name.
God is worthy of our acknowledgement. He is a jealous God that demands attention. Exodus 34:14 identified God, “for you shall worship no other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.” God also spoke, “…For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God…” He is worthy of all our all adoration and praise at every breath. Psalm 150:6 said it well, “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.” At every breath, it is never too much to be praising God.
A failure to acknowledge Him demonstrates that we trust and rely on our own self-effort as strength. Are you resolving to your effort in every step of life? Is it self-trust that has brought you far in life? God sees it all concerning all man. God spoke against Moab in the book of Jeremiah 48:7, “For because you have trusted in your works and your treasures, you also shall be taken. And Chemosh shall go forth into captivity.” (Chemosh: The chief deity of Moab.) The word of God against Moab is worth for our attention to be provoked not to fail trusting God. The word of God against Chemosh should be a strong warning for man that only acknowledges self-trust.
It is clear that the people of Moab could have resolved to self-sufficiency whereby looking to their work and treasure as a measure of self-effort. A dangerous way to captivity is assuming self-effort as strength and source of blessing. God alone is our source. God wants to be glorified and exalted for every blessing that comes our way. Jeremiah 9:23-24 recorded, “Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, let not the mighty man glory in his might, nor let the rich man glory in his riches; But let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth, for in these I delight, says the LORD.” Have you been counting on self-effort in all areas of living life? Acknowledging God is counting God’s blessings; naming blessings one by one to give God all honor and glory. The Moabites are not around to tell us what it means not to be reduced by not acknowledging God. The Moabites ended up in captivity after having been in control of treasures. Testimonies of God are enough for us to learn, live to praise and glorify the name of God. It is time to turn around and give Him all the glory and honor that belongs to Him not to your efforts.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace to be living life of glorifying and praising God.