FAITH CAPSULE: Have you been hearing and not able to see that the Lord is nearer to you than you know?

Mark 10: 46-52

The word of God stated, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.” (Mathew 7:7-8) Are you too quiet to ask? Do you know to quit and not able to be persistence? In life, some challenges or situation demands to cry out to the name of God for intervention. In biblical times, a roadside beggar decided to cry out on Jesus for his deliverance and come out his dust location. The Bible mentioned one blind Bartimaeus Timaeus sitting on the dusty roadside. Lameness kept him grounded. To be grounded on the road side is to be decorated with dust and be denied from living a meaningful life.
Are you living life in a dusty roadside situation? Do you know for sure that the God yesterday is the same today?
It is very important to know that nothing is too difficult for God to do.
The Bible recorded that the lame man refused to be quiet, “When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” (Mark 10:47) Despite his condition, all he needed to do to have his circumstances turned around was to listen, hear and see that his deliverance was at hand. He cried out; he did not remained quiet. Have you been hearing, but cannot see past your hearing. The day that the blind man heard that Jesus was near, he saw deliverance from his ground of stagnation, “And throwing his garment, he rose and came to Jesus.” (Mark 10:50) When the blind man threw his garment of dust, his garment of dust and shame departed from him.
Have you been hearing and not able to see that the Lord is nearer to you than you know?
Bartimaeus Timaeus cried out to Jesus and received his sight. It was mentioned that he immediately followed Jesus on the road. It is impossible to follow Jesus with good sight and open eyes and remain the same. The blind man’s story changed for the better because he regained his sight and was able to follow Jesus. Do not let Him pass by you without crying out for His help. Also, stop hiding when you cry for His help. Ignore the multitude’s reaction to your cry, because, you are crying out to the healing Healer not any man. Bartimaeus Timaeus, the road side beggar became the road side miracle when he refused to be quiet but loud. The “road duster” became the “road master” when he cried out loud on the God Master.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace not to miss your day of deliverance.

FAITH CAPSULE: Hiding God’s miracle is not the best way of moving forward.

Luke 8:26-48

FAITH CAPSULE: Hiding God’s miracle is not the best way of moving forward.

In all that God has done, are you trying to hide or silent about all?
To be quiet when He visits your situation is to disclaim Him.
There can never be enough tongue to proclaim what He has done or what He is doing in our life.
The woman with the issue of blood (after twelve years of agony) quietly received her healing when she touched the edge of Jesus’ garment. Jesus knew power went out from Him when she touched Him. Jesus asked who had touched Him, but the woman tried to hide as stated in Luke 8:47, “Now when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling; and falling down before Him, she declared to Him in the presence of all the people the reason she had touched Him and how she was healed immediately.” The woman with the issue of blood touched Jesus, got healing and wanted to hide.
The word testifies that everywhere He went He was doing good. He was and He is the Almighty healer and deserves to be highly exalted Bible talked about Jesus’ trip to Gadarenes, “Then they sailed to the country of the Gadarenes, which is opposite Galilee. And when He stepped out on the land, there met Him a certain man from the city who had demons for a long time. And he wore no clothes, nor did he live in a house but in the tombs. When he saw Jesus, he cried out, fell down before Him, and with a loud voice said, “What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You, do not torment me!” (Luke 8:26-28) Jesus cast out the demons and the man begged Him that he might go with Him. But Jesus commanded him, “Return to your own house, and tell what great things God has done for you.” And he went his way and proclaimed throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him.”” (Luke 8:39) Jesus visited the man’s situation and he became an evangelist as he went and proclaimed Jesus. He could not hide from what the Lord has done in his life. The once demon possessed man could not be quiet but went proclaiming Jesus.
Without doubt, He was and He is the Almighty healer and He deserves to be highly exalted.
What has He done for you lately that you have not told others about? Hiding God’s miracle is not the best way of moving forward. He deserves to be proclaimed for all s doing to us. Regardless of the magnitude of what he has done, let others around you know that God is still in the business of miracles.
Someone needs to be encouraged today. Be blessed by proclaiming Him.

Prayer for today: Ask God to give you the grace to be a blessing today.

FAITH CAPSULE: When He calls you for His assignment, He will back you up and He will go before you.

Judges 6:11-40, 7

1 Corinthians 1:20-25 recorded, “Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.” (1 Corinthians 1:20-25) God alone is perfect to make foolish wisdom. He alone can turn weak to strength.
The story Gideon is a testimony when Gideon’s father a Baal worshiper, but yet God called on Gideon for the assignment of delivering His people. When God decides to bring forth deliverance, He will choose the least expected, the list qualified or the last among the least in the eyes of man for His assignment. When God is at work in our life, neither us nor any force will be able to work against His work in our life.
Have you been called by God?
When Gideon was approached for the assignment of deliverance unto salvation, he responded to God, “O my Lord how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.” 16 And the LORD said to him, ‘Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat the Midianites as one man.’ 17 Then he said to Him, ‘If now I have found favor in Your sight, then show me a sign that it is You who talk with me.’”(Judges 6:15-17) Gideon wanted confirmation that God had called him for the assignment. He did not just ask for confirmation, but he repeatedly asked God in various ways for the confirmation of the assignment.
God indeed assigned Gideon a son of a Baal worshiper for the deliverance of His people from bondage.
Has the Lord been calling you, but you are yet to accept because of your past or your background history? God called Gideon and He backed Him up with power. When He calls you for His assignment, He will back you up and He will go before you. Gideon, with great fear, attempted not to answer the call, but God positioned him on the ground where he received every plan to go forward and be victorious to the glory of God.

Prayer for today: Ask God today for boldness and power to move in the calling over your life.

FAITH CAPSULE: Obedience is the pass word to open door of blessing.

Deuteronomy 28:1-14

It is written, “He sent His word and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.” (Psalm 107:20) Jesus, the living word of God declared, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10) Indeed Jesus the living word of God brought healing and deliverance that is evident to having life abundantly. On every issue of life, when we walk in His word, the word will work for us. Hebrews 4:12 describes the word God as, “living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”
The word of God is meant to bless man; it came to stay with us. However, the condition to have the blessing of word demands our obedience.
The word of God will not deliver is promise if there is failure to obey.
Obedience is the pass word to open door of blessing. We have to be unceasing and steady in obeying Him because there is no half obedience. Obeying the word of God will deliver us from unnecessary, costly and painful situation in our walk of life.
In life there are many avenues that lead to disobeying the word of God. Among many reasons for disobedient is pointed out in the book of Nehemiah 9:17 where the word stated, “They refused to obey, and they were not mindful of Your wonders that You did among them. But they hardened their necks, and in their rebellion…” The word of Nehemiah 9:17 refers to the children of Israel but it also speaks to all today. It points out that an act of disobedience is caused by not being mindful of God’s wonder and that leads to hardness of heart. Hardness of heart will cause one not to believe in the word. In the word there is a way, in the way there is the word. Jesus is the Word and He is the Way. Hardened heart lacks belief therefore faith cannot have its way. Hebrews 4:2 made it clear that when word is not mixed with faith, it becomes unprofitable. The word of God is the source of faith and when one does not believe in the word there would be lack of faith.
Are you a vessel of hardness of heart or a full blown hardness of heart vessel? It is possible to be a vessel of hardened heart unconsciously where there is a failure of wisdom, knowledge or understanding of the word of healing and deliverance.
Take careful note, hardness of heart is an evidence of unbelief.

Prayer for today: Ask for God’s deliverance from every spirit of hardness of heart.

FAITH CAPSULE: It is impossible to wait on God and waste.

Psalm 40

God is not a man that He should lie neither is He a god father who can fail and not deliver. He alone is the Father God that waits to deliver onto those who wait on Him. It is impossible to wait on God and waste. Waiting patiently on God is taking a position to receive from God. Waiting patiently on God is the evidence of knowledge and understanding that He has never fail and He will not fail. The Psalmist encouraged, “Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the Lord! (Psalm 27:14) When there is knowledge of the awesomeness of who He is, there will always be a persistence in place to replace the failure of not waiting. As a believer, many times you ask and miss the response because of the inability to wait for a response.

Trusting in God is ignoring negativity around us while focusing on all the positives that are evident in the wonders of His work that surrounds us. Trust is what will enable waiting and when trust is not in place; waiting will not have its way. It is written, “Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors.” (Proverbs 8:34) Undoubtedly there is blessing waiting on the Lord. King David testifies in Psalm 40:1, “I waited patiently for the LORD; And He inclined to me, and heard my cry”. King David knew that in his waiting God had given him a response because he was brought up out of a horrible pit; out of the miry clay. His feet were set upon a rock and his steps were established (Psalm 40:2). In waiting on God, instruction and teaching will come to lead and guide the waiter into the manifestation of the waiter’s request. This is what happened to King David. His situation was turned around because he received a leading and guidance from where he was to where he wanted to be. Have you been asking for a long time without any result or the result has been a negative one that could not turn your situation around into a new page? God is a faithful God. He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow.
The same God that did it in the life of King David will not fail in doing it for you. Waiting on God will no doubt turn around the page that is not working in your life to a working page for His name to be glorified. Wait on Him and wait patiently. Your waiting on God will never be a waste.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace and enablement to know to wait on Him for deliverance.