FAITH CAPSULE: Just as it is possible to be asleep physically so it is also possible to be asleep spiritually.

Acts 12

In the parable of the wheat and tares, Jesus mentioned, “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way.” (Matthew 13:24-25) The point here is that sleeping is what gives enemy the privilege to sow its wickedness on the ground which is meant for good. On a ground where man is awake, it will be difficult for the enemy to invest by sowing evil into man’s life.

Living in this world today demands to be constantly awake. As an acclaimed believer, are you awake or are you asleep? Just as it is possible to be asleep physically so it is also possible to be asleep spiritually. One that is spiritually asleep will be spiritually at risk. For one who is at sleep, prayer will cease and enemy gaining entrance will become inevitable. Also, sleeping is not only when eyes and mind are shut. Sleeping does not necessary mean when one goes to bed at night. Without doubt, sleeping when time or season calls for man to be awake is extending an invitation to the wicked one.

The church must have gone to sleep at the time James the brother of John was killed by Herod the king. The bible documented, “Now about that time Herod the king stretched out his hand to harass some from the church.  Then he killed James the brother of John with the sword. And because he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to seize Peter also. Now it was during the Days of Unleavened Bread. So when he had arrested him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four squads of soldiers to keep him, intending to bring him before the people after Passover. (Acts 12:1-4) The killing of James prompted Herod the king to go after Peter. Herod was set to kill Peter just like he did to James. For Peter, the story changed. It is written, “Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church.  And when Herod was about to bring him out, that night Peter was sleeping, bound with two chains between two soldiers; and the guards before the door were keeping the prison.  Now behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the prison; and he struck Peter on the side and raised him up, saying, “Arise quickly!” (Acts 2:5-7) It was constant prayer not comfortable sleep of the church that delivered Peter who was asleep while in the prison. To be in prayer is to be awake and deny the enemy from sowing evil seed. Is sleeping your passion? Be awake the enemy is at work!

Prayer for today: Ask God to deliver you from sleeping a sleep that delivers man to the enemy’s hand.

FAITH CAPSULE: We have a God whose thoughts for us are good.

Psalm 92

God is a good God. He is worthy of our praise and thanksgiving for all He has done, all that He is doing and all He will do. Psalmist prescribed to us stating, “It is good to praise the Lord, and make music to your name, O Most High, proclaiming your love in the morning and your faithfulness at night, to the music of the ten-stringed lyre and the melody of the harp.” (Psalm 92:1-3) Indeed and in truth, He is a gracious God and deserves to be consciously and continuously given all our praise as we engage a season of celebrating His gracious plan of salvation. God sent His beloved Son to die for our sin.

The psalmist points out, “How great are your works, Lord, how profound your thoughts!” (Psalm 92:5) We have a God whose thoughts for us are of good and not of evil. We do have a God whose thoughts were demonstrated in His work. The same God yesterday and today once told the Israelites, “I will visit you and perform My good word toward you, and cause you to return to this place.  For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:10-11) Interestingly, what He says to one speaks to all and it is clear when He sent His Beloved Son, The living Word of God to come and die for us that we may have salvation.

It is worthy to praise Him with understanding. Without understanding, praising Him will not be backed with all of our strength and that could be the reason why the psalmist declare, “For God is the King of all the earth; sing praises with understanding”.

There have to be the understanding that praising God is what grants access into His presence. In any attempt to get to a king that is on throne, there has to be a process and the process is in traveling through the gate which leads to the court where the king sits and reigns as the king. The psalmist clearly understood this when he stated in Psalm 100:4, “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him and bless His name.” There is hardly any other means which access us to the presence of God better and faster than praise. Also, understand it that praising God cannot be separated from thanking Him. However, when we praise Him we glorify Him (Psalm 50:23) and when give Him thanks we magnify Him (Psalm 69:30). In this season, give God unceasing praise and thanks for His gracious thought which brought us salvation.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace of strength thanking God without ceasing.

FAITH CAPSULE: Approach God or respond to God with specificity or orderliness.

Matthew 6:5-14

Through all the pages of scripture, every of God’s command came with specificity, orderliness and with details. In the days of Noah, when He was going send rain to flood God gave His command, “Make yourself an ark of gopherwood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and outside with pitch. ¹⁵ And this is how you shall make it: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits. ¹⁶ You shall make a window for the ark, and you shall finish it to a cubit from above; and set the door of the ark in its side. You shall make it with lower, second, and third decks.” (Genesis 6:14-16) God’s salvation plan for Noah and his family was with clear details. The same way that God gave out a well detailed and clearly specified salvation plan to Noah and his family, we also received our salvation plan from God. God will constantly and consistently expect a full compliance to every detail of His command. Also, when God sends a message through His messenger, He wants the details of His message to be delivered and not more or less than what He requests from His messenger.

After giving Jeremiah the message for His people, He commanded him, “Therefore prepare yourself and arise, and speak to them all that I command you.” (Jeremiah 1:17) God that is consistent in giving commands in details will expect His children to respond and comply obediently in detail. The point here is, God that gives command with specificity and details will also expect us to ask Him with specificity and in details so He can respond to us in full. He is God of order and He does not settle for disorder. Evidently, this must be one of the reasons why the word of God encourages us that, when we ask in prayer, we should avoid repetition. Jesus specifically said in Matthew 6:7, “And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. ”

At every time there is addition to His word, the one that adds to His words becomes exposed to the devil. God gave instruction in the Garden of Eden, “But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” (Genesis 2:17) When the serpent approached Eve, Eve responded by adding to the command of God, “…Nor shall you touch it, lest you die.” (Genesis 3:3) The word of God cannot be reduced neither should it be added to. God is a God of order and you shall approach Him or respond to Him with specificity or orderliness.

Prayer for Today: Ask God to help you in responding to all of His instruction and teaching in the way you should go.

FAITH CAPSULE: Horrible pit is a place of pain, deprivation, and aggravation.

Exodus 3:1-10

It is written, “And the LORD said: “I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows. So I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites. Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel has come to Me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them.” (Exodus 3:7-9) Taskmasters represented horrible pit in the life of the Israelites while they were in Egypt. Horrible pit is not a beautiful place to be; it is an unpleasant location. Horrible pit is a place of pain, deprivation, and aggravation. In your life are you experiencing a though time, a challenging time under any taskmaster? Horrible pit is not a place for a believer to be quiet but to cry out unto God. To be quiet in the place of horrible pit is to have shut one’s door of deliverance. The children of Israel opened up their door to deliverance when they lifted up their voice and cried to the Lord. Psalm 81:10 buttress, “I am the Lord your God, Who brought you out of the land of Egypt; Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.”

The crying out of the Israelites Israel did not find a deaf ear because the Lord inclined His ear to their cry and extended His hand of deliverance through His servant Moses.  Just as the children of Israel were in the horrible pit and were able to receive deliverance, so was King David in the horrible pit. King David also cried to the Lord God for his deliverance. King David testified, “I waited patiently for the LORD; and He inclined to me, and heard my cry. He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, Out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, And established my steps.” (Psalm 40:1-2) Crying is not a sign of weakness and tears running down are not always a demonstration of crying. God heard King David’s cry and he was brought out of the miry clay. Miry clay is an indication that the horrible pit could also be a place of stagnation constant falling, a place where stability is absent in man’s life. Is your world represent a horrible pit, evidently it is time to get on your knees in waiting by crying out loud. God in His goodness and mercy shall not deny your deliverance. He is a faithful God.

Prayer for today: Cry out and ask for the outstretch hand of God for your deliverance.

FAITH CAPSULE: Serve God with commitment not at owns convenience.

Exodus 3:13-22

God called on Moses to go as a messenger of deliverance to the children of Israel. The command to bring them out is for them to come out of bondage and serve God. Exodus 3:18 stated, “Then they will heed your voice; and you shall come, you and the elders of Israel, to the king of Egypt; and you shall say to him, ‘The LORD God of the Hebrews has met with us; and now, please, let us go three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God.’” Serving God is a sacrifice. It is sacrifice to serve God. All through the encounters of Moses with Pharaoh was a striking message of letting the people go and serve (sacrifice) God. By the hand of God through Moses the children of Israel were brought out of bondage of over four hundred years. Like the children of Israel, believers today have been brought out of the bondage of sin and iniquities by the blood of Jesus Christ. Each and every believer is to live a life of serving God that is serving God reasonably. The grace of salvation is to enable believers to be consistent in walking with God.

God is a God with good plans for His children who will serve Him in all of their walks. As a believer, you have not been redeemed to serve or sacrifice to the god of this world. The children of Israel eventually gained freedom from the house of bondage (Egypt), but they entered into self-bondage in their journey. They failed in their service and could not pass unto the promise of God. How are you living a life of sacrifice? It is not enough that you have come to the saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus. You also need to begin to live a life of sacrifice, serving the Lord God. Serving God should always be with commitment not at man’s own convenience.

In serving God, a high standard of a reasonable service should be in place. Those who serve Him reasonably seek Him diligently because seeking Him diligently is the evidence of a faithful believer. God attends to those who seek Him diligently with reward. Hebrews 11:6 buttress, “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.” As a believer, turn yourself right unto God with reasonable sacrifices that cost you and He will return unto you with a priceless blessing.

Prayer for today: Ask the Lord God, the enabler of man to enable you answering to a reasonable service.