FAITH CAPSULE: Take to the word you will walk over your world.

Genesis 1

The word of God is power to heal and to deliver. The bible declares it in Psalm 107:20, “He sent His word and healed them, and delivered them from their destruction. What He said to one speaks to all. It is the same word that was in the beginning and that is today. John testifies, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.  In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.  And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.” (John 1:1-5) Indeed Genesis 1:3 confirmed the power of God’s word stating, “Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.”

The bible does not waste word when it mentioned, “And God saw the light, that it was good…”  Everything He said He saw. We must consciously expect to see that everything He said we shall see if we believe Him.

God compares the manifestation of His word to how rain or snow comes down and not return but to water the land in Isaiah 55:10-11, “For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and do not return there,
but water the earth, and make it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” The word of God cannot fail neither can it return void without performing what it says. The only way for the word not to perform is when man fails to receive the word. Are you taking to the word or the world is taking you out of the word of God. The Israelites began to reject God’s promise of land which flow with milk and honey when they encounter challenges of the world.  Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.” (Exodus 14:13-14)
Moses went to God and God said to him, “Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward.  But lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it. And the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.  (Exodus 14:15-16) Indeed and in truth, they walked on the word when the sea turned to a dry ground.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace for the word of God to overtake you.

FAITH CAPSULE: God introduced Moses to Moses so that Moses could know what was in his hand.

Exodus 4

Do you know yourself in the Lord? Knowing yourself in the Lord is to know what the Lord has deposited in you. It is how much we know ourselves in the Lord that will determine how far we go in the journey of God’s calling. Do you know yourself in the Lord? Psalm 49:20 stated, “A man who is in honor yet does not understand is like the beasts that perish.” One who does not know self in the Lord will not know how to go forward in His assignment in life. Above all, knowing yourself is to know what the Lord has put in your hand. Do you know what is in your hand? At the time God was about to raise a giant among the giants that glorified His name, excuse of not knowing self was an agent of disruption for Moses. In the calling of Moses, every attempt of God to get him on assignment was met by number of reasonable excuses. Moses did not know what the Lord had for him and neither does he realized what the Lord deposited in His hand for the great assignment.

God will not call man for assignment without empowering man. At the time He called Moses, Moses does not know himself. God introduced Moses to Moses so that Moses could know what was in his hand. It is written, “So the LORD said to him, “What is that in your hand?” He said, “A rod.” And He said, “Cast it on the ground.” So he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from it. 4 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Reach out your hand and take it by the tail” (and he reached out his hand and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand),” (Exodus 4:2-4) A rod of God in hand is power of God at hand. Moses could not have been able to carry the assignment if the Lord did not show to him what He had deposited in him. If you have been called, know this day that He has put a fitting rod in your hand for the assignment.

Among all the disciples that walked with Jesus while He was on the face of earth, none contributed to the assignment of the Kingdom of God like the apostle Paul. Apostle Paul did not walk with Jesus on the face of earth but he knew himself in the Lord more than any of the disciples. Paul testified, “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.” (1 Corinthians 15:10) Know yourself and take off into the direction of your calling.

Prayer for today: Ask God to open your understanding that you may know yourself in God’s assignment for your life.

FAITH CAPSULE: Quit religion, engage Jesus reality.

1 Samuel 3

Do you know God or you only know about God? Many are in the church and do not know God. However, it is impossible to know the word of God and not behave the word. There is a difference in knowing about God and knowing God. Once a knowing is set in the life of a believer, living godly will become the believer’s portion. Samuel a minister at a young did not know God. Samuel was ministering to the Lord before Eli but did not know God. When the Lord came calling on Samuel, Samuel could not relate neither could he identify with God that was calling him. The Lord repeatedly called Samuel but Samuel had no understanding of where the callings were coming from, “Then the LORD called yet again, “Samuel!” So Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” He answered, “I did not call, my son; lie down again.”  (Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, nor was the word of the LORD yet revealed to him.)” (1 Samuel 3:6-7)

At the time of Samuel’s calling there was no understanding of who God was and Samuel could not answer like the one that knows God. Knowledge is wealth and there is power to be different when knowledge is in the one with understands. Eli redirected young minister Samuel when he mistook the voice of God for the voice of Eli. Samuel only knew about God. Eli, by virtue of his knowledge of God and said to him, “Go, lie down; and it shall be, if He calls you, that you must say, ‘Speak, LORD, for Your servant hears.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.” (1 Samuel 3:9) Samuel with understanding that was acquired knew exactly what to do to begin to answer to God. The bible stated, “Now the LORD came and stood and called as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel answered, “Speak, for Your servant hears.” Then the LORD said to Samuel: “Behold, I will do something in Israel at which both ears of everyone who hears it will tingle.” (1 Samuel 3:10-11)

The boy Samuel understood and he knew how to answer to God. Samuel’s understand and his knowledge is what made the difference in all the days of his life. God is a God that wants to maintain constant and consistent communication with His children but the lack of knowing often denies believers. Gain understanding, know the God you serve and there shall be enablement living for His glory all the days of your life. It is not enough to know about Jesus but to know Him is all that counts. Quit religion, engage Jesus reality.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace to know Him more indeed and in truth that you may live life for His glory.

FAITH CAPSULE: The challenges over your life are not evidence that He has withdrawn from seeing you through.

Genesis 37

God’s calling is like a puzzle which needs to be put together before getting a true picture. At the time of Abraham’s calling, the command to go and the blessing for going did not come with details. At his calling, God did not layout, the challenges of temptation and confrontation which were ahead of Abraham. God commanded Abraham “…Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (Genesis 12:1-3). God’s calling never short of His backing! Has He called you and not backed you up? The challenges and temptations that come your way in answering the calling over your life are not evidence that He has withdrawn from seeing you through.

When God calls, nothing counts except for the called to fully answer with obedience. God will call regardless of position or age of the one called. Abraham was seventy-five when he responded to God’s calling. In His calling, neither old age nor young age can limit God from calling. The calling of God can be likened to attempting to put thousands of pieces of a puzzle together for a complete picture to emerge. However, when in the process of putting the puzzle together, any missing piece of puzzle will deliver incomplete picture.

Joseph’s dream was confirmation of God’s divine agenda for his life. In the dream there was no indication of how dream was going to be. Twice he dreamt and twice he was rebuke because it was a puzzle to his family. When Joseph had the second dream, “…he told it to his father and his brothers; and his father rebuked him and said to him, “What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall your mother and I and your brothers indeed come to bow down to the earth before you?”  And his brothers envied him, but his father kept the matter in mind.” (Genesis 37:10-11) Joseph’s steps into the journey that he dreamt started at age seventeen and were not complete until he was thirty years of age. The journey was full of challenges and temptations. Indeed and in truth it was a puzzle that could not have become a complete picture if any of the pieces was misplaced. It is only you that knows the dream that you have had or the calling that He has placed upon your life. Focus on Him, He will see you through. Remember, the puzzle will not become a complete picture until all the pieces come together.

Prayer for today: Ask God to deliver and preserve you as you move in the direction of your calling.

FAITH CAPSULE: The seed of a good heart will yield the fruit of a good life.

Out of the abundance of a good heart, a good and noticeable action emerges. In life, it will be almost impossible for a good heart to yield forth evil act. Ruth was identified as a virtuous woman in a country which was not her hometown. It is written, “Now it came to pass, in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehem, Judah, went to dwell in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons. The name of the man was Elimelech, the name of his wife was Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion—Ephrathites of Bethlehem, Judah. And they went to the country of Moab and remained there.  Then Elimelech, Naomi’s husband, died; and she was left, and her two sons.” (Ruth 1:1-3) After the death of Elimelech, Naomi’s her two sons also died and she was left with her sons wife (Orpha and Ruth) When Naomi decided to go back to Bethlehem, her two daughter in-laws, Orpha and Ruth insisted on going back with her. Naomi persuaded Orpha and Ruth to turn back. Orpha turned back but Ruth out of her good heart, could not be persuaded to turn her back on her mother in-law.

In Bethlehem, with Naomi’s permission, Ruth went to Boaz’s field, in attempt to work.  While Ruth was working on Boaz’s field, she became noticeable to Boaz. Boaz then ordered protection for Ruth, “So she fell on her face, bowed down to the ground, and said to him, “Why have I found favor in your eyes, that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?” (Ruth 2:10) Ruth was overtaken with the favor she received from Boaz whom she never met. Ruth did not realize that the seed of a good heart she sowed was about to yield the fruit of a good life. In this world, one thing is certain, it is not possible to sow good and reap bad. Boaz responded to Ruth, in Ruth 2:11-12, “And Boaz answered and said to her, “It has been fully reported to me, all that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband, and how you have left your father and your mother and the land of your birth, and have come to a people whom you did not know before.””  Coming out of a comfort zone to an uncomfortable zone for the sake of engaging a goodness of heart will always provoke the goodness of God to one’s favor. God will always take notice of a good act from a good heart.
Prayer for today: Ask God to renew your heart that you begin to have a good heart.