FAITH CAPSULE: Man cannot love God when man lacks His fear.

Deuteronomy 10

Psalmist declared, “O Lord my God, You are very great: You are clothed with honor and majesty, who cover Yourself with light as with a garment, who stretch out the heavens like a curtain He lays the beams of His upper chambers in the waters, who makes the clouds His chariot, who walks on the wings of the wind, Who makes His angels spirits, His ministers a flame of fire.” (Psalm 104:1-4) The declaration of the psalmist is enough for every
man to greatly fear God for His awesomeness. Do you fear God for Who He is? God spoke to the children of Israel in Exodus 23:27, “I will send My fear before you, I will cause confusion among all the people to whom you come, and will make all your enemies turn their backs to you. ²⁸ And I will send hornets before you, which shall drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite from before you.” With the fear of God ahead in every journey of life, confidence will be in place to keep man’s feet from being caught. (Proverb 3:26)  Deuteronomy 10:12, “And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.” When the fear of God goes before man, man will know to walk in all His ways. Walking in the way of God is to love the Lord God. To love the Lord God is to serve Him. Evidently, one cannot love Him when the fear of Him is not in man.

Without the love of God it is not possible to serve Him. Ones who fear God are in position to please God. Jesus said in John 8:29, “And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him.” What is holding down from having the father with you always? Is it the inability to fear Him? The more you grow in faith the more you know to fear Him and have His fear to go before you in every step of life. We are made to understand in Hebrews 11:6, “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.” If without faith it is impossible to please Him, with faith it is absolutely possible to please Him. Faith is not  what you but in the store, faith is what comes when man seeks for it.  Romans 10:17, “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” You might have heard the word sometimes ago but yet faith is not having its place for you to fear Him enough.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace to fear Him.

FAITH CAPSULE: Having delight is the evidence of joy.

Psalm 1
The word God is delightful in the life of those who are able to receive and believe. It is perfect to lead and guide without any accident. The psalmist buttress, “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night.” (Psalm 1:1-2)When one begins to find time to spend in the word, the word will become ones delight. Having delight is the evidence of being joyful. With joy, accessing the presence of God becomes one’s portion. Psalm 16:11 stated, “You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” The word of God is the law of God. One that sincerely believes in the word will meditate day and night in the word. Meditating day and night will undoubtedly provoke blessing from God as promised by God in Joshua 1:8, “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.”

Among other blessings of meditation is: Ungodly counsel will no longer be one’s portion. Where there is no ungodly counsel, the counseling of God that never fails will reign over all areas of life. Godly counseling will, “…Instruct you and teach you in the way you should go…” (Psalm 32:8) With meditation as a way of life, where there is a need for one to take a stand one will not take stand in the path of sinners. Having the word of God as the source of life positions one against enemy. It is worth to engage constant meditation and have self positioned as a winner and heaven provoker. Elijah, took a stand and provoked heaven when he declared, “…As the LORD God of Israel lives, before who I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word.” (1 Kings 17:1) Spending more time studying the word is the avenue to revelation from God.   As a believer, engage meditation as a life priority which enables safe navigation through the wicked world. The psalmist testified what shall become of he who meditates, “He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper. (Psalm 1:3) Manifestly, being delightful in the law of God cannot be separated from meditating in the word of God. It is a sure way to have good success and be prosperous.
Prayer for today: Ask for the grace for a burning desire to spend more time in the word.

FAITH CAPSULE: Obeying God can be painful but it is gainful.

1 Samuel 15

Samuel delivered a message from God to Saul, “Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘I will punish Amalek for what he did to Israel, how he ambushed him on the way when he came up from Egypt. Now go and attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them. But kill both man and woman, infant and nursing child, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’” (1 Samuel 15:2-3) Saul disobeyed God’s command. The bible recorded, “Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs, and all that was good, and were unwilling to utterly destroy them.” (1 Samuel 15:9)

Obeying God’s command hangs on willingness of man to do as commanded by God. God is not a slave master but a saving Master. Saul re-wrote the command of God as it seemed right to him. Anytime a man take to the way that seems right, man ends up terminated. The way that seems right is not of God, it is a way of death. (Proverbs 14:12) When Samuel discovered Saul’s disobedient, he approached Saul stating, “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams.” (1 Samuel 15:22) Obeying God is crucial to attaining greatness to the glory of God. There is price to pay and much to gain when we obey God. With disobedience comes pain and nothing to gain.

Obedience is costly; it is commitment, it is uncomfortable and above all it is a learning process which is meant to position man for great exploit. Jesus, our Lord and Savior went through obedience learning process. The book of Philippians 2:5-9 documented, “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.  And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.  Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name.” In Him there was no fault but He was faulted. He was excessively beaten, He was denied, He was disrespected, He was rejected by His people, He was moved around in pain without His will, He was misrepresented and His disciples withdrew themselves from Him. The King of kings, Lord of lords could have avoided all kinds of humiliation but He suffered all not to falter God. Obeying God is pain but it is gainful.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the spirit obedience to reign over you.

FAITH CAPSULE: Jesus is alive and He lives and reigns forever.

John 20

It is written, “Now the first day of the week Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. Then she ran and came to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him.” (John 20:1-2)
Mary Magdalene was the first to announce the disappearance of  Jesus’ body from the grave. This was the Mary who Jesus healed from the possession of evil spirits. The crucifixion of Jesus meant a great deal to her. After the resurrection of Jesus, Mary was in place to recognize Jesus but could not recognize Jesus. She mistook Him for a gardener. The bible recorded it that, “She, supposing Him to be the gardener, said to Him, “Sir, if You have carried Him away, tell me where You have laid Him, and I will take Him away.” (John 20:15) Imagine the one who saw Jesus in the physical and not able to recognize Jesus after resurrection from grave. Jesus is alive and He lives and reigns forever.
Mary Magdalene was occupied with sorrow. Mary Magdalene was so sure of Jesus but do not have what it takes to recognize Him. Does that sound like you in the time of grave challenge?

It is written, “Now behold, two of them were traveling that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was seven miles from Jerusalem. And they talked together of all these things which had happened. So it was, while they conversed and reasoned that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them.  But their eyes were restrained, so that they did not know Him.” (Luke 21:13-16)
They could see in the physical, but they had lost sight of their Savior. They knew Jesus well, but they did not know Him well enough to identify with Him at the point of visitation after he had resurrected from where the devil could not hold Him captive. The two must have been at the point of frustration thinking their hope was gone. Are you experiencing frustration in any area of your life? Remind yourself that Jesus is not dead; He is a living God. At the time the two regained sight, it was time for Jesus’ departure. Luke 24:31, “Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight.” Your story does not have to be like the two on the way to Emmaus. Emmanuel was with them yet they were far from Him. He has risen! Set focus on Him in your journey of life and allow Him to have a place in your heart.

Prayer for today: Ask God to deliver you from mind blinding agent.

FAITH CAPSULE: Prayer not sleep will lock temptation out.

Luke 22

Every engagement with Satan is temptation enablement.  It was the day serpent engaged Eve that the temptation to eat of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden became a manifestation in her life. Eve became disobedient, scattered from God’s command and fell for sin when she ate against God’s command.
Judas Iscariot engaged Satan. It is written, “Then Satan entered Judas, surnamed Iscariot, who was numbered among the twelve. So he went his way and conferred with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray Him to them.  And they were glad, and agreed to give him money.  So he promised and sought opportunity to betray Him to them in the absence of the multitude.” (Luke 22:3-6) Always, with temptation comes disobedient to disobey God. Disobeying God is the evidence of betraying God.

Temptation is the key which opens door to all kinds of sin. Jesus emphasized it that, prayer is way to lock out temptation.
The bible recorded, “Coming out, He went to the Mount of Olives, as He was accustomed, and His disciples also followed Him.  When He came to the place, He said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” (Luke 22:39-40) While He was praying the disciples were sleeping. To sleep at the prayer hour is the avenue for temptation to have a place in man’s life. Jesus was praying earnestly but the disciples were sleeping with sorrow. Jesus approached them and said, “Why do you sleep? Rise and pray lest you enter into temptation.” (Luke 22:46) Jesus must have seen what was about to happen when He came to speak to the disciples about keeping awake. The bible recorded, “while He was still speaking, behold, a multitude; and he who was called Judas, one of the twelve, went before them and drew near to Jesus to kiss Him. But Jesus said to him, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?” Judas, the one Satan entered sold out his Lord and savior cheaply. Is there any way you have been selling Jesus out consciously or unconsciously.
At the time Jesus woke them up from sleeping they have entered the situation that caused all of them to scatter in attempt to save their life. At the time Jesus woke them up from sleeping instead of praying Peter was set, to strike instead of him to allow Jesus to speak to situation.  Peter struck by cutting off the servant of the high priest’s ear. Jesus responded by speaking to the situation. With temptation in the place of prayer man will end up denying and selling Jesus out. Engage unceasing prayer to disallow temptation.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace to be strengthened on prayer altar.