FAITH CAPSULE: The command of God is in His word.

Ezekiel 37:1-14, John 11:1-44

God must be known as the only one and true God. He is an attention seeking God and He deserves more than all the attention being directed to Him. God made His Spirit to set Ezekiel up in the valley of dry bones. “The hand of the Lord came upon me and brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones. Then He caused me to pass by them all around, and behold, there were very many in the open valley; and indeed they were very dry.” (Ezekiel 37:1-2) The bones which Ezekiel saw were very dry and lifeless. God did not just expose Him to the valley of dry bones; He positioned Him to ask him if the dry bones, the lifeless bones could have life again. God asked Ezekiel, “And He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” (Ezekiel 37:3) Ezekiel responded to God’s question by stating, “…So I answered, “O Lord God, You know.” (Ezekiel 37:3) Every given answer is a determinant of one’s level of understanding. As a believer, do you know or you only about the truth that indeed only God knows how to bring back to life what the enemy has taken away?

By virtue of Ezekiel’s response, God gave him a command (word) to speak life back into the dry bones. Ezekiel did as was commanded by God; Ezekiel prophesied and the dry bones regained life. Ezekiel 37:10, “So I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army.” Just as Ezekiel received His command, so Jesus has given His word of command to every believer today. His command is the authority invested in the Word. Those who know themselves in the Lord (not those who know about Him) are those that have allowed the Spirit to set them up in place to believe and receive the Word of God to do exploit. Daniel 11:32 buttressed, “…but the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits.”
The command of God is in His word, it is authority which cannot be denied. It is the same command that called forth Lazarus from the grave of four days. (John 11:43)
Ezekiel allowed the Spirit of God to set him up where God wanted. If we will allow the Spirit of God to set us up where He wants and not where we want, the same power will flow for us. God is true and faithful by His word. Ezekiel knew better by confessing that ‘God knows.’ Making consistent confession that ‘only God knows’ will make the difference in the life of each and every believer today.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace to be constant and consistent obeying His word.

FAITH CAPSULE: What we do is what reflects our belief.

Job 2

God spoke to Jeremiah, “Stand in the gate of the Lord’s house, and proclaim there this word, and say, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, all you of Judah who enter in at these gates to worship the Lord!’” ³ Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: “Amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place.””(Jeremiah 7:2-40)  The Lord God’s calling is not only for the Israelites but to all of the acclaim believers of today that is those who go to worship God. The key message as stated by God is, “Amend your ways and your doings” By virtue of this word of God, it is evident that many are entering to worship God but not all are dwelling in Him (His presence) because their ways and their doings does not line with His word. As an acclaim believer, how are your ways and your doings?

Every man’s ways are evident in their walk. Also it is a man’s walk that will determine where man’s sits what man stands for. Whatever man stands for is direct pointer to man’s doings. In life, man’s walk is what provokes God’s blessing over man’s life. The psalmist buttress in Psalm 1:1, “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” Man’s ways must be steadfastly devoted to God’s word (godly counsel) which should have effect on man’s doings.
Man’s ways is what reflects man’s life styles. Steadfast devotion is life styles, it is a way of worshipping God and it demonstrates man’s integrity. Integrity is encased in steadfast devotion. Proverb 11:3 stated, “The integrity of the upright will guide them…” To be guided belongs to acclaim believers with amended ways and doings. To be guided is to dwell in the presence of God. A believer whose ways is steadfastly devoted (integrity) shall not cease from the presence of God.

Job was described by God, “…there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil? And still he holds fast to his integrity, although you incited Me against him, to destroy him without cause.” (Job 2:3) Job was a man whose ways and doings were steadfast before God and the presence of God gave an impenetrable edge hedge which no force could access. The Satan could not violate the guard around Job and he testified by questioning God, “Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side…?”
Job’s guard was intact because of his steadfastness in God (the root of integrity) and his doings were of God and God could testify of his integrity. What we do is what reflects our belief.

Prayer for today: Ask God to teach you, lead you and direct you in all your ways.

FAITH CAPSULE: In every expectation to receive from God, giving attention is a key to manifestation.

Acts 3

When Peter and John went to the temple at the hour of prayer, they encountered a certain lame man from his mother’s womb. The lame man, in his poor situation was only asking for alms. On that faithful day, getting alms was replaced with a positive sound which answered in his direction. The bible recorded, “Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!” ⁵ So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them.” (Acts 3:4-5) With attention, are you looking up to the right source for your breakthrough? In every expectation to receive from God, giving attention is a key to manifestation. The lame man was commanded by Peter to look up for expectation before he gave his attention for manifestation. In every area of your expectation, looking up to God with devoted attention is the only way to receiving. You do not come out of calling on God in prayer and start looking for a god father. Looking for a god father after prayer is a diluted faith and is not an evidence of looking up to Father God for expectation. Understanding to begin to look up and hear from God alone is also a way of directing one’s attention with the intention to receive from God.

Another lame man heard from Paul and gained a position to receive his healing breakthrough from stagnation unto motion. It is written, “In Lystra there sat a man who was lame. He had been that way from birth and had never walked.  He listened to Paul as he was speaking. Paul looked directly at him, saw that he had faith to be healed and called out, and “Stand up on your feet!” At that, the man jumped up and began to walk.” (Acts 14:8-10) In life, whatever man listens to is bound to have a direct effect over one’s challenge. The crippled man’s miracle came to life when he heard Paul speak. All his crippled life must have escaped hearing positive word of healing. The word only serves healing for those who are able to listen and hear. Faith to heal is encased in hearing and hearing the word of God. The crippled man heard the word through Paul, and not only did he stand on his feet as Paul spoke to him, the crippled man leaped! You have been grounded for too long. Listen; give attention to positive sound that comes in your direction. You will end up dancing for the Lord. Your stagnation will be converted into motion in Jesus name.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace that your ears be open to word of deliverance and preservation when it sounds in your direction.

FAITH CAPSULE: God will not ignore you but will surely attend to your challenge.

Genesis 26:1-33

It is written, “Now there was a famine in the land—besides the previous famine in Abraham’s time—and Isaac went to Abimelek king of the Philistines in Gerar. The Lord appeared to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land where I tell you to live. Stay in this land for a while, and I will be with you and will bless you. For to you and your descendants I will give all these lands and will confirm the oath I swore to your father Abraham.” (Genesis 6:1-3) God communicated with Isaac. In the face of famine and nothing to show for, God commanded Isaac to stay put. Often time, when God is speaking what seems impossible, hearing God’s command becomes challenging. In the case of Isaac, there was total obedience when he did exactly as commanded by God. God wanted him to stay in Gerar and he did exactly.
In a place where there is famine having a well for sustenance becomes unarguably important.
Isaac repeatedly ran into confrontation with the herdsmen of Gerar over the digging of wells. He knew quite well that his part of the world could not have survived without wells.
However, every effort by Isaac and his servants to have a productive life at Gerar by gigging wells were punctuated by the herdsmen of Gera. The herdsmen of Gerar kept taking away the wells that were dug by Isaac’s servants and would not leave them in peace. Isaac had a reason to move in the face of challenges but his obedience to God’s command kept him in Gera.
Just like Isaac, are you facing challenges in your area of obedience to the word of God? God will not ignore you but will surely attend to your challenge.

In Genesis 26:27-28 Isaac questioned Abimelek, “… why have you come to me, since you hate me and have sent me away from you?” “But they said, we have certainly seen that the LORD is with you. So we said, ‘let there now be an oath between us, between you and us; and let us make a covenant with you.’’’ Those who were tormenting Isaac with hatred turned around and looked for him to settle with a peace treaty. They realized that the Lord was with him. Every attempt to frustrate him concerning his dug up well was constantly in vain. It is worthy to note that the word of God is His way and His way is His command. Isaac was in line with God’s way as a result, it was impossible for him not to stand. Proverbs 16:7 buttressed, “When a man’s ways please the LORD, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.”  Walk in the word of God to please Him over your life.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace not to disobey His word regardless of any challenge.

FAITH CAPSULE: Those who know to take the word serious are the one God knows to talk to.

Genesis 18, 19

Have you been engaging the word of God with seriousness or with joke? Knowing to do what the word says and not doing it is disobedience to the word of God. Disobeying the word of God is an indirect way of taking the word of God for a joke. The word Joke is defined in the dictionary as, something said or done to provoke laughter or cause amusement; a matter that need not be taken very seriously or something that does not present the expected challenge. The word of God is definitely not to be taken for a joke.
God spoke to Abraham, “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grave,  I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry against it that has come to Me; and if not, I will know.” (Genesis 18:20-21) When God was set to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah because of sin He spoke to Abraham and Abraham took the word of God serious. By virtue of the fact that he took the word of God serious, he repeatedly interceded on behalf of Sodom and Gomorrah but it there was nothing in place for God not to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. The purpose of God revealing His word to Abraham was for Lot to be delivered from destruction which was set for Sodom and Gomorrah.

The angels that were sent to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah approached Lot and said, “…Have you anyone else here? Son-in-law, your sons, your daughters, and whomever you have in the city—take them out of this place! For we will destroy this place, because the outcry against them has grown great before the face of the Lord, and the Lord has sent us to destroy it.” (Genesis 19:12-13) In life, how much one knows God (not knowing about Him) will also determine how serious one take to His word. Lot knew God enough not to take His word for a joke. Lot, not wanting his people to be consumed by destruction,  responded to the messengers of God, “So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who had married his daughters, and said, “Get up, get out of this place; for the Lord will destroy this city!” But to his sons-in-law he seemed to be joking.” (Genesis 19:14)

God is not a comedian. Every single word of God should not be taken for joke. If you are one that does not obey the word of God, you have taken it for a joke. There was no further indication that the sons-in-law followed Lot to the ground of escape from destruction. You can avoid destruction by taking to the word of God. The word of God is for deliverance and preservation from destruction.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace not to take the word of God for a joke.