FAITH CAPSULE: Doing what is good wrongly in the name of God is an error.

2 Samuel 6

Error is a deviation from accuracy as in mistake, as in action or speech. Error is the condition of believing what is not true. Error is a moral offense; wrongdoing; sin. It is an error to violate the word of God and it can be a conscious or unconscious error before God. Error is despising the word of God. The bible makes us to realize it that, “He who despises the word will be destroyed…” (Proverbs 13:13)
Have you in any way violated or currently violating the word of God? (I pray that the grace of God will open your eyes to avoid or come out of conscious or unconscious error.) Before God, there is no excuse for error.
Before God, Adam and Eve committed error by believing the serpent enough to eat against God’s command not to eat from particular tree in the Garden of Eden. They both violated the word of God by their error (a wrongdoing).

When God showed up (just as He will show up on all man) both Adam and Eve attempted to justify their action before God by stating, “Then the man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.” And the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” (Genesis 3:12-13) Their excuses were not enough as they were judged by God. The error committed by Adam and Eve eposes man to numerous pains today.

Doing what is good wrongly (that is engaging the heart with a wrong act) in the name of God is an error with no reasonable excuse to be delivered from destruction. Uzzah engaged his heart with a good act which led to his destruction.

During the transfer of the Ark of God from the house of Abinadab, Uzzah and Ahio drove the cart. In the process of driving the cart Uzzah, out of a good heart committed an act for his life terminating error. Bible recorded his error, “And when they came to Nachon’s threshing floor, Uzzah put out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen stumbled. ⁷ Then the anger of the Lord was aroused against Uzzah, and God struck him there for his error; and he died there by the ark of God.’ (Genesis 6:6-7)
The bible called Uzzah’s act of a good heart an error. Uzzah despised the word of God as stated in Numbers 4:15, “And when Aaron and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary and all the furnishings of the sanctuary, when the camp is set to go, then the sons of Kohath shall come to carry them; but they shall not touch any holy thing, lest they die.” Despising the word of God is positioning self for destruction.

Prayer point: Ask for grace not to engage a life terminating error.

FAITH CAPSULE: Your frequent falling into temptation is directly rooted in too much sleep.

Luke 22:39-46

Sleeping and prayer does not correlate. Every believer that is not consistent in prayer should be considered as a sleeper. When a believer, who is at a place and time of prayer, cannot stay awake to pray, it can be regarded as “sorrowful sleeping.” Jesus demanded from His disciples at the Garden of Gethsemane, to stay up and pray. What He said to them still speaks now to us as believers. Luke 22: 39-40, “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.’” Are you a prayer-less or prayer-full believer? If you are indeed a prayer-less believer, you have allowed temptation to become your constant companion. Jesus wants to know why you sleep in place of prayer. While He was busy in prayer, His disciples were busy in sleeping. Jesus responded to the disciples by saying to them, “…Why do you sleep? Rise and pray lest you enter into temptation.” (Luke 22:46) There is a place for prayer and it is not a place to sleep. One of the places of prayer, as Jesus has said, is where two or three gather together in His name. Matthew 18:20, “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.” Watch out for sorrow sleeping, because it can terminate a miracle.

Sorrow sleeping will substitute the blessings of the sleeper with temptation. Your frequent falling into temptation is directly rooted in too much sleep. That is, your time is limited in the Word, and a limited time in the word will result in powerless prayer. Luke 22:45, “When He rose up from prayer, and had come to His disciples, He found then sleeping from sorrow.” So many activities in the church and among believers but achieving for the Lord are what counts. With prayer, much is achievable but with sleep nothing is achievable. Prayer not sleeping is all that makes the difference and all that prevails in a Christian journey. It is possible for one to be awake and active but sleeping in sorrow because one’s prayer life is not where it should be. Paying attention to the world around us is enough to tell the time we are living. Knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep. Awake, you who sleep and know that the days are evil challenges and trouble cover every ground. The first book of Thessalonians talks about sleep when it stated, “Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober.” (1 Thessalonians 5:6)

Prayer for today: Ask God to keep you that your faith will not fail.

FAITH CAPSULE: God is the only consistent God that delivers miracle.

Acts 12: 1-25

Miracle can be described as, God waiting to make move when every breakthrough possibility appears to be mired. (Mired is to be in a disadvantage or difficult condition). Is there any prescription of no way concerning your challenge? Are you in a position that shows no way out to a breakthrough? God is the only consistent deliver of those who wait on Hm. In waiting on Him counting on the works of His hand is enough to give rest. Imagine Daniel in the den of lions without any wrongdoing; Joseph in the pity of emptiness without any crime. Is your challenge worst than that of Daniel or Joseph? Daniel was sentenced into the den of hungry lions, instead un-attending lions received him, “…So Daniel was taken out of the den, and no injury whatever was found on him because he believed in his God.” (Daniel 6:23)

Among many other miracles that were recorded, is the miracle of Peter. Peter was set for death in the hand of King Herod who had earlier killed James the brother of John and with all indications. Peter was supposed to be his next victim. Acts 12:3-5 recorded, “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. ” Peter was asleep when death came knocking on his door.

Miracles happens not because one in need of miracle knows how to make it happened. God knows what He wants to do for His name to be glorified. In the case of Peter, Peter did nothing to bring forth miracle it was the prayer of brethren that provoked God’s miraculous hand for Peter’s miracle. It is written, “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!” And his chains fell off his hands. Then the angel said to him, “Gird yourself and tie on your sandals”; and so he did. And he said to him, “Put on your garment and follow me.” (Acts 12:6-8)” Peter walked into his miracle deliverance. Miracles could be prayer provoked or grace in place. Miracle is not luck it is God making a way where there is no way.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace which enables man to wait on Him patiently.

FAITH CAPSULE: God is faithful not to forsake those who look up to Him.

Psalm 121, 123

What you devote your attention to will attend to you. If it is God you devote attention to you will get a direct attention that is beyond and above all that can derail you.  The Psalmist directed his attention to looking up to God. It is written, (Psalm 121:1-2) “I will lift up my eyes to the hills—From whence comes my help? My help comes from the LORD, Who made heaven and earth.” (Psalm 121:1-2) If you have been lifting your eyes to the one that is above without any expectation there, will be no manifestation. Lifting up without any expectation is the evidence of religion. God is faithful not to forsake His own.

It is written, “Unto You I lift up my eyes, O You who dwell in the heavens. Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their masters, as the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the LORD our God, Until He has mercy on us.” (Psalm 123:1-2) Who are you lifting up your eyes to? Many have the Word memorized for the purpose of uplifting self or others when need requires. Lifting up eyes is not necessarily tilting head up to the sky. One can lift up eyes just by meditating the word in one’s heart.

However, memorization without mediation will not produce results. Meditation is what will allow a believer to observe, and live according to the Word of God. 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.” Take the Word from above seriously, John 3:31 encourage all that will listen by stating, “He who comes from above is above all; he who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all. And what He has seen and heard, that He testifies; and no one receives His testimony.  He who has received His testimony has certified that God is true.” (John 3:31-33) Evidently, looking up unto Him will cost nothing but commitment. He that is above has all power over all and His name is above every other name. Looking up unto God is not labor, but favor for anyone that has been consistent and not wait until a problem calls for looking up to Him. If making your looking up to be a constant and consistent engagement, God who has never denied Himself, will look down to lift you up. He is a faithful God.

Prayer for today: Ask for his mercy that will deny every agenda of wicked that is set against you.

FAITH CAPSULE: Take to the way of God and God will take you beyond your expectation.

Proverbs 16

It does not matter how long you have been taking to your ways but it is true and certain that the way of God cannot be wrong. The way of man cannot be compared to the ways of God. In the way of God there is life but in the way man there is death. Proverbs 16:25 buttress, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” God cannot be mocked and He sees from where we are coming from to where we are going. Which way are you going? Any way outside of the way of God is a way into self- destruction. God has His way and His ways are in His word. The way of God is written in the pages of the Bible.

God cannot be deceived neither can He be mocked as regard to the way man engages the journey of life. Also, it is impossible to take to the way of God and end up in destruction. It is evident that all who has taken to their own ways ended up in destruction. When there is a desire to walk in His way, He will deposit the grace that it takes to walk and not be weary and to walk and not fail. I Samuel 2:9 recorded, “He will guard the feet of His saints, but the wicked shall be silent in darkness. For by strength no man shall prevail.” As an acclaimed believer, have you considered which way you are taking as your engage the journey of life?

There are so many ways that seems right but not all leads to life. The ways that seems right to man are outside of the way of God. Take to the way of God and God will take you beyond your expectation. He is a faithful God. A time of self- examination is not a time of self-deception, give yourself self-examination and avoid self-destruction. The book of Proverbs 16:2 stated, “All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, But the LORD weighs the spirits.” Will you be sincere with yourself and let God redirect your steps into His way? God wants to be pleased with how we walk in the way. Proverbs 16:7 admonished us, “When a man’s ways please the LORD, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.” The Lord God has spoken and it is left for man to listen. Take to the ways of God and you shall never fail.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace to walk in His ways and not depart from His ways all the days of your life.