FAITH CAPSULE: Without love, all is empty and nothing counts before God.

1 Corinthians 13

The purpose of God’s command is love. God gave His commandment so that love can exist among man. A brother who abstains from stealing, lying or deceiving his brother demonstrates love. Loving in God’s way is God’s love. We cannot love in our own way but by God’s standard. The book of 1Timothy 1:5 identifies God’s love, “Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith, from which some, having strayed, have turned aside to idle talk.” Loving by God’s standard is not common especially in a world where man is full of self. Claiming to love without loving with pure heart, good conscience and sincere faith is empty love. In a world where living life is without good conscience love is evidently not a way of living life. In a world where man is desperately concerned about self, engaging others with sincere faith is a strange thing. Are you loving by your standard or as commanded by the word of God?

Among the gift of God, love is the greatest gift. Love should be considered as the anchor which every other gift holds on to and when love is not there fulfilling the command of God is absolutely impossible. Paul the apostle clearly drew out the importance of love in 1 Corinthians 13:1-3, “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.” It is clear in Paul’s word that though a believer can demonstrate the gifts of God such: as speaking in tongues, prophesying, reaching out to the needy and making oneself available when or where there is need, without love, all is empty and it carries no weight.
Jesus meant what He was saying when He stated in Matthew 7:22-23, “Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’” In regard to this statement, every believer needs to examine and search themselves. Have you been demonstrating any of the gifts while you entertain lying, deception and manipulation? Man can always deceive man but God cannot be deceived.

Prayer for today: Ask God to enable you with grace to love according to God’s standard.

FAITH CAPSULE: God’s calling does not give immunity from fighting the wicked ones.

2 Timothy 2

God will reverse any situation that is tagged irreversible. When God calls, He never fails to back-up His called one in the assignment of calling regardless of challenges. God called Jeremiah for a divine assignment and warned Jeremiah, “They will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you. For I am with you,” says the Lord, “to deliver you.” By virtue of God’s warning for Jeremiah, it is clear that God’s calling does not give immunity against the fight of wicked ones. When He calls there will be fighting to put up with against the enemy. However, those that are truly called shall never be defeated by the enemy.

Has he called you and challenges have been rocking in your journey of life? The great thing is that God is God and He will always have His way. God could have called Jeremiah for a challenge or trouble-free assignment, but He chooses not to. God is the same God yesterday, today and forever. God backed Jeremiah up against all that fought against him; He will also back you up. Challenges, afflictions and hardship are always going to show when He calls but the called ones should know that many are the afflictions of the righteous in the journey of life but God shall deliver in all. (Psalm 34:19)

It is written, “You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier.” (2 Timothy 2:3-4)Just as Jeremiah was called, if you are also one who has given your life unto serving God by virtue of His calling, you should consider yourself a soldier of God. It can be agreed that challenges, hardship or affliction are another identity of a believer who walks in line with God. However, no matter how challenges persist, believers indeed and in truth shall never be in line to fail, fall or falter. God who calls man is able to keep and deliver those that are called. This is not to say a believer should go out and begin to look for trouble where there is none. Without doubt, it is for a believer to know and be encouraged that the challenge of today is nothing above God who is above all.
It is not enough to answer to God’s calling and not finish in the assignment of the calling. Also, it is wisdom to know that answering is not the same as answering and not getting through.

Prayer for today: Ask for God’s enablement for you to answer fully in the face of challenges that is encased in your calling.

FAITH CAPSULE: What you say is your confession and it will find you out.

Numbers 14

What are you saying?

It is very important that you know and pay attention to what comes out of your mouth. When thinking right becomes of one, speaking right will become ones portion. The Israelites could not think right enough to remember how God brought them out of the bondage of over four hundred years. They forget all the miracles before Pharaoh in Egypt. Pharaoh and his forces could not stop them; Red Sea failed to trap them. However, words of their mouth which they spoke to their life terminated them from getting to their Promised Land. They said, “And all the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron, and the whole congregation said to them, “If only we had died in the land of Egypt! Or if only we had died in this wilderness!  Why has the Lord brought us to this land to fall by the sword, that our wives and children should become victims? Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?”  So they said to one another, “Let us select a leader and return to Egypt.”” Imagine those who have seen great miracle and yet could not fashion their thinking and their spoken word to be a positive one? Are you shaping your destiny right with right thinking and right communication?

How you think and what you say determines how God will respond to you. God responded to the Israelites negative confession (word), “Say to them, ‘As I live,’ says the Lord, ‘just as you have spoken in My hearing, so I will do to you:  The carcasses of you who have complained against Me shall fall in this wilderness, all of you who were numbered, according to your entire number, from twenty years old and above. Except for Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun, you shall by no means enter the land which I swore I would make you dwell in.” (Numbers 14:28-30)
God is a good God. Without faith we cannot please. If without faith we displeased Him, with faith we shall surely please Him. It is lack of faith for a believer to be thinking negative or to be speaking (confessing) negative in the face of impossible challenges. God promised that with Him, all things are possible. At all times, in all situations we should know not to confess negative but positive. Indeed, we should constantly keep our heart with all diligence, for out of our heart spring forth every issue we engage in living life.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace of God to take charge over your life that you may constantly keep your heart with all diligence; that no negativity shall have a place in your heart or flow from your mouth.

FAITH CAPSULE: To keep your destiny in shape and not miss God’s promise for your life, it is important that your thinking and spoken word are right before God.

Joshua 1

What are you thinking?
Engagement of Jesus with a paralytic man teaches the need to pay attention to how we think.
A paralytic man was brought to Jesus for healing. The bible documented it that when Jesus saw the faith of those who brought the paralytic man, Jesus declared that his sins were forgiven. Just as Jesus made His declaration, some of the scribes said within them, “This man blasphemes!” (Matthew 9:3) It was not an outspoken statement but a statement in their inside; it was their thought. Jesus heard them despite the fact that it was in the in the heart…the bible recorded Jesus’ response to their thinking, “But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “why do you think evil in your hearts?” (Matthew 9:4) What are you thinking? As a creation that cannot hide from the Creator, are you shaping your destiny by thinking what is right and not evil? As a believer, who trusts in God, in the face of challenges are you thinking positive instead of negative? God sees and hears our thought clearly. In your thinking, let Him know that nothing is impossible and He shall be provoked to move on your behalf for a positive result. Our thoughts are not hidden from God and that’s why we should abstain from thinking anything evil but good at all time. The bible warned in Zechariah 8:17 “Let none of you think evil in your heart against your neighbor…”

Before God, thinking negative is same as thinking evil and God hates evil. Whatever we think is the evidence of how we keep our heart. This is the reason why the bible warned us in Proverbs 4:23 “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life. The Bible pointed out for us, know it that as a man thinks in his heart so he is (Proverbs 23:7) Think right and it becomes right for you.

KEEP YOUR HEART AND AVOID NEGATIVE THINKING
Among the ways of keep the heart is documented in Joshua 1:8, God spoke to Joshua after the death of Moses, “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.” The word of God that is power will not depart from your mouth only when it becomes what you think (meditate) day and night. Meditate on His word day and night so that the word you meditate will flow out of your mouth. Occupy your thoughts with the word of God and your ways shall be prosperous with good success.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace to constantly meditate on His word.

FAITH CAPSULE: The word of God calls for trusting Him with all heart-not with all mouth.

Psalm 62

Trusting God provokes waiting on God. It is written, “…Who acts for the one that waits for Him.” (Isaiah 64:4) “…But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:31) There is so much to gain in waiting on God.

How can you trust Him who you do not fear or how can you wait on Him who you do not trust? Truly, it is wisdom to know to fear God. The word of God could not have said it better when it says, “The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom…” (Psalm 11:10) It is wisdom to know that the one that created heaven and earth is real and true. It is wisdom to know that there is nothing God cannot do. It is wisdom to know He cannot fail and all His word will come to pass. Proverbs 3:5-6 pointed out how we Him stating, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”

The word of God calls for trusting Him with all heart-not with all mouth. God goes by what transpires in the heart. Trusting the Lord with all your heart should not be testing God with all your heart. To be testing God in the heart is to be testing Him by act of disobedience. Testing Him in the heart is rooted in doubting what He can do or undo. Among the promises of trusting God is stated in Isaiah 57:13, “…He who puts his trust in Me shall possess the land and shall inherit My holy mountain.” Absolutely there is nothing worth more than trusting God and finding out His truthfulness. A heart that knows to trust God will know to wait on Him at all times in all situations.

God expects us to wait on Him because it is a demonstration of faith. All that the word is asking for is to seek Him. Seeking God is rooted in the fear of the Lord. So many testimonies through the pages of the bible demonstrated the need for outright trust and waiting on God as the only way out to receive from God. King David testified in Psalm 62:1-2, “Truly my soul silently waits for God; From Him comes my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be greatly moved.” It is worth to know the word of God and to be known in the word of God which makes the difference in the journey of life.

Prayer for today: Ask God to put His fear in your heart so that you will not depart from His presence.