FAITH CAPSULE: Living a sacrificial life of service is the entire gift we owe Him.

Acts 1

The word of God is perfect and consistent to perform. In the bible, many prophesied about the coming of Jesus and the prophecy came to manifestation. It was angel that announced the arrival of Jesus. While shepherds were watching over their flock by night, angel of the Lord appeared to them stating, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.  And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.” (Luke 2:10-12) Angel of the Lord announced Jesus’ arrival. Just as His arrival was announced by angels, angel also gave the hint of how He will return. After Jesus gave His last instruction to the disciples, His disciples stood and watched while He was taken up. As they were looking up, “…two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:10-11) Indeed, Jesus, the gift of God came to us and He is coming back. He will come back not as He came. He is not coming back silently but He is coming back in a way by which all that exists under heaven will see Him coming down. Jesus is coming back to judge and to deliver eternal life to those who receives and believes in Him.

After having celebrated Him, are you ready for His return? He came as promised and He will definitely return as promised. Going to church is not enough and it will not deliver the ticket to make it to eternal life. Jesus’ coming is a sacrifice. Living a sacrificial life of service is the entire gift we owe Him.
Jesus declared, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.” (Revelation 3:20) How can you not hear His knock? Jesus, the Anointed One, is here to heal every broken heart but the brokenhearted are not opening door for Jesus to enter. Jesus will not force Himself to enter no man’s broken heart. The Spirit of God in Jesus, is a gentle Spirit; not a forceful spirit. The captives remain captive because they have yet to capitalize in on the privilege of grace that came for their freedom. The birth of Jesus made salvation which no man can monopolize available.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace of God that your faith will not fail.

FAITH CAPSULE: It is about time for you to prepare your inn for His coming back.

Luke 2: 1-21

At the time of the Lord’s birth, there was no room at the inn for the Lord to be delivered.
At the time of His birth, people did not understand that Christ was about to be born into the world.
At the time of His birth, no hospital was alerted.
At the time of His birth, He was wrapped in swaddling clothes, and laid in a manger.
It is written, “So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.” (Luke 2:6-7) Jesus the King of kings was born in a manger.

The Eternal Shepherd of all shepherds could have declared the inn to be open-up for His arrival while He was still in the womb. He came silently, and wrapped in swaddling clothes. The inn was filled up when Joseph and Mary got to the inn. The inn which matters to Him is our inn. It does not matter the kind of gift that occupies your inn waiting to be delivered, if you do not have a place for Him in your inn it becomes a meaning less gift. He spoke in Revelation 3:20, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.” Jesus came to have a place in our inn so that we overcome and be granted a seat with Him on His throne.” To deny Him access into our inn is the evidence of having been filled with self. He who is full of self is one with lying, deception, manipulation and all sorts of selfish behavior that should never be identified with acclaimed believers.

Jesus is knocking at the door of your inn. Will you grant Him a full access and have yourself engaged the privileges of having Jesus in your inn? When the knock came at the door of the inn, the imminent birth of the Lord was met with a lock-out. Many are filled with things that will deprive them of eternal life and when the trumpet sounds. Some are filled with desires that will not bring salvation. The opportunity for the inn to become the most well-known inn in all of creation came knocking, but it was too full to be used for the Lord’s birth. What are you filled with? Giving gifts without a place for the Lord in your inn is same as lying, deceiving and manipulating. As time and the seasons continue to reveal things to you, you should begin to make arrangements to be ready for what is coming. It is about time for you to prepare your inn for His coming back.

Prayer for today: Ask God to help you that your faith will come alive.

FAITH CAPSULE: Do not only celebrate the gift of God but confess and be living the Word.

2 Kings 5

Power and might be unto God. He alone is the unquestionable God, the unchanging changer and the only God that revises the irreversible. The love of God for His creation knows no bound. Out of His goodness and mercy, He gave His only begotten Son. It is written, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” (John 3:16-17)
God gave a very expensive gift. The gift of God is a sacrificial gift and is meant to redeem man from condemnation. The gift of God is a precious gift for everyone to preciously accept it. As precious as it is, He does not force it on anyone to receive it. In the gift of God there is grace to live life abundantly for those who make the right choice to receive and believe in His gift for us.

Many take to celebrating the gift of God but lack the understanding to receive and believe His gift. Unfortunately, many celebrate His gift and not confess His gift. For any who does not confess but celebrate, it is an evidence of not having received and believed in the gift of God.

The story of Naaman the leper is that of one in the place of free gift but yet does not know to receive and believe gift for his cleansing. A young captive girl offered a deliverance avenue to Naaman through Naaman’s wife, when she informed about Elisha the man of God. It is written, “Then Naaman went with his horses and chariot, and he stood at the door of Elisha’s house.  And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored to you, and you shall be clean.” But Naaman became furious, and went away and said, “Indeed, I said to myself, ‘He will surely come out to me, and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place, and heal the leprosy.”” (2kings 5:9-11) The pride in Naaman denied him his healing salvation at his first attempt. Naaman could not see his healing salvation in the word of the man of God when he despised the word which directed him to Jordan River for his healing salvation. Just like Naaman, many are not able to see there salvation in the Living Word of God that was born in the manger for their salvation.
Do not only celebrate the gift of God but confess Him and begin to live life in of the living Word of God.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace to see and believe in the Living Word of God.

FAITH CAPSULE: Allow faith to rise and fear to sink.

Luke 1

The Bible described Zacharias and His wife Elizabeth stating, “And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well advanced in years.” (Luke 1:6-7) When it was time for God to visit them with the fruit of the womb, He sent an angel to them and the angel spoke, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.  And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth.” (Luke 1:13-14) If you will see in the word of God, you will be able to receive of the spoken word of God. The angel told Zacharias not to be afraid, you can also deny fear and allow faith to make a way for prayer to be answered.

The same angel Gabriel that appeared to barren Elizabeth also appeared to Virgin Mary. Just as he delivered the news of male child to Elizabeth, so he delivered the news of male child to Mary. It is written, “Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.  And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus.  He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. ³³ And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.” (Luke 1:30-33) Before the angel delivered God’s message to Mary he encouraged Mary to disengage fear just as he did to Elizabeth. Great and undeniable miracle (the move of God) in one’s life does not flow with fear but with faith.

Angel Gabriel also revealed to Mary about Elizabeth stating, “Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. For with God nothing will be impossible.” (Luke 1:36-37) By virtue of Angel Gabriel’s command against fear, Elizabeth and Mary believed and the angel affirmed, “…with God nothing will be impossible.” The word of God is consistent to deliver when there is faith and no fear. Are you able to see in the word you are hearing? Job testified, “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees You” (Job 42:5) It is faith that will make man listen and be able to gain understanding in the word of God which sounds in man’s direction for man’s breakthrough deliverance. Elizabeth and Mary listen and heard. Fear was denied while faith was in line and impossibility was converted to possibility. Allow faith to rise and fear to sink.

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

FAITH CAPSULE: Orderliness is important because it gives way to a fitting fulfillment.

Isaiah 38

Living life in line of God’s order leads to having an open heaven when we pray. John the Baptist went ahead and baptized Jesus according to God’s order. It is written, “When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and Hesaw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him.”(Matthew 3:16)  Permitting the word of God to be fulfilled in our life is fitting and it is also our heaven opener. Heaven was opened because Jesus maintained life in order of God. In the opened heaven, the voice of God also sounded. It was a sound of confirmation and a sound of love. It is written “And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:17) God demonstrated that when life is lined up in His order, a fitting fulfillment will have its place.

Just as there is more to gain in life from living in line with God’s order, there is much to lose when living life engages violation of God’s order. God is no respecter of man and when orderliness is not in place, sickness, disease and untimely death becomes inevitable. Once in the days of King Hezekiah a life threatening sickness struck the life of Hezekiah. “…And Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, went to him and said to him, “Thus says the LORD: ‘Set your house in order, for you shall die and not live.’” (Isaiah 38:1) King Hezekiah knew where the problem was and responded without excuse. By virtue of his situation, he could not expect any recovery from God without going back and making amends by crying to God and putting in order what had been in disorder.

It is written that, “…Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, and prayed to the LORD, and said, “Remember now, O LORD, I pray, how I have walked before You in truth and with a loyal heart, and have done what is good in Your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.” (Isaiah 38: 2-3) As much as God will not overlook the violation of orderliness so will He also be a merciful God that will not ignore but incline His ear to the crying of His children. God sent Isaiah back to King Hezekiah, “Go and tell Hezekiah, ‘Thus says the LORD, the God of David your father: “I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; surely I will add to your days fifteen years.” (Isaiah 38:5) Orderliness is important because it gives way to a fitting fulfillment.
Jesus engaged divine agenda and had a fitting fulfillment out of life. Evidently, we have to also engage life in orderliness that we may have a fitting fulfillment.

Prayer for today: Ask that you live to fulfill God’s divine agenda for your life.