FAITH CAPSULE: Fulfilling God’s order will always result to a fitting fulfillment.

Matthew 3

God is a God of order. His order is His command which should never be violated. Orderliness is always the evidence of preparation and with preparation provision cannot be denied. When there is no preparation, expectation will not prevail. Without expectation, the kind of transformation that terminates challenges is nowhere to be found. The bible documents the successful journey of Ezra from Babylon to Jerusalem as the result of God’s hand upon Ezra. The hand of God was possible upon Ezra because Ezra prepared his heart to seek the Law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach statutes and ordinances in Israel. (Ezra 7:9-10) The point here is one that prepares will always be in line of orderliness. It is true that where there is preparation there will be provision, meaning expectation shall come to manifestation.
Are you prepared to place your life in order according to the word of God? Daniel prepared when he purposed not to defile himself with the portion of the King’s delicacies, or with wine which he drank. (Daniel 1:8) He could not be lead off of his purpose in life by not disengaging himself from living life out of God’s order for his life. Fulfilling all righteousness is doing the will of God. A man whose life is not in order engages the danger of not living a fulfilled life. Daniel, by the grace of God upon his life might have realized the danger of falling out of Gods order and end up life without fulfilling that which the Lord called him for.

Living life in order to fulfill God’s divine agenda for man cannot be compromised by any or under any circumstances. Jesus, our Lord and Savior lived by example to buttress the need for engaging orderliness for fulfillment.

At the Jordan, when Jesus came to be baptized according to God’s order of fulfillment, John the Baptist tried to prevent Jesus from being baptized by him. Jesus responded to John the Baptist, “Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” (Matthew 3:15) Without living life in order, it can be almost impossible to live a fulfilled life. Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith fulfilled orderliness. In Jesus’ response to John, we see the need to know and be able to deny any potential agent of derailment in the line of fulfilling orderliness. Jesus denied John the Baptist’s attempt not to baptize Him. Fulfilling God’s order by placing our life in His order will always result to a fitting fulfillment. A failure to place life in order will hunt and hurt any of His creation that chooses not to live life in order of His command.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace to be fully engaged in orderliness for God’s glory.

FAITH CAPSULE: God is forever and He is worthy to be feared.

Exodus 9

Knowledge about God is not same as knowing God. Very few live life as those who know about God while few live life as those who know God. Do you know about God or you actually know God? To know God is to fear God. Knowing God will always energize those who truly know Him as God in the journey of life. That being said, among the most interesting identity of God which  should always be a resounding guide is the fact that God will always use foolish things to put to shame the wise. It is written, “But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence.” (1 Corinthians 1:27-29) This is exactly the same God yesterday, today and tomorrow. God has not changed and He will not change. There is nothing like living a humble life where pride, arrogance and pomposity cannot be traced in one’s identity. As a believer, whatever power is in your possession, no matter what you have become today, let the fear and the operation of God’s hand have a place in your life.

Pharaoh was exposed to multiple signs and wonders which were enough for him to lower his pride, but he failed. God indeed hardened his heart, but his journey of life is for our learning to understand that when a call for change knocks on the door of our heart, we should not be foolish to not answer. Can you imagine what scattering handfuls of ashes from a furnace towards heaven would mean to a powerful king like Pharaoh? Surely it must have been a joke. God’s operation was not a joke when He said to Moses and Aaron, “Take for yourselves handfuls of ashes from a furnace, and let Moses scatter it toward the heavens in the sight of Pharaoh.  And it will become fine dust in all the land of Egypt and it will cause boils that break out in sores on man and beast throughout all the land of Egypt.” (Exodus 9:8-9) Great is our God and He is greatly to be feared. God is beautiful for situations. God alone is the Unchanging Changer. Our God is the same God yesterday, today and tomorrow. God is forever and He is worthy to be feared.

Prayer for today: k for the fear of God to overwhelm you all the days of living life.

FAITH CAPSULE: Celebrate and work the works of God.

EPHESIANS 5:1-21

It is a good thing to acknowledge the birth of our Lord and savior by celebrating Him. However, celebration is not enough when living life as a believer is not a life style. Those who receive and believe in Jesus are the rightful children of God. The book of John 1:12 buttress, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.” Are you a believing believer or an unbelieving believer? Do not only engage celebration but do right by accepting Jesus as your Lord and savior. Jesus was questioned, “…What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?” Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God that you believe in Him whom He sent.” (John 6:28-29)
Working the works of God requires believing in Jesus. To believe in Him is to be taking the steps which He took when He was here on the face the earth. Taking steps like Him will require walking the walks that he walked. The apostle Paul also confirmed the word of Jesus by stating, “Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.” (Ephesians 5:1-2)

Walking the walk is a labor which determination cannot bring to pass. Walking the walk will only prevail by the grace of God in the life of the one that desires it. Apostle Paul stated in Ephesians 5:15-17, “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” Walking circumspectly is walking carefully and being watchful in every step of life. Being watchful is to know and to be conscious of the fact that the days are evil and the evil one is ready to devour any careless walker. Walking as a fool is taking steps out of God’s line. Psalm 14:1, “The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God…” As a believer, knowing to walk and not walking as the word calls for is the same as saying there is no God. Walking in wisdom is a way of saying there is God and it is also the evidence of indwelling of the Spirit of God. What does it take to be filled with the Spirit of God? Ephesians 5:18-20, “And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,”

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace of enablement to work His work.

FAITH CAPSULE: What are you holding back from God?

Deuteronomy 6

All that matters in our celebration is to fear God. God treasures it when we fear Him. To fear Him is to love Him. The fear of God is the reason and the purpose of commandment. Deuteronomy 6:1-3 states it, “Now this is the commandment, and these are the statutes and judgments which the LORD your God has commanded to teach you, that you may observe them in the land which you are crossing over to possess,  that you may fear the LORD your God…” God wants to be feared. Fearing a jealous God is obeying Him. Obeying God is giving God the attention which He deserves. Fearing God is to love Him. Encased in loving God is obeying all His commands. Failure to obey God is an evidence of lack of fear and the absence of loving Him. It is written, “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.” (Deuteronomy 6:5) God’s command does not ask for what cannot be done.
The book of 1Timothy 1:5-6 also points out the purpose of commandment, “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.” God simply demands for us to love Him with all our heart, with all our soul, and with all our strength.

Abraham is one who feared God with all his heart, with all his soul, and with all his strength. Abraham was able to seek God by keeping the way of God. It demands loving God with all heart to rise and depart to a strange land and not hold back. Also, at age seventy five leaving behind a comfort environment, with no child, is a demonstration of not withholding self from God. Abraham, after having fully complied with God’s command by presenting Isaac for burnt offering, God testified to Abrahams fear. At the time he was to slaughter Isaac for the offering, the Angel of the Lord called on Abraham stating, “Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.” (Genesis 22:12) God declared and decorated Abraham when He pointed it out that Abraham feared Him by not withholding his only son from Him. Abraham could not hold back from God when he gave it all to God. What are you holding back from God? Holding onto God’s blessing and not able to release back to God is holding to blessing instead of holding to the one who blesses.
Ecclesiastes says it all, “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandment, for this is man’s all.” (Ecclesiastes 12:13)

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace to keep His commands.

FAITH CAPSULE: Change your appetite and make Him your every moment feed.

John 6:22-59

Jesus is here make Him your daily feed. It is written, “I am the bread of life.” (John 6:48) What you feed on is what stays with you and carries you through in your journey of life. What are you eating and drinking in these challenging days? In other words what are you feeding on? Jesus spoke in John 6:57, “… So he who feeds on Me will live because of Me.” He alone is the bread of life and feeding on Him is the only way the word abides in you. The word buttress, “But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe.” (John 5:38)

Many went after Jesus just to eat and be filled. Today, many are still going after Him just to be filled. Also, after a number of miracles and the feeding of the five thousand, many went after Him just to look for more bread to eat. Jesus, knowing the reason for their coming, responded to multitude, “…Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him.” (John 6:26-27) They are going around because of the world they want to have in the name of the Word.

Jesus’ reality is not about worldly gain, but about the Word of God gaining entrance in us. His message for you today is, “…Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed.  He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me.” (John 6:53-57) Loaves will only fill you and get digested but the bread of life will abide in you forever. Change your appetite, get into Jesus’ reality and begin to seek, feed on the living word of God. Taste the bread of life and see that the Word is good.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace to make the Bread of Life your food at all times as long as you have the breath of life.