FAITH CAPSULE: To walk close to God is to walk before Him.

Proverbs 4:20-21, Ezekiel 3:1-11

When man walks far from the word man will become far from God. To walk far from God is to be close to falling. It does not matter who you are or the kind of title you answer, walking far from God is the avenue to fall away and fail. The word of God is God. Going far from the word by not spending time studying the word on a regular basis is the way not to acknowledge God for what He did. Whenever man does not acknowledge God for what He has done there will be no heart of thanksgiving. Truly, it is the ones who know to think that will know to give thanks. Acknowledging God for what he has done will provoke one to give a hearty thanks to God.

Walk close to His word and not go far from Him.
God spoke through Jeremiah to the children of Israel, “What injustice have your fathers found in Me, that they have gone far from Me, Have followed idols, And have become idolaters? Neither did they say, ‘Where is the LORD, Who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, Who led us through the wilderness, through a land of deserts and pits, through a land of drought and the shadow of death, through a land that no one crossed and where no one dwelt?’”  (Jeremiah 2:4-6) It is important to constantly meditate and know it that God is a jealous God. Giving Him continuous attention by identifying Him as He who saw you through in the past and acknowledging Him for the present is important. At the time He was speaking through Jeremiah, the children of Israel had failed to do what is right by not identifying Him for the past and not acknowledging Him for the present.

When we walk close to His word there is not going to be a place for rebellious act to God. God wants us to hear and receive His word to heart. God said to Ezekiel, “Son of man, receive into your heart all My words that I speak to you, and hear with your ears.” (Ezekiel 3:10) Evidently, the word of God is directed to go to the heart of man whose ear is open to the word. The point here is, give attention to the word of God by allowing your ear to give preference to the word of God. With attention in place for the word to enter, seeing in the word to gain direction shall become man’s portion. Find time to attend and listen to the word; gain understanding and begin to see direction to walk close to God. To walk close to God is to walk before Him.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace to begin to hear and see in His word of direction.

FAITH CAPSULE: Commit to the word of God and it will lead you in the way of God.

Numbers 20:1-13, Psalm 103,

In His way, there is direction and grace to live to the fulfillment of divine assignment. His way reveals His act. In His acts, there is power confirmation; there is deliverance and there is total victory. Psalm 103:7, “He made known His ways to Moses, His acts to the children of Israel.” It is absolutely impossible to follow the ways of the Lord and not arrive at a final destination. Likewise, one cannot see His acts and not tremble at the awesomeness of His power. The acts of God are the invention of His word and His word encased His way. The children of Israel were privileged to see His actions; they saw the move of God’s power so many times during the days in the wilderness. They saw the Red Sea open up to them to provide dry land as a passage. They saw how the firstborn of all the Egyptian masters died while their firstborns were safe. Despite all which they witnessed, those Israelites who left Egypt and whose age was twenty and above never arrived at their expected end. The Israelites despised the word of God and they were destroyed.

The word of God warned, “He who despises the word will be destroyed, but he who fears the commandment will be rewarded.” (Proverbs 13:13) Caleb and Joshua were the only ones that did not despised the word of God. Both Caleb and Joshua did not fail to keep their faith in His acts which gave them direction. In the past days, weeks, months, and years, if you have seen the wonder work of His hand rest and be assured that you have seen His way. However, your title or position is not a license to foolishness (Fool says there is no God by action or by word of confession). Avoid foolishness fear Him and trust Him to lead you through in His way.

Moses, a giant in the hand of the Lord, could not get to the expected end because he failed to fully obey God. When he was commanded by God to speak to a rock for water provision he struck the rock twice (Numbers 20:11-12) Moses saw the Land of Promise, but could not set foot on the land. Are you paying attention to the Word of God? It has never changed and it will remain the same. The unchanging changer will change your situation if you will engage His Word for a favorable lifting in the days, weeks, months and years ahead of you. Commit to the word of God and it will lead you in the way of God. Will you commit your way to His ways and trust in Him?

Prayer for today: Ask Him for the grace to keep you going in His ways.

FAITH CAPSULE: Get the understanding that the Word of God is God.

Exodus 33:12-23, John 1:1-18

It is written, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God.  All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.” (John 1:1-3) The scriptural verse above clearly identifies it that there is no need for theologian’s interpretation to get the understanding that the Word of God is God.
Moses asked from God, “Now therefore, I pray, if I have found grace in Your sight, show me now Your way, that I may know You and that I may find grace in Your sight. And consider that this nation is Your people.” (Exodus 33:13) He wanted direction by asking for the way of God. God responded back to Moses, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” (Exodus 33:14) Obviously Gods response to Moses’ request for the way of God indicates that Gods presence is God’s way. The way of God is the word of God and the word of God is His presence. Every God fearing man like Moses should know better not to make a move outside of His way.

Once, He revealed His way to King Saul through His Prophet Samuel, “Now go and attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them. But kill both man and woman, infant and nursing child, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.” (1 Samuel 15:3) King Saul moved in response to the word of God. It is written, “But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs, and all that was good, and were unwilling to utterly destroy them. But everything despised and worthless, that they utterly destroyed.” (1 Samuel 15:9) Saul moved in a way that seems right to him not according to the way of God. No matter how much the way seems right to you, if it is not the way of God it is the way of man. Proverbs 14:12 warned, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” Do not be wise in your own eyes to ever mistake your way for the way of God regardless of how it is pleasing to man. Heaven withdrew King Saul from retaining the royal crown as the King of the Israelites. People saw him to be king while God already packed him up. He went the way which seems right to him.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace not to engage the way that seems right to you but to constantly engage His way.

FAITH CAPSULE: Is your sacrifice provoking the hand of God or is it revoking it?

1 Kings 3:3-15, Romans 12

It is written, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.” (Romans 12:1) How are you sacrificing to God? Sacrificing unto God is worshiping God. Worshiping God is a continuous engagement as long there is breath of life. Most times, the cost of sacrifice is inconvenient. A reasonable sacrifice is the sacrifice that counts before God.

A reasonable and acceptable sacrifice unto God will no doubt provoke the hand of God to favor. God demands and deserves a reasonable sacrifice from His creation. A reasonable sacrifice unto God will deliver a reasonable response from God. When His hand is deposited reasonably upon one’s life, every reason to stand out becomes undeniable. King Solomon was such a King that the world never stopped reasoning about the kind of wisdom he demonstrated in his life. David made us aware that Solomon had always been a wise man before God’s hand was provoked in adding a wise and understanding heart to Solomon. David said to Solomon, “Now therefore, do not hold him guiltless, for you are a wise man and know what you ought to do to him; but bring his gray hair down to the grave with blood.” (1 Kings2:9)This verse points out that Solomon had always been a wise man. However, when King Solomon offered a reasonable sacrifice, his story turned around forever. It is recorded about Solomon, “Now the King went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the great high place: Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, ‘Ask what shall I give you?’”(1 Kings 3:4-5) Solomon worshiped God with reasonable sacrifice and his sacrifice provoked the hand of God.

Is your sacrifice provoking the hand of God or is it revoking it? Do you remember Cain’s sacrifice? Genesis 4:5 recorded that God did not respect Cain’s offering and Cain was very angry. His sacrificial offering must have been too ordinary for God to accept. Is your sacrifice costing you? Your sacrifice matters; it will deposit an uncharacteristic power of God that is unparalleled in your life. 1 Kings 3:12, “Behold I have done according to your words; see, I have given you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has not been anyone like you before you, nor shall any like you arise after you.” A reasonable sacrifice will provoke a reasonable God-investment in your life. God deposited a wise and understanding heart in King Solomon.

Prayer for today: Ask God to instruct you and teach you in the way to go that you shall live for your glory.

FAITH CAPSULE: Fear Him and obtain His mercy.

Ecclesiastes 12, Luke 1:26-55

Apostle Paul quotes the word, “I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion.”(Romans 9:15) Whatever God says he will do is a done deal. Yes, He will have mercy on whomever He chooses to have mercy. It is also clear in the word of God that taking stand in the word of God will position man on an undeniable ground for the mercy of God. Meaning, it is possible for man to provoke the hand of God to obtain His mercy. Without any doubt, having the fear of God in life is taking a position on undeniable ground for the mercy of God. Keep it in mind that to fear God is to love God. Looking into few scriptural verses from the Old Testament and the New Testament will confirm to us and open our understanding that mercy is available at all times for the one that loves or fears God. It is written in Exodus 20:6, “but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.” The book of Psalm 119:132 buttress, “Look upon me and be merciful to me, as Your custom is toward those who love Your name.” In the New Testament, the Book of Luke also recorded in Luke 1:50, “And His mercy is on those who fear Him From generation to generation.” As mentioned earlier, to fear and to Love God is evidently the same. To constantly and consistently live life in the fear of God positions a man on a ground where the mercy of God cannot be denied.

It is written, “The Lord is good and His mercy is everlasting…” (Psalm 100:5) The mercy of God is, “great above the heavens…” (Psalm 108:4) Also, “The earth O Lord is full of Your mercy…” (Psalm 119:64) The mercy of God endures forever, meaning that God’s mercy cannot and will never run out. His mercy is abundant and enough for each and every one of His creations. As an acclaim believer, are you consciously walking in line of His word? Memorizing the word of God, quoting His word but not living the word of God is the evidence of lack of the fear of God. In this wicked world, there is nothing that matters for man like being under the mercy of the good God. Once a man is covered by the mercy of God, there is no way man can be messed up by the mess of this wicked world. Ecclesiastes 12:13, says it all, “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: fear and keep His commandments, for this is man’s all.” Fear Him and obtain His mercy.

Prayer for today: Ask God to put His fear in your heart so you obtain and live in His mercy.