FAITH CAPSULE: Prayer is the rod of navigating the wicked world.

Daniel 6

It is written, “Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days” (Daniel 6:10). Daniel’s custom since early days must have been dated far back to or before the Bible testifies of Daniel stating, “But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself…” (Daniel 1:8) Daniel is a man of purposeful heart for God. It takes a man with heart that is purposed for God to have a customized prayer life style before God.
Why not engage the lifestyle of one that makes prayer a custom? Truly, “whatever things were written before was written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope (Romans 15:4).
To be prayerful is to be watchful. Praying and watching cannot be separated. One that is watchful is constantly awake. Once, His disciples slept off at prayer session and He responded, “…What! Could you not watch with Me one hour? Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation.” (Matthew 26:40-41) Going by the word of God, it is the combination of watching and praying that delivers from temptation. It is possible to sleep spiritually or physically and not engage effective prayer. Sleeping in place of praying will is an avenue for a believer not to prevail in the face of world’s challenge.

Watching and praying is engaging fasting and praying. When Jesus’ disciples failed to deliver a boy with epileptic, the father approached Jesus for deliverance. After having delivered the boy with epileptic, the disciples asked Jesus about the reason why they could not deliver the boy. Jesus answered, “…Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.” (Matthew 17:20-21) Watching and praying is driven by fasting to deliver undeniable breakthrough miracle. Praying and fasting is not a choice it is a must for every acclaimed believer to adopt as a way of living life. If fasting and praying are engagement of choice, Jesus would not have stated, “…and when you pray… (Matthew 6:5) “…when you fast…” (Matthew 6:16) Engaging prayer and fasting is not a conditional request that states “If” you fast. Jesus says when you fast, when you pray. Live by the word of His command and be a commander of your world. Without doubt, for every sincere believer, prayer is the rod of navigating the wicked world.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace of strength on the prayer altar.

FAITH CAPSULE: The more the knowledge of God the more the increase of His grace and peace.

2 Peter 1

The first time God pronounced blessing, it was the blessing of multiplication. The Bible records it that after God had created sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters abounded, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind, “…God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.”” (Genesis 1:22-23) Distinctly, God is a God of multiplication. Also, increase in multiple must be part of His character. It is safe to say that He is God who loves to see multiplication in all that is having a part in Him. Simon Peter, one of the apostles stated in his second letter, “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.” (2 Peter1:2) Could it be that Peter was praying with understanding which is rooted in the truth that multiplication is part of God? The prayer of Peter points to the truth that multiplied grace and peace is essential in the life of man. However, with the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord and savior, there will be multiplication of grace and peace. Without the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord and savior man is bound to be stagnant and not increase in grace and peace.

Have you thought about gaining or finding the Knowledge of God? Would you not want to increase in grace and peace in these days of challenges where wickedness reigns? The word of God simply points out in Proverbs, the source of gaining or finding the knowledge of God in Proverbs 2:5, “Then you will understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God.” Knowledge of the Lord is not inherited from parents but it becomes inhabited in man when there is understanding of the fear of God. Gaining the wisdom of God and finding His knowledge will become of any man who is able to understand the fear of the Lord. Proverbs 9:10 buttress, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom…” The word of God is wisdom and it demands hearing and hearing for more understanding of the fear and knowledge of God to have a place in man.

From the time Abraham was called out of his family, through the time he got to the mount of “God shall provide” he did not demonstrate listening disability to the word of God. As a result, Abraham gained wisdom and understanding of God which added uncommon grace and peace of God in every step to obtaining the promise of God.

Prayer for today: Ask God to deliver and preserve you from the forces which denies man from gaining understand in the word of God.

FAITH CAPSULE: In your God appointed position, have you lost the presence of God?

1 Samuel 16

The word of God is true to perform and perfect. The word of God cannot be broken and they give life to those who take to it as commanded by God. God declared, “So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:11) God is true to His word. David a man after God’s own heart testifies that God magnified His word above all His name. (Psalm 138:2) A failure to obey the word of God is a straight passage to self-destruction. Are you disobedient to any of His word of command? Proverbs 13:13 declares, “He who despises the word will be destroyed, but he who fears the commandment will be rewarded.” To despise His word of command is the evidence of lack of fear of God. To despise the word of His command is an avenue to destruction.

King Saul was appointed by God as the first king over His people. During the course of his reign, disobedient on his part set him apart from God. After having disobeyed the word of God in the second year of his reign, he remained as King for forty years. King Saul was king for a long and reasonable time, but with no reasonable time with God. King Saul violated God when he despised the word of His command. After he despised God’s command,
“… the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and a distressing spirit from the LORD troubled him. 15 And Saul’s servants said to him, “Surely, a distressing spirit from God is troubling you.” (1 Samuel 16:14-15) Saul became evicted from the presence of God while he was still serving as God’s appointed one for God’s people. In your God appointed position, have you lost the presence of God? In Saul, it was evident that he was at the seat of power but power had left him. Does that sound like you? It is possible for any man to have lost it with God and not know. In the case of Saul, after he had lost from the presence of God, he became exposed to acute mental suffering, affliction, and distress became his portion.
When God’s presence is withdrawn there can never be anything to make up for Him. Attempt to use David, a skillful player; a mighty man of valor was not enough to make up the presence of God which departed Saul. David playing an instrument was only instrumental for temporary solution; God cannot be substituted in any situation or under no circumstances. Despite skillful play by David, King Saul’s distress spirit could not depart. King Saul despised God and destruction became his portion.

Prayer for today: Ask for deliverance from every spirit of destruction.

FAITH CAPSULE: Crying out to God is not a sign of weakness.

Matthew 18:21-35

We serve a good, caring, gracious and merciful God. He is the God with good purpose; the God with plans to save and preserve His children. Out of the act of His goodness and mercy, He promised His children a new heart. His promise states, “…then I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear Me forever, for the good of them and their children after them.  And I will make an everlasting covenant with them that I will not turn away from doing them good; but I will put My fear in their hearts so that they will not depart from Me. Yes, I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will assuredly plant them in this land, with all My heart and with all My soul.” (Jeremiah 32:39-41) It takes a good and gracious God to have a good plan and purpose for His rebellious children. He was God in the Old Testament, He is God in the New Testament and He will continue to be God in Future Testament. He is worthy of all thanks and praise!

Peter asked the Lord Jesus about the issue of forgiveness stating, “…Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” (Matthew 18:21) Jesus, out of His goodness and mercy responded to Peter, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.” (Matthew 18:22) Surely, God made room for His children not to miss Heaven. Imagine 7×70 (490) times of going back to ask for forgiveness. God is definitely worthy of a reasonable sacrifice of thanksgiving on a regular basis.

Rebellious act (sin) is not enough to separate His children who cry out to Him with a heart of repentance. Forgiveness is in place for all that will cry out to Him for forgiveness. Crying out to God is not a sign of weakness but rather of strength that never fails to get God’s attention. Is your challenge rooted in sin? A cry out unto God as the Israelites always do whenever their sin separates them from God is a way of getting God to attend to you. God is a good God who will answer and attend to all who cry out to Him regardless of one’s background. Psalm 86:5 testifies, “For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, and abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You.” Turn to God, call upon Him by crying out to Him and He will not disregard your call.

Prayer for today: Ask for His goodness and mercy to answer for you in every area of living life.

FAITH CAPSULE: It should never be of any man’s heart to take the position of judging others.

Job 2

God wants our heart to be constantly engaged on Him. A heart that is engaged on God must be a joyful heart. Hannah testifies, “My heart rejoices in the Lord; my horn is exalted in the Lord. I smile at my enemies, because I rejoice in Your salvation.” (1 Samuel 2:1) What are your heart engagements? Among all kinds of heart engagement we are to consciously avoid judging others. In your environment, is your heart the judge of every acts or man?
The word of God strictly warned us to stay away from making judgment regardless of the picture we are getting in our environments. The book of Matthew 7:1-3 warned us “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?” Concluding or assuming on other people’s situation could be an indirect ways of making a judgment on others in our heart. It is only God that knows the reason for every occurrence which is not clear in the physical and it should not be for any man’s heart to take the position of judging others.
Imagine Job living in today’s world. Job was a man of great integrity and richly blessed with wealth. The word of God described him as, “…Blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil.” (Job 1:1) Gaining understand of the character of Job, at the beginning of the story of Job makes it easier to read through the story of Job without taking a position of judging him to be a sinner. In this life, it is easier to take a position of a judge when a tragedy like that of Job manifest in life. The beginning of Job’s story took away what could have granted us the sentencing of Job’s adversity to be the result of sin and iniquity that he must have committed. Job was a man testified of by the Creator as a man of great integrity but the adversity presented a picture of someone that must have sinned somewhere unto God.
Job’s kind of situation is not a kind of situation which any acclaimed believer wants to live or experience. The bottom line of this for every believer is to learn and know that in the midst of painful challenges, it could be very wrong to be judging others directly or indirectly. Are you facing any painful challenge? Just as we cannot judge others judging our self should also be avoided.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace to be focus and obedient to all of His word.