FAITH CAPSULE: Do not be a victim of temptation.

Acts 12

Devil’s failure not to get man directly into temptation will possibly provoke him to tempt man against man. King Herod must have fallen for temptation by virtue of his attempt to terminate Peter after his successful termination of James.
Peter followed Jesus all through His ministry but gave himself up to a cheap untimely death attempt. He went to sleep where there was a need for him to be awake watching and praying. Jesus identifies the antidote of temptation when he was with His disciples. Jesus was having a prayer session in the garden with His disciples and while He was praying the disciples were at sleep. It is written, “When He rose up from prayer, and had come to His disciples, He found them sleeping from sorrow. Then He said to them, “Why do you sleep? Rise and pray, lest you enter into temptation.” (Luke 22:45-46) If active engagement in watching and praying is what it takes for man to avoid temptation, it will also deny man not be a victim of other’s temptation. Jesus, in His word makes us to know it that watching and praying is the antidote for temptation. It does not matter the manner of temptation or the avenue it takes to affect us. A believer that does not sleep but give self to watching and praying shall prevail over every agent or avenue of temptation that leads to life termination.
Imagine Peter, a man who spent time with Jesus day and night and could not prioritize his life when to sleep and when not to sleep. Peter’s life documentation with Jesus clearly points out that determination cannot prevail but prayer with the help of the Holy Spirit shall make man prevail and not fail.
It is written, “Now about that time Herod the king stretched out his hand to harass some from the church.  Then he killed James the brother of John with the sword.  And because he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to seize Peter also…” (Acts 22:1-3) King Herod, after having killed James, must have been tempted to think the same for Peter. He went and put Peter in prison, intending to kill him just as he killed James. In the face of death, Peter was sleeping instead of praying. Thank God for the church’s prayer of deliverance on behalf of Peter. He lost focus by not watching and praying and entered into a sleep of death. The Bible states about him, “And when Peter had come to himself, he said, ‘Now I know for certain that the Lord has sent His angel, and has delivered me from the hand of Herod and from all the expectation of the Jewish people.’” (Acts 12:11) As a temple (church) of God, are you asleep? Times we are living is time to be awake and be able to deny temptation in every area of falling for temptation.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace to keep you so that your faith will not fail.

FAITH CAPSULE: Among the ways of engaging the journey of life is by our walk and our race.

Psalm 1, Hebrews 12:1-24

Life is a journey. Among the ways of engaging the journey of life is by our walk or our race. The most important thing about engaging it is to maintain continuity regardless of challenge on the way. Continuity is the rule of the race of life. Any man who fails to continue is disqualified while ones who continue to the end qualify. How you walk or run is the key to your getting to the expected end. The manual of life (Bible) points out what it takes to walk or run the journey of life.
The Psalmist identifies how and what we get when we walk in the Lord’s approved way when it states, “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.” (Palm 1:1-3) How are you walking your walk in your journey of life? How you walk will determine where you sit or stand. Also, how you walk determine how far you go and who you are. In the walk of life, when a believer begins to seek ungodly counsel, such believer is set for self-destruction.
Hebrews 12:1-2 identifies how we run the race of life, “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Is there any conscious or unconscious engagement of sin and sinning in your race in the journey of life? For man to be able to run and get to the expected end, endurance must be in place.
The journey of life is a race of life. Running the race is not by strength or by determination, but only by the grace of God. Are you getting weighed down in the journey of life? Be encouraged and do not be discouraged in the race of life. Hold on to Him by keeping your eyes on Him and He will see you through. With Jesus, you will walk or run with peace and find rest.

Prayer for today: Ask God to cause you to remain focus in the journey of life.

FAITH CAPSULE: Friendship with God is enmity with worldly affairs.

Numbers 14:1-25

It is written, “You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.  No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.” (John 15:14-15) Jesus called His entire disciples friend. Are you one of His disciples? Are you one of those who follow Him by obeying His commands? We serve a good God that is not difficult to relate with. He alone is our father who does not sleep nor slumber from keeping His children. Just as requested by Jesus, if indeed and in truth we obey His commands, we become His friends by way of His relationship with us. God is true to His word, to all of His creation which truly obeys Him. Also, He is not a partial God and will fulfill is word with all.

Abraham had conversation with God as a friend. A friend will not hide his plan from his friend; especially any plan that could affect the friend directly or in directly. God could not hide His plan of destroying Sodom and Gomorrah from Abraham. Genesis 18:17 documents, “And the LORD said, ‘Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing, since Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?’” God knows who His friends are and He will not deny Himself in their lives.

Just as Abraham had a friend to friend conversation God, Moses also conversed with God as a friend will converse with friend. Number of times, he had to plead to God on behalf of the children of Israel by engaging God in conversation. As an obedient servant of the Most High God, Moses made himself available to enter into conversation with God in Exodus 33:11, “So the LORD spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. And he would return to the camp, but his servant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, did not depart from the tabernacle.”

We truly have a Father God that is available for us in every way of living life. However, friendship with world is distancing us from God. Friendship with God is enmity with the world. Also, friendship with God is to depart from all possible ways of the wicked and not to dwell in any way that is contrary to the Name of God. Friendship with God is to know and have the understanding that God is around and within you all the time. Sin and sinning is not a friendship relationship with God but separates man from God. Obey His commands and be a friend of God.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace of obedience which is worthy to keep man in line as a friend of God.

FAITH CAPSULE: Truly disengage fear and allow faith to reign.

1 Kings 17

The Psalmist declared his understanding and knowledge of God, “I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust.” (Psalm 91:2) The psalmist was so sure of his understanding and knowledge and he went further to make an emphatic statement, “Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowlerand from the perilous pestilence.” (Psalm 91:3) Truly, God delivers and preserves. In preserving His own, He will make provision available where there is nothing on ground to show for provision. Imagine a widow, separated by God for provision where there was famine. God made provision available for the woman of Zarephath through Prophet Elijah.
It is written, “And Elijah said to her, “Do not fear; go and do as you have said, but make me a small cake from it first, and bring it to me; and afterward make some for yourself and your son. ¹⁴ For thus says the LORD God of Israel: ‘The bin of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry, until the day the LORD sends rain on the earth.’” (1 Kings 17:13-14) God was set to provide for the woman but there was a need for the woman to position herself to receive God’s provision plan. Elijah pointed out what the woman should do and not miss God’s provision plan when he warned the woman by stating, “Do not fear” Obviously, it could be that God’s preservation plan through provision for you is set but there is a need for you to disengage fear and establish faith. For the woman of Zarephath, fear could have shut her out and not receive God’s provision plan for her life.
In addition to provision for the woman of Zarephath, deliverance of her son from sudden and untimely death was as she was able to disengage fear. It was recorded that when her son died, she turned to Elijah for help and Elijah took the son, cried out to the Lord in prayer, “…O LORD my God, I pray, let this child’s soul come back to him.” Then the LORD heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came back to him, and he revived.” (1 Kings 17:21-22) The Lord God who sent Elijah confirmed Himself as God of deliverance and preservation. In God’s confirmation the woman of Zarephath had a transformation as she testified; “Now by this I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in your mouth is the truth.” (1 Kings 17:24) The word of God is true to deliver and to preserve in every area of life when we truly disengage fear and allow faith to reign.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace to disengage fear so that faith may reign and bring your miracle of transformation.