FAITH CAPSULE: Be steadfast following Jesus fully.

Matthew 16

Jesus was teaching when He stated, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.” (Matthew 7:21) Does that sound like you? Are you one whose word does not line up with your walk? Do you profess Jesus but yet perfects in wickedness? You wonder who the wicked ones are. Jeremiah points out the wicked in his statement before God, “Righteous are You, O Lord, when I plead with you; yet let me talk with You about Your judgments. Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why are those happy who deal so treacherously? You have planted them, yes, they have taken root; they grow, yes, they bear fruit. You are near in their mouth but far from their mind.” (Jeremiah 12:1-2) Clearly, the wicked ones are near to God in their mouth but far from their mind.

Ones who carries the identity of the wicked does not carry the cross, such does not follow Him fully. Jesus specifically requested, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.  For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.  For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? (Matthew 16:24-26)  Whatever a man desires God will deposit. Is it your desire to follow Jesus fully? Following Jesus is not flowing with the crowd. Many are flowing with the crowd few are actually following Him fully. To follow Him fully demands to be steadfast in our walk in line with the word of God by forsaking all for the Kingdom of heaven’s sake.

One who is self-full cannot be word full. Following the word fully is following Jesus fully. Jesus is the living word of God which was in the beginning. John 1:1 buttress, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  ” Why not deny yourself; forsake all and settle for the living word of God; take up His cross and follow Him to cross over?

Following fully is not a one time or on and off engagement. Following the word demands to be steadfast which is to be fixed in direction. To be steadfast in following the living word of God is not a self-satisfying engagement and one who is self-full cannot be possibly steadfast. Kind David realized the importance and the need for one to be steadfast when he called on God in Psalm 51:10, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” Be steadfast following Jesus fully.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace to be steadfast in following Christ fully.

FAITH CAPSULE: To work the works of God is to believe in whom that sent.

Matthew 7

It is written, “And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. Then He opened His mouth and taught them…” Jesus on this occasion, taught from beatitudes to the law. He taught about doing good to please the God, He taught about praying and fasting. In that series of teaching, Jesus also taught about the true way into the Kingdom of heaven. Jesus taught it that, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.” (Matthew 7:21)

Today, so many are saying to Him, Lord, Lord, but keeping and maintaining distance in their way of living life. In the life of so many, Jesus is not evident but always present in their mouth. What the Lord was saying here is that those that are calling on God without doing the will of the God are positioned not to enter the Kingdom of heaven. Doing the will of the Father is not only by going to church or attending prayer meetings and every other function inside or outside of God. Jesus points it out what it means to do the will of the Father by stating in Luke 6:46-47, ““But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say? 47 Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like.” Doing the will of Jesus is in coming to Him, hearing what He has to say, and doing what He says. So many have come to Him, so many are still coming to Him, but almost none are doing what He says.

If the numbers that are doing what He says was high, then the world would be a better place to live. Claiming to be a believer is not enough, but living and aiming to be like Him. Following the word of God is what believing in Him is all about. Jesus was asked in John 6:28-29, “Then they said to Him, “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God that you believe in Him whom He sent.” The will of God is for all to work the works. To work the works of God is to believe in whom that sent Jesus. Ones that believe the word should behave the word. Self-deception is self-destruction. It is time for Self-deception to cease so that gaining entrance to the kingdom of heaven might become a reality when it matters.

Prayer for today: Ask God to take control of your moments so that you follow in all His word as they sound in your direction.

FAITH CAPSULE: God’s package of escape is consistent to deliver and should never be violated.

Genesis 19:1-18, Numbers 14:26-38

It is written, “So it came to pass, when they had brought them outside, that he said, “Escape for your life! Do not look behind you nor stay anywhere in the plain. Escape to the mountains, lest you be destroyed.” (Genesis 19:17) Two angels were sent for destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. The angels spoke to Lot about taking the route of escape and not become a part of destruction which was set as a judgment upon Sodom and Gomorrah. Lot responded, “Please, no, my lords!  Indeed now, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have increased your mercy which you have shown me by saving my life; but I cannot escape to the mountains, lest some evil overtake me and I die. See now, this city is near enough to flee to, and it is a little one; please let me escape there (is it not a little one?) and my soul shall live.” (Genesis 19:19-20) God had a better and extended plan of escape for Lot and his family but Lot is stuck with limited plan of escape. Is God taking you to a mountain top as your ground of escape while you have settled for a little and minor ground of escape? It is possible that the spirit of limited possibility is the Lots family. Just as Lot struggled to accept and move forward to a mountain instead of limited ground, his wife demonstrated spirit of limitation.

At the time angels brought them outside to set them for escape, it was clearly communicated to Lot and his wife, “Escape for your life! Do not look behind you…”

Interestingly, despite angels warning not to look back, Lot’s wife looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt. God’s package of escape is consistent to deliver and should never be violated. The world today is indeed a copy of Sodom and Gomorrah but Jesus brought to the world escape package for whosoever receive and believe in Him.

In the package of escape, there should be no looking back for any who sincerely desirers escape. Looking back is an evidence of back sliding and it will cause a setback. Looking back is setting self on what belong to the past which does not have a place with God. Looking back will connect one with complain the evidence of comparing what belong in the past with the present. The Israelites in their escape route looked back; they complained and confessed negative which deny their entrance to God’s Promised Land except for Caleb and Joshua with no complains but positive confession.

Accept and believe in Jesus, stay focus and not stray from looking up only unto He who is able to deliver you through to the end.

Prayer for today: Ask for God’s grace and mercy to keep you from looking back away from Jesus.

FAITH CAPSULE: There is power in keeping and using the testimonies of God when it is declared against the enemy.

1 Samuel 17:1-51

The champion from the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, from Gath was described, “…height was six cubits and a span. He had a bronze helmet on his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail, and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze.  And he had bronze armor on his legs and a bronze javelin between his shoulders.  Now the staff of his spear was like a weaver’s beam and his iron spearhead weighed six hundred shekels; and a shield-bearer went before him.” (1 Samuel 17:4-7) Physically, Goliath possessed all that it takes to be unstoppable.

By virtue of his description, under no circumstances should no man who is born with the right mind volunteer to go and battle Goliath. However, one with the mind of God, possess all that it takes to challenge and defeat Goliath. David a young shepherd was identified by God as a man after His own heart. (1 Samuel 13:14) David was also described by his eldest brother Eliab, as one with pride and the insolence of heart (1 Samuel 17:28) Brothers saw him as boldly disrespectful or shamelessly bold. Despite what the brothers saw and said about him, he was not intimidated from not taking on Goliath.

What man sees and say about you is countless if God sees you different. David, a man after God’s own heart had nothing to fight the might of Goliath, but his testimony and declaration was rooted in what God can do and what God has done. David testified and declared, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.” (1 Samuel 17:45-46)

There is power in keeping and using the testimonies of God when it is declared against the enemy. The word of Psalm 119:2 buttress the power of testimonies stating, “Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, who seek Him with the whole heart!”  David sought God by testifying and declaring God; God responded on behalf of David; great Goliath with great height fell; Goliath became a story to the glory of God forever.

Prayer for today: Ask by reminding God that He is not a partial God. Ask for the same grace which delivers victory for David against Goliath.

FAITH CAPSULE: Do not be a self-deceiver do the things which He says.

Matthew 7:13-28

Jesus was speaking, “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say? (Luke 6:46) Does that speak to you? Quoting, preaching or teaching His word is not the same as doing the things which He says. Many are fluent and very conversant quoting the word but they are far from doing what the word says. It is more important to do the word of God more than quoting the word. Many are very conversant in quoting the word of God yet the world around cannot quote the word of God in them.

Jesus identifies what it takes to become the doer of His word by stating, “Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like.” (Luke 6:47) Have you been going before Him and yet not living by His word? Jesus is more interested in those who pay attention enough to do what He says, more than those who come to Him and not do what He says.

Today many are calling His name while they do not do His word. Many are claiming all kinds of miracle yet His word is not relevant in their way of living. There are so many prophets prophesying in His name world but not all living the word of God. However, the only ticket to entering the kingdom of heaven is rooted in doing the word of God. It is written, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ (Matthew 7:21-23)  It is important to pay attention by listen to hear and do what He says. Jesus compared those who do His word to a house that is well dug with strong foundation on a rock. (Luke 6:48)

There is nothing like becoming a house that stands, a house that is on solid rock. Becoming a solid rock foundation building happens when putting the word into action is a reality in the life of those who follow Jesus. A solid house will stand when confronting any challenge such as inevitable flood of life.

Have you been hearing and not doing the word of God? It is important to know that flood and storms are raging in every corner of the world. Engage the word, be steadfast doing the word, build and become a building which cannot fall to the flood of life.

Prayer for today: Ask God for a hearing ear which will enable you to live by His word indeed and in truth.