FAITH CAPSULE: Have the desire for God, and He will draw you near.

John 4:43-54

God is not far from all; get close to Him.
Have the desire for God, and He will draw you near.
This season, with your desire, ask that God will enable you to encounter His word.
John 4:46-47 records, “So Jesus came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine. And there was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum. When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and implored Him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death.”
A certain notable (noble) man in the city, among his people, heard about Jesus and went to Jesus. 
Are you one who has heard about Jesus without a response to Jesus?
Who are you, and what is your delay in attempting to deny your encounter with your deliverance? 
Many times, you have heard of Him, but go to Him.  
Is it your desire to seek Him?
What is holding you back from seeking Him? Is it your distance that is denying your coming to Him? 
Once, while Jesus was passing a village, ten lepers who stood afar off did not allow distance to deny them from encountering healing and deliverance.
The Bible states that the ten lepers lifted their voices and said, Master, have mercy on us! (Luke 7:12-13) 
Why are you holding back from coming to Jesus for your healing and deliverance?
The lepers denied distance and received their healing by the healing Word of Jesus, in their direction.  
The son of a nobleman (a notable man) was dying when he came to Jesus. 
John 4:49-50 documents the conversation of the nobleman with Jesus: “The nobleman said to Him, ‘Sir, come down before my child dies!’ Jesus said to him, ‘Go your way; your son lives.’ So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way.” 
Do you believe in the power of His Word? The same power that answered for the nobleman is still available to answer for those who deny distance to approach Jesus for their healing and deliverance. 
Deny distance not to distract you from looking unto God.
As the nobleman received healing direction from God to go on his way, he believed and went without question or doubt. 
When you believe and go on your way by His direction, the same word is still alive today, and expect His word to locate you for your healing and deliverance. 
The nobleman went on his way as directed by Jesus, “And as he was going down, his servants met him and told him, saying, ‘Your son lives!’” (John 4:51)
If you have believed in His word, you will receive your breakthrough news in Jesus’ name. 
From today, in all your endeavors, make encountering Jesus your priority and engage His healing Word of direction.

Prayer for today: Ask that the word of God will answer in your life to the glory of God. 

FAITH CAPSULE: At all times, it is wise to answer when He commands.

Luke 5

How does a novice want to take a position to be put through a professional of their trade?
One day, four seasoned professional fishermen toiled all night with no fish to count.
On the day with no fish to count, the professional fishermen were set to depart empty-handed.
When the novice showed up with the advice for the professional fishermen to go back into the water and go deep.
The novice, to redirect in times of emptiness, can be the creator of all, the King of Kings.
Jesus showed up and called the fishermen back to fishing, where they toiled all night with no result.
Jesus said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” (Luke 5:4)
Are you experiencing a lack of no result in any area of life? 
Is it your job that is experiencing stagnation?
What is your experience of no result in any area of life that demands the miracle intervention of God?
Jesus sent a word for the fishermen to launch deep where there was no fish to show after all night. 
The word of Jesus sounded foolish but was backed with power because Jesus said it.
At all times, it is wise to answer when He commands.
Know it that, “…the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.” (1 Corinthians 1:25) 
Are you receiving a similar command that calls for you to launch out deep where there is nothing to show?
Simon responded to Jesus, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word, I will let down the net.” And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking.” (Luke 5:5-6)
Launching out at His command is breaking through for abundance where there is none to show. 
The command of Jesus to launch out in the place of hopelessness is an act of faith. 
Abraham acted in faith by obeying God. 
God called Abraham out of his comfort to the unknown ground. Hebrews 11:8-10 documents “…he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.” 
Abraham left his family for the word of God, a character of leaving all behind for God.
The fishermen, at times, left behind the profession of fishing for fish to fishing for men as they followed Jesus.
Abraham dwelt and waited for God. 
There was no record of doubt among the fishermen, and neither was there any record of complaint ror Abraham. They acted by launching into the command of God, the word of God that is rooted in power. 
Are you giving yourself to the word of God that is healing, deliverance, and preservation?
Know that trust and hope are the word of God that sounds in your direction.
Launch out as commanded by His word; let down all, and He will lift you above and beyond your expectation. 

Prayer for today: Ask God to enable you to do as His word commands you.

FAITH CAPSULE: Understand how to hear the word of God.

Jeremiah 1

The word of God speaks to all.
Anyone with the mind to give to the word of God shall live life to excel for the glory of God.
Acts 20:32 speaks to all with no exemption, “So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.” 
The same word that brought forth creation will build those who receive and believe in God in His word.
John 6:63 documents, “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.”
It is worth remembering that the same word that creates everything is there to give more than all can imagine.
Why not give yourself to the word of God as a way of life?
For example, meditating on the word of God will build one for the glory of God.
It is one thing to memorize the word; another to know it and meditate on the word.
Knowing the word is not just to know about it.
Know the word to meditate on it.
Meditation will cause one to observe and do what the word requires.
Engage in meditation constantly to be built for the glory of God.
The word of God is powerful and can never deny itself nor fail, but man can fail to engage the word as a builder.
The work that will build one is to be living for God. 
With curiosity, the disciples asked Jesus, “…What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?” (John 6:28)
Jesus responded, “…This is the work of God that you believe in Him whom He sent.” (John 6:29)
Do not compromise the word of God, but with a desire, the word will build you.
Just as there is no substitute for food for man to grow physically, so there is no substitute for the word to grow spiritually. Jeremiah 15:16 testifies that the word is as food. The Bible records, “Your words were found, and I ate them, and your word was to me the joy and the rejoicing of my heart…”  
Are you feeding on the word of God? 
With understanding, feed on the word of God, to become built for God.
Know to give ear and mind to the entrance of the word of God. 
Jeremiah 13:15 admonishes, “Hear and give ear: Do not be proud, For the LORD has spoken.”  The Lord has spoken; be a believer, play your part, and receive His word that will build you up for the glory of God.
Understand to know to be hearing the word of God constantly for you to be built up for the glory of God.
Become a built-up one as a living testimony before God, do exploits, to the glory of God.

Prayer for today: Look up to God to enable you to be built by His word.

FAITH CAPSULE: Wickedness is an ungodly sin. 

Matthew 15

A hypocrite is an identity of the wicked ones.
Wickedness is defined as evil by nature and, in practice, highly offensive or obnoxious. 
Wickedness is an ungodly sin. 
It is the wickedness on earth that provoked the hand of God to destroy man on earth during the time of Noah. 
Genesis 6:5 records the testimony of God about the wicked on earth, “Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” 
Since the time of the testimony of God, the wickedness on earth has been continual.
Today, wickedness knows no bounds.
It reigns inside and outside of the church.
Within a group of believers, if there is a question about who is wicked, hardly would any accept giving to wickedness.
As an acclaimed believer, have you ever considered or seen yourself as one who engages in wickedness? 
Jeremiah 12:2, Jeremiah speaks 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.” 
The word of Jeremiah points out that the wicked are those who speak the word of God but do not carry it in their mind.
Many are with a mouthful of the word of God but only mindful of self, not of God.
It is wickedness to be deceitful.
The wicked ones grow and prosper, and nothing over their forehead identifies them. Are you an acclaimed believer, deceiving believers, and outside of believers?
The wicked are conversant in speaking the word of God while the word of God is absent or far from the mind. 
A hypocrite is an identity of the wicked ones.
The word of Jesus also refers to the wicked ones as hypocrites. Matthew 15:7-9 states,“Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying: ‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me, and in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.” 
Yes or no, if you consider yourself a hypocrite? 
A hypocrite is a pretender. 
A hypocrite is one whose walk and talk do not match. 
A hypocrite is also a person who knows about the word but does not practice it. 
If what you possess is not what you profess, you have failed in doing what you say, and you are a son of the wicked; in vain, you worship Him.
There is a need to serve God in deed and truth, not live life as a wicked one. 

Prayer for today: Lord, enable me not to live life as wicked.

FAITH CAPSULE: The sin of Jonah swallowed him.

Jonah 1, 2

To obey the word of God is to gain the presence of God.
Obedience to the word of God is doing according to the word of God.
The word of God is God.
Doing according to the word of God is doing what God wants all to do. 
Doing what God wants all to do is walking with Him. 
The character of one who looks up to God continually is obedience to God.
It is easy to claim walking with God when you are not.
One not walking with God is being far from God.
Jonah, a prophet of God, looked away from the word of God; he disobeyed God and walked away from God. 
Jonah walked away from the presence of God.
To walk away from God (to be disobedient to His word) is stepping into self-destruction.
Jonah 1:1-3 records, “Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me.” 3 But Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid the fare, and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.”
Jonah, because of his sin of disobedience and his distance from God, positioned him to settle in an undesired life.
Jonah disobeyed God. It was a sin before God, and his sin made him become a tenant inside a GREAT FISH. The sin of Jonah SWALLOWED him.
The bible identifies the prayer for deliverance by Jonah.
HE CRIED OUT TO GOD BECAUSE OF HIS AFFLICTION (and God answered him)
HE REPENTED AND PROMISED TO LOOK BACK TO GOD (to turn to God as he was asked to do)  
HE MADE A VOW TO SACRIFICE TO GOD.(JONAH 2:9, “But I will sacrifice to You with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay what I have vowed. Salvation is of the Lord.”) He vowed to give a sacrifice of thanksgiving to God.
Giving thanks before the manifestation of expectation is a sacrificial thanks.
Psalm 50:14-15 records,“Offer to God thanksgiving, and pay your vows to the Most High. Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.”
It is wise to pray for the mercy of God to enable one not to be far from Him.
Prayer for today:
Ask that God will give heed to the cries of your heart (God gave heed to the cries of Jonah for salvation from destruction.
Ask that God will enable you to be looking up to Him continually and not look away from His word.
Ask that whatever makes a man look away from His word of deliverance and preservation shall not have a place in your life.
Ask by thanking God for His deliverance from the consequence of your disobedience.