FAITH CAPSULE: If you love His law it is time to rise and see your challenge over.  

1 Samuel 17

As the Israelites gathered for battle against the Philistines, they were constantly assaulted by Goliath. It is written in 1 Samuel 17:10-11, “And the Philistine said, “I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together.” When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine; they were dismayed and greatly afraid.” The armies of God were constantly kept in fear where they should have been in faith. As an acclaimed believer, what challenge is keeping you in fear and not remember who your God is? For forty days, the armies of the living God were silent in fear before armies that do not have a living God. Does this sound like your case? Do you love the law (word) of God? The word of God promises those who love the law (word) of God in Psalm 119:165, “Great peace have those who love Your law, and nothing causes them to stumble.” Ask yourself if indeed you love His law not just by mouth but by living under His law. If you love His law it is time for you to rise and see your challenge to be over. Disregard whatever in the physical that is pointing you out as a looser and identify yourself in the Lord your God.
Once King Jehoshaphat encountered a confronting challenge, “And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. So Judah gathered together to ask help from the LORD; and from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the LORD.” (2 Chronicles 20:3-4) Jehoshaphat refused to entertain fear like King Saul and his armies did. Jehoshaphat rose in faith; sought God by waiting and fasting. Through the Bible, beautiful and unfailing promises await those who care and know to wait on God. Among such promises are: “…but those who wait on the Lord, they shall inherit the earth…” (Psalm 347:9) “But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:31)  The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him. (Lamentations 3:25) King Jehoshaphat waited on God and won.
David a young man; not a listed army; saw and heard the giant that was defying the armies of the living God. He decided to rise in faith and not sink in fear against Goliath. The same God that delivers David will grant you victory. The battle is not yours, let God fight for you and you will win.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace of waiting on God in the face of every confronting challenge of your life.

FAITH CAPSULE: Voice without word can be compared to a car without engine.  

 
Psalm 29

Word is power. Voice without word can be compared to a car without engine. Voice that sound in the direction of man will make man or break man. It was Eve’s voice which sounded negative word in Adam’s direction that brought to life the beginning of man’s eviction from the Garden of Eden. God spoke to Adam, “Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’: “Cursed is the ground for your sake…” (Genesis 3:17) Adam heeded negative word and it became a generational consequences. Which voice is sounding in your direction?
God promised Abraham fruit of the womb but Sarah’s voice sounded against the promise of God. It is written, “So Sarai said to Abram, “See now, the Lord has restrained me from bearing children. Please, go in to my maid; perhaps I shall obtain children by her.” And Abram heeded the voice of Sarai.” (Genesis 16:2) Abraham should have waited on God’s promise and not allow the word of Sarai’s voice to cause his violation. Are you allowing the voice man over-ride the voice of God in your life?
A man that diligently heed to the voice of the Lord will do His word. It is written, “If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His sight…” (Exodus 15:26) The challenge here is that, many are not diligent in heeding to the voice of the Lord. Without doubt, living the word of His mouth in these days of wickedness demands heeding diligently (observing attentively) the word of His voice.
The Bible records: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…” (John 1:1-2) The Word that has been sounding in your direction through the pages of Bible is the Word of God. The Word of God is God and God is His Word. What is it that is leading you in your ways? The way of God is life and it is truth. When we begin to listen to the Word of God, we will undoubtedly walk away from the way of death. God is not a slave master; He is a saving Master for anyone who will listen to His Word. The Word of God states in Psalm 32:8-9, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye. Do not be like the horse or like the mule, which have no understanding, which must be harnessed with bit and bridle…” God wants the best for all of His creation who will take a rest in the instruction and the direction of God that leads every obedient one to be under the guidance of the eye of God.

Prayerfor today: Ask for the grace to be diligent in heeding to His word.

FAIHT CAPSULE: Are you experiencing any confronting challenge that is huge enough to knock of you confidence?  

Matthew 14:22-33

Fear in the face of trouble or fear in the face of sudden terror is the demonstration of no confidence in the Lord. It is written, “Do not be afraid of sudden terror, Nor of trouble from the wicked when it comes; 26 For the LORD will be your confidence, And will keep your foot from being caught.”(Proverbs 3:25-26) Is there any reason for being afraid? To be afraid in the face of sudden terror is the evidence of lack of confidence Unchanging Changer. Lack of confidence is the evidence of lack of faith. Where faith is absent fear is fully present. The Israelites were afraid in the face of confronting challenge when Moses said to the people,

“Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see

again no more forever.  The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.”  (Exodus 14:13-14) Holding onto peace in the face of challenge is the evidence of confidence. Are you experiencing any confronting challenge that is huge enough to knock of you confidence?  
It is easy to confess our hope and trust in the Lord but when trouble or sudden terror comes like a wave, our faith becomes tested. However, the more we hear and hear about how different troubles and sudden terrors were overcome by the presence of the Lord, our faith supposedly will rise. Jesus made His disciples get into a journey where there faith was tested. It was not accidental but a passage through incident that was to qualify them as ones that have seen it all, being in it all and experienced it all so that they could be our model. He sent them on a journey at a late hour a time of no return, “…Now when evening came, He was alone there, But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary. Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. 26 And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out for fear. ” (Matthew 14:23-26) Jesus’ disciples must have seen enough miracles during their walk with Jesus not to be afraid but yet they were afraid because they lack confidence. Jesus, the One who sent the disciples in the boat across to the other side before Him did not forsake them despite their lack of confidence. Has He called you and all that you are dealing with are challenges upon challenges and waves after waves? Be confident and know that enemy cannot be more powerful more than Jesus.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace to be constantly confident in the face of any challenge.

FAITH CAPSULE: Compromising what is not right will contaminate every man’s journey.

Psalm 1

It is written, “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.” (Psalm 1:1)  Man’s walk, stand and sit in the journey of life will determine how man end up in life journey. The step a man takes will determine man’s walk. Wherever man’s foot is planted is where man takes a stand. Also, where man takes a sit will set man up for what man becomes. As a believer, how is your walk? Where are you taking a stand? How do you sit?  Anyone that is godly will avoid to be caught up in taking wrong steps that could cause them not to stand in the Day of Judgment. Have you been dwelling in the congregation of the righteous or in the congregation of the wicked? Whatever is not right is wrong. A believer that consciously ride with what is not right engages compromising with wrong. Compromising what is not right will contaminate every man’s journey.
Where there is life there is hope and it is never too late to begin to reassess your steps, your stand and where you have taken a sit. One thing cannot be hidden from God and that is our hearts. Just as in water where face reflects face so our hearts reveals us to our Lord and savior. (Proverbs 27:19) Man can deceive man but will not be able to deny judgment from taking its place when it is time. Our walk, our stand and where we sit can be straighten and be well before God if meditating in His law will take a prominent position in our hearts. In meditating the law of God, there is grace not to end up wrong in the journey of life. Meditating and not just memorizing the law is not limited to certain time of the day but it should be an ongoing and all day engagement. Until meditating takes the right approach, the ability to observe the law and to do according to the law will not be possible. After the death of Moses, when it was time for Joshua to take over the leadership role, the Lord spoke to Joshua, “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.”(Joshua 1:8) The grace and ability to meditate will no doubt take charge over our walk, where we sit and how we stand. Meditation will navigate the way to having prosperous and a good successful life.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace not to derail from the right path of life.

FAITH CAPSULE: With contentment, a man can live a life that demonstrates the fear of God.

Exodus 2

Are you a believer with contentment or one without contentment? Contentment is defined as assenting to or willing to accept circumstances. It is written, “Now godliness with contentment is great gain.” (1Timothy 6:6) Being contented makes greatness out of a godly man. Moses, a godly man became great in the hand of God. Moses lived in one of the greatest palaces of his time for forty years. Without any prior preparation, he fled for his life when his attempt to rescue his brethren resulted into loss of life. Moses fled from his adopted home of forty years and ended up in a desert area. It was an area with nothing to compare with the palace of Pharaoh. For Moses, it must have been a move from comfort to discomfort. The Bible records, “Then Moses was content to live with the man, and he gave Zipporah his daughter to Moses.” (Exodus 2:21) Without doubt, the foundation Moses needed to be built up for God’s assignment which made him great was rooted in contentment. The point here is after living a comfortable life at the highest order; he accepted life at the lowest order. Moses’ approach to life was in line with the fact that, we brought nothing into this world and it is certain that we can carry nothing out of this world.
With contentment, a man can live a life that demonstrates the fear of God. In the midst of little or plenty, the one with contentment will always acknowledge God for the grace of provision. Contentment will cause a believer to be conditioned to live for God in each and every situation. A believer with contentment focus more on God with what is at hand and/or when there is nothing at hand. Contentment in Apostle Paul that prompted his testimony in Philippians 4:11-13, “Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” To Paul and Moses in their divine assignment, nothing counts but only God who they counted on.
What can be compared to leaving a great palace behind for a desert and not demonstrate any evidence of frustration? In truth, the grace of God is sufficient for every believer regardless of any situation. Without contentment, the grace to be able to acknowledge, accept and live on the word of God could be almost impossible. The Word of God that is written all over Moses was, “Now godliness with contentment is great gain.” (1Timothy 6:6)

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace of contentment to have a place in your life.