FAITH CAPSULE: Grace in place is not for sin to have a place.

Genesis 6, 7

Multiplication and beauty is a blessing from the Lord. The Bible recorded, “Now it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them, that the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves of all whom they chose.” (Genesis 6:1-2) God meant good by blessing His creation and with blessings of God, His creation multiplied in wickedness and all kinds of ungodliness that provoked the hand of God against man. It is written, “… LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. So the LORD said, “I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth…” (Genesis 6:6-7) Sin set man against God and disqualified man from His grace, “But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD” (Genesis 6:8). The same eyes that spotted sin during the time of multiplication and beautification of God’s creation are still the same eyes today. Nothing can escape the eyes of God and the word testifies, “For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him…” (2 Chronicles 16:9)
God’s eye is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. God is forever consistent and He will not overlook sin. There is always sin and there is always forgiveness. However, forgiveness does not take away consequence. If you have been privilege with multiplication and beauty by God, it is definitely not the time to engage sin and sinning before Him. God alone can send showers (rain) of blessing or showers (rain) of destruction. The shower that fell during the time of Noah was in two fold. To the wicked ones, it was a shower of destruction while to Noah it was a shower of grace. The Bible recorded in Genesis 7:11-12, “In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.  And the rain was on the earth forty days and forty nights. ” The rain that flooded in the time of Noah was the result of sin. God’s blessing does not come with sorrow and neither was it meant to bring sorrow but when sin reigns it provokes the hand of God against man. Just as grace was available for Noah so it is for all man. However, the word of God makes it clear that grace in place is not for sin to have place by stating, “Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?  Certainly not!

Prayer for today: Pray against every force that causes man to abuse God’s blessing in life.

FAITH CAPSULE: Know it that God is not asleep.

Psalm 37

Evildoers are wicked. Being evil or wicked is foolishness. It takes the lack of the fear of God to be foolish. The Bible also testifies to it stating, “The fool has said in his heart, “there is no God” they are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none who does good.” (Psalm 14:1) Are you experiencing any effect of the wicked? Is there any how the evil one is attempting to deny what belongs to you as ordained by God? Know it that God is not asleep; He does not slumber and the enemy cannot be more powerful than God. The book of Ecclesiastes 8:13 states, “But it will not be well with the wicked; nor will he prolong his days, which are as a shadow, because he does not fear before God.” King David wrote, “Do not fret because of evildoers, Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity.” (Psalm 37:1) Which one of King David’s advice of ‘do not’ are you doing? Being fretful of the evildoers or being envious of the workers of iniquity? Being fretful of the evildoers testifies to not having rest in the Lord but troubled because of the evildoers. Also, when you are envious because of the workers of iniquity it is a demonstration that you have shifted your focus from God but to the works of the evildoers.
The wicked are here to stay until the Lord is ready to take them away. King David went further in the same Psalm 37 and gave the prescription to rest in the Lord while ignoring the wicked and their wickedness. Psalm 37:3, “Trust in the LORD, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.” Let the Lord take care of His business concerning the wicked. There is nothing that gets past the Lord. The Lord sees all things and He knows all things that are going on. He alone knows when to deal with them when they refuse to come out of their wickedness. Jeremiah also complained to God, “…Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why are those happy who deal so treacherously? 2 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 it is important that those who fear God should concentrate on pleasing God by working the works of God rather than questioning His response to the wicked. Knowing that it is an abomination to fools to depart from evil is enough to trust God for intervention at His set time. Are you wicked? Would you be honest and take some time out, search, examine, and identify if there is any wicked way in you? There is no minor or serious wickedness. God will judge wickedness.

Prayer for today: Ask God to deliver you and preserve you from all that identifies man as wicked.

FAITH CAPSULE: Are you toiling with no result coming forth?

Luke 5:1-11

It is written, “So it was, as the multitude pressed about Him to hear the word of God that He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret, and saw two boats standing by the lake; but the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets. Then He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little from the land. And He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat. When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.” (Luke 5:1-5) Peter and fellow fishermen toiled all night toiled all night and had nothing to show for it until they had an encounter with Jesus. Are you toiling in any area of life without anything to show for it? Peter and his fellow fishermen’s encounter with Jesus delivered a net crashing catch. Have you had an encounter with Jesus and yet nothing to show for? Many had an encounter with Jesus; many are encountering Him with nothing to show for.
The two things that triggered fishermen’s net crashing catch when they encountered Jesus are: The fishermen had no idea of who Jesus was when He requested to use their boats as the podium for communicating His message. Despite lack of productivity in their toiling all night they did not deny Jesus’ request. Is your situation dictating how you respond to strangers coming your way? You never know who God is going to use to touch your life in your present situation and there is no excuse not to reach out to anyone that crosses your way. Secondly, the fishermen did not question Jesus when He commanded them to launch out into the deep and let down their nets for a catch. The fishermen could have complained at Jesus’ command that called for doing what had not worked all night. The fishermen listened and did as they were commanded to do by Jesus. In your toiling without breakthrough, are you ignoring any voice sounding in your direction for your breakthrough? Take some time out and identify if the voice is meant for your breakthrough. The Fishermen were able to give and they were also able to listen and respond. What is the Lord saying to you that you are yet to obey? He will not ignore you in your toiling if you do not turn away from Him in your time of toiling.

Prayer for today: Ask God to open you up so that you will be able to see and hear what will bring forth your breakthrough.

FAITH CAPSULE: What area of your life needs to be changed for you to enter into what the Lord has called you to be?

1 Chronicles 4:1-12

It is written, in I Chronicles 4:9, “Now Jabez was more honorable than his brothers, and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, “Because I bore him in pain.” How else can the Bible describe a man better than being referred to as honorable? Throughout the Bible very few individuals were singled out with great identification like that of Jabez. Job was referred to as, “…blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil.” (Job 1:1) Also, Samuel noted David in 1 Samuel 13:14, “…The Lord has sought for Himself a man after His own heart…” King David was a man after God’s heart. It is written concerning Abraham, “…Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God.”  (James 2:23) Abraham became a friend of God because of his obedience which stands out throughout the pages of the scripture. Many must have had a great identity but failed to live life to their potential as regard to their identity. For example, Jabez had every reason to make it in life but then there was a need for a change somewhere in his life.
Jabez was an honorable man living a dishonorable life; not living up to his potential and what the Lord had called him to be. Jabez discovered his challenge when he recognized the meaning of his name as where change must have come from. The Bible recorded, “And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, “Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!” So God granted him what he requested. ” (1 Chronicles 4:10) God is the only Unchanging changer. Jabez (meaning sorrow) called on God and specifically requested for what could be his blessings as one that is identified honorable by the word of God. Jabez prayed a specific and direct prayer. Jabez wanted to be blessed, he did not pray “bless me Lord” but he specified the kind of blessing that he wanted. An honorable man deserves a large territory and he asked for the blessing of a large territory. Above that, he prayed for the hand of God to be with him just in case the evil one went after him. He called on God to have himself changed from being a vessel of pain to a vessel of gain. What area of your life needs to be changed for you to enter into what the Lord has called you to be? All it took for change to have its way in the life of Jabez was the ability to ask, and he did not ask a miss. Is it your name that needs to be changed for changes to be able to locate you? It is never too late and when the wind of change blows from the Lord nothing can stand against you.

Prayer for today: Ask God to open your eyes to whatever situation that is representing a trap in your life so you do not miss your blessing of change.

FAITH CAPSULE: Trusting God is resting in God and not rusting in the world of challenges.

Genesis 22:1-19

Just has anything that comes out to be good is set in good foundation, so it is that anything which comes out to be bad is set in bad foundation. Also, if faith can be demonstrated in minor challenges it should also be demonstrated in major challenges. If you have been trusting God for a minor provision, when the need for a major provision presents itself trusting in God should also be in place. Experience that brings out the best out of man in the journey of life builds up and adds up to empowerment. Experience into empowerment does not come overnight; it adds up and builds up. An adage says, ‘Rome was not built in a day.’ Practice is what makes perfect. Practicing faith will bring out the best to stand tests as they come in the way of a believer. When it was time for Abraham to enter the test that settled him and defined him for his divine agenda, the Bible recorded, “Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham…” (Genesis 22:1) The statement, ‘After these things’ is undoubtedly referring to all his experiences and responses from the time he was called out to the time God wanted to finally elevate him.
Abraham, a faith practitioner had passed through many minor tests before he was set for major test. Abraham’s response to the King of Sodom after Abraham’s victory of bringing Lot and people back from the captivity of king Chedorlaomer and other kings was evidence of the fact that Abraham’s passing the final test was rooted in the earlier test. Genesis 14:21-23, “Now the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the persons, and take the goods for yourself.” But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have raised my hand to the LORD, God Most High, the Possessor of heaven and earth, that I will take nothing, from a thread to a sandal strap, and that I will not take anything that is yours, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich.’” Abraham was bent on trusting God as his only divine source and provider. When the final test of using Isaac as the sacrificial offering came up, Abraham did not hesitate to demonstrate his trust and reliance on God as his source. When Isaac asked for the lamb for burnt offering Abraham knew there was no lamb at hand but yet responded, “…My son God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering…” (Genesis 22:8) There was a foundation in Abraham’s defining moment. Abraham’s foundation had been in trusting God for His word. Trusting God is resting in God and not rusting in the world of challenges.

Prayer for today: Ask God to enable you not to miss His visitation that will pass you into divine agenda for your life.