FAITH CAPSULE: Seeking God starts from the heart.

Jeremiah 10

A failure to seek God is the evidence of dull-heart and it denies every heavenly blessing that makes a difference in the life of man. It is written in Jeremiah 10:21, “For the shepherds have become dull-hearted, and have not sought the LORD; therefore they shall not prosper, and all their flocks shall be scattered.”
Are you dull-hearted? Are you seeking God with your all your heart? God demands that we seek Him diligently. Seeking Him diligently will also amount to keeping our heart diligently for Him to reign and rule in our heart. Among the ways of seeking Him with our heart is meditating on His word. In meditation lies prosperous way and good success. The Lord God spoke to Joshua after Moses was dead, “Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left that you may prosper wherever you go. 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 1:7-8) The heart that is constantly active in meditation will become active in experiencing prosperity. The kind of prosperity that the Lord mentioned to Joshua was an all-round prosperity. An all-round prosperity is the one that gives good success. Remember, what is good is God’s.
The ability to observe and to do according to the word of God comes only from constant and consistent meditation on the word of God. Doing and observing the word is obeying God. It is only in obeying the word of God that seeking God reigns. As a believer, where do you stand in seeking God? Seeking God starts from the heart. A dull heart is the evidence of God’s absence. Where God is absent, the enemy’s presence prevails. The word of God is secret to those whose heart is not engage in seeking Him. However, “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty” (Psalm 91:1). The secret place of God is no longer a secret to those that know to seek Him in the pages of His word that never fails. Spending time and holding on to the word of God in meditation brings about prosperity that leads to good success. God cannot be mocked and neither can He be manipulated and whatever is sowed is what you will reap. Sow by investing time in meditation and your heart will be active and not dull.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace of enablement to be constant and consistent meditating the word of God.

FAITH CAPSULE: Jesus is the bread of life.

John 6:22-59

A woman of Samaria had an encounter with Jesus when Jesus asked her for water. She was reluctant because it was not real for a Jew to be asking water from a Samaritan. Jesus spoke to her, “…If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.” (Luke 4:10) Jesus is the gift of God and He is also the living water. He is the water that never dries.
Jesus was speaking in John 6:47-51, “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life.  I am the bread of life.Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead.  This is the bread which comes down from heaven that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.” Jesus is the bread of life and anyone that believes is the one that actually feeds on the bread of life.
What do you feed on that is considered more sustaining than the living bread? Truly, we are what we feed on and whatever we feed on determines what we become. Do you believe enough to accept that He is the living water and the bread of life? 
As an acclaimed believer, are you feeding yourself enough of Jesus? Jesus is the bread of life. He said in John 6:57, “… So he who feeds on Me will live because of Me.” He alone is the bread of life and feeding on Him is the only way of having His word abiding in you. The evidence of believing is the word that abides in us. John 5:38, “But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe.” Yesterday and today, many goes after Jesus to feed on bread that perishes.  Jesus, after feeding of the five thousand, many went after Him just to look for more bread to eat. Jesus, knowing the reason for their coming, responded to them and said, “…Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. (John 6:26) Loaves will only fill you and get digested but the bread of life will abide in you forever. Change your appetite, get into Jesus’ reality and begin to feed of life that is in Jesus.

Prayer for today: Ask Him to feed you with the bread of heaven and to grant the grace for your life to retain the living water.

FAITH CAPSULE: Fear in the face of trouble is the demonstration of no confidence in the Lord.

1 Samuel 28

The book of Proverbs 3:25-26 counseled, “Do not be afraid of sudden terror, Nor of trouble from the wicked when it comes; For the LORD will be your confidence, And will keep your foot from being caught.” To be afraid in the face of trouble or in the face of sudden terror is the demonstration of no confidence in the Lord or the evidence of lack of knowledge what God can do. Often times, it is easy to confess hope and trust in the Lord but when trouble or sudden terror comes like a wave, faith becomes tested. However, the more one hear and hear about how different troubles and sudden terrors were overcome by the presence of the Lord, our faith supposedly will rise. The word of God is true when it states that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. (Romans 10:17) How are you boosting your confidence and not be afraid in the face of world challenges?
To be afraid is an indirect way of despising the word of God in one’s life. At every time the word of God is despised one is set for destruction. Destruction is exactly what the enemy wants for every man. Fear is the weapon of the enemy and the opposite of faith.
Saul was afraid and brought himself down as king. Once, Saul gathered all Israel together, and they encamped at Gilboa to fight the Philistines. It is written, “When Saul saw the army of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart trembled greatly.  And when Saul inquired of the Lord, the Lord did not answer him, either by dreams or by Urim or by the prophets.” (1Samuel 28:5-6) As a result of his feeling, he entered into deception in attempt to hear from God. He disguised and acted against the law by consulting a woman who is a medium. It is written, “Then the woman said to him, “Look, you know what Saul has done, how he has cut off the mediums and the spiritists from the land. Why then do you lay a snare for my life, to cause me to die?” (1 Samuel 28:9) Being afraid did not solve the problem of Saul but compounded it. Saul reacted to the sudden terror by becoming afraid after he could not hear from God.
David was supposed to be afraid when the Amalekites invaded his camp at Ziklag; burnt down and took away women and children as captive. David’s people spoke of stoning him because the soul of his people was grieved. David was distressed but he strengthened himself in the Lord God. (1 Samuel 30:4-6) You have the word of God, be strengthened in the word of God and you shall overcome and not be victim of being afraid.
 
Prayer for today: Ask God to enable you to operate in the spirit of power, love and sound mind.

FAITH CAPSULE: A blessing in delay is not a blessing in denial.

Ezra 1, 4

When God opened door for the rebuild of the temple a pagan ruler, Cyrus the king of Persia was moved to the open door as prophesied that a man named Cyrus would issue an order in support of the rebuilding of the temple. Ezra 1:1-2, “Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying, Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: All the kingdoms of the earth the LORD God of heaven has given me. And He has commanded me to build Him a house at Jerusalem which is in Judah.” What the Lord has purposed for you shall not be disconnected by any position of authority. Just like when He stirred up the spirit of Cyrus so shall He stir theheart of the ones in authority to favor you. Just as there was an open door for the temple to be built, there were also agents and adversaries, the enemy of progress. As the building progressed the resistance to build also presented itself. This was God’s project facing resistance in the hand of the evil ones and his agents. If God’s project can face such a resistance yours can also face resistance. The promise of God states, “The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.” (Exodus 14:14) It answered for the Israelites it shall also answer for you regardless of your adversary’s wicked agenda if you will hold to your peace. 
The adversaries of the children of Israel succeeded as far as making the project of God cease. Ezra 4:24, “Thus the work of the house of God which is at Jerusalem ceased, and it was discontinued until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.” The project of God ceased and it was delayed. Are you experiencing delay in any area of your life? The adversaries could only delay but they could not deny the project from getting completed. Your project will be completed like that of the Israelites. It is written in Ezra 6:14-15, “So the elders of the Jews built, and they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. And they built and finished it, according to the commandment of the God of Israel, and according to the command of Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia. Now the temple was finished…” Are you concerned about any delay? Be encouraged that the same God will complete your project. A blessing in delay is not a blessing in denial.

Prayer for today: Ask God to permanently terminate and destroy any adversary that is playing a role in the delay of your breakthrough.

FAITH CAPSULE: The word of God is easier said than done.

Luke 5:1-11

Regardless of the past challenges, launching out by looking forward in your new beginning and hoping to receive the good and exciting package that comes along in your new beginning is faith. Launching out especially where in the past nothing good comes to hand, can be a very discouraging situation. Four seasoned professional fishermen toiled all night with no fish to show for it. For the four professional fishermen, fishing was done for the day when packing up for the day by washing of empty nets was engaged. The four fishermen were ready to launch away from the sea to their various destination with no fish to show for after an all-night toiling when they encountered Jesus. In their encounter, Jesus said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” (Luke 5:4)
Jesus’ command which asked for launching into the deep sounds foolish but was backed with power because Jesus said it. 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 where there is nothing to show for? Simon responded to the command of 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. Launching out in the place of hopelessness is an act of faith. Abraham acted in faith by obeying God when he was called to come out of his ground of certainty to uncertainty; from his ground of convenience to inconvenience.  It is written, “…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.” (Hebrews 11:8-10) Abraham launched out when he left his family behind, he let down when he dwelt and waited for the promise of God to manifest.  There was no record of doubt among the four fisher men and neither was there any record of complain recorded for Abraham. They acted by launching into God’s command. The word of God is easier said than done among the believers today. However, it is the one that acted the word from the heart that counts before God and not only the word that comes out of the mouth. Know it that, “…the Lord God is the God of knowledge; and by Him actions are weighed.” (1 Samuel 2:3) Launch out where you are called to launch; let down and He will lift you above and beyond your expectation.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace of constant, immediate and full obedience to the word of God.