FAITH CAPSULE: Do not be distracted from answering the calling of God.

Jeremiah 1, Acts 9:1-9

When God calls you, He will back you.
Do you know that?
Do you know how to answer His call without doubt?
1 Thessalonians 5:24 states, “He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.”
In the calling of God, there is direction to guide that request for obedience.
Are you called by God or by the world?
God is a God of order and will not call you without giving you direction.
Are you experiencing challenges in your calling? 
In life, challenges are unavoidable when there is a miss in hearing one bound not to arrive at the calling of God.
Jeremiah and the apostle Paul were examples of the call of God. 
The calling of God over Jeremiah and Paul was to settle them for the center of their divine assignment.
Just as the vehicle cannot progress without fuel, so it is that without the direction of God, one cannot arrive at the calling of God.
The obedience of Jeremiah and Paul to the word of God was the root of the direction to arrive at the calling of God.
When God called Jeremiah, emotion did not hinder his answering to God.
Jeremiah 1:7-8  records,“…Do not say, ‘I am a youth,’ for you shall go to all to whom I send you, and whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of their faces, for I am with you to deliver you…”  
The direction of God and the obedience of Jeremiah caused him to become established in the calling of God.
The calling of God over the life of Paul is not the same as the calling of Jeremiah. 
He was on his way against Jesus, and the Bible records, “Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.” (Acts 9:1-2) 
When He called Paul, it was with the light of God. 
The light sought him out on his way to commit more crimes against the Lord. 
Paul is an example of one who can not run from God and hide.
The calling of God and direction was in place for Paul.
Paul did not miss out on direction but received direction by stating in Acts 22:10, “So I said, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ And the Lord said to me, ‘Arise and go into Damascus and there you will be told all things which are appointed for you to do.’”
From where you are, it is not too late to ask God to show you His way.
Do not run from the calling of God over your life.
Answering the calling of God will set one to arrive at the divine assignment.

Prayer for today: Ask God to deliver for the distraction that denies one to answer to His calling.

FAITH CAPSULE: The presence of God inhabits the rest of God.

Exodus 33

Today, more than ever, is to walk in the way of God to gain and retain His peace.
Have the peace of God and not be a victim of the wicked world.
The presence of God is His word, His peace that does not fail for one that gives self to His word.
Prayerfully, Moses answered the calling of God in his leading of the Israelites, “…I pray, if I have found grace in Your sight, show me now Your way, that I may know You and that I may find grace in Your sight. And consider that this nation is Your people.” (Exodus 33:13)
God responds to the prayer of Moses, “And He said, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” (Exodus 33:14)
In the way of God is His presence.
The presence of God inhabits the rest of God.
The word of God is His presence.
The character of the rest of God is the peace of God.
In this challenging world of wickedness, determination is not enough to gain and retain the peace of God, but with desire, God deposits.
One that gives self to prayer and the word of God will gain and retain the peace of God.
In the pages of the Bible, some pointers lead to learning in the way of God to gain and retain the peace of God.
Romans 15:4 encourages all, “For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.”
Among the documentation of the word to learn, gain, and retain the peace of God are:
Abide in the word of God.
John 8:31-32 records, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  
The word of God is truth. 
Do you know God or know about God? 
Knowing about is not the same as knowing the truth. 
Know the truth that makes a believer not to be a liar, deceiver, or manipulator and not run in the place to walk.
Know the truth, fear God, and turn to live free for God. 
Disobedience will terminate a glorious destiny in life.
One with peace of God will not have a reason to disobey God directly or indirectly. 
King Saul repeatedly violated the direction of God in place for his glorious destiny. 
God sent Samuel to Saul to attack and utterly destroy the Amalekites. 
Saul was unwilling but disobeyed God, an act of snubbing God.
King Saul disobeyed God, and he became substituted from the plan of God for his life. (1 Samuel 15) 
Pride and inability to wait on God are the company of iniquity before God, evidence of disobeying God to provoke God to be substituted in the assignment of God. 

Prayer for today: Ask that the peace of God gain and reign your life.

FAITH CAPSULE: A steadfast spirit enables Caleb and Joshua to follow God fully.

Numbers 14

One that follows God follows the word of God to serve God.
Are you serving God not to miss heaven?
Jesus said, “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 speak to you? 
The will of the Father is to live by the word of God. 
Is it your desire to serve God by following Jesus fully? 
To follow Him fully (to serve God) demands to be steadfast.
One who is self-full cannot be steadfast in serving God. 
Following is not a one-time or an on-and-off way of life. 
Following the word demands to be steadfast, to fix in direction, or to be firm in purpose. 
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. 
King 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.”
A steadfast spirit is what caused Caleb and Joshua to follow God fully. Caleb and Joshua refused to flow with the crowd and did not confess negatively against the word of God that promised them a land that flows with milk and honey. 
Caleb and Joshua were positive to follow the word of God in the face of Moses and all the people positively. 
By their positive confession, God declared, “My servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit in him and has followed Me fully, I will bring into the land where he went, and his descendants shall inherit it.” (Numbers 14:24) 
Following the command of God follows God fully.
When God called Elisha through Elijah, “…He left the oxen and ran after Elijah, and said, ‘Please let me kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you.’ And he said to him, ‘Go back again, for what have I done to you?’ 
So Elisha turned back from him and, took a yoke of oxen and, slaughtered them and boiled their flesh, using the oxen’s equipment, and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he arose and followed Elijah, and became his servant.” (1 King 19:20-21) 
Elisha left everything behind to answer the calling of God. 
In answering, Elisha demonstrates steadfastness. 
He emptied himself from all that could have held him back. 
Elisha used his oxen equipment as a boiler for the slaughtered oxen. 
Elisha followed the calling of God steadfastly. 
Whatever one cannot forsake for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven will disqualify such to answer as the candidate for the Kingdom of Heaven.
Be steadfast in following fully, and God will reward you.

Prayer for today: Ask for a clean and renewed heart and steadfast spirit within you.

FAITH CAPSULE: It is always a foolish act to disobey the command of God.

Psalm 37

Being foolish will not announce to oneself that it is with foolishness.
Proverbs 9:6 warns, “Forsake foolishness and live, And go in the way of understanding.”
Foolishness is not communication alone, but a foolish act might not known when being foolish.
To be disobedient, not waiting on God, is a foolish act with painful consequences.
King Saul disobeyed by not waiting according to the word of God.
Samuel instructed King Saul to wait for lawful sacrifice before going to war against the Philistines, but he could not wait.
As the Philistines gathered together to fight the Israelites, King Saul could not wait for seven days, as instructed by Samuel.
1 Samuel 13:9 records, “So Saul said, “Bring a burnt offering and peace offerings here to me.” And he offered the burnt offering.” 
King Saul tragically disobeyed the Law of Moses (Leviticus 1) as instructed by Samuel.
Are you experiencing challenges not to wait on God?
Get to know the truth, waiting in obedience to instruction rooted in the word of God to culminate expectations.
Samuel arrived at the location where Saul disobeyed by asking Saul, “What have you done?” 
Saul answered, “When I saw that the people were scattered from me and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines gathered together at Michmash, then I said, ‘The Philistines will now come down on me at Gilgal, and I have not made supplication to the Lord.’ Therefore I felt compelled, and offered a burnt offering.” (1 Samuel 13:11-12) 
To obey the word of God, ignore the compel of distraction.
Waiting for God is giving attention to a jealous God. 
Psalmist admonishes, “Indeed, let no one who waits on You be ashamed…” (Psalm 25:3)
A believer must understand waiting on God to endure a period of waiting without a doubt.
Waiting on God can be a delay but never a waste of time. 
In a time of waiting, among what to exercise as a believer must engage are:
Be of good courage; rest in the Lord; wait patiently for Him; do not fret; keep His way; let your soul wait silently.
The above truth about waiting is identifiable in the scriptural verses listed below:
Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord! (Psalm 27:14)
Psalm 37:7 says, “Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.”
Psalm 37:9, “For evildoers shall be cut off; But those who wait on the Lord, They shall inherit the earth.”
Hosea 12:6, “… wait on your God continually.”
All situations waiting on God shall experience the glory of God.
God answers when waiting on Him patiently by abiding in His word obediently. 

Prayer for today: Ask to be enabled with the strength to wait on God.

FAITH CAPSULE: Never too much to have more reasons to pray before God.

Jonah 1, 2

DO NOT COMPROMISE WRONGDOING

The word of God is His command that is not negotiable and is not to be compromised.
With no exception, all should live life according to the command of God to gain and retain a positive relationship with God. 
One that redirects the word of God to please oneself but not to please God is the evidence of a lack of understanding to serve God diligently.
Are you engaging the command of God not to compromise the word of God? 
Do you have faith in pleasing God without compromising His command?
Giving yourself to the word of God is to gain faith and live life according to the command of God. Hebrews 11:6 buttresses, “But without faith, it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”
Are you compromising the word of God consciously or unconsciously?
Before God, there is no legitimate excuse not to live life according to His word.
To compromise His command will complicate the journey of life.
Compromising God will violate man before God.
The world is deceiveable, but not God.
One with a lack of truth is a deceiver.
It is a sin to compromise iniquity.
Do not compromise with iniquity.
Judas compromises and does not rebuke iniquity (evil).
Judas was numbered as disciples but not counted.
Anyone that is compromising iniquity is complicating themself in the journey of life. 
Iniquity is evil. The word of God warns: “The fear of God is, to hate evil…” (Proverbs 8:13)
Know and pray to live truthfully before God, who does not sleep, and He shall see you.
PRAYER
Ask God to enable you to live a life of truth and be counted as one who lives for His glory.
Just like Judas, pray not to be a vessel of compromising wrongdoing.
Judas was numbered as one of the disciples but not counted when it mattered before God.
Ask God to enable you not to compromise and engage in wrongdoing.
MORE THAN EVER TURN TO THE WORD/PRESENCE OF GOD
Pray that, more than ever, you want to turn more to the word of God.
The word of God is God (John 1:1).
The word of God is His presence (Jonah 1:1-3).
Are you walking away from the word of God?
The word of God locates Jonah with direction, but he went in the opposite direction.
Walking in the opposite direction from God is a route of challenging storms, the experience of Jonah.
One can survive by disobedience to God, but none can hide from the consequences of disobedience.
Disobedience calls for repentance.
Attending to worshiping God is not enough.
Return to walk the word of God that sounds in your direction to avoid the storm of destruction.
PRAYER
Ask God to enable you to turn to Him more than ever, to live by Him.
Ask that the spirit of God will activate in you to walk in His word that sounds in your direction and not be a victim of the storm of life.