FAITH CAPSULE: When complaint sets in you, discouragement will also settle inside you.

Deuteronomy 1

The Psalmist asked, “Oh, turn to me, and have mercy on me! Give Your strength to Your servant, And save the son of Your maidservant.” (Psalm 86:16) The mercy of God strengthens. Truly, the mercy of God is all that we need in the journey of life which demands constant strength renewal. In every journey, there is tendency to fall when foot slips, however, the mercy in place will always make one to prevail. Psalmist testifies, “If I say, “My foot slips,” Your mercy, O LORD, will hold me up.” (Psalm 94:18)
The journey of life is not a straight course. It is full ups and downs; valley and hill. Above all, the journey of life can be likened to a journey through the wilderness. In every man’s journey of life, the mercy of God is in place to see every sojourner through. However, giants whose places are in the mind and often pass through the mouth are set to terminate man from getting to the expected end. The giant of delay, denial and destruction is in every man and if any would let him, he will not let that man arrive at their expected end. The name of that giant is the spirit of complaint. In the company of complaint, is the spirit of discouragement. It is written, “And you complained in your tents, and said, ‘Because the LORD hates us, He has brought us out of the land of Egypt to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us. 28 Where can we go up? Our brethren have discouraged our hearts, saying, “The people are greater and taller than we; the cities are great and fortified up to heaven; moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakim there.”’ (Deuteronomy 1:27-28) It is clear that when complaint sets in you, discouragement will also settle inside you. God has promised and He cannot fail. As much as it is important to understand that there are giants on the way to the expected end, then passing through the wilderness should be with diligence so as to gain possession. The passage through the wilderness is a necessary experience. One, however, does not have to live there. For the children of Israel, an eleven day journey became a forty year agony. The wilderness became a habitation when it was only meant to be for a learning experience. The experience is to be added to you and become your make-up in living in the promise land and also in carrying out God’s divine schedule in life. The wilderness experiences are not to break you if you do not break yourself down and make the wilderness your habitation. God is a faithful God. He will go before us and He will fight for us just like He has done in the past.

Prayer for today: Ask for God’s mercy to deliver you from every evil work and to preserve you that you may see the glory of God.

FAITH CAPSULE: Seek God to obtain favor.

Esther 3, 4, 5

God was speaking in Isaiah 60:10, “…for in My wrath I struck you; But in My favor I have had mercy on you.” The point here is that, in the favor of God is His mercy that endures forever. The favor of God is what we can seek to obtain. God is not a God that gives by accident. The word testifies in Proverb 8:35, “For whoever finds me finds life, and obtains favor from the LORD.” Are you constantly seeking for the Word of life? Esther sought God through fasting and praying and obtains God’s favor that gave life to the children of Israel. Haman was a high-ranking officer during the reign of king Ahasuerus. He devised a plot to terminate the children of Israel because their laws are different from the laws of the Land, and they would not keep the laws of the land. To escape the evil devises of Haman against the Israelites, there was a need for the favor of God to intervene. Esther was in position to go to the inner court. The Bible described the inner court, “All the king’s servants and the people of the King’s provinces know that any man or woman who goes into the inner court to the king, who has not been called, he has but one law: put all to death, except the one to whom the king holds out the golden scepter, that he may live…” Yet I myself have not been called to go in to the king these thirty days.”(Esther 4:11)
The above description of inner court demands the favor of God for anyone to approach and seek a way for the deliverance of the Israelites from the evil set of Haman. Mordecai put pressure on Esther to seek deliverance from the king on behalf of the Israelites. Esther responded by asking for days of fasting that would enable her to obtain favor of God for the Israelites’ deliverance. After Esther’s praying and fasting, the bible states, “So it was, when the king saw Queen Esther standing in the court that she found favor in his sight, and the king held out to Esther the golden scepter that was in his hand. Then Esther went near and touched the top of the scepter.” (Esther 5:2) God favored Esther. God’s favor upon Esther granted deliverance for the Israelites from the evil agenda of Haman. When David began to get closer to his breakthrough, King Saul needed someone that could play an instrument for his mental illness. David was the qualified one, “Then Saul sent to Jesse, saying, “Please let David stand before me, for he has found favor in my sight.””(1 Samuel 16:22) The favor of God upon our lives will draw Kings to answer to our desires. Esther found favor; David found favor because they sought God.

Prayer for today: Ask God today for the kind of favor that makes man become an overcomer.

FAITH CAPSULE: Have you stop relying on God by turning to man?

2 Chronicles 15, 16

It is written “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 cannot overlook sin. He is a God that forgives but the consequences of sin cannot be avoided. Sin is sin; there is no good or bad sin. The best way to live a godly life; to live life as one whose heart is loyal to God is to stay away from sin and stay in the Way. Ones whose heart is loyal to God engage living godly life constantly and not only when it is convenient. Asa, King of Judah, did right for many years. He was described as being loyal to God, but it was the sin of being disloyal that sank him. He was caught up in doing what he did best. He was best at waiting on God for help. In times of wars and challenges, he went to God, and was getting glorious results. Asa’s only failure was that he did not wait on God in the war against Baasha, King of Israel when he went and sought help from Ben-Hadad of Syria.
God is always on the side of His creation that knows to wait on Him. Waiting on God is relying on God, relying on God is giving Him attention. Giving God all of our attention is the evidence of faith. With faith God is always please with us. As regard to Asa’s failure from his loyalty to God, 2 Chronicles 16:7 recorded, “And at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah, and said to him: ‘Because you have relied on the king of Syria and have not relied on the LORD your God, therefore the army of the king of Syria has escaped from your hand.’” When waiting on God (relying on God) is no longer in place in the life of a believer, an avenue of escape opens for the enemy. The worst thing that can happen to a believer is to let the enemy escape just like it happened to Asa the King of Judah. In time of great challenges, God is the one on whom to rely. Have you stop relying on God by turning to man? Why now? Why have you settled for man’s help now? God is a jealous God and He does not overlook such a move. Now that you know, you can call on Him for forgiveness. Do not allow ignorance to hold you hostage. God is a good God. Take your battles to Him and let Him fight on your behalf.  

Prayer for today: Ask God to deliver you from any spirit that causes man to switch from relying on God to relying on man.

FAITH CAPSULE: There is no better way than the way of life.

 
Matthew 7

The journey of life can be compared to travelling on a highway which has been constructed with lanes that can occupy any size of vehicle. It does not matter how big or small a vehicle of transportation is, each vehicle will only travel on a single lane at a time.  Trailer, trucks and compact cars drive besides each other and the lanes on the highway treats no vehicle special; lanes are same in size. Imagine yourself as a vehicle on the highway of life; what size would you consider yourself to be a truck or compact car? Before God, title or position does not place anyone to travel on a specially designed lane. The highway of life only has two exits: heaven (narrow) and hell (broad) and the lane you keep determine where you exit. Jesus stated, “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.” (Matthew 7:13) Are you on the right lane or the wrong lane? Some travels long time while some only travels short distance before the exit sign shows up. Time to exit is not within us but with the One that sets us up on journey. Traveling the highway of life, there is only one exit to be taken at a time and no one take to two exits at the same time.
Have you chosen the right exit (way)? Jesus spoke out about the way that leads through to the expected end stating, “…I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” Jesus is the only way. There are so many ways that seem right to you; those are the ways you should avoid if you sincerely desire to get to where God has prepared for you. Proverbs 14:12 and 16:25 repeatedly sound the warning of avoiding what “seems” to be the right way. Proverbs 14:12, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” Today which of the way (exit) will you chose? There is no better way than the way of life. It is not about what you think or what seems right; it is about the truth and the truth is always right. In the way of the truth, challenges will emerge but you will overcome them if you have purposed not to take any way that is outside of the Way. In the way of God, all you will have to avoid is taking a short cut because a short cut will cut you short and the final destination will be terminated. Commit yourself to the way of God. He that goes in the way of God always gets to his destination. Make the right choice today by taking the Way.

Prayer for today: Ask Him to redirect your steps from every way you might have taken outside of His holy name.