FAITH CAPSULE: Wisdom is the instruction of God while knowledge is the application of wisdom.

1 Samuel 17
 
Salvation is work; it is encased in believing God. To believe God is work. Once Jesus was asked, “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?” (John 6:28) In responding Jesus stated, “This is the work of God that you believe in Him whom He sent.” (John 6:29) Evidently, It can be concluded in the response of Jesus that believe is work. Philippians 2:12 buttressed the word by stating, “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” (Philippians 2:12)
What does it take to work? It should be illuminated that work demands strength. In any kind of work, being of the physical or working the works of God (Believing God) strength is the source. Without strength work will cease. In physical work strength comes from food. However, to keep working the works of God and not lose our salvation, the supply of strength must be consistent. Isaiah 33:6 identifies the source of strength for salvation, “Wisdom and knowledge will be the stability of your times, and the strength of salvation…” (Isaiah 33:6) Wisdom and knowledge are the source of strength that helps in working out our salvation.
Wisdom is the command, word or the instruction of God while knowledge is the application of wisdom. Are you studying the instructions (word) of God enough to be able to apply when you face challenges?
David operated in wisdom and was recorded of him, “…David went out wherever Saul sent him, and behaved wisely…” (1 Samuel 18:5) This describes David as a man of wisdom.
Once, the Israelites were in need of deliverance from Goliath and the Philistines army. Goliath declared,“…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. ” (1 Samuel 17:10-11)
David needed the wisdom of God to bring forth salvation to his people. Against every form of discouragement, the young David who was not trained in army combat spoke wisely,“You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you…” (1 Samuel 17:45-46) David with the wisdom of God in him, he had knowing-edge (Knowledge) that prevailed over Goliath.

Prayer for today: Ask God to enable you for His wisdom to have a place in your life.

FAITH CAPSULE: Negative testimony provokes negative confession.

Numbers 14
 
It is written, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue,and those who love it will eat its fruit.” (Proverbs 18:21) If your choice is life speak positive at every time you open your mouth and life will answer for you.
The children of Israel that went to spy the Promised Land could nottestify positive but negative. It was the spy’s negative testimony that provoked negative confession by the Israelites. The Israelite confess negative by stating, “If only we had died in the land of Egypt! Or if only we had died in this wilderness! 3 Why has the Lord brought us to this land to fall by the sword, that our wives and children should become victims? Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?” (Numbers 14: 2-3)God heard the negative confession and He responded, “…As I live,’ says the Lord, ‘just as you have spoken in My hearing, so I will do to you: The carcasses of you who have complained against Me shall fall in this wilderness, all of you who were numbered, according to your entire number, from twenty years old and above.” (Numbers 14:28-29) The Israelites spoke death and they all died. Seeing things in a negative light instead of being positive makes it much harder for one to prevail over one’s confronting challenge. When one confess negatively and not positively, one may end up damaging one’s desired response. Caleb and Joshua spoke positive and God responded to them, “Except for Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun, you shall by no means enter the land which I swore I would make you dwell in.” (Numbers 14:30) Confessing negative in the face of challenge is same as complaining while confessing positive in the face of challenge is the evident of following God fully. Being optimistic in prayer and in how you view your situation will help you overcome adversity. As a child of God, let it be done in you that negativity should not be the sound coming from your mouth. Often, when you say it, it becomes reality. Ecclesiastes 5:6, “Do not let your mouth cause your flesh to sin, nor say before the messenger of God that it was an error. Why should God be angry at your excuse and destroy the work of your hands? Producing a negative sound is like making a vow before the messenger of God. When that vow is made, it cannot be taken back. Claiming that an uttered vow was a mistake is not a good excuse; God will judge. In the face of challenge, be careful, avoid too many words and if you have nothing to say, keep quiet. You are a child of God; let no sound of negativity send you packing from your ground.
 
Prayer for today: Ask God to take over every area of your living life.

FAITH CAPSULE: Praise belongs to God, but when it is not with understanding it becomes noise-making.

Psalm 47, 48
 
Engaging God in worship demands understanding. Proverbs 4:7 points out, “Wisdom is the principal thing;therefore get wisdom.And in all your getting, get understanding.” It does not matter the level of one’s wisdom, when understanding is missing engaging in emotion takes a place in worship. Just in case you are one that gets carried away worshiping emotionally there is a need for understanding. Our worship needs to set us in motion by bringing us out of life’s stagnation. To have gained the knowledge of worshiping God is the evidence of wisdom; now get understanding as stated in the word of God and set yourself in motion instead of emotion.
How often do you render unto Him praise worship? How long does it take you to praise Him? Is your praise emotionally driven? All the above questions are rooted in this one question: Do you praise Him with understanding? When you praise Him with understanding, your praise worship will be constant and consistent; your praise worship will no longer be to get man’s applause. The Bible specifically mentioned, “Let everything that has breathpraise the LORD. Praise the LORD!(Psalm 150:6)When you praise Him with understanding, your praise worship will no longer be timed, it will be all day long, all week long, all month and all year round (praise Him at every breath). Your praise will not be subjected to the timing or calendar of man, but will be heavenly connected. Anytime you are on your own or out of conversation with men, you will have nothing to worry about but to be praising Him. Have you ever thought about this or do you not think He is worthy of your praises? Psalm 47:7, “For God is the King of all the earth; Sing praises with understanding.” Do you now get it? Your praise should be driven by the fact that He is in charge of all the earth. Psalm 22:3, “But You are holy,enthroned in the praises of Israel.” It is frequently quoted among the believers, because the word said it, ‘God inhabits the praises of His people.’ All the more reason we should praise Him is to carry His presence with us around the clock. Praise belongs to God, but when it is not with understanding it becomes noise-making. Religion makes noise, serving Christ makes you powerful to the glory of God. Get out of religion and get into Jesus reality.
Prayer for today: Ask God to place upon you the garment of understanding.

FAITH CAPSULE: Having a pure heart is what will bring man to the face of God.

1 Kings 17:1-7, 18
 
Truly Elijah was a man with nature like ours but unusually nurtured in the Lord when compared to man with nature like him.
It is written, “And Elijah the Tishbite, of the inhabitants of Gilead, said to Ahab, ’As the LORD God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word.” (1King 17:1) There are points in Elijah’s request that got heaven to be committed to Elijah’s request:
First, Elijah recognized God for who He is: He is the living God and He enjoys that He is actively allowed in our heart; not just in our mouth. He is a jealous God and the antidote of jealousy is giving consistent attention. This is what He says in Jeremiah 12:16, “And it shall be, if they will learn carefully the ways of my people, to swear by my name, ‘As the LORD lives,’ as they taught My people to swear by Baal, then they shall be established in the midst of My people.’” Once you sacrifice your time in learning His ways then opening your mouth and claiming, ‘As my God lives,’ then you are set for exploits. Elijah knew exactly what he was doing when he declared the living God and God decorated him by responding to his request.
Secondly, Elijah called on God’s attention reminding God about his stand by stating, “As I stand”. Your stand before the LORD will determine the exploits you carry out in His Name. Do you have a stand before God? Do you have the understanding of what it is taking a stand before Him? Psalm 24:3-4, identifies what it means to have a stand before God “Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD? Or who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart who has not lifted up his soul to an idol”Having clean hands is the evidence of how we act as an acclaimed child of God. Are you one that constantly has to introduce yourself as a believer? Or are you one that needs not to introduce yourself by your word because your action speaks loud enough introducing you as one with clean hand?Having a pure heart is the evidence of our attitude from inside out. Is your attitude drawing men to God or drawing man away from God?
Do you want to be taking a stand expecting God to move just as He moved on behalf of Elijah? Begin to engage in what it takes to stand as prescribed in the above quotation of the psalmist.
 
Prayer for today:Ask God to wash your hands; not just your hands but from your head to the soul of your feet that you may become pure.

FAITH CAPSULE: The moment you begin to think it is too late is the moment He shows up.

1Samuel 30
 
At a time when David and his men returned to their camp, the Amalekites had invaded and took with them wives, sons and daughters of David’s men. It was not a pleasing situation for David and the people who were with David. The Bible recorded David’s reaction, “Now David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.” (1 Samuel 30:6) David knew exactly where to turn to in the face of confronting challenge. David did not allow distress to destroy him when he turned to the Lord for strength.
As the going gets tough, ask yourself, who have you been turning to? That which will make the difference in your time of confronting challenge depends on whom you have been turning to.If one will learn and know to always listen to the living Word of God strength shall flow to deliver one from every spirit that is not represent God.
The Psalmist, by virtue of experience stated, “For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand. Today if you will hear His voice: ‘Do not harden your hearts, as in the rebellion, as in the day of trial in the wilderness.”(Psalm 95:7)If you have been listening outside of the Word of God there will be no way out. If you are listening to the Word of God without taking His Word into your heart, you have allowed hardness of heart to have its way. Turning your back away from God starts in the heart and is not a sudden occurrence. It takes root when hardness of heart comes into play in the life of a believer. The children of Israel would not obey the Word of God, despite the demonstration of His power in their midst. Acts 7:39testifies, “Whom our fathers would not obey, but rejected and in their hearts they turned back to Egypt.” Keep your heart and enter into a passageto your breakthrough. Allow the Word of God that is strength guide you and see you through. Psalm 33:8, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide with my eye.”  He is a faithful God. Listen to His voice and let no hardness of the heart deny you from getting to where He is taking you. It is never too late to turn unto the Word of God. God is never late; He is the God of the eleventh hour. The moment you begin to think it is too late is the moment He shows up with His awesome power.
 
Prayer for today:Ask for the grace that will enable your heart to bestrengthened in the Lord God.