FAITH CAPSULE: It is evil/wicked to know to claim Christ-like and not live by such claim.

Psalm 24
 
It is written, “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,Nor sworn deceitfully.” (Psalm 24:3-4) The point here is identifying what it takes to stand. The Psalmist points it out that the ones with clean hands (our actions) and pure heart(our attitude from the inside) will stand. As a believer, the evidence of how one stand is demonstrated in one’s conduct.
How do you conduct yourself when you are in the company of believers? Do you conduct yourself differently among non-believers? Can you identify the differences in your conduct? Have you heard people say that you are the Bible that they are reading?
Christian meaning Christ like is not an act; it is a way of life. The Bible points it out that the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch (Acts 11:26) Have you considered your conduct in the world that you are living or are you conducting your life in the way of the world?The Apostle Paul states in Philippians 1:27, “Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent , I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel.”The conduct you display behind closed doors should not be an embarrassment when conducted in the open. It is evil/wicked to know to claim Christ-like and not live by such claim. Ecclesiastes 8:11, “Because the sentence against evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.” Does the word speak to you? Playing religion is the evidence of inability to hear when the word sounds in on direction.Under heaven, religious “play acting” will only last for a while but prevailing truth lasts forever. Do not be overtaken by sin, because God is not deceived and God will not overlook sin. It is time for self-examinationand sincerity before God. God will always be merciful to those who call upon Him. Your conduct is the testimony of your standing in the Lord. If your conduct is worthy of Christ, you will be steadfast in Him. Your conduct is your evangelism to the unbelievers around you that are yet to receive Him as their Lord and Savior. As the year goes by, let the Word of God be echoing in your heart.
 
Prayer for today: Ask God to work in you both to do His will and to do it for His glory.

FAITH CAPSULE: What is holding you back from coming to Him?

John 4:46-54
 
It is written, “So Jesus came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine. And there was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum. When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and implored Him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death.” (John 4:46-47) The certain note-able (noble) man in the city, among his people heard about Jesus and went to Jesus. How often have you heard about Jesus without any response?
Many times you have heard of Him, but you never went to Him. If you will come in contact with the testimony that Jesus is Lord and the word of His mouth is power, breakthrough manifestation shall become your portion. What is holding you back from coming to Him? Is distance a challenge that is denying your coming to Him? Once, while He was passing a certain village ten lepers who stood afar off did not allow distance to deny their breakthrough miracle. The Bible states it that they lifted up their voicesand said, Master, have mercy on us! (Luke 7:12-13) Why are you holding back from coming to Him? The lepers denied distance andreceived their healing breakthrough when the healing word of Jesus sounded in their life direction.The nobleman’s son was dying when he came to Jesus. It is written, “The nobleman said to Him, ‘Sir, come down before my child dies!’ Jesus said to him, ‘Go your way; your son lives.’ So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way.(John 4:49-50)” Do you believe in the power of His word? The same power that answered for the nobleman will answer for you this day in Jesus’ name. As the nobleman received direction to go on his way, he believed and went without question, hesitation or doubt. If you will believe and go on your way, the same Word that is still alive today will locate you for breakthrough. The noble man went on his way as directed by Jesus,“And as he was going down, his servants met him and told him saying, ‘Your son lives!’”(John 4:51)If you have believed in His Word you will receive your breakthrough news in Jesus’ name.
 
Prayer for today:Ask that every pronouncement that is negative will become news of a positive nature to the glory of God. It is your day of “good news” as you go about your way in the name of Jesus, Amen.

FAITH CAPSULE: The woman with the issue of blood acted not by accident, but by act of faith.

Mark 5:25-34
 
Who do people say that you are? Are you being identified by the challenge or issue that has refused to lose its grip upon your life? A woman with the flow of blood for twelve years could no longer be identified by her name but by her confronting challenge. She had a name, but being identified by her problem became her portion. She was not called by her name but by her disease. The woman with the issue of blood needed to come out of mockery into miracle. She had a need to come out of her frustration into celebration. Are you experiencing mockery or frustration for not getting deliverance as desired? Despite her sickness and limitation, she could not be held back from receiving her healing. The woman with the issue of blood acted not by accident, but by act of faith. The woman’s issue of blood for twelve years could not be helped by physicians because it was beyond physicians’ ability. Physicians, rather than help her, put her through suffering, spent all she had, and made her sickness worse. Is your experience like that of the woman with the issue of blood? It is worthy to be rest assured that God is the healing physician and nothing is too difficult for Him. In your helplessness, whatever you are hearing or whatever name people are calling you know it that God is the Unchanging changer and for God it is never too late to beautify you with healing or a new beginning. Whatever man is communicating is not what God is seeing about every man’s confronting issue.
The woman with the issue of blood heard rightly and acted correctly for her healing deliverance to come to manifestation. It is written, “When she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment.” (Mark 5:27) All she needed was to hear about Jesus. She did not question the power of God, nor did she disregard the appearance of Jesus. She broke through the crowd and touched His garment from behind knowing and claiming, “…If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well. Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the affliction.’” (Mark 5:28-29) Today, make the right choice as regard to what you hear or who you listen to. There is hope for you if you will begin to listen to living word of God. Deny crowd of wrong name calling; break through and move in the direction of your healing and deliverance.

Prayer for today: Ask for every mockery to be converted in to miracle in Jesus name.

FAITH CAPSULE: For David to be king his Goliath needed to fall.

1Samuel 17:38-45,
 
Goliath was so confident in Himself when he began to harass the Israelites at the war front stating, “…I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man that we may fight together.” (1 Samuel 17:10) It was statement like this that provoked David’s decision to go and face goliath in battle. When David was to go and take on Goliath in battle, “King Saul clothed David with his armor, and he put a bronze helmet on his head; he also clothed him with a coat of mail.  David fastened his sword to his armor and tried to walk, for he had not tested them. And David said to Saul, “I cannot walk with these, for I have not tested them.” (1 Samuel 17:38-39) David took Saul’s gear off. David could not walk from the weight of the gear and that was enough for David to have been disallowed from going against a giant warrior. However, David went forward in his attempt to silent one that defiled the armies of the living God. Instead of war gear David went and then took up his staff and five smooth stones from the brook along with his slings. When David approached Goliath, Goliath disdained him; for he was only a youth, coming to fight him with sticks. It is written, “So the Philistine said to David, Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!” (1Samuel 17:43) David was not afraid and Goliath’s words and his size was not enough to cause doubt in David’s mind about what the Lord would do.
Are you facing a giant challenge in any area of life?
David had a testimony that kept him going forward and not looking backward from the giant task, giant harassment and giant intimidator. This incident took place while David was on his way to where the Lord God was taking him. Is God taking you somewhere? For David to be king his Goliath needed to fall. God has a destination for all of His children just as He did for David. In 1Samuel 17:45, “David responded, 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 defiled.”  David went with a weapon that was greater than the weapons of this world; he went with the Word of God. Is the Word in you? 1John 4:4 says, “You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.”  Is He in you? If He is, depend on Him and you will surely overcome your Goliath just as David did.
 
Prayer for today: Ask for the word of God to have a permanent place inside of you.

FAITH CAPSULE: With the fear of God, one takes a place under a banner that is impenetrable to the wicked.

Psalm 74
 
It is written, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” (John 3:16-17) Giving is love; love is giving. The love of God is available for all who desire it and accept it. Jesus, the love of God, came unconditionally and makes Himself available without any condition. His statement in John 10:10 buttress the testimony of God, “…I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”…if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” It is not possible for a true acclaimed believer to confess with their mouth and believe in the heart and not be one that conducts themselves according to the Word. However, not behaving what is confessed with the mouth and believed in the heart is the evidence of not being a believer. God gave His love and His love declared Himself. Have you received and believed the Love of God; the gift to have life abundantly? For anyone who receives and believes the Love of God is granted access to living life abundantly. God does not lie and His Word does not return back to Him without fulfilling its purpose. Romans 10:9 identifies what it takes to have the Word of God manifest in the life of an acclaimed receiver of the love of God, “
Truly, believing (behaving) the Word of God is having the fear of God in one’s life. With the fear of God, one takes a place under a banner that is impenetrable to the wicked. The Bible testifies the banner of God, “You have given a banner to those who fear You, that it may be displayed because of the truth.” (Psalm 60:4) Are you one who fears God in your walks of life?
Ones who receive and believe in the living Word of God have allowed Jesus to take a stand as a banner over every affair of their life. Isaiah 11:10 testifies about Jesus, the root of Jesse stating, “And in that day there shall be a Root of Jesse, Who shall stand as a banner to the people; For the Gentiles shall seek Him, And His resting place shall be glorious.” The banner set by God is to protect, heal and deliver us from all of our afflictions.
Are you one who is denying Him from being a covering upon your life? Allow His banner to be your covering and His signs over your life shall be evidence and the adversary shall be denied.
 
Prayer for today: Ask that every banner that is not of God upon your life be terminated.