FAITH CAPSULE: It is not enough to have the door open without letting the repairman in.

2 Chronicles 29:1-11
 
It is written, “Hezekiah became king when he was twenty-five years old, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Abijah the daughter of Zechariah. And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father David had done. In the first year of his reign, in the first month, he opened the doors of the house of the Lord and repaired them.” (2Chronicles 29:1-3) The word stated that Hezekiah did what was right in the sight of the Lord when he became king. Among the right thing which he possibly did was to open the doors of the house of the Lord. Hezekiah did not only open the door of the house of the Lord but also have it repaired. Jesus said, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.” (Revelation 3:20) Some are opening the door for Jesus to come in but very few are allowing Him to do any repair. Hezekiah opened the door and called for reparation.
The Word of God is written for our learning. Study and learn that the temple of God needs to be opened and worked on. Hezekiah did not just open the door, he opened it for reparation. For a long time, you have had the door of your heart opened, but do not know what to do with your opened door. Learn from Hezekiah that it is not enough to open the door but also allow repairs to have their way. Allow the Lord to come into your temple and repair it.
What type of reparation are you considering for your situation? Hezekiah did not just have the door open for playing religion; he brought in those that were qualified to work inside the Temple. 2 Chronicles 29:5, “And he said to them: Hear me, Levites! Now sanctify yourselves, sanctify the house of the LORD God of your fathers, and carry out the rubbish from the holy place.” If you are one that is yet to open the door for Jesus, it is time to have your door open so He can come in and sanctify you by His Word. Also, everyone that claims to open the door for Him does have a need to carry out the rubbish that has been denying the handiwork of the Lord in their life. You, as the “Temple of God”, will continue to be a waste until you let go of the rubbish that is living in you as the landlord in your life.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace to open your heart indeed and in truth. 

FAITH CAPSULE: Do not let your adornment take the place of being fruitful.

Mark 11:1-22
 
A fig tree was very attractive in the eyes of its creator but there was nothing on it to offer its creator when it was approached. Just like the fig tree, God added all that it takes for us to be attractive enough to meet His expectation when the time for accountability is set. Whenever your attractiveness is used for purposes other than having communion with the Creator, God may deal with you by showing you the futility of your vanity. His making us to be attractive is meant for us to be fruitful for His glory. The fig tree perhaps was the only tree in the region that was mouthwatering. Its leaves were an indication that its fruit was delicious and palatable. Jesus created the fig tree for a purpose. The fig tree was not created to be pleasing to the eye or to be the best looking among the many trees in the garden. Is it you or your congregation like a fig tree that appears to be pleasing to everyone that notices you but yet with nothing to account for? As regard to the attractive fig tree, the Bible states it, “Now the next day, when they had come out from Bethany, He was hungry. And seeing from afar a fig tree having leaves, He went to see if perhaps He would find something on it. When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. In response Jesus said to it, “Let no one eat fruit from you ever again.” (Mark 11:12-14) Are you one that does not know to be ready to deliver in seasons or out of season to the glory of the creator? The book of 2Timothy4:2 admonished us, “…be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.” Our creator is capable of showing in season or out of season to ask for our fruit just like He did to the fruitless fig tree. Without any reasonable excuse we are to serve Him in every area of His request.
All of Jesus’ actions, reactions and words were meant to communicate to the people both during His time on earth and after His ascension. How much attention are you devoting to the Word of God? Jesus was not only displaying His power when He approached the unfruitful fig tree by virtue of the inviting leaves it displayed. Jesus was communicating a message through the demonstration of power. Christianity is not just about adornment and Sunday-noise-making. Christianity is about Jesus reality, and Jesus reality is fruitfulness. Do not let your adornment be merely outward by the arrangement of hair, the wearing of gold, or putting on fine apparel. Avoid being a side attraction. All of Jesus expectation is to see our fruitfulness. Be fruitful; win soul to the glory of God.
 
Prayer for today:Ask Him to deliver you from religion into Jesus reality.

FAITH CAPSULE: Powerless congregation will not prevail.

1Kings 18:20-46, 19:1-3
 
Elijah had demonstrated the power of God by overcoming the Prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel. Elijah made a public show of their powerless god. He embarrassed them when they could not call their god to life. Elijah had the prophets of Baal assembled on Mount Carmel, he requested for all that it takes for sacrificial burnt offering. The Bible recorded Elijah’s command, “…you call on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the Lord; and the God who answers by fire, He is God. So all the people answered and said, “It is well spoken.” (1 Kings 18: 24-25) The god of the prophets could not show up. Elijah mocked and ridiculed them before he called on His God for the show of power. The God of Elijah answered by fire. Having embarrassed the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal, Elijah caused them to be overtaken and executed at the Brook of Kishon. All of Elijah’s exploits were the effect of God’s intervention because Elijah stood for righteousness. What do you stand for? Is your congregation gathering in the name of the God of Elijah? Is it operating the power of the God of Elijah or the power of the god of the prophets? Powerless congregation will not prevail and it heads in the way of destruction just like prophets of Baal. After the prophets of Baal demonstrated lack of power, Elijah had them rounded up and they were all executed   .
Jezebel, the wife of King Ahab heard what Elijah did to the prophets of Baal, she threatened to kill Elijah. Elijah ran for his life. It is written in 1Kings 19:3, “And when he saw that, he arose and ran for his life, and went to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there.” One would have expected Elijah to continue to walk in the power of God. Despite the power of God in the life of Elijah, he did not walk; he ran. Have you been running where you should be walking? This same Elijah had experienced the hand of God earlier when he was to be walking; the hand of God came upon him and put him ahead in 1Kings 18:46, “Then the hand of the LORD came upon Elijah; and he girded up his loins and ran ahead of Ahab to the entrance of Jezebel.” God is a consistent God and He will not leave you nor forsake you. Despite the power of God in Elijah’s life he knew not to give enemy the chance of upper hand over his life.
 
Prayer for today: Ask for the miracle hand of God to come upon you and gird up your loins to run ahead on every ground of enemy`s trap.

FAITH CAPSULE: The project of Babel was a victim of self-glorification.

Genesis 11:1-19 
 
Self-glorification is a sure way of self-destruction. When a man embarks on a way of self-glorification he will end up in self-destruction.
The project of Babel was a victim of self-glorification. Before the project, it was well. The Bible recorded that, “The whole earth had one language and one speech.” (Genesis11:1) One language builds up unity among the people. One language is the key to effective communication. With communication, understand among the population builds up stability. At the time of one language effective communication was in place, understanding had its way. As a result frustration, abandonment and separation could not have its place. At a point in time, self-glorification an act of evil came into place to establish disruption among the people on the face of earth. While the spirit of self-glorification was at work, the people slept and woke up one day, “And they said, ‘Come let us build for ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the earth.’” (Genesis11:4)
By virtue of the people’s statement, the project of Babel Tower became a project of self-glorification. God is a God of jealousy and evidently self-glorification is taking away glory from God to self. Obviously, project of Babel Tower could not have a place with God, but destruction.
What does your project, journey, or any other of your engagements look like? Is there any trace or act of self-glorification in your approach? The whole earth at that time of the project of Babel entered into self- glorification and God responded in Genesis11:7, “Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.” In your project let God reign disallow self and confusion shall cease. The consequence of self-glorification was communication failure and it led to confusion among the people.
When confusion begins to reign, pride is alive and one’s project heads in a downward direction.
Breakdown in communication and confusion are birds of the same feather. With confusion in place relationship suffers and continuation of project ends up in trouble.
The issue of confusion lines up other forces such as frustration and abandonment. With frustration breakdown of project becomes inevitable.
Abandonment is also a product of confusion that will lead to project’s collapse.
Confusion is not complete until project is scattered. The project of Babel ended up scattered because the Lord confused the language of all the earth. (Genesis 11:9)
With self-glorification in place, a believer has allowed empty pride, stupidity, pomposity, arrogance to destroy one’s own project. Disallow the spirit of self-glorification; destruction will not have a place in your project.
 
Prayer for today:Ask God to intervene and restore back all that concerns your project, for His glory.

FAITH CAPSULE:He is the only one who can deliver your healing.

John 5:1-9
 
Bethesda meaning“house of mercy” is where many people were going everyday of worship while receiving their healing and deliverance break through. It is only God that knows how long and how often you have been to your house of mercy, but mercy was not in place to address your situation.You have been in the same situation for years yet you have not received your merciful healing or deliverance. Some have come after you and received their merciful healing or deliverance. Does it displease you as a believer that you go to the same place where others have come and have received breakthrough? If the situation sounds like you, be encouraged because it is not time to be discouraged. It is not time to stop asking, seeking or knocking the gates and the windows of heaven. Jesus commanded in Matthew 7:7, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” We need not mention to Jesus what we want because He sees it all. However, not asking, not seeking, or not knocking on the One we do not see reduces our faith. Be persistent and God will present to you according to His divine agenda for you.
In the documentation of the paralytic man, it is glaring how he remained trapped and not able to receive his healing at the right track of healing. He was at the Gate near a pool which, in Hebrew, is called Bethesda. At Bethesda, meaning the house of mercy yet his mercy healing was not in place because he replaced the healer with man. The Bible describes the case of the paralytic man,“Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, “Do you want to be made well?”The sick man answered Him, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me.”(John 5:5-7)All that Jesus wanted to hear was the paralytic man’s request. The paralytic man was very much focus on getting help from man when he responded to Jesus’ healing offering, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool…” The same place where the paralytic man was lying for many years was the same place where many had been healed. Just like the paralytic man, that same place where you have been visiting is the same place many had been healed. Will you turn to a new approach, that of, “The Lord is my Shepherd?” He is the only one who can deliver your healing. Jesus is the only one who is able to pull you through, not man.
 
Prayer for today: Cry out to Him and ask why should the enemy say where is your God.