FAITH CAPSULE: God’s word is what builds up man to inherit among the sanctified.

Genesis 6:9-27
 
Noah received a command to build against destruction when God commanded him to build an ark. Noah moved without doubt or question. Noah built an ark in the most unlikely area — he built an ark where it hardly rains in a period of a year. In his obedience, the word testified, “Thus Noah did; according to all that God commanded him, so he did.” (Genesis 6:22) In the Old Testament time, Noah received the command to build against destruction that was eminent. Also in the New Testament a command to build came through the Apostle Paul. In Acts 20:32, “So now brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace which is able to build you up and give your inheritance among all those who are sanctified.” Believers are to be built up by the word of God against destruction just as Noah built for himself and his household an ark by the command of the word of God. The word of God’s command is what will build every believer who cares to hear and obey. Believers that want to be built up have to be constant and consistent in obeying the word of God. A failure to build or be built by the word of God’s command will cause any other building to fail. When Noah received the commanding word of God, he moved forward to build up based on the word and was able to stand against the flood of destruction. What are you doing with the word of His grace that is able to build you against any kind of destruction? Are you entering into the word of God by letting the word into your life? If you will allow the word to gain entrance in your life, it will give you your inheritance among those that are sanctified. The process of building or being built can be challenging and sometimes intimidating. It’s unimaginable the type of mockery that Noah endured when building an ark in a region where there’s hardly any rainfall. As a believer that has entered into the word of God, behaving the word of God will not have its way without mockery, intimidation or persecution by the world that does not know God. Regardless of any kind of mockery, intimidation or persecution, one should not be ashamed of the gospel. Apostle Paul, having been through all kinds of trials, knew what it would be involved when he declared in Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.” The Word of God is God and His word is what builds up man to inherit among the sanctified.
 
Prayer for today:Ask for the grace to be fully committed to the word of God.

FAITH CAPSULE: There is no one that is born with an upright heart.

Genesis 39, Psalm 112

If you have set your eyes on the things that are above you have set yourself to be upright before God. The word in Colossians 3:1-3 identifies what it takes to live upright, “If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” The upright do not see as the world sees. Also the upright do not hear as the world hears because the mind of the upright is occupied with the things that are above and not with the things that are on earth which are the things that naked eyes cannot see. Living a life of the upright is the evidence of being faithful. The upright are God pleasers because faith is what pleases God.
Through the pages of the scripture it is clear that they delight in God’s command and that is why they are able to operate or live life by faith and in faith. For the upright, the fear of God is the root of all that make them up. With the upright light never fail to shine where ever darkness emerges or attempt to take over. According to the word of God, the upright are responsible, thoughtful, considerate and observant when it comes to guiding their affairs. Joseph is an example of an upright one that knows to guide his affairs by being responsible, thoughtful and considerate. What Joseph did was to restrain himself and not lay with the wife of his master. It is written, “…But he refused and said to his master’s wife, “Look, my master does not know what is with me in the house, and he has committed all that he has to my hand. There is no one greater in this house than I, nor has he kept back anything from me but you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” (Genesis 39:8-9) Joseph considers the act of lying with his master’s wife as great wickedness. Joseph flees from acting in the way of the people down here on earth.
Being an upright does not deny man from experiencing the challenges of evil. However, one that is steadfast in uprightness excels in overcoming the challenges of the wicked world.  
There is no one that is born with an upright heart. One that makes the choice to set heart on things that are above settles in the fear of God. Among the blessings that presents in the life of those that fear God is, “The fear of the Lord leads to life, and he who has it will abide in satisfaction; and he will not be visited with evil.” (Proverbs 19:23) Fear God and live upright.
 
Prayer for today: Ask God to help you become heaven focused and to be able to live the life of an overcomer.

FAITH CAPSULE:Having life and having life more abundantly is not in memorizing and quoting the Word.

Luke 4, 5:1-27
 
At Nazareth, after Jesus was done reading from the book of prophet Isaiah, He closed the book and gave it back to the attendant and sat down.While sitting, the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. It is written, “And He began to say to them, ‘Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.’So all bore witness to Him, and marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth…” (Luke 4:21-22) The point here is that the Word of God is gracious and it will answer to those who receive and believe it. Just as the ones who were present in the synagogue could not receive and believe it then, today many have also taken a position not to receive and believe it as gracious. Many today have made the choice to reject His Word. In fact, the Bible records the reaction of the people in the synagogue after they heard from Jesus, “So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, and rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff.Then passing through the midst of them, He went His way.” (Luke 4: 28-30)
Jesus, having been rejected where He had been brought up (Nazareth), went to Capernaum teaching. At Capernaum, the response to His teaching states that, “…they were astonished at His teaching, for His word was with authority.” (Luke 4:32)Under His teaching there was deliverance from unclean spirits. Evidently, the reaction to His Word was the result of deliverance from unclean spirit. The miracle of deliverance from unclean spirit points out here that the Word of God is with authority.
Jesus, the living Word of God, came to give life and to give it more abundantly. (John 10:10) Clearly, the point is that He is not on His way coming to give life and to give it more abundantly. He already came and the psalmist buttresses this by stating, “He sent His word and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.” (Psalm 107:20)
The graciousness in His Word is to forgive our sins so that deliverance might come to manifestation. This is true in the way He forgave and then delivered the paralytic man by His word. The Bible documents that a paralytic man was dropped through the tiling into the place where Jesus was ministering. Jesus responded and He said to him, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.” (Luke 5:20) After speaking graciously, He spoke healing deliverance by stating, “…arise take up your bed, and go to your house.” (Luke 5:24) In the Word of God, there is healing and there is deliverance.

Prayer for today:Ask for a hearing ear and seeing eyes that enables to receive and believe the Word.

FAITH CAPSULE: Take to the Word of God and He will take you forward, not backward.

Genesis 19:17-26, Jeremiah 7:21-28
 
Which way are you going in the world that is clouded with wickedness; life terminating challenges and untimely death? Are you obeying God’s command as often as it should be? The word of God is His command and His command is His word.
Obeying God’s command is the only way to go forward; disobeying His command is the way backward. Which way are you going? It is written, “But this is what I commanded them, saying, Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be My people. And walk in all the ways that I have commanded you that it may be well with you.” (Jeremiah 7:23) His way is His commandment; His commandment is His way. Are you one that is full of lying, deception and manipulation? Have you found out lately that your journey is going the backward way instead of the forward way? It is time to have a change of way and have a turn around. God is not an incomplete God; neither is He an inconsistent God. Your turn around will allow God to start good for you. When God starts a good thing for you, getting to expected end is certain. Philippians 1:6, “Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.”
It is worthy for one to always take a moment and search where one is going wrong or where one have entered in to a backward way. Among the reasons that leads man in to backward way is stated in Jeremiah 7:24, “Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, but followed the counsels and the dictates of their evil hearts, and went backward and not forward.” Does the verse sound familiar to your situation? Have you searched and found out that you have given in to the dictates of your heart? It is left for you to seek answers and correction in the pages of the word of God. There is clarity in the fact that backward going is the way of death; forward going is the way of life. Lot’s wife took to her own backward way when she looked back against the word of God which commanded her not to look back. It is written, “…escape for your life! Do not look behind you nor stay anywhere in the plain. Escape to the mountains, lest you be destroyed.” (Genesis 19:17) In this world of sin, the only way to escape sudden and untimely death is the way of obeying the word as commanded by God. Take to the Word of God and He will take you forward, not backward.

Prayer for today: Ask God to open your ears and heart of receiving and obeying His word.

FAITH CAPSULE: Moses pleaded with God, but his plea was not accepted.

Numbers 20:1-13, Deuteronomy 3: 23-29
 
Living life is a journey and it has beginning and end. Journey that starts and ends with full obedience to the word of God leads to living a fulfilled life that glorifies the name of God. The journey of life does not run straight. It has ups and downs; hills and valleys. There are always twists and turns before getting to one’s expected end. Moses was a giant in the hand of God though his journey went through ups and downs. He led the children of Israel through forty years of wandering in the wilderness before coming to the Promised Land. Moses failed from stepping on the Promised Land; he could not lead them through the crossing over, because he did not follow through with God’s command. Just as Moses could not cross over while the younger Israelites crossed over, so it is possible for one that pastor a congregation to miss heaven while the congregation makes heaven. Careful obedience to God’s word is not limited to the congregation but also to His ministers.
God asked him to speak to the rock, but he struck the rock twice with his rod. Numbers 20:12, “Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, ‘Because you did not believe Me, to hallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.’” When a simple obedience to the word of God is violated, one would simply end up with consequence that is not simple to deal with. There is no simple disobedience to the word of His command. Because of the lack of faith of the children of Israel, Moses was not allowed to get to the end of the journey that he so strongly desired. Are you about to cross over in your journey? Pay attention to details which He has commanded you.
Moses pleaded with God, but his plea was not accepted, Deuteronomy 3:25, “I pray, let me cross over and see the good land beyond the Jordan, those pleasant mountains, and Lebanon.” Before you get to the point where no pleading or prayer will be accepted, ask God to remove any force or agent that will deny you from getting to the good land. It was because of the faithless Israelites that Moses was denied. Moses stated God’s response to his prayer, “But the Lord was angry with me on your account, and would not listen to me. So the LORD said to me: Enough of that! Speak no more to Me on this matter.” (Deuteronomy 3:26) Your situation might not be because of anyone else’s account, but because of your own actions and the manner in which you are living your life.   
 
Prayer for today: Ask God to remove any obstacle that would prohibit you from crossing over to your Promised Land.