FAITH CAPSULE: Prayer is the key for opening up the doors of heaven.

Hebrews 11
 
Among the different ways that prayer can be described is talking and listening to God. Prayer is an intimate fellowship with God. What prayer requires is faith and to be in right relationship with God. Without faith or right relationship with God, prayer could be like attempting to wash a dirty cloth in dirty water. God will not answer when the relationship is not right; neither would He be pleased when there is no faith. The right relationship starts with asking for forgiveness. Among the different types of prayer are: Interceding, thanking God, praising God, and confessing before God. Above all, if there is anything that will certainly open the windows of heaven, it is prayer. Luke 3:21, “When all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized; and while He prayed, the heaven was opened.” Jesus, in His entire earthly ministry, was showing us how to walk the walk. When Jesus came to be baptized, He took His time to pray, and heaven opened. This is a clear demonstration that prayer is the key for opening up the doors of heaven. It is also clear through the Bible that prayer opens heaven not only at the point of baptism but also at every juncture of life. When heaven opened in response to Jesus’ prayer, different things happened. Luke 3:22, “And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, ’You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.’” Prayer is a heaven-opener. The prayer by Jesus is a testimony to the fact that when a prayer finds the door to heaven, the Holy Spirit, which represents the presence of God, will come down and descend on the one praying. With the Holy Spirit descending, the voice of God will then sound in the direction of the one praying. With the heavens opened, the voice of God will speak direction if the one praying has the ear to hear the voice of God. We need the grace of God to hear His voice when it sounds in our direction. Again, with the heavens opened, Jesus heard the voice from heaven saying to Him, “You are my beloved Son: in You I am well pleased.” Hebrews 11:6, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” The voice that sounded as a result of prayer also pointed out that prayer rooted in faith is what pleases God. For without faith God is not pleased. Receive the word, believe the word and behave the word to please God.
 
Prayer for today:Ask God for the grace to be increased at your prayer altar.

FAITH CAPSULE: God expects from us patience for His response.

Psalm 40
 
It is absolutely impossible to wait on God and not get result. A failure to wait will result in waste. However, every waiting comes with the price of being patient for God’s appointed time. For a result-oriented waiting, one must be exceedingly patient. Jesus pointed out that when we wait in prayer we must be persistent. King David testified, “I waited patiently for the Lord; and He inclined to me, and heard my cry.” (Psalm 40:1) Truly and without any partial treatment, God expects from us patience for His response. The testimony of David demonstrates that without waiting patiently for the Lord, He would not have been inclined to hear David’s cry and he would have missed the response of God. With God, there is no short-cut, but only passing through as prescribed in His unfailing Word is what will deliver unfailing response from God.
King David did not mention in his testimony the time or duration of his waiting on God. Evidently, getting an answer for waiting on God can take a longer or shorter time than expected, but God is never in a rush nor gets intimated in responding.
King David went further in his testimonies by stating, “He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps.” (Psalm 40:2)
David’s testimonies points out that three things happened when God answered. David was brought out of his trouble (horrible pit; out of the miry clay). He must have been in a situation where stagnation reigned in his life; a challenge of not being able to stand or move forward. However, God brought him out.
Secondly, David’s feet were set on the rock. He gained his footing where he could no longer fall or remain stagnated.
Thirdly, his steps were established. The third stage granted him all that it took to do what he needed and to move forward as desired.
Clearly, David’s deliverance went through a process. Regardless of how long David’s waiting process was, David recognized when he became established. David acknowledged God by singing a new song to praise and glorify God. By virtue of waiting longer than expected, one who is waiting on God may not be able to identify when the answer comes to manifestation. Are you one who is waiting and not able to recognize that your answer is in place? As you wait on God, pay attention and be able to recognize the manifestation of your waiting.
David trusted in the Lord. He stayed through the process of manifestation and he was established. If you have started in waiting because of your trust in the Lord, stay through and be able to recognize God’s manifestation. God will perfect that which He started.
 
Prayer for today:Ask God to attend to you and hear you.

FAITH CAPSULE: Acknowledging God for the present is important for the future.

Jeremiah 2
 
A failure not to acknowledge God for who He is, for what He has done and all that is He is doing testifies to not remembering God. God spoke through Jeremiah to the children of Israel, “What injustice have your fathers found in Me, that they have gone far from Me, have followed idols, and have become idolaters? Neither did they say, ‘Where is the Lord, Who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, Who led us through the wilderness, through a land of deserts and pits, through a land of drought and the shadow of death, through a land that no one crossed and where no one dwelt?’” (Jeremiah 2:4-6)
Knowing God to be a jealous God, giving Him unwavering attention testifies to identifying Him as He who saw one through in the past. Acknowledging God for the present is important for the future. At the time He was speaking through Jeremiah, the children of Israel had failed to do what is right by not identifying Him for the past and not acknowledging Him for the present. Are you in a new position that calls for identifying Him for what He has done and what He is doing in your life? The children of Israel at that time failed to serve God but turned to gods. It is written, “For My people have committed two evils: they have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, and hewn themselves cisterns—broken cisterns that can hold no water.” (Jeremiah 2:13) God is the God that does not overlook sin and He did not overlook the failure of the children of Israel. Are you in any way taking the kind of steps that were taken by the children of Israel as mentioned above? As a believer, it is required to constantly acknowledge God for what He has done, what He is doing and what He will do. When there is a failure to acknowledge Him, there will be knowledge of turning away to another god. Some turn to money or profession as their god. God responded to the children of Israel’s act as “two evils.” Children of Israel committed two evils and God lay down the consequences of their evil deed. The word went further for the children of Israel, “… Know therefore and see that it is an evil and bitter thing that you have forsaken the Lord your God, and the fear of Me is not in you says the Lord of hosts.” (Jeremiah 2:19) It is never too late to stand up where there is evidence of falling short. However, not to rise and stand but to remain on the ground is self-destruction.
 
Prayer for today: Ask God to redirect you from every wrong step that you are taking before Him.

FAITH CAPSULE: Compromise will terminate man in the journey of life.

Romans 12
 
Conformity to this world will take away man’s commitment. If being committed to the things and work of God becomes inconvenient, then convenience will take over your commitment to God. Romans 12:2, And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” Questions: Have you been acting in accordance with current customs and modes of the world around you? Do any of your values correspond in form or character with the world around you? Are you complying or in constant agreement, or accord, with the world around you? The word of God encourages watching and praying. Are you watching for all the signs that can line you up in conformity with the world around you? For example, compromising with the world is a way of complicating one’s life. Compromise will terminate man in the journey of life. Eli’s sin before God was because he compromised. God revealed unto Samuel the sin of Eli, “Then the Lord said to Samuel: “Behold, I will do something in Israel at which both ears of everyone who hears it will tingle. In that day I will perform against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. For I have told him that I will judge his house forever for the iniquity which he knows, because his sons made themselves vile, and he did not restrain them.” (1 Samuel 13:11-13) Eli’s sin was the iniquity which he knows and not the iniquity which he committed. He compromised by knowing and not doing anything to stop his children from their sin. When you conform to wicked ones it becomes a compromise. God will not lower His standard and requirement for salvation. Can you imagine a computer? There will be no amount of effort for one to log into a file or folder if one lack the right password. There is a password to heaven and that password is to live the ways of God without any compromise, and one will end up in the will of God. Your battle ground is your mind. The mind is where the enemy targets. The enemy knows that when the mind is taken, you are a done deal. It is evident in the word of God that the mind is the prime target of the enemy. 2 Corinthians 4:3-4, “But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.” This clarifies why one should be allowing a constant renewing of one’s mind, being active by constantly spending time on the word out of one’s convenience time.
 
Prayer for today: Ask for the Spirit of God to take charge and rule your life.