FAITH CAPSULE: Do not assume what He has not called you to be.

Numbers 16
 
Engaging wrong assumption is wrong. There are times we assumed wrongly and come out of it without grave consequence. The grace of escape is not a license to make it our habit but it is a sign that a proper care has to be taken to avoid assuming wrongly. Frequent leaning on one’s own understanding is a free way to assuming wrongly. The word admonish in, Proverbs 3:5, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.” Korah, Dathan and Abiram engaged a wrong assumption and they were eliminated in their assumption. When one assumes what he has not been called to be, one will become that which he hates to be. Numbers 16:1-3, “Now Korah the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, with Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab, and On the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men; and they rose up before Moses with some of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty leaders of the congregation, representatives of the congregation, men of renown. They gathered together against Moses and Aaron, and said to them, ’You take too much upon yourselves, for all the congregation is holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the LORD?’” In your church, home or among any of your gatherings or at your workplace, can any of your assumption be backed with action like that of Korah and his group or rebellious ones? Have you been thinking you can be of better service to the congregation than your pastor or your boss at work? Do not assume what He has not called you to be. The move of Korah was not a pleasurable one for Moses as he went before God and requested from God to show the difference between which He has called and those that are assuming he was not called. Moses requested from God to do the unusual that would determine and demonstrate who He called from the ones He did not called. Numbers 16: 31-33, “Now it came to pass, as he finished speaking all these words, that the ground split apart under them, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, with their households and all the men with Korah, with all their goods. So they and all those with them went down alive into the pit; the earth closed over them, and they perished from among the assembly.” What about not engaging wrong assumption anymore?

Prayer for today: Ask God to help you and deliver you from every wrong assumption in every area of your life so that your story will not be like that of Korah and his rebellious team.

FAITH CAPSULE: Every distinct action commands heaven’s attention.

Mark 2:1-12
 
Every distinct action commands heaven’s attention. The men that tore the roof top at where Jesus ministered in Capernaum acted their faith and healing was instantly provoked. Jesus was ministering the word in a full house, where all access into the house had been blocked by crowd’s attendance. It was then that men who came with a paralytic man decided to gain entrance through the roof into the house. By virtue of their action, the Bible records Jesus’ response, “When Jesus saw their faith; He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you” (Mark 2:5). Undeniably, faith is see-able because faith is an action. Faith is acting out the word of God that is heard. Our action that is rooted in the understanding and knowledge of God is what God is looking for in us. It was the action (tearing through the roof to gain access) that Jesus saw and was provoked to move on behalf of the paralytic man.
So many provoked heaven and many are still provoking heaven by their uncommon action/distinct action (faith) and many have received uncommon miracles while many are still receiving distinct and instant miracles.
Yes, believers have read and have been privileged to see how distinct action provokes instant miracles. The question is do you have what it takes to activate distinct action?
God was speaking in Jeremiah 23:29, “Is not my word like a fire?” It takes the burning of the word in the inside of one to act or behave in a distinct way that calls for heaven’s attention. It was the burning word in the heart of the three friends of Daniel (Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego) that caused them to refuse to obey, bow or worship a golden image. Although, they were sentenced to death by a fiery burning furnace but their response was a distinct response stating, “God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up” (Daniel 3:17-18). In the face of death by fiery furnace, the three friends of Daniel’s distinct action provoked heaven to come down for their deliverance. The Lord came down to join them in the fiery furnace, when He could have sent angels or speak to their deliverance. Deliverance, healing and preservation often inhabits heaven’s visitation whenever distinct action is demonstrated in testimony to our trust in the power of God. 

Prayer for today: Ask for the burning word of God never to lose its fire inside of you.

FAITH CAPSULE: There is no excuse that is reasonable enough for sinning against God.

1 Samuel 13
 
It is written, “The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God…” (Psalm 14:1)  Saying or declaring that there is no God can be in a verbal or non-verbal communication. Going against God’s command or making the choice to walk in a way that seems right to one is without doubt, communicating there is no God. It does not matter what a man’s title is in the church or outside of church, walking outside of His command is making a bold statement that there is no God. It is foolishness.
Samuel was speaking to King Saul when he stated, “…you have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God which He commanded you…” (1 Samuel 13:13) Saul, God appointed, God anointed king for His children violated God when he engaged himself offering a burnt offering that was only entitled to priest according to the Law of Moses. Saul was not qualified to offer burnt offering. Saul was to wait seven days for Samuel to carry out the burnt offering but failed to continue in waiting on the seventh day.
Saul had reasons why he violated the Law of Moses and the instructions of God’s prophet but there is no excuse that is reasonable enough for sinning against God. It was a foolish move on the part of Saul.
Are you paying attention to whatever it is that generates fear and causes man to act outside of God’s command?
When the children of Israel began to look at the gathering of their enemy (1 Samuel 13:5) instead of looking up to God, they saw fear and the reason to be afraid settled in them. The Bible identifies the effect of looking to the gathering of enemy: They were distressed, they went and hide in the caves and they crossed over from their ground of deliverance.
Samuel’s delay could have been a way of testing Saul’s obedience and trust in God. Saul cited reasons of justification stating: the danger at hand, the gathering of the Philistines; Samuel’s delay and the scattering of the people. The bottom line of his action was identified by Samuel as foolishness. (1 Samuel 13:13) In any situation, foolishness is not acceptable by God and there is no justifiable reason of escape when we act it that there is no God.  
Have you been elevated by God? Keep up with looking up onto God. Disengage with seeing negative. See clearly that God will not forsake you.
Samuel responded to Saul’s foolishness, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, which He commanded you. For now the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought for Himself a man after His own heart…” (1 Samuel 13:13-14)
Be wise and not foolish.
 
Prayer for today: Ask God to fill you the knowledge of His will.

FAITH CAPSULE: The wicked ones are mouthful of the word of God, but mindful of self.

Jeremiah 12
 
Wicked is defined as evil by nature and in practice, highly offensive or obnoxious. Wickedness is an ungodly sin. It is what provoked the hand of God to destroy man from the face of earth during the time of Noah. Genesis 6:5 “Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” (Deuterenomy28:15) Just as it was then, so it is today.
Today, wickedness knows no bounds. It reigns outside the church, and it reigns inside the church. Within a group of believers, if there is a request for who should be considered as wicked, so many would refuse. As a self-proclaimed Christian or born again believer, have you ever considered or seen yourself as one who dwells in wickedness? Jeremiah pinpointed who and what qualifies one as wicked. Jeremiah complained why the way of the wicked prospers. In Jeremiah12:2, “He brought before God by saying to God, ‘You have planted them, yes they have taken root; they grow, yes they bear fruit. You are near in their mouth but far from their mind.” In his question, there is a clear indication that the wicked are those that speak the word of God but do not carry it in their mind. They are mouthful of the word of God, but mindful of self. This is extensively deceiving because they grow and prosper, and nothing is written over their forehead that identifies them as wicked. Clearly, the wicked are those that could be highly conversant in speaking the word of God while the word of God is absent or far from the mind.
Jesus referred to them as hypocrites when he was debating the Scribes and the Pharisees. Matthew 15:7-9, “Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying: ‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me, and in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.”Do you consider yourself as a hypocrite? A hypocrite is a pretender. A hypocrite is one whose walk and talk do not match. A hypocrite is also a person that acts it but does not practice it. If what you possess is not what you profess, you have failed in doing what you say, and you are a son of the wicked; in vain you worship Him.
There is a need to serve God in deed and in truth. One cannot serve in deed and in truth, and be living in wickedness.
 
Prayer for today: Ask against the spirit that comes into man’s life to become a wicked one.