FAITH CAPSULE: Are you sleeping or sleep is holding you down?

Psalm 13, Acts 12

King David said, “Considered and hear me, O Lord my God; enlighten my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death; lest my enemy say I have prevailed against him, lest those who trouble me rejoice when I am moved.”(Psalm 13:3-4) Before the making of this statement by King David, it is evident that he was concerned about not getting an answer for a prayer request when He earlier stated, “How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me?” (Psalm 13:1) Are you one that is looking up to God for intervention in any particular area of life? It could be that your situation demands more time to be awake in praying instead of sleeping the sleep of death. Peter once slept the sleep of death while under the harassing hand of Herod. Despite the fact that the same hand of King Herod took the life of James, the brother of John, Peter could not keep himself up and awake from a sleep of death. Sleeping the sleep of death is not only a time when one goes on bed to lie down and have eyes shut. For a believer, sleeping the sleep of death could mean taking a place of inactivity where challenges of the wicked one demands constant and persistent prayer. Paul and Silas could not sleep in the face of an evil agenda. Paul and Silas engaged in an overnight prayer and praise, worshiping God. By virtue of their action (Prayer and praising God), hell had no choice but to loose its grip on their life and deliverance was set in place for both of them. Interestingly, the same Peter went to the mount of prayer with Jesus and slept. Luke 9:32, “But Peter and those with him were heavy with sleep; and when they were fully awake, they saw His glory and the two men who stood with Him.” It was the prayer of the church that delivered Peter. It could have been that the same group that prayed for Peter must have been asleep when James was being terminated by the hand of Herod. Apparently, the death of James must have called for the church’s attention to pray for Peter. It is written, “Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constantprayer was offered to God for him by the church.  And when Herod was about to bring him out, that night Peter was sleeping, bound with two chains between two soldiers; and the guards before the door were keeping the prison.” (Acts 12:5-6) Peter could have been dead before fulfilling his divine assignment, but prayer of church in time of his sleeping prevailed on his behalf. David could not afford to go into sleep of death, he asked God to enlighten his eyes. Are you sleeping or sleep is holding you down?

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace to be alive and awake where there is need for it.

FAITH CAPSULE:Boasting God is announcing that with God all things are possible.

1 Samuel 17

The World English Dictionary defined boast as, “To speak in exaggerated or excessively proud terms of one’s possessions, skills, or superior qualities; brag.” One can only boast in whom one knows. Boasting in what one does not know is a demonstration of an empty barrel making noise. In your life, what or who is it that you know for sure is worth of all day boasting? The Psalmist testifies, “In God we boast all day long…” (Psalm 44:8) Unlike the world definition, there is no enough exaggeration in boasting of God. God is the One and only almighty God, He is the great I AM, He is worth of all day boasting when He is known by the one that boasts Him. Boasting in God is giving and gaining attention to and from God. Boasting in God is announcing that with God all things are possible. Boasting in God is looking in the face of your Goliath and letting him know is a living dead in your hand. Boasting in God is not what to be done only when there is a confronting challenge. Boasting in God is a constant engagement; an all day activity. Ones that boast with understand from the heart and not from the mouth do get their boost from the throne of grace. Boasting God all day long will boost up one where others are grounded.
Once, the armies of the children Israel and their God were being verbally abused. The children of Israel were emotionally and physical grounded in the face of their enemy. In this battle, Goliath stood his ground stating, “…Why have you come out to line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and you the servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me. If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants. But if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants and serve us.” And the Philistine said, “I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together.” (1 Samuel 17:8-10) Whatever is defying a sincere child of God defies God and it should not be so. When David got to the battle ground, he responded to Goliath by boasting in God, “…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 defied.  This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you…” (1 Samuel 17:45-46) Know your God, boast in Him all day long and He will boost you over your Goliath.           

Prayer for today: Ask God to lead you in His truth and teach you His way.

FAITH CAPSULE: Contend together with God, He is a saving God not a slave master.   

Isaiah 38

God will not work without His word. God was sure of His word when He declared, “So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:11) He never violates His word and whenever the word of God is violated, the violator is set to be violated by the world. The Psalmist testifies, “God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear…” (Psalm 4:1-2) A believer that holds onto this testimony need to know that God is true to His word but a failure for believer to disallow fear will disqualify the word answering to the believer.
God spoke in Isaiah 43:26 “Put Me in remembrance; Let us contend together; State your case, that you may be acquitted.” God that asked us to put Him in remembrance is not a forgetful God but expectant God that wants to get His due attention. The case of Hezekiah is evidence to God honoring His word regardless of challenges. The Bible recorded, “In those days Hezekiah was sick and near death. And Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, went to him and said to him, “Thus says the LORD: ‘Set your house in order, for you shall die and not live.’” (Isaiah 38:1) Hezekiah received a death sentence because his house was not in order. God of order expects His servant Hezekiah to maintain order in his house. Hezekiah does not want to die an untimely death; he needed God to work a way out for him not to die. Assume ably, the knowledge of God in Hezekiah made him to commit God to His word when he went and prayed. Hezekiah’s prayed, “…Remember now, O LORD, I pray, how I have walked before You in truth and with a loyal heart, and have done what is good in Your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.” (Isaiah 38:3) God that gave word to put Him in remembrance responded to Hezekiah’s prayer that asked God to remember him. God responded, “And the word of the LORD came to Isaiah, saying, “Go and tell Hezekiah, ‘Thus says the LORD, the God of David your father: “I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; surely I will add to your days fifteen years. I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria, and I will defend this city.”’ (Isaiah 38:4-6) Do you have a genuine case to state when you call on God to remember you? Contend together with God, He is a saving God not a slave master.     

Prayer for today: Ask God for the knowledge and understanding of His will in your life.

FAITH CAPSULE: Trust in the God whom you serve and hope in the power of His deliverance.

1 Samuel 13:1-14, Daniel 3

It is written, “Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, and whose hope is the LORD.” (Jeremiah 17:7) When a life terminating challenge occurs, it is easy for one that constantly claims trust in God to loose hope in waiting on God for deliverance. By this virtue, it can be concluded that it is possible to trust in God and not have hope in Him. King Saul knew God enough by trusting Him to accept and become the King for the children of Israel. Once, when he was to wait on God’s command that forbids all but the priest, from offering a burnt offering to God he failed to wait. King Saul lost hope and was compelled to violate the command of God. Does that sound like you?
Once, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego refused to serve or worship King Nebuchadnezzar’s gold image, they were sentenced to the harsh penalty of death by the fiery furnace. However, they were determined to stand their ground for God because the trust and hope they were having in God was intact. King Nebuchadnezzar further questioned them about who would deliver them. They were so sure of their trust and hope in God as they responded, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, ‘O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter.’”(Daniel 3:16) Is there any matter which is demanding you to compromise your faith? Is the matter threatening to you? You can be confident, just as these men of faith were, that you have no need to answer the question. Trust in the God whom you serve and hope in the power of His deliverance. They trusted God and responded in Daniel 3:17, “If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king.” Seeing that they had been delivered from the furnace fire, King Nebuchadnezzar speaks in Daniel 3:28, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, who sent His Angel and delivered His servants who trusted in Him, and they have frustrated the king’s word, yielded their bodies, that they should not serve nor worship any god except their own God!” At every trust and hope in God the hand of the enemy shall be frustrated and shattered. Our trust in God will uphold us in the presence of our enemy. If you trust and hope in Him, act it out and He will react because He is a God of knowledge and by Him actions are weighed. (1 Samuel 2:3)

Prayer for today: Ask God to endue you with the grace that causes man to stand in trust regardless of the circumstances.

FAITH CAPSULE:His going through will not leave you empty, but will endue you with all it takes to be connected to heaven.

John 4

Jesus was speaking in the book of Revelation, “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.” When He was here on earth He did not stop reaching out to those that did not know Him. After He has risen and went to the right hand of God He continues to reach out. Indeed He came to give life to those who will accept Him. Jesus was and He is the Great Savior that paid it all on the cross of Calvary.
A song testifies about Jesus, “Everywhere he went He was doing good.” He was, and He is the Almighty healer that heals the leper and gives light in the darkness. If you will let Him go through you today, you will not be left the same way. As much as Samaritans were rejected by the Jews, and as much as the Jews avoided the land of Samaria because of sin, Jesus had the need to go through Samaria. He wanted to touch the sinner’s life. John 4:4-5, “But He needed to go through Samaria. So He came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.” Will you let Him go through you? His going through will not leave you empty, but will endue you with all it takes to be connected to heaven.
He will be a fountain of living water instead of a dry well. His journey through Samaria was not to judge, but to take them from the past into a place where they could be with Him. There must have been another route that Jesus could have taken to go to Galilee, but He chose to go through Samaria. When his time in Samaria was completed, He was asked to stay a little longer. John 4:43, “Now after the two days He departed from there and went to Galilee.” After having departed from Samaria, He delivered to Samaritans the gift of God; living water and what it takes to draw the living water. He also put in place all that it takes not to be thirsty to whoever accepted the living water. Jesus is Lord yesterday and forever. Allow Jesus to go through you, He will never forsake you. After you have let Him through, His presence will continue to be a wellspring in your life. Let Him go through you and you will never be the same again.

Prayer for today: Ask God to have mercy upon you according to His lovingkindness; according to the multitude of His tender mercies.