BE STRONG AND OF GOOD COURAGE

FAITH CAPSULE: Being strong and courageous is what becomes of one that consistently meditates on the word of God.
 
Joshua 1
When Joshua took over the challenging and confrontational leadership position of leading the children of Israel, he was backed by a convincing and powerful promise of God, “No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you.” (Joshua 1:5) Believers often quote the promise of God to Joshua by personalizing it to themselves “The Lord will not leave me nor forsake me”. Indeed, God will never leave His own, except if His own disown Him by living outside of His command. It is a great blessing to have God on our side; however, God’s blessing is rooted in conditions that have to be met before the blessing manifests itself. It would not have happened for Joshua if he had failed to operate under the conditions that were laid down for the manifestation of God’s promise. The conditions for Joshua were for him to, “Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.” (Joshua 1:6) This same condition applies to any believer who wants to personalize God’s promise to Joshua. Without being strong in the Lord and having courage rooted in trusting God, Joshua would not have entered into the promises of God. Being strong and courageous is what becomes of one that consistently meditates on the word of God. Also, observing the word of God is in meditation just as it was laid down for Joshua, “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it…” (Joshua 1:8) It is clear in the word of God that meditation will generate the ability to observe the word (Observe: to regard with attention, so as to see or to obey, comply with, or conform to). Without meditating on the word, nothing will be in place to observe. Truly, a believer can gain strength (become strong) when the joy of the Lord is present inside of him. It cannot be well stated more than in Nehemiah 8:10, “…For the joy of the LORD is your strength.” Joy that is rooted in the heart, not laughter or a smile is a direct access to the presence of God. The Psalmist confirms it by stating, “You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy…” (Psalm 16:11) With the presence of God, a strength that cannot be shaken will make it impossible for any man to stand against a believer that is in the word of God. Having joy in the Lord is the evidence of fully trusting God.
 
Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace of obedience.

FAITH CAPSULE: A failure to receive will bring forth the reason to be reduced.

Psalm 107
 
How you receive will not be determined by how long you have been in the church. It is possible for you to have been in the church for years and have the challenges of constantly holding on to who takes your seat or who steps on your toes every time you get into your place of worship. How you receive will not be determined by what or how people know you or perceive you to be. How you receive cannot be determined by how active you are in your congregation or your ground of fellowshipping. It is possible for you to be working in the church and not work His works. The Word that comes from God is to give life and to give it more abundantly. As the Word comes, so does the enemy. The enemy that is around is here on earth to take life and tear it with more destruction. The one that destroys is a specialized destroyer, he will always build on every reason not to be able to forgive and deny entrance of entering into a position to receive and be blessed.
It is written in 2 Timothy 1:7, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” It has been given by God and not that it will be given. It is there to operate a spirit of power and of love and of a sound mind. Receive what God has given; all that is not of God has to be released. It is true that you are conversant with the scriptural passages, but are you consciously operating what the passages are saying to you as a believer? To be consciously operating the given Word of God is the evidence of its reception in the life of a believer. The Word that God has given does have so much to offer if every believer will take a position to receive. The word of God is for healing and deliverance. Psalm 107:20, “He sent His word and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.” Anytime a believer is able to let go what the world is offering and take what the Word of God sent to us, there be deliverance to be received. It is only the hearts that are able to release itself from the occupying agents of the world that will receive–through constant engagement of the Word. How long will one continue to live life without receiving the word of God? He has given all that it takes for man to receive and be blessed in His Word. A failure to receive will bring forth the reason to be reduced.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace to be consistently open unto receiving His word.

FAITH CAPSULE: Go and forgive, receive and move forward because there is power in giving and blessing in receiving.

Matthew 6:1-15
 
A heart that does not know how to give will not know how to receive. Jesus, in His lesson about how to pray, Matthew 6:12, “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.” Any heart that does not know how to give is set to be on his own and heading in the direction of temptation and the evil one. It could be that you have not been able to receive yours because you have refused to stop going around carrying and nursing how your brethren has offended you years ago. Jesus taught it and it is clear that one need to go and tear one’s diary of animosity, woes, anger and plan for revenge. Go and forgive, receive and move forward because there is power in giving and blessing in receiving.
John 1:1-3, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.” This same Word is the one that comes from God. This same Word is the one that comes to give life. John 10:10, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” The Word is here and not that He will be here sometimes. The purpose of the Word being here as stated by Him is to give life. In His giving of life, there will be abundance in it. The life He came to give can only be received by every believer that knows how to receive it. Are you a believer that knows how to forgive and move from the past into life that is in the Word? As regard to forgiveness and prayer cannot be separated. Jesus points it out, “… whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.”(Matthew 11:25-26) As a believer that desires the blessing of forgiving and receiving, give up not being able to forgive and let your prayer bring forth all that is set for you to receive.

Prayer for today: Ask God for forgiveness for not having been forgiving as much as it should be. Also, ask for the grace to be forgiving as often as there is a need.

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

Mark 2:1-12
 
Every distinct action commands heaven’s attention. 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. Faith is behaving one’s belief. What is heard is what is believed, what is believed is what is acted and what is acted is what becomes of one. Indeed, the word of God is true, stating, “…For the Lord is a God of knowledge; and by Him all actions are weighed” (1 Samuel 2:3). 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: At every time a man takes onto his course instead of God’s course, man will end up cursed.

Jonah 1, 2
 
God cannot be denied from having His way in the life of His creation. Assuredly, nothing under heaven or above heaven can stop God. Without any doubt by going right with God all will go right with you. And, when you go wrong with God all will go wrong with you. There is no other way that is right but God’s way. Anyone that takes outside of His way will end up in the way of death. Proverbs 14:12, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” Why not take the way of God? Jonah was called by God, and he heard from God, but was hard on God. He was called to go to Nineveh but he fled to Tarshish. At every time a man takes onto his course instead of God’s course, man will end up cursed. Jonah did not put only himself in the line of destruction, but all the people that were on the ship were in the face of dangerous storm. Jonah was carrying the mark of disobedience. What is it that you are running away from? Can you specifically identify any clear and specific direction that has been placed upon your life? Jonah knew that he was the target of the violent storm; he could no longer run away from his disobedience. Have you taught of the cause of the storm in your journey? As a believer that has been running from the calling of God or from the way of God, know it that you are the cause of storm in the vessel of transportation. During the course of the journey to Tarshish, with storm of destruction looming Jonah was requested of what could be done to bring peace and quiet in the storm. Jonah responded, “…pick me up and throw me into the sea; then the sea will become calm for you. For I know that this great tempest is because of me.” (Jonah 1:12)Without any doubt, you will know if you are the cause of storm. God has not called you on a journey over the water and it does not matter how far you have gone on the water, He will bring you back to a dry land. A dry land is where He wants to establish your footing. Jonah was thrown into the sea where he spent three days and three nights in the belly of the fish. The Bible recorded, “Then Jonah prayed to the LORD his God from the fish’s belly. And he said: I cried out to the LORD because of my affliction, and He answered me.” (Jonah 2:1-2) God is still in the business of having mercy. Do not take to your own way. Jonah 2:10, “So the LORD spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.”   
 
Prayer for today: Ask Him to roll away ever affliction in your journey of life.