FAITH CAPSULE: Pride is personal ride to self destruction. 

Daniel 6:10-24,

Making up excuse in the face of wrong doing is attempting to get away from submitting to one another or to the law of the land. Evidently, making up excuse is a branch from pride. Pride is the opposite of humility. Pride is not of God and it leads to untimely death. Pride is personal ride to self destruction. Many in the scripture that resumed pride resulted into untimely death. Adam gave excuse in the face of his disobedient and died spiritually. Adam ate fromthe tree of knowledge of good and evil despite God’s command not to eat (Genesis 2:16-18) Adam became sinned. Adam did not ask for forgiveness when God confronted his doing but he reduced himself by giving excuse (excuse is an agent of pride) Adam’s response states that, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.” (Genesis 3:12) Being a believer or a self proclaimed born again is not an excuse for doing wrong against the law of the land or against the authority that is over you. Daniel, a man with a purposed heart serving the Lord God Almighty, did not abuse the power of God in his life. Daniel did not use his God-given power to disregard or wrong the king or the law of the land. Despite his submission to authority, he would not compromise his faith. He took his stand in his faith while still showing respect to the king. As a believer, we should not use that as an excuse to disregard the authority which governs the land. We should be viewed by others as an example that testifies that we are in the Lord. When Daniel refused to compromise his stand in the Lord, he was sentenced to death by being thrown into the lions’ den. Are you in the lions’ den as you read this? You can rest assured that if you have respected authority, and have consistently maintained your stand in the Lord, victory is certain. While in the lions’ den, the king called out to Daniel wanting to know Daniel’s situation. Daniel responded to the king, “My God sent His angel and shut the lion’s mouths, so that they have not hurt me, because I was found innocent before Him; and also, O king, I have done no wrong before you.” (Daniel 6:22) Daniel allowed God to act on his behalf for deliverance because he allowed himself to submit to the law of the land. It is written, “Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme.” (1Peter 2:13)  You can be submissive and not compromise. Your faith should not be an excuse for insubordination.

Prayer for today: Ask God to uphold you from making up flimsy excuse that takes away and not give life.

FAITH CAPSULE: It is time to advance disregard multitude and put behind celebration.

1 Samuel 18:5-16

Is it a new day, a new week, a new month in a new year for you? It is time to advance in the calling of the Lord. In the process of making advance, disallow the multitudes and put behind celebration from holding you back. In making advance, let the past be in the past. Lot’s wife could not let the past be in the past she disregarded the command of God that states, “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) Lot’s wife did the opposite when she looked back and became a pillar of salt (Genesis19:26) Whatever Lot’s wife was looking for in her past represents a multitude. The multitude in her life caused her to become a pillar of salt and not escape as ordained for her by God.Unlike Lot’s wife, David was able to put behind him celebration from holding him back. David’s victory over Goliath was still in celebration. David had advanced himself in the calling of the Lord. The celebration of a great deliverance from the hand of Goliath encouraged the children of Israel. But, while all these things were going on, David’s victory and advancement were not enough for the enemy to give him a break. No matter how great the victory, the devil will show up with a new trick. David, after having killed Goliath, entered into another dilemma the very next day, which would make him into the man that God wanted him to be. 1 Samuel 18:10, “And it happened on the next day that the distressing spirit from God came upon Saul, and he prophesied inside the house. So David played music with his hand, as at other times; but there was a spear in Saul’s hand. And Saul cast the spear, for he said, ‘I will pin David to the wall! But David escaped his presence twice.’” The women had not yet stopped singing about the victory of David over Goliath, when another challenge stood against David. You may wonder why your situation is taking a course the way it is. Study the Word of God and you will discover that the greater the challenge, the greater the exploit to the glory of God. In all your victory celebration, pay attention to the enemy’s deliberation. It will come, but God will eliminate it all on your behalf for Hs name to be glorified. Do not be carried away with the victory at hand, but keep watching and praying. It is time to advance disregard multitude and put behind celebration.

Prayer for today: Ask for the mercy of God to be upon you just as you hope in Him.

FAITH CAPSULE: Confrontation comes with the attempt to deny confirmation.

1 Samuel 10, 2Timothy 4

In every confirmation, there is always a confrontation. Confrontation comes with the attempt to deny confirmation. Confrontation could be in the form of affliction. However, the main goal of the confronter is to deny confirmation. Remember, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all.” (Psalm 34:19) With understanding of the word of God, deliverance from every form affliction will not fail. When God choose Saul as the first King of Israel, the enemy took a stand of confrontation. God has confirmed you for advancement in a certain area of your life and you are set to go. Know that God will see you through. Confrontation will come, but your continuation will not cease because God has called you. Did He not call you? God anointed Saul to become a commander over His people. God directed Samuel as it is written in, “Then Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on his head, and kissed him and said: ‘Is it not because the LORD has anointed you commander over His inheritance?’”( 1 Samuel 10:1) Man did not call Saul, nor did man anoint him, but it was God Himself. Confrontation will show up as discouragement or hindrance but every one that is confirmed and set for God’s assignment should operate with the understanding that, God that gives calling shall not fail nor slumber. One typically expects a confirmation to mean smooth sailing with no confrontation. 1 Samuel 10:27, “But some rebels said, ‘How can this man save us?’ So they despised him, and brought him no presents. But he held his peace.’” Does that sound like your situation? Is your confrontation coming from inside your family or from your closest friends? The word of God declared the secret of Saul’s continuation in the face of confrontation as peace. Taking to the word of God is true to deliver. It is written, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7) Deny anxiousness, engage in prayer and supplication. Also, thank God for the confirmation and not question God then the peace of God will not cease from seeing you through every confirmed assignment. Paul the apostle, despite the confirmation of his calling, confrontation could not derail him. Paul suffered from all kinds of confrontation ranging from prison time, beatings and sickness. Paul persevered, endured afflictions but at the end of his journey he stated, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” (2 Timothy 4:7)   

Prayer for today: Ask for the word of God to have its place in your life.

FAITH CAPSULE: When God delivers you from your past, let the past be past.

Numbers 32:8-15

While the children of Israel were in bondage of over four hundred years, they reacted in pain and hard life by lifting up their voice in crying to the Lord. As a result of their crying, the goodness and mercy of God was stirred when God responded, “And the LORD said: ‘I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows.” God did not plan to have them stranded in the wilderness when He delivered them out of over four hundred years of bondage. God’s plan was to lead them out of bondage through the hand of Moses to a better land — a land flowing with milk and honey. God brought them out, but they would not leave Egypt behind. The word testifies, “We have sinned with our fathers, we have committed iniquity, we have done wickedly. Our fathers in Egypt did not understand Your wonders; they did not remember the multitude of Your mercies, but rebelled by the sea—the Red Sea.”(Psalm 106:6-7) With great wonder God brought them out of bondage. The children of Israel saw all the wondrous act of God that granted their deliverance. Evidently, the children of Israel lack understand of God’s wonders and failed to remember but rebelled. Are you paying attention to all the wonders of God or worrying about what you see? Lack of understanding causes failure to remember. They would not follow God fully; they failed to let go of the life they lived in Egypt. When God delivers you from your past, let the past be past. As a result of their lack of understanding, it is written, “Surely, none of the men who came up from Egypt, from twenty years old and above, shall see the land which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, because they have not wholly followed Me, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh, the Kenizzite, and Joshua the son of Nun, for they have wholly followed the LORD.”(Numbers 32:11-12)  It is possible for you to be in a rightful mind when you are among thousands of people who are not. Though a multitude may stand in wrongful agreement, and you are the only one in dissent, know that you are not alone in righteousness. Know Him in whom you believe. Stand on His word for direction and do not compromise your faith. Ignore the dictates of your heart and you will not be surprised that you are the only one standing on His ground.

Prayer for today: Ask God to enable you to take a rightful stand when the situation demands it.

FAITH CAPSULE: See a great sight and be set up for greatness in the journey of life.

Exodus 3

The difference between living a life of fulfillment by serving God and not living a life of fulfillment is in turning aside when and where it matters. The Bible was talking about Moses when it stated, “And the Angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked and behold the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed. Then Moses said, “I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn.”(Exodus 3:2-3) Moses needed to be able to see a great sight for him to be set up for greatness in his journey of life. God ordained Moses for greatness and for his greatness to come to manifestation, there was a need for him to turn aside. Remember, Moses was living in the greatest palace of his time (for forty years) when an accidental murder chased him out of the palace and out of the Land of Egypt. For Moses to become what God called him to be, for him to see the great sight, he had to leave the palace for the desert and change from prince to shepherd. When he was led to lead the flock to where there was no distraction (the back of the desert at Horeb, the mountain of God) he saw the flame of fire from the midst of the bush while the bush was not consumed. As stated in the verse above, Moses only looked and behold he did not turn aside to see the great sight. Indeed many are looking, many are beholding but many are not turning aside to see the great sight that sets man to fulfill his calling to greatness for the glory of God. Evidently, there was a need for Moses to turn aside in order to be able to see the great sight. Moses was on time at the right ground with the right training (forty years as desert shepherd) but could have missed the calling by failing to turn aside. Moses had all that is needed to move him into his divine direction but God waited on him to turn aside, “So when the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, Here I am.”” (Exodus 3:4) It does not matter what one’s achievement or experience in life, a life that does not answer to divine assignment is not a life of fulfillment. Where do you need to turn aside? God is not a slave master but a saving master. God will wait for you to turn aside to see that which will lead to the fulfillment of His calling in your life. Pay attention to where you need to turn aside.

Prayer for today: Let me not miss taking the step to Your glorious call for my life.