FAITH CAPSULE: If you have been waiting on God for long it will not be long for Him to remember you.

1 Samuel 1

God is not a forgetful God but He remembers with favor and visit with salvation. God does not sleep and He will not sleep concerning His children. God is God that moves at His own pace and His timing to remember and visit. After the flood of Noah time, “…God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the animals that were with him in the ark. And God Made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters subsided.”  (Genesis 8:1) God’s remembrance of Noah brought Noah back to a dry land at God’s ordained time. God knew that the children of Israel were in bondage for over four hundred years. The Bible recorded, “Now it happened in the process of time that the king of Egypt died. Then the children of Israel groaned because of the bondage, and they cried out; and their cry came up to God because of the bondage.  So God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God acknowledged them.” (Exodus 2:23-25) In the process of time and at the groaning and crying of the children of Israel, God remembered them. The unquestionable God is in total control every time. Salvation was not activated for the children of Israel until God remembered them. What do you need for God to remember you? God is able to remember you and dry every tear of lack; He is able to remember in moving you forward from every ground of stagnation. Depending on where you are or what you want Him to remember you for, your case might require for you to cry or groan. God will never forget you. Sarah was barren because God closed her womb. (1 Samuel 1:5) Despite her barrenness she kept her faith going to Shiloh yearly with no record of complain. If you have been waiting on God for long it will not be long for Him to remember you because He is a merciful God and no situation is hidden from God. After many years of going to Shiloh, she encountered favor when Eli the priest at Shiloh prayed, “Then they rose early in the morning and worshiped before the LORD, and returned and came to their house at Ramah. And Elkanah knew Hannah his wife, and the LORD remembered her. So it came to pass in the process of time that Hannah conceived and bore a son, and called his name Samuel saying, “Because I have asked for him from the LORD.” (1 Samuel 1:19-20) Just as Noah was remembered in the process of time Hannah was also remembered.

Prayer for today: Remember me, O LORD, with the favor You have toward Your people. Visit me with Your salvation.

FAITH CAPSULE: It is dangerous ground to compromise with unfounded truth.

Numbers 16

An adage says, ‘Birds of the same feather flock together.’ Flocking with a wrong group is a direct avenue to a wrong and deadly compromise. When compromise is godly rooted it can be a blessing. However, when compromise is evil rooted it amounts to a deadly result. The Bible recorded, “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?” (Numbers 16:1-3) Korah not only had a good number of people but he got renowned men to compromise. Korah had company that was strong enough to stand against the man of God, Moses. It was the wrong company led by Korah because Moses did not take it light when he pointed out to Korah by stating, “Therefore you and all your company are gathered together against the LORD…” (Numbers 16:11) Are you currently engaged or involved in any group or company attempting to take an unfounded allegation against any leadership? Your engagement or involvement is nothing else but compromise. It is a dangerous ground to compromise with unfounded truth. Many compromised with Korah and experienced the judgment of God when, “…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.” (Numbers 16:31-33) King Jehoshapaht refused to accompany King Ahab of Israel to compromise his trust in the Lord his God in a war by disguising against the King of Syria. Ahab went further stating to King Jehoshaphat, “…I will disguise myself and go into battle; but you put on your robes.” So the king of Israel disguised himself and went into battle.” (1 Kings 22:30) Ahab compromised by disguising. The same battle that could not claim the life of Jehoshaphat because he refused to compromise his trust in his God took the life of Ahab. Compromising can go on for long time; it can be executed silently or loudly. However, when there is a failure to identify it and stay away from it, its deadly consequence is certain.

Prayer for today: Ask God to deliver you from every conscious or unconscious life terminating compromise.

FAITH CAPSULE: Material gain is not a purpose in following Jesus.

Luke 9:57-62

The cost of discipleship is to follow Jesus at all cost. Following Him is not to flow with the crowd but a departure to the other side. When we follow Jesus, we should not just follow by the word of the mouth but by our walk in the word of God. Cost of discipleship means nothing should come between us and our going after the business of the kingdom. Material gain is not the purpose of following Jesus. It is written, “Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to Him, “Lord, I will follow You wherever You go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” (Luke 9:57-58) The man that volunteered to follow Jesus without any condition failed to count the cost. The man must have been coming with emotion. His desire to follow must have been rooted in his feelings. Following with feelings would never be strong enough to sustain the challenges of following Him. The Bible recorded, “Then He said to another, “Follow Me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.””(Luke 9:59) In following Him there should be no excuse whatsoever between His calling and accepting to follow. In the midst of His calling for one to follow and one volunteering to follow, another one approached Jesus “And another also said, “Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house.” (Luke 9:61) Jesus knows the end from the beginning. He sees our heart and exactly our stand in our claim as Christian. He responded to the last one, “But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.””(Luke 9:62) As an acclaimed Christian, a born-again believer, how are you following Him? Are you following with conditions or unconditionally? It is the evidence of understanding to know and to follow Him fully. To make a choice and not follow Jesus fully is evidence of wandering from the way of understanding. Proverbs 21:16 pointed out, “A man who wanders from the way of understanding will rest in the assembly of the dead.” Jesus said let the dead bury his dead. Will you think it over and let the dead bury the dead? Will you put aside your needs and know that there will be a time to bare farewell to your house? In following Him fully there will be tests of time but you will rest at all time with victory on your side. Jesus will never fail you.

Prayer for today: Ask the good God for the grace to follow Him fully.

FAITH CAPSULE: Ridicule is from the outside; it is an agent of discouragement.

Luke 8:49-56

As an acclaimed believer, all the things that do not represent God in your life should be considered as an outsider. All things that are outside of your belief are outsider to you and should be treated as an outsider. Doubt, fear, mockery are all outside of your belief and should be totally disallowed for you to live for the glory of God. As there are outsiders so there are also the ones to be considered as insiders. Having faith instead of fear, living in truth and having integrity can be considered as the representatives of insider. Once, Jesus’ received the report of a dead daughter of a ruler of the synagogue and He responded, “Do not be afraid; only believe, and she will be made well.” When He came into the house, He permitted no one to go in except Peter, James, and John, and the father and mother of the girl.”(Luke 8:50-51) In Jesus’ response there was encouragement when He called against fear. Also he disallowed outsider when He permitted no one to go in except His insiders (Peter, James and John, and the father and the mother of the girl) Jesus’ insiders are agent of encouragement and not discouragement; they are agent of miracle not agent of mockery. Jesus lined up Himself with what it takes to bring forth life where there is no life. Jesus did not address the challenge on the outside until He had taken care of the inside. How are you resolving your challenges? Are you permitting the outsiders or the insiders’ interference? While Jesus was taking care of the inside, the outsider’s agent (ridicule) was in operation. It is written, “And they ridiculed Him, knowing that she was dead.”(Luke 8: 53) The outsiders that were present ridiculed Jesus thinking it would be impossible for Him to raise the dead back to life. Ridicule is from the outside; it is an agent of discouragement. As an agent of discouragement, ridicule will bring forth discouragement to stop exercising faith, which would cause the loss of faith. Jesus did not hesitate He needed to settle the outside since the inside had been addressed, the Bible recorded in Luke 8:54, “…He put them all outside, took her by the hand and called, saying, “Little girl, arise, “Then her spirit returned, and she arose immediately. And He commanded that she be given something to eat.”” Jesus did not allow the surrounding people or the outsiders deny the miracle. Just as Jesus put all agents of mockery and ridicule out in the case of the daughter of the ruler of synagogue, so He will do on your behalf.

Prayer for today: Ask God to help return all that belongs to you so there shall be a testimony to glorify God.

FAITH CAPSULE: Lot’s insistence on hospitality paid off when he was rewarded with salvation from destruction.

Genesis 19:1-25

Hospitality in the midst of depravity delivered Lot from the rain of brimstone that came over Sodom and Gomorrah. Besides the fact that Lot left Haran with Abraham when God called Abraham out, nothing in particular points to Lot’s qualification for his salvation among the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. When it was time for Sodom and Gomorrah to be destroyed because of their wickedness, God let it known to Abraham, but not Lot. The Bible mentioned that Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom when the angels arrived. By virtue of his hospitality, when he saw them, “…he rose to meet them, and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground. And he said, “Here now, my lords, please turn in to your servant’s house and spend the night, and wash your feet; then you may rise early and go on your way.” (Genesis 19:2) The angels did not accept Lot’s offer but Lot insisted. The Bible described that Lot “…insisted strongly; so they turned in to him and entered his house. Then he made them a feast, and baked unleavened bread, and they ate.” (Genesis 19:3) Lot was concerned about the safety of the angels while they were in Sodom and Gomorrah and the concern of Lot became reality when the people of Sodom surrounded Lot’s house at night demanding to know the angels carnally. Lot’s hospitality of using his daughters as providing security for the angels fell short of pleasing the people of Sodom. Eventually, the angels struck the people with blindness. After the ordeal that demonstrated the sinful nature of the people of Sodom, the angel requested Lot, his wife, son in-laws and two daughters to leave Sodom because of inevitable destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Lot had done well before the angel; he made good account of himself as one that lives in the land but not part of the land. The Bible recorded, “And while he lingered, the men took hold of his hand, his wife’s hand, and the hands of his two daughters, the LORD being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city. So it came to pass, when they had brought them outside, that he said, “Escape for your life! Do not look behind you nor stay anywhere in the plain. Escape to the mountains, lest you be destroyed.” (Genesis 19:16-17) Lot’s insistence on hospitality paid off when he was rewarded with salvation from destruction. Though he lingered, the angels were persistent and prevailed by taking hold of his hand and his family unto salvation.

Prayer for today: Ask God to take hold of you out of every area of life; every area of decision making or location, which are not of God that you have been lingering.