FAITH CAPSULE: Attraction we display in the name of celebrating God is like a fig tree that attracts its creator without anything to show for.

Mark 11:12-14, 1 Peter 1:13-21

Among the ways of seeking God is celebrating God for who He is. A God that is jealous will undoubtedly appreciate being celebrated by His creation. With understanding, it is safe to say celebrating the birth of Jesus is seeking Jesus. The words of God demands, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”(Matthew 6:33) As one that celebrates the birth of Jesus, do you actually understand it that celebrating the birth of Jesus is seeking God? The word of God encourage, “…seek the LORD your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul.” (Deuteronomy 4:29) It is always worth to make our seeking God a fruitful experience and not just a something of attraction. Attraction we display in the name of celebrating God is like a fig tree that attracts its creator without anything to show for. This brings to mind the story of a fig tree that attracted Jesus without any fruit to deliver to its creator.The fig tree perhaps was the only tree in the region that was mouth watering. Its leaves were an indication that its fruit was delicious and palatable. Jesus created the fig tree for a purpose. The fig tree was not only created to be pleasing to the eye nor to be the best looking among the many trees in the garden. It is written, “And seeing from afar a fig tree having leaves, He went to see if perhaps He would find something on it. When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the seasons for figs.” (Mark 11:13) All of Jesus’ actions, reactions and words were meant to communicate to the people both during His time on earth and after His ascension. How much attention are you devoting to the Word of God? Jesus was not only displaying His power when He approached the unfruitful fig tree by virtue of the inviting leaves it displayed. Jesus was communicating a message through the demonstration of power. Christianity or Christmas celebration is not just about adornment and Sunday-noise-making. Christianity is about Jesus reality, and Jesus reality is fruitfulness. Do not let your adornment be merely outward by the arrangement that is putting on fine apparel or beautifying your surroundings with Christmas lights. Avoid being a side attraction. Whenever your attractiveness is used for purposes other than having communion with the Creator, God may deal with you by showing you the futility of your vanity. All that Jesus wants is to see your fruitfulness.

Prayer for today: Ask Him to deliver you from religion into Jesus reality.

FAITH CAPSULE: Just a word from God will terminate your entire struggle.

John 11:38-44

The psalmist declared, “He sent His word and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.”(Psalm 107:20) The word of God is power to deliver and to preserve. The Bible also recorded, “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.” (John 1:1-3) The same word that is being referred to is the same yesterday, today and forever. The book of revelation pointed out, “He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.” (Revelation 19:13) There is no other one that was clothed with a robe dipped in the blood than Jesus. He came in the form of man through the Virgin Mary about two thousand years ago. Jesus is the reason for celebration because there is life in Him. Do you believe in the living Word of God? In the world today, there is trouble everywhere. However, when trouble gets to the heart it becomes evident that there is lack of believe in the heart. Jesus said, “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.” (John 14:1) Yes, there is trouble everywhere but guard your heart from getting troubled by believing in the Word of God that gives life where there is death. Celebrating the birth of Jesus is not elevating one’s self in the word. You are still struggling, you are constantly overwhelmed, and you are not getting what you’ve been hoping for, because you are not getting into the Word. For so long you have been constant and conversant with the Word of God, but your problem is that the Word is not entering into your life. The Word of God is true and it is life. For four days, Lazarus was dead. His body was stinking, and there was no way in scientific understanding for Lazarus to have life again, but when the healing healer stepped into the situation, He brought Lazarus back from death. John 11:43 says, “He cried out with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth! And he who had died came out of bound hand and foot with grave clothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, loose him, and let him go.”  Jesus is alive; the issue that is causing you to struggle and that is constantly overwhelming you are far from taking your life. Just a word from God breathed life back to Lazarus. Scripture tells us, “Take the word as life not as letter because the word gives life but the letter kills (1Cor.3:6).”  That same word that located Lazarus will terminate your entire struggle. Just a word from God will terminate your entire struggle. 

Prayer for today: Ask for the word to sound in your direction.

FAITH CAPSULE: Thank God for Jesus the Peace of God.

Jeremiah 29: 4-14, John 16:25-33

Jesus said, “…I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10) Jesus came to give abundant life. He also stated another place that, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” (John 14:27) Jesus did not stop talking about peace when He further stated, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”(John 16:33) In all of the words of Jesus above, it is clear that having abundant life is inhabited in the peace that Jesus brought. This is to say that receiving and having Jesus, the gift, the reason for the season into our life is where abundant life is. Challenges will come and the enemy will roar but with Jesus, the Peace of God, the enemies will fail to rear its head against one. It is only the peace that comes from God that will give true hope for your future. God was speaking to the children of Israel who were being carried away as captives from Jerusalem to Babylon. Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” God made the captives know that His thoughts for them were ones of peace, not evil. The message of God is that peace, not evil, gives your future hope. Determination will fail, effort will not answer, and human plans will only work for a while before they fail. There is no substitute for the peace of God when there is a need for motion in your life. When Jesus was crucified, the disciples went and shut themselves up. The disciples were afraid of those who crucified Jesus (John 20:19). The disciples could not move, because they thought their future and hope had also been crucified. Thank God for Jesus the Peace of God. Behind the closed door, Jesus showed up and said to them, “Peace be with you.” Where there is no peace, evil will take its place. Praying for the peace of God in these evil days will cause a believer to live a life that has a future and a hope in Christ Jesus. It is recorded in Philippians 4:7, “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” These words of Paul the apostle, inspired by the Holy Spirit, are necessary prayer points to live by on a daily basis. God will answer your prayer in Jesus’ name.

Prayer for today: Let Your mercies come to also to me O Lord-Your salvation according to Your word. (Psalm 119:41)

FAITH CAPSULE: Let God know that you know Him.

1Samuel 17:31-37

The God that fought on behalf of David against Goliath is God that never fail. When waiting on God is truly based on the testimonies of His work and the manifestation of His promises, victory becomes certain. It is written about God, “For since the beginning of the world Men have not heard nor perceived by the ear, nor has the eye seen any God besides You, who acts for the one who waits for Him.” (Isaiah 64:4) Knowing God is personal. One has to know God for who He is and what He can do. What is it that you do not know about Him? The work of God is more than enough and everywhere to thank Him. Psalmist declared, “We give thanks to You, O God, we give thanks! For Your wondrous works declare that Your name is near.” (Psalm 75:1) All we need to do is look around to know that He alone is God; He is unfailing and He is a mighty warrior. Knowing God personally will move one to do exploit for His glory where others are being removed unto shame. King Saul’s prayer, when David was to take on Goliath was short, and heaven answered on behalf of David. Before the prayer, King Saul had tried to persuade David not to go and confront Goliath. He explained to David that because he was a youth, he could not possibly take on a giant (not just a giant but a warrior giant). David, knowing what God had done in his life could not accept the King’s advice but maintained his ground of testimony. Has He done anything for you that lead you to believe He will not fail? If not, look at the things He created just by His Word and the revelation of His Lordship will cause you to trust in Him. David went further in pleading his case to go after Goliath, 1Samuel 17:36, “Your servant has killed both lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he has defiled the armies of the living God. Moreover, David said, “The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “Go, and the LORD be with you!”(1Samuel 17:37) David had a testimony and a confession of faith. Saul provoked the hand of God just by a Word of prayer and David became a winner. Do you have a testimony that you can meditate on? Just like David, let God know that you know Him. Let Him know the greatness of what He has done in your life and He will be provoked and will bring to pass your victory which is not yet sight.   

Prayer for today: Ask God for His hand that answered for David to answer against your Goliath.

FAITH CAPSULE: A reasonable sacrifice unto God will deliver a reasonable response from God.

1 Kings 3:3-15

Sacrificing unto God is worshiping God. Worshiping God is an on going as along there is breath of life. Sacrificing unto God can be convenient or inconvenient at times but commitment is what matters and counts before God. It is written, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.” (Romans 12:1)It is important to understand that our sacrifices unto God should always be acceptable and reasonable to God. The Bible describes God, “…For the Lord is the God of knowledge; and by Him actions are weighed.” (1 Samuel 2:3) The action behind our sacrifice is clear unto God and only God determines the acceptability of our sacrifice. A reasonable and acceptable sacrifice unto God will no doubt provoke the hand of God to favor. God demands a reasonable sacrifice. A reasonable sacrifice unto God will deliver a reasonable response from God. When His hand is deposited reasonably upon your life, every reason to stand out becomes undeniable. King Solomon was such a King that the world never stopped reasoning about the kind of wisdom he demonstrated in his life. David made us aware that Solomon had always been a wise man before God’s hand was provoked in adding a wise and understanding heart to Solomon. David said to Solomon, “Now therefore, do not hold him guiltless, for you are a wise man and know what you ought to do to him; but bring his gray hair down to the grave with blood.” (1 Kings2:9)This verse points out that Solomon had always been a wise man. However, when King Solomon offered a reasonable sacrifice, his story turned around forever. It is recorded about Solomon, “Now the King went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the great high place: Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, ‘Ask what shall I give you?’”(1 Kings 3:4-5) Solomon worshiped God with reasonable sacrifice and his sacrifice provoked the hand of God. Is your sacrifice provoking the hand of God or is it revoking it? Do you remember Cain’s sacrifice? Your sacrifice matters; it will deposit an uncharacteristic power of God that is unparalleled in your life. 1 Kings 3:12, “Behold I have done according to your words; see, I have given you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has not been anyone like you before you, nor shall any like you arise after you.” A reasonable sacrifice will provoke a reasonable God-investment in your life. God deposited a wise and understanding heart in King Solomon. 

Prayer for today: O Lord, instruct me and teach me in the way to go that I shall live for your glory.