FAITH CAPSULE:To fear God should not only be in word memorization.

Psalm 112

Having being blessed with wisdom and knowledge from God, King Solomon was able to enjoy all the finer things that life had to offer. Despite God’s blessing, he turned from God’s commandments and later came to this conclusion, “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandment, for this is man’s all.” (Ecclesiastes 12:13) Without a doubt and by virtue of Solomon’s report, keeping the commandments of God can be impossible without fearing Him. Also fearing God is all that matters to live a blessed life. To fear God is to love God; to love God is to know God; to know God is to wait on God. Isaiah 40:31 stated, “But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” In fearing God, there is more to gain and nothing to lose. In this world of wickedness, the wisdom to navigate successfully and the wisdom to run and not walk where situation demands running is inhabited in the fear of God. Proverbs 9:10, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom…” To fear God should not only be in word memorization but word meditation which brings forth manifestation. The word of God is consistently true, “The fear of Lord leads to life, and he who has it will abide in satisfaction; he will not be visited with evil.” (Proverbs 19:23) Fearing God is not a fake-able task, those that truly fear Him shows the evidence by their day to day actions. Blessing to fear God cannot be emphasized enough as mentioned in Psalm 112:1, “Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who delights greatly in His commandments.” Fearing God is a blessing, it is not a thing of determination. Determination failed Peter when he denied Jesus three times as predicted by Jesus. Where there is a desire God is the one that will deposit what it takes to fear Him. God spoke in Jeremiah 32:40, “And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from doing them good; but I will put My fear in their hearts so that they will not depart from Me.” As an acclaimed believer desire the fear of God and it will be deposited in you. Are you (speaking of others) a gossiper? How about switching from gossiping about others to gossiping about the Lord? The Bible encourages gossiping about God when it states, “…those who feared the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord listened and heard them; so a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the Lord and who meditate on His name.” (Malachi 3:16) Indeed there is nothing to live for but the fear of the Lord.

Prayer for today: Ask God to put His fear in your heart.

 FAITH CAPSULE: Temptation, confrontation, aggravation, only increase when one’s journey gets closer to the Promised Land.

Numbers 20: 1-13 

Temptation, confrontation, aggravation and every other agent of termination will bring forth failure or untimely death. Agents of termination never cease in every journey especially when the journey is of God. Temptation, confrontation, aggravation, (agents of distraction) only increase when one’s journey gets closer to the Promised Land. However, as much as the work of the agents of termination persists, God will also continue to give mercy to carry you through. God’s mercy will not and does not run out; it is only His creation that often runs out of His mercy. The higher the level of your calling, the greater the level and the intensity of the enemy will be in attempt to stop or deny the manifestation of your calling. Moses was called by God to lead the children of Israel out of the bondage of over four hundred years. Moses’ calling was close to touching God, but yet the enemy made him to exhaust patience. God, however, did not allow the enemy to be exalted over his life when He allowed him to see the land but not to step on the land. From the beginning to the end of his calling, it was an encounter with the enemy using the children of Israel as the instrument of getting to Moses. Rebellious acts were the pattern that was consistently used, but Moses was always on top of it. At the Red Sea, the crying and the fear in the life of the children of Israel was enough a provocation for Moses, but it did not prevail. As they complained and confessed negative against Moses for hunger so they did for water and every other discomfort in their journey. It is written, “Now there was no water for the congregation; so they gathered together against Moses and Aaron. And the people contended with Moses and spoke, saying: “If only we had died when our brethren died before the LORD! Why have you brought up the assembly of the LORD into this wilderness, that we and our animals should die here? And why have you made us come up out of Egypt, to bring us to this evil place? (Numbers 20:2-5)This kind of provocative complaint cost Moses his Promised Land. Moses’ response to the pressure of providing water from the rock was not in line with God’s direction. Having flourished in overcoming many confrontations and aggravations, Moses faltered just at one of the last stops before getting into the Promised Land. Moses spoke and struck the rock with rod instead of just speaking as the Lord commanded. You are closer to your miracle than when you first started the journey. In your last step to where God is taking you, be very conscious, focus and not to falter.

Prayer for today: Ask God to help you in keeping His word and obeying His command that you may stand and not fall.

FAITH CAPSULE: Crowd clouds destiny.
Luke 19:1-10

So many love to call on Jesus but very few are willing to pay the price to invite Him into their house. The price to pay in getting an invitation across to Him is way too much for the majority because of sacrificial demand that is not convenient. Also, there are too many invitation interceptor and they are deliberate weapons to deny anyone’s attempt to invite Jesus into their house. Zacchaeus was a tax collector with every form of limitations that can deny anyone from getting invitation across to Jesus. Tax collectors were hated because they have the reputation of overcharging and they were considered as dishonest people. Besides his status as a tax collector, his stature was also a challenge in his attempt to get his invitation across to Jesus. It is written in Luke 19:3-4, “And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature. So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way.” Zacchaeus was short and he was in the midst of crowd. Zacchaeus needed to see Jesus because his seeing Jesus would help to deliver his invitation to Jesus. The crowd and his short stature stood between him and Jesus. Just like Zacchaeus, the crowd is all that surrounds you; the crowd is everything that is taking away your time for Jesus and the crowd is all that is clouding you from seeing and to understand the need to spend more time in His presence. The crowd in place does not settle well with a short stature. With the crowd in place and short stature a factor, that puts Jesus in a far location from you. Zacchaeus acknowledged his great dilemma and knew that without making an uncommon move, Jesus would never receive His invitation. As a result he refused to accommodate his dilemmas. “And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him,[ and said to him, “Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house.” So he made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully.” (Luke 19:5-6) Do you sincerely desire to have Jesus invited into your house? Just like Zacchaeus did, all believers can do. By getting away from every representation of a crowd and by looking for a higher ground or place where Jesus is conversant, where He is always passing through. In all Zacchaeus’ running and climbing, his invitation came to Jesus and Jesus became a guest to Zacchaeus.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace that will enable you to give all that it takes to invite Jesus into your house.

FAITH CAPSULE: Your enemy can delay you but cannot deny you from where God is taking you.

Exodus 32:1-14

Are you experiencing delay in any area of your expectation in life? Delay will not be long before it departs from you if you will know to ignore your delay. It is important to understand that delay is not denial. God that calls you will not depart you. The enemy can delay but cannot deny you from where God is taking you. Ignoring delay in areas of your journey in life will block out doubt and the ideas of stepping out of position. Knowing God and having consistent meditation on His testimonies will add up favorably, when it seems that the road has been cut off. In the course of the journey of the children of Israel, It is written, ““Now when the people saw that Moses delayed coming down from the mountain, the people gathered together to Aaron, and said to him, “Come, make us gods that shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.” The children of Israel knew quite well by virtue of their exposure to different miracles through Moses that God could not have abandoned them, yet they gave into an unnecessary worry that did not have a basis. As a result of Moses’ delay from coming down from the mountain, an unholy gathering took over from where there was supposed to be holy gathering. The children of Israel began to see delay as a result they began to look for another god. Some delays are necessary especially when God is the beginning of such a journey. There are some places you have started, but delay has made it look like you are wasting out. The fact is, when you wait on God you can never be wasted. Also, there are some delays that are meant for God to measure our faithfulness. Some delays are not of failure, but to actually make a way for getting to the expected end. When Moses’ delay became glaring in the sight of the children of Israel, they began to seek for a god to take over from God that cannot be substituted. In your delay do not worry nor give room for anxiousness to have a place in your life. Word of God strengthens when it states, “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) A state of unexpected delay will definitely generate concern and there will be every reason to be anxious, but the word of God is enough antidotes for anxiousness that is rooted in the experience of delay.

Prayer for today: Your delay will turn unto deliverance in the name of Jesus.