FAITH CAPSULE: Multitudes do not win battles but praise worship wins battle.

2 Chronicles 20

Psalm 47:7, “For God is the King of all the earth; Sing praises with understanding.” When singing praises with understanding is in place no battle under heaven will overcome you. Praising God in truth and indeed will deliver victory regardless of the numbers that are working against any believer with understanding. Multitudes do not win battles but praise worship wins battle. Once, King Jehoshaphat of Judah was confronted by a battle that was bigger than what he could handle. Then some came and told Jehoshaphat, saying, “A great multitude is coming against you from beyond the sea, from Syria; and they are in Hazazon Tamar” (which is En Gedi). And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.” (2 Chronicles 20:2-3) By virtue of wickedness that is the world, there is no need for announcement to understand that battles are waiting outside for everyone on a daily basis. However, seeking God and trusting God will provoke Him to fight our battles. In seeking God, a message came for Jehoshaphat saying, “You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the LORD, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem! Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the LORD is with you.” (2 Chronicles 20:17) Whenever a sincere praise and hearty worship is rendered unto God, His presence will take over and victory becomes undeniable. Jehoshaphat received the news with faith and he began to prepare his people for the battle by putting things into order. Praising God is the weapon while putting plans in order is the vehicle that will carry you to your battlefield. Where there is no orderliness disorder will rule and untimely death will reign. 2 Chronicles 20:21-22, “And when he had consulted with people, he appointed those who should sing to the LORD, and who should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army and were saying: Praise the LORD For His mercy endures forever. Now when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated.” In addition to praising the Lord, Jehoshaphat put plans in order by his preparation and their victory could not be denied. In your everyday journey, be prepared for multitudes and mountains of challenges with your praise worship that inhabits the presence of God. Psalm 22:3, “But you are holy, Enthroned in the praises of Israel.” God is enthroned in the praises of all that have accepted and received Him as Lord and Savior. Praise Him and let victory become yours today in Jesus name.

Prayer for day: O Lord my deliverer and preserver let the grace of praise worship reign and rule in my life.  

FAITH CAPSULE: If your waiting on God calls for running or walking God will be there for you and He will not abandon you.

1 Samuel 26

Have you received any positive prophecy that is yet to manifest? Are you thinking that time is running against you? Keep praying on it and God will bring it to manifestation. Do not count yourself out because of time or age. You never say never until when God declares it as never. Waiting on the Lord is not sitting down in one spot and wasting away. Waiting on God can be painful but it is always gainful at the end. David, having been anointed to be the king refused to do anything in controlling the clock to affect the timing of God. As a matter of fact, he waited to the point that the prophet of God, Samuel did not live to see him ascended to the throne. Saul must have pursued David for most of his reign as king. Ever since the time that David killed Goliath, Saul developed insecurity because of David. Saul was going after David to terminate God’s divine schedule in the life of David. Saul went after David from plain to plain, mountain to mountain, cave to cave and from valley to valley. In his pursuit of David, he constantly exposed himself to be killed by David, but David refused to kill him. David had every reasonable reason to kill Saul, but he respected the anointing upon his life. David was in the position to wonder if he would ever become the king but never made a move to turn and interfere with the timing of God for his life. Once in one of Saul’s pursuits of David, he made himself vulnerable but David declared, “The LORD forbid that I should stretch out my hand against the LORD’s anointed. But please, take now the spear and the jug of water that are by his head, and let us go.”(1 Samuel 26:11) In David’s waiting for God’s timing he was running from one ground to another. He refused not to move ahead of God’s timing. Remember to remind yourself that yours is not of fear it is of faith. Waiting for God’s timing by running will not hurt nor take away from you if you have the understanding of how God moves. There was no indication of David getting tired or weary in his running from Saul because he was waiting for God’s timing. Remember, “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.”( Isaiah 40:31) If your waiting on God calls for running or walking God will be there for you and He will not abandon you, if you do not abandon what He requires of you.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace to know when to wait and how to wait.

FAITH CAPSULE: Seek God to obtain favor.

Esther 3, 4, 5,

Favor is what we can seek God to obtain in the face of confronting challenge. It is written in Proverb 8:35, “For whoever finds me finds life, and obtains favor from the LORD.” Esther sought God through fasting and praying and obtains God’s favor that gave life to the children of Israel. Haman was a high-ranking officer during the reign of king Ahasuerus. He devised a plot to terminate the children of Israel because their laws are different from the laws of the Land, and they would not keep the laws of the land. For the children of Israel to escape the evil devises of Haman against them, there would have to be someone to take a particular stand on a particular ground for their deliverance to be able to stand. The particular ground was the inner court. This is how the Bible described the inner court, “All the king’s servants and the people of the King’s provinces know that any man or woman who goes into the inner court to the king, who has not been called, he has but one law: put all to death, except the one to whom the king holds out the golden scepter, that he may live…” Yet I myself have not been called to go in to the king these thirty days.” (Esther 4:11) The description about going into the inner court was Esther’s message to Mordecai. Also, it was the reason for her not being able to go and take a stand on a ground that was in place for their deliverance. Mordecai put pressure on Esther, and Esther responded by asking for days of fasting that would enable her to go and take a stand of deliverance for the children of Israel. Esther went and took a stand when she was not supposed to. “So it was, when the king saw Queen Esther standing in the court that she found favor in his sight, and the king held out to Esther the golden scepter that was in his hand. Then Esther went near and touched the top of the scepter.” (Esther 5:2) It was favor that granted Esther the privilege to take a stand of deliverance on behalf of the children of Israel. When David began to get closer to his ground of break through, his ground of divine schedule king Saul needed someone that could play an instrument for his mental illness. David was the qualified one, “Then Saul sent to Jesse, saying, “Please let David stand before me, for he has found favor in my sight.””(1 Samuel 16:22) It is all about favor. Esther found favor, David found favor and they both took a stand of breakthrough.

Prayer for today: Ask God today for the kind of favor that takes man to his ground of breakthrough.

FAITH CAPSULE: The word of God is not for emotional entrainment.

Proverb 4

The word of God is the command of God. Looking into the word of God will cause one to constantly attend to the word of God. Looking into the command of God will keep one from being ashamed. (Psalm 119:6) It is impossible to look into the word of God and not see direction that leads away from the way of shame. The Psalmist states, “with my whole heart I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments! Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You.” (Psalm 119:10-11) The word of God needs three crucial parts of the body to work with in order for it to be able to direct every man from the pit of darkness, destruction and the pit of eternal damnation. When the word of direction, healing and victory comes through the ear, it must be well received enough before the eyes can be begin to see what is not there as being there. It is the heart that will transport that word and settle it for mediation or settle it with the purpose of remembering the words received. The book of Proverbs put it better when it says, “My son, give attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings, do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; For they are life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh.” (Proverbs 4:20-22) Are you giving your attention to the word of God? Are you inclining your ears, eyes and heart? God can do all things in the world of today just like He did at the time of creation. All that was created was by the word of God. God, in His doing all things, there is only one thing that He cannot do and that is, “God cannot fail.” God has not and will never fail. Are you allowing the word to enter, rather than for emotional entertainment? The word of God is not for emotional entrainment, it is to gain entrance and give the light required for the termination of darkness. Psalm 119:130, “The entrance of Your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.” The simple will be simple enough to hear the word of God and do all that the word calls for. However, the ones that are not simple will miss all that the word is communicating. Do you wonder who the simple are? Proverbs 14:15, “The simple believes every word…” When you believe the words of God it will enter and give light and understanding. What are you giving attention to? With light no darkness will fall you. The favor of God is what you gain when understanding is in place. (Proverbs 13:15)

Prayer for today:Ask for the grace of attending to the word of God with intention and with a purposeful heart.

FAITH CAPSULE: Be encouraged that God does have His own plan of taking you through.

Genesis 41:1-24

It does not matter how you get into the dungeon or how long you have been in the dungeon. However, it matters that if you will look up to Him today, He will look down to bring you out of the dungeon quickly. It is written, “Look up to Me and be saved, all you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.” (Isaiah 45:22) The word of God cannot fail. Joseph was obediently attending to his father errand when he entered into a journey that led him all the way into a dungeon. Joseph was sent by his father Jacob from the Valley of Hebron to Shechem to look for the well being of his brothers. At Joseph’s arrival to where the brothers have been, his brothers sent him into the pit and later picked him up for sale to a company of Ishmaelite because of envy. While serving in his master’s house, the wife laid a false charge of sexual harassment on him and he ended in the prison. Joseph did not bargain for the entire unfavorable situation that came his way while going obeying his father. While in prison, he interpreted favorable and unfavorable dreams for two Chiefs (Butler and Baker) that were confined by Pharaoh. The dream’s interpretation came out to be true. The chief forgot Joseph despite’s Joseph’s plead to the chief to remember him. After two years that he has been forgotten by chief, God make a way for him to be remembered when Pharaoh had a dream that needed to be interpreted. Be encouraged that God does have His own plan of taking you through. Know that such is life and it is full of ups and downs but God that is up will lift you up at His divine timing. When it was time for Joseph to come out, there was no sign or any indication that he was to be released and nothing could stop the move of God to release him from the dungeon. Pharaoh’s dream demanded for an interpretation and none other than Joseph that could interpret the dream. As a result, the Chief Butler remembered Joseph. Chief Butler mentioned about Joseph to Pharaoh, “Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph and they brought him quickly out of the dungeon; and he shaved, changed in his clothing, and came to Pharaoh.” (Genesis 41:14) Besides the fact that his release came quickly, his garment was also changed and he was shaved. Can you imagine Joseph coming out of the dungeon quickly and neat (changed and shaved)? Imagine your coming out of dungeon and it shall come to be.

Prayer for today: In Jesus name, you will come out quickly and all that has become a stain on you will be cleansed and forever you will no longer go back into any self or man’s created dungeon.