FAITH CAPSULE: Allowing faith to fight our battle is looking up to God.

2 Chronicles 20

How are you fighting your battle? The children of Israel came out of bondage by the hand of God but Pharaoh the king of Egypt could not let them go but pursued them. The children of Israel reacted, “And when Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians marched after them. So they were very afraid, and the children of Israel cried out to the LORD.” (Exodus 14:10) Moses responded and said to the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation f the Lord which He will accomplish for you today…” (Exodus 14:13) King Jehoshaphat was faced with war against Moab and Ammon. As a result, “King Jehoshaphat feared and set himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah” (2 Chronicles 20:3). In his prayers, he reminded God concerning the works of God’s hand and God responded by sending Jahaziel. God gave His word of promise in 2 Chronicles 20:17, “You will not need to fight in this battle, position yourselves, standstill 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.” The Word of God is true to deliver only if we will hear and believe. Are you foreseeing any representative of Moab and Ammon in your life? King Jehoshaphat did not call on man nor consider what man could do before he took his case straight up to God who delivers. He reminded God concerning the works of His hands that never fail. Do you have any testimony that you can remind Him of in order to provoke another testimony? Jehoshaphat and his people positioned themselves by standing still. They were unshakeable, and they rested their case in the hand of God. They acknowledge that they would not be able to fight a successive battle in their own strength and might. They positioned themselves victorious when they began to see victory before it was yet there. Above all, they busted into praise worship. It is written that when they began to “…sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushes against the people of Ammon and Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated” (2 Chronicles 20:22). How are you fighting your battle? The Word of God is true and if you will believe in His Word, you will be delivered. God is still the same as He was yesterday. Allowing faith to fight our battle is looking up to God; disallowing fear to have a place; standing still and seeing victory in the face of confronting battle. It worked for King Jehoshaphat and the children of Israel at the Red Sea.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the enablement to stand on His word of deliverance and preservation.

FAITH CAPSULE: Negative confession in the face of confronting challenge is an evidence of fear.

Exodus 14

The reaction of the children of Israel in the face of confronting challenge was negative confession. Exodus 14:10-112, “And when Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians marched after them. So they were very afraid, and the children of Israel cried out to the LORD. Then they said to Moses, “Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you so dealt with us, to bring us up out of Egypt? Is this not the word that we told you in Egypt, saying, ‘Let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness.” Negative confession in the face of confronting challenge is an evidence of fear. Fear not! Have faith and it will cause you to stand still. When there is failure in standing still, you will miss the salvation of God concerning your troubling issue. The children of Israel were under great threat having been delivered from the bondage of over 400 years. With Pharaoh’s army behind and the Red Sea before them, fear gained strength and Moses came under the sharp word and confession of negativity from the children of Israel. Moses responded in Exodus 14:13, “Moses said to the people, ‘Do not be afraid, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever.’” It is all about trusting in the Lord. Trusting in the Lord is not having fear, but rather having faith in place. In deed and in truth no one knows what you are going through. With your confronting challenge, it does not seem like there is light at the end of the tunnel. However, the light that is for you is not just at the end of the tunnel; it is rather right with you in your tunnel of challenges. Pharaoh’s army, horses and chariots could not survive the confronting Red Sea that was before the children of Israel. The Red Sea was opened up for the salvation of the children of Israel as recorded in Exodus 14:22, “So the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea on the dry ground, and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand and on their left.” The children of Israel did not just go through the Red Sea, but they went through it on a dry ground while Pharaoh’s army could not survive in their pursuit.

Prayer for today: All that has taken a stand to deny you will be destroyed and they will not be able to catch up with you. If you will fear not, have faith and stand still, God will see you through.

FAITH CAPSULE:The word of God is secret to those who failed to take to it.

Psalm 64

There is no language under heaven that is beyond God’s understanding.

With all the numerous ways that we have to communicate, there is none that surpasses God’s understanding. God hears and sees all that goes on back and forth among all of His creation. Psalmist states, “He who planted the ear, shall He not hear? He who formed the eye, shall He not see? He who instructs the nations, shall He not correct, He who teaches man knowledge? The LORD knows the thoughts of man, that they are futile.”(Psalm 94:9-10) It does not matter how we call on God, the truth is He hears us whenever we call. You can communicate in your thoughts, you can speak loud or chose to meditate, God will hear you. Of all several means of communicating with God, meditation is one that demands more and delivers more. God did not hide the secret of meditation when He approached Joshua after the death of Moses. Joshua 1:8-9, “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” Three times in the book of Joshua chapter one, God laid emphasis to Joshua the importance of meditation. It is the secret to having a good success in the journey of life. Psalm 1:3 could not lay aside the importance of meditation as the way of God’s blessings. Meditation is not a one hour a day sacrifice it is an all day and on going sacrifice. Evidently, the one that meditates will undoubtedly intimidate his world by virtue of God’s blessing in one’s life. Meditation is power to be preserved from enemy, power to overcome plots of the wicked or the rebellion of the workers of iniquity. Psalm 64:1-2, “Hear my voice, O God, in my meditation; Preserve my life from fear of the enemy. Hide me from the secret plots of the wicked, from the rebellion of the workers of iniquity.” As a believer of the word of God, why not consider and take with serious urgency the need for constant and consistent meditation as a part of your life? The word of God is secret to those that failed to take to it. To the ones who choose to dwell in the secret place of the most high, spending time studying and abiding in the word of God as it is written is an undeniable power that manifests.

Prayer for today: Make me O Lord, to become one that meditates on Your word day and night.

FAITH CAPSULE:Do you fear God just in the mouth or do you actually fear Him in your heart?  

1Samuel 13

In living life there is nothing that counts most like having the fear of God. The book of Ecclesiastes concluded with a sound warning stating, “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man’s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil.” (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14) Do you fear God as commanded by the word of God? Does your fear of God reflect the life you are living? Proverbs 19:23, “The fear of the LORD leads to life, and he who has it will abide in satisfaction; he will not be visited with evil.” Fearing God should not be a one time thing but a continuous thing. The continuity of His fear will lead to life. A life of abundance is a life that is filled with satisfaction; it is a life that is not accessible for the evil one to play around with. The Psalmist also pointed out that the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom (Psalm 111:10). Samuel spelled out clearly in 1 Samuel 12:24, “Only fear the LORD and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider what great things He has done for you.” When there is fear of God in place, there will be every reason to serve Him in truth with the whole heart. Any believer that is serving God with a serious consideration of all the great work the Lord has done will ride on the understanding of the truth that indeed there is nothing God cannot do. A believer that is operating with the mindset of what God has done will undoubtedly be provoking the hand of God for what God can and will do concerning that believer’s situation. The fear of God will cause a believer to know that waiting on God is the rule for getting through to gain from God. The fear of God is what will cause a believer to appreciate God more as the only sustainer of man. The constant fear of God will constantly disallow a man from getting into complaining for what is not at hand. To fear God is wisdom and to know in the heart that there is God. Not to fear God is foolishness and to know in the heart that there is no God. It is recorded in Psalm 14:1, “The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God’. They are corrupt, they have abominable works, there is none who does good.’” Where do you stand? Do you fear Him just in the mouth or do you actually fear Him in your heart? Only fear Him and every issue that is wisdom tackle-able will be responding in your favor. Only fear Him.

Prayer for today: Lord put Your fear in my heart so that I will not depart from You.