FAITH CAPSULE: As much as God inhabits the praises of His people, it will be absolutely impossible for any agent of the wicked to succeed in holding down those that know how to praise Him in the darkest hour of confrontations.

Acts 16:25-40

Deliverance during the darkest hour of the day is an indication of winning battle in the war front of the enemy. The children of Israel had been in bondage for over four hundred years without any sign of deliverance in sight. Moses did all that the Lord put in his hand to do for Pharaoh to release the children of Israel in the daytime hours, but God choose the midnight hour to be the hour of their deliverance. Exodus 12:29-31, “And it came to pass at midnight that the LORD struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of livestock. So Pharaoh rose in the night, he, all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was not a house where there was not one dead. Then he called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, “Rise, go out from among my people, both you and the children of Israel. And go, serve the LORD as you have said.” The bondage of over four hundred years ceased at the midnight hour. The God that operated in the Old Testament is the same God that operated in the New Testament. He has not changed since then and even until now; He is the Unchanging Changer. Acts 16:25-26, “And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one’s bands were loosed.” As much as God inhabits the praises of His people, it will be absolutely impossible for any agent of the wicked to succeed in holding down those that know how to praise Him in the darkest hour of confrontations. Paul and Silas prayed and sang in one of their dark hours (midnight) and the Spirit of God came down to loose them from the chains and shackles of the wicked. As a believer, take your battle to the warfront of your enemy. Paul and Silas did by praying and singing during the midnight hour and they encountered undeniable deliverance. How is your praise worship? Is it a heart-full praise worship or mouth-full praise worship?

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace of prayer and praise.

FAITH CAPSULE: With God on your side, the enemy cannot be more powerful.

Daniel 3

When Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, the three friends of Daniel, refused to worship gold image, they were sentenced into a fiery burning furnace. The Bible recorded, “…because the king’s command was urgent, and the furnace exceedingly hot, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.” (Daniel 3:22-23) The three friends were bounded when they were thrown into the burning fiery furnace. Have you been in a familiar situation where your challenges have kept you bounded? It has become aggravating, disturbing, and stressing, and it is causing displacement in every function able area of your life. You have been relegated and provokingly stagnated where you had the ability to move up. Does any of the above describe your situation like that of the three friends of Daniel? Daniel’s friends were in much deeper situation, but in that deep, God showed up on their behalf. The three friends of Daniel fell in the fire yet they were up and not consumed by the fire. Interestingly, God did not bring them out of the burning fiery furnace, but He kept their company against any form of destruction or pain. With God’s presence the burning fiery furnace became a boarding friendly furnace. King Nebuchadnezzar saw the miracle and declared,“Look!” he answered, “I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.” (Daniel 3:25) The enemy meant it for evil, but their faith prevailed when the presence of God joined them. The King was not the only witness of God parading His visiting power concerning His children in the midst of a burning fiery furnace. There were witnesses from every level of the government, “…the satraps, administrators, governors, and the king’s counselors gathered together, and they saw these men on whose bodies the fire had no power; the hair of their head was not singed nor were their garments affected, and the smell of fire was not on them.” (Daniel 3:27)They all saw the power of God in manifestation and, “Nebuchadnezzar spoke, saying, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, who sent His Angel and delivered His servants who trusted in Him, and they have frustrated the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they should not serve nor worship any god except their own God!” (Daniel 3:28). The presence of God made the three friends to thrive in the face of terminating challenge. With God on your side, the enemy cannot be more powerful.

Prayer for today: The kind of testimony that answered for Daniel’s three friends will answer for you in the name of Jesus.

FAITH CAPSULE: Waiting on God can be very difficult and challenging especially when it takes longer than expected.

Psalm 40

It is written in Isaiah 64:4, “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.” A wonderful testimony like this is enough to energize our waiting on the Lord in times of need. Barrenness is a kind of need that demands waiting patiently on God. When barrenness takes its reign in the life of a man without any indication of when to expect a breakthrough, there is then a need for letting God take over. Barrenness can be in any area of life such as financial, fruitlessness, health situations or any other area of life. Waiting on God can be very difficult and challenging especially when it takes longer than expected. God is never in a hurry or in a rush, but He will do what His word says He will do. His words are perfect and proven. Wait patiently for God and He will visit you, He acts for those that wait for Him. David testified in Psalm 40: 1-2, “I waited patiently for the LORD; and He inclined unto me, and heard my cry. He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps. He has put a new song in my mouth- praise to our God; many will see it and fear, and will trust in the LORD.” With grace to wait patiently, no pit in hell will keep us grounded. Waiting for God will grant us the grace to walk firmly, without falling, on any ground that we want. Passing through the trial of waiting will no doubt put a new song in our mouth just like Hannah. Hannah going to Shiloh every year despite her barrenness was an example of waiting for God patiently. She did not give up and there was no record of her failure in her going to Shiloh every year. One year, God looked down on her and granted her the fruit of the womb. Hannah became the testimony forever with a new song. David stated in his testimony, “He makes my feet like the feet of the deer and sets me on my high places.”(2 Samuel 22:34) Waiting on God took David to his high places. Every man has a low place in the journey of life, but waiting on God will bring you out of low places and take you to your high places, a place that is above and beyond every agonizing situation that has kept you down. “Wait on the LORD; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the Lord!” (Psalm 27:14)

Prayer for today: Ask God to look down on you and raise you up from the pit of barrenness and every representative of horrible.    

FAITH CAPSULE: Favor is not a merit; it is God working on your behalf.

Esther 2:1-18

Favor is what makes the difference in every journey of life. When God pours out His favor on you, you will become eternally and forever set for His glory. Favor is defined as: grace, friendly or obligating act that is freely granted. In the Bible days, so many were founded by the grace of God for favor and today God is still finding men for favor. Esther was an orphan; she was raised by her uncle because her father and mother passed away while she was young. She had an encounter with the favor of God and the story of her life was permanently turned around for the glory of God. Esther was attending to her own affairs. She was not soliciting for any position; neither was she looking for a husband when heaven smiled on her because the current queen (Vashti) had made a wrong move that violated her position. The hour that Queen Vashti failed to honor the calling of King Ahasuerus was also the hour an open door of favor was activated for Esther. Is it possible that somewhere, some situation or a situation has triggered your favor, but there is a need for grace to continue to remain patient for you to enter into your season of favor? It happened to Esther and it could be that your miracle is also on the way. There was a need for a new queen after Queen Vashti had disobeyed King Ahasuerus. The king made a decree that would bring forth a new queen and the new queen had to be chosen from among many women. Esther was among the ones that were taken to the custodian of the women. Esther 2:9, “Now the young woman pleased him, and she obtained his favor; so he readily gave beauty preparations to her, besides her allowance. Then seven choice maidservants were provided for her from the king’s palace, and he moved her and her maidservants to the best place in the house of the women.” The moment the grace of God found Esther, favor was evident. Esther had no need for additional help because God was operating on her behalf. When the favor of God is in place, all that it takes for meeting every need will be in place. What you thought was a need will become available for you. Favor is not a merit; it is God working on your behalf. Favor has no age barrier or any form of discrimination. Only God alone has the power to give us favor. It is never too late for you to be blessed and highly favored because He is a faithful God.

Prayer for today: Ask God to empower you with His favor.

FAITH CAPSULE: Conformity to this world is thriving even among the believers of the Word of God.

Romans 12: 1-2, James 4:4-6

The sound and clear warning by Paul the Apostle, in Romans 12:2 states, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God”. Conformity is defined as an action or behavior in correspondence with current customs, rules, or styles. The warning is not to be conformed to this world, but unfortunately the warning is clearly falling onto deaf ears. Conformity to this world is thriving even among the believers of the Word. What is it about this world? The ruler of this world is the wicked one; the liar and the destroyer, the devil himself. He engineered the falling of man when he led Adam and Eve into the disobedient that kicked them out of where God had placed them: the Garden of Eden. The same skill that the enemy used in transforming Adam and Eve is still very much in operation today and that is more the reason why we have to yield our mind to constant renewal by the Word of God. The Word that you received yesterday is to meet the challenges of yesterday and it might not apply to the challenges of today. As a result, constant renewal is a daily activity. Constant renewal will keep us not act to in accord with the prevailing standards, attitudes and practices that are not in line with the word of God. Believers of the Word are called not to be conformed to this world and the refusal not to conform to this world is rooted in the mind. The mind is to be constantly renewed or the world will remove the mind from where the Lord wants it to be. The mind is the battle ground where the enemy wants to take over. It is a serious warning that will carry any believer who takes to the warning through in the journey of life. Will you get your mind busy in the area of constant renewal in the word of God? Do this because “for all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world (1 John 2:16)” It is a sound and clear warning: do not be conformed to this world. Will you obey the Word of God and not be conformed to this world? The word of God that sounded in the direction of Saul also directs us by stating, “…Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams.” (1 Samuel 15:22)

Prayer for today: Open the ears of my heart and let me be obedient to your Word O Lord.