FAITH CAPSULE: What you believe determines what you receive and what you receive is what you will have.

Mark 11: 12-24

Inside the lesson of the withered fig tree, Jesus accentuated the power of true faith. The illustration of moving a mountain into the sea is an extreme impossibility. However, having faith in God can definitely make it possible. The lesson of the withered fig tree began when Jesus and His disciples were coming from Bethany and Jesus was hungry. When Jesus approached the fig tree expecting to find something to eat and found nothing, He responded, “…Let no one eat fruit from you ever again…” (Mark 11:14) The Bible records that the disciples heard Jesus. Despite Jesus’ word, nothing happened right on the spot as they continued on their journey. However, as they were returning in the morning, the fig tree had dried up from the roots. Peter responded to what had become of the tree by calling Jesus’ attention. “Rabbi, look! The fig tree which you cursed has withered away.” (Mark 11:21) Jesus did not hesitate as He responded to Peter’s comment. “So Jesus answered and said to them, ’Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, Be removed and be cast into the sea, and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. (Mark 11:22-24)Inside the response of Jesus is the secret of moving mountains. The first point is to have faith in God and not in gods. Any thought or expectation from any other avenue for help reduces God from moving your mountain for you. Secondly, speak to your mountain. Your mountain must have a name in order for you to call it. Call your mountain by its name and take authority over it in the name of Jesus. Truly this is easier said than done, but where there is true understanding of what is said, then what is said will be done. The third secret that is no secret for ones who have understanding of the Word is to believe that what you are asking for has been already been received even though it is not yet in your hand. Although the fig tree was spoken to, nothing happened until the following morning. With faith, speak to your need, believe you have received it although it is not yet in your hand, move forward and then you will have it. The point is: what you believe determines what you receive and what you receive is what you will have. Remember that “faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1)

Prayer for today: Ask God for His grace for you to be rooted in operating true faith.

FAITH CAPSULE: There is nothing that can easily distort a believer’s destiny like sleep.

Joshua 6:1-21

The Psalmist stated, “O God, You are my God; early will I seek You.” (Psalm 63:1) Also, the Book of Isaiah stated, “With my soul I have desired You in the night, Yes, by my spirit within me I will seek You early.” (Isaiah 26:9) Evidently, seeking God early is not a secret to those that spend time in His Word. Just as rising early is for us to seek His voice, He also wants to speak to us early. God expressed His desire to speak to us early when He spoke in the book of Jeremiah, “For I earnestly exhorted your fathers in the day I brought them up out of the land of Egypt, until this day, rising early and exhorting, saying, “Obey My voice.” (Jeremiah 11:7)Without a doubt, an early hour of the day is not a sleeping hour for any believer who understands that speaking to God and hearing from God should be a regular part of their life. It is important to know there is nothing that can easily distort a believer’s destiny like sleep. Are you a believer that likes to sleep during the early hour into the late hour of the day? The main agenda of the devil is to kill, steal and destroy. One that likes to steal will not strike when he can be stopped but rather will strike at the sleeping hour. Sleep will do what the devil wants to do and that is to distort one who loves to sleep. In these days of horrendous challenges, a believer does have a need for seeking God early because it is evident that an early hour more than any other hour is a time to seek and hear from God. The Bible recorded in Genesis 22 that when God called Abraham to go and sacrifice Isaac, he responded early in the day. It is written, “So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son; and he split the wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him.” (Genesis 22:3) Seeking God is obeying God. Abraham consistently sought Him early. Joshua and many others with great exploits patterned their seeking God to early rising because of their experience with the move of God. Moses, at the time of receiving the commandment, had a rising early encounter as it was recorded, “…Then Moses rose early in the morning and went up Mount Sinai, as the LORD had commanded him; and he took in his hand the two tablets of stone. Now the LORD descended in the cloud and stood with him there…” (Exodus 34:4-5) Pattern your day with rising early and God will not fail in responding to you. 

Prayer for today: O Lord, deliver me from sleep that distort man’s destiny on earth.

FAITH CAPSULE: Insist on your miracle and persist in expectation.

Luke 11:1-13

Have you been calling but have not yet seen the hand of God move in your direction? Not haven’t seen His hand move in your direction is not an indication that His hand will not eventually move for you. God is God and He clearly knows your deadline. He will not fail to respond on your behalf. Keep faith! Do not give up because He does have early hour and the eleventh hour of responding. The more reason why giving up is not a solution is because there is no other one to look up to but the One and Almighty God. He declared in Isaiah 45:22, “Look to Me, and be saved, All you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.”What this means is to be persistent in looking up and not down for God in His mercy will eventually look down to reach you. If giving attention to a jealous one is an antidote to jealousy, being persistent in asking will get the attention of the jealous one. When you are asking, remember that God is a jealous God. As a result, give your attention by being persistent in your asking. Jesus narrated a story, “And He said to them, ’Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; and he will answer from within and say, ‘Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you’? I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs.” (Luke 11:5-8) The story of Jesus depicts to us the importance and the need to be persistent and not give up on looking up to God. Psalm 145:15 states that, “The eyes of all look expectantly to You, and You give them their food in due season.” Looking up and not giving up from looking up is persistency. God is a good God and will not fail to honor His Word. Looking up to God is waiting on Him. Isaiah 64:4 stated, “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.”Be encouraged and not be discouraged. Insist on your miracle and persist in expectation. It is not time to give up.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace to persist in your expectation.

FAITH CAPSULE: “In sin there is no grade. No small lying or big lying, but all lying is sin.”

Luke 22:31-62

Among acclaimed believers in the Word of God, lying, deception and manipulation are conspicuous in every area of daily interaction. Also, unbelievers cannot be excused from being identified with lying, deception and manipulation. The three are without doubt agents of the wicked one; the father of all lies. As a believer, if you will be honest with yourself, search and see if any of the three lodges within you. The truth about the three is that if you are a liar you can be very true to yourself that deception and manipulation does have a part in you as well. It can be concluded that none of the three (lying, deception manipulation) can be separated from each other because they belong to the same master. Just as lying is lying, so is deception is deception and manipulation is manipulation. In sin there is no grade. No small lying or big lying, but all lying is sin. However, sinful acts do not discriminate as to who to activate themselves in. Jesus once predicted, “…Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren. But he said to Him, ‘Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death.’ Then He said, ’I tell you, Peter, the rooster shall not crow this day before you will deny three times that you know Me.’” (Luke 22:31-34) Indeed and in truth, just as it was predicted by Jesus, so it was when Peter denied Jesus three times before the cock crowed. The point here is that if Peter, who saw it all in Jesus, could deny Jesus in a deceptive way every believer should take a serious watch. When Peter was approached, he bluntly denied Jesus deceptively. In one of his denying response to a woman he stated, “Woman, I do not know Him.” (Luke 22:57) A clear deception was Peter’s way of relating to the Master. It can be concluded that lying or deception is a failed faith. The word of Jesus was true when He predicted the action of Peter and backed it up by stating, “I have prayed for you that your faith will not fail”. Consider how often you have been denying him by your ways of life around fellow believers and unbelievers. The good thing about Peter was that he came out of it and did not remain trapped in the sinful act. We can always come out just like Peter did if there is sincere repentance in our hearts and actions. However, we are not to continue in sin that grace may be abounded. (Romans 6:1-2)

Prayer for today: Today I ask O Lord my God help me and do not allow my faith to fail.