Faith Capsule: Complaint will not announce itself before it establishes itself inside the life of its victim.

Exodus 17:1-7

The Book of Proverbs records, “It is better to dwell in a corner of a housetop, than in a house shared with a contentious woman.” (Proverbs 21:9) This Scripture not only addresses woman, but both man and woman. Any man or woman can be bound with a quarrelsome or hostile attitude. Does this fit your description? To be contentious could be a railroad for complaint to ride on or a track for complaining to gather its speed. In the journey of life, the spirit of complaining will not give life, but rather absolute death. In the midst of unforeseen situations, who are you to complain to? What is it that can justify complaint over what you cannot control? The spirit of complaining is nothing but a negative approach unto the One and only One God who is in control of Heaven and earth. Complaining can also be a way of pointing a finger in the face of the One who holds our time in His hand. When circumstances beyond our control takes its place in our life, complaining is not an option to dwell on. If you have arrived at a junction where you consider there is nothing in place that is worth thanking God for, why don’t you turn onto thanking God for the past and for what He has already done? Why roll over into complaining when you can ride on into praising and thanking Him for what He has done. When praising and thanking God for what He has done, His hand will be provoked to move in what you want from Him. The children of Israel who were delivered from Egypt were the greatest victim of complaint. Complaining did not take their life away in bondage, but it took it after they were out of bondage. What a victim! Complaint will not announce itself before it establishes itself inside the life of its victim. As recorded in Exodus 17:2-3, “Therefore the people contended with Moses, and said, ‘Give us water, that we may drink.’ So Moses said to them, ‘Why do you contend with me? Why do you tempt the LORD?’ And the people thirsted there for water, and the people complained against Moses, and said, ‘Why is it you have brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?’” It is evident that they started with contention before taking it to the level of complaining. Ask God to deliver you from every spirit of complaint. Stay on track and do not get derailed. It is worth it to be commending Him and not complaining to Him. Keep on praising Him and He will keep on raising you.

Prayer for today: Deliver me O Lord from every spirit of complaint. Let me be constant in appreciating Your goodness and mercy.

Faith Capsule: Moses’ contentment made him and he became Heaven connected for God’s assignment.

Numbers 12

In Numbers 12:7-8 God testifies, “Not so with My servant Moses; He is faithful in all My house. I speak with him face to face, even plainly, and not in dark sayings; and he sees the form of the LORD. Why then were you not afraid to speak against My servant Moses?” (Numbers 12:7-8) This testimony of Moses by God was in response to the dissension of Aaron and Miriam. Aaron and Miriam spoke against Moses because of his Ethiopian woman whom he married. (Numbers 12:1) Also they wanted to know if the Lord had been speaking only to Moses. Evidently for God to have held Moses in such a high esteem, Moses must have taken a step earlier in his life that provoked God’s attention over his life. Every giant in the hand of God demonstrated at some point in life what it takes for God to notice them and set them up for a noticeable exploit. For Moses, contentment can be considered as a character in him that lined him up for a noticeable assignment for God. Exodus 2:21, “Then Moses was content to live with the man, and he gave Zipporah his daughter to Moses.” Moses, having lived in one of the most celebrated locations, the palace of Pharaoh for forty years, ended up in Midian. Moses refused to get carried away by the exuberant palace life and could not ignore his brethren’s suffering. In his act of support for one of his brethren, he became a murder and had to flee from the palace because of Pharaoh’s attempt to persecute him. Moses was content to live in the desert, with Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. There was no evidence that Moses demonstrated bitterness or complaint with his new family in the land but he remained contented. Moses’ contentment made him and he became Heaven connected for God’s assignment. To be content is to be a provoker of the move of God’s hand for favor, guidance, deliverance, preservation and many more of God’s blessings. Contempt can be considered as living by faith. It is written in 1Timothy 6:6-7, “Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.” For Moses to have come out of a palace and into a no place with a testimony of being content, had to have undoubtedly gain Heaven’s attention. Faith is what pleases God; Moses demonstrated faith that pleased God. His action demonstrated that he brought nothing to this world and no material wealth could have kept him away from doing what was right when doing right demanded it. Moses had faith and God was pleased to use him for a great and noticeable assignment. Moses was content and he had a great uncommon gain.

Prayer for today: Lord I ask for the grace of contentment in every step of life.

Faith Capsule: “when orderliness fails every thing pertaining to life is bound for failure.”

2 Kings 20

Before Hezekiah’s reign in Judah, Ahaz was the king. Ahaz’s time was interrupted with corruptions. Among his worst was, “…in every single city of Judah he made high places to burn incense to other gods, and provoked to anger the LORD God of his fathers.” (2 Chronicles 28:25) When Hezekiah came to power, he did what was right before his God. Hezekiah cleansed the temple and restored service back the way it should be. As a result of his action, it was testified of him, “So the service of the house of the LORD was set in order.” (2 Chronicles 29:35) Orderliness was restored and it gave birth to joy, peace and life in the land. Evidently, when setting things in order or setting one’s life in order, there is life and where there is disorder, life ceases. It does not matter how long you have maintained orderliness, when orderliness fails everything pertaining to life is bound for failure. Hezekiah started his reign great and it was recorded, “…he did what was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father David had done.” (2 Chronicles 29:2) However, in the later part of his reign he fell sick and it was a sickness unto death. It is written, “In those days Hezekiah was sick and near death. And Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, went to him and said to him, ‘thus says the LORD: Set your house in order, for you shall die, and not live.’” (2 Kings 20:1) Hezekiah’s house was not in order and as a result an untimely death was ordered for his life. God is a God of order and He expects His children to constantly maintain order in every step of life. Just as His place of worship should be set in order so his worshipers need to approach life in orderliness. Hezekiah turned back to God and humbled himself before God. Hezekiah did not just cry unto God but reminded God of all that he had done (an evidence of repentance before God). God returned to restore him back to life with an addition of fifteen more years. Whatever belongs to you and has now been taken away could be the result of the lack of orderliness. Knowing that God is a God of order, many have nevertheless resolved to take their Christian journey in a disorderly manner by serving God in their own way. Believers are to be led by the Spirit of God; not attempt to try to lead the Spirit of God. The attempt to lead will result into disorder and untimely death will have its way. Trace your step back and return to God like Hezekiah did and it could be that He will have mercy on you.

Prayer for today: O Lord my God, my times are in Your hand: deliver me from disorderliness for Your name sake.

Faith Capsule: “To rise and able to complete is also in the hand of God.”

Psalm 31

When there is understanding about whom you have or what you have, who you have or what you have will work for you. God has given us all that it takes for us to excel, but often times lack of understanding is a lost of knowledge. Isaiah 5:13 is true when it states, “Therefore my people have gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge.” It is knowledge to gain understanding in the Word that there are two different kinds of hands that operate in the life of man: the hand of God and the hand of evil one. Which of the two hands do you strongly desire? The hand of God, of course, should be the one that is strongly desire. However, you cannot desire the hand of God just with your mouth. Also, it is not enough reading and knowing about the hand of God until there is a consistent meditation about what His hand can do. The hand of God delivered the children of Israel from the bondage of over four hundred years and then added favor, “So I will stretch out My hand and strike Egypt with all My wonders which I will do in its midst; and after that he will let you go. And I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians…” (Exodus 3:19-21)The hand of God was also in place for Ezra to complete his journey, “On the first day of the first month he began his journey from Babylon, and on the first day of the fifth month he came to Jerusalem, according to the good hand of his God upon him. (Ezra 7:9) The hand of God is a source of encouragement for those who set their mind for His hand to come upon them, “…So I was encouraged, as the hand of the LORD my God was upon me” (Ezra 7:28) It is possible to rise and not able to build. However, to rise and able to complete is also in the hand of God. Nehemiah testified, “And I told them of the hand of my God which had been good upon me, and also of the king’s words that he had spoken to me. So they said, ‘Let us rise up and build.’ Then they set their hands to this good work.” (Nehemiah 2:18). When the hand of God is upon you, there is no deep place you cannot reach, neither is there any height you cannot climb because, “In His hand are the deep places of the earth; the heights of the hills are His also.” (Psalm 95:4) God is a complete God with outstretch hand. The hand of God is not shortened that it cannot save those who believe in Him. 

Prayer for today: Help me Lord; I desire Your hand upon my life in every step that I take.

Faithful Capsule: “Spiritual insensitivity will definitely reduce and not increase a believer.”

Numbers 32

Among the negative effect of spiritual insensitivity is to settle for less where God has made much available. The God who brought the children of Israel out of the bondage of over four hundred years had so much available for them in the Promised Land. The Word of God states, “So I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites.” (Exodus 3:8) What could be better than moving from bondage to a land that flows with milk and honey? Among the children of Israel, it was a different case for the children of Gad and the children of Reuben when they decided to settle at the east of Jordan. The Bible recorded that they had a very great multitude of livestock and that prompted a request for a settlement in the region which was a place for livestock. The children of Gad and of Reuben approached Moses to state their desire, “’the country which the LORD defeated before the congregation of Israel, is a land for livestock, and your servants have livestock.’ Therefore they said, ‘If we have found favor in your sight, let this land be given to your servants as a possession. Do not take us over the Jordan.’” (Numbers 32:4-5) It is clear that where there is livestock milk will flow, but not honey. God promised a land of milk and honey, but they resolved themselves to just milk. The land of milk was conveniently enough for them. It is good to be convenient, but when commitment in your convenient is slack you will become insensitive to the move of the Spirit. However, spiritual insensitivity will definitely reduce and not increase a believer. God’s plan and promise was to take them to a land that flows with milk and honey, but getting to the land that flows with only milk got them out of God’s plan. Moses questioned their decision, “Now why will you discourage the heart of the children of Israel from going over into the land which the LORD has given them? (Numbers 32:7) Are you operating in the mind of the children of Gad and Reuben in any way in your journey to the Promised Land? Do not allow convenience to cloud your commitment. In your journey be sensitive to what the Spirit of God has said and the One who is speaking. God has a better plan than you can see. Convenient is good, but do not slack in your commitment.

Prayer for today: Ask God to restore unto you whatever you have lost to spiritual insensitivity.