FAITH CAPSULE: Prayer is a way to stay away from temptation. 

Luke 22 

Every engagement with Satan is temptation enablement. 
It happened that the day the serpent was able to engage Eve, the temptation to eat the fruit of the tree amid the garden became a manifestation in her life. 
Eve ate against the command of God to become disobedient to God.
Disobedience to God is like a flight from God, to become distanced from the presence of God.
With sin, no one can reach God.
Judas Iscariot engaged Satan. 
Luke 22:3-6 records, “Then Satan entered Judas, surnamed Iscariot, who was numbered among the twelve. So, he went his way and conferred with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray Him to them. And they were glad and agreed to give him money. So, he promised and sought the opportunity to betray Him to them in the absence of the multitude.”  The temptation will come with disobedience. 
Disobedience to God is the evidence of betraying God. 
Temptation is the key that opens the door to all kinds of sin. 
Jesus emphasized that prayer is a way to stay away from temptation. 
The Bible states, “Coming out, He went to the Mount of Olives, as He was accustomed, and His disciples also followed Him. When He came to the place, He said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” (Luke 22:39-40) 
Sleeping in the place of praying will be an avenue of temptation. 
When Jesus was praying, the disciples were sleeping. 
Jesus was praying earnestly, but the disciples were sleeping with sorrow. 
At the time the disciples were sleeping, Jesus approached them and said, “Why do you sleep? Rise and pray lest you enter into temptation.” (Luke 22:46) 
Jesus must have seen what was about to happen when He came to speak to the disciples about their sleeping in the place of being awake. 
Luke 22:47-48 records, “And while He was still speaking, behold, a multitude; and he who was called Judas, one of the twelve, went before them and drew near to Jesus to kiss Him. But Jesus said to him, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?” 
Judas, the one Satan had gained entrance, sold out his Lord and Savior cheaply. 
Is there any way you have been selling Jesus out consciously or unconsciously? 
When Jesus woke them up from sleeping, they entered a situation that caused them to scatter in an attempt to save their life. 
When Jesus woke them up from sleeping, not praying, Peter wanted to strike instead of him to allow Jesus to speak to the situation.  
Peter struck to cut the ear of the servant of the high priest.
Jesus responded by speaking to the situation. 
With temptation in the place of prayer, one will deny and sell Jesus. Engage unceasing prayer to disallow temptation.

Prayer for today: Ask to be strengthened on the prayer altar.

FAITH CAPSULE: Know that God is near at all times. 

Genesis 3

The creation of God is the word of God.
The word of God is God.
The word of God is not far, the evidence that God is near to all.
Psalm 75:1-2 declares, “We give thanks to You, O God, we give thanks!
For Your wondrous works declare that Your name is near.”
Calling God by His name is evidence that God is near.
Are you near to God?
Do you know if you are near to God or far from God?
The majority of reason to be far from God is rooted in not giving regard to God.
Knowing that God is near all times, the majority takes the position of distance from God the evidence of disobedience to the word of God.
Disobedience to God is evidence of sin before God.
One with sin consciously or unconsciously cannot hide from God to see but keeps a distance from God.
Living in sin will not accommodate the glory of God.
Romans 3:23 buttressed, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” 
With sin, all will be short of the presence of God, not being in His presence that is always near.
Consciously or unconsciously, are you living in sin that keeps you far and not near to God?
One in disobedient will hid from the presence of God.
The sin of Adam and Eve made them far from the near of God. 
Genesis 3:6-10 documents Adam and Eve for the distance from God, “So, when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked, and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings. And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. Then the LORD God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?” So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked, and I hid myself.”
God creates all with His care to keep all near Him, but the sin rooted in not knowing God keeps all far from God.
Sin kept Adam and Eve far from God, not never far from them.
Are you living obediently or disobediently before God?
Obediently, give self to the word of God, walking in His presence and not far from Him. 
God is near, always. 
Get to know God, not to live a life far from God.

Prayer for today: Ask to live life for God, to gain and retain His presence.

FAITH CAPSULE: One thing God cannot do is: “God cannot fail.”

1Samuel 13:

In every issue of delay, there will be distraction.
Distraction is to disobey, to act against the word of God.
Distraction is not of God but the device of the devil.
Seven things that come with distraction are:
Distraction can terminate the calling of God in the life of one.
Distraction will not announce itself to derail one with a purposed agenda.
Distraction will derail or deny one with the loss of focus on God.
Distraction will assault to prevent one from arriving at the divine assignment of God.
Distraction can be a denial agent against one not to walk in the Lord to answer the calling of God.
Distraction can also be an indefinable force that will deny one from having faith to please God.
Distraction can build up discouragement.
King Saul was distracted to disobey the command of God to guide him and the Israelites against the enemy at war.
1 Samuel 13:5-6 records the war before the Israelites, “The Philistines gathered together to fight with Israel, thirty thousand chariots and six thousand horsemen, and people as the sand which is on the seashore in multitude. And they came up and encamped in Michmash, to the east of Beth Aven. 6 When the men of Israel saw that they were in danger (for the people were distressed), then the people hid in caves, in thickets, in rocks, in holes, and in pits. 7 And some of the Hebrews crossed over the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead.”
King Saul was to wait for seven days at the arrival of Samuel to engage the burnt offering and peace offerings.
King Saul disobeyed the command to engage the offering against the word of God.
As King Saul had finished presenting the burnt offering, Samuel arrived.
1 Samuel 13:11-12 records the response of Samuel to King Saul:
“And Samuel said, “What have you done?”
Saul said, “When I saw that the people were scattered from me and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines gathered together at Michmash, 12 then I said, ‘The Philistines will now come down on me at Gilgal, and I have not made supplication to the Lord.’ Therefore I felt compelled, and offered a burnt offering.”
King Saul looked outside of God to the scattered world of his life.
King Saul became complicated to become terminated in the calling over his life.
A delay in expectation is not evidence of denial from God.
Failure to ignore delay will lead to distraction to become destroyed.
To experience a delay is not to substitute God, to seek outside of God.
Making a substitute for God is rooted in anxiousness.
Do not be anxious!
Philippians 4:6 encourages, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests made known to God.”

Prayer for today: Ask for deliverance from any distraction, not to become destroyed.

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 Faith Capsule: The word of God to have faith in God and become a believer.

Hebrews 4

The word of God profits, but when one fails to work the word of God, it becomes unprofitable.  
The book of 2 Timothy 3:16 declares, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” 
For those who believe in God, the word will work to profit them. 
Do you believe in God? 
Are you working on the word? 
Titus 3:8 buttresses, “This is a faithful saying, and these things I want you to affirm constantly, that those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to men.” 
God is a jealous God that deserves the attention of all His creation. 
There is no better way of giving God due attention than pleasing Him.
How does He please?
Hebrews 11:6 records, “But without faith, it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” 
Evidently, without faith, it is impossible to please God, while with it is to please God. 
Faith is not what anyone is born with, but is for all should seek and know that it will come. 
Romans 10:17, “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” 
What the word is saying is about hearing and hearing continually. 
Hearing the word of God is not for a time or two, but it is of consistency and continuity.
When there is no failure in hearing, faith will pass one on to fearing God and having His fear go before such.
The word of God is to profit believers of His word by bringing believers into His rest. 
Hebrews 4:1-3 identifies why the word can be unprofitable to man, “For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it. For we who have believed do enter that rest, as He has said.” 
The word has to be mixed with faith to become profitable. 
How is it mixed with faith? 
Romans 10:17 makes all know that faith comes by hearing, and hearing the word of God. 
One who only hears the word but does not adapt to hearing and hearing ( the source of faith) does not mix the word to have faith. 
The word is not profitable if it is not missed with hearing and hearing by the word of God. 
Without giving oneself to hearing the word of God as a way of life, to have faith in God will not become possible.
Know the word to have faith in God!   

Prayer for today: Ask to be enabled to mix the word heard with faith.

FAITH CAPSULE: The clouding hindrance in Naaman denied his listening ability. 

2 Kings 5  

Leprosy takes a position of cloudiness over the testimony of Naaman, while pride represents the crowd as the agent of hindrance in his life. 
2 Kings 5:1 records, “Now Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great and honorable man in the eyes of his master because by him the Lord had given victory to Syria. He was also a mighty man of valor but a leper.”  
With all the honors over Naaman, there was a “but” that clouded his destiny.
The but which clouded Naaman reduced in all areas of the position. 
What is reducing you and not answering what God has called you to be? 
The hindrance that clouded Naaman is the same over the life of many today.
The hindrance in the life of Naamane was leprosy, the representative of pride over his life. 
When Naaman approached Elisha for his healing, the cloud in his life stood between him and the word of Elisha for healing.
2 Kings 5:10 records, “Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored to you, and you shall be clean.”  
The healing word for Naaman to experience healing states, “wash and clean.”
The power to get healed was not in the Jordan but in the healing word for direction.
The clouding hindrance in Naaman denied his listening ability. 
The word of the prophet provoked the clouding agent in Naaman to manifest. 
2 Kings 5:11-12 states, “But Naaman became furious, and went away and said, “Indeed, I said to myself, ‘He will surely come out to me, and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place, and heal the leprosy.’ Are not the Abanah and the Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?” So he turned and went away in a rage.”. 
Is pride a hidden identity that is clouding your destiny?
The pride in clouding Naaman manifested when: 
He became furious (extreme anger)     
He walked away from his ground of healing. 
The spirit of “I” set in. 
Rage caused him to act with fury.
Does any of the above sound like you? 
When pride in the life of Naaman subsided, obedience to the healing word with direction led him to become cleansed from leprosy. 
Can you see, when looked into the mirror, the word? 
When you look into the mirror, the word of God, do you see yourself, or do you only see others? 
Until you begin to see yourself in the mirror of the word of God, the word of God will not become your frame.

Prayer for today: Ask that you be enabled hearing to receive direction and the healing word of God.