FAITH CAPSULE: The purpose of the heart of Daniel for God enabled him to do exploits in life to the glory of God.

Daniel 1

Here are some scriptural verses of what the Bible says about the heart:
Psalm 44:21, “…God knows the secret of the heart.”
“The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked; who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9)
“The spirit of a man is the lamp of the Lord, searching all the inner depths of his heart.” (Proverbs 20:27)
Ecclesiastes 8:11 states, “Because the sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.”
The Bible identifies the fool in Psalm 14:1, “The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God…” 
What is it about your heart?
The Bible records, “As in water face reflects face, so a man’s heart reveals the man.” (Proverbs 27:19)
It was a heart that revealed Nehemiah to God.
One thing about Nehemiah is that there was a genuine concern for the welfare of Jerusalem and its inhabitants at heart. 
Nehemiah, a cupbearer with a big heart, desired a better life for his brethren. 
If a cupbearer could provoke a change, all having life should be able to do the same. 
God saw the heart of Nehemiah, and He acknowledged him. 
God invested in him as a vessel for reconstructing the broken wall of Jerusalem. 
The report of what was going on in Jerusalem caused a burden in the heart of Nehemiah, and he began to intercede on behalf of the land and his people. 
Nehemiah 1:3-4 records, “And they said to me, ‘The survivors who are left from the captivity in the province are there in great distress and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem is also broken down, and its gates are burned with fire.’ So it was, when I heard these words that I sat down and wept, and mourned for many days; I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven.” 
Nehemiah poured out his heart in prayer on behalf of his people and his homeland. 
He asked for nothing to do with himself but petitioned for things for a better life for his people. 
God is a God whose eyes travel to and fro throughout the earth to show Himself strong. (2 Chronicle 16:9) 
The heart of Nehemiah was in line with what God was looking for. 
Is your heart self-centered?
Daniel 1:8 states, “Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank; therefore he requested of the chief of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.” 
Daniel purposed in his heart for God and did great exploit because of his heart activity. (Daniel 11:32)  
The heart of Daniel set him up for great exploits in life.

Prayer for today: Ask for a heart that is right before God all days of your life. 

FAITH CAPSULE: To be concerned is from the heart, but to care is by action.

Luke 10:25-37

God is good, and whatever is good is of God. 
Is it in you to know to do good when a need calls for doing good? 
Jesus identified what it means to be a good one in the parable of the Good Samaritan. 
In the parable, a stranger from Samaritan saw another stranger from Jerusalem who fell among the thieves, was wounded, and stripped off his clothing. 
The Samaritan could not walk away from doing good like others before him did not do good but walked away, not engaging the stranger from Jerusalem.
The Samaritan spent his resources to do good for the stranger from Jerusalem as he received proper medical attention. 
Jesus, the compassionate savior, referred to the doing good of the Samaritan: “But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion.” (Luke 10:33) 
Doing good is having compassion. 
Compassion is the heart of Jesus. 
It is good to be doing good as a way of life. 
James 4:17 encourages, “Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.”  
Knowing to do good as a way of life cannot be emphasized enough. 
Think about this: if knowing to do good and not do it is a sin, then knowing to do good and doing it must be a blessing. 
Galatians 5:22 states doing good is among the fruit of the spirit, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness.” 
Many scriptural passages emphasize the importance of doing good. Romans 12:9, “…Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good.” 1 Thessalonians 5:15, “See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all.” 
2 Thessalonians 3:13, “But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary in doing good.” 
Hebrews 13:16, “But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.”
As an acclaimed believer, become one that consciously allows your concern for doing good to be alive. 
Let your caring to do what is good be activated. 
Show concern for doing good and be care active. 
To be concerned is from the heart, but to care is by action. 
Are you doing good where doing good calls for need? 
Go ahead and act with care, knowing fully well that what you are doing is in the name of God and for the glory of God. 
One that cares for the needy and giving care is evidence of doing good that counts before God.
To be concerned for others with all care is doing good and heaven acknowledgeable, provoking the blessing of God. 
Gain the understanding that doing good glorifies God.

Prayer for today: Ask to be enabled to do good and not ignore when need to do good calls for it.

FAITH CAPSULE: Know to only behold the positive in the place of the negative challenge.

1 Samuel 13

Behold means to observe, look or see. 
What one observes determines what one sees. 
Whatever one sees is what one receives to become of such. 
When one looks into challenges negatively, nothing will come out of such challenges but negative. 
One that sees and acts based on the promise in the word of God will see positively in the place of negativity. 
The children of Israel could not see the positive in the promises of God, and the negative became of them.
What do you see in the promise of God?
In every promise of God encountered in His word, see the positive to receive it and become of you.
The Israelites saw no positive in the promise of God to the Promised Land.
On the journey to the Promised Land, the Egyptians drew near them, with no way of escape, “…the children of Israel lifted their eyes, and behold, the Egyptian marched after them. So they were very afraid, and the children of Israel cried out to the Lord.” (Exodus 14:10) 
The Israelites behold enemies as fear answers over them. 
What are you beholding or looking up to? 
Beholding life challenges will hold back one from moving forward in life. 
As an acclaimed believer, make it a way of life to always see the positive in the word of God that does not fail.
Engage every negativity positively, and know that God is abundantly able. 
Three friends (Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego) of Daniel saw the testimony of God, and their faith was active to trust in God.
When the judgment was against them, they could not look away from their God.
Daniel 3:19 records, “Then Nebuchadnezzar was full of fury, and the expression on his face changed toward Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. He spoke and commanded that they heat the furnace seven times more than it was usually heated.”  
The fullness of fury in the eyes of Nebuchadnezzar and his command was not enough for the bulging of the three friends of Daniel. 
Have you been looking too much into the face of your challenges that are not beyond God? 
What you need to be doing is to set your sight on the promises of God; look not into what your challenges are communicating but behold the promise of God over your challenge and see His salvation.
Samuel commanded King Saul to wait seven days in the face of an intimidating challenge. 
King Saul could not wait.
Samuel came stating to Saul, “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, 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.” (1Samuel 13:11-12) 
Saul could not recover from the beholding negative. 
Know to only behold the positive in the place of the negative challenge.

Prayer for today: Ask to be enabled to always see the positive in the promises of God to overcome your challenges.

FAITH CAPSULE: Turning away from the word of God is turning away from His presence.

Exodus 33

The word of God is God. 
The way of God is in His word, His presence. 
Asking to know His way is asking to know His presence. 
Moses wanted to know the way of God, which is an indirect of asking for His presence. 
Moses requested from God, “Now therefore, I pray if I have found grace in Your sight, show me now Your way, that I may know You and that I may find grace in Your sight. And consider that this nation is our people.” (Exodus 33:13) 
God responded to the request of Moses, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” (Exodus 33:14) 
The word of God is His way; His way is His presence.
He is God whose word does not return to Him void. (Isaiah 55:11) 
Turning to the word of God is evidence of obedience and adds blessing with no evil. 
Joshua 21:45 testifies of the word of God: “Not a word failed of any good thing which the Lord had spoken to the house of Israel. All came to pass.” 
Obeying the word of God is what delivers the promises of His word. However, turning away from the word of God that sounds in the direction of one is an act of disobedience that sets one up for self-destruction. Interestingly, the majority are constantly and consistently violating the word of God consciously or unconsciously by turning away from His word. 
Turning away from the word of God is turning away from His presence. There is no excuse to turn away from God that will prompt painful consequences.
The book of Jonah 1:2-3 records, “Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me.” But Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid the fare, and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.” 
Half obedience is the same as failure to obey. 
In the scriptural verse, the word of God refers to God as His presence. Jonah rose as commanded by God, but his rising was in the opposite direction to the presence of God. 
Are you riding in the opposite direction to the word of God? 
Know to always turn to the word of God and maintain His presence. 
One with an expectation of manifestation in the life journey is the testimony of deliverance and preservation to see through. 
It is time to turn back to God from where you have turned away from His presence.

Prayer for today: Ask for the spirit to be constant and consistent to obey the word of God shall be your portion.

FAITH CAPSULE: Whatever He says, do without questioning Him.

John 2:1-12

1 Samuel 15:22 records, “Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams.” 
Obedience to the word of God is taking a step not to despise God. 
To disobey the word is setting self up for destruction. 
Proverbs 13:13 states, “He who despises the word will be destroyed, but he who fears the commandment will be rewarded.” 
One that fears God obeys the word of God.
Obedience to the word of God will save life.
One that fears God lives with the evidence of trusting in God and what He can do. 
Obeying the word of God is what marks one being faithful. 
Are you constantly or partially obeying the word of God?
John 2:1-2 states, “…there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding.” 
A wedding with Jesus as a guest of honor is set not to be harassed by shame. 
Have you invited Jesus into your marriage or your life? 
Jesus was at the wedding in Cana when shame was at the wedding to discolor the wedding when there was no more wine to serve. 
At that wedding in Cana of Galilee, the mother of Jesus approached Jesus for intervention that would save the wedding celebration from shame for lack of wine. 
Jesus responded to the calling of His mother for intervention, “…Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come.” (John 2:4) 
The response of Jesus was not a discouragement to the mother of Jesus but encouraged the servants at the wedding with her response.
John 2:5 records, “His mother said to the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it.” 
What is in the word of God that is missing in your challenges, like marriage or lifestyle, because of your disobedience? 
One will search for self to know what He commands in His word. 
Jesus said to them, “Fill the waterpots with water.” And they filled them up to the brim.” (John 2:7) 
The servants were obedient to engage the command of Jesus.
Can you testify as one living by the word of God?
In the place of lack, engaging the command of God is the evidence of faith.
Jesus commanded for the waterpots to become filled with water. 
The disciples did not question Jesus for His command as they filled the waterpots to the brink. 
As the disciples obeyed, the wedding took a new turn from shame to fame for the glory of God.
Be obedient to the word of God.
Allow the command of the word of God begins to rule your life.

Prayer for today: Ask that you be constantly obedient to the command of God.