FAITH CAPSULE: In a challenging time, take a conscious stand of faith and not be afraid.

Psalm 3 

When trouble resists, it becomes challenging trouble. 
When challenges resist, it is bound to graduate to permanent trouble. 
Resisting trouble is with force to terminate troubled ones. 
In a time of challenging trouble, the faith of the troubled one is questionable. David, a man after the heart of God, had increasing trouble saying, “Lord, how they have increased who trouble me! Many are they who rise up against me. Many are they who say of me, “There is no help for him in God.” (Psalm 3:1-2,)
David testifies how he dealt with his increasing trouble. 
First, David acknowledged God for His awesomeness by stating, “But You, O Lord, are a shield for me, my glory and the One who lifts up my head.” (Psalm 3:3) 
David did not allow his challenge to the cloud is worship before God. 
David worshiped instead of worrying when he acknowledged God for what He did and doing in his life. 
Acknowledging God in a time of troubling challenge is a way of thanking God for provoking His hand of intervention.
Secondly, David testifies, “I cried to the Lord with my voice, and He heard me from His holy hill.” (Psalm 3:4) 
Crying is not a sign of weakness. 
David did not let pride take charge but cried out loud to God. 
It was a cry with his voice from the depth of his heart; it was a cry that went out loud to His holy hill. 
The word of God requests open mouth wide, and God will fill with the request. (Psalm 81:10) David testified that the Lord heard him from His holy hill. 
Thirdly David mentioned, “I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the Lord sustained me.”(Psalm 3:5) 
After worshiping in the place of worrying, David slept over his trouble just like Jesus. 
Once, during the cross-over of Jesus in His journey with His disciples, a troubling storm became a challenge. (Mark 4:35-41) 
Amid the storm, “Jesus was in the stern, asleep on a pillow.” (Mark 4:38) 
When the disciples could not exercise faith, they woke Jesus up, and Jesus rebuked the storm. 
With trust in God, David lay and slept despite troubling challenges. 
David rested his case in the hand of God.
Fourth, David disallowed fear not to have a place in his troubling challenge. 
He said, “I will not be afraid of ten thousand of people who have set themselves against me all around.” (Psalm 3:6) 
It is true that when fear rises, faith will sink.
Faith and fear do not tolerate each other believers must eliminate fear. David stood consciously against fear when he declared, “I will not be afraid.” 
In the face of your troubling challenge, take a conscious stand of faith and not be afraid.

Prayer for today: Ask God to enable you in faith in the place of fear.

FAITH CAPSULE: Have the desire to become full of the presence of God.

1Samuel 17

1 John 4:4-6 states, “You are of God, little children, and have overcome them because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. They are of the world. Therefore, they speak as of the world, and the world hears them. We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this, we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.” 
The key here is, “…He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” 
Indeed, is He in you? 
In the world, there is a giant of harassment and intimidation taking a position to deny or derail destiny. 
If He is in you, a giant of all kinds shall not prevail.
When David was to go and take on Goliath in battle, King Saul clothed David with his armor gear of war. 
David could not walk because of the weight of the gear. 
As a result, David requested war gear to off him.
In replace of the war gear, David took up his staff and five smooth stones from the brook along with his slings. 
He approached Goliath; Goliath disdained him; for he was only a youth, coming to fight him with sticks. 
1 Samuel 17:43 records, “So the Philistine said to David, Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!” 
David was not afraid of Goliath.
The words and size do not cause doubt in the mind of David.
David had a testimony that kept him going forward and not looking backward from the task against the harassment and giant intimidation. 
The giant situation took charge while David was on his way to where the Lord God was taking him. 
Is God taking you somewhere? 
He has a destination for all, like that of David. 
God is taking His children to a divine assignment like that of David.  
1 Samuel 17:45 records, “David responded, You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defiled.”  
The weapon that belonged to David was his belonging to God.
David went with a weapon great than the weapons of the world.
Is the Word in you, or is He in you? 
1 John 4:4 states, “You are of God, little children, and have overcome them because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.”  Is He in you? 
If He is you, depend on Him, and you will surely overcome your Goliath just as David did. 

Prayer for today: Ask to be occupied by the Word of God.

FAITH CAPSULE: Obeying God is doing according to the word of God.

Matthew 7:24-29, James 1:21-27

The only way to obey the word of God is to hear the word of God continually.
Romans 10:17 states, “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” 
So many hear the word, but the majority do not do it according to the word of God.
So many quote the word of God but do not carry the word in the heart but in the head. 
So many gathers to hear the word but do not connect to the word of God. 
Are you a hearer of the word of God that lives by the word of God?
The word of God states:
“The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you. (Philippians 4:9) 
“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror.” (James 1:22-23)
A disobedient to the word of God is like a car speeding in the dark with its headlights turned off. 
It will only take one moment for the driver to have his life terminated. 
How long would a driver continue driving in the dark without the headlights? 
 God is a merciful and jealous God who desires constant attention from His creation. 
Exodus 34:14 informs all, “For you shall worship no other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.” 
Gain the attention of God with sincerity and obedience to the jealous God.
It does not matter who you are or the role you play in the business of God.
Without obedience, one shall be far from the presence of God. 
The mother and brothers of Jesus received a warning that could have denied them their access to Him, “Then His mother and brothers came to Him, and could not approach Him because of the crowd. And it was told Him by some, who said, your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, desiring to see You. But He answered and said to them, my mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it.” (Luke 8:19-21) 
Do you desire to see Him when you look for Him just as His mother and brothers went to look for Him, or do you want to continue to ignore Him? There is a need to look for Him by calling on Him and making way to Him through consistent obedience to His word. 
There is no substitute for obeying the word of God. 
Acclaimed believers need to observe the word of God by hearing and doing the word of God.

Prayer for today: Ask that to be enabled to hear and do according to the word of God.

FAITH CAPSULE: The caring of God is His love.

John 19

The blood of Jesus shed on the Calvary is not a liberty to continue in sin.
The goodness of God is the grace of Jesus. 
Jesus paid on behalf of all by drinking the cup of sin, pain, grief, and every other undesirable punishment. 
Jesus carried the cross for all to cross over.
John 19:17-18 records, “And He, bearing His cross, went out to a place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha, where they crucified Him, and two others with Him, one on either side and Jesus in the center.
The grace of God cares by being available for those who will seek Him with a whole heart. 
The glorious name of God deserves praise and thanks. 
Psalm 69:30 states, “I will praise the name of God with a song and will magnify Him with thanksgiving.” 
God is a loving God, and He proved His love through His word and action. He proved His love by going on the cross. 
God proves in His word stating “…that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” (John 3:15-17)
God is mindful of His children and demonstrates by His word and action, evidence of His caring for all.
God invested so much in all, but the majority despises His word.  
God is a forgiving God. 
Out of curiosity, Peter investigated the issue of forgiveness when he approached Jesus with a question stating, “…Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” (Matthew 18:21) 
Jesus responds to Peter, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.” (Matthew 18:22) 
God made room for His children not to miss heaven.
Imagine 7×70 (490) times for the grace for forgiveness.
In Jesus, “…we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.” (Ephesians 1:7)
God is worthy of the reasonable sacrifice of thanksgiving regularly. 
The goodness of God is in place that sin is not enough to separate His children who cry out to Him with a heart of repentance.
Goodness is forgiveness; the grace of the blood of Jesus shed on the Calvary is not a liberty to continue in sin. 
The word of God admonishes all, “Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?”(Ephesians 6:1-2)
To be sinning should not be a dwelling place. 
Jesus paid it all, and He is alive!

Prayer for today: Pray that the blood of Jesus shall not be a waste over your life.

FAITH CAPSULE: Remember that Jesus is not dead, but He is alive.

Luke 24:1-35

After the resurrection of Jesus, two disciples were on a journey with frustration resulting from the going of Jesus to the cross.
With frustration, the issue of distraction, discouragement, and disappointment answers the two disciples on the journey.
Frustration often leads to an inability to see and hear from where there is a way. 
For the followers on their journey to Emmaus, the Bible records, “Now behold, two of them were traveling that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was seven miles from Jerusalem. And they talked together of all these things which had happened. So it was, while they conversed and reasoned, that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were restrained so that they did not know Him.” (Luke 24:13-16) 
After the breaking news of the resurrection of Jesus, the two disciples were distracted, discouraged, and disappointed because of Jesus’ death. 
As a result of distraction, discouragement, and disappointment in the two followers on their journey to Emmaus, they failed to know Jesus.
They could not see and could not identify with Jesus. 
Also, they could not listen to hear and identify the voice of Jesus. 
What is it that has come upon you on this journey of life? 
What takes a seat driving your vehicle on your life journey? 
Luke 24:15-16 records, “So it was, while they conversed and reasoned, that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were restrained, so that they did not know Him.” 
The two disciples did not know Jesus, but they knew about Him.
They had lost sight of their Savior. 
They knew Jesus but did not know Him well enough to identify with Him at the point of visitation after he had resurrected from where the devil could not hold Him captive. 
The two followers must have been at the point of frustration, thinking their hope was gone. 
With the resurrection of Jesus is to have trust and hope to experience the promise of God for those that believe in Jesus.
Today, remind yourself that Jesus is not dead but alive. 
Whenever frustration sets in, distraction, discouragement, and disappointment will take one for a ride in the wrong direction. 
When there is no sight or where sight becomes blurry, there will be a failure to see help whenever help is in place. 
When the two disciples regained sight, it was time for the departure of Jesus.
Luke 24:31 records, “Then their eyes were opened, and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight.”  
Your story does not have to be like the two disciples on the way to Emmaus because Emmanuel is what you are looking for, and He has risen for all. 
Come out of frustration to gain concentration, encouragement, and effective results that will reign through your entire journey.

Prayer for today: Prayerfully give thanks, and know that Jesus is alive.