FAITH CAPSULE: Consciously or unconsciously, pride is a hindrance that denies living life for the glory of God.

2 Kings 5

Having pride is a hindrance not to living life for the glory of God.
Can you search your heart and not become a victimized self for not living life to the glory of God?
There is nothing more than self that reduces self, but self. 
Naaman had leprosy that was not enough to reduce him to live life for the glory of God.
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.”  
Leprosy in the life of Naaman could not deny him from honors achieved.
The Hindrance issue of Naaman was alive in him but not before his master and the people around him. 
Pride was in the life of Naaman. 
Pride is the hindrance issue between Naaman and the word of his healing. The Bible 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.” (2 Kings 5:10) 
Wash and clean was the word of healing for Naaman. 
The power to get healing for Naaman was obedience to the word of God.
The pride in Naaman provoked negative to the healing word for him.
2 Kings 5:11-12 records, “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.”  
Pride was a hindrance issue in the life of Naaman.
Unknowingly or knowingly, is there any trace of pride in your life?
Pride in the life of Naaman was furious (extreme anger); Naaman walked away from his glorious healing.
Knowingly or unknowingly, are you with the spirit of pride like Naaman?
Pride in the life of Naaman subsided, and obedience to the word for his healing set him up.
Today, search for yourself and look in the word of God. 
The word of God is a revealing word for man to observe for self-correction. 
Give self continually to the word of God as a mirror for dressing self not to become a victim of self-destruction in life. 
Pride can give one a ride for self-destruction.

Prayer for today: Ask before God for deliverance from the pride of self-destruction. 

FAITH CAPSULE: Faith by mouth or head is not faith rooted in the heart.

1kings 3: 3-15

Without faith, God is not pleased.
Hebrews 11:6 buttresses, “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.”  
Your action before God is your faith, and your faith is action not hidden from God.
God is a jealous God, the antidote for jealousy is attention.
Please God by living y His way, and He shall be pleased with you.
Are you living life by faith (that is the word of God) to please God? 
Habakkuk 4:2 states, “…the just shall live by his faith.” 
2 Corinthians 5:7 point out that all watch and stand by faith. 
Faith by mouth or head is not faith rooted in the heart. 
Many claims to be a believer but with no faith by standing far from God.
Are you giving attention to God by how you stand?
One that hears the word of God repeatedly, continuously walks, or stands in line with God, pleasing God.
Live life to be pleasing God by standing and watching by faith. 
Please God with your lifestyle meditating day and night to access the presence of God.
Take note by understanding and knowing that God must be pleased and become rewarded by gaining and retaining the presence of God.
King Solomon, the son of David, the third king of Israel, was known for his wisdom and the building of the temple. 
Solomon pleased God with his speech to provoke God to endue him with wisdom that became his identity forever.  
Living life for God testifies to pleasing God.
It happened to be that Solomon went to sacrifice at Gibeon when God appeared to him. 
God asked Solomon, “…What shall I give you?” (2 Kings 3:5) 
King Solomon responds to God, “Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?”(1 Kings 3:9) 
Having God and His work at heart is faith.
He had the business of God at heart which was pleasing to God. 
Solomon was not pleasing himself but pleasing God for God. 
For Solomon, self-pleasing before God was not in place for asking but for wanting to live life to the glory of God. 
What is pleasing you above pleasing God?
Are you an acclaimed believer, a professional minister, or a minister for the business of God? 
Solomon provoked the blessing of God as he pleased God, “The speech pleased the LORD, that Solomon had asked this thing.” (1 Kings 3:10) 
To please God, Solomon provoked God with uncommon wisdom for the life of Solomon. 
Live life by pleasing God for His uncommon blessing to answer in your life for His glory.

Prayer for today: Ask to be enabled to live a life that pleases God.

FAITH CAPSULE: Pay attention to denying crowd/ multitude in your life journey.

Mark 2:1-12

Crowd/multitude should not be a partner where there is a need to arrive at the expected end of the journey. 
A crowd/multitude will delay, deny or discourage one from arriving at the expected end of the journey. 
A paralytic man expected healing from the visitation of Jesus at Capernaum.
When Jesus arrived at the house, immediately many gathered together, so that there was no longer room to receive them, not even near the door.” (Mark 2:1-2)
Mark 2:4 records the act of the paralytic and his helper when they could not gain access: “And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was. So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying.” 
Identify your crowd/multitude and not be denied from getting to an expected end.
Crowd/multitude which the Israelites could not disengage denied and derailed the Israelites from getting to the Promised Land. 
Exodus 12:37-38 documents, “Then the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides children. A mixed multitude went up with them…” 
A mixed multitude became the baggage for the Israelites.
A mixed-up multitude is an unholy mix-up to deny and derail anyone from arriving at an expected end. 
When the Israelites departed to the Promised Land, the dangers of carrying a crowd/multitude were not glaring. 
The Israelites’ mixed multitude among them was the source of the effect of negatively.
Numbers 11:4-6 documents, “Now the mixed multitudes who were among them yielded to intense craving; so the children of Israel also wept again and said: “Who will give us meat to eat? We remember the fish which we ate freely in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic; but now our whole being is dried up; there is nothing at all except this manna before our eyes!”
A crowd/multitude is an agent of evil to deny and derail the journey.
Are you the one having crowd/multitude as baggage in your life journey?
The mixed multitude was baggage for the Israelites, provoking complaints against God.
God responded to the complaint of the Israelites, “How long shall I bear with this evil congregation who complain against Me? I have heard the complaints which the children of Israel make against Me. Say to them, ‘As I live,’ says the Lord, ‘just as you have spoken in My hearing, so I will do to you: The carcasses of you who have complained against Me shall fall in this wilderness, all of you who were numbered, according to your entire number, from twenty years old and above. Except for Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun, you shall by no means enter the land which I swore I would make you dwell in.” (Numbers 14:27-30)
It is never too late to avoid crowd/multitude as a partner.
Pay attention, deny those in the distance and closed crowd and multitude.

Prayer for today: Ask to understand, know, and deny the crowd/multitude in your life.

FAITH CAPSULE: God is waiting to act for one who waits for Him.

Isaiah 54

RIGHTEOUSNESS
Righteousness before God is among the conditions to claim the blessing of God that acts for one that waits for Him.
Righteousness is doing all that is right and good before God. 
Peter preached righteousness, “But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him” (Acts 10:35) 
Indeed, without the fear of God, it is not possible to work righteously before God. 
Without the works of righteousness, no one accesses the blessing of God that acts for one that waits for Him.
Righteousness before God is an undeniable avenue to get the attention of God waiting to act for one. 
Isaiah 54:14-15 highlight the blessings of walking the ways of righteousness before God: “In righteousness, you shall be established; you shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear; and from terror, for it shall not come near you. Indeed, they shall surely assemble, but not because of Me. Whoever assembles against you shall fall for your sake.”
Our righteousness before God is through faith in Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 1:30 buttressed, “But of Him, you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption.” 
Be established in righteousness, and God is in place to act for such. 
God also promised in Isaiah 54:17, “No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is from Me.” 
The blessing of God is His word.
Are you working the works of God? 
Are you walking righteously before God? 
Working or walking right is waiting on God. 
Wait on God to act on your behalf for His glory. 
Be righteous before God to activate the promise of God.
REMEMBERING GOD’S WAYS
The ways of God are the testimonies of deliverance and preservation. 
For one waiting on God by remembering testimonies of the ways of God shall provoke God to act for one as He promised in His word for all. 
Psalm 119:2-3 testified to the importance of remembering God’s ways by stating, “Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, who seek Him with the whole heart! They also do no iniquity; they walk in His ways.” 
God is true. 
Keeping His testimonies to seek Him with heart by walking in His way is essentially waiting on God. It is a blessing to live by the condition of God, provoking God to act for one who waits for Him.
God is the same yesterday and forever. 
He is God with unconditional love, but His blessing comes with conditions. God will act for one who waits for Him. 
Wait on God by rejoicing, working, or walking in righteousness and continually remembering the ways of God.

Prayer for today: Ask to be enabled continually to give yourself to the word of God.

FAITH CAPSULE: God is waiting to act for one who waits for Him.

Isaiah 64

God has been faithful to all His promises in His word.
God is mindful of all, not to be a victim of failure in all walks of life. From Genesis to Revelation, His promises come with the condition for all to claim. 
Give yourself to the condition of God to claim His promise.
Isaiah 64:4 records the promise of God, “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.”
1Corinthians 2:9 confirms the promise of God, “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” (1 Corinthians 2:9)
The above verses testify to the blessings of God waiting to act for one who waits for Him. 
The condition to claim the promise of God is for those who love Him. 
By living life, do you love God, that is, do you obey His word? 
Those who love God will know to wait on God.
God acts for the ones who wait on Him.
Waiting for God is a failure impossibility; it is the assurance blessing not to be a failure in all walks of life. 
To wait on God is with unfailing conditions. Isaiah 64:5 records, “You meet him who rejoices and does righteousness, who remembers You in Your ways…”
Identified conditions to experience the act of God are:
REJOICING IN GOD, DOING RIGHTEOUSNESS, REMEMBERING THE WAYS OF GOD.
REJOICE BEFORE GOD
Rejoice is one of the three identified conditions.
Some Bible verses identify the importance of rejoicing as the condition of claiming the promise of God.
Psalm 9:2, “I will be glad and rejoice in You; I will sing praise to your name, O most High.” 
Psalm 16:11, “In Your presence is fullness of joy…” 
From the word of God, learn to be having joy.
Proverbs 8:30 states, “…I was daily His delight, rejoicing always before Him.” 
One with joy is accessible to God that acts for ones who wait on Him. 
The Apostle Paul admonishes the importance of joy, “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4) 
Psalmist also testified, “For our heart shall rejoice in Him, because we have trusted in His holy name.” (Psalm 33:21)
Rejoice when seeking God to provoke God to act on behalf of one. 
Psalm 70:4 states, “Let all those who seek You rejoice and be glad in You…” 
In truth, by His word, without rejoicing to gain the promise of God is not enough to experience the act of God.
Be joyful in the word of God according to the word of God. 
Believe in the living word of God, and wait on God to experience the act of God.

Prayer for today: Ask to be obedient to engage condition and be able to claim His promises.