Category Archives: Devotions

MARK AND SEAL

FAITH CAPSULE: Mark and seal of God deliver.

Isaiah 5

The work of God is by His word.
Isaiah 5:12 records, “…But they do not regard the work of the LORD, nor consider the operation of His hands.”  
One that disregards the word of God does not regard God but rebels against God consciously or unconsciously, the evidence of not knowing God and not considering God.
One that does not regard God is as one that is laden (loaded) with iniquity (sin, evildoers). 
Not to regard God is forsaken God and will provoke God for one to become backward. 
Pray against backwardness not to be your portion.
Get to know God and gain the knowledge to be having an edge in your ways of life.
One with the lack of knowledge is one the way of captivity. 
Isaiah 5:13 confirms, “Therefore my people have gone into captivity because they have no knowledge; Their honorable men are famished (wanting, lacking), and their multitude dried up with thirst.”
One that knows to give self to the work of God will not be a victim of captivity.
Walking in line with the word of God is giving regard to God to gain the deliverance and protection of God.
Through the pages of the Bible, God orders to mark and seal upon those that walk with Him not to be a victim of evil occurrence. 
Ezekiel 9:4 records, “Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and cry over all the abominations that are done within it.”
Give regard to God, crying out against the wicked world, and God will mark you for deliverance and preservation.
Mark of God is also the seal of God, commanded by God to be placed upon ones He set aside for deliverance and preservation. 
Revelation 7:2-3 records, “Then I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God. And he cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, saying, “Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.”
Also, God commands in Revelation 9:4 for seal, “They were commanded not to harm the grass of the earth, or any green thing, or any tree, but only those men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads.”
God is aware of ones with His seal to be sealed not to become a victim of captivity.
His word will not return void to Him. God promises all to remind Him as Isaiah 43:26 records, “Put Me in remembrance; Let us contend together; State your case, that you may be acquitted.”  
Give regard to the word of God, and know to remind God of claiming His word of promise for deliverance.

Prayer for today: Ask for the word of God to mark you and seal you for your deliverance against destruction.

BOAST ABOUT GOD

FAITH CAPSULE: Boasting of God should be the evidence of knowing God.

1 Samuel 17

One can only boast in whom one knows. 
Boasting one you do not know is like an empty barrel making noise. 
Who or what do you know to boast about one?
Who do you know that is worthy of boasting about all day? 
The Psalmist testifies, “In God, we boast all day long…” (Psalm 44:8) 
In this life, there is none to boast about compared to boasting about God.
Boasting God is giving regard to God. 
God is the One and only almighty God, the great I AM, that is worthy of all-day boasting.
Boasting of God is giving attention to God. 
Boasting God will also gain attention from God. 
Boasting about God is announcing that with God, all things are possible. Boasting about God is rooted in boldness to look in the face of opposition with no fear. 
Boasting of God should be a way of life, and not only boasting when there is a confronting challenge. 
Boasting of God should be a constant engagement to gain the attention of God.
Boasting with an understanding of God from the heart and not from the mouth will boast about God. 
Boasting God all day long will boost up one where others are grounded. Indeed, know to boast God all day long.
The armies of the children of Israel and their God experienced verbal abuse by Goliath, the leader of the Philistines.
In response to the abuse of the Goliath, the Israelites became emotionally and physically grounded before Goliath and the Philistines.
Are you experiencing abuse in the face of your enemy?
Fear over the Israelites as Goliath stood to boast of his strength states, “…Why have you come out to line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and you the servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me. If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants. But if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants and serve us.” And the Philistine said, “I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together.” (1 Samuel 17:8-10)
When David got to the battleground, he responded to Goliath by boasting about his own God, “…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 defied. This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you…” (1 Samuel 17:45-46) 
Know your God, boast in Him all day long, and He will boost you over your Goliath.

Prayer for today: Ask God to enable you to know Him.

ANY DOUBT?

FAITH CAPSULE: Do not doubt the word of God, do the word of God.

Deuteronomy 28:1-14
Doubting is the avenue to self-destruction. Do not doubt, do not limit, or despise the power of the word of God. Proverbs 13:13 warns“He who despises the word will be destroyed, but he who fears the commandment will be rewarded.”  
With patience, living by the word of God will terminate struggle or challenge in any area of life. Psalm 34:19 buttresses, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the Lord delivers him out of them all.” 
The word of God is the power to do and undo as directed to life challenges. 
Hebrews 4:12 describes the word, “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” 
Give yourself to the word of God to deny doubt in your thought or action.
Word is indeed living, powerful, and sharper to terminate challenges to the glory of God.
Will you give yourself to the word of God that converts the challenge of mockery to a miracle?
The Bible records the word of God, “Is not My word like a fire?” says the LORD, “And like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?” (Jeremiah 23:29) The word of God is truth.
Give yourself to the truth of God to experience the power of God.
Why do you allow doubt?
Jeremiah testifies the identity of the word of God, “Your words were found, and I ate them, and Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart; For I am called by Your name, O Lord God of hosts.” (Jeremiah 15:16) 
Do not doubt to limit or despise the power of the word of God.  
Turn to the word of God to answer you if you will work the word of God.
Working the word of God is labor. 
Laboring the word of God is obeying the word of God diligently; laboring the word of God is choosing to do the word of God instead of doing what the world says. Deuteronomy 28:1-2 states, “Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the Lord your God will set you high above all nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you because you obey the voice of the Lord your God. The word confirms the reason to engage word laboriously and not doubt the word of God. 
To labor in the word of God will deny a doubt to claim the blessing of God.
Do not doubt the word of God, do the word of God.

Prayer for today: Ask God to open your ears of understanding against doubt.

INQUISITOR

 FAITH CAPSULE: Who is the inquisitor discouraging your walk with God?

Genesis 19

One that acts as an inquisitor of your life is possible not to be of God and can be the evidence of not having faith or having trust in your action rooted in God.
Inquisitor of your life can be unduly harsh, severe, or hostile.
Who is the inquisitor of your life?
God identifies Job as integrity, blameless, and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil. (Job 2:3) The identification of Job by God was not an excuse for him not to experience inquisition from his wife, not talk of one from a distance to his life. 
The inquisition of his wife was discouraging as she states, “Do you still hold fast to your integrity? Curse God and die!” (Job 2:9) 
Imagine the pain of inquisition from the closest, not distance.
God saw Job as a man of integrity, but his wife saw him as wasting time by waiting on God. 
Are you engaging in any challenge that is inviting inquisitors into your life? 
Is the inquisitor your closest one, or do you become self-inquisitor to yourself without you knowing?
Who is the inquisitor discouraging your walk with God?
At the time of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Lot and his wife received the direction of God to escape destruction. 
Genesis 19:17 records, “Escape for your life! Do not look behind you nor stay anywhere in the plain. Escape to the mountains, lest you be destroyed.” (Genesis 19:17) 
Just as they advanced on the route of escape, the wife of Lot could not obey the direction of God but questioned God by her action of disobedience as she became terminated.
The wife of Lot acted as an inquisitor of the plan of deliverance by God. The Bible record that the wife of Lot looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.” (Genesis 19:26)
Are you the inquisitor of yourself?
Often, one allows the act of a negative inquisitor to deny the blessing in place for life.
For example, Jesus did miracles on every ground but not so in His city of Nazareth. 
The people of Nazareth were inquisitors wanting to know the source of His wisdom and the work of His hand. 
In the eyes of His people, He was just the son of a carpenter, the mere son of Joseph and Mary. The Bible records the response of Jesus to the inquisition of His people: “But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house. He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them.” (Mark 6:4-5) 
Stop being an inquisitor of God? 
The people of Nazareth failed to appreciate the anointing upon the life of the Anointed One. 
Appreciate the doings of God over your life to gain and retain the blessing of God.

Prayer for today: Ask not to be an inquisitor or not to be a victim of the negative inquisition of this world.

THE MIGHTY HAND

FAITH CAPSULE: The hand of God is mighty and outstretched for deliverance and preservation.

Ezra 7

The pages of the Bible testify that Jesus is on the right hand of God.
Mark 16:19 records, “So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God.” 
At the time of the martyr of Stephen for his faith, the Bible records, “But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, and said, “Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!” (Acts 7:55-56) 
1 Peter 3:22 documents, “who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers having been made subject to Him.” 
Jesus is at the right hand of God and tells the truth that one that accepts Jesus does have access to the right hand of God.
Have you accepted Jesus as your Lord and savior living by the Word of God?
One that accepts Jesus is with Jesus with access to the right hand of God.
Jesus came from His right hand to give life to everyone with understanding and knowledge to give self to the word of God.
The Psalmist understands and knows the hand of God by stating, “You open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing.” (Psalm 145:16) With your understanding, specifically, pray for the right hand of God to open for you to be living with satisfaction in Him.
With the expectation to experience the hand of God, meditate on the hand of God as the Bible identifies:
In the hand of God, there is deliverance. 
The hand of God is mighty and outstretched that delivered the children of Israel from slavery for over four hundred years (Deuteronomy 5:15). 
The hand of God, when it comes upon one, will help just as it helped in the days of the Old Testament. 
Ezra testifies the hand of God as the agent of granting every request during their time of rebuilding Jerusalem (Ezra 7:6) 
Ezra also testifies the hand of God as good when they were able to get to Jerusalem. (Ezra 7:9) 
Ezra 7:28 also states, “…So I was encouraged, as the hand of the LORD my God was upon me…” 
Ezra repeatedly testifies the hand of God as stated in Ezra 8:31, “And the hand of our God was upon us, and He delivered us from the hand of the enemy and from ambush along the road.” 
What would one do without the hand of God in life?
As a believer, let it become your way of life, looking up to the God for His hand that is able for deliverance and preservation, that takes charge of your direction all the days He has given you.

Prayer for today: Ask for the hand of God over your life.