FAITH CAPSULE: Following is not a one time or an on and off action.  

Luke 5:1-32

Jesus was teaching when He stated, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.” (Matthew 7:21) 
Does that sound like you? 
The will of Father is to serve by following God in His word fully.
Is it your desire to serve God by following Jesus fully? 
To follow Him fully (to serve God) demands to be steadfast.
One who is self-full cannot be word full. 
Following is not a one time or an on and off action. 
Following the word demands to be steadfast, to be fixed in direction, or to be firm in purpose. 
To be steadfast in following the living word of God is not a self-satisfying engagement, and one who is self-full cannot be possibly steadfast. 
King David realized the importance and the need for one to be steadfast when he called on God in Psalm 51:10, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”
A steadfast spirit is what caused Caleb and Joshua to follow God fully. Caleb and Joshua refused to flow with the crowd confessing negative against the word of God that promised them a land that flows with milk and honey. They followed the word of God in the face of Moses and all the people positively. By their positive confession, God declared, “My servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit in him and has followed Me fully, I will bring into the land where he went, and his descendants shall inherit it.” (Numbers 14:24) Following the commanding word of God follows God fully.
At the time of the calling of Elisha through Elijah, “…He left the oxen and ran after Elijah, and said, ‘Please let me kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you.’ And he said to him, ‘Go back again, for what have I done to you?’ 
So Elisha turned back from him, and took a yoke of oxen and slaughtered them and boiled their flesh, using the oxen’s equipment, and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he arose and followed Elijah, and became his servant.” (1 King 19:20-21) 
Elisha left all behind when he answered the calling of God. 
In answering, Elisha demonstrated steadfastness. He emptied himself by getting rid of all that could have held him back. 
Elisha used his oxen’s equipment as a boiler for the slaughtered oxen. Elisha followed the calling of God steadfastly. 
Whatever man cannot forsake for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven is what will become a forsaken one to become a qualified candidate for the Kingdom of Heaven.
Be steadfast in following fully, and God will reward you.

Prayer for today: Ask God to enable you for a clean heart and renew a steadfast spirit within you.

FAITH CAPSULE: Seeking God by His word will not fail to locate God.

Exodus 19, Psalm 47

Sanctification before the sacrifice is the evidence of understanding and knowledge to locate God without failure. 
When God sent Samuel to go and anoint, to separate David as a living sacrifice, He sent him with a message for Jesse, “…I have come to sacrifice to the LORD. Sanctify yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice.’ Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons, and invited them to the sacrifice.” (1 Samuel 16:5) In this message, it is clear that sanctification (consecration, dedication) comes before sacrifice. 
Also, once, the children of Israel were to present themselves before God, “So Moses went down from the mountain to the people and sanctified the people, and they washed their clothes. And he said to the people, “Be ready for the third day; do not come near your wives.’” (Exodus 19:14-15), Throughout the Bible, sanctification always have come before sacrifice. Samuel and Moses called for sanctification before the sacrifice before God.
With understanding and knowledge, let sanctification be in place before sacrifice to assess or provoke the hand of God in your favor. 
Are you with a devotion mind to surrender before God?
That is, are you with sanctification with the mind of sacrifice before God?
Seek God with a dedication (sanctification) expecting your sacrifice (surrender) to become acceptable.
For example, sacrificial praise that is rooted in sanctification will position one to gain the presence of God.
What kind of praise have you been rendering to God when you come before him?
Psalm 47:7 admonishes all about praising God, “For God is the King of all the earth; Sing praises with understanding.” 
Understanding to know sacrificial praise that is rooted in devotion (sanctification) before God will gain the presence of God. 
Praising God should not necessarily be in noise-making; praising God should not be an entertaining man; praising God does not have to be in self-pride but lifting the name of God. 
If believers confess with sincere and genuine hearts (the act of dedication before God) sacrificial praising, will locate the presence of God. 
God inhabits the praises of His people. 
When God is in your sacrificial praises, your enemies will become ambushed, and victory will become your portion. 
Who should praise God? 
Without any exemption, all should sing praises to God while having a life. The Psalmist said so, “I will sing praises to the Lord while I have my being.” (Psalm 146:2) 
In several pages of the Bible, those who fear Him should praise Him. Praise Him with the voice of joy, harp, and melody; praise Him among the people or in your secret closet. Psalm 34:1states, “I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.”
Praising Him all the time will raise you to Him. 
Live life by the word of God to gain His presence in all your ways.

Prayer for today: Ask for the understanding of God be established in your life.

FAITH CAPSULE: How are you walking, standing, or sitting before God?

Psalm 1, 2

Psalm 1:1 record, “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful…” 
How are you walking, standing, or sitting before God that is watching you?
The word of God admonishes all:
Walking:
Walking in the way of righteousness should not be walking in the counsel of the ungodly. 
Ungodly do not accept God but aligns with sinful, with wickedness and not conforming to religious tenets. 
Ungodly will counsel or lead man to live a life that does not consider right doing before God.
Who is your counsel in your journey of life? When a believer begins to receive counsel from ungodly one, walking astray from blessings of God becomes inevitable.
Do not walk in the counsel of ungodly that will direct you outside the path of God. Proverbs 3:6 admonishes, “In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” 
With the desire to experience the blessing of God, listen to the word of God as a warning. Take your counsel seriously to set you up for the glory of God.
Stand:
Standing in the path of the sinner is taking to the same position as a sinner. When a believer begins to endure or tolerate the act of wicked way of life, it becomes evidence of such to be a believer that is not living right before God.
Standing in the path of righteousness will stand-out, upholding the way of life that glorifies the name of God.
When the heart of man stands in awe of the word of God, gaining the blessing of the way of righteousness becomes the portion of man.
Is your standing found with an association that only progresses the testimony of God? 
Are you taking a stand that depends and rests on God in the face of challenging trouble?
As a believer, the word of God demands to ponder what to stand for in the path of life. It is clear that the ways of man are not hidden before God the eyes of the Lord, and He ponders all paths. (Proverbs 5:21)
Sitting:
Sitting in the seat of scornful will eventually embrace the evil way of life. One with faith, with the fear of God, is to hate evil acts not having the seat of evil doing that is hidden from all but not hidden from God. 
A believer that takes a sitting position in the way of righteousness must hate evil. Proverbs states, “…the fear of the Lord is to hate evil…” (Proverbs 8:13) The believer must not compromise the journey of life by sitting on a seat that is not acceptable to God.
The blessings of God are obtainable by your walk, stand, and sit before God, as stated above. 
By the word of God, it is worthy to live life as a true believer that keeps to the way of God at all times. Do not live a life of waste, give yourself to the word of God, and not compromise the word of God.

Prayer for today: Ask God to enable you to do His word.

FAITH CAPSULE: Desire for the Word of God to be established in your life.

Joshua 1

The Word of God is near to all at all times.
Deuteronomy 30:14, Romans 10:8 confirms that the Word of God is near, in mouth and heart.
Are you giving yourself to the Word of God that is near but not far from all?
The Word of God is God. 
John 1:1 testifies, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” 
The Word of God answers to living life.
One that is enabled to engage the Word of God will have the Word of God established in self, experiencing the power of God.
Know that the Word of God is POWER.
Hebrews 4:12 testifies, “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.”
The order of God carries direction, directive, the demand of you in the journey of life for all, not to live a wasted life.
God sent His Word that is His POWER to heal and deliver from destruction. (Psalm 107:20, “He sent His word and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.”) 
Jesus came, He is here, He is not just coming when He notifies to all saying, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life and that they may have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10)
The living Word of God, the power of God that has been here, is to be desired by all, that will be enabled, engaged Word to established in the life of one.
ENABLE you with His Word (His power), by giving yourself to the Word of God continually. Paul admonishes in Acts 6:4, “but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”
ENGAGE by asking that you be meditating the Word of God day and night.
After the death of Moses, the Lord spoke to Joshua in Joshua 1:8, “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.”
One that meditates consistently in the Word of God shall have the Word of God established in the self.                            
ESTABLISH Those that Word of God establishes in their life shall know their God (Knowing the Word of God is not knowing about God) Daniel 11:32 informs us, “the people who know their God shall be strong and carry out great exploits.”
Moses, Daniel, was enabled to engaged to have the Word of God established in their life, to live a life of strength, and to carry out great exploits.
Give yourself to the Word of God, the power of God, not to live a life of waste but to live to the glory of God.

Prayer for today: Ask God your desire to have His presence take over your life.

FAITH CAPSULE: Turn to the word of God.

John 1

Among reasons to turn to the word of God are:

THE WORD OF GOD IS YOUR DELIVERANCE
Genesis 19:17 records the word of deliverance for Lot and wife, “…Escape for your life! Do not look behind you nor stay anywhere in the plain. Escape to the mountains, lest you be destroyed.”
Lot was committed to the word of God, but his wife could not commit herself to the word of God. The Bible records, “But his wife looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.” (Genesis 19:26) 
Are you looking away from the word of God to deliver you?
Commit yourself to the word of God or do more to become committed to God and be connected with His deliverance.
IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO KNOW GOD
The limitation of your relationship with God is the evidence of your limited time you study the word of God. Romans 15:4 informs all, “For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.” Why not give yourself to studying the word of God, to know Him instead of knowing about Him? Deny the world to give more of yourself to the word of God. John 8:32 admonishes all, “…YOU SHALL KNOW THE TRUTH” It is your responsibility to know God, not your Pastor.
LISTEN TO THE WORD OF GOD
Listen to the word of God, with submission, to be steered and be led by the living word of God. Turning to the word of God is listening to be delivered from shame to joyful celebration. 
At the wedding at Cana of Galilee, when the celebration ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus advised the servants of Jesus saying, “…whatever He says to you, do it.” (John 2:5) In every way of life, turn to the word of God by listening to Him and your testimony shall not experience shame. Turn to God!
ASK FROM GOD TO TURN AWAY YOUR EYES TO HIM
Running after a man that answers as a great man of God is not evidence that one KNOW GOD or have TURNED to GOD. Get to KNOW GOD by TURNING to Jesus!
Paul points out that Jesus is for all to turn away from iniquities to Him. Acts 3:26 records, “To you first, God, having raised up His Servant Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your iniquities.” Today, pray the prayer of Psalmist for yourself as prayed in Psalm 119:37, “Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things, and revive me in Your way.” 
Turn to the word of God, give yourself to Him in word to live life by His word.

Prayer for today: Ask God that His word be established in your life.