FAITH CAPSULE: Receive and believe in the living word of God that is the source of joy.

Matthew 6:25-34, Philippians 4

Jesus’ speech to His disciples confirmed that in His word is the source of joy when He said, “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.” (John 15:11) 
John also confirms the word of Jesus as a source of joy, stating, “And these things we write to you that your joy may be full.” (1 John 1:4) 
Paul the apostle buttresses, “…Christ is preached; and in this, I rejoice, yes, and will rejoice.” (Philippians 1:18) 
If you are one that allows the entrance of the word of God, retain and be full of the joy of the Lord in your life.
What is taking away the joy of the Lord?
One with sorrow does not have joy.
Choose joy to deny sorrow.
Nehemiah encourages against sorrow in his word to the Israelites when he said, do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength. (Nehemiah 8:10)
Are you experiencing sorrow?
Receive and believe in the living word of God that is the source of joy.
Exchange sorrow for joy to be strength-full, not to become a victim of the wicked world.
One that is hearing and hearing the word of God is bound to be full of joy to access the presence of God. The psalmist testifies, “You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” (Psalm 16:11) 
Has He promised and not do? 
In the place of joy, one with joy should not have a place for worrying in the world. One that has received and believes in the word should have no place for worrying but rejoicing because Jesus, the word of God, source of joy commands, “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” (Matthew 6:31-33)
As one that claims to have accepted Christ, to live the purpose of God will have the strength of God that is rooted in joy.
What is it that is denying the joy of God in your life?
In a time of every challenging situation, engage the word of God by knowing that challenging situations shall eventually work together for good for you that is with the presence of God.
Be living life by His word, then joy and rejoicing will become your portion regardless of challenging things in the world. 

Prayer for today: Ask God that the word of God to become established in you.

FAITH CAPSULE: An act of disobedience will dislocate you unfailingly.

1 Samuel 15

Obedience demands commitment but denies convenience. 
Obedience demands agreement or submission.
Think of it and know that obedience is sacrifice.
The word of God demands full obedience with no excuse or compromise. 
Rising in response to the word of God is not enough without moving directly to the word of God.
King Saul was an example of rising in obedience to the word of God but could not move forward to do according to the word of God.
For example, God sent Samuel to Saul, “Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘I will punish Amalek for what he did to Israel, how he ambushed him on the way when he came up from Egypt. 3 Now go and attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them. But kill both man and woman, infant and nursing child, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’” (1 Samuel 15:2-3) King Saul rose in obedience but failed to move according to the word of God.
Saul spared some and destroyed as decided on his own against the word of God. Disobedience to God will always provoke the rejection of disobedience by God.
Rising in obedience to the word of God is not enough without moving obediently to God. 
Many are failing before God, not obeying according to the word of God.
Are one with a disobedience lifestyle before God?
Jonah, a servant of God, answered but failed to move according to the word of God. The Bible records, “Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 2 ’Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me.’ 3 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.” (Jonah 1:1-3) Jonah responded by hearing but followed the dictates of his heart.
The disobedience of Jonah was a half-obedience.
The disobedience of Jonah led him to the belly of a fish, a dark place, as an unfamiliar ground for Jonah. 
An act of disobedience will dislocate you unfailingly.
Disobedience to the word of God is in complete obedience. 
So many have started in the calling of God but failed as incomplete before God.
Jonah, by his disobedient, he entered self-affliction.
Jonah called on God, “Then Jonah prayed to the LORD his God from the fish’s belly. And he said: ‘I cried out to the LORD because of my affliction, and He answered me. “Out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and You heard my voice,” (Jonah 2:1-2) 
God answered Jonah, and his repentance to God delivered him from incomplete obedience. Full obedience is all that counts before God. Excuse for disobedience failed King Saul. 
Before God, complete obedience is disobedience.

Prayer for today: Ask God to enable you not to be a failure in His calling over your life.

FAITH CAPSULE: Meditate quotes that are rooted in the word of God.

Joshua 1

GIVE YOURSELF TO THE WORD OF GOD
Psalm 143:8 testifies, “Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning. For in You do I trust; Cause me to know the way in which I should walk for I lift up my soul to You.”  Hearing, observing, and obeying God in the morning will make the difference for the day. Make provision for hearing the word of God first in the morning. Trust and hope in God for daily endeavors. Also, what man hears will be like a compass for navigation through the challenges of life. 
Give yourself to the word of God to lead you with deliverance.
KNOW TO AVOID SELF DESTRUCTION
Pride is a route to self-destruction.
It is pride that denies man not to hear and give ear to the word of God. Jeremiah 13:15 buttresses, “Hear and give ear: do not be proud, for the Lord has spoken.” 
Search yourself to identify what is denying you from giving yourself to a route of self-destruction. Whatever seems right but not the word of God is not right before God. Proverbs 14:12 warns, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.”
Pride is doing against the word of God.
BE RESPONSIBLE TO PURSUE GOD 
Pursuing God is a responsibility, which is the ability to act on your own, without supervision. Pursue God to become godly. Today, acclaimed believers are not conversant in the word of God but conversant in the things of the world, having a form of godliness but lack of the power of God. 2Timothy 3:5 refers to wicked ones, the non-lovers of the Lord, stating, “having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! Be a responsible one to pursue God by living godliness with the evidence of the power of God in your life.
RESPONSIBILITY BEFORE GOD IS THE PRICE FOR GREATNESS
The venture of David to save Keilah from Philistines made David inquire direction from God. In 1 Samuel 23:2 records, “Therefore David inquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall I go and attack these Philistines?”. The Lord said to David, “…Go and attack the Philistines and save Keilah.” 
Inquiring from God in the time of deciding for the unfailing direction is the evidence of one that is responsible before God. Get to know that responsibility is the price to be great in the hand of God.
Be responsible for seeking the direction of God.
LIVE LIFE FOR THE CALLING OF GOD
The called one that obeys the direction of God will be connected to God to arrive center of divine assignment in life.
However, answering the calling of God will mount with challenges, but obedience to God will deliver in it all. Psalm 34:19 encourages, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the Lord delivers him out of them all.” 
In the journey of answering the calling of God, stagnation will delay and, mockery will mount to discourage but, the miracle of victory will answer.
Are you called by self, by a certain man, or by God?
Live life for God.

Prayer today: Ask God to enable meditation of His word.

FAITH CAPSULE: God is in perfect control over all His creation. 

Exodus 3

One can run from answering the calling of God, but God will only need to wait for the runner.
Are you running from God? 
God does not need to run before catching up with His creation.
The fastest created one that is running away from answering the calling of God will be forever before hands are up to become arrested by God.
The awesome eternal God is in perfect control over all His creation. 
The word testified the extension of His hand that is unavoidable. 
For example, Moses ran away from Egypt to end at the location where running away from all challenges had no more track to run on.
At Horeb, the mountain of God, Moses was leading flock when God rounded him up. Exodus 3:2 records, “…the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed.” 
Do you have an idea where or how God is waiting for you in your running? 
God may want to send you to the North Pole, but you are running to the South Pole will not get you to escape from the hand of God.
Moses gained the attention of the Angel of the Lord while the bush in a fire does not burn.
Moses saw a fire burning, and the bush does not burn. (Exodus 3:3) 
God waited for the runner Moses to put him to arrest for his calling assignment. 
In life, pay attention that God is giving attention to your speed. 
The attention of God draws the answering of Moses. The Bible records, “So when the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” (Exodus 3:4)
Just like Moses, Ezekiel did not run from God before the outstretched hand of God reached him and set him up for the assignment of God.
Ezekiel testifies to the hand of God upon him, “The hand of the LORD came upon me and brought me out in the Spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley, and it was full of bones. Then He caused me to pass by them all around, and behold, there were very many in the open valley, and indeed they were very dry.” (Ezekiel 37:1-2) The hand of God came upon Ezekiel to get his attention for the intention of God. By your understanding, do you think you are running far from God or too fast for God to put you in His arrest?
Know it this day that God will wait or stretch out His hand to draw your attention for His intention. 
Ezekiel needed to receive the touch of God to know that power belongs to God.

Prayer for today: Ask that God will enable you not to run outside His calling for your life.

FAITH CAPSULE: Be simple to do as commanded by His word.

Numbers 20:1-13

What is holding you not to obey God?
As simple as God commands in His word, with simple obedience, do as He commanded. 
Proverbs 13:13 warns, “He who despises the word will be destroyed, but he who fears the commandment will be rewarded.”
The word of God is not a suggestion but a command to obey.
The word of God is not a decoration for man to despise. 
Diligently, continually, give yourself to obey the word of God.
The word of God is healing, deliverance, preservation, direction for one that obeys.
The word of God is truthful. With understanding and knowledge of the word of God, you will not disregard the word of God.
Disregard your title, live life by the word of God. 
At all times, there is no excuse to disobey as commanded by the word of God. 
A failure to disobey the word of God is a choice that comes with a consequence. 
Prayerfully, live life by the word of God because determination is not enough to enable living life by the commanded word of God. Also, any attempt to obey God by your way (choice) is disobedient, a clear avenue to self-destruction.
In Numbers 20:7, God gave commanded to Moses, God-ordained overseer of the Israelites, at the deliverance from the bondage of over four hundred years, “Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Take the rod; you and your brother Aaron gather the congregation together. Speak to the rock before their eyes, and it will yield its water; thus you shall bring water for them out of the rock, and give drink to the congregation and their animals.” 
The command (word) of God to Moses was not a suggestion.
Moses chose to break the word of God. 
Breaking the word of God is the choice to disobey God and not hallow God. In the life of a journey, failing to hallow God is an avenue not to get to the divine assignment of God.
Moses, a giant in the hand of God, reduced his fulfillment by not being able to enter into the Promised Land that God promised the children of Israel.
Be specific as commanded by God. 
God commanded Moses to provide water for the children of Israel by speaking to the rock, but Moses responded by his own choice to obey the word of God. It was half-obedience before God to do right in the wrong way. 
However, water came forth, but Moses fell short of complying with God’s word of direction. 
Numbers 20:11-12 records disobedience of Moses before God: “Then Moses lifted his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; and water came out abundantly, and the congregation and their animals drank. Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, ‘because you did not believe Me, to hallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.’’
Moses was not specific to the command of God, could not do simple enough as commanded by God. 
Moses spoke and struck the rock when not commanded to strike the rock.

Prayer for today: Ask to be enabled to live obediently to His word.