Category Archives: Devotions

LIVE LIFE TO PLEASE GOD!

FAITH CAPSULE: Do you have faith to please God without compromising His command?

1 Samuel 2:12-36

The word of God for all man is His command that is not negotiable and is not to be compromised.
With no exception, all man should live life according to God’s command to gain and retain a positive relationship with God.
To be redirecting God’s word to please oneself not to please God is evidence of a lack of understanding to serve God diligently. The word of God is with the command for all man to serve God diligently but not serving Him diligently will only please one that serves self instead of pleasing God.
Jesus, the author, and finisher of our faith encourages all not to compromise God’s word command but to please God as stated, “…When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things. 29 And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him.” (John 8:28-29)
Are you doing His command to please self?
Do you have faith to please God without compromising His command?
Giving self to the written word of God is to have faith to live life according to His command. Hebrews 11:6 buttressed, “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.”
Consciously or unconsciously do you compromise God’s command?
Before God, there is no legitimate excuse not to do according to His word.
To compromise God’s command will complicate a man’s journey of life.
Compromising God will violate man from God.
To compromise God’s command is an indication of a lack of fear for God, that will open the door for the devil. Proverbs 8:13 warns, “The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverse mouth I hate.”
To do as commanded by God is doing good that counts before God. One that knows to do good and not do is compromising God’s command by giving self to sin. (James 4:17)
With understanding, all man should know not to compromise God’s word to impress any man (inside or outside of church) and not to impress any family or friends. The Bible records how Eli’s children compromised God’s word and Eli’s failure to train his children enough before God counted against him as compromising God’s word.
Eli’s failure not to act enough against the wrongdoing of his children counted against him and corrupted his destiny.
Come out of all the evil which you know about; refrain from being carried along with compromising God’s command or stand to correct compromising God’s command.
Eli compromised, and his destiny was corrupted.

Prayer for today: Ask for God’s grace to enable your living life not to compromise His command.

WHO ARE YOU?

FAITH CAPSULE: Are you one that is living life as a fool or as a wicked one?

Psalm 10

The fool one and the wicked one is a combination of evil activities with the evidence of no fear for God.
The fools and wicked ones are in evil activities continually where they exist. To them, when evil does not have a place is like an abomination.
Proverbs 13:19 records, “…it is an abomination to fools to depart from evil.”
Are you one that is living life as a fool or as a wicked one?
Who is a fool?
Psalm 14:1 identifies the character of fool one, “The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none who does good.” Proverbs 1:7 records, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” Proverbs 10:23 also identifies the character of fool one, “To do evil is like sport to a fool, but a man of understanding has wisdom.”
Do the above verses describe you or point you out as a fool one?
Who is wicked?
One that claims not to be a fool but living life as wicked one consciously or unconsciously is same as a fool one.
Jeremiah’s conversation with God identifies the character of the wicked one. Jeremiah 12:1-2 records, “Righteous are You, O Lord when I plead with You; Yet let me talk with You about Your judgments. Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why are those happy who deal so treacherously? You have planted them, yes, they have taken root; They grow, yes, they bear fruit. You are near in their mouth but far from their mind. The word of Jeremiah before God points out that one with the word of God in the mouth but far from God and not do according to God’s word is a wicked one. Psalms 11:5 points out God’s reaction to the wicked one, “The Lord tests the righteous, But the wicked and the one who loves violence His soul hates.” One that is a partial liar or constant liar is a wicked one before God.
One with the choice to search self should have the understanding to come out of living life as a fool or wicked to live life for the glory of God.
Living life as a fool or wicked is a sin before God.
God is a longsuffering and merciful God that does not overlook sins and iniquities. Ecclesiastes 8:11-13 records, ” Because the sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil. 12 Though a sinner does evil a hundred times, and his days are prolonged, yet I surely know that it will be well with those who fear God, who fear before Him. 13 But it will not be well with the wicked; nor will he prolong his days, which are as a shadow, because he does not fear before God.”
Who are you before God?
Come out of sin to stop living life as a fool, as a wicked!

Prayer for today: Ask for God’s mercy to keep you for His glory.

 

 

LIVE LIFE FOR GOD

FAITH CAPSULE: Engage living in the fear of God and allow His mercy to be yours.

Exodus 20

The mercy of God is the covenant-keeping God. Mercy belongs to God and He renders mercy unto whom He chooses.
It was God’s mercy that led the children of Israel out of the bondage of over four hundred years. Exodus 15:13 records about God, “You in Your mercy have led forth the people whom You have redeemed…”
Are you in position to receive God’s mercy?
Joseph’s fear of God positioned Him for the mercy of God.
Joseph feared God in his way and God was with him through his challenging journey of life.
The word testified about Joseph, “…the LORD was with Joseph and showed him mercy…” (Genesis 39:21)   God’s mercy is in any man that walks in the word of God.
God’s mercy is in abundance, God does not run out of mercy but any man with disobedient to His word runs out of His mercy.
Truly, the mercy of God endures forever.
Many giants of faith in the hand of God operated under the power and mercy of God. God spoke to Moses, “For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion.” So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy.” (Romans 9:15-16) Evidently, it was not of Moses will but the will of God, in His mercy that kept Moses through in the calling of God over his life.
Do you fear God?
It is understanding to know in the word of God that the fear of the Lord is His treasure.
One with the fear of God will answer as God’s treasure.
Luke 1:50 testifies, “And His mercy is on those who fear Him from generation to generation.”
Who are the ones who fear Him?
To fear God is living by His word.
God planted fear in the heart of man. Ones who fear God are the ones He has drawn unto Himself. (John 6:44)
David was drawn to God and he was chosen by God.
The Bible records about David, “Now the LORD said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn
for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go; I am sending you to Jesse the Bethlehemite. For I have provided Myself a king among his sons.” (1 Samuel 16:1)
God is not a partial God and He is still in the business of drawing any man to Himself for His mercy.
Do you fear God? To fear God is to love God.
God will not cease from showing mercy to those who love Him and keep His commandments. (Exodus 20:6). Engage living in the fear of God and allow His mercy to be yours.

Prayer for today: Ask God for His hand to come upon you for living life to fear Him.

BE VIOLENT!

FAITH CAPSULE: Be prayerfully violent to reverse the irreversible situation in your life.

Daniel 3

A faithful one can be prayerfully violent against a challenging situation in position as an irreversible situation.
Matthew 11:12 testifies to violent faith, “And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.” At times, the irreversible situation in life will only respond to become reversed for good when violent faith takes charge.
It is understanding in faith that will make one know that Jesus is from the tribe of Judah lion as a result one is a lion by spirit.
Genesis 49:9 said it, “Judah is a lion’s whelp (offspring)…”
Lion in MAN must be stirred up to confront the irreversible situation.
Lion’s nature is violent; Lions do not travail but prevail; Lion is a symbol of dominion-breakthrough with boldness and character.
With the expectation for a challenging situation to become reversed from irreversible, do not be gentle but activate the lion character in you.
CHARACTERS OF VIOLENT FAITH
Spiritually resolute:
By faith, we are to be unbending and never give up on any revealed truth.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego (three friends of Daniel) refused to serve Nebuchadnezzar gods or worship the gold image. The three friends of Daniel were unbending but face the judgment to die in a fiery furnace of fire. The friends came out of the fire ordered by Nebuchadnezzar with no scratch but were promoted in the land by Nebuchadnezzar. (Daniel 3) Violent faith will not fail but will prevail as the three friends of Daniel quenched the ordered evil fire of Nebuchadnezzar.
Confidently restful:
Violent faith, a Lion character will not turn away from the irreversible situation. Proverbs 30:30 records, “A lion, which is mighty among beasts, and does not turn away from any.” The lion is absolute self-defence. Jesus sleeping in the storm testifies confident rest. Mark 4:37-39 records, “And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat so that it was already filling. 38 But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” 39 Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.” With understanding the word of God, having a confident rest in times of a challenging situation is the evidence of a violent character.
One with faith is full by the word of God.
One that is full by the word of God is one that is faithful living by the word of God, answering as a believer.
A faithful believer should be with the identity of boldness and character, that is in Jesus the Lion of Judah.
Be full by the word of God, possess boldness and character a winning combination.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace to live life by His word to answer as a believer.

WORD IS THE SOURCE OF FAITH

FAITH CAPSULE: In life, every situation is reversible with faith.

2 Kings 20

John 1:1-3 records, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him, nothing was made that was made.”
Jesus is the word of God that was and is responsible for the creation of all and able to reverse irreversible.
In life, every situation is reversible with faith.
The word of God is the source of faith. Romans 10:17 testifies, “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”
One that is filled with the word of God will be faithful to be living by the word of God.
To be living by the word of God (as a believer) will work the works of God.
Jesus was asked, “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?” (John 6:28)
He answered the question, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.” (John 6:29)
Are you a believer that work the works of God, one that is faithful?
Many answers as a believer but not living by the word of God.
Also, one that claims to have faith is not evidence of one that is faithful.
Every irreversible situation is reversible by one that is faithful, living by the word of God.
Are you faithful?
Faith is putting God’s word to work by one that is faithful.
Hezekiah needed to reverse untimely death over his life so he put faith to work.
Hezekiah’s faith was his prayer to God when he put faith to work by praying. 2 Kings 20:1-6 records, “In those days Hezekiah was sick and near death. And Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, went to him and said to him, “Thus says the LORD: ‘Set your house in order, for you shall die, and not live.’” Then he turned his face toward the wall, and prayed to the LORD, saying, 3 “Remember now O LORD, I pray, how I have walked before You in truth and with a loyal heart, and have done what was good in Your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly. And it happened, before Isaiah had gone out into the middle court, that the word of the LORD came to him, saying, 5 “Return and tell Hezekiah the leader of My people, ‘Thus says the LORD, the God of David your father: “I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; surely I will heal you. On the third day, you shall go up to the house of the LORD. 6 And I will add to your days fifteen years…”
Prayer is rooted in the faith which is working the words of God just as Hezekiah did to reverse irreversible in his life. Prayer works!

Prayer for today: Ask God to give you the strength of prayer on the prayer altar.