FAITH CAPSULE: Engaging excuse as a way of life will lead to a route of destruction.

Genesis 3

Engaging self or giving self to excuse in the place of doing wrong is not of God.
One serving God to please self instead of pleasing God will not please God.
If you are doing what you want to do before God, outside of His word is not doing enough to please God.
When pleasing self, doing what you want to do before God is always done with EXCUSE before God.
Giving excuse is taking the route of pride. Pride is the identity of the devil, the author of lying, deception, and manipulation.
Pride is the way of the personal ride to self-destruction.
Giving excuse is a devil’s weapon that comes into place when pride for not accepting correction or to be repentance before God.
Engaging excuse as a solution will not address any situation that is not right.
What is your excuse?
Are you giving an excuse to escape from doing wrong in the place to do right?
Engaging excuse will not stand and not be accepted by God.
Adam’s excuse to override his sin, for doing against God’s command was not enough before God but provoked the consequence of his sin.
The Bible records God’s command for Adam:
Genesis 2:16-17, “…Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
Adam violated God’s command when he responded to his wife:
Genesis 3:6, “So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.”
God commanded Adam and he violated God’s command. When God approached Adam for his sin, Adam answered to God with EXCUSE for his sin as the Bible records, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.” (Genesis 3:12)
Adam’s excuse for his violation of God’s command was God’s creation of the woman (not his call) for him.
God reacted to Adam’s excuse for his violation to God’s command, “Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’: “Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life.” (Genesis 3:17)
Giving an excuse is not acceptable before God.
Engaging or giving out excuse can be encouraging but will do no good but set one for destruction and will possibly derail one’s arrival to God’s divine assignment.

Prayer for today: Ask God for His hand to bring you out of engaging excuses

FAITH CAPSULE: Will you fear God?

Deuteronomy 6

Do you fear God?
The fear of God is His treasure. One that will give self to wisdom and knowledge in the word of God will fear God. Isaiah 33:6 said it all, “Wisdom and knowledge will be the stability of your times and the strength of salvation; The fear of the Lord is His treasure.”
Will you fear God?
One with the fear of God will serve Him diligently.
To fear God in the mouth is not the same as to fear God from the depth of heart.
Deuteronomy 6:2 speaks to all, “…that you may fear the Lord your God, to keep all His statutes and His commandments which I command you, you and your son and your grandson, all the days of your life, and that your days may be prolonged…”
To fear God for His awesomeness deserves giving self to serving God in all areas of life.
At the time of birth, no man was born with the knowledge of the fear of God.
Among ways of knowing to fear God is to OBSERVE the word of God all the days of life.
Deuteronomy 6:24 buttressed, “And the Lord commanded us to observe all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God, for our good always, that He might preserve us alive, as it is this day.”
Deuteronomy 28:58, “If you do not carefully observe all the words of this law that are written in this book, that you may fear this glorious and awesome name, THE LORD YOUR GOD.”
2Kings 17:37, “And the statutes, the ordinances, the law, and the commandment which He wrote for you, you shall be careful to observe forever; you shall not fear other gods.”
One that OBSERVES the word of God will live life with the fear of God.
Is it your desire to fear God in your ways of life?
Observing the word of God with determination without prayer will not be enough to fear God.
To fear God is crucial if a man will take it to God by asking for His intervention for one to fear God.
God in His word declares His desires for all man, ” They shall be My people, and I will be their God; 39 then I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear Me forever, for the good of them and their children after them. 40 And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from doing them good; but I will put My fear in their hearts so that they will not depart from Me.” (Jeremiah 32:38-40)
What is it that will stop you from giving self to know, to live life in the fear of God?
Prayerfully, desire for the fear of God over your life so as to live life for the glory of God.
Fear God!

Prayer for today: Ask God for His hand upon your life to live in the fear of His name.

FAITH CAPSULE: Keeping testimonies and meditating God’s word will keep one near to God.

Psalm 145

TESTIMONIES OF GOD
A man with the understanding and knowledge of God’s testimonies will be near and not far from God to gain the blessings of God.
Psalm 119:1-6 buttressed what it means to walk and keep God’s testimonies, “Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord! Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, who seek Him with the whole heart! They also do no iniquity; They walk in His ways. You have commanded us to keep Your precepts diligently. Oh, that my ways were directed to keep Your statutes! Then I would not be ashamed When I look into all Your commandments.”
Keeping His testimonies by walking and keeping His word will be blessed.
The blessings of God are for those that are near to God, the evidence of having fear for God.
Do you fear God?
If you are one with the fear of God, you are obedient to Him and near to claim his promises.
With understanding, know to fear God which is God’s will for all man as identified in Deuteronomy 6:24-25, “And the Lord commanded us to observe all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God, for our good always, that He might preserve us alive, as it is this day. Then it will be righteousness for us if we are careful to observe all these commandments before the Lord our God, as He has commanded us.”
To fear God, keep His testimonies, walk, keep His word to be near to Him.
MEDITATING GOD’S WORD
The word of God is God.
Meditating the word of God is communicating with God to keep one that meditates continually to be near to God.
God did not hide the secret of meditation when He spoke to Joshua, “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. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:8-9)
Of all several means of communicating with God to keep one near to His presence is meditating on God’s word day and night.
A true believer should have the desire to be near to God that is near for all that seeks Him. King David buttressed the identities of God, “The Lord is righteous in all His ways, gracious in all His works. The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He also will hear their cry and save them. The Lord preserved all who love Him, but all the wicked He will destroy.” (Psalm 145:17-20)
The word of God is proven, to perfect to all who will give self to meditating His word for keeping near Him day and night.

Prayer for today: Ask God to take charge over your life to be near to Him.

FAITH CAPSULE: Ones that does not know God is not near to God.

Luke 8:19-38

God is always near to all man while man is far from God.
What does it mean not to be near to God or to be far from God?
To be walking in the line of God’s word is obedient to God, to become near to God by walking with God or walking before God.
Manifestly, one that does not know God is not near to God while God is not far but near to one.
God is faithful, He is near always to His creation when one takes a place of distance from Him.
God cannot be deceived with man’s deception to claim His presence.
Regardless of how long you have been born in the believing of God or what you have been doing in the name of God is not and evidence of knowing God to keep self in His near.
Do you know Him?
Do you know about Him, to be near to you?
One that is giving self to worrying instead of worshipping God in times of unexpected challenges is the indication that one is not near but far from God that is always near. It also points to the fact that one does not know God but only know about God.
At a time of a life-threatening storm, disciples of Jesus that have spent enough time with Jesus were in the journey of life while afraid, not knowing Jesus was near, which is the evidence that they only know about Jesus.
Luke 8:23-25 records disciples of Jesus’ testimony that Jesus was near to His disciples but yet He was far to them because they were afraid, “But as they sailed He fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water and were in jeopardy. And they came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” Then He arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water. And they ceased, and there was a calm. But He said to them, “Where is your faith?” And they were afraid, and marveled, saying to one another, “Who can this be? For He commands even the winds and water, and they obey Him!”
In the journey of Jesus and disciples, repeatedly the disciple’s actions testified that they were far from Jesus despite He was near to them.
Do you truly know about God or to know God?
Know God in your ways to be near and not far from God.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace to live life in His presence.

FAITH CAPSULE: What must be done to serve God’s calling?

Acts 9

Among “must-do” to serve God’s calling is:
To be able to hear and see in the word (light) of God.
Consciously or unconsciously, do you know what is it that is holding you from serving in the calling of God over your life?
Have you given yourself to worldly materials or activities that is taking many down and not able to serve God?
So, what is it that you must do to come out of “worldly tying down agent” to serve God?
TO HEAR AND SEE IN THE WORD (LIGHT) OF GOD
The ability to hear and see in the word of God will set one to serve God’s calling.
Saul of Tarsus (Apostle Paul) was on his way to wreak havoc on the disciples of the Lord in Damascus when he heard and saw in God’s word which set him for what must be done for him to serve God.
Acts 9:1-5 records, “Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2 and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. As he journeyed, he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. 4 Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. [a]It is hard for you to kick against the goads.”
Saul of Tarsus heard and saw in the word of God to gain knowledge and understanding of Jesus that set him to serve in the calling of God upon his life.
Bible records Saul’s response to Jesus: “So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?” Then the Lord said to him, “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” (Acts 9:6) It was after Saul’s answer that changed his name to Paul; he received instruction from Jesus that made him serve God.
For you, think and act on WHAT MUST BE DONE TO SERVE GOD’S CALLING.
Pray the prayer of wisdom and knowledge as prayed in Colossians 1:9-10, “…ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; 10 that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.”
It is not any man’s choice not to serve God, but it is the will of God and His calling for all man to live life for the glory of God and not to live a life of waste!

Prayer for today: Ask God to enable you to live life for His glory.