FAITH CAPSULE: Do not embrace covetousness which is a sin to deny one from God’s presence.

Joshua 7

The character of a covetous one is a greedy, acquisitive one with a strong desire for, especially material possessions. Covetous implies inordinate desire often for another’s possessions.
Covetousness is rooted in the lack of contentment.
One with covetousness is in sin against the word of God, the evidence of the lack of fear for God.
The Bible records, “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.” (Exodus 20:17)
Covetousness will stand against one from going forward in the journey of life.
What is it that is hindering you consciously or unconsciously from going forward in your journey of life?
Covetousness is a sin to deny one from obtaining promises in the word of God.
The obedience of the Israelites to God’s word was the reason for their victories over their enemies while their sin of covetousness was the cause of their loss against the people of Ai with lesser might of military.
The Israelites assumed victory against the people of Ai, not knowing that their sin was before God, to deny them victory.
Are you with sin that is enough to deny your victory where victory should not become a victim of being defeated?
The falling of the Israelites was the result of their sin of covetousness before God that prompted Joshua to go before God as stated, “And Joshua said, “Alas, Lord GOD, why have You brought these people over the Jordan at all—to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? Oh, that we had been content, and dwelt on the other side of the Jordan!” (Joshua 7:7)
Joshua did not know that sin was their fall but was curious why their past situations were better than their present challenge.
Are you one with a feeling that your past is better than your present?
It could be that God has departed from you just as He departed from the Israelites due to their sin of covetousness.
On behalf of the Israelites, Joshua pleaded before God when God told him about Achan’s sin of covetousness. Achan’s indiscipline is in covetousness, his disobedient before God which counted against all the Israelites.
Achan transgressed God’s command was rooted in deception. (Joshua 7:10-11)
The sin of covetousness brought the Israelites down, not able to stand before their enemies but turned their backs before their enemies.
In your challenging battle, are you turning your back before your enemies?
As an acclaimed believer that answers as an overcomer in times of challenge, what is it that is overwhelming you?
Consistently, obediently engage the word of God that does not fail.
The obedience to God’s word yesterday will not count for disobedience of today.
The Israelites’ victories in the past were the result of obedience while defeats suffered later was the disobedience which denied them victory over the people of Ai.
In your journey of life, do not embrace covetousness which is a sin to deny one from God’s presence.

Prayer for today: Ask against covetousness in your life.

FAITH CAPSULE: Inquiring from God is the evidence of one that is after God’s heart.

1 Samuel 30
King David was a man of war from an early age. God identified David as a man after His heart.
When Goliath, the Philistine stood between the Israelites and peace it was David that terminated Goliath’s life.
David was in position number of times to unsettled the arch enemy (Philistines) of the Israelites.
David was wise-full of God’s move, the evidence of him as one that is mindful of God.
David was anointed to be king, years before he actually became the king. Despite his wisdom and knowledge, he did not upset the plan of God to force his way to the throne but gave himself to God’s appointed time.
How often have you diverted yourself from God’s plan because of your timing outside of God’s time?
David was in the position to kill the reigning king (Saul) so many times when Saul was with an attempt to kill him.
Yet David did not take Saul’s life but waited for God’s appointed time to become the King after Saul.
With wisdom and knowledge, he chose to run and hide from cave to cave, wilderness to wilderness, and from one priest to another.
It is worthy to learn from David’s wisdom and knowledge to be inquiring from God before his move. At a time when King Saul was after his life, David wanted to keep his father and mother safe as stated: “Then David went from there to Mizpah of Moab; and he said to the king of Moab, “Please let my father and mother come here with you, till I know what God will do for me.” So he brought them before the king of Moab, and they dwelt with him all the time that David was in the stronghold.” (1 Samuel 22:3)
David also inquired from God before going after the Amalekites that burned the city, took captive wives, sons, and daughters of his men. Bible records, “David inquired of the LORD, saying, “Shall I pursue this troop? Shall I overtake them?” And He answered him, “Pursue, for you shall surely overtake them and without fail to recover all.” (1 Samuel 30:8)
David disallowed his glorious past from replacing his reliance on God for direction.
David inquired as he “…attacked them from twilight until the evening of the next day. Not a man of them escaped, except four hundred young men who rode on camels and fled. So David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away, and David rescued his two wives. And nothing of theirs was lacking, either small or great, sons or daughters, spoil or anything which they had taken from them; David recovered all.” (1 Samuel 30:17-19)
Inquiring from God is the evidence of one that is after God’s heart, it is one with faith that knows to take a position to attain great exploit for the glory of God.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace of continual inquiring for reliance on God for direction.

Faith Capsule: Have you been running away from God’s calling?

Acts 9

When it is God’s time to arrest any man for a calling assignment, there is not going to be anywhere to run or hide from God.
Have you been running away from God’s calling?
Regardless of how long you have been running from God, there is nowhere to hide from God.
To run or hide from God’s assignment can be working against the work of God.
Saul (Apostle Paul) was ran against the work of God.
Saul was going against believers to persecute them when God arrested him. The Bible records, Saul’s agenda, “Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest  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.”(Acts 9:1-2)
Saul (Apostle Paul) purposed evil but God disposed of his evil agenda when he came under the arrest of Jesus.
Saul took to a dark avenue against God but God showed up with light for his arrest.
He was arrested by a shining light. Acts 9:3 records, “As he journeyed, he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven.” The light of God around Saul exposed him to arrest him, his ears and eyes were open to God’s calling.
Saul could not run or hide but responded to the light of God as stated: “And he said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ Then the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’” 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 9:5-6)
The arresting light of God re-routed Saul’s lifetime journey.
Saul had his name changed from Saul to Paul.
Above all, the light which arrested Saul empowered him to live his remaining life under unfailing light of God.
With the light on him, he could not misstep in the calling of God upon his life. Paul’s life could not be stopped by darkness.
The light that brought Saul out from darkness gave him new spiritual eyesight.
The light became Paul’s compass as he operated heaven on earth through all his life.
Are you running from God’s calling? With God’s light, there is no darkness to deny light from exposing one that is running or hiding from God. Now is time for you to stop running from God’s calling upon your life.
God will back you up when He calls you. Be encouraged by the word of 1 Thessalonians 5:24, “He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.”

Prayer for today: Ask for God’s light to shine on you that you may fully answer His calling upon your life.

FAITH CAPSULE: Above all, be consistently responsible before God.

Romans 5

Today, allow your character to become your responsibility to claim the promises of God in His word.
Responsibility is to know God and responsible is to meditate the word of God continually.
RESPONSIBILITY IS TO KNOW GOD
In John 8:31-32, the word speaks to all, “…you shall now the truth…” There is no excuse for no man not to know the word of God. Knowing God is a task, a responsibility that must be done to claim the promises of God.
Daniel is an example among those who know God, and he lived his life being responsible to God, thereby, his reward for greatness to the glory of God. Daniel knew God as testified in Daniel 11:32, “but the people who know their God shall be strong and carry out great exploits.”
Daniel, by knowing God, he lived a life of responsibility before God, and not defile himself. In his heart, he purposed not to defile himself with delicacies of an unbeliever king. The Bible recorded, “But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank; therefore, he requested of the chief of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.” (Daniel 1:8)
RESPONSIBILITY IS MEDITATING THE WORD OF GOD
Meditating the Word of God is a responsibility before God that will make man great for God’s glory. God identified the importance of meditating His word when He called meditation for Joshua and it is written for all man.
After the death of Moses, God spoke to Joshua and His words speak to all the importance of meditating His word as stated: “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.” (Joshua 1:8) Meditating the word of God is communicating with God continually, relating and involving God in one’s life every moment which is day and night.
God is true to deliver as it is written in His word. The importance of meditating God’s word is emphasized greatly in the Bible as stated, “Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all.” (1Timothy 4:15) “I will meditate on Your precepts and contemplate Your ways.” (Psalm 119:15) A man’s continual meditation on the word of God is living a life of responsibility before God to experience failure impossible in life.
Responsibility before God is the price for greatness. In life, think responsible, act responsibly and allow responsibility to become your garment before God. Above all, be consistently responsible before God.

Prayer for today: Asg for God’s hand to come upon you to live life for His glory.

FAITH CAPSULE: Are you avoiding His calling?

Jonah 1, 2

God alone is the Only perfect God. Time is in the hand of God’s control but clock is what man is reachable.
God will call man to His attention regardless of how man avoids God. Jonah attempted to avoid the calling assignment of God but he could not hide but only run. Jonah 1:1-3 records, “Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me.” 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.” Under heaven, no man can avoid God’s calling. Jonah’s effort to run away from God’s calling landed him in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.
Are you one that is running away from the hand of God?
God does have unfailing means to get attention from any of His creation.
When it was time for God to call Moses there was no way out for Moses to avoid God’s calling. Exodus 3:1-3 stated, “Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. And he led the flock to the back of the desert, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. And 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 bushwas not consumed. Then Moses said, “I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn.” Ignorance is not possible for turning aside from God. Is ignorance holding you back to deny or to delay you from answering to God’s calling?
“There we were, binding sheaves in the field. Then behold, my sheaf arose and also stood upright; and indeed your sheaves stood all around and bowed down to my sheaf.” (Genesis 37:7) “Look, I have dreamed another dream. And this time, the sun, the moon, and the eleven stars bowed down to me.” (Genesis 37:9) Joseph’s dream was not well received when it was revealed to his brother. Joseph was rebuked by his father and his brothers for his dream. Joseph’s dream was his divine assignment, but the steps to get there were not unfolded at the time of his calling. Our times are in the hand of God. Man, controls clock but God controls time. Joseph’s dream at age seventeen was manifested at age thirty. Who can be like God?

Prayer for today: Ask God to deliver you in His righteousness.