FAIT CAPSULE: Samson slipup was a careless sleep at his hiding ground for his preservation.

Judges 16

It is written, “Now Samson went to Gaza and saw a harlot there and went into her.  When the Gazites were told, “Samson has come here!” they surrounded the place and lay in wait for him all night at the gate of the city. They were quiet all night, saying, “In the morning, when it is daylight, we will kill him.” (Judges 16:1-2) Samson could not be killed because he was hiding in the living word of God with command over his life. Before he was born, God sent His word through His angel who declared that Samson should be a Nazirite (not to drink wine; not to eat anything unclean and no razor should touch his hair) from birth for the rest of his life. Time and time again he could not be brought down by forces of the wicked. Once, a lion caught up with him by surprise and he was able to tear up the lion like a young goat (Judges14:5-6). Power demonstration in the life of Samson was uncommon because the word of God was intact over his life as hiding place.
The spirit of God constantly kept and delivered Samson from trouble. Samson was a mighty man of God that was hiding in the word of God. Are you hiding in the word of God for your preservation? The living word of God that is keeping a man from evil agenda must be jealously secured and there should never be a careless sleep over the word of God for man’s life. A careless sleep over the word of God is the avenue to slip up that will expose a man to an untimely death. Despite the word of God keeping Samson from being exposed to the wicked world, he overthrew himself by exposing self to Delilah representing wicked world.
Samson should have seen the warning signs when he engaged Delilah whose name means lustful. Lust and temptation are birds of the same feather. Delilah the lustful one brought temptation to Samson in an attempt to terminate Samson before his time. Indeed, Samson entered into a careless sleep after revealing the source of his hiding ground to Delilah. Judges 16:20 recorded, “And she said, ‘The Philistines are upon you, Samson! So he awoke from the sleep, and said, ‘I will go out as before, at other times, and shake myself free! But he did not know that the LORD had departed from him.’” Samson slipup was a careless sleep which made him a victim of his enemy where he supposed to be victorious. Samson had a careless sleep; word of God vacated him and was delivered to his enemy. Are you having a careless sleep which keeps a man out of hiding place? Whenever the word of God is violated, becoming a victim of an evil agenda is inevitable.

Prayer for today: Ask that you will not be a victim of not hiding self in God’s word.

FAIL CAPSULE: Begin to declare that, “The Lord, He is God.”

1 Kings 18

On Mount Carmel, Elijah (an agent for God) engaged four hundred and fifty false prophets of Baal (agents of King Ahab) in a power demonstration. In that encounter, Elijah asked the false prophets to call their god for power. The god of the false prophets was a no show despite long hours of calling. When all attempts to call on Baal was exhausted, Elijah placed a call for his God of gods, the only God that answers by fire. Without any delay, God answered Elijah and a consuming fire fell. By virtue of God’s showing, Ahab and his entourage saw the move of God in power demonstration and they reacted as stated, “Now when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, “The LORD, He is God! The LORD, He is God!”’ (1 Kings 18:39) Just like the people on Mount Carmel saw the move of God and declared that “The Lord, He is God”, have you seen enough of the move of God in your life to begin to declare the Lord is God?
It was clarified between the God of Elijah and the prophets of Baal that the God of Elijah is the Lord God, and there is none to worship but Him. It was a victory on the Lord God’s side as a result, Elijah declared an open war against the prophets of Baal. 1 Kings 18:40 records, “And Elijah said to them, ‘Seize the prophets of Baal! Do not let one of them escape!’ So they seized them, and Elijah brought them down to the Brook Kishon and executed them there.”
Where are you located? Where is your location on the ground of God? Have you accepted Him as your only God, the Lord of lords, the eternal Creator, the One that was, that Is and that will always be? If you will begin to sing it out from the depth of your heart with the expectation for Him to manifest, then you are in tune with heaven for your own Mount Carmel victory.
Now is the time to take a stand and ask God today that all agents of confusion, delay, hindrances should be seized on your behalf just as Baal prophets were seized. Pray that militating forces against you shall not escape the experience of the fire of God. Your enemies shall be brought down just as the Baal prophets were brought down at the Brook of Kishon. All that does not represent God in your life need to be permanently and eternally terminated so they will have no life to work against your God’s breakthrough. In your calling on God, do not spare your enemy, go ahead with your weapon (the word of God), invade them, raid them, disable them and unmake them. Give self to prayer and the ministering of the word of God to provoke heavenly victory in Jesus name.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the strength of your prayer on your prayer altar.

FAITH CAPSULE: Taking a hiding place in the word of God will not fail.

John 8:21-59

When the devil thought it was over for the ministry of Jesus on earth, our Lord and Savior rose on the third day. On the third day, the grave of three days led to the birth of new grace. In this third month, if you will begin to look up to God for the newness of His mercy, then His grace shall recover all that the enemy has buried concerning your breakthrough.
In this journey of life, have you at any time felt that it is over? Are you experiencing the loss of a ground that has held you high in the community or at your profession? Is it becoming clear to you that their will be no way for you to get back to your lost ground? Trust and have hope in God for the grace of the third day that answered for Jesus to become your portion.
If today is your third day or if today marks your third month or your third year, begin to give yourself to hiding in the living word of God.
Romans 15:4 records for all man: “For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.” If any man will begin to spend time in the word of God as a hiding place continually the agenda of the enemy shall fail. In hiding place that is gained in the living word of God will be renewing the newness of God’s mercy for the grace of glorious third day over your life.
Study to learn and know in the word of God that there is a hiding place in the word of God. Jesus’ three days in the grave was like a hiding place for Jesus to reach the grace of God, the glory of God for all man.
Taking a hiding place in the word of God will not fail. Before Jesus’s journey through the grave as a hiding place, He repeatedly demonstrated for all man’s need to gain an understanding of hiding.
In this wicked world, hiding is not evidence of weakness but applying wisdom. Today, learn and know to hide when there is a reason to hide.
LIKE JESUS, HIDE YOURSELF
Jesus never takes chances not to hide when the situation calls for hiding. Despite the truth that He knows the end from the beginning of His journey through the cross and His assignment, He did not expose Himself to any danger but hide. Matthew 12:15-17 records, “But when Jesus knew it, He withdrew from there. And great [a]multitudes followed Him, and He healed them all. Yet He warned them not to make Him known, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying…” Jesus warned them not to make Him known also warns all today, that the plan of God is fulfilled.
Speak to the month of March, call it: Month of hiding in God.

Prayer for today: Ask for understanding to know and gain hiding in God’s word.

FAITH CAPSULE: Is pride a hidden identity that is clouding your destiny?

2 Kings 5

God is near to all man at all times. However, sin is an agent of the devil denying a man from reaching unto God while pride is like the driver unto sin and sinning. Are you living life as a sinner which is rooted in pride before God?  Leprosy was the most dreaded disease in the Bible days that kept one with leprosy away from others.
Leprosy is a type and picture of sin.
Interestingly, the Bible repeatedly does not speak about leprosy healing but talked about being cleansed of leprosy.
Luke 5:12-13 documented a case of leprosy cleansing not mentioning healing: “And it happened when He was in a certain city, that behold, a man who was full of leprosy saw Jesus, and he fell on his face and implored Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.”
Then He put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately the leprosy left him.”
Are you conscious or unconscious if there is a need for your cleansing of sin (leprosy) to become able to get near to God?  Pride is a sin. Completest submission is a condition of cure while pride is a hindrance.
Leprosy takes a position of cloudiness over the testimony of Naaman while pride represents crowd as the agent of a hindrance in his life. What is reducing you from answering fully to what God has called you to be?
The case of Naaman:
The pride was a hindrance that clouded Naaman’s cure and the evidence of many with pride, especially among believers. When Naaman approached Elisha for his healing the cloud in his life stood between him and the word of the prophet. The Bible recorded, “Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored to you, and you shall be clean.” (2 Kings 5:10) Naaman’s avenue for his cure in the word of God through Elisha stated: “wash and clean” The power of cleansing for Naaman was not in the Jordan but in the word of the prophet that was released into Naaman’s life. The clouding hindrance in Naaman denied his listening ability. The Bible recorded the pride of Naaman’s response for his cleansing: “But Naaman became furious, and went away and said, “Indeed, I said to myself, ‘He will surely come out to me, and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, and wave his hand over the place, and heal leprosy.’  Are not the Abanah and the Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?” So he turned and went away in a rage.” (2 Kings 5:11-12)
The word of God is like a mirror for all man. When you look into the mirror of the word of God do you see yourself or you only see others? Until you begin to see yourself in the mirror of the word of God for self re-address, the word of God will not become your frame.

Prayer for today: Ask God for your hearing and receiving His cleansing word over your life.

FAITH CAPSULE: God wants to be pleased, He is a jealous God.

1Kings 3

Pleasing by doing according to the word of God is the signal of faith in the life of one that pleases God. The book of Hebrews 11:6 buttress the importance of pleasing God: “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.” God wants to be pleased, He is a jealous God. He alone wants to be pleased in how we engage life. Pleasing God is living life by faith as required in Habakkuk 4:2, “…the just shall live by his faith.” 2 Corinthians 5:7 also points out that we watch and stand by faith. Without doubt, one that is standing and watching by the word of God is the one with a character which pleases God.
Are you conscious of how you live life? Do you pay attention to how you stand and how you watch? Are you hearing enough of the word of God to keep you walking, watching and standing in faith?  It is important to please God with your lifestyle by meditating the word of God which will enable your observing and doing according to God’s word. When one goes about his/her way of living life, one must exercise faith to please God.
King Solomon was the son of David and the third king of Israel pleased God by his doing before God. King Solomon is best known for his wisdom and for building the temple. He was able to please God with his speech which provoked God to add him with great wisdom as his identity forever. It happened to be that Solomon went to sacrifice at Gibeon when God appeared to him. God asked Solomon, “…What shall I give you?” (1Kings 3:5) King Solomon responded to God’s question, “Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge is great people of Yours?” (1 Kings 3:9) He had the business of God at heart; self was not in place as a result, Solomon asked for what it takes to carry out God’s divine plan for his life. Solomon, by asking, he pleased God. What are you going to ask from God if He shows up in your dream? Will your request from God what it means to be a God-serving vessel or self-achieving vessel before God? Solomon in his word pleased God and God was provoked to bless Him beyond his imagination as recorded: “The speech pleased the LORD, that Solomon had asked this thing.” (1 Kings 3:10) Please God in all areas of living life and His blessings will never run out of your life.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the strength to live a life which pleases Him.