FAITH CAPSULE: Mercy is attainable when our life aligns with the word of God.

Romans 9

Just as power belongs unto God, mercy also belongs to God.
Mercy means God is compassionate or kind forbearance that never runs out.
Mercy means loyal love; it is the conventional love of the covenant-keeping God.
Only God renders mercy unto man unfailingly.
The mercy of God, not our merit, is the reason God answers.
God cannot be intimidated or manipulated by any of His creation for the release of His mercy.
God declared and was testified of in Romans 9:14-16, “…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.”
With God’s mercy in place for His creation, nothing under heaven is powerful enough to displace it from overcoming the challenges of the world.
AMONG WAYS OF PROVOKING GOD TO OBTAIN HIS MERCY ARE:
Mercy is attainable when our life aligns with the word of God.
When we live our life according to the word of God and do His will, God will always grant us His mercy. Joseph’s life was the evidence of one that lived according to the word of God and did God’s will. Every time there was an incident that could tempt him to violate the word of God, he did not. In one instance, he denied the offer to sleep with his master’s wife by claiming, “…How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” (Genesis 39:9) Joseph’s reaction to his master’s wife provoked God’s mercy for Joseph. The Bible went further to state, “But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him mercy, and He gave him favor…” (Genesis 39:21).
Mercy is attainable when we love God
Demonstration of our love for God will always provoke the mercy of God.  The Bible makes us realize that loving God is keeping His commandments (John 14:15).
Using Joseph’s example above, we will notice that he kept God’s commandment by forbidding adultery when he fled away from sleeping with his master’s wife. Joseph loved God to obtain the mercy of God.
Mercy is attainable when we ask or plead for His mercy.
God testified that there is none like Job on the earth; a blameless and upright man who fears God and shuns evil (Job 1:9). The character of Job does not excuse him from a position of begging for God’s mercy when he stated, “For though I were righteous, I could not answer Him; I would beg mercy of my Judge” (Job 9:15). God’s testimony about Job could not qualify him for God’s mercy without pleading for God’s mercy.  Psalmist asked for God’s mercy saying, “Have mercy on me, O LORD! Consider my trouble from those who hate me, You who lift me up from the gates of death.” (Psalm 9:13). Mercy belongs to God to give His mercy as He pleases to.

Prayer for today: Ask God to enable you seeking Him for lining life in obtaining His mercy.

FAITH CAPSULE: God’s calling over one’s life is not negotiate-able for one’s preference type before God.

Psalm 105

God has a calling for all man with a different assignment.
God created all for His purpose, for His glory.
God’s word confirmed that our Lord God is worthy to receive glory and honor and power. He created all things to exist. (Revelations 4:11) Whatever God calls you for, or when He calls you for His purpose, to send you will mark you as a candidate for His blessing.
The calling of God does not come without challenges (challenges that are enough to cause the calling of man to crumble comes along with calling) Regardless of challenges, there is the promise of God to see one through in His calling. The word of God promised in 1Thessalonian 5:24, “He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.” What or when God calls for you and you invite doubt the agent of limitation is erecting a roadblock for your miracle. Deny doubt!
In the type of God’s calling over one’s life is not within one to decide or negotiate for one’s preference type of God’s calling to answer before God. God is the Creator of all and sees before or beyond all our journey in life. In all of God’s calling, there is a plan of God to set one up to arrive at the center of divine assignment if called one will focus on His faithfulness.
When God calls, there will be no prior arrangement; there be no announcement before calling; there be no baggage to hinder or slow one down. Above all, God’s calling will break one before the manifestation of God’s blessing.
In the calling of God, Joseph, in his journey of answering to God he was broken before the manifestation of God’s blessing over his life.
Joseph answered God’s calling over his life without knowing the journey of God’s calling ahead of his life.
At age 17, Joseph’s answering to Jacob (his father) was the route for the path to his center of divine assignment.
Jacob said, “…Please go and see if it is well with your brothers and well with the flocks and bring back word to me.” So, he sent him out of the Valley of Hebron, and he went to Shechem.” (Genesis 37:14) The answering to Jacob led Joseph into the journey of God’s divine assignment without preparation before entering of his God’s calling.
The book of Psalm 105:17-22 shed light on the truth that Joseph’s journey was his answer to God’s calling. Psalm 105:17-22, “He sent a man before them Joseph who was sold as a slave.” They hurt his feet with fetters, He was laid in irons. “Until the time that his word came to pass, the word of the Lord tested him. The king sent and released him, the ruler of the people let him go free. He made him lord of his house, and ruler of all his possessions, to bind his princes at his pleasure, and teach his elders wisdom.” Joseph at 17 years could not see his beloved father Jacob until 30 years of age. Joseph, from a priced slave, became prime minister.

Prayer for today: Ask God for God’s established hand upon your life to live life for His glory.

FAITH CAPSULE: Are you a seasonal believer decorated with the world?

2 Timothy 4

The gift of God for man is not seasonal but for all season. The gift of God for man is permanent meaning that His gift is irrevocable. Jesus’ introduced Himself to the woman of Samaria which does not know Him, “…If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.” (John 4:10) Jesus is the GIFT of God for all man. Romans 6:23 buttressed, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Jesus is the gift of God that is to be unwrapped, received by all man. All man that receive the Gift of God should be living life for God, seeking God diligently. One that receives and unwrapped the gift of God for self is one that seeks Him diligently.
How are you living life for God? Are you well rooted in God like and stand for God like a well-rooted tree with fruit which is ready to produce for God in all seasons?
God’s gift to all man is with God’s expectation for all man to receive and be in the position of giving back to God. Jesus the creator of the fig tree expected fruit, but the fig tree was with no fruit for its creator in all season. Bible recorded, “Now the next day, when they had come out from Bethany, He was hungry. And seeing from afar a fig tree having leaves, He went to see if perhaps He would find something on it. When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. In response, Jesus said to it, “Let no one eat fruit from you ever again…” (Mark 11:12-14)
The fig tree was decorated with leaves but could not declare fruit for its creator.
Are you a decorated believer like a fig tree with no fruits for God?
Seasonally available fruit before God like a fig tree is not acceptable for all man before God. Word of God warned against the seasonal believer as stated, “Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.” (2 Timothy 4:2) Before God, a seasonal believer is not complete living life for God. A seasonal believer is lack of knowledge, does not know God.
Are you a seasonal believer that is decorated with the world but not decorated by God’s
word? Do not deceive self but give self to God. Live life for God, seek Him diligently and fear God to obey Him according to His word.
Come out of religion with no Christ is embracing God’s gift in all season.

Prayer for today: Ask and seek God to give you one heart and one way, that you may fear in all the days He has given you.

FAITH CAPSULE: David’s fear for God qualified him to call and get support from God.

1 Samuel 17:25-49

The journey of everyday life will always encounter every representative of giants from every direction. Why not pray the prayer of David? David was in the direction of becoming what the Lord anointed him to be while the giant was also in place to deny him.   David refused to take on any form of weapon from the world to use against Goliath. David considered the weapons before him as burdensome.  As a result, David turned to heaven as his source for weapons to battle his giant. It is written, “Then David said to the Philistines, ‘You have come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with javelin. But I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defiled’” (1 Samuel 17:45) Today is privileged of God, in your going out from where you are, lift your voice to Almighty God.  Speak to the giant and let him know that you have come to deal with him in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel.
Confronting any agent of the wicked and destruction such as Goliath does not require you to go outside of the name of the living God. Call on His name in just the same manner as David did. In your calling, speak by declaring what you want to see to become of the confronting giant before you. After David had called on the name of God, he went further and declared the kind of day he had wanted for the giant (Goliath) by saying, “This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.” (1 Samuel 17:46) The same God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is alive and active today. He is still in the business of answering prayer if you will believe and commit all unto Him in prayer. Jehovah God will fight for your battle. Today gain an understand with the knowledge of God as One that will fight on your behalf.
Above all, David’s fear for God qualified him to call and get the supporting of God against his giant Goliath. Are you walking after the Lord God? Do you fear for God? If yes, you are set to experience His help continually. Deuteronomy 13:4 buttressed, “You shall walk after the Lord your God and fear Him and keep His commandments and obey His voice; you shall serve Him and hold fast to Him.” Be true to God’s word.

Prayer for today: As one with God’s fear, speak to giants before you as desired and so shall it be in Jesus name.

FAITH CAPSULE: With believe, ask, seek and knock persistently for God’s appointed time.

Matthew 7

Waiting on Godfrom the first month to twelfth month of the year to receive from God is not wasting time but believing on the word of God. Word of God might sound foolish to man but never fail to deliver those who believe in His word. (1 Corinthians 1:21) It is the word of God to ask, seek and knock.To be Asking, Seeking, Knocking for God’s answer is an evidence of having faith in God by looking up to Jesus.Hebrews 12:2described Jesus, “looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Jesus the author of our faith gave us the way of receiving from God by stating, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.” (Matthew 7:7-8)
Truly, waiting on God demands trusting and hoping by asking, seeking and knocking before we get the right answer. When there is no waiting on God man always rush away for God’s answer and turn to waste. King Saul could not wait as instructed and it was accounted to him as disobedient. To obey and wait is to trust and hope on God.
Waiting for God is giving attention to a jealous God. Psalmist admonished, “Indeed, let no one who waits on You be ashamed…” (Psalm 25:3)
A believer in God must understand to wait and endure period. Waiting can be a delay but never a waste of time.
God testified about David when Saul failed to wait on God. God spoke through Samuel for Saul’s disobedience, “But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be commander over His people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.” (1 Samuel 13:14) David knows the heart of God to understanding what it means as he consistently obeyed by waiting on God before making moves.
The bible recorded about prodigal son that could not know to wait for God’s timing, “A certain man had two sons. And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.’ So he divided to them his livelihood. And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living.” (Luke 15:11-13)
Younger son could not wait for God’s appointed time to receive portion of good that falls to him. Indirectly, the prodigal son made move outside of God’s timing for his life because he could not wait. With believe, ask, seek and knock persistently for God’s appointed time.

Prayer for today: Ask for God to enable your waiting on Him.