FAITH CAPSULE: Give thanks to God in the place of thinking thanks to God.

Psalm 150

This time of the year is the time of expressing appreciation to God!

Living life this long should not only be about what you expect from the gracious merciful God.  Expressing appreciation to God for the grace of life should be consistent. Psalm 150:6 said it all, “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!” By grace, the hand of the Lord has been keeping us from thus far. The hand of God upon us is not because of our merit but His mercy. Living life is not a right but a privilege bestowed upon us by God. In this time of the year, turn to God with heartful appreciation, stop from thinking thanks but be giving Him thanks with understanding. Word of God admonished praising Him with understanding. (Psalm 47:7) Are you consciously aware that God expects our appreciation? Lack of expressing appreciation to God is an evidence of foolishness. Foolishness is not only in verbal communication but can be in any other ways of communication as stated in Proverbs 14:1, “The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.”
With the year running out, is your appreciation to God enough? Do not be foolish, give thanks to God in the place of thinking thanks to God.
Are you mistaking your strength as the source of your present location in life? Do not deceive self, by thinking that your strength has kept you thus far.
Do not allow your location to become an agent of self, to deny your expectation from God.
Jesus is the One that converts our expectation to manifestation. Jesus has never been limited or delayed by any location or situation when is time for Him to visit your expectation with manifestation. Once in a desert, despite the late hour, where there was no food to feed a multitude, Jesus extended His hand of provision. Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. He will extend His hand in any location and situation that you have found yourself. Jesus multiplied five loaves and two fish to feed a multitude of about five thousand. Before the miracle of manifestation Jesus gave a command, “Make them sit down in groups of fifty.”  And they did so and made them all sit down.” (Luke 9:15)
As a believer how have you positioned yourself in your expectation for the visitation of His miracle? Jesus did not do anything to the loaves and fish until obedience was in place for His command. After He observed obedience, “Then He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the multitude. So, they all ate and were filled, and twelve baskets of the leftover fragments were taken up by them.” (Luke 9:16-17) In obedience to His command, expectation became manifested.
Are you having challenges to obey His commands?
Engagement to obeying God’s word is a way of manifestation of expectation. Jesus that did it yesterday is alive to do it for you in this season. In this season, express your appreciation to provoke your expectation.

Prayer for today: Give thanks to God with a shout to provoke God’s blessing on your life.

FAITH CAPSULE: Meditating enables focusing on God.

Joshua 1

One who diligently heeds the word of God will need to keep God’s word to gain the promise of God by meditating God’s word day and night.
Meditating on the word of God is not a casual engagement but demands intimacy with a conscious heart for God. Meditating is a non-stop day and night; it builds man to observing and obeying what God asks man to do. Deuteronomy 12:28 recorded what God says about observing and obeying, “Observe and obey all these words which I command you, that it may go well with you and your children after you forever, when you do what is good and right in the sight of the Lord your God.”
Meditation is not memorizing. Memorizing is like a decoration and it lacks the power to produce results. God required meditation because one can maintain a deep focus on one’s thoughts on the word of God, which in turn, produce results on a consistent basis. Believers that want to be built up must be consistent and unfailing in obeying the word of God. When man meditates is feeding on the word of God to engage the presence of God; and it is what makes obeying and doing what the word commands. Meditation creates the ability to deeply observe the word and will give you an eye to see clearly in the word. Clarity of seeing in the word will enable man to do according to what the word is saying.
Thrice in the Book of Joshua Chapter One, God emphasized the importance of meditation as the secret of success in the journey of life. Meditating the word of God should not be a one hour a day sacrifice, rather an all day and ongoing sacrifice. In meditating the word of God is the power to be preserved from enemy by overcoming plots of the wicked and the rebellion of the workers of iniquity. Psalm 64:1-2, “Hear my voice, O God, in my meditation; Preserve my life from fear of the enemy. Hide me from the secret plots of the wicked, from the rebellion of the workers of iniquity.”
Meditation is focusing on the word of God.
In your daily living, if focused on the word of God, failure becomes impossible. Focusing on God’s word is not exempted from possibility of challenges of life, but it is certain that overcoming challenge is certain for one focused on God’s word. Psalm 34:19 is encouraging when is focused on as stated, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the Lord delivers him out of them all.”  Truth about focusing describes: Focusing is the central point of attention, and when one focuses on any issue or object from any point, there is clarity and better understanding. For example, no one can take a good picture with a camera without focusing. When a man purposed in his heart to meditate by focusing on the word of God, surely God will not leave such man.

Prayer for today: God alone can enable man to live life meditating His word. Ask Him to enable you.

FAITH CAPSULE: Are you taking to God’s word of direction in the Bible into heart?   

1Samuel 15

Word of God which speaks to one speaks to all that will give heed to keep one living life for God’s glory. God spoke to the Israelites, “If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord who heals you.” (Exodus 15:26) Heeding to keep the word of God belongs to heart. Command in Deuteronomy 6:6 is repeated in many pages of the Bible stating, “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart.”
Heart is important for keeping man in right position for God’s glory and that is the reason why Proverbs 4:23 speaks to all man, “Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life.” One of the reasons to heed and keep the word in the heart is as key for direction.
Word of God is the key for direction: Guided direction is in the word of God that teaches in the way which leads to expected end of journey. Psalm 27:11 pointed out, “Teach me Your way, O Lord, and lead me in a smooth path, because of my enemies.” Psalm 32:8 testified instruction of direction, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye.” With deliverance of the Israelites from bondage of four hundred years in Egypt, God gave the word of direction to lead the Israelites to the Promised Land. Exodus 13:17-18 recorded the direction of the word of God, “Then it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, “Lest perhaps the people change their minds when they see war, and return to Egypt.” So God led the people around by way of the wilderness of the Red Sea. And the children of Israel went up in orderly ranks out of the land of Egypt.” Are you taking to God’s word of direction in the Bible into heart?  King Saul despised the word of God in his heart and was destroyed. How? God sent Samuel to tell Saul, “The Lord sent me to anoint you king over His people, over Israel. Now therefore, heed the voice of the words of the Lord.  Thus, says the Lord of hosts: ‘I will punish Amalek for what he did to Israel, how he ambushed him on the way when he came up from Egypt. Now go and attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them. But kill both man and woman, infant and nursing child, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’” (1Samuel 15:1-3) Saul did not heed the words of God as instructed in his heart; and as a result, God rejected him. (1 Samuel 15:10-35)

Prayer for today: Ask for a hearing ear to give self to God’s command.

FAITH CAPSULE: Word of God in the heart is the key for living life for God.

Deuteronomy 6

The word of God is the command of God. Evidently, the word of God is God. God also is One that magnified His word above all His name. (Psalm 138:2) Realistically, the place of the word of God should be situated in the heart of man. Pages in the Bible testified heart of man is the place for the word of God. Deuteronomy 6:6, “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart.” Deuteronomy 11:18, “Therefore you shall lay up these words of mine in your heart.” Job 22:22, “Receive, please, instruction from His mouth, and lay up His words in your heart.” Psalm 119:11, “Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You.” Proverbs 4:4, “He also taught me, and said to me: “Let your heart retain my words; Keep my commands, and live.” Ezekiel 3:10, “…Son of man, receive into your heart all My words that I speak to you, and hear with your ears.”
Is the word of God having a place in your heart?
Today, a man’s heart is full of the world with no place for the word of God which is able to teach, lead and keep man away from the wicked way of living life. Man’s heart that is not full of the word of God is not possible to be faith-full before God. Do you have a place in your heart for the word of God?
Jesus Christ, the living word of God is the Author and Finisher of man’s faith. He is knocking for the heart of man and man should open door of heart for Him to come and occupy man’s life.
Are you giving heed to the word that will keep you from getting lost? The book of Hebrew 2:1-3 buttressed, “Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away. For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward, how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him.”
The word of God which entered the heart of Moses took Israel out of bondage of over 400 years.
Guided direction is in the word of God as stated in Psalm 27:11 pointed out, “Teach me Your way, O Lord, and lead me in a smooth path, because of my enemies.”
When the word of God lives in your heart, prayer words become part of your life. Acts 6:4 buttressed, “…but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”
Allowing the entrance of the word of God into the heart will kickstart undeniable healing.
Word of God is the key for living life in joy: Jesus, the living word of God stated, John 15:11, “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.”

Prayer for today: Ask God to enable your heart opened for His word.

FAITH CAPSULE: Open your heart for the entrance of God’s word.

Revelation 3

The book of Proverbs admonished, “Hear my children, the instruction of a father, and give attention to know understanding.” (Proverbs 4:1) With the desire to live life for God, give yourself to the word of God as instruction. Hear the word of God with an attention which is the assurance to have the word of God-centered in the heart, not in the head of a man. Designation for the word of God is to enter the heart of man. Word of God must ENTER into man’s heart to carry the presence of God. Psalm 119:130 buttressed, “The entrance of Your words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple.” Labouriously engage God’s word to enter your ear by carrying you through this wicked world of darkness. With the word of God as light in your heart, falling down and not rise is not possible.
Are you willing to open the door of heart for God’s word to enter?
Many opens head not heart for God’s word. Receiving God’s word into head does nothing but to limit man from claiming the promises in the word of God. The evidence of many with God’s word situated in the head are conversant with lying, deception and manipulating their world. Evidently, the fear of God is not many’s identities. Today, think and desire to open the door of your heart to God. Revelation 3:20 stated, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.” Word of God does not tell lies. It is the right choice for you to give self to God’s word by opening your heart for the entrance of God’s word to your life. The word of God that enters your heart will certainly create or recreate your life for His glory. The word of God is powerful. It is the same word of God that was spoken to create Heaven and earth. The same word of God is the same word of God today and forever. The word of God does not fail and does not return to Him void.
How can God be our strength when we do not live life by His word? Get understanding and know that God is a saving master, not a slave master. It is man’s choice but not God’s force for a man to live life for God. He is our strength. Word testified in Exodus 15:2, “The Lord is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation; He is my God, and I will praise Him; My father’s God, and I will exalt Him.” 2 Samuel 22:33, “God is my strength and power, And He makes my way perfect.” Several pages prove it that His word is His strength. Open your heart for the entrance of God’s word.

Prayer for today: God deposits what man desires by asking God to deposit His word in your life.