FAITH CAPSULE: Praying to God is evident of faith. With faith God is pleased with man.

John 3

The word of God is true and, “All the scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” (2 Timothy 3:16)
It is profitable to know and engage the truth in the word that prayer opens heaven. The combination of asking, seeking, and knocking will bring about open heaven. Jesus was teaching when He stated, in Matthew 7:7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” Jesus was teaching from experience, and from what He knows will undoubtedly happen.
Jesus, by example proved that the key for opening heaven is in prayer. Jesus went to where John was baptizing people so that He may be baptized also. The Bible recorded “When all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized; and while He prayed, the heaven was opened.” (John 3:21) Among all that were baptized before Jesus, none was recorded to have prayed. Jesus prayed, and heaven was opened. In your prayer is there any conscious expectation for manifestation? When prayer opens heaven there is no force on earth that will be able to stop or deny heaven’s response package. After Jesus’ prayer, “…the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, “You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.” (Luke 3:22) Praying to God is coming to God; believing God and seeking God diligently. Praying to God is evident of faith. With faith God is pleased with man. (Hebrew 11:6)
When Jesus prayed, it was declared that God was pleased, and heaven opened over Jesus. Right after the open heaven’s manifestation, Jesus went straight into the center of His assignment on earth. Luke 3:23 pointed out, “…Jesus Himself began His ministry…” By this word, if you have prayed, and there is no experience of an open heaven on your behalf, it is time to take prayer to another level. Are you experiencing a shut-up heaven or open heaven? Your open heaven will grant your access into the center of your divine assignment if prayer will become your constant engagement. Jesus proved to us that prayer opens heaven, and the Bible enables us to know that adversaries’ forces against open heaven. Apostle Paul testified, “For a great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.” (1 Corinthians 16:9) Regardless of adversaries’ activity, it is important to know that effective, fervent prayer will deny any adversary of hindrance to great and effective open heaven.

Prayer for today: Ask God that all adversaries at door of open heaven shall be a failure.

FAITH CAPSULE: Give well-meaning thanks and praise to God, not thinking thanks and praise.

Psalm 92

Thanking and praising God is not a thinking engagement. You do not think thanks you give thanks to God in every moment engagement. Giving thanks and praising God cannot be separated both goes together as stated in Psalm 92:1, “It is good to give thanks to the LORD, and to sing praises to Your name…” Are you thinking thanks instead of giving thanks?
With understanding, giving thanks to God is the key for all things to work together for good. Give well-meaning thanks and praise to God, not thinking thanks and praise. Psalmist buttressed thanks and praise to be with understanding as stated, “For God is the king of all the earth; sing praises with understanding.” (Psalm 47:7) Certainly, when understanding backs up conviction, it delivers an undeniable miracle. Know it that when thanking and praising God is without understanding, it becomes empty emotion. Thanking and praising God is always an act of declaring His goodness. The Psalmist buttressed, “It is good to give thanks to the LORD, and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High. To declare Your loving kindness in the morning, And Your faithfulness every night.” (Psalm 92:2)
Giving thanks and praising God is not limited to any man’s guideline. Psalm 92:3 identified way of giving thanks as stated, “On an instrument of ten strings, On the lute, And on the harp, With harmonious sound.” King David also demonstrated giving thanks and praise by leaping and whirling before the Lord. (2 Samuel 6:16) Thanking and praising God can be like King David’s dance before God.
It is never too much to be giving God a ceaseless thanks and praise. The Psalmist declared why we should thank and praise God by stating, “For You, LORD, have made me glad through Your work; I will triumph in the works of Your hands. O LORD, how great are Your works! Your thoughts are very deep.” (Psalm 92:4-5) God is worthy of thanks and praise worship to declare His work. Giving thanks and praise is also the evidence of giving God attention which is due for Him. Evidently, volumes and pages of book will never be enough to identify goodness of God. Truly, giving thanks and praise will gain God’s attention because God inhabits the praises of His people. Give thanks and praise to God for all things He has done; for all things He is doing and for all things one expects from Him.
Are you expecting God to move concerning your confronting situation? Regardless of the magnitude of your situation, believe and give thanks to God before manifestation of your expectation. Jesus believed that God was going to bring Lazarus back to life from death. Jesus did not wait for Lazarus to rise before He thanked God for Lazarus’ rising from dead. It is written, “Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, ‘Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.  And I know that You always hear Me’” (John 11:41-42) Your Lazarus will rise.

Prayer for today: Ask God for His grace to always enable your thanks and praise giving before Him.

FAITH CAPSULE: Disconnect self from other god, stay focus on God.

Numbers 25

When God is not the center of man’s life, self or other god shall become the center of man’s life. What kind of god have you joined self to worship as god? Today, be vigilant not to join any other god but focus on One and only God the creation of all. Joining any other god besides the One and true God of gods is renouncing the Almighty God who is above every other god. Without doubt, joining any other god is an evidence of despising God to join a god that does not have life.
During the journey of Israelites to Promised Land, their stop over at Acacia Grove was the time they joined another god. It is written, “Now Israel remained in Acacia Grove, and the people began to commit harlotry with the women of Moab. They invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods.  So Israel was joined to Baal of Peor, and the anger of the Lord was aroused against Israel. (Numbers 25:1-3) The children of Israel joined themselves to Baal of Peor. Israelites assigned themselves to another god; the commandment of God was no longer relevant to them; they began to go after a god that they could touch rather than to remain committed to the God with deliverance touch. Baal of Peor was the god worshiped in Moab and that made the children of Israel committed to harlotry, sacrificing other gods and bowing down to gods outside of the God with outstretch hand for their deliverance. What or who have you joined yourself to? Consciously or unconsciously, have you entered a life that is gradually taking you outside of the way of the One and only true God?
Israelites’ joined to another god was a demonstration of departing God their delivering God. Israelites departed from God provoked God against Israelites. It is written, “Then the LORD said to Moses, “Take all the leaders of the people and hang the offenders before the LORD, out in the sun that the fierce anger of the LORD may turn away from Israel.” (Numbers 25:4) It is true that every time we step outside of His word of command and return to Him for forgiveness, there is always forgiveness, but consequence is certain. Truly, it is not worthy to come out of God’s word into world’s word. Joining to another god is jumping into pain because consequences will always come with long lasting pain. Consequence is the reason to remain constant and consistence to be walking in God’s word. Do not join to other god outside of the living God of creation.
Israelites joining to Baal of Peor was a serious sin with painful consequence which took many lives. The Bible recorded, “And those who died in the plague were twenty-four thousand.” (Numbers 25:9) Israelites testified that joining another god is a devastating act of sin which God does not tolerate. Disconnect self from other god, stay focus on God.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace to remain focus and not join any other god.

FAITH CAPSULE: whatever a man sees is going to have a direct effect on man’s thinking and what man says.

Exodus 14

Miracle brought the Israelites out of the bondage of over four hundred years, but they could not see positive in the word of God to see them through to Promised Land. At a point, in journey of The Israelites Pharaoh approached the Israelites with agenda to return them back to where the Lord God delivered them from. It is written, “And when Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians marched after them. So they were very afraid, and the children of Israel cried out to the Lord.” (Exodus 14:10) The Israelites could not see positive in the word of God’s promise which delivered them by God, through Moses. Disability not to see in God’s promise made the Israelites to see the Egyptians catching up behind them. Without doubt, whatever a man sees is going to have a direct effect on man’s thinking and what man says.
What are you seeing in your challenge? The Israelites saw fear and spoke negative. The Bible recorded their response, “Then they said to Moses, “Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you so dealt with us, to bring us up out of Egypt? ¹² Is this not the word that we told you in Egypt, saying, ‘Let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness.” (Exodus 14:11-12) The Israelites saw it wrongly and said it wrong as a result they ended wrong. After having been brought this far in life; after having witnessed the grace of God in many areas of your life, why is it so difficult to see that God alone is in control? Have you taken your eyes away from what God said and what He is saying to you through the pages of the Bible?
Mark it down, whatever a man beholds will eventually hold man down in the journey of life. Moses knew exactly the cause for the negative confession of the Israelites and he responded stating, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.” (Exodus 14:13) When there is no clarity of sight it is certain that misjudgment will take place, confusion will bring forth complaint and rebellion will gain ground. Just as Moses lived through his journey meditating day and night, you also should meditate on the word of God day and night. Meditating will cause you to know that God is with you; He will not leave you nor forsake you. (Joshua 1:5-6) With meditation there will be clarity of sight. See in your new season that God shall favor you.

Prayer for today: Ask God to teach and lead you in the coming days.

FAITH CAPSULE: Dwelling at the same ground is possible to be an evidence of not seeing in the promises of God.

Deuteronomy 1

This season see in God’s promises to possess. Promises of God through the pages of the bible are well laid for man while His children languish and not able to see and possess promises of God. Seeing in the promise of God is to receive and possess His promise. God promised the Israelites to possess land that flows with milk and honey (Promised Land). In their journey from the bondage of over four hundred years they made the choice to dwell too long at Horeb instead of moving forward to God’s Promised Land. To be dwelling too long, away from the promise of God for a man’s life is abiding outside of the promise of God. Does that sound like you?
Dwelling wrongly is taking step out of God’s word. God responded to the Israelites wrong dwelling, He sent Moses to the Israelites stating, “The Lord our God said to us at Horeb, “You have stayed long enough at this mountain.  Break camp and advance into the hill country of the Amorites; go to all the neighboring peoples in the Arabah, in the mountains, in the western foothills, in the Negev and along the coast, to the land of the Canaanites and to Lebanon, as far as the great river, the Euphrates. See, I have given you this land. Go in and take possession of the land…” (Deuteronomy 1:6-8) Dwelling wrongly of the Israelites was the evidence of not seeing in the word of God.
Seeing in the word of God will work against doubt. However, not seeing in the word of God will accommodate doubt for man to miss out of God’s promise. Israelites could not see in the word of God, but doubt set up a place in their journey to over stay at Horeb. The Israelites should not have had any reason for doubt but to move forward and possess God’s promise. The Israelites proved shortsightedness by not moving forward but rather went forward with a spying mission. Moses testified, “Then all of you came to me and said, “Let us send men ahead to spy out the land for us and bring back a report about the route we are to take and the towns we will come to.” (Deuteronomy 1:22) The Israelites wanted to possess the Promised Land by seeing the world around them instead of seeing and engaging the word of God. Israelites demonstrated wanting to make sure God knows what He was talking about when He asked them to move forward. Evidently, the Israelites could not see as commanded by God. Ability to see in what God says is a direct effect to possess God’s promise. Month after months you continue to dwell at the same ground. Could it be you are not able to see in the promises of God to bring you out of stagnation? It is time to ask for clarity of sight that you may see in God’s word and be able to move and possess His promise for you.

Prayer for today: Ask God that the new month shall be your month of clarity of sight to see in His word.