FAITH CAPSULE: Abraham engaged sacrifice with responsible steadfastness all his journey in life.

Genesis 22

Claiming God’s promise demands responsibility that is rooted in steadfastness. Without doubt, sacrifice before God is to be responsibly steadfast. Sacrifice is to surrender something of value as a means of gaining something more desirable. Sacrifice can be inconvenient when giving self to God’s promise which is certain to perform perfection. Sacrifice before God is to claim in the promise of God.
God promised Abraham in Genesis 12:2-3, “I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” Behind the promise of God for Abraham, the sacrificial condition was enormous and painful to engage when God commanded him, “Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house.” (Genesis 12:1) Often, believers claim Abraham’s blessing, but many believers are unable to engage Abraham’s kind of sacrifice to claim or receive Abraham’s kind of blessings. Abraham continued in the journey to God’s blessing for his life because he engaged sacrifice with responsible steadfastness. Abraham’s journey started when he was commanded by God through all his life. Abraham was sacrificially steadfast.
Moses, as a vessel of God, spoke the promise of God to the Israelites, “Therefore you shall keep every commandment which I command you today, that you may be strong, and go in and possess the land which you cross over to possess.” (Deuteronomy 11:8) God promised but the Israelites could not possess because they could not invest a required responsible steadfastness as their sacrifice. If they had kept the commandments of God, it would have given them the strength needed to possess their possessions.
David stated God’s message to Solomon, “Now He said to me, ‘It is your son Solomon who shall build My house and My courts; for I have chosen him to be My son, and I will be his Father. Moreover, I will establish his kingdom forever, if he is steadfast to observe My commandments and My judgments, as it is this day.” (1Chronicles 28:6-7) This is a beautiful and blessed promise of God but for Solomon to receive this promise from God, He had to continually be steadfast in following God’s commands. Any sacrificial engagement that lacks steadfastness will cut short the blessing promised by God.
In life, there is no possession without sacrifice. In other words, behind every gained possession, there is a reasonable sacrifice to be given. Sacrifice might happen in different ways, but it is necessary to receive your rightful possession. Sacrifice before God can be painful but with responsible steadfastness it is certain to be gainful. Sacrifice is certain to be costly and can be in different forms. Obeying God’s word is a sacrifice because it takes man out of self/world’s plan and places man into Gods plans.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace to be responsible steadfastly in sacrificing before God.

FAITH CAPSULE: Joshua and Caleb wholly followed God and God identified different spirit in them.

Numbers 13

Stubborn ones are rebellious just like the children of Isreal which came out of bondage of over four hundred years in Egypt. Psalm 78:8 identified generations of Israelites that came out of bondage into journey through wilderness to God’s Promised Land as stated, “…A stubborn and rebellious generation, A generation that did not set its heart aright, and whose spirit was not faithful to God.” Just like the Israelites in journey, today, one whose heart is not set aright and whose spirit is not faithful to God is not steadfast to follow God fully. Does that sound like you? Search your heart not to become one with heart that does not set aright for God. A steadfast spirit is a different spirit which follows God fully. God acknowledge different spirit in Joshua and Caleb by their positive confession after spying Canaan as directed by Moses.
Bible recorded, “Then Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said to them, “Go up this way into the South, and go up to the mountains, and see what the land is like: whether the people who dwell in it are strong or weak, few or many;  whether the land they dwell in is good or bad; whether the cities they inhabit are like camps or strongholds; whether the land is rich or poor; and whether there are forests there or not. Be of good courage. And bring some of the fruit of the land.” Now the time was the season of the first ripe grapes.” (Numbers 13:17-20) Before Moses and the Israelites, the spies returned with report of negative confession over God’s positive promise that was observed by the spies. Observing negative in the place of positive is the lack of steadfast spirit and not having a different spirit that is set aright with faithful spirit before God.
A steadfast spirit is what caused Caleb and Joshua to wholly follow God. Caleb and Joshua refused to flow with the crowd which confessed negative against the word of God that promised them a land with milk and honey.
At the report of spying of Canaan, only Joshua and Caleb confessed positive in the face of Moses and all the people. God responded to Joshua and Caleb’s positive confession, “My servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit in him and has followed Me fully, I will bring into the land where he went, and his descendants shall inherit it.” (Numbers 14:24) Joshua and Caleb were steadfast before God; they wholly followed God and God identified different spirit in Joshua and Caleb.
Any following that is short of following God wholly will not get to the Promised Land.
Whatever man cannot forsake for the sake of the Kingdom of heaven is what will cause heaven to forsake man from becoming a qualified candidate for God as steadfast one with different spirit.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace to wholly follow God in all His commanding word.

FAITH CAPSULE: Be responsible according to the word of God to make failure imposible in life journey.

Joshua 1

God expects man’s responsibility accoding to His word. God is not a slave master but a saving master which will not force man to be responsible. However, a failure to be responsible will activate consequence for irresponsible in the word of God. So much to gain by living responsible according to the word 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, made himself to be responsible 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) Daniel was mindful of God; he knew God; thus, he responsibly purposed his heart for God.
Daniel was responsible to God as evidenced by his prayer custom before God. Even as a captive, he became elevated as one of the governors in the land, yet, he became a target for death in the den of lion. It is written, “Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days.” (Daniel 6:10) Daniel’s offence for death sentence was his prayer and making supplication before his God which had been his custom since his early days. This custom was his responsibility before God that made him great to the glory of God. Daniel knew God in his days; and was responsible before God.+
If man will give self to meditating word of God, it will provoke the blessings of responsibility. Our Lord knows the importance of giving self responsibly to meditating His word. After the death of Moses, God emphasized the importance of meditating His word to Joshua stating, “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) God is true to deliver as it is written in His word. The importance of meditating God’s words is emphasized greatly in the Bible, “Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all.” (1 Timothy 4:15) “I will meditate on Your precepts and contemplate Your ways.” (Psalm 119:15) Continual meditation on the word of God as a responsibility will make failure impossible in the life of man.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace to live a life of responsibility according to God’s word.

FAITH CAPSULE: Action rooted in faith is not ignored by God but is see-able as faith.

Joshua 2, Jeremiah 39:11-18

Giving self to God’s agenda with fear of God and trusting God will provoke God’s blessing. When Joshua sent spies to scout out the city of Jericho, it was Rahab a citizen of Jericho that saved the Israelites spies from the hand of King of Jericho. Rahab, having delivered the Israelites spies state, “I know that the Lord has given you the land, that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land are fainthearted because of you.” (Joshua 2:9) Rahab’s testimony of her fear of God prompted her action for deliverance’s agenda for the Israelites. Joshua praised Rahab for her action; Old and New Testaments honored Rahab’s action; Rahab became part of God’s people and became the line of ancestry to Jesus. Evidently, Rahab’s action gained attention of God for her blessing. Bible testified that God is God of knowledge by Him actions are weighed. (1 Samuel 2:3)
Action of Rahab was a demonstration of faith. Jesus identified action as faith which healed a paralytic. Matthew 9:1-2 recorded paralytic action, “So He got into a boat, crossed over, and came to His own city. Then behold, they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you.” Action rooted in faith is not ignored by God but is see-able as faith.
Rahab had the fear for God and could not be silent by her action. Rahab’s action was a noisy-silent action which provoked God’s blessing for Rahab. Among believers today, there is more noise about trusting God but no action to back up noise makings before God. Truly, it is action with faith that speaks loudly to gain God’s response. Are you a noisy believer with action that does not carry weight before God? Does your noise count before God? Believers with noise are pleasing self but not making Rahab-noise to please God. One pleasing self by not pleasing God is too quiet to be victorious.
With fear of God trust in God must have place in one’s heart. Ebed-Melech the Ethopian, one of the eunuchs trusted God to deliver Jeremiah the prophet of God from dungeon of death. He demonstrated his trust in God to act before God. Just as God does not overlook sin, so He always respond to good acts of man. Ebed-Melech was greatly rewarded when God sent Jeremiah to Ebed-Melech as stated, “‘But I will deliver you in the day’, says the LORD, ‘And you shall not be given into the hand of the men of whom you are afraid. For I will surely deliver you, and you shall not fall by the sword; but your life shall be as a prize to you, because you have put your trust in Me,’ says the LORD.” (Jeremiah 39:17-18) To fear God is to trust God and not to become silent doing for God.

Prayer for today: Ask God to endue you with fear and trust to live life for God’s Glory.

FAITH CAPSULE: To know God but not knowing about God is persistent waiting on God.

Luke18:1-8, 2 Samuel 22

To know God but not knowing about God is what it takes to be persistent in waiting on God for His intervention. To be persistent waiting on God is to know and not lose heart. In the Parable of The Persistent Widow Jesus spoke a parable that men always ought to pray and not lose heart. (Luke18:1-8) Waiting on God is not a sign of weakness but a wealthy way to receive from God.
Bible repeatedly emphasize the need to wait. Psalm 37:7 stated, “Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.” Psalm 40:1 testified, “I waited patiently for the Lord; And He inclined to me and heard my cry.” Book of James identified the importance of waiting patiently, “Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain.” (James 5:7)
Waiting on God patiently does not force God’s hand to go by man’s timing but by His appointed time. However, it is certain to get answer when man calls by waiting on God. Isaiah 64:4 encouraged stating, “For since the beginning of the world Men have not heard nor perceived by the ear, nor has the eye seen any God besides You, who acts for the one who waits for Him.” By Isaiah 64:4, it is certain that God will act for one that waits on Him. In your waiting, call on Him in the day or in the night He is never too busy to ignore your calling, but you ignore waiting outside of God.
Praising God is a certain way to wait on God that is worthy of our praise. David a man after God’s own heart repeatedly demonstrated waiting on God by praising God. David declared, “I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised; so shall I be saved from my enemies.” (2 Samuel 22:4) David also demonstrated waiting on God by not pleasing God with words of entertainment. David gained entrance to the gate for God’s presence through thanksgiving, with his praise he gained presence of God in His court. Psalm 100:4 recorded, “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him and bless His name.” Thanksgiving will get you to the gate and praise will get you into His court.
Also, waiting is calling on God’s name. The book of Proverbs pointed out, “The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.” (Proverbs 18:10) Today, run to go and wait in His name which is strong tower that does not fail.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace of God to know and be waiting patiently and not be a victim of wicked world.