FAITH CAPSULE: Do you desire to be a church-going believer, or a true believer of God?

Psalm 27

It is important with good choice for man to serve God. Responsibility to make right choice is set up in the heart. Let your desire be to serve God reasonably to experience the blessings of serving God reasonably. Desire is a strong inner feeling that compels one to attain what the heart sets up for.
As a believer, what do you desire?
Do you desire to be a church-going believer or a true believer of God?
What a man desires he seeks after. A man cannot seek after what he has not desired.
One that desires to live heaven on earth will seek after the Kingdom of God and His righteousness as Jesus declared in Matthew 6:33 that, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” What matters, and counts perfectly, in life, is to “…fear God by keeping His commandments, “for this is man’s all”. For God will bring every work into judgement, including every secret thing, whether good or evil.” (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14) To fear God and keep His commandments is to desire to seek God. 1 Samuel 12:24 advised about fearing God and serving Him wholeheartedly – “Only fear the Lord and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider what great things He has done for you.” Without any doubt, the desire for God should have a place in our life, wholeheartedly, and not only in the word of mouth. The truth is that when a man desires for God, absolutely God will deposit the grace to desire Him devotedly and to seek Him with all heart.
Do you sincerely desire to seek God?
Do you question yourself if you are serving God in truth with all your heart?
God has done so great and He is doing greater things that should provoke man’s desire for God wholeheartedly.
God only sees and moves by the acts rooted in our heart, and He once corrected Samuel concerning Jesse’s son, Eliab, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7). And before this incident, it was without doubt that, David’s heart was what God saw before Samuel declared, “…The Lord has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be commander over His people” (1 Samuel 13:14) God sought David and saw that his heart desires for Him.
King David knew what was best to desire of the Lord when he stated, “One thing I have desired of the LORD, that will I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in His temple.” (Psalm 27:4) From today, desire from the depth of heart to serve God and God will provoke enablement for man’s desire for Him.

Prayer for today: Ask God for His mercy for you to live life for serving Him diligently.

FAITH CAPSULE: It is possible to be on right track and remain trapped.

Romans 12

What is the reason to serve God?
Pay attention to know how to serve God not to know ABOUT serving God.
Man must be serving God as God’s creation which exists for God’s glory, honor and power. Revelation 4:11 clearly identified the reason why man must serve God, “You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created.” God, the creator expects nothing from man but to serve Him. Stepping out of serving God is not serving God. When Israelites stepped out of serving God, they received calling from God through Moses. It is recorded, “And the Lord spoke to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord: “Let My people go, that they may serve Me.” (Exodus 8:1) The only condition not to serve God is a man’s choice not to serve God. In life, making a choice not to serve God comes with consequence. Certainly, God is not a slave master but a saving master. God will not force man to serve Him, but man will live life to face the consequence of the choice not to serve God.
In life, challenging situation shall not be an acceptable excuse not to serve God. Pharaoh of Egypt’s attempt to deny Israelites from serving God experienced vengeance of God over Pharaoh and Egypt. With no doubt, it is crucial for man not to serve God for His glory, honor and power as His creation.
Just as it is important to know the reason to serve God, Man must also know how to serve God.
Many know ABOUT how to serve God. Unfortunately, to know ABOUT how to serve will missed serving God right. Knowing ABOUT serving God is different from knowing to serve God. Going and working in the church can possibly knowing ABOUT serving God. This can be compared to being on the right track and remain trapped. Claiming by knowing ABOUT serving God is what makes a destitute of a believer.
Knowing to serve God is recorded in His word, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.  And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.” (Romans 12:1-3)
Clearly, scriptural verses above identified REASONABLE service as what man need to know serving God. Knowing ABOUT serving God always centered on man’s determined way to serve God and ends wrongly. Serving God reasonably is sacrifice and every sacrifice is COSTLY.
Know the reason why to serve God. By God’s will man exist and created by God. Also, know to serve God reasonably as commanded through all His word. Come out of religion into Christ reality.

Prayer for today: Ask God to teach you and lead you.

FAITH CAPSULE: Until a man is built by God’s word it is not possible to answer for divine assignment in life.

Jeremiah 1

Honestly, search self to identify and know what is building you.
The word of God is power and communicates power. The communicating power in the word of God is ardent for transformation for those that can receive and believe in the word of God. The word of God cannot be compromised. Compromising the word is despising the word. Jesus said, “… I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.” (Matthew 16:18) As a temple of God, until you are built up by Him, you will not be able to contain what He purposed for your life to carry for His glory. Will you allow Him to build you up for His glory? Jesus made an emphatic statement that He will build His church, and nothing shall prevail against it. Do not prevent yourself from being built but invest yourself in the word that will build you. In Acts 20:32, Paul said “So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified” Jesus, the word of God is the One that builds and give life abundantly.
How can the word build you?
The word of God must be planted and grow in you. Psalm 119:11, Thy word have I treasured in my heart that I May not sin against thee” Before Jeremiah could become what the Lord wanted him to be, he was built up by the word of God that sounded in his direction. It is written concerning Jeremiah in the book of Jeremiah 1:5, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.” The same word that identified and called Jeremiah out informed him what he was before he was born. The word of God caused him to begin to see from where he could not see. The word of God prepared him and positioned him into the center of his divine assignment. The Bible documents the word which built him up into boldness: “Do not be afraid of their faces, for I am with you to deliver you,’ says the LORD.” (Jeremiah 1:8). The word guided Jeremiah and to be bold for God’s divine agenda for his life. Just like Jeremiah, Ezekiel also encountered the word. “And He said to me, ‘Son of man, stand on your feet, and I will speak to you.’  Then the Spirit entered me when He spoke to me and set me on my feet, and I heard Him who spoke to me.’” (Ezekiel 2:1-2) No man hears God indeed and doubts Him. Having doubt is the evidence for not been built by the word. Allow the word of God to build you.

Prayer for today: Ask God for His grace to enable His word to build you up for His glory.

FAITH CAPSULE: Hardness of heart will cause one not to be living by demands in the word of God.

Deuteronomy 28:1-14

The word of God came to be for man’s blessing. Jesus, the living word of God declared, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10) Indeed Jesus the living word of God brought healing and deliverance. Testimony of God’s word is deliverance. It is written, “He sent His word and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.” (Psalm 107:20)    Jesus, the living word of God is here to bless man and to stay with man always if man is living obediently to the word of God. With no doubt, the condition to possess the blessing of God’s word demands our obedience.
Hebrews 4:12 describes the word God as, “living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Word of God is promising and able to deliver without failure. However, the word of God will not deliver promise for disobedient ones.
Obedience is also a pass word to open door of blessing from God. Unceasing and steady in obeying God does not have a place for half obedience. Half obedient is seeking God when it pleases man. Obeying the word of God at all time is pleasing God which is the evidence of faith. Obeying God to please God is certain to deliver man from unnecessary, costly and painful situation in the walk of life.
In life there are many avenues that lead to disobeying the word of God. Among many reasons for disobedient is pointed out in the book of Nehemiah 9:17 where the word stated, “They refused to obey, and they were not mindful of Your wonders that You did among them. But they hardened their necks, and in their rebellion…” The word of Nehemiah 9:17 referred to the children of Israel but it also speaks to all man today. It points out that an act of disobedience is caused by not being mindful of God’s wonder which leads to hardness of heart. Hardness of heart will cause one not to be living by demands in the word of God. In the word there is a way, in the way there is the word. Jesus is the Word and He is the Way. Hardened heart lacks belief therefore faith cannot have its way. Hebrews 4:2 made it clear that when word is not mixed with faith, it becomes unprofitable. The word of God is the source of faith and when one does not believe in the word there would be lack of faith.
Are you a vessel with hardness of heart? It is possible to be a vessel of hardened heart unconsciously. Today search your heart to determine your stand in the word of God. Hardness of heart is an evidence of unbelief.

Prayer for today: Ask against the spirit of hardness of heart in the name of Jesus.

FAITH CAPSULE: Concerning your dream or vision, God will respond at his appointed time

Genesis 43

Mark it and know that when man does not terminate self’s vision or dream, no man shall be able to terminate one’s vision or dream orchestrated by God.
Joseph had a dream, “There we were, binding sheaves in the field. Then behold, my sheaf arose and also stood upright; and indeed your sheaves stood all around and bowed down to my sheaf.” (Genesis 37:7) Joseph’s dream does not settle well with his brothers because it was an indication that they were going to bow for him. When Joseph was sent his father (Jacob) to go and check the welfare of his brothers, his brothers turned against him by taking away his welfare.
As Joseph approached brothers, his brothers conversed against him stating, “Come therefore, let us now kill him and cast him into some pit; and we shall say, ‘Some wild beast has devoured him.’ We shall see what will become of his dreams!” (Genesis 37:20) Brothers of Joseph thought they had a good plan to terminate his dream. Conversation of Joseph’s brothers ridiculed the dream of Joseph stating, “We shall see what will become of his dreams!” Revealing one’s vision or dream which is to set open great door in one’s life shall experience mockery and attack from family and friends to derail vision or dream. With God, at His appointed time no vision or dream shall be denied but shall come to manifestation. Joseph’s dream was God’s agenda and his dream testified that no man can deny God’s agenda.
Brothers of Joseph sold him as prime slave wanting to deny his dream. At appointed time of God, prime slave Joseph became Prime Minister of Egypt. Joseph’s brother eventually bowed down according to his dream. When the brothers came to Joseph at his position as the prime minister of Egypt (one next to Pharaoh) brothers responded to his question about their father, “Your servant our father is in good health; he is still alive.” And they bowed their heads down and prostrated themselves.”” (Genesis 43:28)
Dream which got Joseph to Egypt became the avenue for the manifestation of his dream. Joseph’s brothers did not only bow but they prostrated before him. As a God focused one, every agent of your vision or dream crusher are going to fail and bow before you for the glory of God over your life. Joseph’s brothers bowed and prostrated according to his dream. Joseph’s brothers did not only see what God did for Joseph but they were dumbfounded, silent and ridiculously embarrassed by their wickedness. Man often forgets that God will always have the final say. God alone started the job of creating man and by that virtue, no man has the power to terminate if God did not terminate. In the race of life, let your enemies run or walk they will not catch up with you, but they will be weary and faint in Jesus name. Concerning your situation, God will respond at his appointed time, He will not be late neither will he be too early.

Prayer for today: Give thanks to God for His awesomeness.