FAITH CAPSULE: Acclaimed believers are not hearing God’s calling but busy giving self to personal calling.

Matthew 5

Personalizing the written word of God means you will relate with God to answer His calling. It is written, “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.” (Matthew 5:13) The word of God speaks individually to man. The word calls man to answer as salt and be seasoning world but not to live as a “no good one that is place under foot of wicked world.” Are you answering His call upon your life? Matthew 5:14-16 is written as a calling for man, “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” Word of God speaks personally to man that listens to hear. Word of God is calling man as light but not comparing man to light. Are you living as light not as darkness? Have you taken a position outside of God’s calling? Man, that is true to God’s word; living as believer of God should take a position in God’s created world as light. Acclaimed believer is to answer His calling without hiding but terminating darkness. As a believer of God’s word, are you personalizing the word of God to hear His calling upon your life for His glory?
Acclaimed believers are not hearing God’s calling but busy giving self to personal calling. Believers are pleasing self but not pleasing God according to God’s calling. World is not experiencing light while darkness is covering the world. When God calls, He is able to back you and see you through. Did He call you? It is time to answer His calling by rising up and shine for God’s calling. Isaiah 60:1-2 warned with encouragement to answer God’s calling as stated, “Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; But the Lord will arise over you, And His glory will be seen upon you.” Think of it, there is nothing to live for but to live for God. The challenges of living for God are huge and it can be exhausting and painful. However, it is always gainful in every answering for God’s calling. God is faithful and if He calls you He will back you up when you chose not to back out of His calling.

Prayer for today: Ask God to take over your days and moment that you will live life for His glory.

FAITH CAPSULE: When seeking God does not have a place in the heart of man the heart of man becomes dull.

Genesis 18, 19

It is important to seek God for deliverance with a heart that is active but not dull. A dull heart can possibly the cause of taking God’s word for joke. Jeremiah 10:21 pointed out a dull heart experienced situation, “For the shepherds have become dull-hearted, and have not sought the LORD; therefore they shall not prosper, and all their flocks shall be scattered.” When seeking God takes its place in the heart of man the heart of man should not be a dull heart. However, when seeking God does not have a place in the heart of man the heart of man becomes dull.
God spoke to Abraham, “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grave, I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry against it that has come to Me; and if not, I will know.” (Genesis 18:20-21) When God was set to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah because of sin He spoke to Abraham and Abraham took the word of God serious. Abraham demonstrated the evidence of active but not dull heart. By virtue of the fact that he took the word of God serious, he repeatedly interceded on behalf of Sodom and Gomorrah but there was nothing in place for God not to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. The purpose of God revealing His word to Abraham was for Lot to be delivered from destruction which was set for Sodom and Gomorrah.
The angels that were sent to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah approached Lot and said, “…Have you anyone else here? Son-in-law, your sons, your daughters, and whomever you have in the city—take them out of this place! For we will destroy this place, because the outcry against them has grown great before the face of the Lord, and the Lord has sent us to destroy it.” (Genesis 19:12-13) In life, how much one knows God (not knowing about Him) will also determine how serious one take to His word. Taking the word of God serious is not a heart of joke which is not active in response to God. Lot knew God enough not to take His word for a joke. Lot, not wanting his people to destruction, responded to the messengers of God, “So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who had married his daughters, and said, “Get up, get out of this place; for the Lord will destroy this city!” But to his sons-in-law he seemed to be joking.” (Genesis 19:14)
God is not a comedian. Every single word of God should not be taken for joke. A dull heart is not active to obey the word of God. There was no further indication that the sons-in-law followed Lot to the ground of escape from destruction. You can avoid destruction by taking to the word of God. The word of God is for deliverance and preservation from destruction.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace for a heart that is active in responding to God’s command.

FAITH CAPSULE: God invested so much love over man but man extends minute love to Him.

John 3

God loves man more than man knows about God’s love for man. God’s love is not partial because He is a perfect creator. What He says to one speaks to all. God spoke to the children of Israel, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.  And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you, says the Lord…” (Jeremiah 29:11-14) God wants peace for us; He wants a hopeful future for us; He wants our attention by communicating with us; He wants us to seek Him constantly. The love of God is evident as recorded in John 3:16-17, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.”
The point here is that God invested so much love over man but man extends minute love to Him. After many years of privilege life which the Lord God bestows on you, how much are you extending to Him?
It is written, “To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck what is planted.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1-2) It is wisdom to make this a season to upgrade in giving more of love for God. Give self to God by living life to give Him glory. Make this moment your season to change from material gain to walking in the ways of God. Deuteronomy 5:33 states, “You shall walk in all the ways which the Lord your God has commanded you, that you may live and that it may be well with you, and that you may prolong your days in the land which you shall possess.” Walking in all the ways of God’s command is seeking God first. Seeking God will no doubt fulfill every of your desire. Jesus buttress when He said, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.  Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” (Matthew 6:33-34) A better way to seek God is in praising Him to glorify Him and thanking Him to magnify Him. Make your moment to be a season of constant thanks giving.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace of living life for the glory of God.

FAITH CAPSULE: It is faith to be looking into God’s command.

Hebrews 11

To be complete in the journey of life is giving self to God’s command. Command of God is His word which is set to deliver and preserve man in life. Looking in God’s word is not to be a victim of shame for man that looks into His command. Psalm 119:6 buttressed, “Then I would not be ashamed, When I look into all Your commandments.” Looking into God’s command (word) is looking unto God for His hand. It is faith to be looking into God’s command. When command (word) of God sounds in man’s direction, man should know to obey, to dwell and wait on God’s command for manifestation at the appointed time.
All that faith described about faith is evidence in the life of Abraham.
It is written, “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.” The verse confirmed Abraham’s faithful before God because he was able to obey; he dwelt and he waited on God’s command.
Obedience: When God called Abraham out from his country; his family; his father’s house to an unknown land, he obeyed fully by launching out as commanded by God. Although, there was no idea of where he was going but it was ideal for him not to question God. Abraham gave no reasonable excuse to decline the calling upon his life. Abraham obeyed God by moving from certainty to uncertain ground and abandoned his comfort zone. Indeed, Abraham “went out” just as it was mentioned in the scriptural verse above.
Dwelling: Abraham dwelt on the word of God. Living life according to God’s command is same as dwelling in the secret place of God. He did not look back but went forward as commanded by God. God’s command moved him, faith led him to a foreign country and faith caused him to dwell in tents. The word (command) of God is story to those with no understand. For ones with understanding the word of God is a secret place to dwell. Abraham dwelt in it. It was lack of understanding for Lot’s wife not to dwell in God’s command when she looked back against God’s command. (Genesis 19)
Waiting: Abraham obeyed God, he dwelt and he waited. Those who know to dwell in God’s command should also know to wait through for manifestation. It is not enough to obey by dwelling in His command and not patiently wait for the manifestation of His command. For example, King Saul obeyed by dwelling in the command through Samuel for seven days but failed to wait for Samuel when he engaged unlawful sacrifice on the seventh day. (1 Samuel 13) Engage His command fully to excel for His glory.

Payer for today: Ask for the grace of God to fully give self for His command over your life.

FAITH CAPSULE: Look away from the wicked and not be envious of the wicked.

Psalm 73

Wickedness belongs to evil. Engaging wickedness is conversant among believers and non-believers. There is no minor or major way of engaging wickedness. With no exception, wickedness is wickedness before God. Ones in the business of evil doing by destroying other’s life and one that is lying, deceiving or manipulating others are same wicked ones before God. It is true that any man quoting the word of God from mouth but not carrying the word of God in the heart is not near but far from God. Man, that is far from God is set to be a wicked one. Jeremiah 12:1-2 buttressed, “Righteous are You, O Lord, when I plead with You; Yet let me talk with You about Your judgments. Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why are those happy who deal so treacherously? You have planted them, yes, they have taken root; They grow, yes, they bear fruit. You are near in their mouth But far from their mind.”
If the word describes you as wicked one, there is a need for you to withdraw from wicked doing by submitting to God. Today, desire for God to deposit in you with all that it takes to live life for the glory of God. In this wicked world, live life in the word of God and not take to the way of wicked. God is not asleep but watching and waiting for His appointed time for judgement of this wicked world.
The same God yesterday, today and tomorrow will not overlook the wickedness of today. God is not in rush of dealing with wicked ones but wicked ones are to rush out of wickedness into Christ life. Jesus will come in appointed time. He gave insight of His plan for the wicked ones as stated in Matthew 13:30: “Let both grow together until the harvest and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.’” Where do you stand? Are you a representative of wheat or a representative of tare? At every time of rainfall and when all contributes to growth, both wheat and tares are in position of privilege of growing. Oftentimes, there is no clear distinction identifying tares from wheat. Also, it cannot and it should never be a surprise to see tares growing better than wheat. However, you should wake from your sleep to live for God because the harvest time is coming. Separating and packing up wicked for fire of God will come regardless of how long or how soon it takes to come. All that will make the difference is for you to be faithful in doing the will of the Father just like Jesus said, “Not every man who says to Me, Lord, Lord shall enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.” (Matthew 7:21) Will you be willing to step out only unto God? Have you thought about your stand lately?

Prayer for today: Ask God in His faithfulness to deliver you from every track of wickedness.