FAITH CAPSULE: Just a word of God that enters heart is enough to terminate struggle in one’s life.

Ezekiel 3

God spoke to Ezekiel, “Son of man, receive into your heart all My words that I speak to you, and hear with your ears” (Ezekiel 3:10). Every time we hear the Word of God, our heart ought to work in tandem with our ears to receive the living Word of God. Hearing sound from within an earshot or from a distance may not be the same as listening with the ear and, ultimately, receiving into the heart.
Before God spoke to Ezekiel, He caught his attention by opening the heavens for him to see visions of God (Ezekiel 1:1). It was the visions which Ezekiel saw that enabled him to focus his ears to not just hear but listen wholeheartedly. A similar example was that of Moses when God wanted to speak to him, and he was “busy” taking care of the flock. “Busy” is a common feature of our every-day lives that makes listening and receiving God’s word practically impossible. Moses’ attention was attracted to God’s calling when he saw the bush burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed. (Exodus 3:2)
The word or information that passes from one individual to the other is not the same as the word that enters and finds a place in the heart. On every occasion the Word of God enters our ears, it ought to produce like a seed that was planted on the good ground and produced fruits in multi-folds. Any word that is claimed to enter and not produce result should be deemed suspicious since the word did not enter only to arouse emotions.
The evidence of hearing with the ear and received into heart was glaring in the assignment of Ezekiel as documented on the pages of the Bible. Ezekiel testified that when the Lord spoke to him, he heard “a thunderous voice”. Hearing “a thunderous voice” was an indication of hearing with the ear and receiving into the heart. Testimony of Ezekiel is the evidence that when any man hears from God there will be no denial for hearing from God. Ezekiel testified, “…I heard behind me a great thunderous voice: “Blessed is the glory of the LORD from His place!” I also heard the noise of the wings of the living creatures that touched one another, and the noise of the wheels beside them, and a great thunderous noise.  So the Spirit lifted me up and took me away, and I went in bitterness, in the heat of my spirit; but the hand of the LORD was strong upon me. Then I came to the captives at Tel Abib, who dwelt by the River Chebar; and I sat where they sat, and remained there astonished among them seven days” (Ezekiel 3:12-15). In this testimony, Ezekiel was changed, and his life was not the same after he heard from God. The word that came to him lifted him up and took him away to the center of God’s assignment where he was relocated for God’s glory.

Prayer for today: Ask for the Word of God to carry you and set you for His glory.

FAITH CAPSULE: Our walk is our seed which we sow for God to reward us.

Genesis 27

In your new beginning, allow the newness of God’s grace to reign in your life.
In the past year, whatever it was that did not represent God; that did not glorify God, disallow it from having a place in your life as you engage the journey of a new beginning.
Take note that what a man sows will become what he reaps. God is a perfect Manager that perfects in managing every of His creation. You will reap from what you sow!
In life, it is impossible to sow the seed of deception and expect to reap the fruit of perfection.
Any man who sows the seed of lie will reap the fruit of deception. It is worthy to live life as one who knows God because anything short of that is living a life of a lie.
It is important to know that, God invests so much in us while we extend so little to Him. Working and not walking will not get us to where God wants us to be. Our walk is our seed which we sow for God to reward us.
What is the best way for us to keep walking in line before God?
Leviticus 18:4 stated, “You shall observe My judgment and keep my ordinances, to walk in them. I am the Lord your God” It is certain that to observe is to comprehend the word which will make walking in His word possible in the journey of life. Meditate continual on the word of God which is the way to observe and do according to God’s word.
WHAT YOU SOW YOU WILL REAP.
The son of Isaac (Esau) disobeyed his father by his violation of God’s command which stated, “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God is giving you. (Exodus 20:12).
Bible recorded Esau’s violation: “When Esau was forty years old, he took as wives Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite. And they were a grief of mind to Isaac and Rebekah.” (Genesis 26:34-35) Esau knew well enough not to marry outside of his father’s prescribed area; yet, he went and married without Isaac’s blessings. Esau’s act of disobedience activated grief of mind to his parents. Despite Esau’s act of disobedience his father (Isaac) called on him saying to him, “Now, therefore, please take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt game for me. And make me savory food, such as I love, and bring it to me that I may eat, that my soul may bless you before I die.” (Genesis 27:3-4) Isaac spoke to Esau with an assignment which was supposed to bless Esau. The disobedience of Esau denied him to receive the blessings of his father when Rebekah (mother of Esau and Jacob) re-assigned Esau’s blessing assignment to Jacob. It is certain that nothing can change what to reap right where doing wrong has been sowed.

Prayer for today: Ask to live a life of obedience to the glory of God.

FAITH CAPSULE: Maintain self with God by allowing His word to build you up.

Jude

Maintaining self with God demands seeking God diligently.
Maintaining self with God is encased in knowing God. Knowing God is not the same as knowing about God. The majority, particularly acclaimed believer of God, ones that live life in the building in the name of the church only knows about God but not know God. Many are conversant in quoting the bible but yet far from God that is near to all man. The majority only know about God but not know God.
Without a doubt, it is not possible to love God by any man that does not know God.
How can a man know God, to love God?
To know God starts by listening to His word. In listening to God’s word understanding what and who God is will cause a man to be maintaining self with God. The word of Jesus testified the importance of listening to gain an understanding of knowing God. Jesus spoke: “Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word.” (John 8:43)
The speech of Jesus is the word of Jesus. To know Him and love Him is listening to His word and gain an understanding of God.
Under heaven, no man was born with understanding and knowledge of God’s word to maintain self with God is written in the bible. The bible buttressed: “For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.” (Romans 15:4)
Here are some of the bible verses written to know what it takes to be maintaining self with God:
Acts 6:4, “but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”
Acts 20:32, “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.”
Jude 20-21, “But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.”
When there is listening to the scriptural verses above it will be identified what it takes to be maintaining self with God by seeking God diligently:
You should continually but not casually give self to the word of God.
Maintain self with God by allowing His word to build you up.
Be prayerful in the word of God.
Allow the word of God to be entering you to fill you and be faithful.
Are you an acclaimed believer of God that is claiming to be maintaining life with God but yet remains at the same spot, with no upgrade which is the sign of growth since claiming to be a believer? Are you?
If the question speaks to you, it is time to be upgraded in your marinating self with God.
Give self to God’s word continually.

Prayer for today: Ask for God’s mercy to draw you close to Him.

FAITH CAPSULE: Be truthful with no deception, come out of sin to Seek God diligently.

Romans 3

A decorated name for sin is PRIDE. Pride answers as a personal ride for self-destruction.  The desire to live life for the glory of God is seeking God diligently. One that follows His word does not despise His word but will take a position to see God. Despising God’s word will set one for self-destruction. (Proverbs 13:13) In life, despising God’s word will plunge man into sin. With sin, man is not seeking God and will not see God. It is not possible to be claiming seeking God diligently while telling lies, deceiving and manipulating others.
God despises lies, deception, and manipulation which man embraces.
Telling lies, deceiving and manipulating man is a sin before God. Before God, there is no reasonable excuse for a man with lies, deception, and manipulation claiming for God before man.
There is nothing that is hidden from God because He hears and sees all. Sin is a sin before God; sin can last for a thousand year, but a day is enough for God to expose a thousand years in a day.
Are you conversant with lies, deception, and manipulation? You are a man that is claiming the hand of God in your doing, in the name of the miracle of God but God will not overlook His judgment at His appointed time. Seek God diligently, come out of sin abhor iniquity. With your sin and claiming His name, word of God speaks to you: “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’” (Matthew 7:21-23)
Sin is not seeking God but getting exposed to the devil. There is no way a man can give acceptable glory to God with lies hidden as truth which is not of God. Word of Paul speaks about sin as deception of truth: “For if the truth of God has increased through my lie to His glory, why am I also still judged as a sinner? 8 And why not say, “Let us do evil that good may come”? —as we are slanderously reported and as some affirm that we say. Their condemnation is just.” (Romans 3:7-8) Be truthful with no deception, come out of sin to Seek God diligently.
Do you know any of your sins that can be a stumbling force from seeking God to see God? If there is any, repent for your redemption before God.

Prayer for today: Ask God for forgiveness of conscious sin or unconscious sin in your life.

FAITH CAPSULE: In your journey, commit yourself to no man but commit to God.

Genesis 37

Engaging the calling upon your life, the journey of life, commit yourself to no man but commit to God. In Jesus’ word is wisdom not to commit unto man, as stated, “But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men.” (John 2:24)
In the type of God’s calling over one’s life is not within one to decide or negotiate for one’s preference type of God’s calling to answer before God. God is the Creator of all and sees before or beyond all of our journey in life. In all of God’s calling, there is a plan of God to set one up to arrive at the center of divine assignment if called one will focus on His faithfulness.
When God calls, there will be no prior arrangement; there be no announcement before calling; there be no baggage to hinder or slow one down. Above all, God’s calling will break one before the manifestation of God’s blessing.
Your journey today is possible to be a journey that is leading you into the calling of God. Joseph engaged an unexpected journey with an unknown and painful route to becoming gainful in the hand of God.  In the calling of God, Joseph, in his journey of answering to God he was broken before the manifestation of God’s blessing over his life.
Joseph answered God’s calling over his life without knowing the journey of God’s calling ahead of his life. At age 17, Joseph’s answering to Jacob (his father) was the route for the path to his center of God’s assignment. Jacob said, “…Please go and see if it is well with your brothers and well with the flocks and bring back word to me.” So, he sent him out of the Valley of Hebron, and he went to Shechem.” (Genesis 37:14) The answering to Jacob led Joseph into the journey of God’s divine assignment without preparation before entering of his God’s calling.
The book of Psalm 105:17-22 shed light on the truth that Joseph’s journey was his answer to God’s calling. Psalm 105:17-22, “He sent a man before them Joseph who was sold as a slave.” They hurt his feet with fetters, He was laid in irons. “Until the time that his word came to pass, the word of the Lord tested him. The king sent and released him, the ruler of the people let him go free. He made him lord of his house, and ruler of all his possessions, to bind his princes at his pleasure, and teach his elders wisdom.”
Joseph at 17 years (Genesis 37:2) could not see his beloved father Jacob until over 30 years of age. (Genesis 41:46)
When God calls to send you, self-control shall be out of your control.
When He called Joseph, he became a slave; he could no longer move at his own will or self-control. Joseph came under the authority which he could not control. Joseph, in his journey, he remained focus on God to graduate from a priced slave to become a prime minister.

Prayer for today: Ask God for God’s established hand upon your life to live life for His glory.