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.

FAITH CAPSULE: Allow your situation to remain in the hand of God for unfailing victory.

1 Samuel 30

Get to know God enough to allow Him in all situations. God will remember and visit with salvation for man that knows Him. David, a man after God’s own heart was able to bring down Goliath who stood to deny the Israelites’ peace. David was anointed to be king but years of situation kept him away from answering as king. Despite his knowing to become king without happening, he did not upset the plan of God for his life by forcing situation to position him King at his speedy approach. How often have you changed situation with hope for positive in the place of negative? Forcing change of situation is engaging situation outside of God with negative result. David was in position to terminate King Saul for favorable situation to become king. He had the life of the reigning king (Saul) in his hand so many times when he was being chased by Saul. Yet David did not take Saul’s life. David could have killed Saul to become King before God’s appointed time. He had good reason to kill Saul, but he chose to run and hide from cave to cave, wilderness to wilderness, and from one priest to another.
It is worthy of note that, among the characters of David as a man after God’s own heart was his constant inquiring from God. At a time when King Saul was after the life of David, David wanted to keep his father and mother safe. It is written, “Then David went from there to Mizpah of Moab; and he said to the king of Moab, “Please let my father and mother come here with you, till I know what God will do for me.” So he brought them before the king of Moab, and they dwelt with him all the time that David was in the stronghold.” (1 Samuel 22:3) David repeatedly refused to take situation into His hand but he took situation to the hands of God. Before going after the Amalekites that burned the city and took captives of David’s wives, sons and daughters, it is written, “David inquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall I pursue this troop? Shall I overtake them?” And He answered him, “Pursue, for you shall surely overtake them and without fail recover all.” (1 Samuel 30:8) David disallowed his past glory from replacing his reliance on God for direction. As directed by God after his inquiring, “…David attacked them from twilight until the evening of the next day. Not a man of them escaped, except four hundred young men who rode on camels and fled. So David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away, and David rescued his two wives. And nothing of theirs was lacking, either small or great, sons or daughters, spoil or anything which they had taken from them; David recovered all.” (1 Samuel 30:17-19) Inquiring from God is a demonstration for allowing situation to be in the hand of God.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace of constant and complete reliance on God.

FAITH CAPSULE: Do not worry but worship God which is a place to hide in time of trouble.

Psalm 27

It is written, “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? time of comfort. Trouble often brings distress, disturbance, or pain.
Job is qualified to tell what it is when trouble comes. Job 3:26 stated, “I am not at ease, nor am I quiet; I have no rest, for troubles come.” With trouble comes are: not being at ease, not being in a quiet state of mind and lack of rest. In man’s life with trouble, confusion and making wrong decisions will have its way.
King Herod had no reason to be troubled at the announcement of the birth of Jesus when his decision demonstrated that of a troubled mind. It is written, “Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.” When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.” (Matthew 2:1-3) King The trouble that came into the life of King Herod led him to make wrong and confused decisions.
Trouble is the root of wrong and bad judgment or unwise decision making. Herod made an error in judgment and a wrong decision in his attempt to terminate God’s divine agenda. The decision of the wicked king to terminate God’s divine agenda brought to life the way and the infallible word of God to manifestation as it is written in Hosea 11:1, “When Israel was a child, I loved him, And out of Egypt I called My son.” The trouble in King Herod brought confusion into his life to think he could terminate the King of kings. Are you experiencing any kind of trouble? Today, is there any sign of trouble in your life? Think of it, what is the root cause of your trouble? Is your trouble rooted in pride?
Eliminate trouble, do not worry but worship God which is a place to hide in time of trouble. The Psalmist recorded, “For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; In the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock.” (Psalm 27:5). God is at work on behalf of all who seek refuge in time of trouble.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace to sincerely worship God in the place of worry.

FAITH CAPSULE: God’s visitation will convert your mockery to miracle.

Acts 9

Are you being called by a name which is painful, identifying you with your challenge? Listen, be sure of God, He is the unquestionable, the unchanging changer and able to reverse every irreversible. He alone remembers with favor and visit with salvation. God will remember you at His appointed time and you will have a name change, a name that glorifies God shall become your name.
Elizabeth’s barren challenge reversed her name by being called barren. “Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren.” (Luke 1:36) Elizabeth was her, but she was being called Barren until God visited her and she conceived a son. No man had any idea of what God was going to do with her when they were calling her barren. It was mockery upon Elizabeth by calling her barren, but God converted mockery to miracle. She conceived at old age and gave birth to John the Baptist who was the forerunner of Jesus. After Jesus, there was none like John in the bible days. Watch out, God is going to visit you the same way He visited Elizabeth and turned her story around for His glory.
Again, it is written, “Now they came to Jericho. As He went out of Jericho with His disciples and a great multitude, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the road begging. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” (Mark 10:46-47) Blind Bartimaeus was his popular name. Even though they know his father’s name (Timaeus), they could not call him out without adding blind to his name. On his day of visitation, he disregarded many from keeping him quiet. Many warned him to be quiet; but he cried out even more until Jesus gave him a standstill attention and his story was changed from blind Bartimaeus to one that followed Jesus.
The bible documented, “Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.” (Acts 9:1-2) He was Saul the adversary of the brethren. Jesus located him on his way to wicked act against followers of Jesus. In that encounter with Jesus, he had a change of name from Saul to Paul the Apostle. He was transformed from agent of destroyer to agent of deliverance. Whatever man calls you is the evidence of limited understanding about what God can do with your life. However, it is important to know who you are and the One you answer to. Be encouraged in the Lord and you answer to the fulfillment of your destiny in Christ Jesus by living for the glory of God.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace of God not to miss the time of His visitation for your life.

Faith Capsule: Solution to challenges demands focusing on God.

Exodus 14

To become worried and troubled in the face of challenge is the evidence of not looking up to God’s help. Any time man keeps eyes on confronting challenge man is set to misplace focus on God. Are you beholding your challenge or you are looking up to God? Exodus 14:10-12 documented, “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.  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?  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.” Does that sound like you? The Israelites knowing fully well that God is able but gave into fear. The Israelites failed to lift their eyes unto God for help and gave self to negative confession.
Solution to challenges demands focusing on God by keeping His proven word that is perfect to perform. Despite all the powerful teachings of Jesus against fear and worrying, the disciples went ahead and locked themselves up in fear of the Jews. It is written, “Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, “Peace be with you.” (John 20:19) While they were being locked up in the state of fear, Jesus showed up and declared peace. Jesus the Word of God is the Prince of peace. If you will look up to Jesus as Lord and savior, He is always around to uphold you.
Faith in Jesus will cause peace to reign.  After Jesus had spoken peace into His disciple’s life, the eyes of their mind were opened to see the mark of crucifixion. “When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.” (John 20:20) Seeing the mark opened up the disciples to come out of fear. Begin to see the marks of crucifixion and believe that the marks were registered on Jesus for man to have life abundantly. With faith in the place of fear, challenges that is going on around the world will not have its place in your life.

Prayer for today: Ask in for the grace to bold and have character in His word in the face of world challenges.