FAITH CAPSULE: Persistence for God’s intervention is the evidence of faith.

1 Samuel 1

At the age of forty, Isaac took Rebekah as his wife. The bible recorded that at sixty years of age Isaac had his first child. Evidently, Isaac waited for twenty years before Rebekah’s barrenness ceased. Twenty years must have been long years for Isaac. However, Isaac was not quiet before God during the season of waiting. It is written, “Now Isaac pleaded with the LORD for his wife, because she was barren; and the LORD granted his plea, and Rebekah his wife conceived.” (Genesis 25:21) History and time of his father’s waiting was not enough to stop Isaac from asking and pleading with God. Have you been pleading to God for His intervention concerning any area of challenge in your life? Be encouraged and know that it is never too late to keep on pleading for God’s intervention.
The children of Israel spent over four hundred years in the bondage of Egypt before God sent Moses as His agent to deliver them. The bible recorded, “Now it happened in the process of time that the king of Egypt died. Then the children of Israel groaned because of the bondage, and they cried out; and their cry came up to God because of the bondage.  So God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God acknowledged them.” (Exodus 2:23-25) The time you think it is too late to receive your breakthrough is the time of God visitation if you will not stop crying to Him alone. Time and process of time belongs to God, do not pay attention to man-made clock. It is important that we remain persistent when praying to God for His divine intervention. Persistence for God’s intervention is the evidence of faith. To stop asking when expectation is yet to be manifested represents shutting down faith.
Hannah experienced mockery at the time of her barrenness. It is written, “Because the Lord had closed Hannah’s womb, her rival kept provoking her in order to irritate her. This went on year after year. Whenever Hannah went up to the house of the Lord, her rival provoked her till she wept and would not eat.” (1 Samuel 1:6-7) Despite Hannah’s experience of mockery from her rival, Hannah remained focus and her continuity waiting and trusting God dwindles not. Hannah did not stop praying to God and there was no record of her going against her rival. Hannah’s prayer yielded when she gave birth to Samuel. Be encouraged, ignore your mockers. In the coming day, week, month or year your mockery shall be converted to miracle in Jesus name. The God who granted Isaac’s plea will grant yours in Jesus name. The same God that acknowledged the crying of the Israelites will acknowledge your crying to favor you in Jesus name.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace to remain focus on His gracious and merciful name.

FAITH CAPSULE: Be-living life and know God that your impossible challenge is a possibility with God.

Luke 9:10-17, John 2:1-11,

Once, Jesus was speaking to His disciples when He made them realized that impossibility with man is a possibility with God. (Matthew 19:26) This testifies to the truth that your all year challenge which seems impossible is a possibility with God. With God, nothing is absolutely nothing before God that is impossible for God to reverse for good. Absolutely there is no challenge which God cannot change to celebration. In life, no situation is too late for God to settle and establish for good. God alone reverses irreversible if man will trust and hope on God.
At a wedding in Cana of Galilee where Jesus was invited, mockery also showed to ridicule the wedding celebrants. Mockery was set to upset celebration when supply of wine suddenly ceased. At wedding celebration, running out wine suddenly dry out to convert celebration to mockery. Embarrassment set itself against the new couple, mockery set to take over the stage. Does that sound like you in any area of life? At the wedding of Cana of Galilee, the mother of Jesus spoke to Jesus (the living Word of God) as stated, “…They have no wine” (John 2:3) Jesus responded to his mother, “Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come.” (John 2:4) Jesus’ response was not discouraging enough for the mother to back out of her attempt to help through Jesus. Rather, she persevered knowing that there is nothing impossible to be turned around especially when obedience to God’s command is actively engaged. In John 2:5, the mother of Jesus said to the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it.” In life, know and give self to attention in the word of God. It is certain the word of God will speak direction to your situation. Jesus spoke direction and His word delivered better wine than earlier wine.
When God says nothing is impossible, no impossibility can remain as impossible before God. At the feeding of five thousand, the disciples resolved to sending away the multitude. Disciples was concerned because they were in a desert location and the hour was too late to meet needs for the multitude. Instead of sending away the multitude, Jesus requested that the multitudes should be fed from the five loaves and two fish. The request seemed impossible but there is direction in His commanding word. Jesus commanded disciples, “Make them sit down in groups of fifty. And they did so and made them all sit down.” (Luke 9:14-15) Without doubt, obeying Word of God’s direction in full is what makes it impossible to be short of experiencing His miracle. It is advisable to be living life by obeying Word of God in full. It was obedience to the word of God that made it possible for the miracle of feeding multitude with five loaves and two fish abundantly. With God nothing is impossible.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace of God to trust and hope in God’s word.

FAITH CAPSULE: Give self to the word of God to avoid self-determination ignorantly.

Genesis 19:14-26, Matthew 26:31-75

Ignorance makes a destitute of a believer. Believing in self or believing in man is not possible to believe in God by giving self to God’s word. Self-determination can be the root cause of ignorance to believe in self-direction over God’s direction in His word.
Determination is good, but it is not good enough to take the place of God’s direction. Determination that is rooted in ignorance will fail man. Believing in self’s over God’s direction is the kind of determination that will deny man from seeking help by focusing on the word of God. It is this kind of determination that caused Peter to deny Jesus ignorantly. In Matthew 26:34 Jesus said to Peter, “Assuredly, I say to you that this night, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” Peter was self-determined that he will not deny Jesus as he responded to Jesus, “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!” (Matthew 26:35) Peter could not see ahead just as Jesus was able to see ahead. Peter could have cried out to Jesus for divine intervention to keep him from denying Jesus. Truly, Peter later denied Jesus three times as stated by Jesus. Peter’s determination was the evidence of ignorance.
Man’s deliverance from destruction in the journey life is rooted in giving self to God’s direction but not giving to self’s determination. In each day there is a God designed plan and map for guidance and direction. Ignoring and disobeying God will set you back each day until it becomes evident that you are out of God’s way for your life. To be out of God’s way for deliverance and guidance is stepping into a way for self-destruction. Simple obedience to God’s direction for daily journey will get you to where God is taking you. As a believer of God, wake up and not allow self-belief to lead you to destruction.
Lot’s wife believed word of God indeed by moving forward out of destruction into God’s deliverance but allowed ignorance to look outside of God’s direction. God’s specified direction was given to Lot’s family in a day’s journey of deliverance from destruction. The book of Genesis 19:17 recorded, “So it came to pass, when they had brought them outside, that he said, ‘escape for your life! Do not look behind you nor stay anywhere in the plain escape to the mountains, lest you be destroyed.’”  Ignorant of Lot’s wife was her determination to engage direction in her own way over God’s way. Genesis 19:26 recorded, “But his wife looked back behind him and she became a pillar of salt.”
Deliverance for Lot’s wife failed when she looked back outside of God’s word for deliverance. Determination to knowingly ignore God’s specified word for direction is an evidence of ignorance that makes a destitute of believer. Are you finding it difficult to obey God’s direction for your life? In the place of God’s word, avoid self-determination which will fail you.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace of His strength not to be a victim of self-determination.

FAITH CAPSULE: Going by the word of God, is going through the only track in the race of life.

Proverbs 6

In the word of God is where man will live life to possess God’s promises. Possessing God’s promises is giving self to God’s word continually. Without giving self to God’s word will result to lack of knowledge. Hosea 4:6 recorded, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you…” The people of God (not the people that does not know God) lack knowledge. The people of God are close to His word but continually reject word of God by not giving self to the word of God.
The word of God is God’s law for man, for God’s instruction and His command for man that will give self to His word. Those who allow their heart to keep the word of God shall have length of days, long life and peace. (Proverbs 6) Those who can keep the word of God are the ones who make God their confidence. Those who keep the word of God will know to do good when the chance to do good calls for doing good. Those who keep the word of God do not stumble where others are stumbling. The word of God does not mark one or exempt man from afflictions but in the word of God, there is an assured promise for deliverance out of all manner of affliction. (Psalm 34:19) Above all, those who keep the word in their heart will know not to lean on their own understanding.
Life is a race that is set before us. Going by the word of God, is going through the only track in the race of life. The word of God is the track for race of life. Hebrew 12:1 buttressed, “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us” In the race of life, all we need to run and be able to possess what God has for us is by the word of His grace. All what God is having for man in His word is all that man needs to live life abundantly if man will give self to God’s word. Going by the word of God is going through His word as God’s track. Jesus is the living word of God as it is written, “I am the way, the truth, and the life…” (John 14:6)
By giving self to the word of God continually is way of gaining understanding and knowledge. With word, when one roam (move) the word will lead, when one sleeps the word will keep one and when one is awake the word will speak with one. (Proverbs 6:22) Unmistakably, the word of God is the track of race to arrive at expected journey of life, give self to the word of God continually.

Prayer for today: Ask God to enable you that His word will reign and rule your life.

FAITH CAPSULE: Claiming truth without love is not character of Christ (Christ-like).

Psalm 138, 1 Thessalonians 2

Word of God is perfect to perform! Word of God is power that is in place for man that lives life by the word of God instead of living life by the word of the world. God spoke in Isaiah 55:10-11, “As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” What an awesome declaration! God is so sure of His word; His word shall not fail but perform with perfection. It is this same word that brought forth creation in the beginning and the same word is still answering in the life of ones that lives by the word of God. Without doubt, the word of God is true and nothing man amounts to without standing in the truth. Claiming truth without love is not a Christ-like.
Have you been preached to or you are preaching by claiming to have received word from God with no evidence of God’s manifestation? God is not a talkative with lying in His word to deceive and manipulate. The word of God is true but never fail except man’s failure to live by God’s word.
Psalmist identified the character of God’s word: “The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.” (Psalm 19:7-8) Hebrews 4:12 also identified character of God’s word, “For the word of God is 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 encased all that is needed for man to live life abundantly if man will continually give self to the word of God.
King David a man after God’s own heart testified, “I will worship toward Your holy temple, And praise Your name For Your lovingkindness and Your truth; For You have magnified Your word above all Your name.” (Psalm 138:2) The word of God shall never fail when His word is engaged with understanding. Word of God is His prophesy and Jesus warned, “For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; ¹⁹ and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.” Revelation 22:18-19)
Live by God’s word, celebrate the word of God and it will elevate you.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace of understanding to be living by the word of God.