FAITH CAPSULE: Ways of man under heaven are not hidden but accountable before God.

2 Kings 5, Acts 5:1-11

Have you been getting away with lying or you have perfected in deceiving others for so long? Have you convinced self that your lying and deceiving others is with no bounds? Lying and deceiving can be destructive to a liar’s life. As much as lying and deceiving others reigns outside of the church, so it is also rampant inside of the church. Acts 5:1-2 recorded, “But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession. And he kept back part of the proceeds, his wife also being aware of it, and brought a certain part and laid it at the apostles’ feet.” There was no indication that Ananias and Sapphira had to sell their possessions, and it can be assumed that it was a voluntary move. So why would they lie? Are you a believer who will lie, fake, or deceive to get attention or to impress fellow believers? In life, every conduct of man is not hidden from God but accountable before God.
Peter knew that Ananias and Sapphira were lying, faking, and deceiving. It is written, “But Peter said, ‘Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself?’” (Acts 5:4) What is worth doing for the Lord is worth doing truthfully in truth. Both, Ananias and his wife, might have engaged good intentions but lying as their garment set them away from the presence of God. The bible stated in Acts 5:5, “Then Ananias hearing these words fell down and breathed his last. So great fear came upon all those who heard these things.” Lying and deception took the life of Ananias and Sapphira.
Just like Ananias and Saphira, it was lying and deception that terminated Gehazi from living in the center of his divine assignment. After the healing of Naaman, Elisha refused to accept gifts from Naaman. Without any direction from Elisha, Gehazi the servant of Elisha deceitfully went after Naaman and stated, “My master sent me to say, ‘Two young men from the company of the prophets have just come to me from the hill country of Ephraim. Please give them a talent of silver and two sets of clothing.’” (2 Kings 5:22) Gehazi accepted gift from Naaman against Elisha’s will. Elisha knowing about Gehazi’s deceptiveness asked Gehazi about his action but Gehazi lied. Elisha responded to Gehazi’s deceptiveness stating, “…was not my spirit with you when the man got down from his chariot to meet you? Is this the time to take money or to accept clothes—or olive groves and vineyards, or flocks and herds, or male and female slaves?  Naaman’s leprosy will cling to you and to your descendants forever.” Then Gehazi went from Elisha’s presence and his skin was leprous—it had become as white as snow.” (2 Kings 5:26-27) If you are lying and deceiving others goes unnoticed for years, it will only take one day for the truth to expose you as a liar.

Prayer for today: Ask God to deliver and preserve you from deceptive spirit.

FAITH CAPSULE: Waiting for seven months or more with no manifestation is not too late.

Numbers 14

If you have been waiting for seven months or more with no manifestation of prayer expectation is not too late. Experiencing prayer of expectation with no manifestation is not an evidence that God is asleep with no response for expectation. With no doubt, God hears with response to prayer at His appointed time. God operates at His Time while man operates clock with the ability to turn clock forward or backward. God is God that answers by saying: Yes, No or Wait when man seeks for God’s response in time of prayer of expectation. Bible specifically encourages us by identifying God as one that sees and hears stating, “He who planted the ear, shall He not hear? He who formed the eye, shall He not see?” (Psalm 94:9) God hears every spoken word quietly or loudly and that is the reason for disengaging doubt but believe that God hears. Experiencing prayer of expectation with no manifestation can be a challenging time but it is not an evidence that God is asleep with no response for expectation. God will always respond to prayer of expectation at His appointed time.
Challenging time is not an excusable time for complaining but a better time of complementing God. Israelites could not avoid but complaint, speaking negative to God’s ear and God responded, “…As I live,’ says the Lord, ‘just as you have spoken in My hearing, so I will do to you.” (Numbers 14:28) Challenges by nature  serve as a call to battle or contest. Challenges have the tendency to be ugly and painful, especially when they persist or refuse to cease. When challenges persistently become painful, it is possible for ones to wonder or question if God remembers or sees them in challenging situations.
Are you facing a long enduring challenge that seems to be an unending challenge?
It is important to remain focus on God with understanding by knowing that God is not asleep, His appointed time with His intervention will be delivered. Jesus warned about challenging as tribulation which is inevitable in the life of man. However, the antidote for challenging time (tribulation) is peace for those who receive and believe in Him. John 16:33 buttressed, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” In this world, tribulation will come either man likes it or not. However, it is better to accept Jesus for having peace during tribulation or man can make the choice of not having Jesus to engage tribulation without peace.
Challenging situation that is resulting from the prayer of expectation with no manifestation demands waiting on God. Manifestly, how one chooses to wait on God determines the outcome of waiting result. David described the result of His waiting, “I waited patiently for the Lord; and He inclined to me, and heard my cry. He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps. (Psalm 40:1-2)
Waiting patiently is what makes man perfect and complete lacking nothing. (James1:4)

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace of new songs.

FAITH CAPSULE: God alone will always have the final say.

Exodus 1, 2

Under heaven, there is no invincible for  devil’s agenda, but it is certain that man that is dwelling and abiding in the Lord is marked to certainly be an overcome. Book of Psalm 34:19 admonished us, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous; but the Lord delivers him out of them all.” Are you one that is experiencing the pain of the evil in any area of life? It does not matter what the activity of the evil one is about, if you keep eyes on the Lord, His word of deliverance will answer for you. Job, a man with integrity, blameless and upright before God was located by Satan. God had hedge around him but, yet Satan attacked him with afflictions, but God delivered him in it all. Keep it in mind, settle in the word of God for your deliverance to preserve you.
Whatever the enemy has put in place to break you, God is not limited from using it to make you. The Bible recorded that a new king came to power in Egypt who did not know Joseph. The king not knowing Joseph inculcated inside of him the fear of the growth of the children of Israel’s population. The fear of Israelites made the king of Egypt to established law that put the children of Israel under the affliction of taskmasters. The evil one miscalculated when he located Israelites with evil agenda.
Whatever God builds, no agent of evil can bring it down. Pharaoh’s effort to terminate the growth of Israelites with affliction turned to multiplication of the Israelites. The appointed taskmasters’ effort failed and the direction to midwives to kill every male son could not interrupt but provoke the plans of God to manifest. Pharaoh, with new law to reduce where God is increasing caused him to make new command, “So Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying, ‘Every son who is born you shall cast into the river, and every daughter you shall save alive.’”  (Exodus 1:22) At the time of Pharaoh’s devises to terminate the growth of the children of Israel, Moses was born. Mother of Moses hide him from Pharaoh’s evil command. It is written, “…when she could no longer hide him, she took an ark of bulrushes for him, daubed it with asphalt and pitch, put the child in it, and laid it in the reeds by the river’s bank.” (Exodus 2:3) By God’s intervention Moses was saved from river by the daughter of Pharaoh. Evidently, Moses’ deliverance was God at work. Imagine how God works! Ultimately, Moses was delivered, was preserved and raised by Pharaoh in the palace of Pharaoh where law was made to kill every male child. On top of it all, Pharaoh also gave name to Moses meaning “Because I drawn him out of the water.” (Exodus 2:10) All that the enemy has set to break turned out to make a possible deliverance for Moses. Every hand that has gone out to destroy you will rather deliver you for the glory of God.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace of God for deliverance and preservation in the face of wicked agenda.

FAITH CAPSULE: Are you looking and beholding outside of God?

Exodus 3

Least expected of man’s challenging situation or ground of man’s comfort often happens to be where uncomfortable God’s calling will reposition man into God’s assignment. Moses unknowingly was running away from Pharaoh’s comfortable palace (a place where he was raised) before he ended at God’s assignment for his life. He ran away from his ground of comfort to a ground of pain. A ground of pain is always a narrow gate, a troubling route but is certain to turned out as gainful route. Moses ran away from palace to desert when he accidentally committed murder in Egypt. Even though he was coming from the best place (Pharaoh’s palace) he did not despise or reject his new desert location. Bible testified that, “Then Moses was content to live with the man, and he gave Zipporah his daughter to Moses.” (Exodus 2:21) While in Midian, he led his father-in-law’s flock to the back of the desert. Moses, while at Horeb, the mountain of God, “…the Angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush: So, he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed. Then Moses said, ‘I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn.’” (Exodus 3:2-3) The burning fire that did not burn the bush caused Moses to look and behold. Moses turned aside to the great sight.
Many are on their ground to see and receive God’s direction, many have been privileged to get to the ground but make the choice to look outside of God. Are you looking and beholding outside of God? In any challenging situation, do not look outside of God not to miss out of God’s calling upon your life.
Listen, this day, begin to be looking and beholding Him without turning aside. Give attention that is required to receive God’s calling to the center of divine assignment. The Bible testified that after Moses had turned aside, God decided to turn on to him. “So when the LORD saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, ‘Moses, Moses!’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’” (Exodus 3:4) God is not a slave master but rather is the saving Master. God, the Almighty Creator could have forced Moses to turn aside but he did not. It is time turn and behold so that He may set you up for your divine assignment. He called Moses, He is calling you. Be encouraged and know that, “He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.” (1Thesalonian 5:24) Moses attempted to run from the assignment before is life, he could not hide. Moses answered God’s calling that set him up into the center of his divine assignment. Today, make the choice to look and turn aside unto God. Do not let the privilege of your calling to your center of divine assignment pass by without you. His calling will reward you.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace of God to order your mind and step into His divine assignment.

FAITH CAPSULE: Invariably, faith will fail when the enemy attacks the heart.

Luke 22:1-23

What points out man before God is the heart of man. Heart can be hidden from man but is not possible to be hidden from God. It is heart of man that concluded what man is about, before God. Genesis 6:5 recorded, “Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” For man, it is what flows from the heart of man that makes a mark of man. What flows from the heart of a man will make or break man in the journey of life under heaven.
Heart is undoubtedly the most important target for the devil to launch its attack. Judas spent time with Jesus and went to places with Him. Despite his entire experience with Christ his heart volunteered for devil’s investment in his life. Luke 22:3-4 recorded, “Then Satan entered Judas, surnamed Iscariot, who was numbered among the twelve. So he went his way and conferred with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray Him to them.” Satan went after the heart of Judas and he was able to establish his plan to betray Jesus. Invariably, faith will fail when the enemy attacks the heart. Peter was close to Jesus and could also have been a victim of the devil. Once Jesus said to him, “…Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. “But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.” (Luke 22:31-32) The only proven target for the enemy to strike is the heart. Ananias and Sapphira, his wife, were not forced to voluntarily sell their possession to buttress the fellowship of others, but they came up lying about the proceedings, “But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep part of the price of the land for yourself? (Acts 5:3) Man’s hearts need to be constantly engage to the word of God continually which can deliver man’s heart from evil continually. A heart that is engaged to meditating the word of God is disengaged from negotiation with the devil. Determination not to allow Satan from entering in to man’s heart is not enough. With determination and Peter’s exposure to Jesus’ ministry, Peter could not avoid devil in his heart. It was determination that failed Peter when he was determined not to deny Christ as he eventually denied Christ three times. Thank God that Jesus had already prayed for Peter’s faith not to fail. In the journey of life, in all challenges, determination can fail but prayer is more than enough for man not to fail.
Do not engage self-deception, get to know by taking to the warning in the word of God as it is written in Ecclesiastes 9:3, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it? Prayerful keep heart from being a victim of devil.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace not to become a victim of Satan’s agenda in your heart.