FAITH CAPSULE: His sentence against evil work might to be executed speedily but He coming at His time.

Psalm 73

Psalmist’s inability to look away from the on goings of wickedness activities under heaven called for recorded statement in Psalm 73. It is written, “For I was envious of the boastful, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked for there are no pangs in their death, but their strength is firm. They are not in trouble as other men, nor are they plagued like other men. Therefore, pride serves as their necklace; violence covers them like a garment.” (Psalm 73:3-6) Are you one that is not able to look away from wickedness around you? Are you being intimated by wicked ones way of life? Be restful and know that God is never asleep nor slumber He will cause the wicked to be separated at His appointed. Look away from the wicked and not be envious of the wickedness activities.
The same God yesterday, today and tomorrow will not overlook the wickedness of today. The bottom line of it all is what Jesus talked about 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 tare? At every time of rainfall and all that contributes to growth, both wheat and tares are in position to be benefited. Oftentimes, there is no clear distinction identifying tares from wheat. Also, it is possible for tares to be appearing fat and better than wheat but God’s intervention time to separate wrong from right in near. As one that is living by the word of God should be awake, ready and prepared for harvest time that is coming.
Wickedness is evil, evil is sin the evidence of not having fear for God. God can be a long-suffering God, His sentence against evil work might to be executed speedily but it is certain that God is in perfect control to see over all under heaven. Ecclesiastes 8:11-12 is a warning encouragement as it is written for our learning, “Because the sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil. Though a sinner does evil a hundred times, and his days are prolonged, yet I surely know that it will be well with those who fear God, who fear before Him.  But it will not be well with the wicked; nor will he prolong his days, which are as a shadow, because he does not fear before God.”
It is possible for wickedness to appear as growing fine and better under heaven. In life, growth is possible in every area but not all growth can be measured as pleasing to God. Without speedy of God’s action against the wicked is not an evidence of God’s approval. Indeed, God see it all and at His appointed time (not man’s timing) He shall judge all

Prayer for today: Ask for God’s deliverance and not be a wicked one in all ways of life.

FAITH CAPSULE: Recognizing God, do not boast before God.

Psalm 104

It is the privilege of God not man’s right that is keeping man alive day after days; week after weeks; month after months and year after years. For man to be alive is the mercy of God not merit of man. Recognize God do not worry. Replace worrying by worshiping God is enough as evidence of trusting and hoping on God. Are you one that is being kept down instead of rising to be looking up to God? It is time to be rising with praise worship before God, recognizing God for the grace of life. What is it that has qualifies you before God to be alive more than known and unknown ones? Claiming or having plans for agendas before recognizing with appreciation God is the evidence of not recognizing God for what He can do.
Psalmist recognized God by praising God: “O Lord my God, You are very great: You are clothed with honor and majesty, Who cover Yourself with light as with a garment, Who stretch out the heavens like a curtain. He lays the beams of His upper chambers in the waters, Who makes the clouds His chariot, Who walks on the wings of the wind, Who makes His angels spirits, His ministers a flame of fire.” (Psalm 104:1-4) Today, give self to recognize God by meditating on word of praise all day. He alone is more than worthy of all praise and adoration.
Bible recoded, “Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD! (Psalm 150:6) God alone is worthy of praise and thanksgiving. He is the God of miracle. God deserves a boastful praise and not only a contemplative (thoughtful or reflective) praise. The word of God stated, “I am the LORD your God, Who brought you out of the land of Egypt; Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.” (Psalm 81:10) Open mouth wide praising God to provoke God for expectation. Praise God today, tomorrow and continually. Every day is a miracle, Man should know that miracle is a blessing of God. By God’s grace for a new day and every moment of God’s privilege, make it a top priority of your day to carry Him along in your meditation. God is God that blesses and add no sorrow. (Proverbs 10:22)
Recognizing God do not boast before God. James 4:13-14 warned against boasting as it is written, “Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.” Do not be a victim of boasting but recognize God to provoke His blessings.

Prayer for today: Ask God to occupy every moment He has given you on earth.

FAITH CAPSULE: It is possible that you are on God’s journey for your life.

Genesis 37

Whenever God is set to replace you from where you are into the center of His divine schedule for your life, He does not go by your own timing neither does He move by your age. In God, there is no age limit. When it was God’s time to call Abraham out into the center of his divine schedule, God called Abraham and, “…Abram departed as the LORD had spoken to him, and Lot went with him. And Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.” (Genesis 12:4) At seventy five years old, he has passed the retirement age before God called him into divine schedule. Who would have thought of a journey of such magnitude for an aged man like Abraham? Moses, after forty years in one of the greatest palaces on earth, had no choice but to be replaced. God did not call him like He called Abraham but he found himself in a situation that chased him out into his divine schedule. Moses accidentally killed an Egyptian in his attempt to defend one of his Hebrew brethren. Pharaoh heard about Moses’ deed, “When Pharaoh heard of this matter, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh and dwelt in the land of Midian; and he sat down by a well.” (Exodus 2:15) At age forty Moses’ situation forced him to run unknowingly in the direction of God’s plan for his life. Can you see that God is in everything?
Joseph had a very positive dream but for the manifestation of Joseph’s dream there was a process in place. Process can be unacceptably challenging and exceedingly difficult. At the young age of seventeen, Joseph unknowingly began his placement journey to bring his dream to manifestation. The journey to dream’s manifestation can be challenging and uncomfortable. The starting point of dream’s journey is often unknown to the dreamer. Joseph did not plan to enter the journey of his life when he went to check on his brother as directed by his father. “Then he said to him, “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. Now a certain man found him, and there he was, wandering in the field. And the man asked him, saying, “What are you seeking?” (Genesis 37:14-15) From wandering into entering the pit, Joseph began a journey to the center of his divine schedule. Regardless of your age or where you are, do not struggle with yourself; God is on top of it all. Is it possible that you are already on your journey to the center of your calling? Give self to God’s word for His unfailing direction.

Prayer for today: Ask for God’s grace  to take charge over all your steps as you journey.

FAITH CAPSULE: Gain and maintain focus to arrive in God’s divine assignment.

Genesis 19:12-26, Daniel 1

It is important to be steadfast in the things of God by maintaining focus. Maintaining focus is crucial to making advance in the calling of the Lord. Focus will keep man from distraction. A failure to gain and maintain focus leads to distraction. Distraction can derail to deny arrival at man’s center of divine assignment.
Young Daniel in captivity was able to maintain focus when he purposed in his heart not to defile God. It happened that the king appointed for them a daily provision of the king’s delicacies and of the wine which he drank, and three years of training for them. It sounds good for a young captive to accept provision of the king. To Daniel it was considered as anti-focus when he made the choice to maintain focus. It is written, “But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank; therefore he requested of the chief of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.” (Daniel 1:8) Daniel kept himself to become a vessel for God and he made advancement everywhere he turned to. Daniel engaged his journey in captivity with a purposeful heart. He allowed God to reign in his life when he refused to defile his body (the temple of God). Daniel was steadfast not to contradict his journey to advance.
Lot’s wife could not let the past be in the past she disregarded the command of God which was warning to direct and position her in God’s grace of deliverance. Bible recorded, “Escape for your life! Do not look behind you nor stay anywhere in the plain. Escape to the mountains, lest you be destroyed.” (Genesis 19:17) Lot’s wife did the opposite when she looked back and became a pillar of salt (Genesis19:26) Whatever Lot’s wife was looking for in her past represents a multitude (unnecessary baggage). The multitude in her life caused her to become a pillar of salt and not escape as ordained for her by God. There is no one that goes forward by looking back to arrive in the expected end of journey. This also testifies that we cannot set sight on the past and be able to see what is ahead. The case of Lot’s wife is that of a shifted focus. Lot must have been steadfast looking forward to where the Lord was taking him and his family. Daniel could not allow any distraction because he gained and maintained focus. It is time to advance in your calling and allow God’s name to be glorified over your life.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace to gain and maintain focus in the journey of life.

FAITH CAPSULE: Fear is the initiation of Satan’s visitation.

Job1, 2:1-10

The Bible identified two types of fear. The first type is positive and is to be encouraged. The second type is a disadvantage, harmful and is to be overcome. The first type of fear is fear of the Lord. This type of fear does not necessarily mean to be afraid of something. Rather, it is a reverential awe of God; a reverence for His power and glory. The fear of the Lord is to acknowledge God by knowing His attributes. Fear of God is the beginning of wisdom and leads to good understanding. (Psalm 111:10) However, the second type of fear is not of God and is not advantageous to have such fear. 2 Timothy 1:7 recorded, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” When the spirit of fear overcomes man, fear will rise while faith will sink.
Job is described “…blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil. And seven sons and three daughters were born to him. Also, his possessions were seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred female donkeys, and a very large household, so that this man was the greatest of all the people of the East.” (Job 1:1-3) Job was indeed a man of God and was blessed with wealth. Job was straight with God, but he was not sure of his children’s walk with God. Job always sanctify them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all making and making a statement, “It may be that my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.” (Job 1:4-5)
After Satan was allowed by God to attack Job, he lost his properties, he lost all his children and his health was attacked. Job, by his adversities, he deplores his birth by cursing the day of his birth. On top of it all, Job gave a testimony, “For the thing I greatly feared has come upon me, and what I dreaded has happened to me. I am not at ease, nor am I quiet; I have no rest, for trouble comes.” (Job 3:25-26) Spirit of fear is evident in Job’s testimony when he lost his children and properties. Fear is not of God; fear is the initiation of Satan’s visitation. Fear and faith does not complement each other. Not knowing the extent of God’s protective covering over the affairs of man’s life will possibly expose man to fear and not faith. Clearly, God is not pleased without faith. Unfortunately, Satan knew the extent of God’s covering over Job when he mentioned that God has made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side. (Job 1:10). When God makes man to be impenetrable, spirit of fear will make man to become penetrable to the Satan. Have faith and know that God is mindful of man. (Psalm 8:4-5) Know who you are and disallow spirit of fear in your life.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace of God not to be a victim of spirit of fear.