FAITH CAPSULE: Walking in God’s word is gaining and retaining God’s presence.

Genesis 3

Psalm 1:1 recorded, “Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful.” Man’s walk will determine what man stand with or stand for. Also, man’s walk will determine the kind of seat that man sits on or kind of person which man sits with.
In the journey of life, Man should be walking before God by walking in the word of God. Walking in the word of God must be rooted in understanding and knowing God’s word by listening in the word of God. John 8:43 recorded the word of Jesus, “Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word.” Giving self to the word of God is the evidence of listening to understand with knowledge by walking in the word of God. Walking in the word of God is walking in the way of God. The word of God is the way of God; the way of God is the presence of God. Moses asked from God, “…show me now Your way, that I may know You and that I may find grace in Your sight…” (Exodus 33;13) God responded to Moses stating, “…My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” (Exodus 33:14) Moses’ asking and God’s answer testifies that the way of God is God’s presence. To gain and maintain God’s presence is walking in God’s way which is God’s presence. Walking in the word of God is seeking God. Walking in the word of God is work which is labor with sacrifice that is costly.
Are you walking in the word of God, living for the glory of God?
From Genesis to Revelation, it is clear that WALKING in the word of God is God’s demand from man. It is certain that without walking in the word of God man cannot remain in the center of God’s divine assignment in the journey of life.
WHAT IS IT ABOUT WALKING OR NOT WALKING IN THE WORD OF GOD?
Obeying the word of God will be keeping man in the presence of God while disobeying the word of God is man’s walk of hiding from the presence of God. Adam and Eve disobeyed God, they hid self from God and could not gain to retain the presence of God. It is written, “And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.” (Genesis 3:8) Hiding from the presence of God is the evidence of disobedient to God’s word. Noah obeyed God’s word and was identified as perfect man before God in his generation, he walked with God. (Genesis 6:9) Disobedience of Adam and Eve caused them to hid themselves from the presence of God and could not walk with God. Obedience is walking in God’s word to gain and retain God’s presence.

Prayer for today: Ask for God’s word to occupy your entire way of living.

FAITH CAPSULE: Through the word of God, gain and retain the joy of God

Habakkuk 3

The issue of joy is for one to make joy and rejoicing as one’s portion by gaining and retaining the joy of God regardless of what the wicked world offers daily. Truly, joy and rejoicing should be the identity of a true believer which is full of God’s word. A believer that worships God by walking in the world of God shall be one that knows to gain and maintain joy. There is no source of rejoicing in God without feeding on the word of God constantly and one’s confidence will not be in self but fully in God the source of having unshakable joy in God. Philippians 3:3 admonished, “For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.”  Excuse SELF, let word of God occupy you to be rejoicing in God. Trusting and hoping in God that does not fail is joy and rejoicing.
To be full of the word of God is to be constantly feeding on the word of God daily. How can man be feeding and be full of God’s word which is the source of joy? After the death of Moses, God spoke in Joshua 8:1, “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” One that is meditating on the word of God as commanded by God should carry God’s word fully to be joyful. The word of God is full of promises that are set to become manifested if man gives self to the condition of His promises. It is important to believe that the word of God (promises of God) cannot fail in the life of one which locate God’s promise concerning one’s challenge. Know God as the Unchanging changer that will convert all unsolved to resolved. One that is full of self, feeding on God’s word day and night should rejoice by knowing that one’s confronting challenge is solved even though confronting challenge is yet unsolved.
Evidence of joy and rejoicing regardless of confronting challenges is recorded in Habakkuk 3:17-18, “Though the fig tree may not blossom, Nor fruit be on the vines; Though the labor of the olive may fail, And the fields yield no food; Though the flock may be cut off from the fold, And there be no herd in the stalls. Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.” The situation documented was not enough to interrupt choice of gaining and retaining joy of the farmer. In your life through the word of God, gain and retain the joy of God knowing that whatever seems to be doom (unfavorable) shall become blossom. Give self to believe in the word of God as stated by Paul the apostle in Philippians 4:4, “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I will say, rejoice!”

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace of God to be full of His word for joy and rejoicing.

Faith Capsule: Acclaimed believer that is living life as a COLD container on behalf of God is a liar.

Numbers 25, John 2:13-22

With no doubt, the word of God is fire and the fire of God is His word. Word of God cannot be separated from fire of God. Jeremiah 5:14 recorded, “Therefore thus says the Lord God of hosts: “Because you speak this word, Behold, I will make My words in your mouth fire…” Jeremiah 20:9 testified, “…But His word was in my heart like a burning fire…” Also, it is written in Jeremiah 23:29, “Is not My word like a fire?” says the Lord…” As an acclaimed believer, can you testify if the word of God you carry is a burning fire? Acclaimed believer that testifies to be carrying His word in the heart but not burning for God is a liar, a deceiver and is living life as a COLD container on behalf of God. A cold container might be conversant quoting word of God from the mouth but not from the heart. Cold container is not possible to be having zeal for God. Cold container is nothing but, a wicked one loaded with lying, deception and manipulation.
Word of God as burning fire is a driving force behind having zeal for God. The level of a believer’s zeal is the driving force in how a believer seeks God. Invariably, how much one seeks God will determine how much or how often one sees and relate with God. Seeking God casually will not deliver same result compared to seeking Him zealously. Zealousness for God is a proof of man’s love for God. Zealousness for God draws man to God. James 4:8 buttressed, “Come near to God and he will come near to you.” Zeal that is rooted in understanding and knowledge of God shall be fired up by revelation in the word of God which delivers promises which is not common in this world. Maintaining zeal for God is to keep hot love for God. The word of God that is fire is the source of maintaining hot love. (Jeremiah 23:29) Love that is not hot will grow cold because of the wickedness of this world. With cold, zealousness cannot be fired up.
In Jesus, we see what it means to be zealous for the course of the kingdom’s business. The bible recorded, “Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.  And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers doing business. When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers’ money and overturned the tables.  And He said to those who sold doves, “Take these things away! Do not make My Father’s house a house of merchandise!”  Then His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up.” (John 2:13-17) The action of Jesus is a demonstration of Zeal for God. In Jesus’s action we see a principle of fighting a good course for God’s glory.

Prayer for today: Ask for the zeal of God to occupy your life to be living for God’s glory.

FAITH CAPSULE: Worrying in the place of worshiping is one whose worry is god.

Exodus 2

What man worship represents man’s god. What man adore or give reverence to can be a representative of man’s god. What man builds up will actually build man up to become god which man worships. The Maya built jungle pyramids to worship their gods. What are you building up or what is building you that is having a place in your life as god? Apostle Paul admonished, “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.” One that give self or allows the word of God to build self is one that adores God. Word of God commanded, “You shall have no other gods before Me.” (Exodus 20:3)
Worshiping God is the one that truly adore God in His word with reverence in every way of life. Living by the word of God daily is evidence of being faithful before God. Many claims to be having faith but not engaging world challenges faithfully. With honesty, think about yourself, answer to yourself this question: Are you claiming faith or are you one that is actually faith-full (faithful) of God, living as worshipper of God? Romans 10:17 described faith, “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” One that adopts self to hearing and hearing by the word of God will be living by the word of God. Worshiping God is the evidence of living by faith.
Habakkuk 2:4 stated, “…the just shall live by his faith.” All that pertains to living life is encased in living by the word of God (living by faith). Ones that live by faith must also see by faith. The word stated it, we walk by faith not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7); we watch, stand by faith (1 Corinthians 16:13); faith purifies the heart (Acts 15:9); we are saved by faith through grace (Ephesians 2:8). Ones that do not live by faith shall live in fear. Faith is not worrying but worshiping God by way of life. Jesus warned against worrying, “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?” (Matthew 6:25) One that worries in the place of worshiping is one whose worry is god. Who do you worship?
Exodus 2:1-2 documented, “And a man of the house of Levi went and took as wife a daughter of Levi. So the woman conceived and bore a son. And when she saw that he was a beautiful child, she hid him three months.” Moses was the child could not be killed because of mother’s faith. He was born at a time when every other parent could not see by faith but in fear because of the killing of the Hebrew sons. Moses, having life is the evidence of worshiping God by His word.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace to be built by word of God, worshiping God by His word.

FAITH CAPSULE: Tongue is responsible for confession what the heart carries.

2 Kings 4

Where there is consecutive of heavy downpour of rain or constant snowfall, man is prone to confessing day as “bad day” What name are you giving or confessing to your day or your season? In confessing negative or positive man should be expecting what is confessed. Tongue is responsible for confession what the heart carries. Bible warned, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit. What are you saying to your life?”
With tongue, what are you calling your child, your marriage, your business or your challenging situation? The warning word in the bible is consistent to perform. Man should learn to be conscious and be cautious by paying attention to not confessing death but life in challenging situation of life. Truly, the word of God is written for our learning if man will be giving self to learn in the word of God as prescription for the way of living life. It is written, “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)
The lesson to learn for confessing positive in the face of negative is recorded in the story of Shunammite woman. The Shunammite woman had no child and her husband was at old age when Elisha prayed for her to conceived and she bore a son. The child grew and one day he was sick and had untimely death. The woman did not accept death for her son despite the fact that her son was dead. The woman’s husband does not know about challenging situation of son’s death. When husband was curious about his wife’s visitation to Elisha, his question and his wife’s response is recorded in 2Kings 4:23, “…Why are you going to him today? It is neither the New Moon nor the Sabbath.” And she said, “It is well.” Woman’s response was positive in the place of negative confession.
The Shunamite woman remained on constant positive confession. The woman’s positive confession was rooted in her heart against doubt as she could not be discouraged by her surroundings. It is worthy to be approaching every day with positive confession in all ways regardless of how negativity lays its trap for man’s going and coming.
Challenging situation under heaven has always been and it will not stop happening but man should learn to begin to keep it in heart that communicating by confessing positive not negative flows from heart. Proverbs 4:23 admonished, “Keep your heart with all diligence for out of it spring the issues of life.”
Be confessing positive with no negativity.

Prayer for today: Ask for the word of God to reign and rule over your life.