FAITH CAPSULE: Determination is not enough for man to answer fully for God’s calling but prayer.

Psalm 19

Determination to have clean heart not to fail before God will fail but only prayer will enable man not to fail before God. When Jesus prophesied that Peter was going to deny Him, Peter did not accept Jesus’ prophecy but determined not to deny Jesus. Determination failed Peter as it is written, “A second time the rooster crowed. Then Peter called to mind the word that Jesus had said to him, “Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times.” And when he thought about it, he wept.” (Mark 14:72) Peter, a disciple of Jesus is an example that determination is not enough to answer fully for man’s desire to live for God’s glory. Evidently, Jesus actually prayed against Peter’s failure as stated, “But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.” (Luke 22:32) As a believer, it is good to have determination for God’s calling but there must be understanding that prayer is the key not to fail.
Is your heart clean for not to fail before God? Have you given your heart to God? It is important that man should give heart to a procedure that will remove all which represents wickedness. Procedure to remove and clean the heart is in prayer. The Psalmist prayed, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” (Psalm 51:10) Man needs to engage prayer to help in having a clean heart. The thinking which man carries in the heart is what will determine man’s exploit on the face of the earth. The book of Proverb 23:7 buttress “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he ‘Eat and drink!’ he says to you but his heart is not with you.’” It is clear that man should keep heart with diligence to avoid any form of negativity. With prayer, Man should also know and understand to keep heart with diligence otherwise wickedness will reap through the heart of man.
Daniel kept his heart with diligence by purposing positives to the glory of God.  Daniel 1:8 records, “But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with portion of the king’s delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank; therefore he requested of the chief eunuchs that he might not defile himself.” Daniel purposed heart and it marked him out for great exploit to the glory of God. Daniel’s heart made the difference that matters in all of his life.
It is written, “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.” (Proverbs 4:23) Desire for a clean heart, keep to heart the word of God and give self to prayer trusting God to deposit what it takes to have a clean heart.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace not to fail but to stand for God’s glory.

FAITH CAPSULE: Knowingly or unknowingly, is it pride that is hindering you to live life for the glory of God?

2 Kings 5

What is reducing man to live life for the glory of God? Can you search your heart and not be self-victim not to live life for the glory of God? There is nothing that can reduce man but self. Naaman had leprosy which was not enough to reduce him to live life for the glory of God.
It is written, “Now Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great and honorable man in the eyes of his master, because by him the Lord had given victory to Syria. He was also a mighty man of valor, but a leper.” (2 Kings 5:1) With all the honors in the life of Naaman there was leprosy. In documentation of Naaman, leprosy could not deny Naaman’s status and achievement before his master. The Hindrance issue of Naaman was alive in him and not obvious to his master and people around him. The hindrance issue which clouded Naaman is the same that is clouding so many today especially among believers. The hindrance in Naaman’s life was none other than pride.
It was hindrance issue that stood between Naaman and the word of his healing. The bible recorded, “Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored to you, and you shall be clean.” (2 Kings 5:10) Wash and clean was the word of healing that was spoken to Naaman. Evidently the power to get Naaman’s healing was obedience to the word of God’s prophet. The hindrance issue in Naaman reacted negatively as it is written, “But Naaman became furious, and went away and said, “Indeed, I said to myself, ‘He will surely come out to me, and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place, and heal the leprosy.’  Are not the Abanah and the Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?” So he turned and went away in a rage.” (2 Kings 5:11-12).
Hindrance issue in Naaman’s life was pride. Unknowingly or knowingly, is it pride that is hindering you to live life for the glory of God? The pride in Naaman’s life manifested when: He became furious (extreme anger); Naaman walked away from his glorious healing; Naaman’s spirit of “I” set in; rage took over Naaman to act with fury. Knowingly or unknowingly, is any of Naaman having place in you?
When pride in Naaman’s life subsided, obedience to the word of prophet led him to be washed from the leprosy in his life.
Today, take time out to look in the mirror of the word of God. Word of God is a revealing word for man to observe for self-correction. Give self continually to the word of God as mirror for correcting self and not become a victim of self-destruction in life. Pride is without doubt a personal ride to self-destruction.

Prayer for today: Ask before God for deliverance from pride of self-destruction.

FAITH CAPSULE: Faith by mouth or by head is not faith that is rooted in the heart.

1kings 3: 3-15

Without faith no man can please God. Hebrews 11:6 buttressed, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”  God with jealous expects to be pleased in all ways of life, He definitely wants to be pleased in man’s way of life. As an acclaimed believer, are you living life by faith to please God? Habakkuk 4:2 stated, “…the just shall live by his faith.” 2 Corinthians 5:7 also pointed out that we watch and stand by faith. Faith by mouth or by head is not faith that is rooted in the heart. Many claims to be a believer with faith but standing is far from God by watching out of God’s direction. Do you pay attention to how you stand and how you watch? Are you hearing enough of God’s word to keep your walking, watching and standing in faith? Live life to be pleasing God by standing and watching by faith. Please God with your lifestyle meditating day and night to be access to God’s presence.
Take note by understanding and knowing that God must be pleased and become rewarded by gaining and maintaining God’s presence.
King Solomon, the son of David and the third king of Israel was known for his wisdom and the building of temple. He was able to please God with his speech and it provoked God to endue him with great wisdom which became his identity forever. It happened to be that Solomon went to sacrifice at Gibeon when God appeared to him. God asked Solomon, “…What shall I give you?” (2 Kings 3:5) King Solomon responded to God’s question, “Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?” (1 Kings 3:9) He had the business of God at heart which was pleasing to God. Solomon was not pleasing self to please God. For Solomon, self-pleasing before God was not in place as a result, Solomon asked for what it takes to carry out God’s divine plan in his life. What is pleasing for you above pleasing God?
Are you a truly acclaimed believer, professional minister, or a minister for the Lord’s business? Solomon asked pleasingly before God as God was pleasingly provoked to bless Solomon beyond his expectation. It is written, “The speech pleased the LORD, that Solomon had asked this thing.” (1 Kings 3:10) God blessed Solomon with uncommon wisdom. Live life by pleasing God for His uncommon blessing to answer in your life for His glory.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace to pleasingly live life for God.

FAITH CAPSULE: Pay attention to distance and closed ones which represents crowd and multitude.

Mark 2:1-12

Crowd/multitude should not be one’s partner in expected end of journey. Crowd/multitude’s specialty is to delay, deny or discourage one to arrive at the expected end of journey.
A paralytic man expected healing at Jesus’ visitation at Capernaum. It is written, “…it was heard that He was in the house.  Immediately many gathered together, so that there was no longer room to receive them, not even near the door.” (Mark 2:1-2) The paralytic man avoided crowd/multitude as recorded, “And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was. So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying.” (Mark 2:4) Identify your crowd/multitude and not be denied from getting to expected end.
Crowd/multitude which the Israelites could not disengage denied and derailed the Israelites from getting to God’s Promised Land. At the time the Israelites started journey to God’s Promised Land, bible recorded, “Then the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides children.  A mixed multitude went up with them…”  (Exodus 12:37-38) Mixed multitude became the baggage for the Israelites. A mixed-up multitude is unholy mix-up to deny and derail man from arriving at expected end.
At the time of Israelites’ departure, dangerous of carrying multitude was not glaring. The Israelites’ mixed multitude among them was the effect of negatively. It is written, “Now the mixed multitudes who were among them yielded to intense craving; so the children of Israel also wept again and said: “Who will give us meat to eat? We remember the fish which we ate freely in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic; but now our whole being is dried up; there is nothing at all except this manna before our eyes!” (Numbers 11:4-6) Crowd/multitude is an agent of evil to deny and derail journey. Are you one having crowd/multitude as baggage in your journey of life? Mixed multitude was a baggage for the Israelites provoking complaint against God.
God responded to the Israelites complaint as stated, “How long shall I bear with this evil congregation who complain against Me? I have heard the complaints which the children of Israel make against Me.  Say to them, ‘As I live,’ says the Lord, ‘just as you have spoken in My hearing, so I will do to you:  The carcasses of you who have complained against Me shall fall in this wilderness, all of you who were numbered, according to your entire number, from twenty years old and above.  Except for Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun, you shall by no means enter the land which I swore I would make you dwell in.” (Numbers 14:27-30)
This year, it is not too late to avoid crowd/multitude as your partner. Pay attention to distance and closed ones which represents crowd and multitude.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace to deny crowd/multitude in your journey of life.

FAITH CAPSULE:Do not become a victim of failure in the journey of life.

1 Samuel 18

In the journey of life, one must pay attention but not focus on forces such as cheers and jeers which sounds in one’s direction. However, it is important for one not to allow cheers and jeers to replace the word of God as encouraging force to arrive at expected end of journey in life. Cheers can be expression of thanks in one’s direction while jeers which is speaking or crying out with derision or mockery can also sound in in one’s direction. As a leader or to be holding up a position, receiving cheers and jeers is an unavoidable route and it is important for one to be careful and not become a victim of failure in the journey of life.
David, a man after God’s own heart could not avoid cheers and jeers from sounding in his direction.
Philistines and Goliath stood a ground of war against the Israelite. Goliath made a provoking statement, “Then he stood and cried out to the armies of Israel, and said to them, “Why have you come out to line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and you the servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me. If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants. But if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants and serve us.”  And the Philistine said, “I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together.” When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine; they were dismayed and greatly afraid.” (1 Samuel 17:8-10) It was the statement of Goliath that provoked David and made David to respond as it is written, “What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?” (1 Samuel 17:26)
David eventually killed Goliath as the Israelites overcame Philistine and cheers from the Israelites was directed to David as recorded, “…when David was returning from the slaughter of the Philistine, that the women had come out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with tambourines, with joy, and with musical instruments.  So the women sang as they danced, and said: “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands.” (1 Samuel 18:6-7)
The same David that was cheered by the Israelites was embarrassingly jeered by the Israelite. While David was still King, the heart of the men of Israel went with Absalom and David had no choice but to vacate the throne to run for his life. As David was fleeing curses and stones were the unimaginable jeers that were thrown at David. (2Samuel 16:5-14) David, a man after God’s heart experienced cheers and jeers but remained on track without distraction. David was focused to arrive at his expected journey of life.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace of God not to become a victim of world around you.