FAITH CAPSULE: Have you been engaging the word of God with seriousness or with joke?

Genesis 18, 19

Knowing about the word of God without engaging the word of God by doing the word of God is the evidence of not knowing God. Knowing about the word of God and not doing what the word says is also disobedient to God.
Have you been engaging the word of God with seriousness or with joke? There is no valid excuse to be disobeying the word of God. Disobeying the word of God is an indirect way of taking the word of God for joke. The word Joke is defined in the dictionary as, something said or done to provoke laughter or cause amusement; a matter that need not be taken very seriously or something that does not present the expected challenge. The word of God is definitely not to be taken for joke.
God spoke to Abraham, “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grave, I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry against it that has come to Me; and if not, I will know.” (Genesis 18:20-21) When God was set to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah because of sin He spoke to Abraham and Abraham took the word of God serious. Abraham repeatedly interceded on behalf of Sodom and Gomorrah but could not convince God from destroying Sodom and Gomorrah.
The angels that were sent to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah approached Lot and said, “…Have you anyone else here? Son-in-law, your sons, your daughters, and whomever you have in the city—take them out of this place! For we will destroy this place, because the outcry against them has grown great before the face of the Lord, and the Lord has sent us to destroy it.” (Genesis 19:12-13) With no doubt, one that knows God indeed will have understanding to know God enough by not engaging God’s word as a joke. Lot knew God enough not to take God’s word for joke. Lot, not wanting his people to be consumed by destruction made him to engage the word of God with seriousness. Lot responded to the messengers of God, “So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who had married his daughters, and said, “Get up, get out of this place; for the Lord will destroy this city!” But to his sons-in-law he seemed to be joking.” (Genesis 19:14)
God is not a comedian. Every single word of God should not be taken for joke. If you are one that does not obey the word of God, you have taken it for joke. There was no further indication that the sons-in-law followed Lot to the ground of escape from destruction. In this world of wickedness, it is time for man to turn against taking word of God as joke. The word of God is for deliverance and preservation from destruction.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace not to be a victim of not engaging God’s word seriously.

FAITH CAPSULE: One should give self to doing the will of God.

1 Samuel 30

Acts 13:21-22 recorded, “And afterward they asked for a king; so God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years.  And when He had removed him, He raised up for them David as king, to whom also He gave testimony and said, ‘I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will.’” Without doubt, Saul did not do all the will of God meaning that he was not after God’s own heart. David’s doing of God’s will made God to testified him as a man after God’s own heart. Are you doing all the will of God? Obviously, doing all the will of God will qualify one as one that is after God’s own heart.
What is it to learn from David’s life?
David was anointed to be king but for years he could not become king. Despite his knowing to become king and could arrive at the throne, he did not offset the plan of God for his life by trying to get to the throne before the appointed time of God. How often have you caused a diversion for yourself in an attempt to make the plans of God happen before God’s appointed time? He had the life of the reigning king (Saul) in his hand yet David did not take Saul’s life. David spared the life of Saul to wait for God’s appointed time.
It is worthy of note that, among characters of David which qualified him as a man after God’s own heart was his constant inquiring from God in the place of self-assumption. David refused to take situation into his hand but always taking situation to the hand of God. David inquired from God before he went after the Amalekites that took captive of wives, sons and daughters of his men that were fighting for him. It is written, “David inquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall I pursue this troop? Shall I overtake them?” And He answered him, “Pursue, for you shall surely overtake them and without fail recover all.” (1 Samuel 30:8) David constantly inquire from God by disallowing his past glory to replace his reliance on God for direction. As directed by God after his inquiring, “…David attacked them from twilight until the evening of the next day. Not a man of them escaped, except four hundred young men who rode on camels and fled. So David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away, and David rescued his two wives. And nothing of theirs was lacking, either small or great, sons or daughters, spoil or anything which they had taken from them; David recovered all.” (1 Samuel 30:17-19) Inquiring from God is evidence going after the heart of God which is the will of God. One should give self to doing the will of God and be answering as a man after the heat of God.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace of God to keep you for doing the will of God.

FAITH CAPSULE: Doing what is right wrongly delivers no right answer.

Psalm 92

Truly, engaging prayer is right and is certain to get God’s attention because God is a prayer answering God. However, engaging prayer wrongly will lead to a miss prayer. James 4:3 buttressed, “You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss…” With understanding and knowledge, man cannot get wrong when man engages God rightly.
Understanding is definitely a right way to be getting God’s attention. Praising God demands understanding and not praising amiss. With no understanding in praising God it is certain that such praising will not deliver expected answer. Psalmist identified as stated, “For God is the King of all the earth; sing praises with understanding”. (Psalm 47:7)
In attempt to get through to king on his throne, there is a process and the process is in traveling through the gate which leads to the court where the king sits and reigns. The psalmist clearly understood this when he stated in Psalm 100:4, “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him and bless His name.” There is hardly any other means which access man to the presence of God better and faster than giving thanks and praising God with understanding. Man should understand it that praising God cannot be separated from thanking Him. However, when man praises God, man will glorify Him (Psalm 50:23) and when man gives Him thanks, man will magnify Him (Psalm 69:30). With man’s understanding in praising and giving thanks, God performs to perfect in response to man’s understanding praise and thanks giving.
God is worthy of our praise and thanksgiving for all He has done, all that He is doing and all He will do. Psalmist prescribed, “It is good to praise the Lord, and make music to your name, O Most High, proclaiming your love in the morning and your faithfulness at night, to the music of the ten-stringed lyre and the melody of the harp.” (Psalm 92:1-3) God is a gracious God and deserves to be consciously and continuously given all praise. The psalmist pointed out, “How great are your works, Lord, how profound your thoughts!” (Psalm 92:5) God’s thoughts for man are of good and not of evil. God’s whose thoughts were demonstrated in His work. The same God yesterday, today and forever told the Israelites, “I will visit you and perform My good word toward you and cause you to return to this place.  For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:10-11) Interestingly, what He says to one speaks to all if man will know Him as God that is true to deliver. This ongoing month, believe and begin to expect that God will visit you and perform His good. In expectation by doing His word, manifestation shall become one’s portion.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace of strength thanking God without ceasing.

FAITH CAPSULE: Readjust spending time to studying the word of God in the place of spending time for world activities.

Hebrews 4

Readjustment by spending more time in the word of God more than spending more time in the world is learning the word of God to gain knowledge of God. Without doubt, without knowledge man is set for self-destruction. It is written, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge Because you have rejected knowledge…” (Hosea 4:6) Learning to gain knowledge is not skimming through the pages of His word in the bible but studying the word for understanding.
All that is needed most in this world is God’s word which is the reason why word of God is written for our learning. Romans 15:4 admonished, “For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.” Are you spending time to study the word or spending more time for the world? Readjust spending time to studying the word of God so that the word of God will work for one in this world of wickedness. The word of God is power for those who give self to learn and gain knowledge of God.  Are you expecting the word to answer on your behalf when you have not been answering to the word of God?
Word of God is power for healing, deliverance and preservation. Psalm 107:20 said it, “He sent His word and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.” The word of God is power to heal and to deliver. His word is already here for any who will readjust self by spending more time in the word of God.
Believe by living life in the world according to the word of God. The word of God cannot fail and will not fail. The book of Isaiah 55:11 made a declaration, “So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” The word of God demands full obedience. Obedience to the word of God will manifests the evidence of God in one’s life.
Take it to mind and know it that making noise by quoting the word of God delivers no power. However, engaging the word of God as man’s garment will cover man not to be naked and not exposed to the wickedness of this world.
Engage readjustment, come out of world get into word of God with assurance for man as it is written, “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.” (Hebrews 4:12)

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace for the word of God to be established in your life.

FAITH CAPSULE: In questioning will come truthful answer  for man to engage right direction.

Psalm 139

There is a way of everlasting and there is a way of eternal damnation. The question before man is to sincerely identify which way is before man. Man can deceive the whole world as regard to which way man is engaging in the journey of life. Are you engaging the way of everlasting or the way of eternal damnation? Walking truthfully according to the word of God leads to the way of everlasting (eternal) life. Walking outside of God’s word is a wicked way and it certainly lead to eternal damnation. Which way are you engaging? The ones whose word of God is near in their mouth but far from their heart are the wicked one. Who are the wicked ones? Jeremiah’s question before God pointed out who is wicked. Jeremiah 12:1-2, “Righteous are You, O Lord, when I plead with You; Yet let me talk with You about Your judgments. Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why are those happy who deal so treacherously? You have planted them, yes, they have taken root; They grow, yes, they bear fruit. You are near in their mouth But far from their mind.” Ones with the word of God in their mouth but far from their mind are wicked! Wicked ones are far from God by taking to the way of eternal damnation.
There is a way of everlasting and there is a way of eternal damnation. Both ways do not complement each other and no man can take to both ways at the same time. Man’s choice of engaging way of everlasting or way of eternal damnation belong to man. The way everlasting is clearly to God just as the way to eternal damnation is to hell.
The bible testifies, “Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever You had formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.” (Psalm 90:2) “Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and Your dominion endures throughout all generations.” (Psalm 145:13) “How great are His signs, and how mighty His wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and His dominion is from generation to generation.” (Daniel 4:3)
The word of God points out a way of avoiding eternal damnation by stating, “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.” (Proverbs 4:23) Eternal damnation must be a “not-going” place for man. Questioning self with desire of getting right answer will be pointing man to way of everlasting not to way of eternal damnation. Psalmist was questioning by seeking for everlasting way with the evidence of his desire testimony in Psalm 139:23-24, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; And see if there is any wicked way in me and lead me in the way everlasting.” In questioning will come truthful answer for man to engage right direction. Give self to truthful answer which lead to everlasting life.

Prayer for today: Ask God for His word to be established in you and set you for everlasting life.