FAITH CAPSULE: Heart of man is deceitful above all things, who can know it?

2 Samuel 11

Man cannot be hidden before God. It is man’s heart that presents man before God. Every doing of man under heaven is clearly open before God because heart is where man’s action is fashioned under heaven. God sees all about man’s doing through the heart of man. Genesis 6:5 testified how heart exposed man’s wickedness before God, “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.” Heart of man is not open for fellow man to see man’s heart but only God can see and know what transpires in the heart of man. Jeremiah 17:9 recorded, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?”
The Bible clearly pointed out the heart of man is where the rise and fall of man begins. Satan makes heart of man as his important target for a launching pad to attack. Judas spent time with Jesus yet his heart made him available as a playground for Satan. The book of Luke 22:3-4 stated, “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 to establish his plan of betraying Jesus. Invariably, faith will fail when the enemy attacks the heart of man. 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)
Evil doing is the business of Satan and he has taken the heat of man as target. However, the heart that is not reachable by Satan as target is the heart with constant engagement to the word of God by meditating on the word of God. Besides meditating the word of God to disengage Satan from one’s heart one must be cautious of what eyes are feeding on for heart’s consumption. King David, a man after God’s heart carelessly, not diligently keeping his heart when he set eyes recklessly on Uriah the Hittite’s wife (Bathsheba) David sent messengers to Bathsheba and lay with her. Eventually Bathsheba conceived and David responded with crime before God when he eventually set-up the death of Bathsheba’s husband (Uriah). Keep heart diligently from evil by meditating the word of God.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace of keeping heart diligently.

FAITH PRESCRIPTION: Eliminate doubt by celebrating Jesus’ resurrection every moment.

Mathew 11

It is written, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” Jesus came for man and paid it all on the cross for man to have life abundantly.
Knowing to be celebrating Jesus’ resurrection should be the evidence of faith. Faith will deny fear that is rooted in doubt. What is it that is causing you to have doubt instead of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ? With doubt fear will eventually come to place. Where there is fear or when fear is rising, faith will sink. The Bible identifies the source of faith stating, “…faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Romans 10:17) Engage hearing and hearing by the word of God, allow faith to rise while fear resting on doubt to sink.
John the Baptist doubted Jesus. It is written, “And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples and said to Him, “Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?” (Matthew 11:2-3) Many are celebrating Jesus once in a while is like positioning self in the prison of doubt. John the Baptist, was in government’s prison, while spending time in prison he doubted Jesus. Evidently, John was in double prison. It was John that baptized Jesus but doubted about who Jesus was. It is written, “Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him” (Matthew 3:13) John the Baptist bears witness of Jesus, “…Behold The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is He of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.”’ (John 1:29-30) John also exalted Jesus when he stated that, “He who comes from above is above all; he who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of the earth. He who comes from Heaven is above all.” (John 3:31)
Despite all which John the Baptist testified about Jesus, when he was in the prison of his life, he doubted Jesus. John wanting to know what he already knew testified to John only know about Jesus. Remember you have heard it all and you have seen it all; if you will hold on to all that you have known you will depart from doubt and not dwell in fear. Jesus’ response to John’s doubt speaks to all with doubts, “…Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them.” (Mathew 11:4-5) Where there is doubt faith has a tendency to drown. Give self to meaningful celebration of Jesus by celebrating Jesus’ resurrection every moment.

Prayer for today: Ask for grace of God to keep you that your faith will not allow doubt and fear over your life.

FAITH CAPSULE:God is a gracious God and to be praised for the gift of unceasing celebration of salvation.

Psalm 92

Any man with ability to be counting number of times of giving thanks to God daily is evidently short of thanking God. Think of it, are you man that is thinking of thanks giving to God or giving thanks to God? Thinking thanks giving to God is limiting celebration of God’s doing. Giving thanks is celebrating God’s doing without ceasing.  God is good and He is worthy of praise and thanksgiving for all He has done, all that He is doing and all He will do. Psalmist prescribed stating, “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 to be praised for the gift of unceasing celebration of salvation through Jesus Christ. God sent His Beloved Son to die and bring to life for man’s salvation from sin.
The psalmist pointed out, “How great are your works, Lord, how profound your thoughts!” (Psalm 92:5) We have a God whose thoughts for man are of good and not of evil. We do have a God whose thoughts were demonstrated in His work. The same God yesterday and today once 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 said them speaks to all today. Clearly, when God sent His Beloved Son, the Living Word of God came and die for man for the purpose of man’s salvation the evidence of God’s word for all man.
It is worthy to praise Him with understanding. Without understanding, praising Him will not be backed with strength and that could be the reason why the psalmist declared, “For God is the King of all the earth; sing praises with understanding”. (Psalm 47:7) There have to be the understanding that praising God is what grants access into His presence. In any attempt to get to a king that is on throne, there has to be a process and the process is in traveling through the gate and eventually to the court where the king sits and reign. 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 praise. It is also understanding and knowledge that praising God cannot be separated from thanking God. However, when we praise Him we glorify Him (Psalm 50:23) and when we give Him thanks we magnify Him (Psalm 69:30). In this season, give God unceasing praise and thanks giving for grace which brought salvation to man.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace of giving thanks not just thinking about thanks giving.

FAITH CAPSULE: Seek Jesus diligently to know Him, do not settle for knowing about Jesus.

John 21

Man needs to hear directly from God to know and answer to God’s divine assignment. Samuel ministered to the Lord before Eli. Until he heard directly from God, he could not resume at the center of divine assignment. Samuel did not know God’s calling when God called him three times while he was answering to Eli. After the third time of calling, Eli redirected Samuel to go and hear and answer directly to God. It is written, “Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down; and it shall be, if He calls you, that you must say, ‘Speak, Lord, for Your servant hears.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.” (1 Samuel 3:9) Samuel heard directly to know and answered to God for God’s divine assignment over his life.
Disciples spent time with Jesus but evidently could not hear to know Him enough and could not resume the calling of divine assignment upon their life. Jesus repeatedly appeared to His disciples before they heard, saw and know Jesus to resume their divine assignment. After Jesus’ resurrection, he appeared to the disciples at Sea of Tiberias where they were on fishing business. The bible recorded, “But when the morning had now come, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus” (John 21:4) The evidence that Jesus’s disciples not knowing Him is certain that those who read and not see Jesus in the physical are certain not to know Him.
Many celebrate the rise of Jesus with lack of knowledge. Many spend time in the church but very far from Jesus while He is in their presence. Today, so many answers title before God’s assignment but there is no evidence of engaging task of God’s calling.  As an acclaimed believer of Jesus, do you know him or you only know about Him? Since the times of Old Testament to New Testament, the people of God do not know God just as God spoke, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge…” (Hosea 4:6) Truly, it is time to seek Jesus diligently to know Him and avoid self-destroy.
Jesus is the word of God, desire to know Him in encountering the word of God. Ezekiel encountered the word to gain knowledge of God. Ezekiel 2:1-2 recorded, “And He said to me, “Son of man, stand on your feet, and I will speak to you.”  Then the Spirit entered me when He spoke to me and set me on my feet; and I heard Him who spoke to me.”” No man hears God indeed and doubts Him. Having doubt is the evidence for not been built by the word. Allow the word of God to build you. Before all that was built, Jesus was there in the beginning and there He is forever. Jesus is the Master builder. The same word that brought forth creation is still the same word that is building those who receive and believe in Him. Get to know Jesus.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace to know Him more.       

FAITH CAPSULE: Are you a once a year of celebration of Jesus Christ?

Matthew 28

Celebration of Jesus’ going to cross and rising up is the ACTION OF JOY which is celebrating with faith. (Jesus saw paralytic man and friend’s action as faith for healing. It is written, “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. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.” (Mark 2:4-5)) Celebrating with faith must be with KNOWLEDGE. Without knowledge there be no answer for celebrating of Jesus Christ’s rising from the grave. (Man perish without knowledge) Celebrating with faith should be every moment of life by knowing that Jesus Christ paid it all on the cross and rose up for man to have life abundantly.
Celebrating the suffering, death and rising of Jesus Christ should be meditating or thinking on the passion of Jesus Christ. Meditating the passion of Jesus Christ is to always think, to be reflecting on what Jesus Christ has done. Celebrating while meditating passion of Jesus Christ will make man to focus and be-living for God.
It is very important to know (not to know about) celebrating by meditating the passion of Jesus Christ and not perish. Bible says, “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world but that the world might be saved through him.” (John 3,16-17)
Celebrating by meditating the passion of Christ regularly changes the lives of those who practice. Are you a once a year of celebration of Jesus Christ? Is your celebration of Jesus a mark of religion? With knowledge, celebrate by meditating the passion of Jesus Christ to experience such as:
Celebrating the passion of Jesus does not lead to pessimism (doubt) but takes away disappointment and hopelessness.
Celebrating passion of Jesus Christ is keeping alive the memory of death and rise of Jesus for man.
Celebrating passion of Jesus Christ is not think of self but of God’s will.
Celebrating passion of Jesus Christ is turning to God in faith.
Celebrating passion of Jesus Christ is the power that saves.
Celebration of the passion of Jesus Christ is a reality that should grow in us. The more man abandon self to meditating passion of Christ, the more it becomes Jesus living in man. Galatians 2:20 is all that celebrating passion of Jesus Christ should be centered of in man as it is written, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace to know more of Him and not miss out from God’s divine assignment.