Faith Capsule: Do not order negative by confessing negativity.

Numbers 14

What man orders is rooted in the heart and it flows out of mouth. What are you thinking? What is it you are confessing? Proverbs 4:23 is talked about what comes out of heart through mouth as stated, “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.” A heart that is well kept will keep positive thought and avoiding negative thought. It is positive thought or negative thought that often turns to positive or negative confession. Proverbs 18:21 recorded the effectiveness of what comes out of tongue, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” Whatever man orders for will surely arrive at appointed time.
Through the pages of the Bible, what was ordered by man’s thought and confession out were delivered with consequences. In the days after the flood, men gathered and stated, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.” (Genesis 11:4) A careless thought provokes a negative confession about fear of not getting scattered. Genesis 11:7-8 recorded, “Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.’ So the LORD scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they ceased building the city.” God heard the negative communication which asked for being scattered and they were all scattered. The people ordered negative thought and negative confession which eventually got them scattered.
After the bondage of over four hundred years, negative communication took charge over the journey of the Israelites to Promised Land and they were terminated. The Israelites responded to the negative report of spies by confessing negative “…If only we had died in the land of Egypt! Or if only we had died in this wilderness! Why has the LORD brought us to this land to fall by the sword, that our wives and children should become victims? Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt…” (Numbers 14:2-4) God with good plan for the Israelites could not stop them from their choice of negative thoughts and confession which they ordered. God responded, “…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.” (Numbers 14:27-29) The Israelites thought and confessed death and all died as confessed except for Joshua and Caleb who confessed positively. Do not order negative but positive in the place of thought and communication.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace of God not to become a victim of negative thought or confession.

Faith Capsule: In your situation, are you receiving discouraging news?

Isaiah 38

Going through the pages of bible, it is worthy to get knowledge that God hears to answer. God does not sleep at man’s doing. He is a living God and His eyes go to and fro all over His creation. 2 Chronicles 16:9 recorded, “For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself…” Whatever a man is doing in the eyes of God will deliver answer from God to man. God sees and hears to answer. In the case of Hannah, 1 Samuel 1:5-6 recorded, “But to Hannah he would give a double portion, for he loved Hannah, although the Lord had closed her womb.  And her rival also provoked her severely, to make her miserable, because the Lord had closed her womb.” Hannah was barren because the Lord closed her womb. However, when she engaged in prayer of persistence Eli the priest saw her; mistook her for drunk and prayed for her stating, “…Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition which you have asked of Him.” (1 Samuel 1:17) Prayer was rendered to God by Eli on behalf of Hannah. Hannah’s response to her opened womb to have Samuel testified that God hears and answers prayer. 1 Samuel 1:20, recorded, “So it came to pass in the process of time that Hannah conceived and bore a son, and called his name Samuel, saying, “Because I have asked for him from the Lord.” Hannah asked and God that hears gave her answer.
Hezekiah violated before God and was set for untimely death. Isaiah 38:1 recorded, “In those days Hezekiah was sick and near death. And Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, went to him and said to him, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Set your house in order, for you shall die and not live.’” Hezekiah refused to give up according to the message of Isaiah from God.
In your situation, are you receiving discouraging news? Remember, there is God that is in the business to see and hear man’s petition.
Indeed, Hezekiah had no choice but turned himself to God in prayer. God heard Hezekiah with response as it is written, “And the word of the Lord came to Isaiah, saying, “Go and tell Hezekiah, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father: “I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; surely I will add to your days fifteen years.” (Isaiah 38:4-5) God is a proven God that does not have reason to prove Himself for any man under heaven. He is Unchanging changer to do as it pleases Him if man will do what pleases Him. God is absolutely in charge, He is the Commanding in command. Hannah was persistently un-discouraged before God to get answer from God that hears. Hezekiah wept bitterly before God while he reminded God about his reputable walks before God to get his healing answer from God. God hears and He will answer you.

Prayer for today: Ask for God’s mercy to hear and give answer to your challenging situation.

Faith capsule: Every provision in redemption is only accessible by faith.

Hebrews 11

Believing God, engaging God is faith. Faith that works for one is the faith that is rooted in the word of God. Faith is inner conviction faith which cannot fail. A certain woman was convinced and did not allow the crowd to deny her stretching out to tap on Jesus. The blind man’s faith was rooted on calling Jesus’ uncommon name as he ignored crowd with their attempt to shut him out for is healing. Jesus responded to the blind why the crowd became onlooker. Evidently, faith will elevate man to rise above doubting force to receive as expected in the name of God.
Faith taps into divine virtue. The documentation of the woman with the issue of blood is a testimony. It is written, “Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years, and had suffered many things from many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse.  When she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment.  For she said, “If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well.” (Mark 25:28) The woman received instant healing. Jesus knew power had gone out of Him when He responded by wanting to know who touched Him in a thronging crowd. After the woman showed up, Jesus responded to her stating, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace and be healed of your affliction.” (Mark 5:34) Faith is spiritual channel that connects to divine virtue. Faith is man’s discovery of man’s right in God. Every provision in redemption is only accessible by faith. Everyone was touching Him, only one was tapping from Him.
In the place of crowd, a blind man was gaining through to Jesus without any man’s aid but was aided by faith that was deep in his heart. Faithfully, blind man cried out to Jesus calling Him by uncommon names. Mark 10:47, “And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Crowd attempted to keep blind man quiet but he cried out more until Jesus responded when He stood still and commanded him to be called. (Mark 10:49)
Faith is of the heart not of face. God searches the heart to see faith (Jeremiah 17:10)
Faith is not a principle it is a weapon. Ephesians 6:16 buttressed, “above all, taking the shield of faith with which, you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.”
Faith is a spiritual force, it is a take-able force which a believer can hold onto. Faith is a tangible (concrete, real, noticeable) force not a theory (philosophy, system). Jesus saw the faith of a paralytic man which tore roof to access Jesus for healing where there was no way. (Mark 2:1-6)

Prayer for today: Ask God for the spirit of faith to be established in your life.

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.