FAITH CAPSULE: Giving regard with attention to the word of God is encased in meditating the word of God day and night

Joshua 1

Regard with attention is the way to observe and do the word of God. Without observing the word of God chances to see in the word and obey is almost impossible.  Man must observe to see in the word. The word you observe and see determines what becomes of you. Proverbs 4:20-21 stated, “My son, give attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; keep them in the midst of your heart.” Certainly, the word is telling us not to let the word depart from our eyes. To see in the word is to keep the word in the heart. Having the understanding to engage word by constantly meditating the word will enable one to observe, see and do as the word commands.
The importance of giving regard with attention to the word of God is encased in meditating the word of God constantly consistently. Joshua’s way of success was in the revelation of word of the Lord as stated, “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.” (Joshua 1:8) When meditation is carefully engaged as commanded by God it will give meaning and understanding for its application in every step of life. Why not take the time to be meditating the word of God day and night? Meditating but not memorizing will enable to be observing the word of God to undoubtedly see in the word and do exactly as commanded in the word of God. Meditating on the word of God is making headway by the presence of God (presence of word carried) in the daily journey life. Meditation is trusting God to instruct and teach not to be a victim of this wicked world in the daily journey life.
Moses emphasizes the importance of meditating the word of as he admonished the children of Israel, “But it shall come to pass, if you do not obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments and His statutes which I command you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you.” (Deuteronomy 28:15) A word is not enough to describe what meditation is about. It can be described as having an open line of communication with God. Meditation is what keep the heart diligent as required in (Proverbs 4:23)
Meditation is praying all day long. If meditating is not a prayer, the psalmist would not have stated, “Hear my voice, O God, in my meditation; preserve my life from fear of the enemy.” (Psalm 64:1) Praying day and night when all is well and when challenging is not expected demands constant and consistent meditating prayer.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace to be obedient to His direction.

FAITH CAPSULE: Rendering heartfelt thanksgiving to God is real to get God’s attention.

Psalm 107

God alone is worthy of constant and consistent thanksgiving. Ability to count the number of thanks to God is an evidence of shortage of thanksgiving to God. God is worthy for uncountable number of thanksgiving every moment. Are you in place thinking thanksgiving to God? Thinking thanksgiving is not thanksgiving but a muted thanksgiving that is not worth it for a Worthy God. To be alive day after days, week after weeks, month after months, year after years calls for heartfelt thanksgiving to God. Giving thanks to God is never too much at every breath. Give God thanksgiving with understanding!
For Worth caring God, bible verses stated thanksgiving for our learning: “And when you offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving to the Lord, offer it of your own free will. (Leviticus 22:29) “Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.” (Psalm 95:2) In every moment of breath of life, man should be rendering thanksgiving to the Lord for His Great Works of deliverance. “Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.” (Psalm 107:1) “Let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare His works with rejoicing.” (Psalm 107:22) “I will offer to You the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the Lord.” (Psalm 116:17) “Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.” (Psalm 136:1) “Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving; Sing praises on the harp to our God.” (Psalm 146:7) “Then out of them shall proceed thanksgiving and the voice of those who make merry; I will multiply them, and they shall not diminish; I will also glorify them, and they shall not be small.” (Jeremiah 30:19) “But I will sacrifice to You With the voice of thanksgiving.” (Jonah 2:9) “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God” (Philippians 4:6) “Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving.” (Colossians 4:2)
Giving thanks to God is all that matters for jealous God a due attention. It is written for our learning that thanks giving to God will give life to every dead situation in life. Giving thanks brought Lazarus out of death to life, “Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me.” Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!” And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Loose him, and let him go.” (John 11:41-44)Giving heartfelt thanks to God is real to get God’s attention for uncommon miracle.

Prayer for today: Father, I thank You that you have heard me for thanking you in all things.

FAITH CAPSULE: Examine yourself, identify and deny pride which is the silent agent for worrying.

Matthew 6:22-34 Luke 10:38-42

Worrying is not of God but an evidence of not believing the word of God. Matthew 6:25-27 recorded, “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? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?” Why are you worrying? Think of it, why are you worrying instead of worshiping God for the privilege of breath? Challenging situation persists with pain but it is certain that deliverance shall turn pain to gain for the glory of God. Psalm 34:19 encourages, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.” God is right and He is certain to deliver in all things. If man should believe God for all things then nothing shall be a worrying burden. It is written, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7)
Despite Martha’s welcoming of Jesus into her house, worrying could not release her but remained with her as partner. Martha entertained Jesus but worrying was her company. Worrying branches out of pride. Martha took her case to Jesus because pride was set in her. She said, “…Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.” (Luke 10:40) Jesus knows all as He identified the problem of Martha with response, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things.” (Luke 10:41) In Martha’s service for God, worrying took over Martha and allows trouble to be the cap of her life. Today, carefully examine yourself, identify and deny pride which is the silent agent for worrying.
As a believer it is now to know and identify pride as the source of other evil such as lying, stubbornness, anger, unforgiving and worrying instead of worshipping God. If Martha, with Jesus in the house, could be trapped, be attentive by praying and watching not to be a victim of worrying.
In life self-destruction is encased in pride. Pride will open man as vulnerable for the devil to strike.  Pride precedes captivity. It is pride that denies man from hearing and giving ear to the spoken word of God. Jeremiah 13:15 buttressed, “Hear and give ear: do not be proud, for the Lord has spoken.” Evidently, a failure to hear and do what God is saying is a passage to end up wrong.

Prayer for today: Ask for God’s deliverance from pride and not become a victim of self-destruction.

FAITH CAPSULE: Many are self-ordained leaders but the word of the Lord is rare and no widespread revelation.

1 Samuel 3

It is written, “Now the boy Samuel ministered to the Lord before Eli. And the word of the Lord was rare in those days; there was no widespread revelation.  And it came to pass at that time, while Eli was lying down in his place, and when his eyes had begun to grow so dim that he could not see, and before the lamp of God went out in the tabernacle of the Lord where the ark of God was, and while Samuel was lying down, that the Lord called Samuel. And he answered, “Here I am!” So he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” And he said, “I did not call; lie down again.” And he went and lay down.” (1 Samuel 3:1-5) Evidently, Samuel was ministering to the Lord before Eli but did not know God but he knew about God. When there is no knowing God, His word shall be rare and not widespread with revelation. So many are ministering to the Lord before a leader that does not conversant with the word of God and could not hear from God. Eli was there but not in place to be called by God but God called on the boy Samuel that was yet to know God.
Many are self-ordained leaders such as pastor, prophets or apostles but the word of the Lord is rare and no widespread revelation.
At the time of Samuel’s calling there was no understanding of who God was and Samuel could not answer like one that knows God. Knowledge is wealth and it is also the power to be different when there is understanding. Eli, by his understanding and knowledge with the Lord, he directed 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 with understanding that was acquired when Eli directed him made him to know what to do and hear from God. It is written, “Now the LORD came and stood and called as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel answered, “Speak, for Your servant hears.” Then the LORD said to Samuel…” (1 Samuel 3:10-11) The boy Samuel understood and he knew how to hear from God and it made the difference of His knowing God. Knowing to quote the scripture is not an evidence of knowing God. It is important to know the word of God and live as one that knows God. Do you know God or you are one that only knows so much about the word of God? Gain the understanding to know God and live life for His glory.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace not to miss knowing Him to answer for His calling.

FAITH CAPSULE: How are you serving Him to seek Him?

Deuteronomy 28

It is written, “And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments of the Lord and His statutes which I command you today for your good?  Indeed heaven and the highest heavens belong to the Lord your God, also the earth with all that is in it.” (Deuteronomy 10:12-14) Word of God speaks to all. Do you love God to serve Him pleasingly? Serving God is to seek Him. Today, acclaimed believers are serving God as it pleases man instead of serving God as it pleases God.
Loving God demands serving Him diligently. To be diligent means to be constant in effort to accomplish doings for His glory. Diligence is to be attentive and persistent in doing in all good. Across the pages of the Bible, diligence describes the standard that is in place for man to see God and if man do not find Him now there will be no finding Him after the life now. Paul the apostle gave a valedictory speech and stated, “For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have kept the faith. (2 Timothy 4:6-7) Paul’s statement indicated that living life is like being in race. If we are not in a race, Hebrews 12:1 would not have stated, “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.”
How are you serving Him to seek Him? Is your race going to qualify you before God? Serving God to seek Him demands diligence just like running race. Man’s race demands diligence especially when man do not see in running with endurance in the physical.
Are you aware of any ensnaring sin such as lie, deception, and manipulation in your race of living life? Is your race according to God’s standard? With diligence, we are to live life according to God’s standard.
With diligence, we are to serve God earnestly to obey His command. Deuteronomy 11:13 stated, “And it shall be that if you earnestly obey My commandments which I command you today, to love the Lord your God and serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul.” Deuteronomy 11:18 added, “Therefore you shall lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.” Serve God to seek Him diligently according to His word.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace in your serving Him to seek Him diligently.