FAITH CAPSULE: In trouble, truly seek refuge in His pavilion.

Psalm 34

A time of trouble is not a time of comfort. Trouble often brings distress, disturbance, or pain. Among God’s generals in the pages of bible, Job is one with qualification to tell his bitter experience which can counsel man through times of troubling challenge. Job stated, “I am not at ease, nor am I quiet; I have no rest, for troubles come.” (Job 3:26) Job’s troubling challenge was not the evidence of pride but his trouble pointed out the evidences of trouble in the life of the troubled ones which are: not being at ease, not being in a quiet state of mind and lack of rest. Anywhere there is trouble, confusion will abide also and making wrong decisions will have its way.
In the life of man, pride is where trouble branches out from. King Herod is an example with trouble that was rooted in pride.
King Herod had no reason to be troubled at the announcement of the birth of the King of kings, Lord of lords when his decision demonstrated that of a troubled mind. It is written, “Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.” 3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.” (Matthew 2:1-3) Pride reason of King Herod trouble was his wrong perception and intimidation of the birth of a new King. The trouble that came into the life of King Herod led him to make wrong and confused decisions.
Most time, trouble is evidence of wrong and bad judgment or bad decision making. Are you experiencing trouble? Is Pride your challenge? Herod made an error in judgment and a wrong decision in his attempt to terminate God’s divine agenda. The decision of the wicked king to terminate God’s divine agenda brought to life the way and the infallible word of God to manifestation as it is written in Hosea 11:1, “When Israel was a child, I loved him, And out of Egypt I called My son.” The trouble in King Herod brought confusion into his life to think he could terminate the King of kings. With trouble mounting in life, bring self-down by looking up for God’s hand of deliverance. God is waiting to act for man that wait for God’s hand of deliverance.
With trouble, truly trust and hope for God’s invisible hand which is never short to deliver. Psalmist admonished assurance of God’s available deliverance as stated “For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; In the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock.” (Psalm 27:5). In trouble, truly seek refuge in His pavilion.

Prayer for today: Ask God for His deliverance hand in all area of challenging trouble.

FAITH CAPSULE: Why not turn to the word of God as priority?

John 1:1-34

What is your priority in this wicked world? Without doubt, giving self to the word of God as priority, man is taking to a position as co-creator agent for God. Man is to live by the word of God but not living by quoting the word of God empty. It is important for man to let the word of God be a priority. God prioritized His word as David’s Psalm 138:2 testified, “…You have magnified Your word above all Your name.” God also declared the importance of His word as stated, “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.” (Isaiah 55:11)
Is your time for the world overtaking your time for the word of God?
One that is occupied by world definitely need a serious readjustment. God says His word will not return back to Him void why not turn to the word of God as priority? The psalmist recorded, “He sent His word and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.” (Psalm 107:20) God already sent His word and He is still sending His word to those who make the choice making God’s word a priority. Healing, deliverance, preservation, provision, is in the word of God and the world does not have any better thing to offer compare to the word of God.
The Apostle Paul admonished the importance of the word of God, “So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.” When the word of God becomes a man’s priority man is set to be built by the word of God; man shall be established and begin to live life as an overcomer in the face of the wicked world.
Word of God cannot fail and will not fail. God cannot be deceived. If Man can make noise quoting the word but with a failure not to put on the word of God as garment is set to become naked and exposed to the wicked world. In this wicked world, it is crucial to prioritized the word of God by taking a position to become a co-creator agent for God. Word of God created the world and same word is available man as co-creator agent for God. Why not live truthfully in the word of God to make you His co-creator? Pay attention to John 1:1-3, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God.  All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.” Live life by attend to the word of God for His attention to answer in your life as His co-creator agent.

Prayer for today: Ask God for His grace to give your life to His word.

FAITH CAPSULE: Today, hear to learn and fear God for your life.

Proverbs 13

Limitation of man’s relationship with God is the evidence of man’s limitation of learning from the word of God. Obviously, the purpose of the written word of God is for man to learn. Romans 15:4 warned, “For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.”
What is it to learn in the word of God?
Learning the word of God is to gain understanding and knowledge for instruction and experience not to become a victim of wicked world. However, man is too busy and mindful of the world instead of learning in the word of God. Man, with no or limited learning gives way for repeating mistakes to become victim of evil agenda. For example, in the book of Judges, Israelites were distanced from God by giving to repeated sins. Consequence of pain of their sin was prompting repentance for forgiveness. Without their learning for understanding and knowledge, returning back to sin was Israelites pattern of life before God. Today, man have taken the pattern of not learning to avoid distance from God but living in repeated sin before God.
Word of God wants us to learn from Christ as stated, “But you have not so learned Christ.” Word of Ephesians 4:17-24, is written for our leaning:
^“ This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind,  having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart;  who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus:  that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts,  and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.”
Hearing and hearing (not hearing every once in a while) is the way of listening. With listening, learning is established in man’s life. It is in hearing that man will gain and learn to fear God all the days of life. Deuteronomy 4:10 speaks to all then and now, “…Gather the people to Me, and I will let them hear My words, that they may learn to fear Me all the days they live on the earth, and that they may teach their children.’”
Today, not hearing God’s word is not learning to fear God. Parents are too busy to learn from the word of God and not available to teach children. Government also aids parents by taking out word of God from school to teach children for the fear of God. Parents and Government in collusion to despise the word of God destroying the world. (Proverbs 13:13)

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace of learning in the word of God.

FAITH CAPSULE: Half obedient is full disobedient the evidence of rebellion before God.

1 Samuel 13

War of Philistines against King Saul and Israelites must have prompted Prophet Samuel to prayerfully seek word of God for King Saul. Samuel gave word to King Saul, “You shall go down before me to Gilgal; and surely I will come down to you to offer burnt offerings and make sacrifices of peace offerings. Seven days you shall wait, till I come to you and show you what you should do.” (1 Samuel 10:8) Waiting on God demands watching and praying. Saul received word from Samuel and could not watch for Samuels warning word of message but reacted outside of watching. It is written, “Then he waited seven days, according to the time set by Samuel. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal; and the people were scattered from him.  So Saul said, “Bring a burnt offering and peace offerings here to me.” And he offered the burnt offering. Now it happened, as soon as he had finished presenting the burnt offering, that Samuel came…” (1Samuel 13:8-10) Half obedience is not obedience it is disobedience. When man falls into temptation, disobedience will count against man as rebellion. Rebellion is resistance or opposition to the word of God. Saul could not wait through the seventh day which was Samuel’s warning word of message. Saul rebelliously offered the burnt offering which was against the word of God. King Saul rebelled before God.
Consciously or unconsciously, is rebellion your way of life? Is rebellion your pattern of approaching to the word of God? God responded to Saul’s rebellious act, his disobedience as stated, “And Samuel said to Saul, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, which He commanded you. For now, the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. ¹⁴ But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be commander over His people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.” (1 Samuel 13:13-14) Half obedient is full disobedient the evidence of rebellion before God. God sees all, the eyes of the Lord run to and fro watching for those who watch to wait on Him not to rebel. Consequence of rebellion is critical. Saul’s rebellion dis-established him over Israel and God replaced him.
Avoiding act of rebellion: Watch out and not be a victim of complaining which is the result of discouragement and breeds fear outside of God, in the face of enemy. Also, keeping eyes on God’s testimony is an avenue to overcome challenges. David’s testimony propelled his victory over Goliath as it is written, “…The Lord, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.”
Allow the word of God to sanctify you for His glory.

Prayer for today: Ask God for His glory to be established in your heart.

FAITH CAPSULE: Giving self to praying and not watching is certain for temptation to miss God’s promise.

Luke 25:1-25

From experience, Jesus warned us to watch and pray lest we enter into temptation. After Jesus’ praying with fasting, His watching and not become a victim of devil’s temptation recorded, “And the devil said to Him, “…If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” (Luke 4:3) Repeatedly, devil’s temptation for Jesus failed. If Jesus can experience temptation man cannot avoid temptation without watching and praying.
Temptation is the result of sleeping from sorrow while rebellion is the character of temptation. Rebellion is resistance or opposition to the word of God. When complaining, discouragement or fear raises its flag man will show to be identified as rebellion against God.
Rebellion is the author of hardness of heart which is not hearing God’s word.
Hebrews 3:7-13 buttressed, “…Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, In the day of trial in the wilderness, where your fathers tested Me, tried Me, and saw My works forty years. Therefore, I was angry with that generation, and said, ‘They always go astray in their heart, and they have not known My ways.’ So I swore in My wrath, ‘They shall not enter My rest.’” Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; ¹³ but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.”  Verses above are the characters of rebellious before God: hardness of heart; testing (challenging) God; going astray (going amiss, departing from God) in heart and becoming a victim of deceitfulness of sin. In life, without watching and praying will give to temptation which encases rebellion.
The Israelites were rebellious in their journey of deliverance to God’s Promised land. The Israelites prayed to God for deliverance out of the bondage of over four hundred years but failed by not watching as they gave self to rebellion. Prayer delivered Israelites from bondage but lack of watching gave them to temptation. Jesus warned man to watch and pray. Giving self to praying without watching is set for temptation.
Are you praying and not watching? Jesus is not a talkative but true to manifest His word in the life of obedient ones.
A priest named Zacharias and his wife Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well advanced in years. On prayer ground the priest was prayerful but not watchful when angel said, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.” (Luke 1:13) Zacharias was not watchful when he responded to angel’s news for his answered prayer as stated, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years.” (Luke 1:18) Zacharias tested God which is the character of rebellion. Watch and pray is a warning command of Jesus for man not to miss out the blessings of God.

Prayer for today: Ask for God’s hand that is not short, to be upon you against failing before God.