FAITH CAPSULE: Watching and praying must be a priority in this wicked world.

1 Peter 4

Jesus paid price on the Calvary for us to be above and not be a victim of wicked world. Jesus repeatedly revealed to us that watching and praying but not sleeping carelessly is our must. Sleep can only sink but not position man as overcomer.
It is important to understand and know that a non-praying believer is a sleeping believer. The Bible recorded, “Then He came and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “Simon, are you sleeping? Could you not watch one hour? Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Mark 14:37-38) The disciples could not stay up in prayer but went down sleeping. Jesus attempted to keep His disciples up in praying and watching. Twice, Jesus could not keep them awake as it is written, “Then He came the third time and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? It is enough! The hour has come; behold, the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going. See, My betrayer is at hand.” (Mark 14:41-42) The Bible is not a story but a life with sustaining dosage for anyone that will take and use. In life, many become a victim of wickedness when sleeping overrides watching and praying.
As a believer, it is time to be awake and be spiritually alert. To be awake and be alert is to be on guard watching and praying. Few scriptural verses emphasized on the need to watch and pray stating, “Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass and to stand before the Son of Man.” (Luke 21:36) It is written in Ephesians 6:18, “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints.” The first book of Peter could not be completed without stating, “But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers.” (1 Peter 4:7) The only agent that can take a man away from watching and praying is sleep. Jesus warned his disciples of this very problem when they gave into sleep instead of watching as He prayed. This took place while Jesus was praying in the garden when His time of arrest was near.
Are you watching and praying? As an acclaimed believer, watching and praying must be a priority in this wicked world. Jesus has played His role on our behalf the Calvary to give life abundantly. Be conversant waiting on the Lord by watching and praying. As a believer, you have a role to play because the wicked one’s road leads to you. Make a must to become awake in the place of sleeping.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace to be awake watching and praying not to be a victim of this wicked world.

FAITH CAPSULE: In your challenging fear is your storm.

Psalm 34

Faith raises but fear sinks. Fear is the orchestration of the devil. Fear the work of devil is to sink man that looks not in the word of God which is the source of faith. Job, a great man of God testified, “For the thing I greatly feared has come upon me, and what I dreaded has happened to me.” (Job 3:25) The challenging testimony of Job was orchestrated by the devil. Job was testified by God, “…Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?” (Job 1:8)
Without doubt, fear will always come with challenge but having faith should be in place knowing that, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.” (Psalm 34:19) Imagine Job, a man of great stature in the hand of God with challenges of fear attempting to reduce him? Any man with reasons of challenging fears should have confidence to trust and hope in the word of God for deliverance from challenges orchestrated by the devil.
Just like Job, God also testified David through Samuel, “…The LORD has sought for Himself a man after His own heart…” (1 Samuel 13:14) Several times David was reduced into fear but he remained trust and hope in God by encouraging himself by the word of God. In one of David’s testimony, he stated, “My enemies would hound me all day, for there are many who fight against me, O Most High. Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You. In God (I will praise His word), In God I have put my trust; I will not fear. What can flesh do to me? (Psalm 56:2-4) Despite enemies that were hounding David, fear could not sink him but faith repeatedly raised him up and above all his challenges. David trusted God; he was praising Him in His word. David constantly held onto the wondrous and unusual acts of God.
To ignore fear is to look into the word of God which is the source of faith. In the middle of storm, Peter was reduced to fear. When Jesus walked on the storm towards Peter and his disciples, Peter could not keep his focus to join Jesus walking on the storm. The bible recorded, “…And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!”” (Matthew 14:29-30) In the word of God there is faith for deliverance but looking into the face of fear there is a way to sink.
What is your storm? In your challenging fear is your storm. Ignore storm to embrace strength. David encouraged himself in the word of God and he stepped on his storm.

Prayer for today: Ask God to deliver you from the spirit of fear.

FAITH CAPSULE: When man proposes to build outside of God, worrying will take charge and lead to destruction.

Matthew 6

Why are you worrying when Jesus said, “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?” (Matthew 6:25-27) Why do you have to worry when our creator says to His creation not to worry? Worrying is a device of the enemy to deny man from serving God with whole heart. When God says do not do the enemy is around to say do.
God spoke to Jeremiah, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.” (Jeremiah 1:5) The word of God to Jeremiah speaks to all without any exception. Evidently, God knows our end from the beginning. By virtue of this, it is true that whatever God propose no man can dispose. What God dispose no man can propose it. Have you been proposing without God? Have you taken your proposal before God to find out whether or not it is in line with Him? As a redeemed child of God, it is important for all of your proposals to involve God. It does not matter what you are, who you are, or where you are. You have to remember that you are under heaven and not beyond your Creator’s reach.
Most times when man proposes to build outside of God, worrying will take charge and lead to destruction. In Genesis 11:4 creation of God wanted to build outside of God as stated, “And they said, ‘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 scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.’” The proposed building was not the problem, but the motive behind the proposal was in conflict with the Almighty God of creation. The people were not Godly minded; they were planning outside of God that invited challenging worry. What are you trying to accomplish outside of God? Are you attempting to raise your shoulder above you head? Man’s proposal that does not center on God is an indirect withdrawal from the only One who can make or unmake the fulfillment of any proposal. Today avoid unexpected worrying by taking your proposal to the Almighty God who has seen the future from the past. He is a jealous God and He deserves all your attention so He can attend to you even more than your expectation.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace to look up to Him for your entire endeavor.

FAITH CAPSULE: Man can trump hate but God will deny trumpeted hatred at His appointed time.

John 4:1-45

Harboring hatred is hiding hatred or to be entertaining hatred. Ones that harbor believe in hatred. Hatred is not of God. Harboring hatred is hindering progress. Do you harbor hatred? Harboring hatred will definitely lead one to failure in every area of life. One in a position as president or whatever position that exists, there is no excuse for hatred before God. Without doubt, answering as a believer or unbeliever does not allow harboring hatred.
Proverbs 10:18 testified about hatred as a liar, “Whoever hides hatred has lying lips…” By the word, lying lips hides hatred. Do you lie? Jesus, the Truth could not hide hatred through His ministry. As a result of His truthfulness, He decided to go through Samaria on His way from Judea to Galilee. Going through Samaria is often forbidden by the Jew because of hatred for the Samarians. Jesus could have avoided Samaria because His people’s hate for Samaria but He came in love through Samaria. Are you a believer with hatred that is rerouting track from the way of assignment? It was in the hate polluted route that Jesus was able to plant one of the most effective testimonies of salvation. Jesus bypassed hatred to allow the revelation of living water to come to life and become more distinct.
In the route of Samaria, inhabited by the hated Samarians, Jesus with love encountered a Samaritan woman to ask for water. Jesus, the living water purposely requested for water so as to set-up His evangelism by introducing living water to the Samaritan woman. Going through hated Samaria, with love, Jesus made it known to the Samaria woman, “…Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” (John 4:13-14) The Samaritan woman was evangelized, having received Jesus’ message with joy as she left her water pot and went to testified the love of Jesus. The well of salvation is deep and every one does have a need to be able to draw for the living water. The Samaritan woman, through her encounter with Jesus, gained salvation, strength and song of salvation. By virtue of her gain, the Bible recorded, “The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, “Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?” Then they went out of the city and came to Him.” (John 4:28-30) Hatred is never going to win. Temporarily, hatred might prevail but it will never establish as winner. Man can trump hate but God will deny trumpeted hate at His appointed time for the progress of His agenda under heaven. Are you in position for hatred or in position to dismantle hatred? Let Jesus reign with truth.

Prayer for today: Ask God for deliverance from every spirit of hatred.

FAITH CAPSULE: Gain understanding, know to keep the word of God.

Acts 13

The word of God is a proven living word. Without doubt, what is it that the Word of God cannot do? Hebrews 4:12 pointed out, “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.” Gain understanding, know to keep the word of God. In the pages of the bible, God is repeatedly called a consuming fire. (Hebrews 12:29) God also testified to have sent His word. His word is in place for all purpose to answer for all that believes in His word. God described His word in Jeremiah 23:29, “Is not My word like a fire?” says the Lord, “And like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?” A believing believer that is not an unbelieving believer will gain understanding to know and engage word of God that is consuming fire which devours all that does not represent God in the journey of a believer. God should not to be taken as a joker or talkative in His word. In this wicked world, not to believe the word of God is taking to a position of self destruction. Proverbs 13:13 warned, “He who despises the word will be destroyed, but he who fears the commandment will be rewarded.” Doubt is a way of despising the word of God. Word of God warned against such as lying, deception, manipulation but man’s wickedness despises the word of God. Often, man take to the word of God as not truth. Man, that truly take to the word of God will not live the life of wickedness but shall abide to James 1:21-23 as stated, “Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror.”  
World is a journey and it demands for man to be built up and not be broken. The word of God is like a hammer in position breaking forces for man not be a victim of the forces of this world. The word of God is true. Paul the apostle admonished in Acts 20:32, “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.”
Do not dilute the word but be built by the world.
In this wicked world, keep the word of God. His word is faithful; His word is true; His word is proven; His word is right. 1John 2:5 said it all, “But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him.”

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace for His to reign and rule your life.