FAITH CAPSULE: How do we carry the word of God?

Genesis 39

The word of God has been diluted in many ways instead of retaining the word of God in the heart. Many are adding or taking away from what God said. Proverb 30:6 warned, “Do not add to His words, Lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar.” The book of Revelation 22:18 also warned, “For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book.” In the journey of life, give self to carrying the word of God to avoid diluting the word of God; to avoid adding or taking out from the word of God.
How do we carry the word of God?
Ones that carries the word will be carried by the word through in this wicked world. The bible makes us to apprehend that we are to carry the word in our heart. Bible recorded, “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart.” (Deuteronomy 6:6) “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.” (Deuteronomy 11:18) “Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You.” (Psalm 119:11) “Moreover He said to me: “Son of man, receive into your heart all My words that I speak to you, and hear with your ears.” (Ezekiel 3:10)
Joseph is a testimony that carried the word in the heart and could arrive at the center of God’s divine assignment for his life. As he journeyed, sin presented itself to him when the wife of his master approached him to lie with her. Joseph disengaged sin stating, “…How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” (Genesis 39:19) Joseph hide the word of God in his heart not to sin. Imagine what could have happened to Joseph’s great journey in life if he had fallen for his master’s wife sin trap. It was the word you are carrying in the heart that will serve as a key to open door for deliverance and breakthrough in the journey of life.
Meditating the word of God in the heart will elevate man in the journey of life.
Word of God promised to deliver the Israelites to the Promise Land and the word of promise stayed in the heart of Caleb. Joshua 14:7 recorded Caleb’s testimony, “I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadesh Barnea to spy out the land, and I brought back word to him as it was in my heart.”
Caleb and Joshua could not deliver negative report as a spy but positive as the word of God they had in the heart. Come out of memorizing the word in your head; commit to meditating the word in the heart.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace to turn your heart to a hidden place for His word.

FAITH CAPSULE: It pleases God to be thankful.

Luke 17:11-37

One that knows to think will never be short of giving thanks to God. By God’s grace, it is a privilege to go to sleep through hours of the night and to wake up to see a new day. Giving thanks to God for seeing a new day cannot be enough. A man that can see a new day to go out and able to return at the end of the day owes God a living thanks giving. Just a question: Up till this hour, how many times have you lifted your voice giving thanks to God today? One that can count to identify numbers of thanksgiving to God is short and yet to give enough thanks to God.
Are you one with a shut-up mouth from giving thanks to God?
One that opens mouth wide in giving thanks to God will be filled up by God. After the bondage of over four hundred years of the Israelites, God expected open-mouth not shut-up mouth for their deliverance. God required from the Israelites saying, “I am the Lord your God, Who brought you out of the land of Egypt; Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.” (Psalm 81:10) Opening mouth wide giving thanks to God is fulfilling God’s expectation from His creation. Jesus demonstrated His expectation for thanksgiving from us. Bible recorded Jesus’ passing through midst of Samaria and Galilee when He engaged ten lepers. The lepers caught the attention of Jesus for their healing. When Jesus saw, them He said to them “…Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed.”” (Luke 17:14) In Jesus’ cleansing word for the ten lepers, cleansing answered while only one of the ten lepers returned to render thanks giving to Jesus for his cleansing. God is expecting our thanks giving always. Jesus’ responded to the only one leper out of the ten lepers, “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? ¹⁸ Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” And He said to him, “Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well.” (Luke 17:17-19) God is a good God. Without doubt, good God expects our thanks giving always. Are you one that is giving thanks to God always?
Giving thanks to God is among ways of pleasing God instead of pleasing man. Are you one that will consider pleasing God always? God that is mindful of man is paying attention to identify man that is mindful of Him. Being mindful of God is the indication of man that pleases God. Will you begin to please God and be on top of your world with peace of God? Proverbs 16:7 pointed out, “When a man’s ways please the Lord, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.” Please God by giving thanks to God repeatedly.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace to be heart full of giving Him thanks always.

FAITH CAPSULE: Be acknowledging God in your ways of living life.

Psalm 50

It is written, “Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, let not the mighty man glory in his might, nor let the rich man glory in his riches; but let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight,” (Jeremiah 9:23-24) One that understands and knows God is set in the position to do great exploit to the glory of God. Daniel 11:32 buttressed, “…but the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits.” Are you conducting or boasting on your might or riches? Under heaven nothing man possesses that is enough to surpass one that understands and knows God.
Getting to understand and knowing God matters the most in all areas of life. All things which man is doing should be propelled by understanding and knowing God. How long one has been in the church is not enough to understand and know God. In life, it is possible for a man to be in church all the days under heaven but not understand and know God. Do you understand and know God enough to be your boast?
Among ways of boasting in God is acknowledging God. To be acknowledging God is praising God. Psalm 50:23 stated, “Whoever offers praise glorifies Me; and to him who orders his conduct aright I will show the salvation of God.” Let boasting God become your conduct by praising God in all areas of your life as recorded, “Praise God in His sanctuary; praise Him in His mighty firmament! Praise Him for His mighty acts; praise Him according to His excellent greatness! Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet; Praise Him with the lute and harp! Praise Him with the timbrel and dance; praise Him with stringed instruments and flutes! Praise Him with loud cymbals; Praise Him with clashing cymbals! Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!” (Psalm 150)
In your boasting praise God to provoke the hand of God for His favor. Daniel did not boast his great exploit over having overnight in the den of lions without scratch. He boasted His God by saying that God sent His angel and shut the lions’ mouth and could not hurt him. Acknowledging God is boasting God.
David boasted His God to convince Saul for permission to go against Goliath, “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.” And Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you!” (1 Samuel 17:36-37) David made his boast in the Lord and not in the might that he was able to kill lion and bear. Acknowledging God as your conduct praising God.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace of acknowledging God in every way of life.

FAITH CAPSULE: Are you serving God the way that seems right to you?

Proverbs 16

Serving God in your way will please you but is not serving God and not pleases God. Hebrews 11:6 stated, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” Pleasing God in ways that pleases Him is the evidence of man’s faith. Man, that pleases God will seek Him diligently to provoke the rewarder of God.
In this coming days, desire and pray for the grace to be pleasing God instead of pleasing man. In this wicked world of deception, lying and manipulations, avoid giving self to pleasing man in the place of pleasing God. It is important to know that God cannot be deceived. Proverbs 16:2 buttress, “All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes; but the Lord weighs the spirits.” God is the perfect and only creator that wants us to be pleasing Him in all His ways as commanded in His word. Pleasing Him by walking in His ways will keep man from becoming a victim in the hands of enemies. The word of God buttressed in Proverbs 16:7, “When a man’s ways please the LORD, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.” God has given us His word which is our assurance to gain the blessing of pleasing Him. Take to the way (word) of God not the way that seems right to you.
Are you taking to the way of God? Begin to take to the way of God and God will take you beyond your expectation. Starting from this day, always take to the way of God. The word counsels, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” (Proverbs 16:25) The way that seems right is outside of the way of God. No matter how far the way that seems right has taken you, today is time to turn to the way of God.
Any other way outside of the way of God is a way of self-destruction. Truly, in the written word of God, it has not been documented about anyone that has taken to the way of God and ended up in destruction. It is documented and it is evident that all who has taken to their own way ended up in destruction. It does not matter how long you have been walking outside of His way without self-destruction but it matters that you begin to take to the way of God and avoid self-destruction.
It is assured in the word of God that the way of God, “…will guard the feet of His saints, but the wicked shall be silent in darkness. For by strength no man shall prevail.” (1Samuel 2:9) When there is a will or desire to walk in His way, He will guide your feet to walk in His way.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace to please God in all your ways.

FAITH CAPSULE: Praising God and giving thanks to God is engaging God.

Psalm 100, Luke 17:11-19

Giving thanks and praising God with understanding is engaging the presence of God. Psalm 100:4 is a confirmation about locating God stating, “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.” Man that is able to locate the gate of His presence will access His courts.  Giving thanks is the pass code that opens gate while praise ushers man to His court.
Are you one that knows (not knows about) God, giving thanks and praises to God with understanding? The Psalmist declares in Psalm 47:7, “For God is the King of all the earth; sing praises with understanding” When understanding is applied to God’s Word, there will be a knowing-edge which brings forth undeniable result.
As usual, Jesus was passing through Samaria when ten men who were lepers were in place to encounter Jesus. Luke 17:12-13 recorded, “…there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off. And they lifted up their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” Ten lepers lifted their voice and asked just as Jesus commanded in His word that we should ask and it shall be given. Despite the fact that they were far off from Jesus they did not allow distance to deny them from asking healing. Jesus answered their prayers and they were all cleansed from leprosy. He is a God that answers in prayer. Interestingly, after healing only one of the lepers went back to give thanks to Jesus for answered prayer. It is written, “And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks…” (Luke 17:15-16) Out of ten lepers one demonstrated what it takes to give acceptable thanks giving. One’s leper understanding made a way to engage the presence of Jesus for his healing.
Jesus responded to one that went back to give thanks, “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” (Luke 17: 17-18) Jesus’ response indicates that He is always waiting for us to come back and give thanks at every time He passes through where challenges exist. Perfect healing was engaging the presence of God with thanks giving.
Praising God is engaging the presence of God. Praise brings God to us and us to God. When our soul and our heart becomes the habitation of praising God day and night then we become a dweller in His presence. Praise is a language of faith. If you have praise to offer, you have God. When we praise Him with understanding not as entertainment, it becomes the way of engaging the presence of God.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace that your soul and heart become a place of praising and thanking God.