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.

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.