FAITH CAPSULE: God that answers prayer sees all in our obedience to Him and our sacrifice of thanks giving.

John 6:1-14

Living life by obeying and giving thanks to God is the combination to have life of abundance. With the combination of obeying the words of God and thanking God will be phasing out lack in any area of life. Challenges can be the source of discouragement to be disobeying the word of God or be the source of not giving thanks. In the face of challenges, be focus on God by obeying His word; be thanking Him for all He has done, all that is doing and all that He will do.
Once, at a ground of lack for five thousand Jesus demonstrated what the combination of thanking and obeying can do. Evidently, no provision from any store at the hour of meeting for the needs of five thousand but the combination of obedience and giving thanks led to the provision of abundance for thousands.
At the feeding of five thousand, Jesus gave a command by asking His disciples not to let the people go away with empty stomachs. It was a deserted area, a place that could never produce enough supply for the demand that was at hand. John 6:5, “Jesus asked Philip, where shall we buy bread that these may eat?” Jesus’ disciples informed Him that a lad had five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many? Are you being pressed by your lack? What you have on hand can never make up for what you need without Jesus. You have found yourself on a deserted ground. With Jesus there is a way out, because nothing is impossible for the maker of all things. Jesus turned lack into abundance. It is written in John 6:10-11, “Then Jesus said, make the people sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. And Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted.” There was obedience as the thousands responded by sitting down at the word of Jesus, and there was a thanks offering by Jesus for the little (five barley loaves and two small fish) that became much. Giving thanks and being obedient results in abundance. John 6:12, “So when they were filled, He said to His disciples, gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost.” Your lack will be converted to abundance if you engage genuine thanksgiving and obedience according to His direction.
On the journey of life, nothing can substitute for obedience and giving thanks to our God. God that answers prayer sees all in our obedience to Him and sacrifice of thanks giving.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace of deliver from spirit that hinders obeying and giving thanks to God.

FAITH CAPSULE: His mercy endures forever.

Exodus 20

The mercy of God is the covenant-keeping God. Mercy belongs to God; only God renders mercy unto whom He chooses to render mercy. It was with mercy that God led the children of Israel out of the bondage of over four hundred years. It is written, “You in Your mercy have led forth the people whom You have redeemed…” (Exodus 15:13) Joseph fear God and God was with him through his entire ordeal. The word testified about Joseph, “…the LORD was with Joseph and showed him mercy…” (Genesis 39:21) Today God still renders mercy and power as He was rendering it in the Old Testament through to the New Testament.
God’s mercy is in abundance and He never runs out of mercy. Also, His mercy endures forever. Many giants of faith in the hand of God operated under the power and mercy of God. God spoke to Moses, “For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion.” So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy.” (Romans 9:15-16) The ‘whomever’ that God is talking about is clearly identified throughout the Bible as it is in the book of Luke 1:50, “And His mercy is on those who fear Him from generation to generation.”
Who are the ones who fear Him?
The ones, who have received, believe and are behaving the word of God. Those who fear God are His people in whose hearts He plants His fear so they do not turn away from Him. (Jeremiah 32:40) This is to say that the ones who fear Him are the ones He has drawn unto Himself. (John 6:44) They are the ones He has chosen for Himself. The ones He chose for Himself are the ones He provided to Himself as a provision for His divine assignment The Bible recorded about David, “Now the LORD said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go; I am sending you to Jesse the Bethlehemite. For I have provided Myself a king among his sons.” (1 Samuel 16:1) God is not a partial God and He is still in the business of drawing His children but only those who do not withdraw but position themselves in line for His undeniable power and mercy.
Do you fear God? To fear God is to love God.
God will not cease from showing mercy to those who love Him and keep His commandments. (Exodus 20:6). Engage living in the fear of God and allow His mercy to be you.

Prayer for today:  Ask for the grace of mercy not to cease over your life.

FAITH CAPSULE: All buildings (constructed or under construction) are before the Lord God.

Luke 6:37-49

Imagine yourself as the contracting engineer of your building. What kind of building are you constructing? As an acclaimed believer, are you engaging a building that is going through construction on a regular basis or casual basis? In the business of building construction, it is the one that cease from growing that will be identified as stagnant and without any progress. All buildings (constructed or under construction) are before the Lord God, but not all buildings are progressing in construction before Him. Often, believers sound very conversant in the word; believers come to Him calling and lifting up hands before Him, but not all are doing according to His commands. Can you as an acclaimed believer identify yourself? Also can you as a building contractor put to account what you are constructing for the one that contracted you?
Jesus asked in the book of Luke 6:46, “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?” Despite the fact that we are gathering and calling on Him as Lord does not mean that all have accepted His Lordship over us. Acclaimed believers can engage in deceiving each other by the lifting up of hands or singing beautifully, but Jesus knows who we are. Two kinds of building contractor exist and Jesus identifies them: The first one is the contractor that accepts to engage the contract and build according to His word. After accepting He went and builds as commanded. The second one also accepts to engage the contract and build according to His word but failed by not building by His word. However, He points out that the ones that obey and do His word will stand in times of challenge. However, ones that do not do His word will have a price to pay. Luke 6:49 declared what it shall be like for one that builds not according to the word of God, “But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it fell. And the ruin of that house was great.” As a building contractor, be aware of the consequences of building outside of His word. Constantly keep in mind what awaits those “buildings” that are not being constructed according to His word. Avoid becoming a building that is progressing in the wrong construction.
As a contractor engineer that is building up to the glory of God, pay attention to the admonished of the Apostle Paul as stated 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.”

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace to build up for God for the glory of God.

FAITH CAPSULE: The power to heal comes with the power to believe and receive.

Matthew 12:1-14

Once on a Sabbath day, in a synagogue, the Pharisees knew quite well that a man who had withered hand was going to encounter Jesus’ attention when they asked Jesus, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”—that they might accuse Him. (Matthew 12:9), Jesus’ answer demonstrated the importance of doing that which is good and the placement of good deeds above the law. He points out that law is not a reason to be excused from caring for others. Most importantly, He pointed out how valuable is man when He stated, “Of how much more value than is a man than a sheep?” (Matthew 12:12). Jesus the tenderhearted shepherd, the caring  and compassionate master, after answering the Pharisees now turned His attention to the man with withered hand, “Then He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and it was restored as whole as the other.” (Matthew 12:13). Just a word from Jesus terminated the mark of shame and mockery and put restored glory to the withered vessel.
What is it that is withered in your life? Among the words synonymous with “withered” is decay, wrinkle, shrink, dry, decline, languish, waste, etc. To be withered in any area of life is not what can be hidden but what a man can be healed and be delivered from, just as the man with the withered hand got his healing and deliverance from Jesus’s word.
It was the healing power in the word of God that healed the man with withered hand. Jesus spoke to him, “Stretch out your hand.”  The power to heal comes with the power to believe and receive. When the healing word of Jesus found the man with withered hands, there was no doubt in his heart as he stretched out his hands as commanded by Jesus. Self-recognition and acceptance is a very important step and so pivotal to getting delivered. If you will behold Him in His word of healing and say to yourself, “I am coming out in Jesus name” you have loosened yourself from whatever tie you down and lay claim to deliverance by confession. Remember, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” (Proverbs 18:21). Also, the power to get satisfied with good is through the mouth. Proverbs 12:14, “A man will be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth.” Jesus buttresses the power of self-deliverance by stating, “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” (Matthew 12:34) He went further to let us know that with good treasure of the heart one is able to bring forth good things. (Matthew 12:35)

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace to be delivered from every form of situation that is not of God.

FAITH CAPSULE: By your action at the word of God, do not be a stone thrower, embrace Jesus.

John 8

During the time of Jesus and up till today, the temple is comprised of the scribes’ side; the Pharisees or the ones that believes. Once, Jesus entered into the temple early in the morning. While He was in the temple, all the people came to Him; and He sat down and taught them. At that very occasion of Him in the temple, the scribes and Pharisees were also present. While He was teaching in the temple, the bible recorded that they tested Jesus so that they might have a reason to place accusation against Him. During the early morning of visitation in the temple Jesus made a statement, “Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” (John 8:12) The Pharisees responded to Jesus’ statement, “The Pharisees therefore said to Him, “You bear witness of Yourself; Your witness is not true.” (John 8:13) In your temple, which groups are present? Which group do you represent? Are you a believer? Are you a scribe or a Pharisee? The groups in the temple could not agree with Jesus but took against Him. The recorded the experience of Jesus in the hand of the groups as stated in John 8:59, “Then they took stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.” (John 8:59)  Are consciously or unconsciously stoning at Jesus? The Jews at that time picked up stones to throw at Jesus but He hid himself and slipped away from the temple grounds. If you have confessed Christ and your confessions are not confirmed in the life that you are living, it is possible that you are also a stone throwing self-acclaimed believer. By your action at the word of God, do not be a stone thrower, embrace Jesus.
After having left the stone throwing ground (temple) the bible recorded, “Now Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth.” (John 9:1) He then came upon a blind man and healed him. Which side are you on? Jesus is the living word of God; Jesus is waiting to act on our behalf if we are going to accept Him indeed and in truth. You have confessed Jesus, but Jesus is not confirmed in your life. As long as you continue to live a life of deception, He will be forced to pass by you. He came to give sight to those that cannot see. His coming was not meant for destruction but to deliver. He came to give hope to those who have lost hope. Be on the receiving end and He will not pass by you, He will visit you.

Prayer for today: Ask God for His grace to deliver you to the receiving end.