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.

FAITH CAPSULE: Fear God to love Him and gain His presence.

1 John 3: 7-21

The will of God for us is to fear Him. When we fear Him we become full of Him. Ecclesiastes 12:13 admonished us stating, “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandment, for this is man’s all.” Evidently to know to fear God is to know and be consistent obeying his commandments. Obeying the command of God demands full obedience and not half obedience. One that fully obeys God is one that fears God. To be full of His fear is to be full of His love.
Fear God to love Him and gain His presence.
Do you fear God? Do you claim to love God? Do you obey the words of God? Apostle Paul points it out that the purpose of God’s command is to love God. He stated, “Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith, from which some, having strayed, have turned aside to idle talk.” (1Timothy 1:5-6) Paul was not talking about love that flows from the tips of lips. Paul talked about a standard love that counts before God; love that is worthy to provoke God’s attention to acknowledge one for good.
To love (fear) God is to constantly dwell in His presence (His presence is His word) and not depart from Him. God spoke, “They shall be My people, and I will be their God; then I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear Me forever, for the good of them and their children after them. And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from doing them good; but I will put My fear in their hearts so that they will not depart from Me. Yes, I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will assuredly plant them in this land, with all My heart and with all My soul.’” (Jeremiah 32:38-41) In the above word of God, it is clear that the fear of God is what qualifies man as God’s people and not the assumption of others; it is not one’s title inside or outside of the church. Going by the word of God as written above, anyone that fears God undeniably takes a position to experience the goodness of God. It is also a joyous thing to God when we dwell in His fear. Without doubt, for anyone that is doing what makes God to rejoice over him/her, the strength of God shall never be a thing of lack in the life of such person. Why not do it right by fearing God and allow the joy of the Lord be your strength?

Prayer for today: Ask God for the heart to fear and love Him.

FAITH CAPSULE: Know God to live life as a winner.

Acts 19

Life is a journey with race. Continuity is the key of race in the journey of life. In the journey of life, our race is to make it to the expected end and not be a loser but be victorious. Victory belongs to man that knows God not for those that know about God. 1 Corinthians 15:57 pointed out, “But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 John 5:4 buttressed, “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.”
Do you know God not to be a loser but victorious? In the race of life, a victorious is a winner by His grace. What do you desire in the race of life? Is winner your desire to be a winner or loser? In this race of life, the winning combination is BOLDNESS AND CHARACTER.
Boldness is in man that truly knows God not for man that only know about.
Character is about knowing to be living the word of God.
Bible documented about some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists with boldness without character. The itinerant Jewish exorcists wanted to imitate Paul and Silas’ boldness and character in them through knowing God. It is written, “Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists took it upon themselves to call the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “We exorcise you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches.” Also there were seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, who did so. And the evil spirit answered and said, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?” Then the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, overpowered them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.” (Acts 19:13-16)
The itinerant Jewish exorcists had no combination of bold and character to deliver evil spirit. Paul was with the combination of boldness and character because he knows God and live the word of God.
In living life, are you claiming the combination of boldness and character when you do not know God by way of living life? Take note and be aware that evil knows the difference between those who know God and those who know about. Also, pay attention to the truth that those who know about God and those who do not know God are birds of the same feather.
Boldness and character in the name of God is encouraging as stated “The name of the Lord is a strong tower; The righteous run to it and are safe.” (Proverbs 18:10) Bible also encourages boldness and character in the word of God stating, “I will worship toward Your holy temple, and praise Your name For Your lovingkindness and Your truth; For You have magnified Your word above all Your name.” (Psalm 138:2)
Know God to live life as a winner with the combination of boldness and character.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace to know Him indeed and in truth.