FAITH CAPSULE: Man that is empty of the word of God will miss in the position of deliverance.

Psalm 107

As an acclaimed believer, what is it that you are feeding on? Whatever a man feed on is what a man carries and not become empty. Anyone that is empty will always have empty talk because one cannot give out what one does not carry in the inside. Man that is empty of the word of God will miss in the position of deliverance. The word of God is here for healing and deliverance from destruction. (Psalm 107:20) The word of God, the commandment of God is like food and Job 23:12 testified the importance of His word more than food as stated, “I have not departed from the commandment of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food.” (Job 23:12) Without doubt, the word of God should be taking in as food as Jeremiah 15:16 stated, “Your words were found, and I ate them, And Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart; For I am called by Your name, O Lord God of hosts.”
Are you empty of word of God lately? Is your talk not producing results of a child of the Living God? God does not listen to empty talk. Job buttress in Job 35:13, “Surely God does not listen to empty talk, nor will the Almighty regard it.”
Can you afford to be empty?
When one becomes empty, one will end up wasted because wickedness will come in and dwell in one that is empty. When you first turned your life to God, He gave you deliverance. With God’s deliverance, you are to be filled up by His Word. Now you are back to being empty because you have turned aside. What happens to being empty is mentioned by Jesus in Matthew 12: 43-45, “When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none. Then he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order. Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first. So shall it also be with this wicked generation.”  Be filled by the word of God as food. It is time to come out of emptiness and not become wasted in the face of wicked world. Do not forsake word of God but take to the word of God as necessity. He is a merciful God; He will not forsake you but turn to God. Allow His word to upgrade your emptiness to powerfulness.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace of God to keep you to be feeding on the word of God for healing and deliverance from destruction.

FAITH CAPSULE: Know God to please Him in the journey of life.

Psalm 5

Knowing God indeed is the way to be built up more in faith. However, with knowing about God faith will be impossible and without faith it is impossible to please God. Man is to know God; man is to have faith and live life by pleasing God. Unpleasing God is the evidence of lack of faith. Hebrews 11:6 said it clear, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him…” Unpleasing God is to be avoided so as to retain His presence in the journey of life. A man that truly knows God and pleases God is not a wicked man. David identified a way of unpleasing God when he stated, “For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness, nor shall evil dwell with You.” (Psalm 5:4) Evidently, wickedness is unpleasing to God; it is evil and does not retain presence of God.
Psalm 5 of David, a man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14) pointed out what wickedness is about:
The boastful is wicked and shall not stand before God (The boastful shall not stand in Your sight Psalm 5:5) Ones with iniquity is wicked (You hate all workers of iniquity Psalm 5:5) Falsehood (untruth) speakers are wicked ones that turns glory of God to shame (Psalm 4:2); (You shall destroy those who speak falsehood Psalm 5:6) Bloodthirsty and deceitful are wicked before God. God abhors (hates, dislike) both. (Psalm 5:6)
Psalm 5:9 revealed about wicked body part are the agent for wickedness before God.
Wicked ones do not have faithfulness in their mouth; wicked ones inward part is destruction; wicked ones throat is an open tomb; wicked tongue flatters; wicked ones, with all their transgressions, they have rebelled against God.
Is there any trace of wickedness in your life?
Jeremiah 12:1-2 also pointed out clearly who the wicked ones: “Righteous are You, O Lord, when I plead with You; yet let me talk with You about Your judgments. Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why are those happy who deal so treacherously? You have planted them, yes, they have taken root; they grow, yes, they bear fruit. You are near in their mouth but far from their mind.” Know about God in the mouth marks man out to be a wicked one. Knowing God is near to God in deep in the heart and not far from God.
Do you know God?
Strive to come out of religion into Christ reality to know God. To be spotless and not wrinkle is God’s desire for man. God wants man to be holy and without blemish. Today, take to the word of James 1:21 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.” Wickedness is filthy (dirty) and can be in excess. Be spot less, avoid wickedness, allow allowing WORD be implanted (rooted) in you.

Prayer for today: Ask God for grace to live life pleasing God.

FAITH CAPSULE: Do you know where your setback situation is taking you to?

Exodus 2

Moses’ attempt to rescue his brethren from the bondage of Egypt he encountered unexpected his own relocation from palace of Pharaoh to the desert. It is written concerning Moses, “Now it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out to his brethren and looked at their burdens. And he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his brethren. So he looked this way and that way, and when he saw no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.” (Exodus 2:11-12) Despite being raised in the palace of Pharaoh, Moses’ desire for the welfare of his brethren was his passion. He killed the Egyptian, thinking none had seen him. When he went out the next day, in an effort to settle a fight between two of his Hebrew brethren, the killing of the Egyptian was brought up to him when he was asked, “Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you intend to kill me as you killed the Egyptian…?” (Exodus 2:14). Moses realized that his doing was no longer a secret as he fled from Pharaoh’s palace to the desert. Fleeing from a great palace of Moses time to a desert was a setback for Moses.
When Moses had come to Midian he helped in delivering the daughters of a Midianite priest from their oppressor. The Bible recorded that the seven daughters of the priest of Midian came and drew water, and they filled the troughs to water their father’s flock. Then the shepherds came and drove them away; but Moses stood up and helped them, and watered their flock. (Exodus 2:16-17) The daughters of the priest reported their encounter with their oppressors and how Moses stood up to help. As a result, Moses was offered a place to stay by the priest of Midian. Moses’ response to the offering of a place was the root of the grace that placed him in the center of his divine assignment.
The Bible recorded Moses’ response, “Then Moses was content to live with the man and he gave Zipporah his daughter to Moses.” (Exodus 2:21)  Moses plunged from living in a great palace to desert where all kinds of lack was prevailing but yet continued on his journey of life. Moses remained content in time of his situation of setback. Do you know where your setback is taking you to? Who knows where setback situation will lead to? God alone is taking man to divine destination but man does not know the route to divine destination. This year, trust God and hope in God that your situation is only a setback that is a set stage for where God is taking you to. Moses’ lifestyle was altered; but life continued. Does this apply to your situation?  Focus on God, for “Godliness with contentment is a great gain” (1Timothy 6:6).

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace of contentment in all areas of life.

FAITH CAPSULE: Maintain what His word says so as to attain His promises.

John 3

In the word of Moses to the children of Israel, there is a testimony of God’s loving care for His children. It is written, “The Lord your God, who goes before you, He will fight for you, according to all He did for you in Egypt before your eyes, and in the wilderness where you saw how the Lord your God carried you, as a man carries his son, in all the way that you went until you came to this place.’ Yet, for all that, you did not believe the Lord your God,  who went in the way before you to search out a place for you to pitch your tents, to show you the way you should go, in the fire by night and in the cloud by day.” (Deuteronomy 1:30-33) God, the unchanging changer remains consistent with His love for us. The same way God cares in the bible days is still the same today. The book of John 3:16 also testifies the love of God stating, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” Absolutely, there is nothing a father need to do for the salvation of his children that God is yet to do. God is a good and caring God.
When was the last time you have acknowledged God’s consistent love for you? All man is doing is serving and walking in His word inconsistent? Despite our inconsistency, God continues to be consistent. If you will take a moment, ask for His forgiveness; thank Him for His unswerving patience in listening and forgiving all your shortcomings and wicked ways. God is worthy of all honor and adoration. Seeking God at   convenient time is not seeking Him consistently. Ask God for intervention in every area of your life that does not glorify His name. It is never too late to turn to God for forgiveness. God will not overlook sin and the word also confirms in Romans 6:1, “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?”  Take to the word of God with commitment because He will bring His word to perform it. The bible recorded in Acts13:18, “Now for a time of about forty years He put up with their ways in the wilderness” Despite His putting up with the Israelites, the Israelites could not maintain the word of God but repeatedly failed. God faithfully endures man’s inconsistency. It is up to man to give self to the word of God and not be a victim of the wicked world. Maintain what His word says so as to attain His promises.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace not to miss out of His promise for your life.

FAITH CAPSULE: Knowing God is to remain steadfast in the Lord.

Philippians 4

Telling lies before God is telling lies to God. Truly, telling lies day after days is the evidence of heart that is not steadfast with God and not faithful to His covenant. The Israelites were example of lack of steadfast and not faith to God. It is written for our understanding in Psalm 78:37, “For their heart was not steadfast with Him, nor were they faithful in His covenant.” God is merciful but His merciful is not for us to be taking it for granted. Romans 6:1-2 stated it well, “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?  Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?”
Are you steadfast faithfully in the Lord?
To be repented and become acclaimed believer without becoming steadfast before God does not get any man closer to God. To be steadfast in the Lord is to remain and become stayed in the Lord by dwelling and abiding in the Lord. David desired for God when he stated, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” (Psalm 51:10) Knowing God is to remain steadfast in the Lord.
Steadfastness in the Lord demands meditating day and night to have encounter with the presence of God. Meditating is crucial to remain steadfast in the Lord God.
God did not hide the secret of meditation when He approached Joshua after the death of Moses. Joshua 1:8-9, “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”
Knowing God steadfastly is to be able to carry out great exploits. Daniel 11:32 buttressed, “…but the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits.”
Retaining the presence of God is the avenue to carry out great exploits.
Paul admonished what to meditate for retaining the presence of God stating, “…whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.”(Philippians 4:8-9) In meditating, to think right, to think just, to think pure, to think lovely, and to think good report is to be taking position that is good to the glory of God.
Know God by your steadfastness, with your meditation and take a position to be strong and to carry out great exploits to the glory of God.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the renewal of a steadfast spirit within you.