FAITH CAPSULE: Turning from God is a sin before God.

Jeremiah 3

Answering fully to God is turning to God’s calling. God has placed a calling upon all with no exemption. God’s salvation plan for us is God’s calling for us before we were born. Bible recorded God’s calling for us, “Who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began.” (2 Timothy 1:9) Our calling is to turn God. Indeed, God has given a holy calling through Jesus but today man has turned away from God. Lack of understanding is an avenue of turning away from God. Without understanding there will be the lack of knowledge. Lord declared in Hosea 4:6, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.” The word of God is the source of understanding God. With understanding, fear of God shall make man turn to God. The truth today is that, acclaimed believer inside or outside of church has turned away from God.
Turning from God is a sin before God. With no sin, who is better today?
Gain understanding of the word of Romans 3:10-18, search heart to know if it speaks to you. There is none righteous, no, not one; there is none who understands; there is none who seeks after God; they have all turned aside; they have together become unprofitable; there is none who does good, no, not one; their throat is an open tomb; with their tongues they have practiced deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips; whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness; their feet are swift to shed blood; destruction and misery are in their ways; the way of peace they have not known. There is no fear of God before their eyes. The word of Romans 3:10-18 speaks of wicked, rebellious before God. Joshua 22:29 speaks to all now not just then as stated, “Far be it from us that we should rebel against the Lord, and turn from following the Lord this day…” Turning away from God is rebellion. Turning to God is answering fully to God that has called us. God expects our turning to Him with our whole heart when He requested from Judah in Jeremiah 3:10, “And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah has not turned to Me with her whole heart, but in pretense,” says the Lord.”” God cannot be deceived and there shall be no deception in turning to Him. Our turning to God should be a nonstop in the journey of life, giving God His due attention.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace of turning to God with the whole heart.

FAITH CAPSULE: Today, your enemy will answer to unending sleep.

1Samuel 26

The Lord God yesterday, today and forever is not a partial God but a merciful God. He watches over all, He is God that does not sleep nor slumber. Psalmist mentioned, “Behold, He who keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.” (Psalm 121:4) God is a God that does not look away from His children but will fight for His children. Has He called you but the enemy takes a position against you? Word of God encourages stating, “He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.” (1 Thessalonians 5:24) He that calls you shall not slumber or sleep over; He shall definitely show up on your behalf. If you have turned to God, He is faithful to fight for you.
The calling of Moses was questioned by the Israelites. Moses was embarrassed, he was accused but he could not fight the battle by himself. Moses responded to his people, “And Moses said: “By this you shall know that the Lord has sent me to do all these works, for I have not done them of my own will. If these men die naturally like all men, or if they are visited by the common fate of all men, then the Lord has not sent me. But if the Lord creates a new thing, and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them up with all that belongs to them, and they go down alive into the pit, then you will understand that these men have rejected the Lord.”” (Numbers 16:28-30) Moses committed his fight to the hand of God. God could not slumber or sleep on behalf of Moses. The end of Moses’ fight was eternally terminated. Today, your enemy shall become eternally terminated.
God evidently called David to be King after Saul but Saul relentlessly sought to kill David by pursuing him all over the face of earth. The hand of God was in place over the life of David. Who can bend the hand of God from manifesting on your behalf? Saul attempted but he prevailed as a failure. During Saul’s pursuit for David’s life, he went after David with three thousand soldiers. At night time, David approached Saul’s position while all of his guards were in a deep sleep. David could have killed Saul, but he vowed not to destroy the Lord’s anointed. The Bible recorded, “So David took the spear and the jug of water by Saul’s head, and they got away; and no man saw or knew it or awoke. For they were all asleep, because a deep sleep from the LORD had fallen on them.” (1Samuel 26:12) David did not attempt to fight his battle, but allowed God to fight for him. When God fight for you it shall be a permanent victory. Today, your enemy will answer to an unending sleep.

Prayer for today: Ask God to send your enemy into a deep sleep.

FAITH CAPSULE: Have you turned away from God?

Numbers 16

Turning away from God is rejecting God. In life, there is no reasonable excuse for turning away from God. Almighty God is in position for man not to turn away from His hand. Are you turning away from the hand of God?
Moses represented the hand of God to deliver the Israelites from the bondage of over four hundred years but the Israelites repeatedly turned away from God.
All the writing was clear on the wall that Moses was not operating on his own power when Korah and his entourage turned against the hand of God upon Moses. It is written, “Now Korah the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, with Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab, and On the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men; and they rose up before Moses with some of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty leaders of the congregation, representatives of the congregation, men of renown. They gathered together against Moses and Aaron, and said to them, “You take too much upon yourselves, for all the congregation is holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the LORD?”  (Numbers 16:1-3)
It is hard to believe that some could ever thought of rising against Moses despite the demonstration of God’s hand upon Moses. Renowned men were among two hundred and fifty leaders of the congregation and representatives of congregation which took part in the uprising against Moses. The Israelites turned against the hand of God. Moses responded to Korah and his team to let them know that God sent him. The bible recorded, ”…as he finished speaking all these words, that the ground split apart under them, 32 and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, with all their goods.”(Numbers 16:31-32) They were all buried and died before God’s hand on Moses.
Have you turned away from God? In the parable of the lost son, Jesus made us to see that returning is never too late after turning away from God. The lost son left home too early when he received the portion of goods that fell to him. The lost son left for a new land and he finished his portion of goods. It is written, Luke 15:17, “And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father; I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.” Father is always waiting for our return after turning away from Him.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace that keeps man not to turn away from God.

FAITH CAPSULE: Fear is the absence of faith and the source of faith is the word of God.

Exodus 14

Fear and faith does not compromise. When fear rises, faith sinks. Fear encourages impossibility but faith encourages possibility. Faith is what pleases God but not fear that pleases God. The book of Hebrews 11:6 mentioned, “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.” Faith is an evidence of true believer of God. When faith is not in place, there is no way to please God.
In life, looking upon God is an antidote of looking down for help where God does not reside. God promises in His word because His word does not return back to Him void. (Isaiah 55:11) Whatever God says is a done deal. When it was time for God to bring the children of Israel out of the bondage of over four hundred, he gave the word of promise through Moses stating, “Therefore say to the children of Israel: ‘I am the Lord; I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, I will rescue you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments.” (Exodus 6:6)
The word of God’s deliverance is up for man to look upon God instead of looking down to the world where fear is evident. The Israelites were rescued from their bondage; the Israelites were testimonies of God’s hand which brought them out of Egypt but fear had them on their way to God’s Promised Land. At the time of their journey forward they could not overcome looking backward. Are you enabling the spirit of fear by looking backward rather than looking forward to the promise of God?
At the approach of the Red Sea by the children of Israel, fear approached the children of Israel but Moses took a step of faith, “And Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. The LORD will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.” (Exodus 14:13-14) The same word of God which sounded to the children of Israel is speaking to you today. Do not be afraid.
Get understanding and know that fear is the absence of faith and the source of faith is the word of God. It is written, “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Romans 10:17) The apostle Paul laid emphasis on the hearing of the word because without hearing the word, there shall be no faith. Spend time on the word of God.

Prayer for today: Ask God to bestow upon you with the grace to be faithful and not fear-full.

FAITH CAPSULE: See your delay as your deliverance on the way.

Exodus 32

When delay begins to have a place in the journey of life; in any area of moving forward, it is not time to accept possibility of becoming denied. In life, there are some places you have started, but delay has made it look like you are wasting out. The fact is, when you wait on God you can never be wasted. In any face of challenging, ignore delay otherwise doubt shall come into place. The Israelites entertained delay as it is written in Exodus 32:1 “Now when the people saw that Moses delayed coming down from the mountain, the people gathered together to Aaron, and said to him, “Come, make us gods that shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.” Despite the Israelite’s exposure to different miracles of God possibility as God did not abandoned them, yet they gave into an unnecessary worry which was rooted in challenging delay.
As a result of Moses’ delay from coming down from the mountain, an unholy gathering took over from where there was supposed to be holy gathering. When the children of Israel behold delay they began to look for another god. As a result of Moses’ delay, the Israelite sought for a god to take over from God that cannot be substituted, a God that will not accept any compromise. A failure not to ignore delay can turn man quickly out of the way of God’s command. Do you know God to be looking upon as fortress; the rock of ages? It is important to understand that there are some delays that are meant for God to measure our faithfulness. Some delays are not of failure, but to actually make a way of getting to the expected end.
Are you experiencing any kind of delay? In life, looking upon God alone will change delay to deliverance. The possible God will reverse the irreversible; He alone turns mockery to miracle. In the name of Jesus, shame is convertible to glorious fame.
Anxiousness is an agent of delay. Is anxiousness your compassion in your delay situation? It is worthy to take to the word of Philippians 4:6-7, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Take your delay that is rooted in your concern to God in prayer and supplication with thanksgiving.
Today, allow the peace of God take over you.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace of God to remain focus on His possibility instead of delay.