FAITH CAPSULE: Looking away from God is an assured route to failure.

1 Samuel 13

In times of challenges, looking away from God is beholding the challenges at hand. Looking away from God is the evidence of forgetting the testimonies of God. The children of Israel came out of the bondage of over four hundred years by the hand of God. As the Israelites progressed from bondage to God’s Promised Land challenges of Egypt pursued the Israelites to the Red Sea. With no way of escape for the Israelites, “…the children of Israel lifted their eyes, and behold, the Egyptian marched after them. So they were very afraid, and the children of Israel cried out to the Lord.” (Exodus 14:10) Looking away from God is beholding enemy, allowing fear to take over.
Looking away from God is forgetting and not remembering the multitudes of God’s mercies but rebelling before God. During challenges in the place of beholding God is taking to the route outside of God’s promises. King Saul looked away from the hand of God upon his life as he staggered into permanent termination. In the face of challenging war against the Philistines, Saul wrongly engaged burnt offering and peace offering against the word of God. Saul could not wait for Samuel’s burnt offering. Saul’s excuse for violating the burnt offering was recorded in 1 Samuel 13:11, “…When I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines gathered together at Michmash, then I said, ‘The Philistines will now come down on me at Gilgal, and I have not made supplication to the Lord.’ Therefore I felt compelled, and offered a burnt offering.” God’s mercy appointed Saul as King but Saul forgot the mercy of God to rebel against the word of God. Saul looked away from God while he looked at people which scattered from him.
What or who are you looking at? Looking away from God is an assured route to failure. Man will fail but God is forever faithful to wait and act for those who wait on Him. Take note and know indeed that whatever man behold or look which generates fear, man’s faith shall be locked down from rising up.
Bible recorded that the three friends fell down in the midst of the burning fire (Daniel 3:23) yet they could not be buried by the fire. The three friend’s eyes were set on God; they stood on a ground of faith that could not fail. The flame and the agent of generating flame were consumed by their flame. The three friends of Daniel walked out from the burning fiery fire without any stain or smell of the fire. God is still in the business of undeniable miracles if we do not look away from God. Today, set eyes on God and see the salvation of God which will answer for you today.

Prayer for today: Ask for God’s hand against ever Pharaoh of your life.

FAITH CAPSULE: Whatever you laid down at His feet shall be laid to rest.

Matthew 15:21-31

His feet should not be mistaken for a place for spectators or multitude with no expectation. The bible recorded, “Jairus, one of the rulers of the synagogue came, and when he saw Him, he fell at His feet and begged Him earnestly, saying, ‘My little daughter lies at the point of death. Come and lay Your hands on her, that she may be healed, and she will live’” (Mark 5:22-23). Before healing was possible, Jairus came with expectation not for entertainment. He came and fell at Jesus’ feet. Jairus begged earnestly but not to exercise excessive power of his position. Jesus delivered answer to Jairus’ request while he was at Jesus’ feet.
Jesus identified a good place to be when Martha and Mary approached Him. “Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house.  And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word. But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.” And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.” The bible verses above mentioned that Mary sat at the feet of Jesus and Jesus identified the position of Mary as the good part.
Where in Jesus are you positioning yourself?
Take position at Jesus’ feet just as Mary did. Make the feet of Jesus as your choice. At His feet, take to the word of God. At His feet do not give regard to any distraction, pay no attention to spectators but seek for His healing word. Great multitudes came to His feet to receive healing by taking position at His feet. Matthew 15:30 recorded, “Then great multitudes came to Him having with them the lame, blind, mute, maimed, and many others; and they laid them down at Jesus’ feet, and He healed them.”
Who have you been seeking for your healing and deliverance? Today, lying, deception and manipulation exists at every corner in the city or outside of the city. Take notice; do not be an ignorant, know and understand that there are no feet like taking a place at the feet of Jesus. Whatever you lay down at His feet shall be laid to rest; when you fall down at His feet your concern shall not rise up with you again.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace to lay all your challenges at His feet.

FAITH CAPSULE: Why or what is the reason you are looking into God’s gift to your neighbor?

1 Samuel 8

God knows better, He knows what is good in His giving. Be satisfied with God’s gift in your life rather than looking into neighbor’s gift with envious mind. It is important to be at rest with God’s gift in your life instead of looking into your neighbor’s God gift. The Israelites looked outside of God’s gift that was in place for them. God gave the children of Israel judges to rule over them as a nation while the neighboring nations had kings. Seeing this, the children of Israel wanted a change; the children of Israelites wanted to have king and be like neighboring nations. The Israelites’ looking outside of God’s gift was rejecting what God wants for them. The Israelites approached Samuel the prophet and judge of Israel, “Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah, and said to him, “Look, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.” But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” So Samuel prayed to the LORD. (1 Samuel 8:4-6) The request of the children of Israel was based on the fact that they wanted to have king like their neighboring nations.
The Israelites’ request for king in the place of judges before God was not a pleasant one before God. The Israelites’ request was the evidence of their lack of sincerity and loyalty for God that was always answering with best response over their life.
Are you looking into your neighbor’s portion rather than looking up to God with thanksgiving for God’s gift in your life? Through Samuel, God responded to the Israelites, “And the LORD said to Samuel, “Heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them.  According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt, even to this day—with which they have forsaken Me and served other gods—so they are doing to you also. Now therefore, heed their voice. However, you shall solemnly forewarn them, and show them the behavior of the king who will reign over them.” (1 Samuel 8:7-9) Why or what is the reason you are looking into God’s gift to your neighbor? Can it be that you are one that is never satisfied? Appreciate God for His entire gift in your life. We are better with God’s gift rather than looking into neighbor’s gift. Accept His gift with lasting appreciation. Reject rejecting God’s gift for in your life.

Payer for today: Ask God for the grace of lasting appreciation to His hand of gift in your life.

FAITH CAPSULE: God’s increase in man’s life will entice the enemy’s attention.

Exodus 1

The Bible recorded after the death of Joseph, “Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. And he said to his people, “Look, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we; come, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, and it happen, in the event of war, that they also join our enemies and fight against us, and so go up out of the land.” (Exodus 1:8-10) Suddenly, the children of Israel became a threat to the new King of Egypt. God’s blessing of the children of Israel was the cause of fear for the Egyptian’s new king. God’s blessing was increasing the children of Israel while the enemy attempted to reduce them. Does this sound like your situation? God’s increase in man’s life will entice the enemy’s attention to terminate man. God’s over man’s life will increase the attempt of enemy to reduce man. God’s increase of the growth of the children of Israel gave the Egyptians attention with wicked agenda as recorded in Exodus 1:13-14, “the Egyptians made the children of Israel serve with rigor. And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage—in mortar, in brick, and in all manner of service in the field. All their service in which they made them serve was with rigor. God is never asleep nor slumber caring for His children. God is a God that waits to act for His children that wait on Him. God will act to deliver man that waits for God. When God blesses, He add no sorrow. (Proverbs 10:22) God moved concerning the children of Israel when He heard their cry.
Despite the crying out of the Israelites, the new king of Egypt did not stop at making life miserable for the children of Israel. King went further and made command to kill every newborn son of the children of Israel. If you will let the enemy have its way in your life, he will not let go but will go beyond making you miserable with attempt to kill and destroy. Pharaoh meant evil agenda in his attempt to terminate the children of Israel because of their growth but power belongs to God for the deliverance of the Israelites from the power of Pharaoh.
Have you specifically asked God concerning all that is causing you pain? With God, it is never too much or too late to cry out to God for deliverance. Count on God not on man as the word encouraged, “With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible.” (Mark 10:27)  Are you willing to see God terminate every Pharaoh that is hunting your life? The Israelites came out of the bondage of over four hundred years in the hand of Pharaoh of Egypt; the mark of pain remained over the land of Egypt.

Prayer for today: Asking from God that every agent of the wicked in your life shall encounter God’s permanent termination.

FAITH CAPSULE: God is truly mindful of man but man is mindful of the world.

Psalm 8, Habakkuk 3

Perfect God is described, “O Lord my God, You are very great: You are clothed with honor and majesty, who cover Yourself with light as with a garment, who stretch out the heavens like a curtain. He lays the beams of His upper chambers in the waters, who makes the clouds His chariot, who walks on the wings of the wind, who makes His angels spirits, His ministers a flame of fire.” (Psalm 104:1-4) What is it that is not true about God? Absolutely, nothing is false about God’s description. He cannot fail but His creation is not true to His truthfulness. Above all, God is so mindful for ones that are not sober.
God is forever true. God is truly mindful of man but man is mindful of the world. Psalmist questioned about God’s mindful for man, “When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained, what is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him? For You have made him a little lower than the angels, and You have crowned him with glory and honor. You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet.” (Psalm 8:3-6)
Man is not sober enough to know the mindful of God for man. By virtue of His mindful, He created man with dominion over the works of His hand. Man is not sober enough to get understanding but maintains worry. Habakkuk was a man greatly troubled by what was happening. Justly like today, he saw that Judah had fallen and turned away from God to false gods and evil pursuits. Habakkuk was sober enough to ignore chaos in a time of horrible spiritual decline.
Regardless of the chaos of his time, he made a choice to enter into the joyful presence of the Lord with hymn of faith as stated, “Though the fig tree may not blossom, Nor fruit be on the vines; Though the labor of the olive may fail, And the fields yield no food; Though the flock may be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls—Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer’s feet, and He will make me walk on my high hills.” (Habakkuk3:17-19) Habakkuk’s hymn of faith asked for “feet like deer’s feet, and He will make me walk on my high hills”
There should be knowledge in place for man that if man does have dominion over deer, then the kind of feet to walk on high hills is more than in place for man to avoid victim chaos of today.

Prayer for today: Ask for the feet that will make you walk on you high hills.