FAITH CAPSULE: In all, for all, give glory to God.

Psalm 150, Jeremiah 48

Our Lord our God, the ancient of days, the King of Kings, hallowed be thy name.
God is worthy of our acknowledgement. He is a jealous God that demands attention. Exodus 34:14 identified God, “for you shall worship no other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.” God also spoke, “…For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God…” He is worthy of all our all adoration and praise at every breath. Psalm 150:6 said it well, “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.” At every breath, it is never too much to be praising God.
A failure to acknowledge Him demonstrates that we trust and rely on our own self-effort as strength. Are you resolving to your effort in every step of life? Is it self-trust that has brought you far in life? God sees it all concerning all man. God spoke against Moab in the book of Jeremiah 48:7, “For because you have trusted in your works and your treasures, you also shall be taken. And Chemosh shall go forth into captivity.” (Chemosh: The chief deity of Moab.) The word of God against Moab is worth for our attention to be provoked not to fail trusting God. The word of God against Chemosh should be a strong warning for man that only acknowledges self-trust.
It is clear that the people of Moab could have resolved to self-sufficiency whereby looking to their work and treasure as a measure of self-effort. A dangerous way to captivity is assuming self-effort as strength and source of blessing. God alone is our source. God wants to be glorified and exalted for every blessing that comes our way. Jeremiah 9:23-24 recorded, “Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, let not the mighty man glory in his might, nor let the rich man glory in his riches; But let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth, for in these I delight, says the LORD.” Have you been counting on self-effort in all areas of living life? Acknowledging God is counting God’s blessings; naming blessings one by one to give God all honor and glory. The Moabites are not around to tell us what it means not to be reduced by not acknowledging God. The Moabites ended up in captivity after having been in control of treasures. Testimonies of God are enough for us to learn, live to praise and glorify the name of God. It is time to turn around and give Him all the glory and honor that belongs to Him not to your efforts.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace to be living life of glorifying and praising God.

FAITH CAPSULE: God is a rewarder not a slave master.

Exodus 10

God alone is God. God is a perfect creator. Revelation 4:11 stated, “You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created.” Day after days; week after weeks; month after months; year after years God alone exists. God has been before the creation and He will forever be. God is a purpose God. He created man to serve Him. God expect man to serve Him.
The Israelites were in the bondage of over four hundred years. Serving outside of God became their portion as they built for Pharaoh. Exodus 1:13-14 mentioned, “So the Egyptians made the children of Israel serve with rigor. ¹⁴ 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.” Evidently, the Israelites were not able to serve God; living life in bitterness with hard bondage took over the Israelites. Before any situation, in any form of situation, God deserves to be served. For the Israelites in bondage, God demanded for their service through Moses. God requested, “So I say to you, let My son go that he may serve Me. But if you refuse to let him go, indeed I will kill your son, your firstborn.” (Exodus 4:23) God repeatedly sent Moses to Pharaoh, “And you shall say to him, ‘The Lord God of the Hebrews has sent me to you, saying, “Let My people go, that they may serve Me in the wilderness” (Exodus 7:16) God’s emphasis for the Israelites’ service in the bondage is not different of calling for man to serve Him today.
How is your service to God?
Man that does not love the Lord cannot serve Him. Also, if man does not serve Him, man cannot love Him. Deuteronomy 6:5, “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.” Do you love God? Are you serving God? Serving God is working the works of God. Working the works of God is to believe in Him. Jesus said it, “This is the work of God that you believe in Him whom He sent.” (John 6:29)
God is a rewarder. Working the works of God is taking a position to be rewarded by God. Evidently, God is a rewarder of worker as stated, “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.” (Hebrews 11:6)
Give your God given days to serve God. He is jealous God. God is not a slave master but a saving master.

Prayer for the day: Ask for the grace to serve God and live life for the glory of God.

FAITH CAPSULE: In times of challenging situation, direction from God never displaces the steps of man.

1 Kings 19

Regardless of man’s title or position inside in the church or outside of the church, waiting on God is the key of overcomer. Elijah was a prophet in the hand of God but could not wait on God when challenging situation became his portion. With the execution of the prophets of Baal by Elijah at Brook Kishon, Jezebel the wife of Ahab the king of Israel wanted to execute Elijah. Elijah a prophet of God could not wait on God for direction to approach challenging situation of Jezebel. Elijah went further to respond to the threatening of his life, “But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he prayed that he might die, and said, “It is enough! Now, LORD, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers!” (1 Kings 19:4) Elijah desired to die when he failed to wait and seek God for direction. Elijah had no peace but was in fear by asking for death. Elijah could not wait on God but resolved run away from his challenging situation.
Are you allowing challenging situation to take over your direction?
Waiting on God for direction should always be a priority for children of God. In times of challenging situation, direction from God never displaces the steps of man. Isaiah 40:31 buttressed, “But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:31)
Is your challenging situation causing you to run in the place of walking? Are you responding to your challenging situation by walking in the place to run? Weariness or fainting as a result of challenging situation is not the evidence of waiting on God. David’s testimony is the evidence of one that waits on God in the face of challenging situation. In the testimony of David, it is clear that waiting on God made David to walk and not run in the valley; David did not ask for death but went further regardless of his challenging situation. Elijah, a prophet could not walk but ran with prayer for death.
Without doubt, trusting on God is waiting on God. In your challenging situation, God cannot be rushed out of His salvation plan. God is not a sleeping God that will not attend to His children’s waiting on Him. Man’s title or position in the church or outside of the church demands waiting on God as a priority. Understand and know waiting on God otherwise failure shall become inevitable in the life of not waiting on God.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace of waiting on God in all direction and not become a vessel of failure.

FAITH CAPSULE: In this wicked world stop looking to man but wait only on God.

Esther 8

Waiting on God should be a way of life. Waiting on God should never cease in the life of those who know the awesome hand of God. Waiting on God is the evidence of having faith in God. Faith in God that catapult (propels) waiting on God is the faith that comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. (Romans 10:17) Waiting on God never waste and never lead to failure. Waiting on God is like holding the key that opens door of prayer. Waiting demands patience that will make man to pray and not lose heart. An example of waiting with expectation is in the Parable of the Persistent Widow by Jesus. It is recorded, “There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man.  Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, ‘Get justice for me from my adversary.’ And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, ‘Though I do not fear God nor regard man, yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.’” (Luke 18:2-5) In the parable of Jesus, the widow could not cease because she waited through and received her expectation.
Are you one that is waiting with expectation of manifestation by trusting on the word of God?
The word of God, the catapult of waiting has never failed and it shall not return void to God. Word of God encourages against our wicked ones stating, “Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him; do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.” (Psalm 37:7) “For evildoers shall be cut off; But those who wait on the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.” (Psalm 37:9)
Do you have the faith to wait by resting in the Lord knowing that the schemes of wicked shall pass and the evildoers are set to be cut off?
The wicked schemes of Haman to destroy all the Jews throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus could not stand in the face of waiting on God by Mordecai and Esther. (Esther 8) God is so caring and man should know that He is a God that waits for those who wait on Him as Isaiah 30:18 buttressed, “Therefore the Lord will wait, that He may be gracious to you; and therefore He will be exalted, that He may have mercy on you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for Him.” In this wicked world stop looking to man but keep looking to God by waiting for the God of salvation that is our healer.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace of waiting only on God.

FAITH CAPSULE: In your challenging situation, expect your situation to change by trusting God.

Philippians 4

Peace that surpasses all understanding is the evidence of trusting in God. Isaiah 26:3-4 buttressed, “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind stayed on You, because he trusts in You. Trust in the LORD forever, for in YAH, the LORD, is everlasting strength.” Studying the word of God, meditating the word of God shall definitely cause man to know the trusting of God. Who do you trust? Trust in the name of God is more than enough to deliver in all challenging situation. The word stated, “Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; but we will remember the name of the Lord our God.” (Psalm 20:7)
David with his small band of warriors trusted God to deliver the inhabitants of Keilah from the hands of the Philistines. 1Samuel 23:2 recorded, “Therefore David inquired of the LORD, saying, “Shall I go and attack these Philistines?” And the LORD said to David, “Go and attack the Philistines, and save Keilah.”” David trusted in God to inquire about his move. However, David’s men responded, “Look, we are afraid here in Judah, how much more then if we go to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines?” (1 Samuel 23:3) The men of David could not trust God because they were afraid from where they were coming. David trust his God as a result, He dispel the fear of where he was coming not to terminate where he was going. In your challenging situation, expect your situation to change by trusting God. Seek God for confirmation; He is a God of confirmation over every challenging situation of life. David trusted God to confirm from God when he, “…inquired of the LORD once again. And the LORD answered him and said, “Arise, go down to Keilah, for I will deliver the Philistines into your hand.”” (1 Samuel 23:4) With trust in God, God will speak to quell fear and eliminate doubt. David trusted God and disallowed the doubt and fear of his small band of warriors from intercepting his agenda. When you hear from God, there will be answer for challenging situation. With your trust in the Lord for your agenda, let the world around you say no; but you will say yes. With trust on God, David went forward and delivered the inhabitants of Keilah. It is all about placing trust in the Lord.
In challenging situation, trust God and know that, “The LORD redeems the soul of His servants, and none of those who trust in Him shall be condemned.” (Proverbs 34:22) “Trust in Him at all times, you people; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us.” (Psalm 62:8)

Prayer for today: Ask the gracious merciful God for a heart of trusting on Him.