FAITH CAPSULE: Is there any reason for discouragement and worrying in your life?

Numbers 21: 4-9, Matthew 6:25-34

The word of God is more than enough to encourage us and not to dwell in discouragement. Philippians 4:6-7 buttressed, “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.” Discouragement is not of God it is a maneuver of enemy. It is discouragement that will expose man and set man for self-destruction. Often times, discouragement is rooted in worrying. Jesus specifically warned against worrying stating, “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?  Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?” (Matthew 6:25-27)
Is there any reason for worrying in your life?
When worrying is established as a result of needs, discouragement shall take charge in attempt to destroy. The children of Israel saw the deliverance of God as He brought them out of the bondage of over four hundred. God gave them word of promise for the Promised Land but yet, worrying provoked discouragement for their destruction. The bible recorded the cause and consequence of discouragement of the Israelites, “Then they journeyed from Mount Hor by the Way of the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; and the soul of the people became very discouraged on the way.  And the people spoke against God and against Moses: “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and our soul loathes this worthless bread.”  So the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and many of the people of Israel died.” (Numbers 21:4-6)
The case of the deadly bite was due to discouragement that was rooted in worrying and complaint. The Israelites complained against the quality of bread provided for them by the Almighty God. God’s provision was not satisfied enough for the Israelites. Does that sound like your case? The Israelites also complained for the lack of water. Complaining made the Israelites to name the quality of the provision of God worthless. Indeed a worthless complaint caused them a worthless death. By knowing and understanding the awesome hand of God, be encouraged and not be discouraged; engage worshipping God but not worry; above all, be still and know that God alone is God.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace to deny discouragement and worrying in your life.

FAITH CAPSULE: Are you one that is giving attention to self instead of giving attention to God’s command?

Exodus 17:1-7, Numbers 20:7-13

Command (word) of God comes with details. The command of God (word of God) cannot be broken but demands to be precisely obeyed. Both times the Israelites lacked water God responded with word of direction through Moses. First time, God commanded Moses, “And the Lord said to Moses, “Go on before the people, and take with you some of the elders of Israel. Also take in your hand your rod with which you struck the river, and go. Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock in Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it that the people may drink.” And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.”” (Exodus 17:5-6) Moses obeyed as commanded by God. The second time to meet thirsty of the Israelites God commanded Moses again stating, “Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,  “Take the rod; you and your brother Aaron gather the congregation together. Speak to the rock before their eyes, and it will yield its water; thus you shall bring water for them out of the rock, and give drink to the congregation and their animals.” (Numbers 20: 7-8)
At the first attempt to get water the word of God directed Moses to strike the rock while the second time called for speaking to the rock. Moses followed God’s command by striking the rock. The second time Moses failed struck the rock instead of God’s direction for him to speak. The bible recorded that, “Then Moses lifted his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; and water came out abundantly, and the congregation and their animals drank. Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not believe Me, to hallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.” (Numbers 20:11-12)
Striking is not same as speaking. Failure to fully obey is an avenue to self-destruction. He is a God that must be fully obeyed in His direction not in our own desire. Have you been playing God instead of placing God’s word precisely before the fellowship of His people? Are you one that is paying attention to self rather than paying attention to His command? Moses was a giant in the hand of God; he was a man of great exploit by virtue of God’s calling but he missed out of God’s Promised Land on account of the children of Israel. To man, Moses did all that was enough to get him through to the Promised Land. To God, he missed it on account of the children of Israel. Be accountable and not count yourself out through disobedience.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace to be constantly obedient to God and not to self.

FAITH CAPSULE: Foolishness is a sin before God but God does not tolerate sin.

1 Samuel 13

It takes a foolish minded one to take a position as a speaker for a forum which claims there is no God. Psalm 14:1 buttressed, “The fool has said in his heart that “there is no God” They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none who does good.” One that says in the heart that there is no God is the one that speak it from the mouth that there is no God. Jesus buttressed, “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.  A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things.” (Matthew 12:34-35) It is always evil to say there is no God. Often time, it is action that reveals a foolish man not only by the word of mouth. Are you saying there is no God by your verbal communication, body language or in your relationship with others?
The word of God identified the foolish ones:
The foolish ones have all turned aside from God
The foolish ones are corrupt (that is dishonest practices such as bribery and lack of integrity)
The foolish ones are abominable (those that are detestable, horrible, engaging revolting)
The foolish ones does not do good (they are evil in approach and live in sin and iniquity)
Does any of the above sound like you? A believer should not afford to live life foolishly. To be living life in the wicked world of today demands constant answer to foolish question. The world is a wicked world. As the word of God testified, “Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” (Genesis 6:5) Without doubt, it takes a foolish mind to embrace the wicked world. As a believer, how do you answer to foolish world?
In this wicked world of today, every ungodly act that demands answer from a believer must be engaged with wisdom. Foolishness is a sin and sin does nothing but destroys man. Also to be in sin is to be away from God.
Saul became sin in his act when he offered the burnt offering which does not belong to King but belongs to a priest. In time of war against Philistines, Saul could not wait for Samuel’s arrival. At Samuel’s arrival, Saul was asked why he offered the burnt offering. Saul had a reasonable excuse but his act was foolishness to have engaged sin offering. Samuel responded to Saul’s foolish act, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, which He commanded you.” (I Samuel 13:13) In engaging the wicked world, avoid foolish excuse that amounts to sin before God. Foolishness is a sin before God but God does not tolerate sin.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace to be delivered from foolishness engagement.

FAITH CAPSULE: Today, the word of God is asking man to launch into the deep.

Luke 5:1-11

“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) Indeed, faith is the catapult of base shifting into miracle of blessing. Fully obeying the word of God is the evidence of uncommon blessing of God. Today, the word of God is asking man to launch into the deep where eyes cannot see what is deposited there in the deep. However, the inability not to see what lies in the deep continues to deny man from launching into the deep for uncommon blessing.
Have you been asked to launch deep?
God is not a liar in His command to make a move where there is no available provision for good. The problem with launching into the deep without having a breakthrough is rooted in the lack of complete obedience. Bible recorded, “When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, ‘Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.’” (Luke 5:4) Jesus’ command to Simon was an indication that all Simon needed was already waiting in the deep. All Simon had to do was to obey the Lord’s command which was not a suggestion but for real.
Full obedience is not half obedience. Jesus’ command to Simon was not only to launch into the deep, but to launch and let down. In all of your launching, have you seriously been letting it down? Are you one that is holding back and not let down? Expectation of manifestation of the word of God is not in quoting the promises of God by not full obedience. Jesus’ word of command to Simon was clear and direct enough to generate the expected result for Simon.
In the new week, in the new month let it be clear enough to you that when you launch into the deep and let down as He commanded, you will come up with the grace of abundance. Fully obey the word of God to deny the evidence of struggle and anxiety in a season where the promise of God is hanging on as a blessing. In this week, in this month, it is not right to commit burden to Jesus and then turn around to claim burden back from Jesus. In this week, in this new month, let worshiping God takes the place of worrying. Diligently seeking God denies  doubt. Simon and his fellow professional fishermen did not doubt but let down their nets and saw miracle that provoked following Jesus. It is written, “So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsake all and followed Him.” (Luke 5:11)

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace of against unbelief in all area of living life.

FAITH CAPSULE: The mind of Christ is humble; prayerfully desire the mind of Christ Jesus.

Philippians 2

Pride, Lack of submission eliminates humility in the life of man. Humility is the uniqueness of Jesus as recorded, “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.” (Philippians 2:5-8)

Jesus, by His demonstration, it proved that obedience is encased in humbleness. It is clear that humbleness is one of the possibilities for man to be obeying God. Also, disobedience is the evidence of lack of humbleness. Pharaoh of Egypt repeatedly disobeyed the word of God through Moses and Aaron because he was not humble. Exodus 10:3-4 mentioned, “So Moses and Aaron came in to Pharaoh and said to him, “Thus says the Lord God of the Hebrews: ‘How long will you refuse to humble yourself before Me? Let My people go, that they may serve Me.  Or else, if you refuse to let My people go, behold, tomorrow I will bring locusts into your territory.” Pharaoh could not obey because he lacked humbleness. Pharaoh’s lack of humility testified that Pharaoh could not get it that God is not a small god that can be limited. Pharaoh lack of humbleness is the opposite of Moses’ humbleness to the word of God. Pharaoh disobedient enhanced his failure and he wasted in his entire endeavor.
Moses’ humbleness before God makes it an offense for any man to go against Moses in his entire endeavor. Numbers 12:1-3 pointed out that, “Then Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married; for he had married an Ethiopian woman.  So they said, “Has the Lord indeed spoken only through Moses, has he not spoken through us also?” And the Lord heard it. (Now the man Moses was very humble, more than all men who were on the face of the earth.) It is not a fun fair to be going against man that God considers as humbled mind.
The character of God is deliverance for man with humbled mind and word confirmed that God, “…will save the humble people; but Your eyes are on the haughty, that You may bring them down.” (2 Samuel 22:28) Indeed, Pharaoh was not delivered but was brought down because he was haughty minded.
Are you submissive to the glory of God?
Disallow pride and let submission be your portion. The mind of Christ is humble; prayerfully desire the mind of Christ Jesus.    

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace of the mind of Christ to become of you.