FAITH CAPSULE: Stagnation not to move forward is an evidence of the agent of paralysis.

John 5:1-17                                                          

Bible recorded, ^“Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water. For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had.” (John 5:2-4) A ground where healing was taking place a certain paralyzed man with the paralysis of thirty eight years could not get his healing. The certain man was at right track for healing but was trapped at the healing track. The certain man was at Bethesda meaning, ‘House of mercy’ but yet there was no mercy in place for him to come out of his paralysis.
In any area of life where stagnation continues to hold man back from moving forward is an evidence of the agent of paralysis. For thirty eight years, at a breakthrough ground the certain man remained uncertain of breaking through to move forward. The certain man was on the ground of mercy because Bethesda means ‘House of mercy’ but mercy was not in place to address his paralysis. As one that believes in the goodness and mercy of God, does it concern your paralysis? Concerning the certain man, the bible recorded, “Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, “Do you want to be made well?” The sick man answered Him, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me.” (John 5:5-7) At the breakthrough ground excuse is the holding force that holds many down. The certain man of paralysis has been held down for thirty eight years by the excuse of no man to put him into the pool.
Are you looking up to man for your help or are you looking up to Jesus for your breakthrough? Among the secret of breaking out of stagnation and not be a paralysis is to know and understand lifting up voice to God. The Psalmist stated, “My voice You shall hear in the morning, O Lord; In the morning I will direct it to You, And I will look up.” It is time to stop directing voice to man but to direct voice to God and look up to God. Jesus is the only one who is able to pull man through, not man.

Prayer for today: Ask for mercy from the hand of God to bring you out of stagnation.

FAITH CAPSULE: The word of God in the bible is the manual to navigate through the journey of life.

Psalm 34

Life is a journey that is full of ups and down. God is good to perform His word for man that trust and hope in His word. It is written in Jeremiah 29:11-13, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.  Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.  And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.” In the journey of life, God did not plan evil to derail His future plan for man. In journey of life, challenges shall be in place but the grace of God is more than available and enough to make us to grow over challenges of the journey of life. The word of God in Psalm 34:19 is an assurance to persevere the challenges of journey knowing that, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all.” God always honors His word and He will not fail to perform it.
In the case of the Israelites’ journey of life through the wilderness, the Lord led them through the safest route. It was a route that avoided war with the forces of the enemy. The Lord’s route for them was to prevent them from becoming victim at the hands of enemy. God’s route was to keep them from a route that takes them from going back but forward. Is your present route taking you backward instead of forward because of the challenges ahead? Above all, God directed Israelites through a route where there would have been no reason for the Israelites from going back into the captivity of Egypt. Exodus 13:17-18 recorded, “Then it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, Lest perhaps the people change their minds when they see war, and return to Egypt. So God led the people around by way of the wilderness of the Red Sea. And the children of Israel went up in orderly ranks out of the land of Egypt.” In God’s deliverance of Israelites from entering a war route, they turned and entered to complaint and rebellious route. Disobedience against the promise of God’s leadership took charge of their journey. The Israelites failed to acknowledge the leadership of God.
Know that challenges will come to make up but not able to break you. Today, encourage yourself in the Lord; let it be clear to you that God will get you to where He is taking you if you do not step out of His command.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace to follow through His route not by your own route.

FAITH CAPSULE: Giving thanks should not be based on feelings but on a regular basis.

Psalm 107

Regardless of past and present challenges, to see a new day is a great grace not a right. For a new day, turn to God and give thanks. Giving thanks to God is crucial; giving thanks to God should not be a casual way of appreciating God. Psalm 107:1 stated, “Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. Psalm 92:1, “It is good to give thanks to the Lord, And to sing praises to Your name, O Most High” The book of Revelation 11:17 also stated, “We give You thanks, O Lord God Almighty, The One who is and who was and who is to come, Because You have taken Your great power and reigned.”
Give thanks to God always, give thanks for all things to God by not taken God for granted. How are you living a “thanks-giving” life? Word of God through the bible demonstrates the need for giving thanks always when situations are going the way we want it and when situations are not going the way we want it. Thanks giving should always be deep from the heart. It can be challenging to give thanks when confronting situation becomes exceedingly challenging and testing. Giving thanks to God should not be an every now and then sacrifice, it should be a regular sacrifice. Giving thanks should not be based on how you feel, but to fill your heart with thanking to God. Giving thanks should not be delivered to God only at times of convenience but it should be of commitment.
Do you know to give thanks to God for all things? One that knows to give thanks to God for all things will have all things work together for good as Romans 8:28 buttressed, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God…”
Are you taking to the word of God in part or in whole? The word of God is directly related and none of His word can be left out to achieve the purpose of another. John 6:63 stated, “The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.” The word of God is spirit and when it is being done in us it becomes evidence that the Spirit of God dwells in us. The word of God is what we need to fill us; build us and position us to inherit our possession in Christ Jesus. Take to the word of God in whole by giving thanks for all things and all things will work together for good. In sincerity, begin to give thanks to God as a serious priority. Regardless of situation, give thanks always to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus.

Prayer for today: Ask for God’s enablement to live life of giving thanks to God.

FAITH CAPSULE: Do you believe that the word of God is God?

John 1:1 confirmed that the word of God is God stating, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Believing the word of God is to be living the word of God. The key of believing the word of God is claiming the promises of God in His word. The promise of God that is blessing does not come to pass by accident but by living life by His word. The promises of God are vast but man is vastly far from living by the word of God that delivers the promises of God.
Believing the word of God to claim His promises are:
Obedient to move by His command; be holy; demonstrate love of God;
Obeying His commandment:
God commandment Abram saying, “Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you.” (Genesis 12:1) Abram did not question God’s command; he did not delay or doubt God’s command. Abram went as commanded and claimed the promises of God which stated, “I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (Genesis 12:2-3) Abraham’s obedient to the commandment of God provoked the promises of God for his life. Many wants to claim the promises of Abraham but far from allowing the word of God just like Abraham followed the word of God.
Be holy:
Living life by behaving the word of God is what makes man holy. God wants us to be holy as the bible stated, “…but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:15-16) Living holy by the word provokes promises of God as stated, “I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be My people.” (2 Corinthians 6:16)
Demonstrate love of God:
To believe God is to love and fear God. To believe by demonstrating the love of God will move God to bless man with His promise of blessing. The bible recorded, “If you ask anything in My name, I will do it. “If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever.” (John 14:14-16) Abraham believed God and love God when he offered Isaac and received promises of God. God is true to His word.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace to be living His word by your conduct.

FAITH CAPSULE: With understanding, nothing should come between seeking and following the Lord Jesus.

Luke 9:57-62

Seeking or following God is serving God. Seeking or following God is labor with the reward of retaining the presence of God. To seek God or to follow God is not a fun fair but a war fair. Seeking or following God is not to flow with the crowd. With understanding, nothing should come between seeking and following the Lord Jesus. Following Jesus is not following by the word of mouth but by the word of God. Seeking and following Him should not be for material gain. The bible recorded, “Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to Him, “Lord, I will follow You wherever You go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” (Luke 9:57-58)
The man that volunteered to follow Jesus without any condition failed to count the cost. The man must have been coming with emotion. His desire to follow must have been rooted in his feelings. Following with feelings is not enough to sustain the challenges of following Him. The Bible stated, “Then He said to another, “Follow Me.” but he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.””(Luke 9:59) In following Him there should be no excuse whatsoever between His calling and accepting to follow. He called one to follow and another volunteered, one approached Jesus and said, “…Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house.” (Luke 9:61)
Jesus alone knows the end from the beginning and He sees our heart. Jesus responded to the last one that was asking for excuse to go and bid farewell at house, “But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.””(Luke 9:62) Understanding about living life is to seek or follow Him fully. However, not seeking or following after Him is wandering from understanding. The book of Proverbs 21:16 buttressed, “A man who wanders from the way of understanding will rest in the assembly of the dead.” Jesus said let the dead bury his dead. It is worthy to seek or follow Him by allowing the dead bury the dead. As an acclaimed believer, think it over and let the word of God have a place in your life. It is important for us to know that it is time for us to put aside needs and seek Him fully. Also, in time of seeking or following Him fully challenges will rise but rest in Him shall be in place to reach the expected end of seeking or following Him fully.

Prayer for today: Ask the good God for the grace to follow Him fully.