FAITH CAPSULE: Understanding of praying instead of sorrow sleep is to prevail in this world.

Luke 22:39-62

In life, it is understanding that will lift man and it is also true that man is limited when there is no understanding. By understanding, can you identify if your prayer is awake or asleep?
It is important to understand and know that a believer on ground of prayer and goes down to sleep instead of praying is having a sorrow sleep. Disciples of Jesus went to sleep when Jesus identified sleep of sorrow as stated, “When He rose up from prayer, and had come to His disciples, He found them sleeping from sorrow.  Then He said to them, “Why do you sleep? Rise and pray, lest you enter into temptation.” (Luke 22:45-46) Sorrow sleep is an open invitation for the one and only enemy to sow where it is not permitted. When sleep takes over, prayer withdraws to the back seat while temptation takes the driver’s seat as the reigning driver. The word of Jesus buttressed it that sleeping in place of being awake is a possible door opener for temptation.
Again, understand and know that a believer that takes prayer more serious than sleeping will take to the way for heaven right here on earth. Daniel is one of the few examples. Prayer was made a captain over captivity. While in captivity, when he could have been dead, he outlived four different rulers that did not know God: Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar, Darius, and Cyrus.
Daniel prevailed because prayer was his major weapon.
When they tried to destroy him, he depended on the power of prayer instead of sleeping a sorrow sleep. When they tried to persecute him, he was persistent in prayer. When there was an attempt to put him down, he was lifted up by prayer. When it was time for him to breakthrough, he was able to break down the meaning of a dream by praying with his friend. The magicians and sorcerers were killed because they could not break the dream which could not take the life of Daniel and friends. Daniel did not sleep but embarked on prayer to engage confronting temptation. Captivity was not enough to hold Daniel from living a purposeful and fulfilled life. He purposed not to defile God and prayer was the propeller of his purpose. With prayer, do you have a purpose in place for your life?
The enemy came to kill and to destroy when he is privilege to sow as man sleeps. The enemy’s sowing will yield to pain and sudden untimely death. Be awake, watch and pray to deny the enemy from sowing evil into your life.

Prayer for today: Ask that God’s hand shall not release you to the hand of the wicked.

FAITH CAPSULE: As a church of God, are you sleep active or awake active?

Acts 12

The enemy of man is here to kill and to destroy and when he is privilege to sow, his sowing will yield to pain, sudden or untimely death. Be awake, watch and pray to deny the enemy from sowing evil into your life.
In the parable of the wheat and tares, Jesus mentioned, “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way.” (Matthew 13:24-25) The point here is that sleeping is what gives enemy the privilege to sow tares (wickedness). When a man is not asleep but awake, it will be difficult for the enemy to sow tares among the wheat.
Living in this world demands to be constantly awake. As an acclaimed believer, are you awake or are you asleep? Just as it is possible to be asleep physically so it is also possible to be asleep spiritually. One that is spiritually asleep becomes spiritually at risk. For one who is at sleep, prayer will cease and enemy shall gain entrance.
Sleeping is not only when eyes and mind are shut; sleeping does not necessary mean when one goes to bed at night. In this world of wickedness, when sleeping takes over at the time of challenging situation, man extends invitation to the wicked one.
The church was at sleep at the time James the brother of John was killed by Herod the king. Acts 12:1-2 recorded about the seed of Herod’s violence to the church, “Now about that time Herod the king stretched out his hand to harass some from the church. Then he killed James the brother of John with the sword.” The same hand of Herod sent Peter to prison. It is written, “…but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church.  And when Herod was about to bring him out, that night Peter was sleeping, bound with two chains between two soldiers; and the guards before the door were keeping the prison.  Now behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the prison; and he struck Peter on the side and raised him up, saying, “Arise quickly!” And his chains fell off his hands.” (Acts 12:5-7)
Peter’s deliverance was the awake of constant prayer by the church. It is possible that the same church was not constantly prayer but asleep at the time of James death in the hand of Herod. The enemy will sow evil seed only in the sleeping church. As temple of God (church of God), are you sleep active or awake active? Can you afford to sleep when you need to be awake?
Watch and pray is to be sleepless. Church that is not available to be awake in prayer does not prevail against enemy.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace of strength on the prayer altar.

FAITH CAPSULE: Today is the day of salvation.

Genesis 6, 7

God testified of man since the days of the Genesis, “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) The days of Noah; the wickedness of Sodom and Gomorrah, the wickedness of the days of Lot is here meaning that God’s word is true in the early days and in the present today. Luke 17:26-30 recorded the word, “And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all.  Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed.” The evil days are now again.
Are you paying attention to the warning word of God? Are you paying attention to the signal of the warning encased in the word of God? God does not lie neither does He sleeps.
The truth is that Jesus came to die for our sins so that we all shall inherit eternity. Jesus emphasized that the coming time of judgment is a time that no one knows but only God. Wait on God; do not be a part of wickedness of today. Wickedness of today is busy ignoring Days of Noah part two, the new of Sodom and Gomorrah. God is a long suffering God; God is a gracious God that acts for those that wait on Him. God is truly true to long suffering and patiently waiting. Ecclesiastes 8:11 testified the evidence of God’s long suffering and patient stating, “Because the sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.” 
Today is the day of salvation. Salvation is not to experience but to escape Days of Noah, Sodom and Gomorrah like Lot. Salvation is to escape. It is never going to be too late to give life to Christ. If you are one that is thinking and not accept Jesus as your salvation it might be too late to avoid Days of Noah part two. It is important not to waste grace of God that is waiting to raise you. Today give your life and become a candidate for the Kingdom of God.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace to abide in the word of God so that the truth shall make you free.

FAITH CAPSULE: It is not possible to be living a life centered on God and be a looser.

Genesis 13

Abraham told Lot in Genesis 13:9, “Is not the whole land before you? Please separate from me, if you take the left, then I will go to the right; or if you go to the right, then I will go to the left”. Abraham needed a voluntary separation with Job when he made statement of contentment and not allowed grievances with Job. As one that is contented, Abraham sounded like he did not care, but he was counting on the promise of provision that the Lord delivered to him at the beginning of his journey. Abraham was an evidence of man with content. Abraham did not rope himself with love for abundance. Ecclesiastes 5:10 pointed out, “He who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver; Nor he who loves abundance, with increase…” Abraham was desired with the promise of God. Abraham did not replace the promises of God with possessions. It is not possible to be living a life centered on God and be a looser. All over the Scripture, there are many giants in the hand of God that lived a contented life with testimonies of greatness through the goodness and mercy of God. He was a man of contentment. He was always letting go all that requires a let go; never struggled with threat of lack and never doubted blessings of provision.
Paul, in his first letter to Timothy, mentioned that, “Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content.” (1 Timothy6:6-8) Paul did not call it ‘gain’ but a ‘great gain’. Paul was not just using the power of the word, but was also sharing what his experience has been by living the word of God.
In the journey of life, contentment is like a driver that never mistake but arrive at the expected end. Contentment answered for Abraham, it also answered for Moses. Moses, in his journey to the center of divine center, contentment in him did not allowed derailment. The bible recorded, “Then Moses was content to live with the man, and he gave Zipporah his daughter to Moses.  And she bore him a son. He called his name Gershom, for he said, “I have been a stranger in a foreign land.” (Exodus 2:21-22)
In life, to settle with the promises of God demands contentment and denies desire that outruns possessions. When contentment is rooted in godliness of a believer, there will be grace to move forward in the center of God assignment. What is it that you need to let go and allow the hand of God? It is important to know that godliness with contentment is great gain.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace of contentment to take charge of your life journey.

FAITH CAPSULE: Take control of the things that you expose yourself to.

2 Samuel 11

Without doubt, what eyes of man feed on the man’s heart will live on. When man begins to set eyes on negativity, man’s heart shall become corrupted. What are you setting eyes on that feed your heart? David, a man after God’s own heart lost control of his heart when his eyes recklessly set on negativity.
It is written, “It happened in the spring of the year, at the time when kings go out to battle, that David sent Joab and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the people of Ammon and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem. Then it happened one evening that David arose from his bed and walked on the roof of the king’s house. And from the roof he saw a woman bathing, and the woman was very beautiful to behold. So David sent and inquired about the woman. And someone said, “Is this not Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?” (2 Samuel 11:1-3) David’s eyes fed his heart when he SAW and BEHELD a beautiful woman bathing. What are you beholding wrongly? David’s heart was not diligent enough to rebuke the negative presentation of the eyes.
What are your eyes feeding your heart? David responded to his eyes as his heart acted, “Then David sent messengers, and took her; and she came to him, and he lay with her, for she was cleansed from her impurity; and she returned to her house. And the woman conceived; so she sent and told David, and said, “I am with child.” (2 Samuel 11:4-5) Indeed, David committed crime before God when he eventually set-up the death of Bathsheba’s husband (Uriah).
David’s eye fed his heart wrong with evil engagement. David was responsible for the killing of Uriah and took over his wife Bathsheba. David could not hide from God but the thing that David had done displeased the Lord.
Take control of the things that you see, do not expose your heart to the ways of self-destruction. Keep your eyes clean to keep your heart pure. Jesus called the eye the lamp of the body in Matthew 6:2, “The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!” What the eyes feed on the heart lives on. A heart that is kept diligently will be pure. To be pure in heart is to be righteous. To be righteous will identify a believer as one with integrity. A believer with Integrity lives the life for God. The pure in the heart are not wicked and they will see God.

Prayer for today: Ask God to enable your eyes and heart to keep on positives.