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.

FAITH CAPSULE: Are you hallowing His name?

Numbers 20:1-13

Jesus taught prayer stating, “Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.” (Matthew 6:9) Hallowing the name of God is blessing, respecting, sanctifying, deifying, and revering the name of God. The name of God deserves honor. Proverbs 18:10 identified the name of God, “The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.” What is limiting the understanding of the name of God in your life?
Moses wanted to know the name of God before delivering the message of God to Pharaoh as God identified His name. The book of Exodus 3:13-14 recorded, “Then Moses said to God, “Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they say to me, ‘What is His name?’ what shall I say to them?” And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” It is important to know and always remember that the word of God is not a waste when He stated that He is a jealous God. A jealous God definitely demands attention in every meaningful to call on Him or to answer His calling.
Are you hallowing His name?
As great as Moses was in the hand of God, his sin that deprived him from stepping on the Promised Land was the result of his failure to hallow the name of God. When God commanded Moses to speak to the rock for water to quench the thirsty of the Israelites, Moses went and struck the rock. (Numbers 20:7-9) Moses’ act dis-hallowed God and it counted against Moses as disobedient before God. God responded to Moses, “…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 20:12)  A failure to hallow God is an evidence of lack of belief; it is also a rebellious to God as bible testified in Numbers 27:14, “For in the Wilderness of Zin, during the strife of the congregation, you rebelled against My command to hallow Me at the waters before their eyes…” Trespassing against God also counted as dis-hallowing God against Moses, “because you trespassed against Me among the children of Israel at the waters of Meribah Kadesh, in the Wilderness of Zin, because you did not hallow Me in the midst of the children of Israel.” (Deuteronomy 32:51) As a result of the truth that Moses did not hallow God, the word counted unbelief, rebellion and trespassing against Moses. Know to constantly hallow God. “The Lord of Hosts, Him you shall hallow; let Him be your fear.” (Isaiah 8:13)  In your walk let God know you fear; when you go before Him in your prayer know to hallow his name.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace not to be a failure to hallow Him.

FAITH CAPSULE: Forgiveness can also come with condition.

Luke 7:36-50

The bible recorded conditions that provoke forgiveness of God for man. Among conditions for forgiveness are confessing, repenting, faith and loving.
Confession provokes forgiveness: When we made confession God reacts with forgiveness. 1 John 1:9 recorded, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” The book of Psalm 32:5 also testified that confession is way of receiving forgiveness in the hand of God stating, “I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” And You forgave the iniquity of my sin.” (Psalm 32:5)
Repentance provokes forgiveness:
Repentance must come from depth of heart. To be repentant and not to go back to the ground of sin is making a choice not to be held down by sin but to be forgiven. Repentance of sin, wickedness that provokes forgiveness states in, Acts 5:31, “Him God has exalted to His right hand to be Prince and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.” Acts 8:22, “Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you.”
Having Faith provokes forgiveness:
God alone sees faith that is genuine rooted in the heart and in act. When faith is demonstrated in the sight of God forgiveness is provoked to deliver the hand of God. The healing of the story of the roof tearing faith by a paralyzed man was the result of his forgiveness. It is written, “Then behold, men brought on a bed a man who was paralyzed, whom they sought to bring in and lay before Him.  And when they could not find how they might bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the housetop and let him down with his bed through the tiling into the midst before Jesus. When He saw their faith, He said to him, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.” (Luke 5:18-20) Jesus saw his faith, Jesus forgave him his sins and he was healed.
Love provokes forgiveness:
The sinful woman was forgiven by Jesus. With love, she approached Jesus with an alabaster flask of fragrant oil; she wept; she washed His feet with her tears; she wiped them with the hair of her head; she kissed His feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil. She loved the Lord but she was the sinful woman of the city. Forgiveness of the woman by Jesus provoked question by the people. Jesus talked to Simon, “Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.”  Then He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” Luke 7:47-48. Jesus’ talk with Simon confirmed that love provokes forgiveness. Let us have a heart of receiving forgiveness from God.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace not to be a victim of unforgiving.