FAITH CAPSULE: Who can be like God?

Jonah 1, 2

God alone is the Master Planner with details in His hand. Time is in the control of God but man can only interfere with clock. God will call man to His attention regardless of how man avoids God. Jonah attempted to avoid the calling assignment of God but he could not run away in the sight of God. Jonah 1:1-3 recorded, “Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me.” But Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid the fare, and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.” Under heaven, no man can avoid God’s calling. Jonah ran, he avoided but was exposed to the eyes of God. When it was time for God, Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.
Are you one that is running away from the hand of God?
God does have a way of calling man’s attention.
When it was time for God to call Moses there was no way for ignorance to avoid God. Exodus 3:1-3 stated, “Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. And he led the flock to the back of the desert, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed. Then Moses said, “I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn.” In the place of your ignorance, are you willing to turn aside and give attention to the calling from God?
Joseph’s calling was in repeated dream as stated, “There we were, binding sheaves in the field. Then behold, my sheaf arose and also stood upright; and indeed your sheaves stood all around and bowed down to my sheaf.” (Genesis 37:7) “Look, I have dreamed another dream. And this time, the sun, the moon, and the eleven stars bowed down to me.” (Genesis 37:9)  Joseph’s dream was not well received when it was revealed to his brother. Joseph was rebuked by his father and his brothers for his dream. Joseph’s dream was his divine assignment, but the steps to get there were not unfolded. Our times are in the hand of God. Man controls clock but God controls time. Joseph’s dream at age seventeen was manifested at age thirty. Who can be like God?

Prayer for today: Ask God to deliver you in His righteousness and not fail to answer His calling.

FAITH CAPSULE: Mockery to miracle demands attention with expectation.

Acts 3

The grace of life is not a right but a privilege. To be alive today is not a merit but a mercy of God. Gracious God turns every frustration into celebration; God converts stagnation to motion and God alone will convert mockery into miracle. God alone is the healing healer; He is the eternal surgeon and He is the providing provider. Only God inhabits eternity whose mercy endures forever. God cannot fail and His living word cannot be broken.
Elisha’s servant could only see stagnation in the hand of enemy and reported to Elisha. The bible recorded that enemy sent, “…horses and chariots and a great army there, and they came by night and surrounded the city.  And when the servant of the man of God arose early and went out, there was an army, surrounding the city with horses and chariots. And his servant said to him, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?”(2 Kings 6:14-15) The servant of Elisha saw fear when he reported to his master and he does not know how to escape the forces of enemy. Elisha’s servant gave self to fear. As a prophet of God, Elisha only knows to behold God in times of challenges. Elisha responded to the fear of his servant, “So he answered, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” And Elisha prayed, and said, “Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” (2 Kings 6:16-17) The prayer of Elisha caused the servant to see that they were not in stagnation but in motion to overcome the hands of the enemy.
Are you in situation that is causing man to behold the enemy or to behold challenges of the wicked world?
Lameness can be a mockery. A lame man that is limited in motion needed miracle in the place of his mockery. Acts 3:2 mentioned, “…certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms from those who entered the temple.” Begging for alms was the portion of the certain lame man. Evidently, the certain lame man desired to come out of lameness. Mockery to miracle demands attention with expectation. The lame man gave attention with expectation as Peter said to him, “In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.”  And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength.  So he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them—walking, leaping, and praising God.” (Acts 3:6-8) God is yesterday, today and forever. For your miracle, behold with expectation for manifestation.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace to only behold Him in all situations.

FAITH CAPSULE: In the name of God is the all-inclusive way to become an over-comer.

Exodus 6

Without any doubt, there is no other god that shares or answers to the same name with God. He alone is the Almighty, He alone is the King of kings; the eternal rock of ages. Exodus 24:17 described God, “The sight of the glory of the Lord was like a consuming fire on the top of the mountain in the eyes of the children of Israel.” Hebrew 12:29 buttressed, “For our God is a consuming fire.”
Pharaoh with stone of heart rejected God’s request for the release of the children of Israel as he turned to Israelites with extra labor. The expectation of freedom became dim as Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters to inflict more labor on the people. Moses wanted to know why God added trouble on the children of Israel. God responded to Moses with assurance of a strong hand that the Israelites shall be let go. God introduced His name to Moses, “And God spoke to Moses and said to him: ’I am the LORD. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by My name LORD I was not known to them.’” (Exodus 6:2-3)
Are you asking, seeking and knocking in times of trouble? Are you the one that is attempting to lead the Spirit of God or allowing the Spirit of God to lead you? The word admonished us, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.” (Matthew 7:7-8)
Concerning your challenges, call the name of God by asking, seeking and knocking. Asking, seeking and knocking are not emotional approach but an approach of expectation. It is important to get the understanding that in the name of God is the all-inclusive way to become an over-comer. When God is called, He will not only remember the caller but He will rescue the caller, He will redeem the caller from bondage. A caller of God’s name shall be delivered and be defended. To call on the name of God will cause God to visit with salvation.
Do you know His name? Knowing the name of God is different from knowing about His name. It is important to know that, “The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run into it and are safe.” (Proverbs 18:10) The name of God brought the Israelites out of the bondage of over four hundred years. God alone was in the beginning; He is the same God who will always be beyond forever. His name is the LORD!

Prayer for today: Ask God for the understanding to call on His name indeed and in truth.

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.