FAITH CAPSULE: Cry out to God in time of distress.

Mark 10:46-52

Are you shy to cry out for God’s attention?
Crying out to God is not an evidence of weakness but a communication with God. The Israelites cried out to God, “Now it happened in the process of time that the king of Egypt died. Then the children of Israel groaned because of the bondage, and they cried out; and their cry came up to God because of the bondage.” (Exodus 2:23) After the bondage of over four hundred years, the cry of the children of Israel brought heaven’s attention for their deliverance. God is a prayer answering God and it could be that the children of Israel did not realize that they were in bondage until the King of Egypt died. Nevertheless, their cry out to God brought them out of bondage.
Jonah needed to cry out to God due to his self-inflicted affliction. It is written, “Then Jonah prayed to the LORD his God from the fish’s belly. And he said: “I cried out to the LORD because of my affliction, and He answered me.  “Out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and You heard my voice.” (Jonah 2:1-2) Jonah, a prophet of God put himself into affliction when he disobeyed God’s command. God called on Jonah, “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…” (Jonah 1:2-3) Is there any disobedience to God’s direction in your path that caused a self-inflicted affliction? God listened and heard the cry of Jonah despite his disobedience. Will you cry by opening your mouth wide for the mercy of God due to your disobedience of God’s calling?
Evidently, crying to God is a way out for God’s deliverance from affliction.
David, a man after God’s own heart cried out to God for God’s attention in the face his challenge. David testified, “In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried out to my God; He heard my voice from His temple, and my cry came before Him, even to His ears.” (Psalm 18:6) Cry out to God in time of distress. God was not a partial God to deny the crying of blind Bartimaeus. The bible recorded about Bartimaeus cry out, “And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Then many warned him to be quiet; but he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” (Mark 10:47-48) The blind man Bartimaeus cried out to Jesus and could no man kept him quiet. Do not be quiet to deny God’s attention for your deliverance.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace not to be a victim of denial agent before God.

FAITH CAPSULE: Are you still avoiding God’s calling?

Exodus 4

When God was set to use Moses for the deliverance of the Israelites, Moses could not block his ears to hear and avoid answering to God. Moses had no way but heard and repeatedly to refuse God with different excuses, claiming as incompetent for the calling of God. Moses answered series of God’s calling stating, “But suppose they will not believe me or listen to my voice; suppose they say, ‘The Lord has not appeared to you.” (Exodus 4:1) God answered to each of Moses’ question with answer to encourage Moses. Moses also told his creator that he was not eloquent; he was slow of speech and slow of tongue. (Exodus 4:10) Moses attempted to avoid answering God’s calling.
Are you avoiding God’s calling just like Moses?
With God there was no way to block out God’s calling. God responded to his speech and slow of tongue of excuse stating, “So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses, and He said: “Is not Aaron the Levite your brother? I know that he can speak well. And look, he is also coming out to meet you. When he sees you, he will be glad in his heart.  Now you shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth. And I will be with your mouth and with his mouth, and I will teach you what you shall do.” (Exodus 4:14-15) Moses had no way of escaping God’s calling but he made himself available for God’s assignment.
Are you still avoiding God’s calling?
Do you have a considering place that is not within the reach of God’s calling?
When God called Jeremiah, God did not consider any place of escape for Jeremiah not to answer His direction. However, at the calling of Jeremiah, Jeremiah considered himself a youth but God responded, “…Do not say, ‘I am a youth,’ for you shall go to all to whom I send you, and whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of their faces, for I am with you to deliver you…” (Jeremiah 1:7-8) Just as the calling for Moses was loaded with God’s direction so the calling of Jeremiah was set to be well established by God’s direction.
Whatever man is using as a ground of hiding to avoid God’s calling is definitely within the reach of God’s calling. The same God that called Moses with speech and slow of tongue also called young Jeremiah. He has an appointment for you; go and ask Him where you are to go and what you are to do. From where you are now it is not too late to ask from God and get back into a right direction.

Prayer for today: Ask God to deliver you from agent denial of God’s divine assignment in the life of man.

FAITH CAPSULE: Are you engaging any challenge that is inviting inquisitor into your life?

Genesis 19

Is there any inquisitor of your challenge?

In time of life challenge, it is important for a believer to stand in the Lord and know not to encourage any inquisitor in one’s life. Job was exposed to life challenges when God identified him as integrity, blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil. (Job 2:3) Despite God’s identification of Job, Job’s wife showed up as discouraging inquisitor when she stated, “Do you still hold fast to your integrity? Curse God and die!” (Job 2:9) God saw Job as a man of integrity but his wife saw him as a man that was wasting time by waiting on God.
Are you engaging any challenge that is inviting inquisitor into your life?
Is your inquisitor your closest one or you have taken a position of self-inquisitor without you knowing?
The wife of Lot took a position of self’s inquisitor by disobeying God’s direction for her deliverance from life termination. At the time of Sodom and Gomorrah’s destruction, Lot and his wife were given an escape of direction stating, “Escape for your life! Do not look behind you nor stay anywhere in the plain. Escape to the mountains, lest you be destroyed.” (Genesis 19:17) Just as they advanced on the route of escape, the wife of Lot could not accept God’s direction but to question God’s direction of escape. The Lot’s wife acted as an inquisitor of God’s deliverance plan of escape for Lot’s family as she, “…looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.” (Genesis 19:26)
As a conscious or unconscious inquisitor, what is your position in response to life challenges?
Often time, man allows the act of negative inquisitor to take position of denying blessing in place.
Jesus did miracles on every ground but was rejected at His own city of Nazareth. The people were inquisitors wanting to know the source of His wisdom and the work of His hand. In His people’s eyes, He was just the son of a carpenter; the mere son of Joseph and Mary. It must have been so much and the Bible testified, “… He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them.”(Mark 6:5) If there was to be a place for Him in regard to greater work being manifested, should that not have been His home place and among His people? Will you desist from being inquisitor of God? Today, let God take charge of your life.
The people of Nazareth failed to appreciate the anointing upon the life of the Anointed One. Let Jesus know that you appreciate Him today. Go the extra effort not to be an inquisitor to miss the blessing of God.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace of God to deny the spirit of inquisitor that delivers escape.

FAITH CAPSULE: For your dream to come through you have to pass through.

Genesis 37

Dream is described as a succession of images, thoughts, or emotions passing through the mind during sleep. For a young man’s dream it was a true revealed journey with no direction of engaging the dream. Joseph had a dream, “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) Joseph’s dream sounded positive but was received with negative and it positioned him negative before his brothers.
Joseph had a dream at a young age seventeen. Joseph’s dream was without direction but he was to pass through.
Do you have a positive dream and yet every step into your dream is coming out negative?
For your dream to come through you have to pass through. The dream that Joseph had at age seventeen did not come to manifestation until he was thirty years old. Joseph waited for thirteen years to have his dream come through. The Bible recorded that Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age. (Genesis 37:3) For Joseph’s dream, he encountered hate; envy took a stand against him and he was completely displaced from his base.
Unknowingly, Joseph began the journey of his dream when he passed through the pit of lack and went into slavery before arriving at the land of his dream center of manifestation. Interestingly, Joseph’s brothers were the agents of hate and evil that set to destroy or deny Joseph’s dream. The Joseph’s brothers were also unknowingly the ones that were set to bring his dream to manifestation. When man proposes, God disposes. God is the Almighty One and there is none besides Him. As a believer of the living word of God, know this day that God sees all. Today, also make it a point to be looking to God in all situations. It is written in Genesis 41:46, “Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt.” A dream of thirteen years journey seemed like an endless dream but it came to manifest.
Does your dream seem like no manifestation?
With God nothing is impossible.
The journey that began at age of seventeen for Joseph did not get him to the top until he was thirty years old. God’s timing is different from man’s timing.
God does not keep to man’s time but keeps man in His own time. It does not matter how long it takes to crawl out of pit, God and only God will bring positive dream to manifestation.

Prayer for today: Ask God to see you through at His appointed time for your life.

FAITH CAPSULE: Wickedness has its seat in the heart of man.

Psalm 73

The job of the wicked is to do evil. The wicked, despite their wickedness are living a life that makes man to wonder why and how it could be for the wicked ones to be having a life that appears better and glamorous. However, no man should focus on how wicked ones are living life but to only be careful and have heart directed to the love of God. None is judge except God and all should allow God to do as He pleases. The book of Ecclesiasts 8:11-13 stated, “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. Though a sinner does evil a hundred times, and his days are prolonged, yet I surely know that it will be well with those who fear God, who fear before Him. But it will not be well with the wicked; nor will he prolong his days, which are as a shadow, because he does not fear before God.”
Are your ways rooted in wickedness?
One thing is clear, God sees it all and He will only move against the wicked at His appointed time.
Wickedness has its seat in the heart of man. Jeremiah 17:9-10 made it known about the seat (heart) of wicked stating, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it? I, the LORD, search the heart; I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings.” The deceitful heart can be the unbeliever’s heart or the acclaimed believer’s heart.
Can you identify if you are wicked or not wicked?
Any man that claims to be a believer should not be mistaken for a heart that is not deceitful and desperately wicked. Among man, Psalm 73 identified some glaring wicked heart:
Pride serves as their necklace.
Violence covers them like a garment.
Their eyes bulge with abundance.
They have more than heart could wish.
They increase in riches.
They scoff and speak wickedly concerning oppression.
They speak loftily (arrogantly)
They set their mouth against the heavens and their tongue walks through the earth.
Are you an acclaimed believer that has the word of God un-internalized, not translated into practice but constantly engage life as wicked one? In these wicked days, it is time to make amends and know that the sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily but God’s judgement is not asleep.

Prayer for today: Ask God to help you that your heart shall have no place for wickedness to dwell.