FAITH CAPSULE: Hear and do the word of God to see the miracle hand of God.

Deuteronomy 28

Obedience is to believe and do what God says. Having trust and hope in God is the demonstration of obedience to God. Obedience is like the door of blessing as stated, “And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the Lord your God…” (Deuteronomy 28:2) Having trust and hope is the key of opening door of blessing stating, “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is the Lord.” (Jeremiah 17:7)
Obedience demands hearing and doing the word of God. The book of Philippians 4:9 established the importance of hearing and doing as obedience to God, “The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.” Are you obeying God to have the blessing of having the peace of God?
When man hears and heed the word of God man shall see miracle. Bible recorded, “Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them.  And the multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did.  For unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice came out of many who were possessed; and many who were paralyzed and lame were healed.  And there was great joy in that city.” (Acts 8:5-8)  Philip preached Christ (the Word of God), many heard and heed the word of God to see the miracle hand of God. With obedience by hearing and heeding, seeing miracle of the hand of God answers in the life of obedience.
With understanding the blessing of obeying the word of God also demands the need to understand the consequence of disobeying the word of God. In the life of journey, not hearing and heeding is taking to the route of curses. Deuteronomy 28:15 recorded, “But it shall come to pass, if you do not obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments and His statutes which I command you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you.”
God cannot be deceived, “But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror.” (James 1:22-23)
Knowing that sacrificial service to God is good. However, sacrificial service is not enough if hearing and doing the word of God is not having a place in the life of man. Attend the word of God to know that, “…to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams.” (1 Samuel 15:22)

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace to hear and do as the word of God demands.

FAITH CAPSULE: If obedience is not in place, walking with the Lord shall not be possible.

Matthew 7:24-29, James 1:21-27

The only way to obey the word of God is encased in hearing and doing the word of God.
So many hears the word but almost none are doing the word of God.
So many quotes the word of God but not carry the word in the heart but on the head.
So many congregates in the name of God to hear the word but not to do the word of God. Are you a hearer of the word of God that constantly does the word?
The word of God stated as regard to hearing and doing the word, “The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you. (Philippians 4:9) “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror.” (James 1:22-23)
A believer who is constantly disobedient to the word of God is like a car speeding in the dark with its headlights turned off. It will only take one moment for the driver to have his life terminated. How long would a driver continue to drive in the dark without the headlights on? The question is important and needs to be addressed. God is a merciful and jealous God who desires constant attention from His creation, Exodus 34:14, “For you shall worship no other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.” To gain the attention of a jealous God requires sincere and consistent obedience before His holy name. It does not matter who you are in the Lord, neither does it matter what role you play in the Kingdom of God’s business. If obedience is not in place, walking with the Lord shall not be possible.
Jesus’ mother and brothers received a warning that could have denied them their access to Him, “Then His mother and brothers came to Him, and could not approach Him because of the crowd. And it was told Him by some, who said, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, desiring to see You. But He answered and said to them, My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it.” (Luke 8:19-21) Do you desire to see Him when you look for Him just as His mother and brothers went to look for Him, or do you want to continue to ignore Him? There is a need to look for Him by calling on Him and making way to Him through consistent obedience to His word. There is no substitute for obeying the word of God. It is important for every believer to observe the word of God by hearing and doing the word of God.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace to always hear and be a doer of the word of God.

FAITH CAPSULE: A proud look; a lying tongue is among hates before the Lord.

Proverbs 6

Pride look can be clearly read in the mind of man. It is a saying that man’s look is the entrance into man’s mind. Ability to read pride in the look of man can reveal the evidence of arrogant; lack of no spirit of humility in the life of man. Proverbs 13:10 talked about pride, “By pride comes nothing but strife…” In life, there is nothing in strife but brewing disagreement, contrariety, opposition, fight and conflict. Strife from pride takes away peace in man. Word is pointing out among us that nothing in pride is good of God. Proverbs 16:18 makes us to know that “Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall.” Pride is not of good but of hate before God.
Jesus talked about pride, “What comes out of a man that defiles a man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within and defile a man.” (Mark 7:20-22) Evidently, Jesus identified pride in the company of evil things. Jesus said evil things come from within and defile a man. Pride is evil thing from within and it defiles man. Pride will set man away from God. Do you have a pride look which God hates?
A lying tongue:
Hating others is not of God and should not be an identity of man that believes in good God. Man does have skill of claiming God but hiding hatreds. The word of God declares, “Whoever hides hatred has lying lips…” (Proverbs 10:18) Does the word speak of you as one with lying tongue? Good God hates lying and it is abomination to God. Lying is deceit, lying is evil; lying is of wicked with no good. Proverbs 12:18-22 compared truth and lying’s tongue, “The truthful lip shall be established forever, But a lying tongue is but for a moment. Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil, but counselors of peace have joy. No grave trouble will overtake the righteous, but the wicked shall be filled with evil. Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who deal truthfully are His delight.” It is worthy for every man to make the choice of truthful lip which is good but not of lying tongue which is evil that does not glorify God. The book of Ephesians 4:25 warned, “Therefore, putting away lying, “Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,” for we are members of one another.” Man should consciously disallow lying tongue. By all standard of God’s expectation, man should do good in all ways that give glory to the name of God.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace not to walk against goodness of God.

FAITH CAPSULE: It is impossible to walk two ways at the same time.

John 10:1-30

Truly, life is a challenging journey that is full of ups and down. Have you been saying or considering that life is difficult? Is it possible that you are the one that has been living life in a difficult way? Life can be challenging, but man can always overcome the challenges of life by making the choice of the right way. There is a way to live life and to live it abundantly; there is a way to live life and to live it with challenges that will not overtake man. Taking to a complicated way is to complicate the journey of life. The way of complication is encased in too many ways in the place of way and truth at a time. However, it is impossible to walk two ways at the same time and get to the expected end. Taking to the journey of life that leads to expected end demands the only one way that leads to the expected end. Have you chosen the right way? John 14:6, Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” Jesus is the only way that is true.
The reason to take the way, the truth is stated in John 10:10, “…I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” Mark 10:45 recorded the reason of Jesus’ coming, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” By taking to the journey of life, which way will you chose for route? The way of life is not about what seems right. Taking a way that seems right often leads to destruction. Proverbs 14:12 sounded the warning of avoiding what “seems” to be the right way stating, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.”
Jesus said, “…I am the way, the truth…”  In the way of the truth, challenges will emerge but man shall overcome.
What He has said, He meant. He has never lied, and He will not lie. Take a moment and begin to re-trace your steps to see if you have taken to the way that seems right. Lift your eyes up unto Him today and ask Him for help. He is a compassionate God that does not cease from being compassionate.
Above all, the journey of life demands truth that makes man becomes free. Jesus, the way, the truth admonished, “…If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:31-32) Take to your journey through the way; abide in the truth that leads to expected end.

Prayer for today: Ask Him to redirect your steps from every way you might have taken outside of His holy name.

FAITH CAPSULE: Study the word to understand and know the importance of doing good to the glory of God.

Proverbs 6

God is good. His Spirit is good. (Psalm 143:10) Good is God’s identity also it is the character of God. Jesus responded to a certain ruler calling Him God, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. (Luke 18:19) There is no good as God. It is the goodness of God that makes His endures for everlasting. (Psalm 118:1, 136:1)
Those who study the word will understand and know the importance of doing good to the glory of God. Also, it is man’s knowledge and understanding of doing good that will be provoking the good hand of God upon man. Doing good is what is acceptable to God. Since the beginning of creation, it is what is good that God was looking for. The bible recorded, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good…” (Genesis 1:1-4) God’s character is good. Good is what God looked for through His history creation.
Through the scriptural verses, word of God repeatedly admonished us about the important of doing good,
“Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. He who does good is of God, but he who does evil has not seen God.” (3John 1:11) “And who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good?” (1Peter 3:13)
“But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.” (Hebrews 13:16) “This is a faithful saying, and these things I want you to affirm constantly, that those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to men.” (Titus 3:8) “Truly God is good to Israel, to such as are pure in heart.” (Psalm 73:1)
What is doing good before good God?
Doing good describes man as morally excellent; righteous; pious (having or showing a dutiful spirit of reverence for God) Doing good is what God like but hates evil the opposite of good. Knowing and understanding what God hates should make man to be obeying the word of God. Doing good is also to be staying away from what God hates. The book of Proverbs 6:16-19 identified seven things the Lord God hates stating, “These six things the Lord hates, Yes, seven are an abomination to Him: A proud look, A lying tongue, Hands that shed innocent blood, A heart that devises wicked planes, Feet that are swift in running to evil, A false witness who speaks lies, and One who sows discord among brethren.” Knowing what God hates should keep man to be doing good.

Prayer for today: Ask God to impact you to only do good for His grace.