FAITH CAPSULE: Clearly, sin is unbelief and it is a passage to death.

Psalm 106

Among avenues to sin and sinning are: Lack of understanding the wonders of God; forgetting the works of God and failure to believe God. The above mentioned were apparent among the Israelites and is evident in man today.
Lack of Understanding the wonders of God:
Bible recorded, “Our fathers in Egypt did not understand Your wonders; they did not remember the multitude of your mercies, but rebelled by the sea-the Red Sea.” (Psalm 106:7) Lack of understanding leads to: rebellion, complaint, negative confession.
The Israelites confessed in Numbers 14:1-4, “…And all the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron, and the whole congregation said to them, “If only we had died in the land of Egypt! Or if only we had died in this wilderness! Why has the LORD brought us to this land to fall by the sword, that our wives and children should become victims? Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt…?”
They sin and God responded, “Say to them, ‘As I live,’ says the LORD, ‘just as you have spoken in My hearing, so I will do to you: The carcasses of you who have complained against Me shall fall in this wilderness…” (Numbers 14:28-30)
Understanding is not of the mouth but of the heart. It is through understanding that we know that having life today is not a merit but the mercy of God. Having understanding God’s wonders will cause man to remember and eliminate rebelliousness nature. Word testified that understanding, “Understanding is a wellspring of life to him who has it…” (Proverbs 16:22)
Wellspring is a source of abundant supply. With understanding we have abundance of life which Jesus brought for us. With sin because of lack of understanding, life becomes wasted like the Israelites that sin and died in the wilderness.
Forgetting the works of God:
“They soon forgot His works; they did not wait for His counsel, but lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, and tested God in the desert.” (Psalm 106:13-14) If man fails by not become mindful of God’s works, the spirit of forgetfulness shall lead to sin. The Israelites forgot; they could not wait on God but died in sin and not get to the Promised Land.
Failure to believe God:
“Then they despised the pleasant land; they did not believe His word” (Psalm 106:24)
They despised the meaning of God’s words and took a wrong way outside of God’s plan for their life. Disobeying the word of God is the evidence of lack of belief. God promised to take them to the Promised Land but spy’s negative testimonies provoked unbelieving act. God is holy and with sin no man can reach God.
Just like the Israelites, man does not understand the wondrous acts of God, forgetting the works of God and failure to believe God are sinful route of untimely death.

Prayer for today: Ask God to deliver you from known and unknown route of sin.

FAITH CAPSULE: How responsible are you in the word of God?

Daniel 1

A choice to be a responsible one does have consequence.
Being responsible is the price for greatness.
Responsibility is the price for greatness. When man makes the choice to be responsible in response to the word of God is what sets man to live potential on the face of earth. Jesus frequently and unswervingly communicated humility by His words and His action throughout His ministry on the face of earth. Jesus’ demonstration of humility is for our learning. Humility is a choice to be responsible. The word of God pointed out that without humility, obeying the word of God becomes impossible. Philippians 2:8 buttressed, “And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.” Jesus, our Lord and savior made the choice to be humbled and responded with obedience. Jesus’ humbled Himself and became obedient that made Him great for the glory of God.
How responsible are you in the word of God?
Daniel was responsible to attain the price of greatness for the glory of God.
The bible recorded about Daniel, “But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank; therefore he requested of the chief of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.  Now God had brought Daniel into the favor and goodwill of the chief of the eunuchs.”(Daniel 1:8-9) Daniel’s responsibility did not only provoke favor and goodwill of God before the chief of the eunuchs but through all his day of captivity.
Through the life of Daniel, the choice of responsibility was glaring as he avoided wickedness against the covenant. The book of Daniel 11:32 identified for our learning, “Those who do wickedly against the covenant he shall corrupt with flattery; but the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits.”
Is wickedness your way that leads to become irresponsible?
Is your desire to be greatness for the glory of God?
Without doubt, to be built by the word is a direct route of making choice to become responsible which is the price of greatness. In life, commend to the word of God. Apostle Paul admonished us, “So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.” (Acts 20:32)
How responsible are you in the word of God? Jesus has paid the price, are you doing your part to get to the place He paid for man to be? Christianity should not be in loud speaking or noise-making. Christianity should be living the word and able to be making choice of responsibility.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace to live responsible as a believer of God.

FAITH CAPSULE: God does not fail to deliver His own.

Genesis 37, 39

The word of God is true as stated, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it? (Jeremiah 17:9) Brothers of Joseph took evil’s position to their brother Joseph. This is the statement of brothers of Joseph towards Joseph “Now when they saw him afar off, even before he came near them, they conspired against him to kill him. Then they said to one another, “Look, this dreamer is coming! Come therefore, let us now kill him and cast him into some pit; and we shall say, ‘Some wild beast has devoured him.’ We shall see what will become of his dreams!” (Genesis 37:18-20) Brothers of Joseph turned out to become enemy and wanted to see what was going to become of Joseph’s dream.
Often times, wicked ones do not remember that God is in charge of heaven and earth affairs. God alone sees the acts of evil and “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.” (Ecclesiastes 8:11)
Are you an evil agenda like Joseph’s brothers?
The story of Joseph points out that when a man is set up by God to live for the glory of God, the enemy will also set up to offset God’s purpose in the life of man. However, God does not fail for His own just like Joseph. It is written, “The LORD was with Joseph, and he was a successful man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. And his master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD made all he did to prosper in his hand. So Joseph found favor in his sight, and served him. Then he made him overseer of his house, and all that he had he put under his authority.”(Genesis 39:2- 4) Truly, God was with Joseph because the enemy made a choice to be against him. The enemy wanted to deny him to live to the fulfillment of God’s purpose.
Have you identified any evil’s set up against your life?
Be assured that God is with you to prevail.
All three times that it was mentioned that the Lord was with Joseph, there was mercy, favor, prosperity, success and authority in place in the life of Joseph. When God is with man, no evil can be against man that walks in the word of God. Joseph’s secret was his fear of God. The book of Proverbs 14:27 recorded, “The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, to turn one away from the snares of death.” The word of God is forever true and He will not fail to perform His word. God alone shall turn around the intent of enemy to good.

Prayer for the day: Ask God for mercy and become over-comer against evil agenda.

FAITH CAPSULE: Are you with heart of evil or heart of wicked?

Proverbs 6

The book of Genesis 6:5 recorded, “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.” The only perfect created of heaven and earth, the only God that created man saw the heart of man as evil. Psalmist testified the state of the heart of man, “Deliver me, O Lord, from evil men; preserve me from violent men, who plan evil things in their hearts…” (Psalm 140:1-2) The book of Proverbs 6:14 added to how heart operates stating, “Perversity is in his heart, he devises evil continually, he sows discord.” Evil and wickedness is same feather like birds of same feather. Evil is wicked and wicked is evil.
As an acclaimed believer or unbeliever, what is the state of your heart?
Are you with heart of evil or heart of wicked?
Word of God encourages man to Keep heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life. (Proverbs 4:23) Without doubt, if man should keep the word of God in the heart the heart is set not to fall in line of evil.
Can you imagine how God declared that He saw wickedness of man and hearts was only evil continually? The only thing God continually sees in man is evil.
Are you committed to man or unfailing God?
The book of John 2:24-25 buttressed, “But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men” Who are you committed with your heart to?
Will you keep your heart diligently and avoid being continually evil?
God is always in charge and clearly knows every creation’s heart. God’s word to Jeremiah is an evidence of God’s knowledge and by Him actions are weighed. God spoke to Jeremiah, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.” (Jeremiah 1:5) This statement testifies to the truth that no man under heaven was born by accident and outside of God’s knowledge. Avoid commitment to man whose every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
Are you man that is looking outside of God to become what God has not made you to be?
As a child of God, it is very dangerous to be looking outside of God for who you want to emulate. When focus is on God and one is continually and unswervingly focused on what God has done and what God is doing, one will not want to be like anyone else but to be who God has made one to be. Keep heart diligently and be for God and not be continually evil.

Prayer for today: Open your mouth, lift your voice and ask God for deliverance from being a continual evil.

FAITH CAPSULE: It is too early to give up expectation of your manifestation.

Psalm 121

Engage a new day by lifting up your eyes to God not to an expectation that is yet to manifest. Be lifting up your eyes to God. God testified in His word, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”(Jeremiah 29:11) Absolutely, our God that is of good thoughts is definitely a good God with no iota of evil towards His creation. God is God that remembers with favor and visit with salvation. “Then God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the animals that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters subsided.” (Genesis 8:1) As a believer, be assured that you are already on a fertile land regardless of evil plantation in this wicked land of world.
Serving God is to remain focus continually in serving God regardless of any challenge. Serving God is not convenient but it is a commitment that demands no interruption but continuation.
Lifting up eyes to God is the evidence of serving God and to know waiting on God. The Psalmist testified in Psalm 121:1-2, “I will lift up my eyes to the hills from whence comes my help? My help comes from the LORD Who made heaven and earth.” The testimony of the Psalmist is a revelation that is worthy of meditating for expectation.
Are you looking up to God for help or are you looking up because others are looking up?
Psalm 34:5 buttressed, “They looked up unto Him and were radiant, and their faces were not ashamed.” In lifting up eyes to God at this time of the year is assurance that the emptiness of your hands shall not bring you to shame. It is too early to give up expectation of your manifestation but keep lifting up your eyes to God.
Why do you look away from above? There is only one God and He is the One that is above all. The Word of God encourages, “Look to Me, and be saved, all you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.” (Isaiah 45:22) Without doubt, looking up unto God is a thoughtful and mindful approach. Jacob, while on his way after moving from Laban, wrestled with an angel and he gave the testimony of his encounter in Genesis 32:30, “So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: “For I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.” Jacob’s testimony is saying that when man looks up to God preservation over man’s life journey is undeniable.
Today, if you begin to live responsibly in response to the word of God you are yet to live your potential on the face of earth.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace to live to the fulfillment of your destiny to the glory of God.