FAITH CAPSULE: Do not be concerned for God but be committed to His command.

2 Samuel 6

David gathered choice men of Israel from Baale Judah to bring up from there the ark of God. The ark of God was set out of the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio accompanied the ark of God. When they got to a threshing floor, Uzzah was concerned for the ark of God. The bible recorded Uzzah’s concern, “…Uzzah put out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen stumbled. 7 Then the anger of the Lord was aroused against Uzzah, and God struck him there for his error; and he died there by the ark of God.” (2 Samuel 6:6-7) Uzzah’s concern for God was an error against the command of God. God had warned His people not touch the holy objects of the tabernacle; the death penalty had been specified for violators (Numbers 4:15) Uzzah died wrong concern for God.
Uzzah’s concern to act was a good intention but it was an evidence of foolish reaction from his heart. In God’s assignment there is no excuse for foolish reaction. The word of God is a standard that cannot be reduced. Truly, a believer can be ignorant to violate the word of God but indeed ignorant is what makes destitute of a believer.
Are you being concerned for God or you are being committed to His command?
Moses was concerned for God by violating the command of God.
It was God alone and not any man that called Moses out to go and lead the children of Israel out of the bondage of over four hundred years. Moses, out of his concern for God reacted to the rebellious act of the children of Israel towards God. With concern, Moses took it upon himself to strike the rock when he was to speak to the rock for water. God responded to Moses, “Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, “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) Moses concern violated the command of God and his journey was complicated. Moses could not step on the Promised Land when he struck the rock instead of speak to the rock.
God alone calls man for assignment, God alone knows the end from the beginning. The word testifies, “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) What could have gone wrong or what are doing to get it wrong in your assignment? Do not be concerned for God but be committed to His command.

Prayer for today: Ask God for help in His assignment for your life.

FAITH CAPSULE: The deceptive of adversaries only delay but not deny.

Ezra 4, 5

The word of God is consistently true to perform and perfect for all that walks in the word of God. Isiah 55:11 testified of the word of God, “So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:11) Word of God does not return void when it is send for open door.
Apostle Paul testified, “For a great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries. (1 Corinthians 16:9) Certainly, adversaries will always attempt to shut the great and effective door but failure surely belongs to the adversaries.
Are you working the works of God? Jesus makes us to realize that to work the works is to believe in whom He sent. (John 6:28-29) It is worthy to work the works of God and not be a victim of adversaries.
Once, King Cyrus, a pagan king issued a decree allowing to open door for Israelites to return home and rebuild. The bible makes us to know that, “The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes.” (Proverbs 21:1) God turned the heart of a pagan king to bring to pass prophecy of 140 years.
Does it seem like your breakthrough prophecy is taking too long to manifest?
The king was moving in line with prophecy from 140 years before his reign. (Isaiah 44:28; 45:1). The children of Israel left to rebuild as it was decreed by King Cyrus. While the Israelites were on the way to rebuild adversaries lifted up deception to delay the Israelites. The Bible recorded, “Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the descendants of the captivity were building the temple of the LORD God of Israel, they came to Zerubbabel and the heads of the fathers’ houses, and said to them, “Let us build with you, for we seek your God as you do; and we have sacrificed to Him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us here.” But Zerubbabel and Jeshua and the rest of the heads of the fathers’ houses of Israel said to them, “You may do nothing with us to build a house for our God; but we alone will build to the LORD God of Israel, as King Cyrus the king of Persia has commanded us.” (Ezra 4:1-3) The deceptive of adversaries only delay rebuilding process for two years. When God opens door, the adversaries can only delay but not deny your breakthrough door.

Prayer for today: Ask for the word of God to establish God’s word for God’s glory over your life.

FAITH CAPSULE: With God no excuse is excusable when God is despised.

1 Samuel 2:22-36

The bible recorded the evil activities of Hophni and Phinehas the sons of Eli. It was recorded that the sons of Eli were corrupt and did not know the Lord. 1 Samuel 2: 12-17 documented how they despised the word of God in Shiloh to all the Israelites. 1 Samuel 2:17 specifically mentioned, “…the sin of the young men was very great before the Lord, for the men abhorred the offering of the Lord.” The evil act of not knowing God by the sons of Eli (Hophni and Phinehas) was also counted against Eli.
Are you paying attention if you are dishonoring God?
Is your children’s dishonoring of God that will count against you or our household?
As regard to honoring and dishonoring, 1 Samuel 2:30 recorded God’s reaction to Eli’s house because of Hophni and Phinehas evil, “Therefore the Lord God of Israel says: ‘I said indeed that your house and the house of your father would walk before Me forever.’ But now the Lord says: ‘Far be it from Me; for those who honor Me I will honor, and those who despise Me shall be lightly esteemed.” The Sons of Eli reduced Eli to the curse of disobeying God’s word. The sin of Eli was the cause of his sons’ in Shiloh to all the Israelites. Eli warned his sons of divine judgement (1 Samuel 2:25) but the sons did not take to Eli’s warning.
Are you engaging serious measures more than giving mouth warning to your children to avoid consequences of dishonoring (despising) God?
Honoring God is to be taken very serious and it cannot be violated by any of the household. Eli should have engaged more than mouth warming to correct the sin of his sons to avoid consequences of violating God. Eli recorded everything right for God but was not enough to avoid destruction of his household. God clearly stated to Samuel about the sin of Eli in 1 Samuel 3:13-14, “For I have told him that I will judge his house forever for the iniquity which he knows, because his sons made themselves vile, and he did not restrain them. ¹⁴ And therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever.” Sons of Eli were warned by Eli but not restrained of their evil acts. The sons made the house hold to pay the consequence of their evil act.
With God no excuse is excusable when God is despised. Proverbs 13:13 buttressed it, “He who despises the word will be destroyed, But he who fears the commandment will be rewarded.” As a fear of God, spare no excuse for children to violate God. Eli’s warning for Hophni and Phinehas was short but not counted as an excuse for him to be spared by God.

Prayer for today: Ask God to cause you to hear and obey accordingly and not be a victim of violation of His word.

FAITH CAPSULE: Is the fear of God your way of living life?

Psalm 34

The book of Ecclesiastes 12:13 documented how to live life, “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandment, for this is man’s all.” The conclusion to live life is for Man to live in the fear of God.
The understanding that is needed to live in the fear of God is the ability to listen to the commandment of God (word of God). Knowing the word of God is going after God’s own heart. For example, King David was identified by God as one after God’s own heart. David’s fear of God kept him and saw him through life’s terminating challenges. King Saul chased the life of David when David gained position to kill Saul. David was so fear of God not to kill King Saul when he stated, “…But my eye spared you, and I said, ‘I will not stretch out my hand against my lord, for he is the Lord’s anointed.” (1 Samuel 24:10) Is the fear of God your way of living life? David did not allow foolishness in his heart as a result he could not demonstrate lack of the fear of God by killing King Saul.
David, by virtue of his life experience, he is qualified to teach us the fear of God. In Psalm 34, David spoke out, “Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord.” (Proverbs 34:11)
Are you a true believer that listens to hear and be one with understanding of the fear of God?
Are you aware that the fear of God is a way to provoke the blessings of God?
Through listening to the word of God, know God by keeping your heart diligently.
David Psalm 34 pointed out four point’s four man to learn and know the fear of God by stating: Keep your tongue from evil, keep your lips from speaking deceit, depart from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it. (Psalm 34:13-14) Digesting the four points into one’s life will no doubt mark one as a God fearing one. The fear of God is a Spirit of God as listed among identifies of the Spirit of God in Isaiah 11:12.
It is the grace of God that is giving life year after year. However, not knowing the fear of God is not God’s will for us. To fear God is for our own good because it keeps us not to depart from God. When we are able to obey fully by fearing God, He will preserve us fully. Whatever that is in line with God’s plan and we are able to desire, God will deposit it. Be zealous for the fear of the Lord and it will become of you.

Prayer for today: Ask God to redeem your heart to fear Him.

FAITH CAPSULE: Lack of the fear of God shelters sins and iniquities.

Genesis 19:1-29

The fear of the Lord is what makes the difference between a believer and a non-believer. The fear of the Lord is what makes man to steadfastly live by the word of God. Without the fear of God there is no living by the words of God. The ones that do not fear Him have it rooted in their heart and the Psalmist stated it, “The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God” They are corrupt, they have done more abominable work, There is none who does good.” (Psalm 14:1) Man’s foolishness is in the heart while demonstration testifies lack of no fear of God. For Lot’s wife, foolishness was in her heart and her lack of fear was demonstrated when she disobeyed the word of deliverance. The word recorded how God wanted to deliver Lot, wife and children from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah when “…the Lord being merciful to him and they brought him out and set him outside the city. So it came to pass, when they had brought them outside, that he said, “Escape for your life! Do not look behind you nor stay anywhere in the plain. Escape to the mountains, lest you be destroyed.” (Genesis 19:16-17)
Lot’s wife looked back against the word of deliverance and she became a pillar of salt. (Genesis 19:26) The word of God is true and it never fails. The fear of the Lord is all that is needed in the life of a believer to possess all possession that is in place for every believer. When the fear of God is not in place in the heart of a man the evil occupies the heart. The word of God is truth to say, “The fear of the LORD leads to life, and he who has it will abide in satisfaction: he will not be visited with evil.” (Proverbs 19:23) Lot’s wife, because of her foolishness and lack of fear of God, she allowed evil’s visitation to her life.
The ones that do not fear Him demonstrate lying, deception, manipulation, corruption, abominations and lack of any good that glorifies God. Fearing God should not be only of the mouth but of a consistent conduct in life style. Have you repeatedly confessed the fear of God with no integrity to back up your confession? Integrity is what counts before God while noise making does not count before God. It is possible to have good intention and not fear God. The race of life is not only about being good but about being righteous through the blood of Jesus. Lack of the fear of God shelters sins and God does not overlook any sin. Let the fear of the Lord become conspicuous in your life and be free from evil visitation.

Prayer for today: Ask God to make the fear of His name become your portion.