FAITH CAPSULE: How often do you feed on the word of God?

John 15

The same word that brought forth creation is still the same word that is building up those who receive, believe and abide in the word of God. Evidently, the word of God is spirit and it gives life. John 6:63, “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.” It is worth to remember that the same word that created everything is there to give more than we can imagine. It is one thing to know and memorize the word, it is another to know to memorize and meditate. Knowing the word and not knowing to memorize and meditate is empty; it generates no power. Meditation will cause one to observe and do what the word requires, and there’s simply no substitute for meditating the word. The word of God is power and the word can never deny itself nor fail, but man can fail when not abide in the word.
The work of God is in the word of God. The disciples once asked Jesus, “…What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?” (John 6:28) Jesus responded, “…This is the work of God that you believe in Him whom He sent.” (John 6:29) Again, being believed in the word of God cannot be compromised if man desire to become built by the word of God. Just as there is no substitute for food to eat and grow physically, so there is no substitute for the word to grow spiritually. Jeremiah confirmed that the word is food when he testified, “Your words were found, and I ate them, and your word was to me the joy and the rejoicing of my heart…” (Jeremiah 15: 16)
As a believer, how often do you feed on the word of God?
In life, feeding word of God only on Sunday shall amount to nothing. What is it that you are giving your ear to? Bible admonished, “Hear and give ear: Do not be proud, For the LORD has spoken.” (Jeremiah 13:15) Whatever man gives ear to will build man up. Whatever you receive will become of you. It is proven that as a believer study more of word one will be built up for divine assignment to the glory of God. It was recorded of God’s testimony about Job as a man that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil. (Job 1:8) Despite is stand before God and his experience of God’s move in his life, he testified, “I have heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees You.” (Job 41:5) Job pointed out that the hearing of word God should be man’s greatest priority and to live life with testimonies that God moves by His word.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace of ear that hears word of God.

FAITH CAPSULE: God is always looking for the loyal ones.

2 Chronicles 14, 15, 16

Where is your loyalty to the only One, the only perfect Creator?
Are you rendering your loyalty to the One and only Creator or your loyalty to your possessions?
Power belongs to the One and only Creator. Revelation 7:12 stated it clearly, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom, thanksgiving and power and might, be to our God forever and ever. Amen.”
Are you loyal to your Creator?
Are you characterized by faithfulness to God?
Every creation’s walk is set before the Creator only God. Man can be deceived by man’s walk but God cannot be deceived by man’s walk. In life, it is man’s walk that identifies where man’s walk lead to sit or where man’s walk lead to stand. Man’s walk is the evidence of man’s faith which is the testimony of man’s loyalty to God.
Are you loyal to God? One that is loyal to God is full of the word of God and is fearful of God.
King Asa of Judah was full of God (faithful and fear of God) he was identified loyal and he did what was right in the eyes of God. Bible documented of Asa, “Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God, for he removed the altars of the foreign gods and the high places, and broke down the sacred pillars and cut down the wooden images.  He commanded Judah to seek the Lord God of their fathers, and to observe the law and the commandment.  He also removed the high places and the incense altars from all the cities of Judah, and the kingdom was quiet under him.” (2 Chronicles 14:1-5) Asa sought God and was right before God. God backed Asa up with His eyes on him in all areas of his life. At a point in time as King, he turned away from God and was identified as disloyal. Asa’s turning away caused God to withdrawal His eyes from over Asa.
Steadfastly of Man’s walk is the evidence of faith which is the testimony of man’s loyalty to God. God’s eyes are always on the loyal ones just as He did with Asa when he was loyal. Psalm 34:15, 1Peter 3:12 buttressed, “The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and His ears are open to their cry.” It is important to note that, just as His eyes are on those who are right before Him, so it is against those who are wrong before Him. Psalm 34:16, “The face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.”
God is always looking for the loyal ones just as He did with Asa when he was loyal. Be loyal and not be disloyal to God.

Prayer for today: Ask God to help you in walking loyal for God’s glory in all your life.

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.