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.

FAITH CAPSULE: Regardless of your challenge do not suspend praising and rejoicing before God.

Psalm 9

Jesus identified Himself, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. (John 14:6) He is the way, He is the truth and He is the life. The word of God in John 1:1-3 identified, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.  All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.” The word confirmed that Jesus is the Word of God. Do you receive and believe Him? Those that receive and believe Him must abide in Him. Jesus buttressed, “…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)
The bible documented that Jesus is the truth. Jesus is the Word of God
To abide in Him is the only way to know the truth.
To know the truth is to fully engage the truth.
To fully engage the truth is to truthfully follow the truth.
To fully follow the truth shall make man free.
A failure to abide in the Word (the truth) shall not make man free.
A man praising God without rejoicing is the lack of understanding, the evidence of failure to abide in the truth (word)
Praising God with rejoicing is the truths that shall make man free (evidence of abiding in the truth). The word testified the importance of praising and rejoicing as one together. Psalm 28:7, “The Lord is my strength and my shield; My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped; Therefore my heart greatly rejoices, And with my song I will praise Him.”
Psalm 98:4, “Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth; Break forth in song, rejoice, and sing praises.”
Luke 19:37, “…the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works they had seen…”
The above scriptural verses buttressed that it is lack of understanding by not abiding in the truth to be praising God without rejoicing.
Is it your challenge that is denying praising God and not rejoicing God? You cannot praise Him without rejoicing, likewise you cannot rejoice without praising Him. Regardless of your challenge do not suspend praising and rejoicing before God.
If man will receive and believe all that is written in the pages of scripture for our learning, all the miracles that were testified will not escape man. Try God and see that He alone is faithful; truth to His word of deliverance and preservation in life. With abiding in the truth with understanding, praising and rejoicing will make you to walk on high places.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace to be abiding in the truth and open up your understanding.

FAITH CAPSULE: If you will continue to  trust and hope in Him, praising and rejoicing He will make you to walk on high places.

Habakkuk 3

It is not enough to praise God without rejoicing. Is it your challenge that is denying praising God and not rejoicing? You cannot praise Him without rejoicing, likewise you cannot rejoice without praising Him. Regardless of your challenge do not suspend praising and rejoicing before God. Imagine the word of Habakkuk 3:17, “Though the fig tree may not blossom, Nor fruit be on the vines; Though the labor of the olive may fail, And the fields yield no food; Though the flock may be cut off from the fold, And there be no herd in the stalls.” This does not sound good and it is not a situation that anyone wants to experience. The Habakkuk 3:17 situation can be liken to a place in the depth of a valley where there seems to be no way out. The situation seems like no end in sight as to when the time of rising and climbing out of the depth of valley. Also, there is no one that wants to plant a tree without blossom; neither not to harvest fruit where the vines should be bringing forth fruit as the crown of labor. When a hard laborer seems to be producing a result that matches that of a lazy laborer there must be trouble. When all that needs to be a better result begins to be cut off, then hard laborer should know that situation is wrong that could be beyond comprehension.
Habakkuk does have a word for a man in time of challenging situation like that of hard laborer’s experience, “Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.” (Habakkuk 3:18) It is important to know that joy and rejoicing are the only ways to keep in the way of God because it positions one in the presence of God.
Jesus was in the midst of the family of Lazarus during the time of their mourning for Lazarus’ passing. As they were lifting their voices in wailing, crying, and gnashing of teeth, the Bible recorded that, “… Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, “Father I thank You that you have heard Me.” (John 11:41) Try thanking Him with a heart full of joy in the face of adversity or challenges, and then wait to see if God will act on your behalf or not. If man will receive and believe all that the Lord has put down in the pages of scripture for our learning, all the miracles that were testified will not escape man. Try God and see that He alone is faithful and true to His word of deliverance and life. If you will continue to  trust and hope in Him, praising and rejoicing He will make you to walk on high places.

Prayer for today: Ask God to enable you to be doing right in all His ways.

FAITH CAPSULE: In the New Year, are you resetting God given time in God’s presence?

Matthew 6

God is in his undeniable position to give out time to each and all of his children. It is a clear understands that God is in the position to give time more abundantly or to take it away without any regret. Very few makes it habit to constantly spend God’s given time before God while many takes God given time away from the presence God.
However, when challenges knock on man’s door, it is always much easier for ones that spend most of their time in the presence of God that gets God’s attention.
Do you have time to seek God?
Is there your year resolution to reset time in His presence?
Interestingly, God is the only One who can take away or add time that is given to every man.
God controls time, but man only control the clock. God’s timing cannot be manipulated like man’s clock.
Jesus commanded, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”(Matthew 6:33-34) Despite the command of Jesus, many are still very much into spending most or all of their time outside of God. It is glaring that reasonable excuse will not excuse any man when the time of accountability is up before the One and only God whose time is in His hand. Adam had what should be considered as the most reasonable excuse when he answered unto God for violating the command not to eat from a forbidden tree. God asked Adam, “…have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?”(Genesis 3:11) Adam responded, “The woman who You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.”(Genesis 3:12) Excuse will not work before God because He does not ask for what we cannot do. Adam’s reasonable excuse failed before God and the consequences of transgressing God’s command passed onto Adam and all future generations.
Living a stable life in a challenging world is centered in the wisdom and knowledge acquired in the Word of God. It is written in the Book of Isaiah 33:6, “Wisdom and knowledge will be the stability of your times and the strength of salvation…” With wisdom and knowledge in place, no matter how challenges become more challenging, stability will reign. In addition to gaining stability through wisdom and understanding, salvation will not be stagnant, but will undoubtedly gain strength as stated in the word of God.
Attend to God by giving to Him reasonable time in His presence and He will acknowledge you.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace to spend more time in the presence of God.