FAITH CAPSULE: Waiting on God is giving attention to a jealous God.

Luke 15:11-32

Keep Asking, Seeking, Knocking is a demonstration of the evidence of having faith in the One you are looking up to.
Hebrews 12:2 described Jesus, “looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Jesus the author of our faith gave us the way of waiting by stating, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.”(Matthew 7:7-8)
Truly waiting on Him demands trusting and hoping by asking, seeking and knocking before we get the right answer. When there is no waiting on God man often rush away for answer and become wasted.
King Saul could not wait as instructed and it was accounted to him as disobedient.
To obey and wait is to trust and hope on God.
Waiting on God is giving attention to a jealous God. Psalmist admonished, “Indeed, let no one who waits on You be ashamed…” (Psalm 25:3) A believer in God must understand that to wait out endure a period of waiting. Waiting can be a delay but never a waste of time.
God testified about David when Saul failed to wait on God. God spoke through Samuel for Saul’s disobedience, “But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be commander over His people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.” (1 Samuel 13:14)
David knows the heart of God to understanding what it means to always wait. David, despite of his knowing and understanding of God’s heart he never disobey by not waiting on God before making moves. Number of times David repeatedly ask the same question waiting to get a go ahead direction from God.
The bible recorded about prodigal son that does not know to wait for God’s timing, “A certain man had two sons. And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.’ So he divided to them his livelihood. And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living.” (Luke 15:11-13)
Younger son could not wait for father’s timing. Are you going ahead of God instead of waiting on God? Without doubt, waiting leads to wasting. Know and understand to wait on God, keep on asking, seeking and knocking persistently for your answer to come.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace of understanding to know God about waiting on Him.

FAITH CAPSULE: Obedience and fear of God should be residing in our heart.

Deuteronomy 28

Deuteronomy 28, stated that blessings of obedience and curses of disobedience to the voice of the Lord. Clearly the voice of the Lord only carries the word of God. The same word of God yesterday is the same word of God today and forever. In blessings the word stated, “…if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the Lord your God will set you high above all nations of the earth.  And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the Lord your God.” (Deuteronomy 28:1-2) Also in curses the word stated, “If you do not carefully observe all the words of this law that are written in this book, that you may fear this glorious and awesome name, THE LORD YOUR GOD,  then the Lord will bring upon you and your descendants extraordinary plagues—great and prolonged plagues—and serious and prolonged sicknesses.” (Deuteronomy 28:58-59)
The point here is to obey the word of God.
What is it that provokes obeying the word of God?
The word of God makes us to know that when we are able to observe the word we shall be able to do according to the word. God spoke to Joshua after the death of Moses and gave the insight of what it takes to know and obey the word stating, “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” (Joshua 1:8)
Meditate word day and night so as to be able to observe and do according to the word.
We are to obey carefully all that the word commands us. Obeying the word of God is not a choice but a must. A failure not to obey is a passage to self-destruction.
Obeying God’s command is not just in obeying with the mouth. Likewise, fearing God is not just in fearing him with the tongue. God is not interested man’s lip-service. Without the fear of God there is no obedience to His word. Obedience and fear of God should be residing in our heart and it should be a way of living life. Many claim to be obedient and to fear God, but they actually live outside every word of God.
Evidently, those who hear the words of God are the knowledge of the Most High. God is a good God that is not hidden from us but is opened to us by His word.
How often do you spend on His word?

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace to draw you more to His word.

FAITH CAPSULE: Think of it, there is no time in time to be engaging complaining.

Psalm 119:1-48

In this particular season of the year there is no time for complaining unto God. Are you looking around enough? As a living soul begin to give thanks more than the thanks of the past. Think of it, there is no time in time to be engaging complaining. Acts of complaining are the evidence of rebellious spirit. The children of Israel, due to their never-ending complaining against gracious God provoked God’s response in Numbers 14:22-23, “Because all these men who have seen My glory and the signs which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have put Me to the test now these ten times, and have not heeded My voice, they certainly shall not see the land of which I swore to their fathers, nor shall any of those who rejected Me see it.” God has brought you this far and He does not plan to cut off your going further if rebellious spirit shall not be your composition against Him. Just like the Israelites, can you make sure that nothing is testifying against you in the presence of God?
Great and mighty testimonies of God are everywhere. The testimonies are enough for meditating that is enough for thanking God instead of complaining to God.
The word of God pointed out, “The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.” (Psalm 19:8) The testimonies of God are more than enough to lead and take believers into the promises God. Are you constantly meditating on His testimonies? The Psalmist knew what he was doing when he testified in Psalm 119:2, “Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, Psalm 119:14, I have rejoiced in the way of your testimonies, As much as in all riches, Psalm 119:24, “Your testimonies also are my delight and my counselors, Psalm 119:46, I will speak of Your testimonies also before kings, and will not be ashamed. The testimonies of God are worthy of mediation.
Do you have testimonies to lift up to God in thanks giving instead of giving complain to God?
What are the testimonies of your heart? The testimonies of God provoke faith. Hebrew 11:6 “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”
Let today be your day of meditating on the testimonies of God that provokes thanksgiving in the place of complaining. In the place of complaining, a journey of eleven days turned out to be journey of forty years.
Are you thanking God to keep God’s hand upon you?
God cannot be deceived but decide in your heart to be true to God. Allow fear of God to demonstrate your love in appreciation with thanks giving.

Prayer for today: Ask that the heart of thanksgiving shall be your portion.

FAITH CAPSULE: Trust and hope in all His word and truth shall make you free.

Acts 16

Paul and Silas’ boldness and character were trust and hope in the truth word of God to glorified God. It happened that Paul commanded a spirit out of a girl and her masters saw that their hope of profit was gone; they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into jail. (Acts 16:19)
While at midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God. As they sang, a great earthquake caused the foundations of the prison broken and immediately all the doors were opened with everyone’s chains loosed. Paul and Silas did not flee but waited bye and spoke word that gave salvation. Paul and Silas led a family to baptism. With trust there was character; with hope there was boldness. Paul and Silas demonstrated that they know the truth and truly the truth made them free from the prison.
Certainly, without doubt the word of God is the truth. Indeed, the truth, the way and the life is one that cannot be separated from each other. Thomas among the disciples of Jesus said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way? Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:5-6)
Jesus is the word of God.
Are you abiding in the word? To abide in the word is to know the truth. Knowing the truth is the key but not knowing about the truth.
Just like Paul and Silas, abide in the word and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. (John 8:31-32)
In the wicked world is to know the truth about trust and hope in the Lord and be free.
Jeremiah 17:7 stated, “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord and whose hope is in the Lord.”
Are you claiming trust without hope?
Claiming trust in the Lord is not complete without claiming hope in Him.
Do you trust and not hope?
Trust is character while hope is confidence. Many trust on God (they are active in church) but no hope which is boldness. Trust is character; Hope (confidence) is boldness.
Do you have trust and hope (boldness and character)? It is boldness and character that makes you free.
Saul trusted God and he waited for seven days as commanded by Samuel. However, when all his people were scattered, he lost hope and had no confidence in the word of God’s prophet. Saul could not be free but lost. (1 Samuel 13)
As an acclaimed believer, trust and hope according to word of God. Allow the truth of word make you free.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace to stand firm on the truth of His word.

FAITH CAPSULE: Does your situation demands waiting on God?

1 Samuel 13:1-15

King Saul was instructed by Samuel to wait for a lawful sacrifice before going to war against Philistines but could not wait for Samuel’s instruction. As Philistines gathered together to fight with Israel King Saul could not wait for seven days as instructed by Samuel. It is written, “So Saul said, “Bring a burnt offering and peace offerings here to me.” And he offered the burnt offering.” (1 Samuel 13:9) With Saul’s action, he tragically disobeyed both the Law of Moses and the instructions of God’s prophet. (Leviticus 1)
King Saul could not wait as instructed.
Is waiting to address your confronting situation a challenge?
The truth is that waiting in obedience to instruction shall always culminate favorable expectation.
After disobedience act of Saul, Samuel arrived at Saul, he asked him, “what have you done” Saul said, “When I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines gathered together at Michmash, then I said, ‘The Philistines will now come down on me at Gilgal, and I have not made supplication to the Lord.’ Therefore I felt compelled, and offered a burnt offering.” (1 Samuel 13:11-12)
It is always a foolish thing to disobey God’s commandment.
Waiting for God is giving attention to a jealous God.
Psalmist admonished, “Indeed, let no one who waits on You be ashamed…” (Psalm 25:3)
A believer in God must understand that to wait out endure a period of waiting. Waiting can be a delay but never a waste of time.
In time of waiting, among exercise a believer must engage are:
Be of good courage; rest in the Lord; wait patiently for Him; do not fret; keep His way; let your soul wait silently.
The above truth about waiting is testified in the scriptural verses listed below:
Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord! (Psalm 27:14)
Psalm 37:7, “Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.”
Psalm 37:9, “For evildoers shall be cut off; But those who wait on the Lord, They shall inherit the earth.”
Psalm 37:34, “Wait on the Lord, And keep His way, And He shall exalt you to inherit the land; When the wicked are cut off, you shall see it.”
Psalm 40:1, “I waited patiently for the Lord; And He inclined to me, And heard my cry.”
Psalm 62:1, “Truly my soul silently waits for God; From Him comes my salvation.”
Psalm 62:5, “My soul, wait silently for God alone, for my expectation is from Him.”
Hosea 12:6, “… wait on your God continually.”
Does your situation demands waiting on God?
God is true to answer when we wait patiently by abiding in His word obediently.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace to be waiting on God.