FAITH CAPSULE: There are so many who want to be sent out, but few want to follow.

Matthew 8:18-27 Mark 6:7-13

Before a call to send, there should be a call to follow. Here is Jesus’ response to some among the multitude that wanted follow with mouth and not with heart, “Then a certain scribe came and said to Him, “Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” Then another of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” But Jesus said to him, “Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.” (Matthew 8:19-22) There are so many who want to be sent out, but few want to follow. When you fail in following Him, you will not pass into His call to be sent. In the days of Jesus, many went to Him, but very few actually followed Him. Today there are so many self proclaimed Pastors, Bishops, Evangelists, Apostles, and Gospel Singers who have not taken time to follow Him fully, but who want to turn back the clock and be sent. In following Him there will be exposure to dealing with winds and waves of this world. In following there are lessons to learn before leading His sheep.
In following Him there is power to gain before getting into His divine assignment. Many have gone out in His name without power but with a program. There is a great contrast between power and a program. In power, there is no enemy under heaven who can trick you into thinking that you are doing the work of the Father. However, with a program, you are empty and He is not backing you up, because He did not send you. In the beginning, the program might seem right and rosy because of skill or earthly wisdom. In time, the error will be revealed to you. Billy Graham once said, “If the Holy Spirit is taken out of the church, 95% of the church activity will continue without feeling of what is missing.” Have you been following? Are you called to be sent? Mark 6:7, “And He called the twelve to Himself, and began to send them out two by two, and gave them power over unclean spirit.”   Matthew 10:1, “And when He had called His disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease.” Think twice before you get yourself into a position to be sent. There is a price for responsibility.

Prayer for today: Ask for God’s instruction, teaching and guidance before you make a move.

FAITH CAPSULE: Do not be unwise, but be wise by not giving up seeing that your miracle is on its way.

1 Samuel 1

Encouragement in the Word of God is only what will carry one through in attaining life expectation for your miracle. It does not matter how long you have been waiting neither does it matter how much you have to do for expectation to become a manifestation. Allow the word of God to be your encourager. Elkanah had two wives; one was barren while the other one was fruitful. Hannah was barren and Peninnah was fruitful. Both had to go to Shiloh yearly with their husband (Elkanah) to worship and sacrifice to the Lord of hosts. Despite the barrenness of Hannah, there was no indication of complaint from Hannah not to go to Shiloh yearly with her husband and her provoker, Peninnah. What is it that is mocking your faith or ridiculing your faith? Concerning Hannah, it is written, “And her rival also provoked her severely, to make her miserable, because the LORD had closed her womb.” (1Samuel 1:6)
Have you been experiencing provocation as a result of lack, setbacks, denial, road block and every other operation of the agents of enemy that have positioned itself in your life? It can be challenging for one to receive and accept or not to receive and accept any advice from brethren concerning one’s situation. However, if one will take some time out of all kinds of advice and seek counsel from how Hannah prevailed, one is bound to learn more than expected. The root of Hannah’s breakthrough was perseverance. The Bible declared in 1Samuel 1:7, “So it was, year by year, when she went up to the house of the LORD, that she provoked her; therefore she wept and did not eat.” In the face of mockery and ridicule Hannah remained consistent in going year by year. It is not the right time for you to give up your faith. Seeking God should not only happen when everything is going good as desired in life. Also, to cease from seeking Him should not be determined by delay in breakthrough.
Allow your faith to rise as you rise; stand on your feet and keep on going with your eyes fixed on Jesus; you will get through with your breakthrough. Hannah did not give up until her miracle located her. Do not be unwise, but be wise by not giving up seeing that your miracle is on its way. Hannah’s story through 1Samuel 1 tell it all how God is the unchanging changer. The Lord that closed Hannah’s womb opened Hannah’s womb at His own time. Hannah’s persistence with expectation brought forth her manifestation. Look up and lock yourself unto the Word of God it will unlock all that is locking you down. He is a faithful God.

 Prayer for today: Ask for  deliverance from every spirit of distraction.

FAITH CAPSULE: Getting to the mountaintop will require an unwavering focus on God.

1 Samuel 18

You might have seen it clearly that the Lord is taking you up, but you cannot tell which route it will take you to get to your mountaintop. God told Abraham to go and offer Isaac on one of the “mountains of which He will tell” (Genesis 22:2b). Abraham knew that he was going to get to a mountain top, but he never know which one of the mountains as commanded by God.
Getting to the mountain top will require an unwavering focus on God.David, by the hand of God upon him, went from being a shepherd boy to putting a giant into termination. At the time he put Goliath into permanent termination, one will assume that David would take an easy and unchallenging ride to his God ordained mountain top for his life. The story of getting to his mountain top became a challenge and he had to remain focus on God as he journeyed through his mountain and valley. When David was anointed to become the new king, he could not take over the reign without rains of challenges falling upon him. King Saul repeatedly attempted to kill David when he saw the hand of God upon David’s life. The hand of God over our life will always entice the wicked one in attempt to terminate us. David’s challenges were aggravated when the women began to sing praises of David about the killing of Goliath. “Then Saul was very angry, and the saying displeased him; and he said, “They have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed only thousands. Now what more can he have but the kingdom?”” (1 Samuel 18:8)Pride inhabits anger, negative jealousy and evil devises. Pride set into Saul’s life. Saul did all in his power to offset God’s calling upon David, but David was set by God for the mountain top and no man would have been able to stop him except if he chose to stop himself by walking out of the fear of God.
Saul threw spears to pin David to death a number of times. He set him up against the Philistines so as to kill him and all went in vain for Saul because David remained focus on God. If God has privileged you and you have seen yourself as getting to the mountain top, there is a need for you to readjust your focus directly onto God. David could not have been able to get there, but his behavior prevailed for him. 1 Samuel 18: 14, “And David behaved wisely in all his ways, and the LORD was with him.” David’s wisdom was rooted in his fear of God and he was able to behave wisely. Maintain focus on God, fear God and wise behave shall guide you.

Prayer for today: Ask God to cause His fear to reign and rule over your life.

FAITH CAPSULE: Failure to keep eyes from the past will pass any believer into a self–destruction. 

Numbers 14:1-35

Revelation 22:18-19 gave a strong warning about adding or taking away from the Word of God. God is not a joker and His command is not to add or subtract from His Word. Disobedience to the Word is equal to deciding for a personal destruction. After God had decided to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah because of the sinful nature of the land, He sent warning to Lot and his wife. “…Escape for your life! Do not look behind you nor stay anywhere in the plain. Escape to the mountains, lest you be destroyed.” (Genesis 19:17) How could it have been better said? An escape from self-destruction demands setting off sight from the past. The command was obviously too difficult for Lot’s wife to obey because she decided to disobey the Word of God. The Bible records that Lot’s wife looked back behind him and she became a pillar of salt. (Genesis 19:26)
What is in your past that cannot be forgotten and has caused you not to move forward when God commanded you to move? Looking back comes in different ways. For example, the inability to forgive, forget and move forward is an evidence of looking back when God repeatedly command us to forgive. Also, when God moves you forward to a different ground for your deliverance purpose and you allow complaint to occupy you, it becomes a failure to letting go of the past.
The children of Israel were taken out of the bondage of over four hundred years, but their bond with the house of bondage held on to them. The children of Israel vigorously complained, “Now the mixed multitudes who were among them yielded to intense craving; so the children of Israel also wept again and said: ‘Who will give us meat to eat? We remember the fish which we ate freely in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic; but now our whole being is dried up; there is nothing at all except this manna before our eyes!’” (Numbers 11:4-6) Complaining does not settle well with God and they did not stop in their complaining. At a point their complaining turned to negative confession before God. God responded in Numbers 14:28, “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, all of you who were numbered, according to your entire number, from twenty years old and above.’” (Numbers 14:28) When God says move forward, your looking back is disobedience to His Word. Failure to keep eyes from the past will pass any believer into a self-destruction.

Prayer for today: Ask God to take your days to direct and lead you.

FAITH CAPSULE: What the Lord said He will do is a done deal.

Exodus 5, 6:1-9

When the sight for breakthrough suddenly looks like a break-down, do not let any aguish spirit have a place in you. Anguish is a great suffering from worry, grief or pain. Keep up hope. What the Lord said He will do is a done deal. God was set to bring the children of Israel out of bondage of over four hundred years. Moses was the vessel in the hand of God to carry out the mission. God met with him and gave him His word. In Moses’ hand was the rod that has been branded with the power of God. All that Moses needed to do was to deliver the message of deliverance. Moses approached Egypt and Pharaoh the first time since he ran away from Egypt because of his murderous act. Moses was not just returning to a new Egypt but he was returning with a great assurance from God when the Lord told him, “Now the LORD said to Moses in Midian, Go, return to Egypt; for all the men who sought your life are dead.”” (Exodus 4:19) The Old Pharaoh and all that could stand against Moses are no longer in place. Moses, having laid down the message of deliverance for the children of Israel, provoked high expectation for freedom for the children of Israel. However, Pharaoh did not accept Moses’ package because he did not know the God that sent Moses for the deliverance of the children of Israel.
When breakthrough and deliverance supposed to be nearer it turned out to become far and bleak with no hope but more difficulty. Pharaoh rejected Moses’ first approach and increased the labor of the children of Israel. What seems to be coming to an end suddenly turned around and appears to be impossible. Does that sound like your case? As a result of what seemed to be a failed attempt to the children of Israel, the children of Israel does not want to entertain Moses any longer, “So Moses spoke thus to the children of Israel; but they did not heed Moses because of the anguish of spirit and cruel bondage.”(Exodus 6:9) As one that believes in God’s power let it be registered in you this day that the Lord is still on the throne and He will not leave you nor forsake you. Be encouraged by His word that never fails. Let your mind stay on Him just as it is written, “You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.”(Isaiah 26:3) Hold on to His promises and by the time you know it this season shall pass. It passed for the children of Israel and deliverance had its way. Your deliverance is nearer more than ever.

Prayer for today:  Ask for the grace to deny anguish spirit over your life.