FAITH CAPSULE: Waiting on God for help is not a sign of weakness or a loser.

Psalm 121

It is written, “But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men.” (John 2:24) The word of God is enough for one not to commit on to no man for help. God alone is the helping helper. The Helper of man that never fail and the only One we are to commit our life to. You have been looking for help from the wrong sources for a long time. Your thinking has been limited. Your help will not come from where you are looking, nor will it come from your own thinking. Saul was confirmed by God as King of the children of Israel. Having been confirmed, he began to think and look for help from the people that were around him. Saul was to fight the Philistines, but he could not wait for Samuel’s role to carry out the burnt offering. Saul took the law of God into his own hands by presenting the offering. This act was only to be carried out by the priesthood. Are you planning to take the law into your hands? This is not from God.
The fact that you cannot see what is right ahead of you, does not mean that your Samuel is not nearby. When Samuel arrived, he confronted Saul about the presentation of the offering. Samuel said to Saul, “…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) Meditating on what God can do, what He has done and what He is doing is enough for one to look up to Him for help. Waiting on God for help does not count as a sign of weakness or a loser. God is faithful and His word cannot be broken. We have no excuse that will stand before Him. Think of it; He alone has brought you this far, and He will not leave you nor forsake you. Trust in Him. Do not turn from His ways. Are you wondering where your help will come from? The Psalmist stated, “I will lift up my eyes to the hills from whence comes my help? My help comes from the LORD, Who made heaven and earth.”(Psalm121:1-2) God’s help is certain and it will surely come. God’s help is never too late or too early at the time it comes. Saul could not wait for God’s help and he lost all sight of God’s calling.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace not to fail waiting for His help.

FAITH CAPSULE: Those who walk in His way will arrive at expected end.

Psalm 33

It is written, “For the word of the LORD is right, and all His work is done in truth.” The word of God is true and right. We are to hear and hold on to the truth. Without any doubt, no weapons formed against those who hold on to the truth in the word of God shall get hurt neither shall the word fail them. The word of God is fire and it cannot be played with neither should it be disregarded. God declared in Jeremiah 23:29, “Is not My word like a fire?” says the LORD, “And like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?”” Indeed, His word is like fire, but how you have received it is how it will work for you. He has put all in place to work for us but because of how we have replaced it or how we are replacing His word, the power in it cannot be activated.
What one have heard in the Word of God and what one is hearing in His Word is what will carry one through in daily walk or the journey of life. The Word of God is direction, deliverance, protection and preservation. When one hears Him right, it will be right for one. A failure to hear from the word of God is the evidence of hearing Him wrongly. In these days of confronting challenges, there is a need to hear Him on a daily and regular basis. The Psalmist testifies in Psalm 143:8,”Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning. For in You do I trust; cause me to know the way in which I should walk for I lift up my soul to You.” The Psalmist demonstrates here that hearing Him in the morning is what makes the difference for the day. When one begin to make provision to hear from Him first in the morning, trusting Him will be activated in one’s daily endeavors and what one hears in the morning will always become one’s compass to navigate through daily challenges.
Word heard from Him first in the morning will become God accompanying one in journey. The word of God will show one the way to walk through the day and it will also be one’s weapon of deliverance from the enemy. There is no one who has walked in His way and fallen. Moreover, those who walk in His way will arrive at their expected end. Also, those that are still hearing Him and walking in His way are set to end up in His divine schedule and rest. As a child of God, what are you hearing early in the day? In all that you hear, hear Him right and that will have a direct impact on how you move your feet. He is the faithful God.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace of understanding of His word.

FAITH CAPSULE: Who do you really trust?

Esther 5, 6

The Lord spoke in Jeremiah 17:6-7, “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart departs from the LORD. For he shall be like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see when good comes, but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land which is not inhabited.” Who do you trust? Have you been placing your trust in a man? Trusting God is not just the word of the mouth. Many claim their trust in God but goes after man for help because they could not trust with all their heart. Some claims to trust in God but constantly lean on their understanding by not acknowledging Him in their ways. Who do you really trust? Just as God declared what happens to those who fail not to trust, God also declared the blessings in place for those that trusts in Him, “Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, and whose hope is the LORD. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes; but its leaf will be green, and will not be anxious in the year of drought, nor will cease from yielding fruit.” (Jeremiah 17:8) God is true to His word and He does not waste word. Do you really trust God deep down in your heart?
The same God yesterday, today and tomorrow is still in the business of attending to those who trust in Him. No matter how blocked the way is, God will not fail making a way out of no way. It is written in Isaiah 51:10, “Are You not the One who dried up the sea, The waters of the great deep; That made the depths of the sea a road For the redeemed to cross over? (Isaiah 51:10)
Mordecai was marked and set for death by Harman, after King Ahasuerus agreed with Harman’s plot. A night before the execution of Mordecai, the same King Ahasuerus could not sleep but wanted to read through the book of the records of the chronicles. While the King was reading, “…it was found written that Mordecai had told of Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king’s eunuchs, the doorkeepers who had sought to lay hands on King Ahasuerus. Then the king said, ‘What honor or dignity has been bestowed on Mordecai for this…?” (Esther 6:2-3) God, in His kindness, never slept nor slumbered and could not have allowed King Ahasuerus to sleep over a plan of wickedness against His own.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace of waiting on Him with trust.

FAITH CAPSULE: One’s desire will have a direct effect on the choice of one’s way of life.

Psalm 27, Mark 8:34-38

What a man desires is what he seeks after. It is not possible for any to seek after what is not his/her desire. One that desires to live heaven on heart will seek after the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. Jesus declares it, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33) What do you desire? Evidently desire must be in place in one’s life before one can go seeking after God. When we desire of God, God will deposit in us our desire in Him.
A desire does not come by the word of mouth but when we devote to attain our desire. Desire, devote and God will deposit desire. King David knows what is best to desire when he stated, “One thing I have desired of the LORD, that will I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in His temple.” (Psalm 27:4)
What do you desire? There are so many choices that can make or break man by virtue of one desire. However, the things one desire will have a direct effect on the choices that one makes in life. Mark 8:34, “When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up the cross, and follow Me.” It is not a forceful calling, but a calling of choice. It should be desired before it becomes deposited in one’s life. God made us and gave us freedom of choice, because He is not a slave-master but a saving-master. He said, “Whoever desires.” Have you ever thought about the calling that you claim to have answered, or are you just going with the flow of the crowd? Can anyone possibly carry a cross in one hand, and carry self in the other hand? It is impossible. It is worthy to think about it and make a determination if one considers it is important to repent and rededicate one’s life to Christ. God is not deceived and one can only walk with the crowd for so long. The time is at hand for Him to identify one. It will cost Him nothing to expose one who desires not after Him.

Prayer for today: Ask God to give you the grace of desire to live for Him.

FAITH CAPSULE: Living life by rejoicing is demonstrating trust in God.

Psalm 16

It is written, “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4) There is no single word in the Bible that does not call for care and well guided attention. This is the reason why the word demands to be studied and not just read or skimmed through. Apostle Paul repeatedly used the word rejoice in his speech because he knew the efficacy of the word as relevant to living life to the glory of God.
Rejoice can also be defined as joy activated. It is worth it to give this analysis a thought: Whatever a man possesses and not activated (put into action) remains dormant. For example, one that accepts Jesus as Lord and Savior accepts the reason to having joy into one’s heart. The joy accepted is not written over the forehead of the one that accepts Jesus. The only way the joy can be evident in the life of one that accepted Jesus is when joy is constantly activated by rejoicing. Again, the joy that is not activated by rejoicing is same as one lacking joy. When Angel Gabriel was sent by God to deliver the favorable news to Mary, the only way for him to deliver the favorable news of joy was to first of all command Mary to rejoice. Luke 1:28, “And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!” The news of joy will only settle when there is a place for rejoicing. Interesting enough, the Psalmist stated, “…In Your presence is fullness of joy…” (Psalm 16:11) “Then I was beside Him as a master craftsman; and I was daily His delight, rejoicing always before Him.” (Proverbs 8:30) God cannot survive in joyless environment. Maintaining the presence of God is to remain constantly in joy by rejoicing.
Besides all His attributes that is visible around anyone that chooses to acknowledge His attributes, the Bible also testifies Him as a good God. The Psalmist described Him stating, “Good and upright is the Lord…” (Psalm 25:8) God is truly a good God that does no evil but good. With the understanding that He is a good God, living life should always be with rejoicing. Living life by rejoicing is demonstrating trust in God, knowing that He does no evil but good. Psalm 33:21 testifies, “For our heart shall rejoice in Him, because we have trusted in His holy name.” One that seeks God without rejoicing does have a need for understanding of what the word says in Psalm 70:4 “Let all those who seek You rejoice and be glad in You…” In truth there is no assessable way to gaining His presence without rejoicing.

Prayer for today: Today, rejoice by praising God with song and magnifying Him with thanks giving.