FAITH CAPSULE: Seeking God should be a way of life.

2 Chronicles 26

Moses reminded the Israelites, “But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul.” (Deuteronomy 4:29) To seek God with all heart and soul is to see God. Those who seek God accordingly shall always find Him. It is not possible to find God and remain the same in any area of life. When seeking God becomes man’s way of life, man becomes an enviable vessel. To be Seeking God with all heart and soul demands steadfastness. Seeking God is not a casual engagement or temporary engagement. To be seeking Him with an enviable result demands a non-stop engagement. Are you one that only seek God when it is convenient? Are you one that is seeking God casually?
The life of King Uzziah testifies to the truth that seeking God is not what we start and not able to continue. King Uzziah was described as a king who started right but ended up wrong. At the beginning of his reign, he sought God. The Bible recorded that as long as Uzziah sought the Lord, God made him prosper. (2 Chronicles 26:5) While he was seeking God, “…he became exceedingly strong.” (2 Chronicles 26:8) God made him prosper and, “…his fame spread far and wide; for he was marvelously helped till he became strong.” (2 Chronicles26:15) Uzziah was right before God and God elevated him to be strong and famous across the nations. Uzziah sought God.
The truth about seeking God is that there should never be an end to seeking Him. As long as there is life, seeking Him should never cease. Seeking Him should be a life style. The seeking of yesterday does not count for today. Further, to stop from seeking Him is to have forsaken Him. Uzziah enjoyed the hand of God in every area of his life, “…but when he was strong his heart was lifted up, to his destruction, for he transgressed against the LORD his God by entering the temple of the LORD to burn incense on the altar of incense.” (2Chronicles 26:16) The fame that spread for Uzziah when he sought God made him to feel strong all around him. With his fame, pride set into his life. What pride does is to set man for self-destruction. Are you beginning to sense self-accomplishment? Uzziah got carried away by assuming a position of a priest in his attempt to burn incense on the altar of incense. Uzziah shifted focus in his area of calling and became distracted. Are you one that is seeking Him? Do not stop seeking God but disallow distraction and He shall elevate you.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace to keep you and not take your eyes away from God.

Faith Capsule: If faith is what pleases God lack of faith is what displeases God.

Genesis 38:1-10, Romans 6

It is written, “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.” (Hebrew 11:6) Evidently, faith is what pleases God. If faith is what pleases God lack of faith is what displeases God. Demonstrating lack of faith is doing against God’s command. When Judah’s firstborn was killed by God because of his wickedness (Genesis 38:7) his brother Onan should have married the widow of Er according to the law. Deuteronomy 25:5 stated the Law, “If brothers dwell together, and one of them dies and has no son, the widow of the dead man shall not be married to a stranger outside the family; her husband’s brother shall go in to her, take her as his wife, and perform the duty of a husband’s brother to her.” Onan knew what the law commanded but Onan abandon the command. He did not want to go by what the law commanded.
Judah responded to Onan in Genesis 38:8-9, “…Go in to your brother’s wife and marry her, and raise up an heir to your brother.”  But Onan knew that the heir would not be his; and it came to pass, when he went in to his brother’s wife, that he emitted on the ground, lest he should give an heir to his brother.” Judah played the role of father by asking Onan to do what was right. Clearly, as it is written above in the verse above, Onan had his own agenda not go by the law. Every Word and command requires a full response yesterday, today and forever. God does not compromise is word.
Onan knew what was right, but failed, by not doing the right thing. The bible testified, “And the thing which he did displeased the LORD; therefore He killed him also.” (Genesis 38:10) Onan died because his action displeased God. Displeasing God is to know what to do in the Word and not do it. God has not changed or lowered the standard of His Word. Having an agenda to compromise the Word of God is a life threatening issue. God is a merciful God and He is also gracious however, “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?” (Romans 6:1-2) The command of God remains the same and that is, it cannot, and should not be violated. Displeasing God in anyway can take life.

Prayer for today: Ask for mercy not to take a conscious or unconscious step to displease God in all your going and coming.

Faith Capsule: Disengage lack of transparency; it is not of God but of the evil one.

Acts 5:1-11

In your relationship are your transparent? In your dealings with others are you transparent? Transparency is very crucial in any relationship because it is a bond that binds a relationship together. Where there is transparency, there will be working and walking in agreement. Amos 3:3, “Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?” Just as there is power in agreement that brings forth result, there is also power that brings forth termination where there is lack of transparency. It is worth it for us to always play our part and not be influenced by that which does not represent God. Are you relating with others without transparency? If you have been getting away without transparency, it is time to ask God for deliverance from the steps or walk which often lead man to termination.

The story of Ananias and his wife Sapphira depict what hidden agenda can do in the life of ones that cannot relate with transparency. “But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession. And he kept back part of the proceeds, his wife also being aware of it, and brought a certain part and laid it at the apostles’ feet. But Peter said, ’Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself?’”(Acts 5:1-3) Ananias and Sapphira made the choice not to be transparent when there was no reason to lie. Ananias and Sapphira lied about the proceeds they received.
The spirit of lie is of the devil. Lying in the place of truth is a relative of lack of transparency. Jesus described the source of lie, “You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.” Does this speak to you in any area of your relationship? Among the believers today, some of the most common identities are deception, lying and manipulation. As an acclaimed believer, we are not to be a part of any of those identities. Integrity holds firm before God. It does not matter how often an acclaimed believer gets away with deception, lying or manipulation one day it only take one day to terminates a believer from the ground of calling. In the case of Ananias and Sapphira, it is possible that it was not their first time, but their last time came with an irreversible termination. The devil is set to terminate his victim; his agenda is set to destroy all that is good.

Prayer for today: Ask for deliverance from any reason to engage lack of transparency in your relationships.

Faith Capsule: Do not accommodate any condition that does not settle well with your life.

2 Kings 5:1-15

It is written, “Now Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great and honorable man in the eyes of his master, because by him the Lord had given victory to Syria. He was also a mighty man of valor, but a leper.” The description of Naaman was described as a commander; an army of high order; great and honorable man. Above all of the description, there was a “but” in Naaman’s life. A “but” in his life represent a box or a mark that reduced him beyond any man’s help. Does that sound like your challenge in any area of life? Does it feel like you have been boxed by your challenge that is beyond any man’s help? Is there any mark upon your life that does not settle well with you any area of life? A ‘but” can possibly be a negative mark clouding man’s destiny or a stigma that needs to be busted open. Naaman was a leper. As a commander, he fought successive wars for Syria but yet his “but” stood out to reduce him. Evidently, all his achievements were not outside of God that he did not know and yet he was a leper. Naaman was a notable leper who could not be expected with such a mark despite what the Lord used him to achieve.

Have you accepted to accommodate any condition that does not settle well with your life? Until a need for recovery is settled in the heart the resolve to go for recovery will always be out of place. The mark of “but” in Naaman’s life brought him to the point of deliverance from empty pride. When he approached the ground of miracle, the empty pride in him was busted open and humility took its reign. The bible recorded, “And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, ‘Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored to you, and you shall be clean.’ 11 But Naaman became furious, and went away and said, ‘Indeed, I said to myself, He will surely come out to me, and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, and wave his hand over the place, and heal the leprosy.’” (2 Kings 5:10-11) Naaman eventually got the message. After his role-play of pride, he rolled himself to obey the command of the prophet of God. Naaman went and wash in the Jordan River and was cleansed. God sent His word to heal and to deliver; if any will dive into His word recovery shall answer. Jesus the living Word of God declared, “…I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10) Engage the living word for a full recovery.

Prayer for today: Ask God to cleanse you from every “but” that has marked you negatively.

Faith Capsule: In Him, there is no lack and every need is available for His sheep.

Psalm 23

Jesus is the Great Shepherd. A shepherd that is worthy to look up to. He is a Shepherd that will not slack or slumber. He alone is the helping helper.  Jesus is the Shepherd of shepherds. Jesus is the Shepherd that delivers and preserves His sheep. He is a shepherd that does not fail. Jesus is the love of God for us. The love and care of God for us is deeper than we can imagine. The psalmist declared, “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.3 He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.” (Psalm 23:1-3)
Have you accepted Him as your Lord and Savior? For those who have accepted the great Shepherd as their Lord and Savior, they become His sheep. In Him, there is no lack and every need is available except when the sheep makes the wrong choice. As a sheep, it is wrong choice to not to look up to the shepherd by allowing fear to over a sheep’s life. Accepting Him as shepherd is what it means to walk but not run in the valley of the shadow of death. For one who has accepted Him in truth and indeed, His name is at stake for His name’s sake.
At the time of the Israelites rebellious act during their wilderness journey, God responded to the disobedience of the children of Israel. “I will strike them with the pestilence and disinherit them, and I will make of you a nation greater and mightier than they.” (Numbers 14:12) Moses responded to God’s plan against the children of Israel by speaking to God. “Now if You kill these people as one man, then the nations which have heard of Your fame will speak, saying, 16 ‘Because the LORD was not able to bring this people to the land which He swore to give them, therefore He killed them in the wilderness.’” (Numbers 14:15-16) Moses’ response is like telling God that, “Your name is at stake here Lord.” With Moses’ response, God declared in Numbers 14:20, “Then the Lord said: ‘I have pardoned, according to your word.’” The point here is that because of His name, He will deliver those who He has decided to carry through as sheep. It was because of His Name that, “…He made His own people go forth like sheep, and guided them in the wilderness like a flock; 53 And He led them on safely, so that they did not fear; But the sea overwhelmed their enemies.” (Psalm 78:53) The Great Shepherd has laid His life down for His sheep. Receive Him, believe in Him and He will make you a winner.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace to accept Him fully into your life as your Shepherd.