FAITH CAPSULE: The word of God that you have received but not without meditation will not serve as medication in time of need.

Psalm 64

Do you have acquaintances that are watching and waiting for your stumbling? All that have been sounding in your direction is mockery and fear is beginning to sneak into every area of your life. As a believer, hold on to your faith and you will gain heaven’s attention. Jeremiah was a man called and sent by God but yet he encountered challenges that attempted his life. During one of Jeremiah’s challenges, he was able to stand and not fall because he remembered and he spoke “But the LORD is with me as a mighty awesome One. Therefore my persecutors will stumble, and will not prevail. They will be greatly ashamed, for they will not prosper. Their everlasting confusion will never be forgotten.” (Jeremiah 20:11) The word of God is the way out of the challenges of the wicked world. Jeremiah remembered the word that can elevate him and keep him going. The word of God that you have received but not without meditation will not serve as medication in time of need. God did not suggest to Joshua the need for meditation but He strongly emphasized it with a command when he stated to Joshua that, “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 a prosperous, and then you will have a good success.” (Joshua 1:8) What can be done in times of challenges is take to the word of God and you will not only see but also walk over all areas of trap that is meant for you to stumble. You will discover in the period of time that all mockery has been converted into miracle. The word of God will not fail to perform. Are you walking in the word of God? Walk in the word of God and the world will work for you.
The Psalmist called in Psalm 64:1-2, “Hear my voice, O God, in my meditation; Preserve my life from the fear of the enemy. Hide me from the secret plots of the wicked, from the rebellion of the workers of iniquity.” As a believer get into the word of God with a heart of expectation and the word will bring forth its manifestation. Remember, you have a role to play. Before Jesus called Lazarus back to life from the dead, he called for the people to play their role when He asked them to roll the stone away. Jesus could have commanded the stone to roll but He did not. Play your role by meditating on the word of God that is power to deliver and to preserve.

Prayer for today: Let Your mercy and salvation come to me according to your word O Lord.

FAITH CAPSULE: A failure to obey the word of God is to face self destruction.

Jonah 1

The Bible records that, “He sent His word and healed them and delivered them from their destructions.” (Psalm 107:20) The same word is still healing and delivering any that will obey. The word is life and it is not letter. A failure to obey the word of God is to face self destruction. When Jonah failed to obey the word of God, he faced his own created self destruction. The word of God is God, obeying the word of God is obeying the presence of God. When God called on Jonah to go to Nineveh, God did not appear in person. The Bible recorded in Jonah 1: 1, “Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me.” Jonah heard from God and failed to move in response to God. The Bible pointed it out that he did not obey the presence of God when it states that; “…Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.” (Jonah 1:3) Evidently, fleeing from the presence of God is to be presentable for the adversary of man. As a result of Jonah’s disobedience, the vehicle of transportation encountered a mighty tempest on the sea. Jonah’s disobedience set the passengers up for destruction. Jonah was approached as a result to the trouble on the storm. Despite Jonah’s disobedience he went further and claimed in Jonah 1:9, “So he said to them, “I am a Hebrew; and I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.” Can you imagine a man that knows the word of God disobeying God’s word and standing on the same ground claiming the fear of God in his life? At every time that you hear God’s command and you move in opposite direction of God’s command, you are heading in the direction of self-destruction.
Jonah was heading in the direction of self-destruction. When God gave His command God expects all of His commands to be obeyed and none to be disobeyed. Obeying nine out of ten is the same failure as in obeying one out of ten. Despite Jonah’s claim of the fear of God, he was still in the avenue of sin. Are you operating as another Jonah? Are you giving your all in obeying His word as documented in the Bible or as it sounds in your direction? Every word of God is life and it will not fail to deliver. Obey the word of God and avoid having to deal with the sacrifice of disobedience.

Prayer for today: Let the grace of obedience to your word reign and rule my life.

FAITH CAPSULE: Persistence and continuity is the rule of the race we are running in this world.

Luke 11:1-13

When Joseph was alive he made the relocation of the children of Israel to Egypt possible. While in Egypt, the children of Israel increased in number. After the death of Joseph, a new king that does not know the children of Israel came to power. The Bible recorded, “Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. And he said to his people, “Look, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we; come, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, and it happen, in the event of war, that they also join our enemies and fight against us, and so go up out of the land.” Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with their burdens…” (Exodus 1:8-11) Today, in the name of Jesus, any devise that has been put in place to deny your blessing of growth, the Almighty God will deny the enemy’s devise. Your growth will not be altered. Believe it today that the same God that sent for Jehu to be anointed and brought up from among his associates to become the King, will release this day an anointing that will remove all the burdens from your shoulder.
Every taskmaster-causing affliction in your life will be permanently terminated in Jesus name. It is written in Exodus 1:12, “But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were in dread of the children of Israel.” Every plan to deny your growth shall lead to your increase to the glory of God. You will grow while they groan, you will increase while they decrease, and they will be in dread of you in the name of Jesus. Jesus our Lord and savior commanded us to ask, and it will be given to us; when we seek we shall find; Knock, and it will be opened to us. Everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened (Luke 11:9-10). Are you tired of asking, seeking or knocking? Now is not the time to quit because persistence and continuity is the rule of the race we are running in this world. The word of God does not lie it will come to pass. If it is asking you will receive, if you are seeking you will find and if you are knocking it will be open to you. It is written, “But the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the male children alive. (Exodus 1:17)

Prayer for today: This day, any one that has been designated to destroy you will encounter the fear of God like that of the midwives that were assigned to kill every son born by the Hebrew women.

FAITH CAPSULE: Multitude is the agent of discouragement, denial and delay.

Mark 10:46-52

The challenges that are keeping you down also want to keep you quiet. When you remain quiet where there is a need to cry out for help, stagnation will become your identity. Blind Bartimaeus the son of Timaeus was an example of not to be quiet where there is a need to call out loud. Blind Bartimaeus was at the right location to receive his sight when multitude attempted to keep him quiet. Bartimaeus was at the juncture where Jesus was passing by, but a great multitude was also in place. Multitude is the agent of discouragement, denial and delay. Bartimaeus refused to be quiet, “When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me.” (Mark 10:47)The crying out of Blind Bartimaeus was an example of what persistency can do against every agent of the wicked, which is set to destroy and deny breakthrough. The more he cried out, the more the attempt was made to get him quiet. In life, there are times of need that calls for us to be quiet in waiting for God to move. Also, there are times of need that calls for us to cry out loud to God. When a believer remains quiet at the time for a need to cry out, the multitude will take such believer for a ride and deny breakthrough in the life of believer. Bartimaeus must have been very loud. The noise of Bartimaeus made Jesus to stand still and commanded him to be called up by Jesus (Mark 11:49). The multitude that was out to keep him quiet was the same multitude that eventually called the blind man out for Jesus. The multitude did not just call on him; they recognized what was about to take place by calling him and saying, “…be of good cheer. Rise He is calling you.” (Mark: 10:49)Have you been exposed to any agent of delay that is attempting to keep you quiet where there is a need to cry out? What you can do is to ignore the multitude and keep on crying out to Jesus. Crying out to Jesus will give you a good cheer. Just like Bartimaeus, calling unto Jesus will cause you to rise above every blind challenges and every force that is in place to keep you grounded. When his crying out could not be dismissed by the multitude, his garment of blindness was thrown away and he rose and went to Jesus. It is never too late to cry out and have the garment of shame, the mark of stagnation, give up in your life. When Jesus hears your cry, you will rise and move out of shame and stagnation.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace not to be quiet where you need to be loud.

FAITH CAPSULE: A true believer is one that does not only memorize the word of God but also behave the word.

1Kings 17: 1-7

The word of God is powerful, and it was given to us for our deliverance. When we have a clear understanding of the word of God, it will answer in time of challenges. We need to have a clear understanding of the word, because knowing about the word is not enough but to be known in the word. A true believer is one that does not only memorize the word of God but also behave the word. Elijah demonstrated what it means to be a believer that behaves the word of God. The declaration of Elijah was not empty when he approached king Ahab of Israel, “…as the LORD God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word.”(1 Kings 17:1) Indeed, Elijah’s declaration fully accomplished its purpose when rain ceased for three and half years. The God that answered Elijah is not a partial God; he will answer all those who take a stand in his word.
God will always respond on behalf of every word behaving believer like Elijah. Elijah understood the word and demonstrated a knowing edge when he declared, “As the Lord lives” Elijah knew the word enough by operating Jeremiah 4:1-2 which states, “If you will return, O Israel,” says the LORD, “Return to Me; and if you will put away your abominations out of My sight, Then you shall not be moved. And you shall swear, ‘The LORD lives.’” Elijah did not only quote God but he declares his stand. What is Elijah’s stand? Psalm 24:3-4 asked the same question and gave the answer when it states, “Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD? Or who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, nor sworn deceitfully.” Every believer that can answer yes to having a stand that is right before God will no doubt operate the kind of Elijah declaration. Elijah’s exploit is not what we can not do because the Bible made us to realize that, “Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.” (James 5:17-18) Elijah’s sincere zealousness for God was evidence when he prayed earnestly. As a believer, is your stand right in the Lord? Knowing to quote the word of God will not produce the same result like living and behaving the word God.

Prayer for today: My Father and my God let your word have its place in my life.