Faith Capsule: Ones that love God fears God and ones that fears renders unto Him ceaseless praise.

Psalm 150, Acts 16:25-34

Are you praising Him enough? Are you praising Him with understanding? It is good to know about praising Him but it is not enough when praising Him is not rooted in understanding. The word admonished us to praise Him with understanding. (Psalm 47:7) Praising God without understanding is a praise that is not established. He is to be praised for His mighty acts; He is to be praised according to His excellent greatness! (Psalm 150:2) Do you understand praising God? Praising God is retaining His presence. The book of Psalm 22:3 testified, “But You are holy, enthroned in the praises of Israel.” God is in the praises of His people. Is the presence of God a place of your desire?
God spoke in Jeremiah 32:40, “And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from doing them good; but I will put My fear in their hearts so that they will not depart from Me.” To be a God fearing vessel is what makes man to dwell and not depart from His presence. Ones that love God fears God and ones that fears renders unto Him ceaseless praise. Evidently, it is never too much to praise Him at every breath in man. Fear God, allow faith to raise you, and praise Him with understanding. In your praise, understand that He will raise you and you will overcome.
Understand that the faith-generated praise is the weapon for winning impossible battles in the journey of life. Paul and Silas, in the prison that was set to reduce them, prayed and sang praises to God. Acts 16:25-26, “But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were loosed.” King David testified in his thanksgiving, “I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised; So shall I be saved from my enemies.” (2 Samuel 22:4) Fear God to dwell in His presence, praise Him to retain His presence and victory shall be your company. Paul and Silas could have been a victim of the wicked ones but the presence of God in them could not be confined by any prison wall. Fear only God, call upon His Holy name just as David testified. In your calling, let Him know that He alone is worthy to be praised and you shall be saved from all your enemies.

Prayer for today: In your asking, let Him know that He alone is the Lord God; the ancient of days, the great, merciful, and everlasting God. Ask Him to, cause His fear to overtake you and reign in every step of your life.

Faith Capsule: To behave the Word is to avert shame.

Mark 10:46-52, John 2:1-12

Doing what He says is behaving His word and it is the evidence of lack of faith. The book of John 1:14-16 described the Word of God, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.’” And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace.”” (John 1:14-16) The Word of God is power to make and unmake. The same Word that was in the beginning is still the same Word that is today. To behave the Word is to avert from shame; to see light in the place of darkness and to get deliverance from sickness and disease.
Jesus gave the word of direction to deliver wedding celebration from shame. The wedding was out of wine when the mother of Jesus was approached for help. After having approached Jesus, she warned the servants stating, “Whatever He says to you, do it.” (John 2:5) Just as she warned, the servants did the exact when Jesus gave word to the servants. “Jesus said to them, “Fill the waterpots with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. And He said to them, “Draw some out now, and take it to the master of the feast.” And they took it.”(John 2:7-8) By behaving His word, the wedding which was set for shame was restored to a glorious celebration.
Concerning your marriage or any other area of living life, have you been hearing from Him and not behave what He is saying to you?
The blind man Bartimaeus needed to hear and behave for him to receive sight. While Jesus was passing by, the blind man at his road side office recognized that Jesus was passing by and reacted by crying out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” (Mark 10:47) The blind man’s crying caught Jesus’ attention and Jesus responded, “What do you want Me to do for you? The blind man said to Him, “Rabboni, that I may receive my sight.” (Mark 10: 51-52) God will always wait to act for those who wait on Him. He does not ignore the crying of His children. Jesus touched the blind man by His word stating, “…Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road.” (Mark 10:52) It is possible that all you need to come out of your stagnation into glorious motion is to behave what you have heard from Him. God is still speaking and if man is going to behave His word, man will get to expected glorious destiny. Have you heard from Him but yet to behave?

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace to know and to behave whatever He is saying to you.

Faith Capsule: A simple disobedience denied Moses from getting to the Promised Land

Romans 6

God is a God of order. Every of His command must be obeyed and they are not negotiable. Have been commanded but yet to obey? It does not matter who you are but it does matter not to despise the word of God. To despise His word is to be destroyed. Proverbs 13:13 buttressed, “He who despises the word will be destroyed, but he who fears the commandment will be rewarded.” Evidently, to despise God’s word is lack of fear for God. Moses, as great as he was in the hand of God could not step on the Promised Land because he despised God’s command and there was no excuse to deliver him from the consequence of his error.
It is written, “Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Take the rod; you and your brother Aaron gather the congregation together. Speak to the rock before their eyes, and it will yield its water; thus you shall bring water for them out of the rock, and give drink to the congregation and their animals.” (Numbers 20:7-8) Moses was to respond to the request of the children of Israel for water when God commanded him to speak to the rock. Moses did not speak as God commanded by God, but he engaged God’s command in his own way. The bible recorded in Numbers 20:11, “Then Moses lifted his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; and water came out abundantly, and the congregation and their animals drank.” Before he struck the rock he called the children of Israel name which was not in God’s command that was given to him. The move of Moses did not settle well with God. As a result God responded to Moses and Aaron, “…Because you did not believe Me, to hallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.” (Numbers 20:12) Life time journey ended up in the wilderness for Moses when he struck in the place where he was to speak. A simple disobedience denied Moses from getting to the Promised Land. Moses pleaded to God, but God did not reverse His judgment towards Moses. Indeed to despise God’s command is not to fear God.
It is true that we are living in the time of dispensation of grace but it is not a reason to despise His command. It is true that Jesus paid it all for us on the Calvary. However, the word questioned us, “…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 sin of Moses was serious enough for us to learn not to despise God’s command.

Prayer for today: Ask God to deliver you from the spirit of disobedience.

Faith Capsule: The word you meditate in your heart will elevate you in your world.

Acts 16:16-40

The word admonished us in Philippians 4:6, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.” The word of Philippians 4:6 must have been well versed in the heart of Paul and Silas when they were locked up in the prison for a wrong reason. While they were in the prison they were not questioning God but doing according to the word as recorded in Acts 16:25, “ But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God…” As they were not anxious but praying and praising God, heaven responded on their behalf with a great earth quake which opened the prison door. Is there any situation that is representing prison in your life? With the word of God in the heart, the key to breakthrough is in the hand. In the journey of life, the word in the heart is the vessel of transportation for one ride onto one’s center of divine assignment. The living word of God in the heart is the key to undeniable deliverance and preservation. The word got Paul and Silas out of the prison.
The story of Daniel is the testimony of word working wonder in man’s life. When Daniel refused to bow to any other god because of the living word of God in his heart, he was condemned by the king to the pit of hungry lions. The word in his heart that made him refused not to bow for any image caused hungry lions not to have appetite for fresh meat(Daniel). The three friends of Daniel could not become roasted beef in the fiery burning furnace when they refused to bow for other god. The word you carry will shield you where you are set for termination.
Caleb’s testified in Joshua 14:7, “I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadesh Barnea to spy out the land, and I brought back word to him as it was in my heart.”
Caleb could not give a negative report after spying the land which God promised the Israelite. He gave a positive report ignoring the negativity which the spy saw on God’s Promised Land. The word of promise that was given through Moses was carried in his heart. The word of God in the heart of Caleb took him to God’s Promised Land.
Meditating the word of God in the heart and not memorizing in the head is what will cause the word of God to have a place in the heart of man. Remember, the word of God is living and powerful. The power in the word is the more reason we should carry it in our heart. Give yourself to the word and it shall get you to place of God’s glory. Commit to meditating the word in your heart.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace that will cause the word of God to take over your life.

Faith Capsule: The word you carry in the world will carry you through in the world of wickedness.

Genesis 39

Among the description given to the word of God in Hebrews 4:12 is, “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12) The word of God is a weapon; a sword in the heart of a believer that carries the carrier; it is power and the word you carry will determine your journey in the world.
Ministering the word and praying is the reason we gathered every time we come together. Acts 6:4 buttressed, “we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministering of the word.” Apostle Paul admonished us, “So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.” (Acts 20:32) The word of God is not just a story but a secret to set you up for great exploits. It is the word you carry that will carry you through from this word to live eternally. How do we carry the word of God to carry us?The bible makes us to realize that we carry the word in our heart not our head. Deuteronomy 11:18, “Therefore you shall lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.” Psalm 119:11, “Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You.”
Joseph carried the word in his heart and he was able to arrive at the center of is divine assignment in life. As he journeyed, sin presented itself to him when the wife of his master approached him to lie with her. Joseph could take to a short cut through his journey and fail by not getting through to where God was taking him. The word in Joseph’s heart responded in Genesis 39:8-9, “But he refused and said to his master’s wife, “Look, my master does not know what is with me in the house, and he has committed all that he has to my hand.  There is no one greater in this house than I, nor has he kept back anything from me but you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” He has hidden the word in his heart not to sin as stated in (Psalm 119:11) Imagine what could have happened to his great journey in life if he had fallen for his master’s wife?
It does not matter how much you carry but it does make the difference when you have the word in your heart.

Prayer for today: Ask God to help you have the word established in your heart.