Faith Capsule: A believer that is full of word should be full of joy.

Philippians 4

Joy and rejoicing should be the identity of a true believer, a believer that is full with the word of God. A believer that truly knows God, a believer that worships Him in the spirit shall be one that knows to maintain joy. The book of Philippians buttressed, “For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.” (Philippians 3:3) Also, rejoicing in Him regardless of any confronting situation is the evidence of trusting God that does not fail. One that is full of self cannot possibly have a space for the Word of God. To be full of the word of God is to be full of God. Without doubt, a believer that is full of word should be full of joy. God spoke in Joshua 8:1, “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 prosperous, and then you will have good success.” One that meditates on the word of God as commanded by God should carry God’s word and be joyful. The word of God is full of promises that are set to become manifested if man gives self to the condition of His promises. It is important to believe that the word of God (promises of God) cannot fail, locate God’s promise concerning your challenge, believe that your situation is solved while it is yet unsolved and keep rejoicing.

Habakkuk 3:17 documented a confronting situation “Though the fig tree may not blossom, Nor fruit be on the vines; Though the labor of the olive may fail, And the fields yield no food; Though the flock may be cut off from the fold, And there be no herd in the stalls.” The situation documented is not one that anyone would not like to be in. It can be compared to having a place in the depth of a valley where there seems to be no way out, and no end in sight as to when the time of rising and climbing out of the depth of valley. There is no one that wants to plant a tree without yielding fruit. Regardless of the situation, Habakkuk 3:18 testified, “Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.” Allow the testimonies of God to fill you that you may be full of joy and rejoicing as emphasized by Apostle Paul in Philippians 4:4, “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!”

Prayer for today: Ask God to enable you with the spirit of rejoicing in every area of your life.

Faith Capsule: Maintaining zeal for God is to keep hot love for God.

Numbers 25, John 2:13-22

The level of a believer’s zeal is the driving force in how a believer seeks God. Invariably, how much you seek God will determine how much you can see in Him. Seeking God casually will not deliver same result compared to seeking Him zealously. Zealousness for God is a proof of man’s love God. Zealousness for God draws man to God. James 4:8 buttressed, “Come near to God and he will come near to you.” Zeal that is rooted in understanding and knowledge of God shall be fired up by revelation while producing result that is not of this world. Maintaining zeal for God is to keep hot love for God. The word of God that is fire is the source of maintaining hot love. (Jeremiah 23:29) Love that is not hot will grow cold because of the wickedness of the world. With cold love zealousness becomes punctured.
In Jesus, we see what it means to be zealous for the course of the kingdom’s business. The bible recorded, “Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.  And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers doing business. When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers’ money and overturned the tables.  And He said to those who sold doves, “Take these things away! Do not make My Father’s house a house of merchandise!”  Then His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up.” (John 2:13-17) The action of Jesus is a demonstration of Zeal for God. In Jesus’s action we see a principle of fighting a good course for God’s glory. Phinehas the son of Eleazar demonstrated zeal for God.
While on the journey to the Promised Land, the children of Israel provoked the anger of the Lord by joining to Baal of Peor while they were facing the wrath for their sin, “…Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose from among the congregation and took a javelin in his hand; and he went after the man of Israel into the tent and thrust both of them through, the man of Israel, and the woman through her body. So the plague was stopped among the children of Israel.” (Numbers 25:7-8)  The zealousness in Phinehas made him to see wrong act against God; it caused him to rise up and not be a part of the congregation that silently accommodated wickedness. His action provoked God’s blessing upon his life.

Prayer for today: Ask for the zeal of God to eat you up.

Faith Capsule: Faith is acting out the word of God that is heard.

Mark 2:1-12

Are you giving God the kind of attention that provokes the hand of God in your favor?
How is your action communicating you request before God?
A wise saying stated, “Action speaks louder than voice”
The story of Hannah testified to the truth that action speaks louder than voice.
Hannah was barren because the Lord closed her womb. (2 Samuel 1:5) During one of her trip to Shiloh, her action caught the attention of Eli. The bible recorded, “And it happened, as she continued praying before the Lord, that Eli watched her mouth.  Now Hannah spoke in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard. Therefore Eli thought she was drunk.” (1 Samuel 1:12-13)
Hannah’s action caught Eli’s attention which provoked blessing that caused heaven to open up her womb. Hannah’s action spoke loudly more than her voice while she was asking, seeking and knocking just as commanded in Matthew 7:7.
Our action is what God weighs as testified in (2Samuel2:3)
Commanding heaven’s attention is not in how loud we communicate in prayer. (This not saying it is wrong to pray out loud) Commanding heaven’s attention is encased in how heart connects with God. Hannah spoke in her heart. Are you speaking from the mouth to impress man?
Our action is the evidence of our faith. The men that tore the roof top at where Jesus ministered in Capernaum acted their faith and healing was instantly provoked. It is written, “And again He entered Capernaum after some days, and it was heard that He was in the house. Immediately many gathered together, so that there was no longer room to receive them, not even near the door. And He preached the word to them. Then they came to Him, bringing a paralytic who was carried by four men.  And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was. So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying.” (Mark 2:1-4) A roof tearing faith will no doubt get heaven’s attention.
The Bible recorded Jesus’ response, “When Jesus saw their faith; He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you” (Mark 2:5).
Jesus saw their faith. Undeniably, faith is what we see because faith is an action. Faith is acting out the word of God that is heard.
The word of God is the testimony of God. Psalmist stated, “Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, who seek Him with the whole heart!” (Psalm 119:2) One that keeps His testimony will know to be persistent by giving God all the attention knowing from God’s testimony that God is able to do more abundantly. Give God all your attention and He shall attend to you.

Payer for today: Ask God for the grace to know and become heaven provoker.

Faith Capsule: Saul took to a dark avenue but God showed up with light.

Acts 9

When time is up for man to be arrested by God for the calling upon man’s life, there is not going to be anywhere to run or hide. If you have been marked for God’s assignment, no amount of running or hiding shall be enough to keep you away from answering to God.
Saul wanted to go and persecute believer when he came under the arrest of God. The bible recorded Saul’s purpose, “Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest  and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.”(Acts 9:1-2)
Saul (Apostle Paul) purposed evil but God disposed his evil agenda when he came under the arrest of Jesus.
Saul took to a dark avenue but God showed up with light. He was arrested by a shining light. It is written, “As he journeyed, he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven.” (Acts 9:3) The light that shone around Saul brought him down and opened up his ears and he heard the Word. Saul responded to the light of God, “And he said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ Then the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’” 6 So he trembling and astonished said, ‘Lord, what do you want me to do?’ Then the Lord said to him, ‘Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.’”  (Acts 9:5-6)  
By virtue of the light, Saul’s lifetime journey was rerouted. Saul had his name changed from Saul to Paul. Above all, from the moment the light shone on him, he was empowered to live his remaining life under unfailing light of God. With the light on him, he never had a misstep in the calling that was laid upon his life. In Paul’s life, no darkness could harass or threaten him without him overcoming them. The light that brought Saul out from darkness gave him new spiritual eyesight. The light became Paul’s compass as he operated heaven on earth through the remaining of his life.
Are you running from God’s calling? Under heaven, it is impossible for darkness to deny light from exposing it. If God is calling you, know that He will catch up with you. It is time for man to stop running from the calling upon man’s life. It is encouraging to know that faithful is He that calls; He shall not fail to back the called ones up. (1 Thessalonians 5:24)

Prayer for today: Ask for light of God to shine on you that you may fully answer to His calling upon your life.

Faith Capsule: The combination of worrying and being troubled will elevate man to the state of fear.

Exodus 14

To become worried and troubled in the face of challenge is the evidence of not looking up to God’s help. Any time man keeps eyes on confronting challenge man is set to misplace focus on God. Are you beholding your challenge or you are looking up to God? Exodus 14:10-12 documented, “And when Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians marched after them. So they were very afraid, and the children of Israel cried out to the Lord.  Then they said to Moses, “Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you so dealt with us, to bring us up out of Egypt?  Is this not the word that we told you in Egypt, saying, ‘Let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness.” Does that sound like you? The Israelites knowing fully well that God is able gave into fear when they failed to lift up their eyes unto God for help. The Israelites were worried and troubled as a result they gave to negative confession.
Solution to challenges demands focusing on God and the word of His promise. Despite all the powerful teachings of Jesus against fear and worrying, the disciples went ahead and locked themselves up in fear of the Jews. “Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, “Peace be with you.” (John 20:19) While they were being locked up in the state of fear, Jesus showed up and declared peace. Jesus the Word of God is the Prince of peace. If you will look up to Jesus as Lord and savior He is always around to uphold you.
Faith in Jesus will cause peace to reign.  After Jesus had spoken peace into His disciple’s life, the eyes of their mind were opened to see the mark of crucifixion. “When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.” (John 20:20) Seeing the mark opened up the disciples to come out of fear. If you will begin to see the marks of crucifixion and believe that the marks were registered on Jesus for us to be able to have life abundantly, the fear about all that is going on around the world will not have its place in your life.

Prayer for today: Ask in for the grace of boldness and character to have a place in your life.