Faith Capsule: Live life by His word shame shall not be your portion.

Genesis 3

Shame belongs to the enemy of God. Any believer that is living by the living word of the living God shall know no shame. Shame is the consequence of sinful act. Adam and Eve became ashamed and they hide from the presence of God because they violated God’s word. God gave Adam and Eve a beautiful garden to keep with a clear command to Adam, “…Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” (Genesis 2:16-17) God’s command was violated when both Adam and Eve made the choice to disregard God’s command in regard to eating from the tree of the knowledge.
After their violation of God’s word, “…they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.” (Genesis 3:8) Hiding from the presence of God is the evidence of shame. It is only shame that will cause one to hide from the ground where one has been receiving and enjoying glorious reception. Adam and Eve could no longer open up to God’s visitation because they have closed themselves with sin. Sin is the consequence of shame.
As a believer, one that is living by the word of God, shame is not possible at any level except the word of God is no longer valid. Remember, God promised, “So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:11) Pay attention to every word of God and God will attend to you in every walk of your life.
Adam and Eve failed not to trust God enough to treat His word with obedience. When man fail to trust the word of God it shall lead to shame. Psalmist buttressed, “In You, O Lord, I put my trust; Let me never be put to shame.” (Psalm 71:1) It is not possible to be living in Gods command; to be serving God and yet be a vessel of shame. Shame only belongs to the ones who does not believe and serve God but other gods. Psalm 97:7 declared, “Let all be put to shame who serve carved images, who boast of idols. Worship Him, all you gods.”
Listen, have you accepted Him as your Lord and savior? Live life by His word shame shall not be your portion “For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” (Romans 10:11)

 Prayer for today: Ask God to enable you to constantly live life by His word.

Faith Capsule: The word becomes mixed with faith when hearing and hearing is in place in the life of a believer.

Hebrews 4

The word of God is meant to profit man but when man fails to work the word of God it becomes unprofitable.  The book of 2 Timothy 3:16 declared, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” For those who believe in God the word will work to profit them. Do you truly believe in God? Are you working the word? Titus 3:8 buttressed, “This is a faithful saying, and these things I want you to affirm constantly, that those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to men.” Our God is a jealous God that deserves our attention. There is no better way of giving God is due attention like pleasing Him.
How do we please Him?
We are made to understand in Hebrews 11:6, “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.” If without faith it is impossible to please Him, with faith it is absolutely possible to please Him. Faith is not what anyone is born with but faith is what you have to seek for and you know that it will come. Romans 10:17, “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” What the word is saying is about hearing, hearing, hearing and hearing. Hearing the word of God is not for a time or two, but it is of consistence and continuity. When there is no failure in hearing, faith will pass one on to fearing God and having His fear go before you.
The word of God is meant to profit believers of His word by bringing believers into His rest. Hebrews 4:1-3 identified a reason why the word can be unprofitable to man stating, “For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it. For we who have believed do enter that rest, as He has said.” The word has to be mixed with faith to become profitable.  How is it mixed with faith? The book of Romans 10:17 makes us to know that faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. For those that only hear the word but not adapt to hearing and hearing (which is the source of faith) it becomes evident that they have not mixed the word with faith. The word is not profitable if it is not missed with hearing and hearing by the word of God.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace to be mixing the word you have heard with faith (that is hearing and hearing the word of God).  

Faith Capsule: Despising the word of God is to dishonor God’s command.

Romans 6

Thank God for Jesus especially for the world of today where despising the word of God is the order of the day. If not for the blood that was shed on Calvary, Lord knows what the world will be today for despising the word of God.  Jesus dying for our sins is not for sin to be continued. Romans 6:1-2 cautioned, “Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Despising the word of God is to dishonor God’s command. It is disobedience to despise God’s word. Proverbs 13:13 admonished, “He who despises the word will be destroyed, but he who fears the commandment will be rewarded.” Despising the word of God is also a demonstration of lack of fear for His commands. Obeying God leads to obtaining the blessing of obedience from God while disobeying God is engaging the curses of disobedience. God is forever consistent and will never lower the standard of His word to violate His word that does not return to Him void. All that God says He will do is a done deal.
King Saul despised the word of God by his act of disobedience and the consequence of his disobedience was fully manifested in his life. When the Philistines gathered to fight against Israel, Saul could not wait for Samuel’s instruction to wait seven days for Samuel to carry out the burnt offering. Saul went ahead to carry out the burnt offerings which was a violation of God’s command.  As a king, he was not in the place to offer burnt offering which was a priest’s assignment as commanded by God. As simple as Saul’s violation appeared to be, Samuel responded to Saul’s disobedience. “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, which He commanded you. For now the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be commander over His people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.” (1 Samuel 13:13-14) Saul despised God’s command and his lineage was forever terminated from becoming king. Before God, a sin is a sin and there is no minor sin or major sin. Plan to live life abundantly by abstaining from despising God’s command and you shall not be destroyed.
To disregard the works of God is another way of dishonoring God. Dishonoring God is despising His word. Are you one who is disregarding God consciously or unconsciously? It is a sin to disregard God; before God there is no excuse for sin but only repentance. Ignorance is not an excuse before God; it only makes destitution of a believer.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace to constantly and consistently live by His word.

Faith Capsule: Engage the word of God to disengage the wicked world.

Psalm 10

What kind of a man do you answer to? One that is not of God is of the devil. There is no middle ground for anyone to claim. One that is of the devil is the wicked one. Have you search yourself lately and see if there is any wicked way in you? Let it be known to you that running around in the house of God or the title you answer to is not evidence that you are not a wicked one. God cannot be deceived and neither can He be mocked.
Are you a wicked one? The psalmist must have been curious of his stand and wanting to be right with God by praying against wickedness stating, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psalm 139:23-24)
Are you a wicked one?
The wicked is simply those that the word of God is near their mouth but far from their mind. (Jeremiah 12:2) Knowing about the word of God and knowing about quoting the word of God and not do as commanded by God is a direct pointer of the wicked one. Psalm 10:4 stated, “The wicked in his proud countenance does not seek God; God is in none of his thoughts.”  Does that sound like you?
Are you wicked and not know that you are wicked by virtue of the way you live life? It is true that your strength is firm; you are not in trouble as other; pride serves as your necklace and you are covered being violent; your eyes are covered with abundance and you have more than heart could wish.
Your conformity to this world confirms wickedness in you. The world today is at odd with the word. The wickedness of the world calls for a need not to be conformed to the world. To be friendly with the world is an evidence of conformity to the wicked world.
James 4:4 buttressed, “Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”
Conformity is defined as an action or behavior in correspondence with current customs, rules, or styles. Conformity to this world is thriving even among the believers of the word. What is it about this world? The ruler of this world is the wicked one; to be friendly of the world is to embrace wickedness. Paul the Apostle sounded a clear warning, in Romans 12:2, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” Engage the word of God to disengage the wicked world.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace to be delivered from becoming a wicked one.

Faith Capsule: Thanking God at every breath can never be too much.

Psalm 150, Luke 17:1-19

It is worthy to ask self, what have I done for Jesus lately? That is, “What have you been giving back to Jesus”? Do you not think you owe Jesus? The main reason why Jesus was given to us is for us to inherit eternal life.
If man will know to give thanks for all things, in all things, all things will work for good. Are you thanking God enough? In a period of an hour if one can count the number of thanks rendered to God, one is definitely short in thanking God. Thanking and praising God is not a thinking engagement but a giving engagement. You do not think thanks; you give thanks. Also, thanks should be an every moment engagement. Giving thanks and praising God cannot be separated because both go together. Psalm 92:1 confirms, “It is good to give thanks to the LORD, and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High”. Psalm 150:6 declared, “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise God!” Going by the word of the Psalmist, thanking God at every breath can never be too much. In life, giving is sowing, and sowing is serving.
Are you giving back to Jesus enough thanks?
God, who is a jealous God, desires and deserves our attention and will always expect thanksgiving and praise worship from us. This is evident in the documentation of Jesus and the ten lepers who were healed. When ten lepers were healed, “…one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God.” (Luke 17:15) One leper’s return to give thanks with a loud voice prompted Jesus’ response, “Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” And He said to him, “Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well.” (Luke 17:18-19)
Thanking and praising God gets Heaven’s attention because God inhabits the praises of His people. We do not only give thanks for what God has done or what He is doing but we also give thanks for what He can do or what we expect Him to do. Are you expecting God to move concerning your confronting situation? Regardless of the magnitude of your situation, believe and give thanks to God before manifestation of your expectation. Jesus believed that God was going to bring Lazarus back to life and as a result, Jesus did not wait for Lazarus to rise before He thanked God for Lazarus’ rising from dead. It is written, “Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, ‘Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.’” (John 11:41) If you will begin to thank Him prior to the manifestation of your expectation, the Lazarus in your life will rise in Jesus name.

Prayer for today: Ask for mercy for being short in your thanks giving unto Him.