Faith Capsule: It is dwelling in the secret place of the Most High God that qualifies man to abide.

Psalm 91

The bible recorded what God saw about His creation and what God said in reaction to His creation, “Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.” (Genesis 6:5-6) It is a wicked world! Imagine God was sorry that He made man. Jeremiah 17:9, buttressed, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?” Lying, deception and manipulation has taken over the place of the fear of God in the heart of man. Man is clothed with lack of fear of God. Under heaven, there is no place to hide from the wickedness of man but to dwell and abide in the secret place of the Most High God. Psalmist admonished us in Psalm 91: 1-2, “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust.” Dwelling, that is to make the secret place of Most High God a permanent place to be living not a place to be checking in and checking out. It is dwelling in the secret place of the Most High God that qualifies man to abide in the secret place of the Most High God. Is the secret place of the Most High God a dwelling place you desire?
Where is the secret place of the Most High? Psalm 25:14 identified, “The secret of the LORD is with those who fear Him, and He will show them His covenant.” It is the fear of God that will unlock the door to the secret place of the Lord. Psalm 33:18, “The eye of the LORD is on those that fear Him, on those who hope in His mercy.” Evidently, to be under the watchful eye of God that is not visible to a naked eye is to be in a secret place. What both Psalm 25 and 33 are saying is that the fear of the Lord is what it takes to dwell in the secret place of the Lord. What does it mean to fear God? To fear the Lord is to love the Lord. Deuteronomy 30:6, “And the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.” To fear the Lord is to love Him, and to love Him is to live. Obviously, those that dwell in the fear of God are in His secret place.

Prayer for today: Ask God to put His fear in your heart for you not to depart Him but to dwell in Him.

Faith Capsule: Engaging wrong assumption is an evidence of leaning on one’s own understanding.

Numbers 16:1-40

Engaging wrong assumption can be damaging for those who wrongly assume. The book of Numbers 16:1-3,talked about how Korah in his wrong mind set engaged wrong assumption. It is written, “Now Korah the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, with Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab, and On the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men; and they rose up before Moses with some of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty leaders of the congregation, representatives of the congregation, men of renown. They gathered together against Moses and Aaron, and said to them, ’You take too much upon yourselves, for all the congregation is holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the LORD?’”(Numbers 16:1-3)  Engaging wrong assumption like Korah did is avoidable for every man that makes the choice to, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.”(Proverbs 3:5) Engaging wrong assumption is an evidence of leaning on one’s own understanding instead of trusting God for direction.
At your place of work, are you one that is thinking of the ability to deliver a better service than your boss? As church member or among fellow brethren that gathers to serve God, have you been thinking you can be of better service to the congregation than your pastor? It is very important to stay away from engaging wrong assumption. Do not assume what He has not called you to be. The move of Korah was not a God’s calling it was an act that lacked trust for God to be in charge. God has the power to use any man that He is pleased to use for His mission and it is not of any man to engage wrong assumption. Concerning the leadership of Moses, Korah and his entourage went before God and requested from God to show the difference between the ones He has called or not called. Moses requested from God to do the unusual that would determine and demonstrate who He called from the uncalled ones Numbers 16: 31-33, “Now it came to pass, as he finished speaking all these words, that the ground split apart under them,  and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, with their households and all the men with Korah, with all their goods. So they and all those with them went down alive into the pit; the earth closed over them, and they perished from among the assembly.” Korah and his entourage died an timely death as a result of wrong assumption.

Prayer for today: Ask God to deliver you from every wrong assumption in every area of life so that your story will not be like that of Korah and his rebellious entourage.

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.