FAITH CAPSULE: Make a purposeful move to provoke your purpose and be fulfilled.

Luke 7:36-39, Luke 8:41-48

It really does not matter how sinful man is but when man turns to Jesus, there will always be a place with Him. A woman who was a sinner in the city knew what to do to get what she desired of the Lord. It is written, “And behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil,  and stood at His feet behind Him weeping; and she began to wash His feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head; and she kissed His feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil.”(Luke 7:37-38)
She wanted to deliver unusual service to Jesus. In approaching Jesus, she took an unusual avenue; it was an avenue that perplexed all agents of denial and she could not be denied. The woman who was a sinner approached Jesus from the back to avoid the multitude. The Bible recorded, “she stood at Jesus’ feet behind Him.” If this woman had attempted to stand before Jesus in her attempt to deliver her service, she probably would have been denied from getting to Jesus’ feet. The woman who was a sinner engaged a move that provoked an unusual testimony. The woman’s service became a bible documented testimony. In your service to Him, make an unusual move and deny every force of distraction that denies man from experiencing unusual testimony.

Just like the woman with the alabaster oil, the woman with the issue of blood also made an unusual move when she provoked an unusual miracle that became an unusual testimony. The bible stated, “Now a woman, having a flow of blood for twelve years, who had spent all her livelihood on physicians and could not be healed by any,  came from behind and touched the border of His garment. And immediately her flow of blood stopped.” (Luke 8:43-44) Many were throng Jesus but the woman with the flow of blood reached out to touch Jesus from the back and her disease of twelve years took a back way to become a thing of the past. The woman with the flow of blood did not approached Jesus shouting to cause a scene and gain everyone’s attention. The woman with the flow of blood and the woman with the alabaster oil did not take to everyone’s avenue when they received their breakthrough. They both came from behind and approached Jesus where there was no distraction or frustration and where there was no way for attention seeking. They made a move that was purposeful in order for their purpose to be fulfilled.

Prayer for today: Teach me and instruct me; cause your eye to guide me O Lord.

ASK for God’s Hand

Faith Capsule: There is nothing He cannot do if man shall be consistently consistent in asking, seeking and knocking.

Exodus 3:13-22, Exodus 12:31-42,

At the time God was set to bring the Israelites out of the bondage of over four hundred years, He assured Moses stating, “So I will stretch out My hand and strike Egypt with all My wonders which I will do in its midst; and after that he will let you go. And I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and it shall be, when you go, that you shall not go empty-handed.” (Genesis 3:20-21) In His hand there is deliverance and favor. God is consistent to deliver according to His word. Indeed favor answered for the Israelites at the time of departure from bondage of over four hundred years. It is written, “…they had asked from the Egyptians articles of silver, articles of gold, and clothing. And the Lord had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they granted them what they requested. Thus they plundered the Egyptians.” (Exodus 12:35-36)
Ask God to do a new thing which every representative of enemy in your life will hear about. The bible recorded, “So it was, when all the kings of the Amorites who were on the west side of the Jordan, and all the kings of the Canaanites who were by the sea, heard that the LORD had dried up the waters of the Jordan from before the children of Israel until we had crossed over, that their heart melted; and there was no spirit in them any longer because of the children of Israel.” (Joshua 5:1) When the agent of hindrance in the way of the children of Israel heard about the new thing (that the Lord had dried water to make a way for the children of Israel) their hearts were melted. Ask that the same shall be of your hinderer. A melted heart is a heart that is bound to fail, and that shall be the portion of the wicked ones that have taken a position to hinder you in life.
1 Kings 18:46 recorded, “Then the hand of the LORD came upon Elijah; and he girded up his loins and ran ahead of Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.”  The hand of God is not shortened. The hand of God upon Elijah is still the same hand forever. Ask that the same hand that answered for Elijah, and made him to go ahead of Ahab, will locate you this day and every agent of opposition will fail to catch up with you. In your asking, be energized knowing that the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; nor His ear heavy, That it cannot hear. (Isaiah 59:1) Power belongs to God. In His hand there is all the power and there is nothing He cannot do if man shall be consistently consistent in asking, seeking and knocking.

Prayer for today: Ask for the hand of God that is favor, to move in your direction.

Faith Capsule: The final say over your life belongs to God.

Genesis 39, Genesis 41:37-57

The bible recorded, “Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age. Also he made him a tunic of many colors.  But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peaceably to him. ” (Genesis 37:3-4) The love of Israel for Joseph set him up against is brothers. As if the love of his father was not provoking enough, he had a dream to fuel brother’s hatred for him. It is written, “Joseph had a dream, and he told it to his brothers; and they hated him even more.  So he said to them, “Please hear this dream which I have dreamed: There we were, binding sheaves in the field. Then behold, my sheaf arose and also stood upright; and indeed your sheaves stood all around and bowed down to my sheaf.” (Genesis 37:5-7) Joseph’s dream and his father’s love set him up for a route that was not in his dream. When his father sent him to check his brothers on the field he entered into the route of his dream. He started his journey inside an empty pit where there was no water. As if the pit was not enough, the brothers sold him as a slave. The bible recorded, “Then Midianite traders passed by; so the brothers pulled Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. And they took Joseph to Egypt.” (Genesis 37:28) The story of Joseph continued as he passed through from slave to prison; from prison to Prime Minister. The bottom line of Joseph’s story is the truth that God will always have the final say in the journey of man’s life if man stands upright or stand in awe of Him that holds the whole word in His hand.

Who could have thought that David, a man after God’s own heart, a man that delivered the whole nation from the embarrassment of Goliath would run from his country like a fugitive? Despite David status as a celebrity, when King Saul turned against him there was none among the well and able population that could back him up or rendered support. It is written in 1 Samuel 22:2, “And everyone who was in distress, everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented gathered to him. So he became captain over them. And there were about four hundred men with him. ” David the celebrated champion of the whole nation only had the backings of the relegated ones. Above all, he became king after Saul. Whatever has moved you from your ground of celebration and seems to contradict the promise of God for your life shall not have the final say over your life. The final say over your life belongs to God.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace to remain focus on God in all paths of life.

Faith Capsule: To be mindful of God requires a constant meditation on the word of God.

Psalm 115

We have a gracious and merciful God. He is more than a caring father. He is a Father that waits for His children to wait on Him. He is a Father that does not sleep nor slumber. He is so loving and the word recorded, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16) Evidently, he is a Father God that is mindful of His children. The psalmist must have been curious about His mindfulness when he asked, “What is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him?” (Psalm 8:4) “Lord, what is man, that You take knowledge of him? Or the son of man, that You are mindful of him?” (Psalm 144:3) The word also testified of His mindfulness for His children, “The Lord has been mindful of us; He will bless us; He will bless the house of Israel; He will bless the house of Aaron.” (Psalm 115:12) Are you mindful of God?
The evidence of not being mindful of God is the act of disobedience and hardness of heart.  Nehemiah 9:17 buttressed, “They refused to obey, and they were not mindful of Your wonders That You did among them. But they hardened their necks, and in their rebellion they appointed a leader To return to their bondage. But You are God, Ready to pardon, Gracious and merciful, Slow to anger, Abundant in kindness, And did not forsake them.” A rebellious one to the word of God is not mindful of God? Being mindful of God is being God-full. One that is mindful of God is one whose mind stays on God.
Isaiah 26:3 stated, “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.” To be mindful of God requires a constant meditation on the word of God because the word of God is God. Moses was mindful of God throughout his leadership over the children of Israel because he was meditating day and night. When it was time to pass the mantle on to Joshua, God directed Joshua’s attention to meditating on the word just like Moses did. God spoke to Joshua, “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.” (Joshua 1:8) A mind that stays on God will be at rest and will not rust. Peace is the identity of any mind that stays on God.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace to live a life that is mindful of Him.

Faith Capsule: It is not acceptable for a believer to  be seeing negative in any challenging situation.

Acts 16:16-40

Paul and Silas were accused for troubling the city as a result; “…the magistrates tore off their clothes and commanded them to be beaten with rods.  And when they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to keep them securely.  Having received such a charge, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.” (Acts 16:22-24) Both Paul and Silas were kept in a secured jail. The intention of their jailer was to prevent them from escaping. The jailers were in position of power forgetting that power belongs to the One and only God. The jailers also forgot that man proposes but God disposes. In the eyes of man, there was no way out for Paul and Silas. Are you in any situation that is clear to man that there is no way out for you? It is okay for man not to see a way out for you but it is not acceptable for you to see negative in any challenging situation. Whatever man sees in time of confronting situation determines man’s approach. In every challenging situation begin to see positive knowing that power belongs to God. Paul and Silas could not resolved to depression; Paul and Silas refused to be silent. The bible recorded, “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.”
God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. God is not a partial God. Romans 2:11 buttressed, “For there is no partiality with God.” At the time the Israelites were to pass through Jericho, all roads were blocked. The bible recorded, “Now Jericho was securely shut up because of the children of Israel; none went out, and none came in.  And the Lord said to Joshua: “See! I have given Jericho into your hand, its king, and the mighty men of valor.” (Joshua 6:1-2) Seeing right in time of wrong and pressing challenge or seeing a way where there is no way is the onset of eventual victory. God called Joshua’s attention to see a way where there is no way. The same word of God is calling you to see a way where there is no way. If man will believe the word of God, man should begin to pray and sing hymns in the face of challenges just like Paul and Silas. The Israelites engaged there shut avenue with praise and worship as commanded by God. For the Israelites, the wall of Jericho fell down flat. For Paul and Silas, great earthquake took charge and doors were opened.

Payer for today: Ask God for open understanding in every area of life.