Faith Capsule: Disengage lack of transparency; it is not of God but of the evil one.

Acts 5:1-11

In your relationship are your transparent? In your dealings with others are you transparent? Transparency is very crucial in any relationship because it is a bond that binds a relationship together. Where there is transparency, there will be working and walking in agreement. Amos 3:3, “Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?” Just as there is power in agreement that brings forth result, there is also power that brings forth termination where there is lack of transparency. It is worth it for us to always play our part and not be influenced by that which does not represent God. Are you relating with others without transparency? If you have been getting away without transparency, it is time to ask God for deliverance from the steps or walk which often lead man to termination.

The story of Ananias and his wife Sapphira depict what hidden agenda can do in the life of ones that cannot relate with transparency. “But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession. And he kept back part of the proceeds, his wife also being aware of it, and brought a certain part and laid it at the apostles’ feet. But Peter said, ’Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself?’”(Acts 5:1-3) Ananias and Sapphira made the choice not to be transparent when there was no reason to lie. Ananias and Sapphira lied about the proceeds they received.
The spirit of lie is of the devil. Lying in the place of truth is a relative of lack of transparency. Jesus described the source of lie, “You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.” Does this speak to you in any area of your relationship? Among the believers today, some of the most common identities are deception, lying and manipulation. As an acclaimed believer, we are not to be a part of any of those identities. Integrity holds firm before God. It does not matter how often an acclaimed believer gets away with deception, lying or manipulation one day it only take one day to terminates a believer from the ground of calling. In the case of Ananias and Sapphira, it is possible that it was not their first time, but their last time came with an irreversible termination. The devil is set to terminate his victim; his agenda is set to destroy all that is good.

Prayer for today: Ask for deliverance from any reason to engage lack of transparency in your relationships.

Faith Capsule: Do not accommodate any condition that does not settle well with your life.

2 Kings 5:1-15

It is written, “Now Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great and honorable man in the eyes of his master, because by him the Lord had given victory to Syria. He was also a mighty man of valor, but a leper.” The description of Naaman was described as a commander; an army of high order; great and honorable man. Above all of the description, there was a “but” in Naaman’s life. A “but” in his life represent a box or a mark that reduced him beyond any man’s help. Does that sound like your challenge in any area of life? Does it feel like you have been boxed by your challenge that is beyond any man’s help? Is there any mark upon your life that does not settle well with you any area of life? A ‘but” can possibly be a negative mark clouding man’s destiny or a stigma that needs to be busted open. Naaman was a leper. As a commander, he fought successive wars for Syria but yet his “but” stood out to reduce him. Evidently, all his achievements were not outside of God that he did not know and yet he was a leper. Naaman was a notable leper who could not be expected with such a mark despite what the Lord used him to achieve.

Have you accepted to accommodate any condition that does not settle well with your life? Until a need for recovery is settled in the heart the resolve to go for recovery will always be out of place. The mark of “but” in Naaman’s life brought him to the point of deliverance from empty pride. When he approached the ground of miracle, the empty pride in him was busted open and humility took its reign. The bible recorded, “And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, ‘Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored to you, and you shall be clean.’ 11 But Naaman became furious, and went away and said, ‘Indeed, I said to myself, He will surely come out to me, and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, and wave his hand over the place, and heal the leprosy.’” (2 Kings 5:10-11) Naaman eventually got the message. After his role-play of pride, he rolled himself to obey the command of the prophet of God. Naaman went and wash in the Jordan River and was cleansed. God sent His word to heal and to deliver; if any will dive into His word recovery shall answer. Jesus the living Word of God declared, “…I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10) Engage the living word for a full recovery.

Prayer for today: Ask God to cleanse you from every “but” that has marked you negatively.

Faith Capsule: In Him, there is no lack and every need is available for His sheep.

Psalm 23

Jesus is the Great Shepherd. A shepherd that is worthy to look up to. He is a Shepherd that will not slack or slumber. He alone is the helping helper.  Jesus is the Shepherd of shepherds. Jesus is the Shepherd that delivers and preserves His sheep. He is a shepherd that does not fail. Jesus is the love of God for us. The love and care of God for us is deeper than we can imagine. The psalmist declared, “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.3 He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.” (Psalm 23:1-3)
Have you accepted Him as your Lord and Savior? For those who have accepted the great Shepherd as their Lord and Savior, they become His sheep. In Him, there is no lack and every need is available except when the sheep makes the wrong choice. As a sheep, it is wrong choice to not to look up to the shepherd by allowing fear to over a sheep’s life. Accepting Him as shepherd is what it means to walk but not run in the valley of the shadow of death. For one who has accepted Him in truth and indeed, His name is at stake for His name’s sake.
At the time of the Israelites rebellious act during their wilderness journey, God responded to the disobedience of the children of Israel. “I will strike them with the pestilence and disinherit them, and I will make of you a nation greater and mightier than they.” (Numbers 14:12) Moses responded to God’s plan against the children of Israel by speaking to God. “Now if You kill these people as one man, then the nations which have heard of Your fame will speak, saying, 16 ‘Because the LORD was not able to bring this people to the land which He swore to give them, therefore He killed them in the wilderness.’” (Numbers 14:15-16) Moses’ response is like telling God that, “Your name is at stake here Lord.” With Moses’ response, God declared in Numbers 14:20, “Then the Lord said: ‘I have pardoned, according to your word.’” The point here is that because of His name, He will deliver those who He has decided to carry through as sheep. It was because of His Name that, “…He made His own people go forth like sheep, and guided them in the wilderness like a flock; 53 And He led them on safely, so that they did not fear; But the sea overwhelmed their enemies.” (Psalm 78:53) The Great Shepherd has laid His life down for His sheep. Receive Him, believe in Him and He will make you a winner.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace to accept Him fully into your life as your Shepherd.

Faith capsule: Every move without involving God will revolve to failure.

2 Chronicles 18

Gaining understanding and knowing what God wants for one keeps one in line with God’s agenda in life. When a man is moved by what he wants and not by what the Lord wants for him, that man will be removed from where God wants him to be. There is place of God for each and in order to avoid sudden or untimely death, no man should remove self from the place of God. God has put all that it takes for man to be saved in place for any man that will remain in God’s place regardless of the enemies plan.
David wanted to rescue his wives, his follower’s wives, sons, daughters that were taken refuge by the Amalekites who invaded where David and his people were located. By virtue of the pressure for the need to rescue his follower’s people, he could not make any move without asking God for direction. The bible described David’s situation stating, “Now David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.” (1 Samuel 30:6) Despite the challenges before him, he could not rush to move on his own without inquiring from God for direction. David took it before God, “David inquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall I pursue this troop? Shall I overtake them?” And He answered him, “Pursue, for you shall surely overtake them and without fail recover all.” (1 Samuel 30:8) David made move after having inquired from God. He pursued and overtook his enemy because he was able to make his move based on God’s response to his enquiry.
Are you on the verge of making a move without carrying God along? Every move without involving God will revolve to failure. By man’s understanding, it might seem that one has been getting away without involving God. However, it is important to hear now and not take to one’s own move but God’s direction.
One’s with their mind made up before inquiring for God’s direction do not always listen for the right direction. Once, King Ahab of Judah was set for a confrontational war. Ahab sought the support of Jehoshaphat the king of Israel. Jehoshaphat agreed to go but with condition to inquire from God. Before calling on the prophet Micaiah, Ahab despised the prophet claiming that he never prophesize good concerning him. At the insistence of Jehoshaphat, Micaiah spoke as from God, “I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd. And the Lord said, ‘These have no master. Let each return to his house in peace.’” (2 Chronicles 18:16) Ahab rejected God’s prophetic message which was inquired and he did not return from the battle. As a result of Ahab’s move, Ahab was removed from where God wants him to be.

Prayer for today: Ask that God will keep you from every way of disobedience to His direction.

Faith Capsule: Hear and see in His sayings.

Acts 9: 1-22

It is written, “The hearing ear and seeing eye, the Lord has made them both.” (Proverbs 20:12) He is the maker of all. To hear and see in His word enables man to enter the plan of God for one’s life. Apparently, many does have ear and not able to hear and many does have eye and not able to see. Jeremiah 13:15 identified the reason for having ear and not able to hear and see, “Hear and give ear do not be proud for the Lord has spoken.” (Jeremiah 13:15) Pride denies man from not hearing and seeing in God. Are you aware of the need to always engage self in hearing and seeing in His word?
Job was a man identified by God as blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil. (Job 1:1) He experienced unimaginable challenges in the hand of Satan because God allowed it. In all of his challenges he did not curse God when his wife suggested he should curse God. Bible recorded in Job 2:9, “Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast to your integrity? Curse God and die!”Job rejected his wife suggestion stating, “You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips.” (Job 2:10) By the testimony of Job, it is possible that he heard from God but could not see what was ahead of him during his challenging times. Job testified, “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees You.”(Job 42:5) In the journey of faith, it is important to be able to hear and see. To hear and not be able to see can deny man from living to the fulfillment of God’s calling or it is possible to cause delay which often leads to one being denied from living to fulfill God’s calling .
For one to fully answer to God’s calling or to experience God’s purpose in the journey of life, one must be able to give ear and hear; to give eye and see in the word which sounds in one’s direction. Saul (Apostle Paul) heard and saw before moving forward into his divine assignment. After all his experience on the way with the Way, he became confirmed to the apostle by Barnabas word, “But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. And he declared to them how he had seen the Lord on the road, and that He had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus.”(Acts 9:27) Paul saw and he heard from the Lord before he was confirmed. Paul saw and knew how to go because he heard His sayings and it did not depart from his eyes.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace to always hear and see in His word.