FAITH CAPSULE: Increasing trouble is a troubling challenge.

Psalm 3

Increasing trouble is a troubling challenge which refuses to go. Increasing trouble is a trouble which seems to be growing instead of it going away. Increasing trouble is trouble that supposed to be for a moment but appears or seems to be permanent when it is not. In your time of troubling challenge, is your faith being questioned by your world? Is your world saying there is no help for you?
David, a man after God’s own heart had increasing trouble when he stated in Psalm 3:1-2, “Lord, how they have increased who trouble me! Many are they who rise up against me. Many are they who say of me, “There is no help for him in God.”” David testified how he dealt with his own increasing trouble and his testimony is enough evidence for us that the Lord helps troubled people. How David dealt with his trouble is written for our learning. Romans 15:4 testified, “For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.” How he dealt with his trouble is a prescribed way to deal with troubling challenge that seems not to be going away; a troubling challenge that is questioning if God is still attending to troubling challenge.
First, David acknowledged God for His awesomeness by stating, “But You, O Lord, are a shield for me, My glory and the One who lifts up my head.” (Psalm 3:3) David did not allow his challenge to cloud is worship. David acknowledged God for what He has done and what He was doing in his life. Acknowledging God in a time of troubling challenge is a way of thanking God; it is a way to provoke God’s hand of intervention on one’s behalf; it is giving self to worship instead of worrying. Acknowledging God in a time of troubling challenge is an action which God cannot ignore because 2 Samuel 2:3 testified, “For the Lord is the God of knowledge; and by Him actions are weighed.”
Secondly David testified, “I cried to the Lord with my voice, and He heard me from His holy hill.” (Proverbs 3:4) Crying is not a sign of weakness. David’s crying was not a cry in the heart; evidently it was not a silent cry. It was a cry with his voice not in his heart; it was a cry that went out loud to His holy hill. Why not look for a locked up room and delivered a cry which would be heard at His holy hill? The word requested from us that we open our mouth wide. (Psalm 81:10) God will fill open mouth not closed mouth. David testified that the Lord heard him from His holy hill. God is not a partial God, Romans 2:11 and many other scriptural verses testified, “For there is no partiality with God.” Cry out to Him and He will hear your cry.

Prayer for today: In the name and the blood of Jesus, open your mouth wide and rebuke your troubling challenge.

FAITH CAPSULE: Observing the word is investigating the word.

Proverbs 6, Joshua 1

The word of God is His law, the word is His instruction and it is His command. Those who allow their heart to keep the word of God shall have length of days, long life and peace. (Proverbs 6) Those who are able to keep the word of God are the ones who make God their confidence. Those who keep the word of God will know to do good when the chance to do good calls for doing good. Those who keep the word of God do not stumble where others are stumbling. The word of God does not mark one or exempt man from afflictions but in the word there is an assured promise for deliverance out of all manner of affliction. (Proverbs 34:19) Above all, those who keep the word in their heart will know not to lean on their own understanding.
Life is a race that is set before us. Hebrew 12:1 buttressed, “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us” In the race of life, all we need to run and be able to possess what God has for us is by the word of His grace.
In the race of life, all we need is to be able to possess what God is having for us by the word of His grace. 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) Going by the word of God, it is evident that the only track in the race of life is the word of God. Jesus, the living word of God buttressed in His speech, “I am the way, the truth, and the life…” (John 14:6) Meditating the word as directed by God will cause man to observe. Observing the word is investigating the word. Investigating can be described as searching out and examining the word in attempt to learn the truth about what is hidden in the word that makes a difference in man’s life. Without any iota of doubt, it is the word of God which you investigate that will navigate for you in the race of life.
With the word of God, when we roam (move) the word will lead us, when we sleep the word will keep us and when we are awake the word will speak with us. (Proverbs 6:22) Unmistakably, the word of God is completely complete to see man through in the race of life.

Prayer for today: Ask God to enable you that His word will reign and rule your life.

FAITH CAPSULE: There is a need to have the door of your temple open up for reparations.

2 Chronicles 29

It is written, “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” (1Corithians 3:16) What is the state of your temple? Is your temple opened to the Landlord or closed? Have you allowed Jesus the Landlord of your temple to come into the temple? It is the time of the year to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior. Celebrating Him with a closed temple is a waste of time and resources. There is also a need to have the door of your temple open up for due reparations. Often we open but do not allow any reparation.
Celebration without reparation in the temple is never enough.
Bible recorded about Hezekiah when he became king of Judah, “In the first year of his reign, in the first month, he opened the doors of the house of the Lord and repaired them. Then he brought in the priests and the Levites, and gathered them in the East Square, and said to them: “Hear me, Levites! Now sanctify yourselves, sanctify the house of the Lord God of your fathers, and carry out the rubbish from the holy place.” (2 Chronicles 29:3-5) Among the first things Hezekiah did when he became King of Judah was to open up the temple for reparation.  The Word of God is written for our learning. When the house of God (temple of God) needs to be worked on, the first thing to do is to open the door. Jesus said that He stands at the door knocking. Hezekiah did not just open the door for celebration, he opened it for reparation. For a long time, you have had the door of your heart opened, but did not know what to do with an opened door. It is not enough to open the door and not allow repairs to have their way. Allow the Lord to come into your temple and repair it. What type of reparation are you considering for your situation? Hezekiah did not just have the door open for playing religion; he brought in those that were qualified to work inside the temple. Have you considered cleaning all that represents rubbish in the course of the year?
Jesus is knocking for you to open up the door so He can come in and sanctify you by His word. You have a need to carry out the rubbish that has been denying you the handiwork of the Lord in your life. As the “Temple of God”, disallow becoming a waste, let go of the rubbish that is living in you as the landlord in your life. Allow Jesus to come so that your celebration will elevate you. Know it that, it is not enough to have the door open without letting the reparation.

Prayer for today: Ask God to open the door of your heart and help clean out all that does not represent Him.

FAITH CAPSULE: The word you celebrate will elevate you.

1 Thessalonians 2

God spoke in Isaiah 55:10-11, “As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” What an awesome declaration! God is so sure of His word that His word shall not fail but perform to what He says. It is this same word that brought forth creation in the beginning and the same word is still manifesting when it is engaged with understanding.
Are you the one that heard a preacher preach and claimed to have received the word and yet nothing happens? After having heard a preacher preach, how often have you claimed to receive the word, and after having claimed to have received the word, nothing happens? There is no evidence of change, no result, but yet you continue to claim, “I received it.” The word of God is true, it does not fail and it will not fail unless you fail to live by the word. 1 Thessalonians 2:13 pointed out why there is nothing to show for your claim to have received the word by stating, “For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe.”
The word of God that you claimed to have received is not working because: One, you have failed to welcome the word. Can you imagine how you would receive a message that one million dollars has just been deposited into your account? If you truly receive the word of God as frequently as you claim, you will celebrate it. Two, if what you claim to have received is scripturally based, then do not let anything deny your acceptance and celebration of the word of God. When the measure of how you welcome what you receive matches up with the celebration, then what you have received will work effectively for you.
David in his celebration for answered prayer testified, “I will worship toward Your holy temple, And praise Your name For Your lovingkindness and Your truth; For You have magnified Your word above all Your name.” (Psalm 138:2) The word of God shall never fail when His word is engaged with understanding. Celebrate the word you claim to have received by living the word and it will elevate you.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace of understanding the word of God.  

FAITH CAPSULE: One language breeds communication.

Genesis 11: 1-9

Within every group in the journey of life, positive communication is undoubtedly the fuel of transportation. In life, when communication is in place continuation survives. However, when communication is negative there will be complication. Positive communication is what makes every group to journey without disorientation which often leads to disconnection or disruption among different group which journey together.
The bible recorded, “Now the whole earth had one language and one speech. And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they dwelt there. Then they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” (Genesis 11:1-3)One language breeds effective communication that kept man going in their journey at that time. They were able to see in the same direction without distraction. Also, they were able to dwell with one another in understanding. Within your group, allow effective and positive communication to build you up in line with God’s will.
Building outside of God’s will is like building a Tower of Babel. The people then, because of effective communication possessed a plain land…a land that had no hindrance but was free from obstruction. Life became too easy for them so they lost focus. Genesis 11:4 stated, “And they said, Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.” When focus is centered away from God, self-centeredness will enter into man. Has the Lord placed you on a ground that is set for your blessing? Do not lose focus or take your attention away from Him. Those people who built the tower of Babel assumed their own responsibility and forgot that the land and its fullness belonged to God. They wanted to use what He had blessed them with to go and investigate His workshop (Heaven). Obviously, God does not tolerate selfishness because it operates in opposition to God’s way. Selfishness represents arrogance and pride. God saw where the people were coming from and He knew where they were going with the kind of project they embarked on.
By virtue of negative communication, when you begin to build outside of God’s will, He will come down against you. God came down on them. Genesis 11:7-8 recorded, “Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech. So the LORD scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they ceased building the city.” Allow positive communication to build you up and move you forward as you journey in life Take yourself out of your negative communication, readjust your focus and set your sights on God and He will settle you.

Prayer for today: Ask God to guide you that you not become part of any communication that does not line up with His will for your life.