Faith Capsule: God’s way is different and most times sound foolish to man.

Judges 7

Whatever He says and no matter how it sounds to you go ahead and do it. His word is authentic, He has never fail and He will not fail. What He says might sound foolish but only remember that the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. (1 Corinthians 1:25) Whatever you have heard from Him through the pages of the bible is not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. (2 Corinthians 3:6) Has He spoken to you through His prophets? Jehoshaphat the King of Judah once admonished his people, “…Believe in the Lord your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper.” (2 Chronicles 20:20) God is still in the business of locating and lifting His people up regardless of challenges.

Jerubbaal (Gideon) was confronted by a war bigger than himself. It was a war which God commanded him to reduce his men of war when he was looking for more. At the time he was commanded to reduce, twenty-two thousand returned and ten thousand remained. Despite his need for more, God said to him they are still too many. God commanded him to bring them down to the water where He wanted to test them and decide who to go to war with Jerubbaal. At the water as commanded by God, “the Lord said to Gideon, “Everyone who laps from the water with his tongue, as a dog laps, you shall set apart by himself; likewise everyone who gets down on his knees to drink.” And the number of those who lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, was three hundred men; but all the rest of the people got down on their knees to drink water.  Then the Lord said to Gideon, “By the three hundred men who lapped I will save you, and deliver the Midianites into your hand. Let all the other people go, every man to his place.” (Judges 7:5-7) Man will expect those who did not get down on their knees to be the ones going to war but God’s way is different and most times sound foolish to man. God reduced already thin numbers to a faint number of three hundred. Men of war were reduced from thirty two thousand to three hundred. Reduced number was the path to victory. Jerubbaal (Gideon) did exactly as was commanded.
Before Jesus turned water to wine, the mother already warned the disciples stating to them, “Whatever He says to you, do it.” (John 2:5) Disciples of Jesus did as was commanded and the wedding was preserved from lack and shame. Go and do just as He has spoken to you and you shall know no lack or shame.

Prayer for today: With a good heart and sincere intention to seek God for direction, deliverance or preservation you shall not encounter wrong messenger.

Faith Capsule: Allow giving thanks to become your conscious and consistent engagement

Psalm 106

It is written, “Sing praise to the Lord, you saints of His, and give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name.” (Psalm 30:4) Also, Psalm 97:12 buttressed, “Rejoice in the Lord, you righteous, and give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name.” How often do you remember Him in the journey of a day? If you are one that is able to count the number of thanks rendered to God you have not been remembering Him enough thanks. He is worthy of countless thanksgiving. Giving thanks is remembering God. The more you give thanks to God the more He remembers you. Be conscious of the truth that God remembers with favor. As a jealous God, magnifying Him is giving Him attention and the Psalmist makes us to realise that giving thanks is magnifying Him when it stated, “I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify Him with thanksgiving.”(Psalm 69:30) By consciously giving Him thanks we are gaining His attention that is power to deliver and preserve in the journey of life.
Giving thanks is acknowledging that God is near and closer to us more than our imagination. Looking around and seeing the wonders of His hand is the evidence that God is near to us. It is true that the wonders of God that are near to us are the creation of the Word of God. Seeing the work of God testifies that the Word is near us. The Word that created is the Word of God and the Word is God. (John 1:1-3) The Psalmist testified, “We give thanks to You, O God, we give thanks! For Your wondrous works declare that Your name is near.” (Psalm 75:1) If the name of God is near, evidently His presence is near. Why not allow giving thanks to become your conscious and consistent engagement?
God is good. What is good is godly. Psalm 92:1 declared, “It is good to give thanks to the Lord, And to sing praises to Your name, O Most High.” Are you rendering enough thanks to the name of God for His goodness? Psalmist recorded that it is good to give thanks. James 4:17 buttressed, “Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.” Make giving thanks to God your conscious and consistent engagement, avoid sin and allow His presence.
Giving thanks is praising Him. The psalmist stated it beautifully, “Praise the Lord! Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.”(Psalm 106:1) Why is giving thanks a challenge for you to consciously and consistently engage? Thanking God is praising God. As long as you have breath let thanking God be for you. The psalmist admonished, “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord! (Psalm 150:6)

Prayer for today: Ask God to bestow upon you to be conscious and consistent engaging thanking Him.

Faith Capsule: Word is true to perform and perfect.

Psalm 3

The word of God stated, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.” (Psalm 34:19) The word of God is so true to perform and perfect that which is meant for. The word promised deliverance when afflictions strike. It does not matter how many affliction but the deliverance from the Lord cannot be denied from putting affliction to permanent termination. David testified to the truth that regardless of how many afflictions, deliverance from the Lord for the righteous is undeniably certain. David stated in Psalm 3:1-3, “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.” But You, O Lord, are a shield for me, My glory and the One who lifts up my head.”” Many were the afflictions of David and he was delivered in it all.
The righteous are marked for deliverance just as the word promised but the righteous must engage conditions for the manifestation of promise. David did what it takes for the promise of deliverance to answer for him. David, in the time of his afflictions, cried out to the Lord; He lay down; he did not entertain fear.
David cried out: He testified, “I cried to the Lord with my voice, and He heard me from His holy hill.”(Psalm3:4) As a righteous one, do not be silent but cry out to the Lord by yourself. Let God hear your voice and not look up to man for any help. Crying out to God is not an evidence of weakness.
David lay down: He testified, “I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the Lord sustained me.”(Psalm3:5) To lie down in the face of many afflictions and sleep is a demonstration of trust in God. Obviously, he committed his trouble into the hand of God. In the face of affliction or challenging trouble are you able to sleep trusting God for divine intervention? David expressed trust in God, he slept and God delivered him in all his trouble.
David did not entertain fear: He testified, “I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around.”(Psalm3:6) The greatest weapon of the enemy is fear. If in the face of affliction fear is not entertained, man is set for deliverance. Despite high number of David’s enemy, he denied fear a place in his life. He could stand on the promises of God’s word for deliverance.
David experienced salvation of God because he knew his God. It is written, “Salvation belongs to the Lord. Your blessing is upon Your people.” (Psalm 3:8) The word of God is written for our learning. The word worked in the bible days and the word is still working if man truly believes the word.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace to constantly stand in His word for your deliverance and preservation.

Faith Capsule: The word of God energizes prayer session.

Matthew 7:7-12, Luke 18:1-8

Prayer works but it is work. With God, prayer can never be too much but it has to be with understanding. The Bible pointed out how Jesus often withdraws to all night prayer by Himself. Are you living a prayer-less life? Regardless of how long one has been getting away in life without prayer, it will only take one day for the consequence of a prayer-less life to catch with one. Ignore your title and position make prayer a constant engagement. There is no excuse that is enough to be excused from praying.
Jesus admonished us, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.” (Matthew 7:7-8) Prayer demands conscious engagement. Prayer that is prayed with understanding is undeniable. The assurance of getting answer to our prayer is confirmed in Jesus’ statement in Matthew 7:9-11, “Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?  Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!” Are you still in doubt if prayer will work for you? God cannot lie and He does not waste word. Prayer works.
How we keep our heart helps to persevere and wait for answer to our prayer. The word encourages us to pray and not lose heart just as mentioned in the Parable of the Persistent widow. (Luke 18:1-8) Prayer is calling on God. We serve God that answers. He is the same yesterday and forever. David testified about calling on God, “I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised; so shall I be saved from my enemies.” (2 Samuel 22:4) A believer’s failure to call on God when there is a need to call on God is the evidence of excusing God from extending His deliverance and preservation. Apostle Paul, a giant in the hand of God knows better not to excuse God from his life when he stated, “And the Lord will deliver me from every evil work and preserve me for His heavenly Kingdom. To Him is glory forever and ever, Amen!”(2 Timothy 4:18) How do you call Him? He has so many names and no other god shares His name because He alone is the great God, gracious and merciful. He alone is the Living God; look up to God and in your payer God shall not fail to answer. A good perfect God is the God we are calling on.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace to be consistent in calling on Him alone.

Faith Capsule: What we do with the word that we receive is the evidence of understanding in us.

Proverbs 4

Promises of God for His children in the journey of a New Year are in the manual of life (the Bible). Any child that knows to seek Him in the pages of His word will get hold of what is set for him/her in the journey of a New Year. James 1:4 stated, “But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” For a child of God that is able to engage James 1:4 with understands that child is set to live through the year as a year of super natural breakthrough. Truly, in the world of challenges, it is a supernatural breakthrough to live life lacking nothing that is, having all your needs supplied to you according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:19)
Engaging James 1:4 is to know and live through the course of the year by allowing (always making a conscious move) patience to take charge in every area of life because the promise of NO-LACK demands patience. Ones that will allow patience must live in obedience to the word of God; must know to keep on to the testimonies of God and must know to be persistent in prayer.
Are you one that have heard the above identified points that are enough to take man to a supernatural breakthrough (living life and not know no-lack) in the journey of the year? It is important to know that hearing is not enough but to hear and go in the way of understand. You do not go you will not get there…
Proverbs 9:6 commanded us to “…go in the way of understanding.”(Proverbs 9:6) In the way of understanding there is life to obtain the promise of God because the word of God is fail-proof. The word of God does not return to Him void. Proverbs 4:1-2 admonished us about what it takes to get understanding stating, “Hear, my children, the instruction of a father, and give attention to know understanding…”
It takes the combination of hearing and giving attention to know and understanding to go in the way of understanding. Just hearing and not attending to what one hears is the evidence of no understand. Many are hearing but not all are giving attention to understand.
Understanding has its source in the ability to listen. Jesus pointed out when He asked a rhetorical question about the reason for lack of understanding. “Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to my word.” (John 8:43) What we do with the word that we receive is the evidence of understanding in us. It is important to get the understanding of what it takes to have supernatural breakthrough so that the year shall answer indeed as the year of no lack. Allow patience to have its perfect work.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace to be open and gain understanding in His word.