Faith Capsule: Repentance will bring forth redemption.

Isaiah 38

King David saw and sent for Bathsheba, Uriah’s wife. The bible recorded, “…and she came to him, and he lay with her, for she was cleansed from her impurity; and she returned to her house.  And the woman conceived; so she sent and told David, and said, “I am with child.” (2 Samuel 11:4-5) David did wrong and attempted a cover up by sending Uriah to a point of death. It was a wicked act from a man that was identified by God as a man after His own heart. (1 Samuel 13:14) God never overlook sin regardless of man’s status or man’s past good act before God. With God, sin is sin and there is no minor or major sin. The only way to come out clean of sin before God is to turn away (repent) from sin.
David sinned against God by setting up Uriah for untimely death after lying with Uriah’s wife (Bathsheba) and having her conceived. God did not ignore David’s act of sin but sent Prophet Nathan to rebuke King David for his act. The prophet approached David and he did not hesitate or contend but he turned (repented) at the rebuke stating, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die. (2 Samuel 12:13) Repentance will bring forth redemption.
David’s turning (repentance) at the rebuke of the messenger of God made it impossible for God to withdraw His spirit on David and His word could not be cut off from David. This confirmed the efficacy of God’s word in Proverbs 1:23, “Turn at my rebuke; surely I will pour out my spirit on you; I will make my words known to you.” Whenever man responds to rebuke by turning like David did, God will honor His word. Turning (repentance) will surely open man to the spirit of God. One that is open to the spirit of God will know the word of God (not just knowing about) Indeed, from the time of David’s turning; he was never short of word from God. What is stopping you from turning at His rebuke?
Hezekiah was sick and set to die when word came to rebuke him through Prophet Isaiah stating, “…thus says the Lord: ‘Set your house in order, for you shall die and not live.’” (Isaiah 38:1) The bible recorded Hezekiah’s response, “Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, and prayed to the Lord.” (Isaiah 1:2) Hezekiah turned at God’s rebuke through Isaiah; God’s spirit came to him and God’s word made life known to him in the place of death.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace not to ignore God’s rebuke when it sounds in your direction.

Faith Capsule: Live life in the consciousness of His presence.

Psalm 8

It is important to understand and know that God’s care for His children is so much and His children fall short to comprehend enough the magnitude of His care. Do you really have the understanding about how much He cares for you as His child? David questioned in Psalm 8:4-6, “What is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him? For You have made him a little lower than the angels,and You have crowned him with glory and honor. You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet…” Have you thought about the truth that God indeed is mindful of us and He is a God of visitation? He has positioned us in a place where He can deliver us when we are able to acknowledge His care for us and live in the consciousness of His presence with us by constantly and consistently obeying His command.
God so much care for Elisha and the Elisha’s servant that He surrounded them with horses and chariots of fire all around against forces of enemy. (2Kings 6:17) Imagine if Elisha does not have the understanding and knowledge of who he was in the hand of God he would not have been able to see the care of God surrounding him and his servant. Elisha knew himself in the hand of God and was able to see and commanded (with prayer) the forces of God on his behalf. The bible recorded, “So when the Syrians came down to him, Elisha prayed to the Lord, and said, “Strike this people, I pray, with blindness.” And He struck them with blindness according to the word of Elisha.” (2 Kings 6:18) It is important for every believer (those that truly live by God’s word) to live life in the consciousness of God’s care for His children. Living in the consciousness of God’s care is the evidence of faith; the expression of expectation for God’s divine protection at all time. The Psalmist stated, “A man who is in honor, yet does not understand, is like the beasts that perish.” (Psalm 49:20) Are you living life as a child of God by shutting yourself in His command? God does not withdraw His protection it is man that draw away from His protection.
Security forces from heaven are only waiting for your direction to operate as you command just like Elisha did. As a child of God, Elisha could see it that the forces are waiting for his command before they could act. Without seeing what was in place for Elisha’s protection, Elisha would have made himself a victim of the wicked ones. As a child of God, you are in position to take charge of your world by His word in you.

Prayer for today: Ask God to help you live in the consciousness of His care for your life; ask for the grace to be continually awake to see and receive His power for your deliverance in every moment of your life.

Faith Capsule: The fear you entertain will terminate you.

2 Kings 6:8-33

Let it be your best interest not to entertain fear in any area of life. The fear you entertain will terminate you. If it is a challenge to stop entertaining fear let your prayer point be based on asking God for the grace to be delivered from fear in every area of life. Allowing fear is disallowing faith. With faith God is pleased. Evidently, without faith God must be displeased. God spoke in Isaiah 41:10 “Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” The word of God speaks to all. His word is His command; despising His word is disobeying His command and it is the evidence of lack of fear for His word. The book of Proverbs 13:13 warned, “He who despises the word will be destroyed, But he who fears the commandment will be rewarded.”
God is eternally able to perform and perfect that which he promise if we are willing to pay the price of condition which provokes promise manifestation. Elisha and his servant were surrounded at a point of no escape by the Syrian army. King of Syria sent horses and chariots and a great army to surround Elisha and his servant. (2Kings 6:14) When Elisha’s servant saw what was set to terminate their life, he said to Elisha, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” (2 Kings 6:15) The servant reacted to what he could see in the physical. What is it that is surrounding and denying you from seeing deliverance in the place of destruction? It might be natural to see fear in the place of negativity but it is not of God to see fear and entertain fear.
Elisha responded to his servant’s fear, “…Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”  And Elisha prayed, and said, “Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” (2 Kings 6:16-17) God commanded against fear because of His deliverance provision that is always available for any of His children that believes enough to trust and rest in His supernatural provision plan for deliverance. For deliverance to be activated there must be a full obedience to hold on and not fear as commanded by God. Elisha’s prayer opened his servant’s eye and his servant was able see and believe there deliverance in place. What you see is what you receive and becomes of you. See positive in place of negative…disallow fear. What to do is to know God and not know to fear.

Prayer for today: Ask God to open your understanding in obeying His word in every area of life. Ask for the grace not to entertain fear again.

 FAITH CAPSULE: As a temple of God, how clean is your inside compared to your outside?

Matthew 23

When it was time for Jesus to clean the temple the bible recorded, “Then He went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in it,  saying to them, “It is written, ‘My house is a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’” (Luke 19:45-46) Cleaning of the temple was not from outside to inside it was from the inside to outside. Evidently, God will never look from outside to inside but rather conducts examination from the inside to the outside.
As a temple of God, how clean is your inside compared to your outside? It is important to know that what you present on the outside world is not as important to God compared to what you carry in the inside. The Pharisees were one of the major sect among the Jews during the days of the New Testament. Pharisees, meaning separated ones, believed that religious rituals and separation from sinners were the way to please God. Matters such as the laws of tithing and ritual purity were very important to the Pharisees. Jesus referred to them as hypocrites. He said in Matthew 23:25, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence.” As a temple of God, there is a need to take a close look from the inside to know if you are a Pharisee of the modern day. Are you one of those who want to shine on the outside while the inside is dull and cannot be presented before the Lord? Are you a modern day Pharisees that will offer more than what is requested for the outside while the inside is not being attended to? Interestingly, man can be deceived because man looks from the outside but God cannot be cannot be deceived because He looks from the inside. It does not matter how long you have been getting away with hypocrisy. However, it is important to know that God looks from the inside.
At the time Jesus went into the temple to clean, nothing on the outside could impress Him enough not to start cleaning from the inside. Today, no man’s tile will be enough to impress Jesus. As a believer, do not be deceived by your title. God is only interested with how man engages self, doing that which glorifies His name. A clean temple answers to God’s purpose. After cleaning the temple, Jesus was able to teach and get the attention of the people in the temple. After cleaning the temple, the temple became a house of prayer and it no longer answer as a den of thieves. Make yourself available for Jesus to clean you.

Prayer for today: Ask God to cleanse you and make you become a house of prayer.

Faith Capsule: It is important to ceaselessly engage prayer for your breakthrough.

1 Samuel 1, Luke 1:1-25

The Bible talked about Elkanah the husband of Peninnah and Hannah, “This man went up from his city yearly to worship and sacrifice to the Lord of hosts in Shiloh. Also the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, the priests of the Lord, were there.  And whenever the time came for Elkanah to make an offering, he would give portions to Peninnah his wife and to all her sons and daughters. But to Hannah he would give a double portion, for he loved Hannah, although the Lord had closed her womb.” (1 Samuel 1:3-5) Hannah’s womb was closed by God. Hannah engaged prayer without knowing that God was responsible for her closed womb. It does not matter what the source of your challenge is but it is important to ceaselessly engage prayer for your breakthrough. While Hannah was praying to God, there was no record of complain. Despite her challenge she maintained her trip to Shiloh continually and the bible recorded, “So it was, year by year, when she went up to the house of the Lord…” (1Samuel 1:7) Hannah, through ceaseless engagement of expectation, God closed womb turned to God opened womb. Hannah could not succumb to fear despite provocation from Peninnah. Hannah remained persistent by going to Shiloh year after year. Is there any issue generating fear in your expectation?

Zacharias at his old age was visited by an angel. It is written, “But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.” (Luke 1:13) The angel that appeared to Zacharias pointed out to Zacharias that to be afraid is a prayer hinderer. Prayer and being afraid cannot go together before the manifestation of prayer request. The prayer point of Zacharias was not mentioned but it can be concluded, from the word of the angel that Zacharias must have been praying against barrenness in his marriage. Prayer opens heaven for the extension of God’s hand over every prevailing force. Absolutely, there is no door that prayer cannot open. Barrenness will succumb to every effective fervent prayer that is rendered unto God. In the life of Zacharias and Elizabeth, in the life of Elkanah and Hannah, prayer unlocked the door of barrenness and they were blessed with fruitfulness. Are you experiencing barrenness in any area of life? Today, deny fear from having a place in your life and be encouraged. The same God that remembered Hannah and Elizabeth is alive to open closed door. Allow prayer to be your ceaseless engagement.

Prayer for today: Ask God to intervene in all that is representing barrenness in your life.