FAITH CAPSULE: Persistent payer needs not those who pray and lose heart.

Matthew 15:21-28, Luke 18:1-8

It is written, “Then Jesus went out from there and departed to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him, saying, ‘Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed.’” (Matthew 15:21-22) A woman of Canaan wanted a positive response from Jesus.  “But He answered her not a word. And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, ‘Send her away, for she cries out after us.’ But He answered and said, ‘I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.’” (Matthew 15:23-24) Jesus and His disciples’ response was enough to discourage the woman of Canaan and made her to turn her back to Jesus. Instead of her giving up, however, she pressed further. She persisted to receive by resisting all discouragement. The Bible records, “Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, ‘Lord, help me!’” (Matthew 15:25) Despite her appeal, Jesus answered her, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.” (Matthew 1:26)  Jesus’ answer made her to insist and persist for her miracle. The woman responded to Jesus, “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.” (Matthew 15:27) There is absolutely no better way to describe persistence than that of this Canaanite woman before Jesus. Jesus eventually answered her, “’O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.’ And her daughter was healed from that very hour.” (Matthew 15:28)
Great faith is the evidence of unyielding persistence expressing expectation. Are you expecting to get an answer to your prayer request? Jesus is the Master healer. He alone is the One who gives and takes as He pleases. Evidently, there is no place or reason for giving up with Jesus.
Often times, challenges demand crying out but man opts rather to cry silently. Are you crying silently where a challenge calls for crying out? Man does have a need to understand that crying out is not a sign of weakness. The woman of Canaan cried out regardless of the multitudes and eventually got Jesus’ attention.
She was attempted to be quieted but refused to remain quiet.
She called Jesus in an unusual manner calling out, “Son of David”.
She was repeatedly snubbed and eventually got a delayed answer.
The case of the Canaan woman demonstrated that Jesus is the Master who answers to all in an unpredictable manner. He will never fail to answer those who reach out and do not give up in their request.
Often time, man engages prayer with back up plans; looking for help outside of prayer. We are to stay focus on getting an answer like the Canaan woman instead of looking outside of our trust in Jesus.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace of strength on your prayer altar.

FAITH CAPSULE: Trust God enough and be a winner for God’s glory.

Psalm 22

Trust is the confident expectation of hope. Trust hangs on hope and hope is the heart beat of faith. Faith is described, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1) It is one thing to claim trust it is another thing to actually have trust. Do you trust God enough to hope on His visitation in times of expectation? Trust is easier said than done. How do you trust God you do not see?
Among the ways of trusting God is keeping His testimonies. Psalm 119:2 stated, “Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, who seek Him with the whole heart!” Keeping the testimonies of God keeps a believer going. The testimonies of God are the works of God. The works of God are the creation of His word and the word of God is the presence of God Himself. It is important to always reflect it that, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.” (John 1:1-4)
The word of God is God. The written word of God is what represents God. Your word represents you. It is possible for a stranger, with a written word from you to walk into your child’s a principal’s office to request and get your child as requested in your written word. The written word of God indeed represent God and if enough trust is invested in the word, the word will answer for a believer of the word of God. Trust the word of God to receive, see it as God coming to you and believe His word so shall become of you.
Man should trust God by the testimonies of His work. God promised, “So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:11) Trust in the Lord; wait on Him by seeking Him diligently. Jeremiah 17:7 testified, “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is the Lord.” With trust and hope in the Lord comes the boldness and character which makes man a winner in the wicked world. Trust God enough and be a winner for God’s glory. Trust in God brings salvation, deliverance and preservation. Psalm 125:1 buttressed, “Those who trust in the Lord Are like Mount Zion, Which cannot be moved, but abides forever.” Endure to trust is to abide forever. He is a faithful God.

Prayer for today: Ask God to bestow upon you the grace to trust Him fully.

FAITH CAPSULE: It is an act of faith to know to lift your eyes unto God even when it seems like you have walked past your blessing.

Genesis 22

It is written, “Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son.”
Abraham found himself in a good position and did not miss the prospect to turn his eyes in the right direction. He was on the mountain top and his ground of sacrifice was his ground of breakthrough into the promises of God. Psalm 121:1, “I will lift up my eyes to the hills—from whence comes my help?” Where or who have you been lifting your eyes to? He that is above is above all. There is no way on earth to look up unto God in faith and God not look down to lift you up unto Himself in every journey of faith.
Abraham was always lifting his eyes whenever God called. He lifted his eyes when direction was needed and when there was a need of support from above. It is an act of faith to know to lift your eyes unto God even when it seems like you have walked past your blessing. It can be assumed that Abraham walked past the ram that had been provided for the sacrifice because it is stated in Genesis 22:13, “Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son.” The ram was behind him, but in his looking up he was able to see the ram. When a believer is lifting eyes up to God, there will be no reason to expect help from another source. Who are you looking up to? From the depth of your heart, allow God to be the only One to look up to. God discerns the heart; He knows you and your heart because your heart is in His hands. It is written, “… For the LORD is the God of knowledge; And by Him actions are weighed.”(1Samuel 2:3)
It was time for God to step in with a ram for the sacrificial offering because Abraham had clearly and distinctively demonstrated that his heart was made up for God’s command to use Isaac for the sacrificial offering. When a believer is able to lift up eyes unto the Lord, such a believer will be above and beyond in every area of expectation. Abraham lifted his eyes and looked up as it was his custom and God provided for Abraham on the mount of ‘God shall provide’.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace to keep you up and always looking up to Him.

FAITH CAPSULE: Listening disability is enemy to gaining the understanding in the word of God.

Proverbs 4

The book of Proverbs admonished, “Hear my children, the instruction of a father, and give attention to know understanding.” (Proverbs 4:1) Many are hearing the word of God and the promises of God in the word are not answering in their way of living life because they do not give attention to the word they heard. There is no way the word will work when understanding is not in place for the hearer of the word. The word specifically stated that we should “hear the instruction and give attention to understand.”  Understanding the word of God is the key to living life as a winner; understanding is the key to excel as a child of the most High God in the face of the wicked world. God does not waste word and that is why the word of God mentioned, “…and in all your getting, get understanding.” (Proverbs 4:7) Hearing is not enough; hearing is only enough when you are able to give attention to know understanding. It is certain that the word of God that you hear and give attention to will definitely make you up in life.
Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, the only One that was in the beginning realized it that man was not getting the understand that is required for living life abundantly when He questioned and answered retrospectively, “Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word.” (John 8:43) It is clear that listening disability is the key to not gaining understanding. From the word of Jesus, hearing and not getting the result from what is heard is the evidence of listening disability. Do you have it? It is called “listening disability.” Listening disability is enemy to gaining the understanding in the word of God which makes difference for man to live life to the glory of God in the wicked world.
An acclaimed believer that lacks understanding will struggle and not found it easy to exercise knowledge in affairs of the world. However, an acclaimed believer with listening ability to hear the word of understanding never struggles with exercising knowledge when there is a need for it. Proverbs 13:6 buttressed, “…but knowledge is easy to him who understands.” Are you one that hears and give attention? Do you have understanding? The best way to identify yourself if you have listening ability to hear the word of God is that, your heart becomes a resting place for wisdom. Proverbs 14:33 best described by stating “Wisdom rests in the heart of him who has understanding.” It is important that you search yourself if you are getting the word of God indeed and in truth. It is possible that you are hearing and not gaining the understanding that is required to live for His glory.

Prayer for today: Turn to God today and ask for help not to perish because of lack of understanding.

FAITH CAPSULE: Engage life by watching and praying.

Ezra 8

Among ways of watching and praying are: to keep waiting in trusting God; to keep waiting in fasting.
Waiting and trusting God: When watching and praying becomes an active engagement for believer, waiting and trusting on God for who He is will no doubt move a believer’s away from not becoming a victim of temptation. The book of Isaiah buttressed, “But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:31) Spiritually are you crawling, walking, or running or flying? Some are on the ground of crawling without knowing because the need for upgrade is a thing of ignorant. Unfortunately, ignorant is what makes a destitute of a believer. How long do you want to remain crawling spiritually? Some are getting upgraded from walking to running and running to flying. Get upgrade by trusting in Him then you will walk where there is need to walk and not run where journey calls for walk. David was spiritually upgraded and could afford to walk and not run in the valley of the shadow of death without fear. (Psalm 23:4) Are you running where you need to walk? If yes, it is time to get upgraded and not become a victim of weariness or fainting.

Waiting is Fasting: Fasting is what humbles man before God. Ezra testified, “Then I proclaimed a fast there at the river of Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God…” (Ezra 8:21) Psalmist buttressed, “…I humbled myself with fasting…” (Psalm 35:13) The ones with a humble spirit are the ones with a contrite spirit. The upgrade for those with a humble and contrite spirt is stated in Psalm 34:18, “The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit.”
Jesus also talked about the need for fasting when He makes us to realize that fasting is not conditional it is a must do for every acclaimed believer. He stated in Matthew 6:16, “When you fast…” He was not suggesting that “if you fast.” Fasting should be a part of an acclaimed believer’s life style as an acclaimed believer that wants to be constantly ungraded. Jesus stated further in the same chapter of Matthew 6:17-18, “But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,  so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.” When fasting rule is engaged as prescribed by Jesus ones that fast will have an undeniable reward like that of a house whose light cannot be hidden. One that is with open reward will have an open heaven that makes enemy’s accessibility a failure. Keep trusting on God and waiting by fasting so you be constantly upgraded and not be downgraded for enemy to step on.

Prayer for today: Just open your mouth wide and ask God to help you.