Faith Capsule: Unplanned journey can be exceedingly painful but often comes to a gainful end.

Genesis 28

Joseph’s errand of hours lasted for over thirteen years. Joseph’s journey began when Jacob (Israel) called on his beloved son Joseph, “And Israel said to Joseph, “Are not your brothers feeding the flock in Shechem? Come, I will send you to them.” So he said to him, “Here I am.” Then he said to him, “Please go and see if it is well with your brothers and well with the flocks, and bring back word to me.” So he sent him out of the Valley of Hebron, and he went to Shechem.” (Genesis 37:13-14) The errand took Joseph away when he was at age of seventeen. What a journey? What a life? A very long and unplanned journey can be very challenging. Are you in any unplanned journey? The truth is, it can be exceedingly painful but it often comes to a gainful end. With Joseph, unplanned journey took him to the center of his divine assignment in life. By the time he came back into his father’s life, he was a man in the position of power. Joseph experienced change of story that delivered his whole family from the famine of his time and they could not suffer from the famine.
It is worthy to meditate on Joseph’s story in every journey of life.
After Jacob stole the blessings of Esau, there was no way of escape for Jacob from the wrath of his brother other than to run for his life. A time of running can lead to reposition man for a glorious ending. Jacob experienced unplanned journey. Jacob was directed by his mother to flee to her brother Laban in Haran. Rebekah said to Jacob to go, “And stay with him a few days, until your brother’s fury turns away,” (Genesis 27:44) Jacob entered journey with no way of turning back. It was a journey which took him to center of divine assignment. Jacob, on the journey of his escape, came to a certain place, “Now Jacob went out from Beersheba and went toward Haran. 11 So he came to a certain place and stayed there all night, because the sun had set. And he took one of the stones of that place and put it at his head, and he lay down in that place to sleep. 12 Then he dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.” (Genesis 28:10-12) A certain place for Jacob was the particular place for his divine encounter; a place of God’s visitation and Gods assurance. Arriving at your certain place in the journey of life will place you in the center of God’s divine assignment for your life.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace to keep you and not miss your certain place in the course of life journey.

Faith Capsule: Truly, God is true to His word.

1 Samuel 1

It does not matter which route you have taken into self-affliction, but it is clear that regardless of the route taken into affliction God is mercifully enough to have mercy if you will remember to return to Him for His mercy. The importance of making a vow to God and fulfilling it is identified in the book of Ecclesiastes 5:4-5, “When you make a vow to God, do not delay to pay it; For He has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you have vowed—better not to vow than to vow and not pay.” The importance of making a vow is seen across the pages of Scripture. Many giants in the hand of God and many with great miracle testimonies made vows to have their closed doors opened. It is recorded concerning Hannah, “…The Lord had closed her womb and her rival provoked her severely to make her miserable…” (1Samuel 1:5-6) Affliction is also an agent of making people miserable. Making a vow unto God was one of the open door avenues for Hannah’s blessing of fruitfulness. Hannah made a vow and it was duly fulfilled.
Reaching out to God by making a vow is not to be played with. Once a vow is made either in the heart or in writing, it must be carried out. Jonah vowed in his self-inflicted affliction and God delivered him. Also, no matter how simple or difficult the vow is, it must be completed as vowed. Jonah vowed “But I will sacrifice to You With the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay what I have vowed. Salvation is of the LORD.”(Jonah 2:9) Thanksgiving sacrifice was Jonah’s vow for his deliverance. Making a vow to be given after deliverance in the middle of serious affliction is not as easy as recorded. It can be very challenging to remember to vow a thanksgiving offering in the face of overwhelming challenge like Jonah did.
Jonah, despite going down into self-inflicted affliction, cried out, he looked up, he remembered to reaffirm his faith and made a vow before God. The steps taken by Jonah to come out of affliction will work for you where there is a need to come out of affliction. God did not withdraw His mercy but He answered Jonah, “So the LORD spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.” (Jonah 2:10) Indeed and in truth, the word of God is written for our learning when studying is applied to gain knowledge for deliverance. Study the word; do not skim through the word. Gain understanding of the word, apply it to your affliction and you shall have a knowing edge.
Truly, God is true to His word as stated “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all.”(Psalm 34:19)

Prayer for today: Ask God to open your understanding that you may live by His word.

Faith Capsule: The word of God is not for decoration it is a declaration that is meant to decorate man for a glorious destiny.

2 Chronicles 18

Those who fear God are accessible to the secret place of God. A child that truly fear and dwell in the presence of His father never takes a step away from His father’s presence without asking for permission from the father that’s knows much better. The Psalmist stated, “The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him, And He will show them His covenant.” (Psalm 25:14) Living in the fear of God is evident in how we conduct ourselves in this wicked world. Growing in life continues from the time of birth to the time one departs from this world. As mentioned earlier, no growing child that truly fear his father takes step away from the presence of his father without asking for permission. Encased in asking for permission comes direction for taking steps or making moves that cannot fail. When faith comes into man, fearing of God resides in the life of man. To truly fear God testifies that one is faithful.
King Ahab requested for King Jehoshaphat’s assistance to war against Ramoth Gilead. “So Ahab king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, “Will you go with me against Ramoth Gilead?” And he answered him, “I am as you are, and my people as your people; we will be with you in the war.” (2 Chronicles 18:3) King Jehoshaphat could not accept King Ahab’s invitation without asking for God’s direction. King Jehoshaphat responded to Ahab’s request, “…Please inquire for the word of the LORD today.” (2 Chronicles 18:4) Have you been consciously asking for Gods direction in your going? It is written in Psalm 32:8, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye.” The word of God is not for decoration it is a declaration that is meant to decorate man for a glorious destiny. Asking God for direction can be very challenging where there is a ready-made decision about what to do before going to ask. King Ahab knew what he wanted to do and how to go about it before King Jehoshaphat’s request for inquiring God for direction. Ahab wanted to go against Ramoth Gilead and all that he wanted was a word which directs him to go to war when God was against his going to war. As requested by Jehoshaphat, King Ahab gathered prophets that answered to his desire. The effort of King Jehoshaphat to get confirmation from God was corrupted by King Ahab because Ahab was set to go by his own desire and not by God’s instruction to direct him. King Ahab went to war without God and he became history when he could not return from the war in peace.

Prayer for the day: Ask God for the grace to be a constant and consistent listener to His instruction for your direction.

Faith Capsule: Blessing of costly sacrifice cannot be denied.

2 Samuel 24

Sacrifice is described as the surrender of something desirable for the sake of something considered as having a higher or more pressing claim. Sacrifice can be offering self (giving self) to serve God.  In God’s command demands living a life of service/sacrifice. God called for the deliverance of the Israelites from the bondage of over four hundred years for Him to be served. The bible recorded God’s calling of the Israelites, “…When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.” (Exodus 3:12) The same message was relayed to Pharaoh through Moses in Exodus 3:18, “…The Lord God of the Hebrews has met with us; and now, please, let us go three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.” (Exodus 3:18) Evidently sacrifice and serve is same when it comes to giving self to God. Sacrifice demands a self-less way of living life. Ones that are self-full do not have space for God to occupy in their life. Sacrifice is often painful because it is costly. When sacrifice is short of being costly it becomes unreasonable sacrifice to God.
Once, David rejected the gift of sacrificial materials offered to him by King Araunah. David’s excuse for not receiving the gift was based on avoiding rendering a sacrifice which does not cost him. The bible recorded conversation between King Araunah and David concerning the gift, “Let my lord the king take and offer up whatever seems good to him. Look, here are oxen for burnt sacrifice, and threshing implements and the yokes of the oxen for wood. All these, O king, Araunah has given to the king.” (2 Samuel 24:22-23) David, a man after God’s own heart must be operating with understanding of what it means to give a reasonable sacrifice to God when he responded to Araunah’s free sacrificial materials stating, “No, but I will surely buy it from you for a price; nor will I offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God with that which costs me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.  And David built there an altar to the Lord, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the Lord heeded the prayers for the land, and the plague was withdrawn from Israel.” (2 Samuel 24:24-25)
David paid the price of sacrifice when he rejected free sacrificial material. David, by knowing the heart of his God he could not offer a sacrifice that does not cost him. Are you an acclaimed believer that always wants to be at the receiving end and not willing to pay any price; not willing to engage costly sacrifice before claiming the promises of God? A blessing of a costly sacrifice to God is undeniable by any agent of the devil. Render a reasonable sacrifice to God and receive your blessing.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the understanding to know and to give reasonable sacrifice.

Faith Capsule: Take to the way of God and God will take you beyond your expectation.

Exodus 33

Jesus is the Living Word of God that was with God in the beginning. It is written, “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.” (John 1:1-3) The Word of God is God. The word of God is also the Way of God. Jesus testified in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”  Clearly, the Way of God is the Word of God. Jesus is the Word of God for every believer. Walking the Way of God is allowing the Word of God to take the leadership in one’s journey of life. God cannot be deceived, God cannot be mocked and He sees the ways of every man. Which way are you going? God has His way and His ways are in His word. Any way outside the way of God is a way into self-destruction.
At a point when Moses was leading the children of Israel to the Promised Land, there was a need for him to know the way to go and avoid leading the people in his own way. Moses called on God. “Now therefore, I pray, if I have found grace in Your sight, show me now Your way, that I may know You and that I may find grace in Your sight. And consider that this nation is Your people.”  (Exodus 33:13) The way of God is deliverance and it is preservation. Through the pages of the bible, there is none that engaged the Way of God and ended up in destruction. The way of God is the presence of God. When there is a will or desire to walk in His way, He will guide your feet to walk in His way. I Samuel 2:9 buttressed, “He will guard the feet of His saints, but the wicked shall be silent in darkness. For by strength no man shall prevail.” Walking in His way is not by determination; it is only by His grace. Have you considered which way you have been walking recently? Take to the way of God and God will take you beyond your expectation. Let God be pleased by walking in His way because, “When a man’s ways please the LORD, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.” (Proverbs 16:7) The Lord God has given us His word, be encouraged to go in the Way of God.

Prayer for the today: Ask for the grace to always know to walk in His way.