Faith Capsule: Do not allow pride to intercept your miracle breakthrough.

2 Kings 5

Naaman was a remarkable figure. All of Naaman’s great remarks were in the eyes of his master and not in the eyes of God. Just like Naaman, are you a man of great remarks in the eyes of your pastor and among brethren? How do you fare in the eyes of God? What you are in the eyes of God is that which matters. Naaman was described as, “…commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great and honorable man in the eyes of his master, because by him the LORD had given victory to Syria. He was also a mighty man of valor, but a leper.” (2kings 5:1)  At the time he came to Elisha he did not know God and his great exploits was to himself and his people.
In the life of Naaman, there was a “but” and his but was leprosy. Naaman needed a cleansing that would get him to know God. What is the “but” in your life that needs the kind of cleansing that will cause you to know God and not just know about God? The “but” in Naaman’s life that needed to be cleansed was leprosy on the outside that is rooted in pride. The pride in the life of Naaman was exceedingly destructive. The pride in his life was not visible compared to the leprosy. Pride is the opposite of humility; pride kills; pride does not give life and pride goes before destruction. At the juncture of Naaman’s healing, “… Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored to you, and you shall be clean.” But Naaman became furious, and went away and said, “Indeed, I said to myself, ‘He will surely come out to me, and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, and wave his hand over the place, and heal the leprosy.’” (2 Kings 5:10-11) The pride inside Naaman almost denied him his healing when he became furious and left in rage. Pride is like a treat with many branches. Among the branches of pride are, anger, rage, malice, bitterness and all could operate as a silent killer. Silently, Naaman could have walked away because of his pride and died as a leper. Many are dying in their poor condition spiritually and physically because of their pride.
As God would have it in Naaman’s life, he was persuaded by his servants to go back and act according to the word of the prophet. Naaman responded and went and got cleansed in the Jordan River “And he returned to the man of God, he and all his aides, and came and stood before him; and he said, “Indeed, now I know that there is no God in all the earth, except in Israel… “(2 Kings 5:15). Do not allow pride to intercept your miracle breakthrough.

Prayer for today: Ask God to deliver you from area of your life that is occupied with pride.

Faith Capsule: By your assumption, do not make a move to remove yourself.

2 Samuel 5

The word of God encouraged us, Ask, seek, and knock. (Matthew 7:7-8) Are you asking or assuming? If you will resume asking instead of assuming, you will cover grounds that are beyond your assumptions. It does not matter how long you have been assuming correctly, but it could take one wrong assumption for to experience an epic failure. Switch from assumption to praying and asking God for directions God has never failed. A command to ask, seek and knock is a connection to receive. God declared King David as one “…Who kept my commandments and who followed Me with all his heart, to do only what was right in my eyes.” (1 Kings 14:8) It is evident in the life of David that he was a man that personalized God by the testimony of his ways in asking. David would repeatedly go before God to ask the same thing before making his move. In David’s obedience to God’s command, there was no assumption in any of his operations.
David was going back and forth to inquire from God before making moves of war. The bible recorded in 2 Samuel 5:18-19, “The Philistines also went and deployed themselves in the Valley of Rephaim. So David inquired of the LORD, saying, “Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will You deliver them into my hand?” And the LORD said to David, “Go up, for I will doubtless deliver the Philistines into your hand.” God gave David the go ahead, and he went and defeated his enemies. After God had given the victory to David over the Philistines, the Philistines did not disappear, but they showed up again and repositioned themselves against David. It could have been reasonable for David to assume that the same God is still at His throne, and will move on his behalf instead, “…David inquired of the LORD, and He said, “You shall not go up; circle around behind them, and come upon them in front of the mulberry trees. And it shall be, when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry trees, then you shall advance quickly. For then the LORD will go out before you to strike the camp of the Philistines.” And David did so, as the LORD commanded him; and he drove back the Philistines from Geba as far as Gezer.”
The way David went to war and defeated his enemy the first time was not the same way the Lord commanded him to take on his enemy the second time. If David has assumed and gone to war, it could have been a different result. Do not make a move to remove yourself by your assumption. God is the Unchanging Changer; take it all up to Him, because the anointing of yesterday will not carry you for today.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace to constantly engage asking and not assuming.

Faith Capsule: Trusting God is not just the word of the mouth.

Psalm 34

Trusting God is walking in obedience listening to the voice of God doing as he has spoken. It is written, “Cast your bread upon the waters, For you will find it after many days.” (Ecclesiastes 11:1) Do you trust Him enough to cast your bread upon waters? Have you been casting your bread upon the waters? If yes, do not lose heart because you shall reap shortly. Do not grow weary because he is about to bless you in ways you never could expect. God blesses in many ways. If you will trust Him enough expect your blessing to come through different avenues.
Have you been placing your trust in man? Do not look to man, but God will use men and women to bring blessing to your life.  God is unlimited.  He has many windows of blessing that will open up. When people trust Him enough to listen and act based on what He is saying there is no limit to the blessings that can locate one. Do you trust Him enough to listen? If yes then you are set for abundance blessing to flow in your direction. With trust in God, expectation will be manifested from ways you least expected. Things that could not move for you shall begin to gain motion. Ideas that seem to have been stalled shall be installed. Mockery shall be converted to miracle. Do you trust God to rely on God? Trusting God is not a mouth act but an act from the heart. Many claims to trust God with no understanding of the root of what trusting God is about.
The foolishness of God is wiser than men. (1 Corinthians 1:25) It is foolishness to trust on what you do not see when you insist praying to One you do not see. God does not sleeps nor slumber, He alone knows exactly all those who trust in Him and He is good to those who trusts in Him. Nahum 1:7 testifies, “The Lord is good, A stronghold in the day of trouble; And He knows those who trust in Him.” Do you truly trust in God or you only talk your trust in God? The Lord spoke in Jeremiah 17:6-7, “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart departs from the LORD. For he shall be like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see when good comes, but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land which is not inhabited.” Have you been placing your trust in a man? Trusting God is not just the word of the mouth. Many claim their trust in God but goes after man for help because they could not trust with all their heart. Some claims to trust in God but constantly lean on their understanding by not acknowledging Him in their ways.

Prayer for today: Ask Him for help that enables man to trust in Him fully.

Faith Capsule: Giving attention to God and not man is the only authentic route for our attainment.

John 5:1-15

The Bible talked about the pool of Bethesda stating, “In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water.  For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had.” (John 5:3-4) Pool of Bethesda was a center where all kinds of disease flock in great multitude because it answered for healing. It was a place where Jesus presents Himself. Have you been able to identify a healing ground where Jesus presents Himself? Where Jesus presents Himself healing and deliverance positions itself to locate those who give attention to attain their healing, deliverance or preservation. Without doubt, the Pool of Bethesda at that time delivers healing. It was at the same healing pool that a man could not receive his healing for thirty eight years.
The bible recorded, “Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, “Do you want to be made well?”(John 5:5-6)  By virtue of His presence at the healing ground, Jesus asked do you want to be healed. He is still asking today if you want to be healed.
The man was waiting for someone to ask him if there is a healing need for him when it was obvious that he needed healing. For thirty eight years, he could not reach for his healing on a ground where many are reaching out and receiving their healing. The man with infirmity for thirty eight years was at the right track but remained trapped. For thirty eight years, he was a vessel of pity not able to position himself for his healing to prevail. Jesus asked the man, do you want to be healed but he gave an excuse answering Jesus, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me.” (John 5:7)
What is your hindering excuse for your healing breakthrough? The man with infirmity was looking for a man where everyman was actually looking for their own way to attain their portion. Moving forward for attainment in life demands, giving attention only to God is the only authentic route for our attainment. The man with infirmity remained trapped at the right track by waiting on man for help. Despite man’s inconsistency looking up to God for all situations, God remains consistently merciful. For the man with thirty eight years of infirmity, Jesus showed up. Look up to Him alone!

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace to enable you in looking up to Him alone.

Faith Capsule: Listen to the word of God and turn to Him.

Proverbs 1

One that turns at God’s rebuke escapes negative life consequences. When God is set to speak to any of His creation, there will be no way to hide or prevent oneself from hearing from God. Consequences of not turning to God when He speaks can be exceedingly painful and last for life. One that makes the choice not to turn will be empty of God’s Spirit and will not know His word. It is one thing to know about His word and it is another to actually know His word. When the word is actually made known to those who turn at His rebuke, they are enabled to do great exploits to the glory of God and God shall be known in their life.
-A failure to turn at His rebuke is the evidence of having refused Him.
-A failure to turn at His rebuke sets one up for calamity.
-A refusal to turn at His rebuke will cause distress and anguish upon one’s life.
-One that refuses to turn at His rebuke will have a taste of what it means to call on God and not get an answer.
-Those that refuse His rebuke will seek Him diligently and not find Him.
-A failure to turn at His rebuke demonstrates lack of the fear of God.
-Refusing His rebuke is denying oneself a wise counsel.
-To refuse God’s counsel is to take a position of a way that may seem right in the flesh. Proverbs 16:25 warned, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” Turn to His rebuke and experience the way that is life and not death.
As an acclaimed believer that has turned to God, be warned and know that there is no turning away from God. The word warned about the consequences of turning away, “For the turning away of the simple will slay them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them.” (Proverbs 1:32) The Book of Proverbs 14:15 identifies the simple, “The simple believes every word…”
It is important to know that the word promised, “But whoever listens to me will dwell safely, and will be secure, without fear of evil.” (Proverbs 1:33)
In Exodus 20:5, God identified Himself stating, “For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God…” He is the Almighty Creator; He is the Uncreated Creator and why should He not react against His creation for not turning at His rebuke? The antidote for jealousy is giving attention. Turning away is to disregard Him and not give Him the attention He deserves. Turning away from Him is to provoke Him to jealousy. Give attention to God by turning at His rebuke and He will attend to you in all your ways.

Prayer for today: Ask God to make His word known to you by His power.