FAITH CAPSULE: A change that you need is a change that will meet your need.

1 Chronicles 4:1-12

What you know about who you are will determine what to expect from your world. However, if you are one that does not know who you are, it will be challenging to live fully in the abundance of what has been bestowed upon you by the grace of God. The psalmist stated, “A man who is in honor, yet does not understand, is like the beasts that perish.” (Psalm 49:20) If a man in honor with no understanding perishes, then a man in honor with understanding is bound to appear and excel to the glory of God. Unfortunately, many are in honor and not know to live life as one that is privileged with honor. Are you living life in honor that is bestowed upon you by the grace of God?

It is recorded in I Chronicles 4:9, “Now Jabez was more honorable than his brothers, and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, “Because I bore him in pain.” How else can the Bible describe a man better than being referred to as honorable? Jabez was an honorable man living a degenerated life by answering to a name which does not identify him for what God called him to be. Jabez recognized the meaning of his name as what needed to change. The Bible recorded, “And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, “Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!” So God granted him what he requested. ” (1 Chronicles 4:10) God is the only unchanging changer. Jabez (meaning sorrow) called on God and specifically asked God for what could be his blessings as one that is identified honorable by the word of God.

Jabez prayed a specific and direct prayer. Jabez wanted to be blessed, he did not pray “bless me Lord” but he specified the kind of blessing that he wanted. An honorable man deserves a large territory and he asked for the blessing of a large territory. Above that, he prayed for the hand of God to be with him just in case the evil one went after him. He called on God to have himself changed from being a vessel of pain to a vessel of gain. What area of your life needs to be changed for you to enter into what the Lord has called you to be? All it took for change to have its way in the life of Jabez was the ability to ask, and he did not ask a miss. Jesus encouraged us in Luke 11:9, “…Ask and it will be given to you: seek, and you will find; Knock and it will be opened to you.” Is it your name that needs to be changed for changes to locate you?

Prayer for today: Ask God to open up your understanding that you live for what the Lord called you to be.

FAITH CAPSULE: Remember that you are under heaven and not beyond your Creator’s reach.

Genesis 11:1-9

God spoke to Jeremiah, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.” (Jeremiah 1:5) The word of God to Jeremiah speaks to all without any exception. Evidently, God knows our end from the beginning. By virtue of this, it is true that whatever God propose no man can dispose. What God dispose no man can propose it. Have you been proposing without God? Have you taken your proposal before God to find out whether or not it is in line with Him? As a redeemed child of God, it is important for all of your proposals to involve God. It does not matter what you are, who you are, or where you are. You have to remember that you are under heaven and not beyond your Creator’s reach. Genesis 11:4, “And they said, ‘Come let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.’” The proposed building was not the problem, but the motive behind the proposal was in conflict with the Almighty God of creation. Having been blessed with a plain land where there is hardly obstruction to construction, the people wanted to construct and grow beyond their boundary.

Are you in process of abusing God’s blessing by attempting to make yourself a name instead of having His name to be glorified? If they were Godly minded, they would have consulted Him who is above before making a proposal of building into the above. What are you trying to accomplish with the proposal that is impending in your heart? Do you want to stand tall above and beyond your level? Are you also considering raising your shoulder above you head? Do you want it to be proclaimed all over that “you have made it”? Have you taken this to God? Nothing is wrong in proposing to grow big or to multiply in the blessings of God. The proposal, however, that does not center on God is an indirect withdrawal from the only One who can make or unmake the fulfillment of the proposal. It does not matter how huge or small is your proposal; take it to Him today in prayer. Let it be that you are letting Him know what He has already known. He has seen the future from the past. He is a jealous God and He deserves all your attention so He can attend to you even more than you expected. Take all your proposals, desires, hopes and dreams to the Lord with a humble heart and He will increase you.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace to know and always go before God for all things and in all things.

FAITH CAPSULE: Trusting God for a minor provision builds up to trusting Him for a major provision.

Daniel 6

It is one thing to claim having faith but it is another level to exercise faith by demonstrating trust in God when there is a life consuming challenge. The plot against Daniel was an attempt to permanently terminate him. The bible recorded that when the plot was confirmed, “…Daniel went home, and in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days.” Daniel’s reaction was the evidence of his trust in God. Daniel did not call for prayer partner to lift him up because praying has been part of his make. Daniel’s trust in God was not an overnight build up. If you have been trusting God for a minor provision, when the need for a major provision presents itself trusting in God should also be in place. Experience that brings out the best out of man in the journey of life builds up and adds up to empowerment. An adage says, ‘Rome was not built in a day.’  Practice is what makes perfect. Practicing faith will bring out the best to stand tests as they come in the way of a believer.

The bible verse pointed it out that, “Daniel prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days.” Truly, in the documentation of his early days, he declined the proposal for him to be fed with portion of Kings Delicacies. It is written, “But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank; therefore he requested of the chief of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.  Now God had brought Daniel into the favor and goodwill of the chief of the eunuchs.” (Daniel 1:8-9) Daniel’s purposed heart granted him favor. By virtue of his understand as regard to how God reward those that trust in Him, he did not hesitate to activate trust despite the plot against him. Daniel trusted God as his only divine source and provider. Are you looking outside of God as your source for answer to your challenge? There was a foundation in Daniel’s defining moment. Daniel’s foundation had been in trusting God for His word. Trusting God is resting in God and not rusting in the world of challenges. Proverbs 3:5-6 admonished us, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.” Allow trusting God to have a place in your.

Prayer for today: Ask God to impact you with all that it will take for you to trust God and not to fail when challenges demands your trust in God.

FAITH CAPSULE: We have a role to play to have our challenges roll away.

John 11:17-44

The word of God is not for decoration but for declaration. When the word is consciously engaged it will fully deliver as declared. Among the way of engaging the word is meditating continuously as commanded by God. God did not suggest to Joshua the need for meditation but He strongly emphasized it with a command when he stated to Joshua, “This book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way a prosperous, and then you will have a good success.” (Joshua 1:8) One that truly meditates the word of God will be able to observe and do as the word commands. Without doubt, one that is doing as commanded by the word will always have the word work for him/her in the face of challenges.
Jeremiah knew God called him and he must have been meditating on the word of God that called him. It was the word in the heart of Jeremiah that delivered him during one of his challenges. Jeremiah was able to stand and not fall for his challenge when he remembered and he spoke “But the LORD is with me as a mighty awesome One. Therefore my persecutors will stumble, and will not prevail. They will be greatly ashamed, for they will not prosper. Their everlasting confusion will never be forgotten.” (Jeremiah 20:11) The word of God is the way out of the challenges of the wicked world.

As a believer, we have a role to play to make the word of God work for us in the face of challenges. When we constantly remember what He has spoken concerning our challenge in the pages of scripture, standing our ground in His word will keep us up and not fall for our challenges just like Jeremiah did. We cannot forget what God says concerning our challenge and expect His word to carry us through. When God commanded meditation, He gave us a role to play for our deliverance.
When Jesus came to the tomb of Lazarus which was a cave, and a stone lay against it, He commanded, “Take away the stone.” (John 11:39)Jesus could have commanded the stone to roll but He did not. We have a role to play to have our challenges roll away. God is a good God He sent the word already for our healing and deliverance from destruction. (Psalm 107:20) Are you still waiting for God to engage your role while your role is set before you? Engage your role by meditating on the word and your world of challenges shall be rolled away.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace and mercy to be constant and consistent engaging the word of God.

FAITH CAPSULE: As a believer, dwelling in doubt is sinking from faith.

Matthew 11

It was John that baptized Jesus. It is written, “Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him” (Matthew 3:13) John the Baptist bears witness of Jesus, “…Behold The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is He of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.”’ (John 1:29-30) John also exalted Jesus when he stated that, “He who comes from above is above all; he who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all.” (John 3:31) Despite all that John the Baptist knew about Jesus, when he was in the prison of his life, he doubted Jesus. John wanted to know what he already knew. Remember you have heard it all and you have seen it all; if you will hold on to all that you have known you will depart from doubt and not dwell in it.

As a believer, dwelling in doubt is sinking from faith. Doubt is destructive to stand in faith. Also, the ability to be able to hear, see and turn away from doubt can is what every believer needs to hold to in the journey of life. Having heard and seen so much of the power that is in the name of the Jesus, are you still in doubt? John the Baptist doubted Jesus. The Bible recorded, “And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples and said to Him, “Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?” (Matthew 11:2-3) Was it the prison life that caused John to doubt? Is there any representative of prison in your life that is causing doubt of what Jesus can do?

Jesus’ response to John’s doubt speaks to all believers. Jesus stated, “…Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.” (Mathew 11:4-6) Where there is doubt faith has a tendency not to stand. Hebrew 11:6, “…But without faith it is impossible to please Him…” Do not allow your present situation to dictate to you what your God can do or what he cannot do. At all time, when doubt shows like a wave, speak positive and not negative. Remember, “…For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” (Matthew 12:34) Disappoint your doubt; speak what is right, do not speak negative.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace to delivered from every form of doubt