FAITH CAPSULE: Engage looking up unto Him alone it will cost no money.

Psalm 121, 123

Whatever you pay attention to will give you direction. The more you look up to Him, the better your direction will be, because He that is above is above all, and He will direct you beyond and above all that can derail you.  The Psalmist recorded in Psalm 121:1-2, “I will lift up my eyes to the hills—From whence comes my help? My help comes from the LORD, Who made heaven and earth.” If you have been lifting your eyes to the one that is above without any expectation there, will be no manifestation. Lifting up without expectation is religion and it is not Jesus reality. God is faithful and God will not forsake His own.

Psalm 123:1-2 stated, “Unto You I lift up my eyes, O You who dwell in the heavens. 2 Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their masters, As the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress, So our eyes look to the LORD our God, Until He has mercy on us.” Many have the word memorized for the purpose of uplifting self or others when need requires. However, memorization without mediation will not produce results. Meditation is what will allow a believer to observe, and live according to the word of God. Joshua 1:8 buttressed “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 prosperous, and then you will have good success.” Take the Word from above seriously, John 3:31 encourage all that will listen by stating, “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. And what He has seen and heard, that He testifies; and no one receives His testimony. He who has received His testimony has certified that God is true.” (John 3:31-33)

Evidently, engaging looking up unto Him will cost nothing but a trust in Him. He that is above has all power over all and His name is above every other name. If you will consider looking up to God who has never denied Himself, God will look down to lift you up. He is a faithful God. Turn unto Him, who has been highly exalted, His name is above every name and every situation.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace to constantly look up to God alone

FAITH CAPSULE: Settling for convenience in the place of commitment is man’s way.

Numbers 32

The case of the children of Israel being called out of bondage of over four hundred years to a land that flows with milk and honey is a lesson for man not replaces commitment with convenience. God repeatedly gave His word of command to the children of Israel stating, “So I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey…” (Exodus 3:8) His command demands a diligent commitment. However, the story changed when the children of Israel, the tribe of Gad and the tribe of Reuben settled for convenience and could not commit to the word that God had committed Himself to perform.
God does not violate His word. Often times when we violate His word then the world violates us. God that promised the land which flows with milk and honey gave His word with expectation for the children of Israel to live by it. Are you finding comfort in going for what the Lord did not promise you instead of His promise for you?

Are you finding comfort in going for what the Lord did not give or promise you? The children of Gad and Reuben were convenient with the land that flows with milk only. God did not promise a land that flows with only milk but the land that flows with milk and honey. As a result, the demanded to stay back and Moses responded to the demand of the children of Gad and the children of Reuben, “…Shall your brethren go to war while you sit here? Now why will you discourage the heart of the children of Israel from going over into the land which the LORD has given them? Thus your fathers did when I sent them away from Kadesh Barnea to see the land. For when they went up to the Valley of Eshcol and saw the land, they discouraged the heart of the children of Israel, so that they did not go into the land which the LORD had given them.”” (Numbers 32:6-9) Is it discouragement that is between your commitments to God’s word? In the attempt of not to cross over where God has planned for man’s cross over, challenges will come across man’s way in the journey of life. Are you settling for convenience instead commitment?

Settling for convenience in the place of commitment is taking to the way that seems right to a man. Proverbs 14:12 mentioned the consequence of taking to one’s own way, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” Let commitment to God reign.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace to be constantly and fully committed in all areas of His command.

FAITH CAPSULE: Trusting God in the beginning and not through to the end is not enough.

1 Kings 12

What God says He will do is a done deal. He does not waste word, He does not lie; He does not exaggerate; He does not deceive and there is no reason to doubt Him. Doubting God is an evidence of lack of faith in His word. Jeroboam, before becoming the king of all Israel, had received the Word of God that he would become king. When it was time for Jeroboam to become king the bible recorded, “…For the turn of events was from the LORD, that He might fulfill His word, which the LORD had spoken by Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.” (1 Kings 12:15) The word of God is true and God is true to His word. God said He was going to make Jeroboam a king, but it was left for Jeroboam to receive the word as sent by God and meditate on it to manifest it for the glory of God. Can you confirm that He was speaking to you what will become of you?

When God makes you up He will back you up and not forsake you if you will not doubt Him. Just as he gave His word for making Jeroboam king, Jeroboam became the king. He, however, failed to remind himself that the word that sounded in his direction for him to become a king would back him up. Jeroboam as a king doubted if the Kingdom would return the house of David after God had given it to him. 1 Kings 12:25-27 testifies how he gave himself to doubt against the promise of God in his life. It is written, “Then Jeroboam built Shechem in the mountains of Ephraim, and dwelt there. Also he went out from there and built Penuel. And Jeroboam said in his heart, ‘Now the kingdom may return to the house of David: If these people go up to offer sacrifices in the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will turn back to their lord, Rehoboam king of Judah, and they will kill me and go back to Rehoboam king of Judah.’” Doubt is not of God but for the devil. Doubt is an agent of fear and it does not have any good to offer but to steal, kill and destroy. Jeroboam saw the beginning of manifestation of God’s word when he became the king. Doubt set in Jeroboam and could not rest in God. As a result of doubt, he built idols and led the people unto other gods.
It is not enough to trust God in the beginning and not trust Him through to the end. God who has spoken to you will manifest His word if you will rest in His promises.

Prayer for today: Ask God to deliver you from every iota of doubt as you live life.

FAITH CAPSULE: At His feet is miracle, deliverance and restoration.

John 11

At the feet of Jesus there is learning to gain understanding that gives life abundantly. Also at His feet there is a position to ask and receive when there is no hope to live life. At the time Martha welcomed Jesus to her house, her sister, Mary, “…Sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word.”(Luke 10:39) While Martha was doing the serving, Mary remained at the feet of Jesus learning to from Jesus to gain understanding that gives life abundantly. Martha complained to Jesus about Mary not helping to serve. Jesus responded to Martha, “And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.”(Luke 10:41-42) By virtue of Jesus’s response, it is clear that above all things, one thing that is needed is gaining understand in His word. It was in the word, at the feet of Jesus that Mary discovered a place of security, a place of hope, and a place of undeniable miracles in Jesus.

When Lazarus was dead, when all hope was lost, when there was nowhere to turn for help, Mary knew where to go. When it was most definite that Lazarus was dead, and all of his remains had begun to stink, Mary knew where to connect with Jesus, the Healing healer. When the whole population could not see any chance of bringing Lazarus back to life, Mary knew where to go, and how to settle herself. In the midst of mourning for the death of Lazarus, Mary received a message from Jesus, through Martha stating, “…the Teacher has come and is calling for you.” (John 11:28) The same message is sounding in your direction today if you will answer Him. The calling of the Lord Jesus is of hope, deliverance, and of restoration. Mary answered without doubt, when the message of Jesus’ calling got to her. Mary, by virtue of her previous experience at the feet of Jesus, knew exactly where to connect with her miracle. John 11:32-34, “Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.” Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled. And He said, “Where have you laid him?”  They said to Him, “Lord, come and see.”” Again, Mary was at the feet of Jesus. It was a place that her miracle could not be denied. It was a place that caught Jesus’ undeniable attention. At the feet of Jesus there is an answer to all situations.

Prayer for today: Ask God to look on you and lay His hands on you while you are at His feet.

FAITH CAPSULE: Claiming to be a believer is not enough, but aiming to be like Him is.

Luke 6:20-49

Jesus taught about the true way into the Kingdom. Jesus stated, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.” (Matthew 7:21) Indeed many are saying to Him, ‘Lord, Lord,’ today and they are saying it with more eloquence, but He is not evident in their life. What the Lord was saying here was that those that are calling on God without doing the will of the Father are bound to miss the Kingdom of heaven. How long have you been saying, ‘Lord, Lord? Can you sincerely declare that you have been doing the will of the Father? Doing the will of the Father is not only in going to church, prayer meetings, and every other function or church activities.

It is important to do His will. It is doing the will of the father that qualifies one as a believer not by calling Him Lord. Jesus stated in Luke 6:46-47, “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say? 47 Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like.” Doing the will of Jesus is in coming to Him, hearing what he has to say, and doing what He says.

It is written, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.” (Revelation 3:20) Jesus is at the door knocking, calling on man. Clearly, so many are not answering; so many came to Him; so many are still coming to Him, but so many are not doing what He asked for.  Claiming to be a believer is not enough, but aiming to be like Him is. Following His word is what believing in Him is all about. Jesus was asked “Then they said to Him, “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?” Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God that you believe in Him whom He sent.” (John 6:28-29)The will of God is for all to work the works God. To work the works of God is to believe in whom that sent Jesus. All the acclaimed believers that have been coming without doing the words are not doing the will. However, not doing the will is not walking in line with God.

Prayer for today: Ask God to take over your moments that you may work the works of God and not miss the Kingdom of Heaven.