FAITH CAPSULE: God going before one is failure impossibility.

Isaiah 45

God alone is to be worshiped. God alone deserves all the glory and honor; He is a true and merciful God. Open your mouth wide and give Him all the glory. God needs no man for His attainment it is man that needs God for attainment. Jesus, at His triumphant entry into Jerusalem, received a loud praise. Just as He was receiving loud praise, the Pharisees called from the crowd asking Him to rebuke the praise directed at Him. The bible recorded Jesus’ response to the Pharisees, “I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out.” (Luke 19:40)  Are you praising Him loud enough or you are working it out for the stone to replace your praise? Clearly, God will not hesitate to replace any man that fails to give Him due which belong to Him. God needs no man for attainment it is man that need God for attainment.

When it was time for the deliverance of the Israelites, Cyrus the king of Persia, a pagan was appointed by God for His attainment. It is written, “Thus says the LORD to His anointed, To Cyrus, whose right hand I have held— To subdue nations before him And loose the armor of kings, To open before him the double doors, So that the gates will not be shut:” (Isaiah 45:1) Imagine a pagan appointed by God; imagine God holding the right hand of a pagan king. When God holds one’s right hand, victory is certainly certain. When He holds one’s right hand, one is no longer doing the battle but God. Isaiah 45:2 also stated God’s promise for a pagan King Cyrus, “I will go before you and make the crooked places straight; I will break in pieces the gates of bronze and cut the bars of iron.”

When God goes before one, every impenetrable ground will yield for one’s penetration and the rough places that have been troubling in one’s passage will be made smooth. When He goes before one, highly invested gates that are specially and specifically constructed to stop and deny one’s breakthrough will be brought down. Above all, every treasured and hidden activity of the wicked will be exposed to one. When the Lord goes before one, the riches that the enemy cherishes will be exposed and the enemy will become naked. God going before one is failure impossibility. God is still in the business of appointing any man for His own attainment regardless of one’s background. He alone is the Lord God that does all things and nothing is impossible for Him to do.

Prayer for today: As you are looking forward to a new day, week, month or season, ask God to hold your right hand and go before you just like He did Cyrus the king of Persia.

FAITH CAPSULE: He is the Unchanging changer and no one can hide from God.

Exodus 3:1-12

God alone is God. He is true to perform and He performs to perfect. Psalmist was talking about the Israelites journey to the Promise Land when it was stated, “He permitted no one to do them wrong; Yes, He rebuked kings for their sakes, saying, “Do not touch My anointed ones, and do My prophets no harm.”” (Psalm 105:14-15) Going by the testimony of the psalmist, it is evident that God is in position to allow and disallow everything that happens under heaven. God can do and undo as He pleases; He is the Unchanging changer. There is no one that can actually hide from God.

At the time Moses was running away from Pharaoh God called to send Moses to Pharaoh, “Come now, therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.” (Exodus 3:10) Moses knowing who he was, responded to God, “…Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” (Exodus 3:11) Have you been thinking about who you are? On the journey of life, it is not about whom you are but who God says you are. God has a purpose for all His creation and there is no record of mistake in creation.Once, He told 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) As much as Moses tried to avoid his calling, God made Moses to realize that He would certainly be with Him. Stating, “I will certainly be with you. And this shall be a sign to you that I have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.” (Exodus 3:12)

It was not important in regard to whom Joshua sees himself to be but it was important with regard to who God called him to be. After the death of Moses God spoke to Joshua, “Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you, as I said to Moses.” (Joshua 1:3) Moving from convenience into commitment is not a cordial move. When it is time for you to be removed situations will force you and God will give you a formal announcement of who you are and what He wants for you to be. Moses relocated from palace to desert where he could not hide but to respond to what God called him to be.

Prayer for today: Ask God to guide you that you will live life to fulfill your divine assignment.

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.