FAITH CAPSULE: It is worthy to come out of religion and come into Christ reality.

1 Corinthians 3

Is the church (temple of God) for real today or only receding from what the word of God calls for the church to be? Bible identifies the church, “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:16) So many claims to be for Christ (believer) with titles that are high to heaven, but none are in position like Abraham to be able to see and hear when or if God was speaking.
Sin and sinning builds distance between man and God. As man continues to go and grow far from God because of sin and sinning, God whose nature does not tolerate sin withdraws Himself from man. Roman 3:23 buttresses it saying, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” The glory of God, which is His presence, is not full but short in the life of man because of sin. Despite the shortage of His glory as a result of man’s sin, God still has mercy on man. Imagine how beautiful it will be for those who are far from sin and how full the manifestation of His glory in their life will be?
It must have been hard on Jesus when He asked, “…when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?” The Bible makes us realize that faith comes by hearing and hearing the word of God. (Romans 10:17) It is not possible to hear God and not live by the word. Not doing the word is evidence of not having heard the word. Jesus is actually asking that if he comes is there going to be a believer that is living by the word (To believe His word is to be living the word). Living the word is what makes man to be on a ground that is the same as that of Abraham, a ground where revelation is not rare but widespread.

It is worthy to come out of religion and come to a position of receiving revelation that transforms by living faithfully like Abraham. Know that to be faithful is a sacrifice and is not convenient; not cheap but costly. To be faithful is a commitment; a lifestyle to live for God and it enhances the flow of revelation from God. The Church should be making the difference allowing widespread revelation. However, the church has taken the opposite direction by turning away from God to the world. Turn away from the world and turn to God; be privileged of God, take to a faithful way of living life and revelation will flow from God to turn your world around. Remember, “Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint…” (Proverbs 29:18) More revelation breeds more restraints and the avoidance of evil occurrences.

Prayer for today: Ask God to direct your heart into the fear of His Holy name and into the patience of Christ.

FAITH CAPSULE: Turn to praising God for what God has done and what God can do.

Daniel 3

In the face of untimely death as a result of rejecting the call to worship a golden image, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed Nego were sentenced to death through a fiery burning furnace. Instead of their case, they declared the acts of God responding to King Nebuchadnezzar, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter.  If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king.  But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.”(Daniel 3:16-18)
Declaring the acts of God is praising God. Those who declare Him, He decorates with uncommon testimonies.
The three friends were eventually thrown into the fiery burning furnace. It was clear enough for a pagan king to see and know enough that deliverance was in place for them in the middle of the fire when he spoke, “Look!” he answered, “I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.” (Daniel 3:25) The three friends experienced great exploit by virtue of their declaration of their God.

Exploits of the three friends:
By their declaration, they witnessed the death of their enemy in place that was set for them to die. When you declare God, the evil set against you goes back to hunt your enemy (back to sender). Daniel 3:22
Declaring the acts of God will cause your enemy to be astonished (to fill with amazement; surprise greatly). King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished by virtue of God’s uncommon deliverance upon the three friends of Daniel’s life. Daniel 3:24
Making declaration of God will cause your enemy to acknowledge your God. King Nebuchadnezzar acknowledged (To admit to be real, to recognize the existence, to show or express recognition) their God stating, “…the form of the fourth is like the son of God.” (Daniel 3:25)
Your enemy will cease from gathering against you but to gather and watch the act of God in your life. Daniel 3:27
King Nebuchadnezzar praised the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. He went further and testified the frustration of his own word. Daniel 3:28
The declaration that delivered the three friends provoked the king to make a new decree. Declaring God is enough to cause a change in the law of the land in favor of one who declares God. Daniel 3:29
Promotion is an assurance when man declares the acts God. It is written, “Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego in the province of Babylon.” (Daniel 3:30)

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace that praising God shall never cease in your life.

FAITH CAPSULE: Faith is the key to further and not falter.

Joshua 6

God promised the Israelites to take them to the Promised Land but at a point in time of the journey the enemy stood against the promised in attempt to deny them their passage to God’s promise. All that the Israelites needed to hear for their passage was to receive what it takes to pass through. It is written, “Now Jericho was securely shut up because of the children of Israel; none went out, and none came in.  And the Lord said to Joshua: “See! I have given Jericho into your hand, its king, and the mighty men of valor.” (Joshua 6:1-2) Without doubt or questioning, by faith, Joshua received the word of God that granted them their passing through. Until one begins to see in the word it becomes impossible to receive the promise of God. What the word of God says to you let it stays in you to receive and possess His promise. The faith to be able to see in the absence of nothing provokes the grace to receive from the word of God. It was faith that delivered strength to Sarah at her old age to conceive and give birth to Isaac.
It is written, “By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised.” (Hebrews 11:11) Without doubt, receiving and possessing the promises in the word of God is in having faith. At an old age, when it was impossible to have a child, Sarah did not doubt but received the promise that she would have a child. The word she received gave her the strength to conceive. The strength to do the impossible is through faith in the word of God. The secret behind receiving and making the word of God to manifest is in being simple at heart. Psalm 119:130 encouraged us by stating, “The entrance of Your words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple.” Understanding that God is light is only for those who are simple and able to receive the word and hope in the word. The simple at heart are none other than those who believe. Proverbs 14:15 revealed, “The simple believe every word…” Sarah settled in her heart that God would perform it. Sarah heard the word and saw, it strengthened her and she was strengthened. It is faith that will make a believer identify a word in the scripture that addresses challenges without any back up plan but with trust in the word of God.
Faith is the key to further and not falter regardless of any challenging situation for failure.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace to be constantly faithful when His word sounds in your direction.

FAITH CAPSULE: When you lift eyes up to Him He will look down to lift you up.

Psalm 121

Psalm 121:1, “I will lift up my eyes to the hills—from whence comes my help?” Where or who have you been lifting your eyes to? Abraham lifted his eyes whenever God called. He lifted his eyes when direction was needed and when there was a need of support from above. It is an act of faith to know to lift your eyes unto God even when it seems like you have walked past your blessing. It can be assumed that Abraham walked past the ram that had been provided for the sacrifice because it is stated in Genesis 22:13, “Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son.” The ram was behind him, but in his looking up he was able to see the ram. When a believer is lifting eyes up to God, there will be no reason to expect help from another source. Who are you looking up to? From the depth of your heart, allow God to be the only One to look up to. God discerns the heart; He knows you and your heart because your heart is in His hands. It is written, “… For the LORD is the God of knowledge; And by Him actions are weighed.”(1Samuel 2:3)

It was time for God to step in with a ram for the sacrificial offering because Abraham had clearly and distinctively demonstrated that his heart was made up for God’s command to use Isaac for the sacrificial offering. When a believer is able to lift up eyes unto the Lord, such a believer will be above and beyond in every area of expectation. Abraham lifted his eyes and looked up as it was his custom and God provided for Abraham on the mount of ‘God shall provide’. God provided a ram for Abraham where he had passed through so he would get to where God was taking him. The word says the ram was behind Abraham and there was no indication that he saw the ram. It could have been that Abraham’s focus on using Isaac as requested by God caused him to pass the ram and not see it until God called his attention to it. Instead of Abraham looking behind without God’s direction, he looked up to God as was his custom in seeking direction. When looking up to God becomes a custom in a believer’s life, it is a proven character of God to respond with uncommon testimony. Abraham had a custom of looking up to God and uncommon testimonies answered for him in all his ways.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace to be constant and consistently focus on God.

FAITH CAPSULE: What does Praising and thanking God means to you?

1 Chronicles 16

Praising and thanking God is calling on God. David, a man with exceptional way of worshiping God was identified as a man after God’s own heart. (1 Samuel 13:14) Evidently, learning from David is a way knowing that praising God gets His attention. In the word of David, praising and giving thanks to God is a way of calling on God. David declared, “I will call upon the Lord who is worthy to be praised so shall I be saved from my enemies.” (Psalm 18:3) David identified praising and thanking God as calling on God to deliver him from his enemies. Praising and thanking God is an assured way of calling and getting God. As a believer, it is not enough to know about calling on God through praising and thanking Him but know to consciously know to engage praising and tanking God as a way of living life.
Praising and thanking God is also calling on God to appreciate Him. After David finally settled the ark from being moved around, he called on God to thank God. The book of 1 Chronicles 16:8 recorded David’s statement, “Oh, give thanks to the Lord! Call upon His name; make known His deeds among the peoples!” Calling on God is to make Him known. God wants attention round the clock. This testifies to the truth that, thanking God for His doing is calling upon His name to appreciate Him and declare Him to our world for what He has done. We do not only give thanks for what God has done or what He is doing but we also give thanks for what He can do or what we expect Him to do. Are you expecting God to move concerning your confronting situation? Regardless of the magnitude of your situation, believe and give thanks to God before manifestation of your expectation.

Also, thanking and praising God is declaring God. When we declare God, He decorates us. Shadrach, Meshach, Abed Nego declared God before a King who does not know God and they could not be consumed by a fiery burning furnace. (Daniel 3:16-17) Jesus declared God by praising and thanking God and He brought Lazarus back to live life after four days in the grace. It is written, “Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.  And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me.”  Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!”  (John 11:41-43) Our praising and thanking God will always provoke God to decorate us for His glory. Praising and thanking God cannot be separated. That is, praising God is thanking God and thanking God is praising God.

Prayer for today: Ask that the grace of praising and thanking God will not cease in your life.