FAITH CAPSULE: Rise for God and shine for His glory.

Genesis 12

If one can rise for God, one will shine for His glory. Rising for God is an exceeding commitment that is not convenient. Rising for God is a total obedience to God’s command. Rising for God is emptying self for God to fill one. When rising for God is established in man’s life, man takes a position of possessing great blessing from God. Abraham rose for God when God said to him, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.” (Genesis 12:1) Abraham did not hesitate, he did not exercise doubt, neither does he questioned God’s command which sounded in his direction. Are you getting a call which demands from you to rise?

God promised Abraham for his rising, “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” (Genesis 12:2-3) Abraham could have doubted God but he rose and went just as commanded by God. Manifestly, it was a calling which called for a great extent of commitment but Abraham engaged fully to possess the promises of God’s calling.

The key to shinning for the glory of God is rising and responding to His calling. Isaiah 60:1-2, “Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the LORD is risen upon you. 2 For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, And deep darkness the people; But the LORD will arise over you, And His glory will be seen upon you. ” The call to rise does not have a condition or any reason for compromise but to rise in response to God. When God calls He is evidently more than able to back man and that is the reason why the word does not ask if we will rise but commanded to rise. To rise in obedience is to shine for His glory. Indeed, deep darkness will show its face in attempt to discourage or deny man from rising but the Lord is always at work for the heart that desires to rise unto God’s calling. He said that He will rise over us and His glory would not be denied. Rising in response to the word of God is all that made Abraham. Abraham could not possess all that was promised to him by God until he rose to God’s command. Can you think of what is keeping you grounded from rising to God’s calling? In all of your walk and work on the face of the earth, is there any area you have remained grounded? The rising of Abraham continues to generate the blessings of God’s promise from generation to generation.

Prayer for today: Ask God to intervene and terminate all the forces that are denying or delaying you from rising to God’s calling.

FAITH CAPSULE: Zeal for God will zip man in a bundle of blessing which extends to his descendants.

Numbers 25

Zeal will set man right before God and settle man for greatness by God if such zeal is grounded on right principle. Jesus’ Zealous act in the temple was of a right principle. Jesus drove out those who engaged buying and selling in the temple by using whip of cords. (John 2:13-17)
Can you think and learn from a Zealousness that is grounded on a right principle through the pages of the bible? Zeal for God will provoke a great and lasting reward for the Zealous one. 
The act of Phinehas the son of Eleazar was a demonstration of a faithful act which testifies to man’s zealousness that was grounded on a right principle. (Number 25)
Once on the journey to the Promised Land, the children of Israel provoked the anger of the Lord against them when they joined to Baal of Peor. While they were facing the wrath for joining Baal Peor, “…One of the children of Israel came and presented to his brethren a Midianite woman in the sight of Moses and in the sight of all the congregation of the children of Israel, who were weeping at the door of the tabernacle of meeting.” (Numbers 25:6)  

The point here is that, they had not gotten over the consequences of one sin when they began to engage another sin through a fellow in their mist. Phinehas’ zealous response is recorded in Numbers 25:7-8 stating, “…Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose from among the congregation and took a javelin in his hand; and he went after the man of Israel into the tent and thrust both of them through, the man of Israel, and the woman through her body. So the plague was stopped among the children of Israel.” Phinehas action, provoked God and God spoke to Moses, “…Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has turned back My wrath from the children of Israel, because he was zealous with My zeal…” (Numbers 25:11)
Phinehas could not sit back and compromise with wrong doing in the presence of God. Phinehas went forward with a demonstration of his zeal for God. As a result of Phinehas’ action, God responded to Phinehas’ zeal by zipping him in a bundle of blessing which extends to his descendants. God spoke through Moses, “…Behold, I give to him My covenant of peace; and it shall be to him and his descendants after him a covenant of an everlasting priesthood, because he was zealous for his God…’” (Numbers 25:12-13) God is the benevolent rewarder of those that seek Him with their all.If you desire His zeal, ask for it in prayer and He will deposit that passion in you.

Prayer Point: Ask God that all the days He has given you shall be in addition with living Zealously for His name.

FAITH CAPSULE: To be zealous for God requires a non-compromising stand

John 2

Zeal: Is defined, fervent or enthusiastic devotion, often extreme or fanatical in nature, as to a religious movement, political cause. As a Christian zeal must be grounded on right principles)

Going by definition of the word Zeal, what does it mean to have zeal for God?
In Jesus, we see what it means to be zealous for the course of the kingdom’s business. The bible recorded, “Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.  And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers doing business. When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers’ money and overturned the tables. And He said to those who sold doves, “Take these things away! Do not make My Father’s house a house of merchandise!” Then His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up.” (John 2:13-17)
The action of Jesus is a demonstration of Zeal for God. In Jesus’s action we see a principle of fighting a good course for God’s glory.

The people in the temple engaged evil act.
Psalmist stated, “I have hated the assembly of evildoers…” (Psalm 26:5); You who love the Lord, hate evil! …” (Psalm 97:10) As a believer, are you conscious of need to hate evil? Proverbs 8:13 stated that, the fear of the Lord is to hate evil. If seeing evil is not generating your hatred for evil, there is a need for self-examination.

The word of God must be consciously activated in us so we become elevated before God. Are you activating word of God which sounds in your direction or you are only memorizing His word? The word of God you memorize will not answer for you. It is the word you meditate day and night that will answer for you. Joshua 1:8 stated, “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.”  When there is no meditation, there be no word in your mouth and when challenges come you become stranded because word has departed your mouth.

Evidently, until the zeal of God eats up a believer, then the possibility of having a clean temple is almost impossible. When there is zeal for God, He will move into our life; He will have His place in us. To be zealous for God requires a non-compromising stand which calls for us to disallow self and have Christ fill us.

Prayer for today: Ask God that the Zeal for His glory and the uplifting of His name shall become your portion.

FAITH CAPSULE: Without love, all is empty and nothing counts before God.

1 Corinthians 13

The purpose of God’s command is love. God gave His commandment so that love can exist among man. A brother who abstains from stealing, lying or deceiving his brother demonstrates love. Loving in God’s way is God’s love. We cannot love in our own way but by God’s standard. The book of 1Timothy 1:5 identifies God’s love, “Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith, from which some, having strayed, have turned aside to idle talk.” Loving by God’s standard is not common especially in a world where man is full of self. Claiming to love without loving with pure heart, good conscience and sincere faith is empty love. In a world where living life is without good conscience love is evidently not a way of living life. In a world where man is desperately concerned about self, engaging others with sincere faith is a strange thing. Are you loving by your standard or as commanded by the word of God?

Among the gift of God, love is the greatest gift. Love should be considered as the anchor which every other gift holds on to and when love is not there fulfilling the command of God is absolutely impossible. Paul the apostle clearly drew out the importance of love in 1 Corinthians 13:1-3, “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.” It is clear in Paul’s word that though a believer can demonstrate the gifts of God such: as speaking in tongues, prophesying, reaching out to the needy and making oneself available when or where there is need, without love, all is empty and it carries no weight.
Jesus meant what He was saying when He stated in Matthew 7:22-23, “Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’” In regard to this statement, every believer needs to examine and search themselves. Have you been demonstrating any of the gifts while you entertain lying, deception and manipulation? Man can always deceive man but God cannot be deceived.

Prayer for today: Ask God to enable you with grace to love according to God’s standard.

FAITH CAPSULE: God’s calling does not give immunity from fighting the wicked ones.

2 Timothy 2

God will reverse any situation that is tagged irreversible. When God calls, He never fails to back-up His called one in the assignment of calling regardless of challenges. God called Jeremiah for a divine assignment and warned Jeremiah, “They will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you. For I am with you,” says the Lord, “to deliver you.” By virtue of God’s warning for Jeremiah, it is clear that God’s calling does not give immunity against the fight of wicked ones. When He calls there will be fighting to put up with against the enemy. However, those that are truly called shall never be defeated by the enemy.

Has he called you and challenges have been rocking in your journey of life? The great thing is that God is God and He will always have His way. God could have called Jeremiah for a challenge or trouble-free assignment, but He chooses not to. God is the same God yesterday, today and forever. God backed Jeremiah up against all that fought against him; He will also back you up. Challenges, afflictions and hardship are always going to show when He calls but the called ones should know that many are the afflictions of the righteous in the journey of life but God shall deliver in all. (Psalm 34:19)

It is written, “You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier.” (2 Timothy 2:3-4)Just as Jeremiah was called, if you are also one who has given your life unto serving God by virtue of His calling, you should consider yourself a soldier of God. It can be agreed that challenges, hardship or affliction are another identity of a believer who walks in line with God. However, no matter how challenges persist, believers indeed and in truth shall never be in line to fail, fall or falter. God who calls man is able to keep and deliver those that are called. This is not to say a believer should go out and begin to look for trouble where there is none. Without doubt, it is for a believer to know and be encouraged that the challenge of today is nothing above God who is above all.
It is not enough to answer to God’s calling and not finish in the assignment of the calling. Also, it is wisdom to know that answering is not the same as answering and not getting through.

Prayer for today: Ask for God’s enablement for you to answer fully in the face of challenges that is encased in your calling.