FAITH CAPSULE: Engage prayer and your prayer will open heaven.

Matthew 7:7-11, Luke 3:1-22

Jesus was teaching when He said, in Matthew 7:7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” This is to say that the combination of asking, seeking, and knocking will bring about a great opening because a great God responds greatly to His great promise. Praying is the combination of asking, seeking, and knocking. The book Luke 3:21 documented, “When all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized; and while He prayed, the heaven was opened.”  Jesus, by example and teaching, proved that the key for opening heaven is in prayer. Could have been that none prayed after having been baptized. Jesus refused not to be intimidated by their silence of not praying, Jesus went into prayer, after being baptized, and heaven opened. As a believer, do not look around you for who is praying and who is not praying. Engage prayer and your prayer will open heaven, and earth will not be able to stop your blessings. Here is what the opened heaven deposited in Jesus, “And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, “You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.”

The effect of an open heaven channeled Jesus into the center of His assignment on earth. Right after the open heaven’s manifestation, Luke 3:23 pointed out that, “…Jesus Himself began His ministry…” The word of God is true and, “All the scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction righteousness.” (2 Timothy 3:16) By this word, if you have prayed, and there is no experience of an open heaven on your behalf, it is time to take your prayer to the level where adversaries must be terminated. Jesus proved to us that prayer opens heaven, and the bible makes it known that adversaries are the ones that makes open heaven seem like it isn’t opened. It is written, “For a great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.” (1 Corinthians 16:9) How is your prayer life? If this is a new day, and you are expecting from God, consider, profess, and meditate that it shall be your season of open heaven. It is important to know that effective, fervent prayer will deny every adversary that could hinder your great and effective open heaven.

Prayer for today: Ask that every adversary that has positioned to deny your open heaven shall be burned off by the consuming fire of God. 

FAITH CAPSULE: Embark on prayer to engage confronting challenge.

Joshua 7

Despising the word of God is among the avenues for the enemy’s accessibility to gaining entrance and sowing in man’s life. The word of God warned, “He who despises the word will be destroyed…” (Proverbs 13:13) Destroying man’s life is enemy’s main agenda. Man often despises the word and there is no excuse that is enough to deliver when man despises the word of God. God commanded, “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.” (Exodus 20:7) Achan despised God’s command when he coveted and he caused a shameful defeat for the Israelites in a battle against Ai. Joshua approached him and he confessed stating, “I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and this is what I have done: When I saw among the spoils a beautiful Babylonian garment, two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them…” (Joshua 7:20-21) Achan action allowed the enemy to sow that which caused his sons and daughter to die untimely death as they were stoned to death.

A believer that takes prayer more serious than sleeping will pave the way for his or her heaven right here on earth. Daniel is one of the few examples. Prayer was made a captain over captivity. While in captivity, when he could have been dead, he outlived four different rulers that did not know God: Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar, Darius, and Cyrus. He was able to prevail because prayer was his major weapon.
When they tried to destroy him, he depended on the power of prayer instead of sleeping a sorrow sleep. When they tried to persecute him, he was persistent in prayer. When there was an attempt to put him down, he was lifted up by prayer. When it was time for him to breakthrough, he was able to break down the meaning of a dream by praying with his friend. This was a dream that took away many magicians and sorcerers’ lives due to their inability to interpret it. Daniel did not sleep but embarked on prayer to engage confronting temptation. Captivity was not enough to hold Daniel from living a purposeful and fulfilled in life. He purposed not to defile God and prayer was the propeller of his purpose. Prayer and not sleeping is a serious matter to be considered in your journey of life. To lack in prayer is sleeping and waiting for the evil one to sow where he is not permitted.
When the enemy is privilege to sow as man sleeps, his sowing will yield to pain, sudden or untimely death. Be awake, watch and pray to deny the enemy from sowing evil into your life.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace not to be despising the word of God.

FAITH CAPSULE: Do not assume the position of a judge allow God to be God over His creation.

John 8:1-12

It is written, “…For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” (Roman 2:22-24) All have sinned yet all are assuming the position of a judge. Are you quick to judging others for their sin?  The world today is full of sin and sinning but yet the world is always quick in passing judgment instead of being judged. The word God admonished self-appointed judges, “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.” (Matthew 7:1-2) Judging others is not our own assignment. Assessing how we stand should be more of our own assignment. As a believer saved by grace, one must be concerned about the plank in his/her own eye before attempting to remove the plank in other people’s eye. Bible identified attempting to remove plank in other’s eye while having plank in one’s own eye as hypocrite. Are you a conscious or unconscious hypocrite? Word of God questioned, “…why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?  Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye?  Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” (Matthew 7:3-5)
Why not pay more attention to yourself?
The story of an adulteress woman in the book of John 8:1-12 is a clear example of the world rushing into passing judgment instead of the world being rushed into facing judgment. The scribes and Pharisees attempted to disrupt Jesus’ teaching in the temple when an adulteress woman was brought to Jesus. The scribes and Pharisees quoted the law of Moses in their effort to justified judgment stating, “Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?” (John 8:5) In the case of adulteress woman, the world wanted to rush into judgment. As it has often been, the world that needed to be put under judgment attempting to be the judge. Jesus responded by drawing a line in the sand to identify those who had never been a sinner and those who were sinners. Among the world, none could cross the line of “never had been a sinner”. No man has been assigned to be a judge. Do not assume the position of a judge allow God to be God over His creation. Answer to what the Lord called you to be.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace to constantly answer only to His calling upon your life. 

FAITH CAPSULE: Making wrong decision is an avenue for enemy to invest in man.

2 Samuel 11:1-22

Sleeping in the place of waiting and watching is an open invitation for the enemy to invade and sow evil. Among ways of sleeping and allowing the enemy to sow in our lives is: Making a wrong decision and engaging a wrong company. Are you on the verge of making a wrong decision or engaging or embracing wrong ones?

Making a wrong decision in the place of right decision opens a door for enemy to sow evil. King David made a wrong decision by not going out to battle field at the time when kings go out to battle. The bible recorded that David sent Joab and his servants with him. David’s decision not to go to war opened the door for enemy to sow in him that which caused him to sin against God. David, being in the right place at the wrong time, arose from his bed and walked on the roof of the king’s house. It was during his walk on the roof that he saw a Bathsheba the wife of Uriah the Hittite bathing. David sent and inquired about Bathsheba and lay with her. (2 Samuel 11:2-5) Bathsheba conceived for David while her husband was at the battle field. As the seed of wickedness grew in David, David went forward to set up Uriah for untimely death. Uriah got killed at the battle field because of king David’s set up and it all counted as sin against David. As a result of his seed of sin he could not fully recover from the consequence of his sin. Making a wrong decision is same as sleeping where there is need to be awake. David allowed the enemy to sow wickedness in him.

Engaging a wrong at the wrong time is also an avenue for enemy to gain access to sow what is wrong in man’s life. It was a good thing for Jehoshaphat the king of Judah to visit the king of Israel. However, it was not a good thing for Jehoshaphat to join with Ahab king of Israel in a battle against king of Syria after having been warned by God’s prophet not to go to war. To avoid enemy from sowing wrong, Ahab, a king that will not listen to prophet of God is not the king for Jehoshaphat to align with. (1 Kings 22) Jehoshaphat could have died in the war just like Ahab because it was not a war they should have engaged by virtue of God’s warning. Jehoshaphat’s and Ahab’s going to war is allowing the enemy to sow wrong in their life. It was a seed of untimely death for Ahab while Jehoshaphat escaped death. Disengage your Ahab and not be a victim the wicked one. Every right decision will keep you awake.

Prayer for today: Ask for the mercy of God to keep you from embracing any wrong.

FAITH CAPSULE: Just as it is possible to be asleep physically so it is also possible to be asleep spiritually.

Acts 12

In the parable of the wheat and tares, Jesus mentioned, “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way.” (Matthew 13:24-25) The point here is that sleeping is what gives enemy the privilege to sow its wickedness on the ground which is meant for good. On a ground where man is awake, it will be difficult for the enemy to invest by sowing evil into man’s life.

Living in this world today demands to be constantly awake. As an acclaimed believer, are you awake or are you asleep? Just as it is possible to be asleep physically so it is also possible to be asleep spiritually. One that is spiritually asleep will be spiritually at risk. For one who is at sleep, prayer will cease and enemy gaining entrance will become inevitable. Also, sleeping is not only when eyes and mind are shut. Sleeping does not necessary mean when one goes to bed at night. Without doubt, sleeping when time or season calls for man to be awake is extending an invitation to the wicked one.

The church must have gone to sleep at the time James the brother of John was killed by Herod the king. The bible documented, “Now about that time Herod the king stretched out his hand to harass some from the church.  Then he killed James the brother of John with the sword. And because he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to seize Peter also. Now it was during the Days of Unleavened Bread. So when he had arrested him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four squads of soldiers to keep him, intending to bring him before the people after Passover. (Acts 12:1-4) The killing of James prompted Herod the king to go after Peter. Herod was set to kill Peter just like he did to James. For Peter, the story changed. It is written, “Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church.  And when Herod was about to bring him out, that night Peter was sleeping, bound with two chains between two soldiers; and the guards before the door were keeping the prison.  Now behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the prison; and he struck Peter on the side and raised him up, saying, “Arise quickly!” (Acts 2:5-7) It was constant prayer not comfortable sleep of the church that delivered Peter who was asleep while in the prison. To be in prayer is to be awake and deny the enemy from sowing evil seed. Is sleeping your passion? Be awake the enemy is at work!

Prayer for today: Ask God to deliver you from sleeping a sleep that delivers man to the enemy’s hand.