FAITH CAPSULE: In every expectation to receive from God, giving attention is a key to manifestation.

Acts 3

When Peter and John went to the temple at the hour of prayer, they encountered a certain lame man from his mother’s womb. The lame man, in his poor situation was only asking for alms. On that faithful day, getting alms was replaced with a positive sound which answered in his direction. The bible recorded, “Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!” ⁵ So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them.” (Acts 3:4-5) With attention, are you looking up to the right source for your breakthrough? In every expectation to receive from God, giving attention is a key to manifestation. The lame man was commanded by Peter to look up for expectation before he gave his attention for manifestation. In every area of your expectation, looking up to God with devoted attention is the only way to receiving. You do not come out of calling on God in prayer and start looking for a god father. Looking for a god father after prayer is a diluted faith and is not an evidence of looking up to Father God for expectation. Understanding to begin to look up and hear from God alone is also a way of directing one’s attention with the intention to receive from God.

Another lame man heard from Paul and gained a position to receive his healing breakthrough from stagnation unto motion. It is written, “In Lystra there sat a man who was lame. He had been that way from birth and had never walked.  He listened to Paul as he was speaking. Paul looked directly at him, saw that he had faith to be healed and called out, and “Stand up on your feet!” At that, the man jumped up and began to walk.” (Acts 14:8-10) In life, whatever man listens to is bound to have a direct effect over one’s challenge. The crippled man’s miracle came to life when he heard Paul speak. All his crippled life must have escaped hearing positive word of healing. The word only serves healing for those who are able to listen and hear. Faith to heal is encased in hearing and hearing the word of God. The crippled man heard the word through Paul, and not only did he stand on his feet as Paul spoke to him, the crippled man leaped! You have been grounded for too long. Listen; give attention to positive sound that comes in your direction. You will end up dancing for the Lord. Your stagnation will be converted into motion in Jesus name.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace that your ears be open to word of deliverance and preservation when it sounds in your direction.

FAITH CAPSULE: God will not ignore you but will surely attend to your challenge.

Genesis 26:1-33

It is written, “Now there was a famine in the land—besides the previous famine in Abraham’s time—and Isaac went to Abimelek king of the Philistines in Gerar. The Lord appeared to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land where I tell you to live. Stay in this land for a while, and I will be with you and will bless you. For to you and your descendants I will give all these lands and will confirm the oath I swore to your father Abraham.” (Genesis 6:1-3) God communicated with Isaac. In the face of famine and nothing to show for, God commanded Isaac to stay put. Often time, when God is speaking what seems impossible, hearing God’s command becomes challenging. In the case of Isaac, there was total obedience when he did exactly as commanded by God. God wanted him to stay in Gerar and he did exactly.
In a place where there is famine having a well for sustenance becomes unarguably important.
Isaac repeatedly ran into confrontation with the herdsmen of Gerar over the digging of wells. He knew quite well that his part of the world could not have survived without wells.
However, every effort by Isaac and his servants to have a productive life at Gerar by gigging wells were punctuated by the herdsmen of Gera. The herdsmen of Gerar kept taking away the wells that were dug by Isaac’s servants and would not leave them in peace. Isaac had a reason to move in the face of challenges but his obedience to God’s command kept him in Gera.
Just like Isaac, are you facing challenges in your area of obedience to the word of God? God will not ignore you but will surely attend to your challenge.

In Genesis 26:27-28 Isaac questioned Abimelek, “… why have you come to me, since you hate me and have sent me away from you?” “But they said, we have certainly seen that the LORD is with you. So we said, ‘let there now be an oath between us, between you and us; and let us make a covenant with you.’’’ Those who were tormenting Isaac with hatred turned around and looked for him to settle with a peace treaty. They realized that the Lord was with him. Every attempt to frustrate him concerning his dug up well was constantly in vain. It is worthy to note that the word of God is His way and His way is His command. Isaac was in line with God’s way as a result, it was impossible for him not to stand. Proverbs 16:7 buttressed, “When a man’s ways please the LORD, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.”  Walk in the word of God to please Him over your life.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace not to disobey His word regardless of any challenge.

FAITH CAPSULE: Those who know to take the word serious are the one God knows to talk to.

Genesis 18, 19

Have you been engaging the word of God with seriousness or with joke? Knowing to do what the word says and not doing it is disobedience to the word of God. Disobeying the word of God is an indirect way of taking the word of God for a joke. The word Joke is defined in the dictionary as, something said or done to provoke laughter or cause amusement; a matter that need not be taken very seriously or something that does not present the expected challenge. The word of God is definitely not to be taken for a joke.
God spoke to Abraham, “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grave,  I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry against it that has come to Me; and if not, I will know.” (Genesis 18:20-21) When God was set to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah because of sin He spoke to Abraham and Abraham took the word of God serious. By virtue of the fact that he took the word of God serious, he repeatedly interceded on behalf of Sodom and Gomorrah but it there was nothing in place for God not to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. The purpose of God revealing His word to Abraham was for Lot to be delivered from destruction which was set for Sodom and Gomorrah.

The angels that were sent to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah approached Lot and said, “…Have you anyone else here? Son-in-law, your sons, your daughters, and whomever you have in the city—take them out of this place! For we will destroy this place, because the outcry against them has grown great before the face of the Lord, and the Lord has sent us to destroy it.” (Genesis 19:12-13) In life, how much one knows God (not knowing about Him) will also determine how serious one take to His word. Lot knew God enough not to take His word for a joke. Lot, not wanting his people to be consumed by destruction,  responded to the messengers of God, “So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who had married his daughters, and said, “Get up, get out of this place; for the Lord will destroy this city!” But to his sons-in-law he seemed to be joking.” (Genesis 19:14)

God is not a comedian. Every single word of God should not be taken for joke. If you are one that does not obey the word of God, you have taken it for a joke. There was no further indication that the sons-in-law followed Lot to the ground of escape from destruction. You can avoid destruction by taking to the word of God. The word of God is for deliverance and preservation from destruction.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace not to take the word of God for a joke.

FAITH CAPSULE: Inquiring from God is going after the heart of God.

1 Samuel 30

King David, a man of war had a relationship with God. God identified David as a man after His heart. He brought down Goliath, a giant who stood between the Israelites and peace. On numerous occasions, he unsettled the arch enemy (Philistines) of the Israelites. David was anointed to be king, years before he actually became the king. Despite his knowing, he did not upset the plan of God for his life by trying to get to the throne before the appointed time. How often have you caused a diversion for yourself in an attempt to make the plans of God happen before God’s appointed time? He had the life of the reigning king (Saul) in his hand so many times when he was being chased by Saul. Yet David did not take Saul’s life. David could have killed Saul and become the King before God’s time. He had good reason to kill Saul, but he chose to run and hide from cave to cave, wilderness to wilderness, and from one priest to another.

It is worthy of note that, among the characters of David which must have identified him as a man after God’s own heart was his constant inquiring from God. At a time when King Saul was after his life, David wanted to keep his father and mother safe. It is written, “Then David went from there to Mizpah of Moab; and he said to the king of Moab, “Please let my father and mother come here with you, till I know what God will do for me.” So he brought them before the king of Moab, and they dwelt with him all the time that David was in the stronghold.” (1 Samuel 22:3)

The same David refused to take situation into His hand by taking it to the hands of God before going after the Amalekites that burned the city, took captive wives, sons and daughters of his men. It is written, “David inquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall I pursue this troop? Shall I overtake them?” And He answered him, “Pursue, for you shall surely overtake them and without fail recover all.” (1 Samuel 30:8) David disallowed his past glory from replacing his reliance on God for direction. As directed by God after his inquiring, “…David attacked them from twilight until the evening of the next day. Not a man of them escaped, except four hundred young men who rode on camels and fled. So David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away, and David rescued his two wives. And nothing of theirs was lacking, either small or great, sons or daughters, spoil or anything which they had taken from them; David recovered all.” (1 Samuel 30:17-19) Inquiring from God is going after the heart of God. It is a demonstration of total faith and taking a position to attaining great exploit.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace of constant and complete reliance on God.

FAITH CAPSULE: Obedience to His word manifests His evidence in one’s life.

Psalm 107

It is written, “He sent His word and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.” (Psalm 107:20) The word of God is power to heal and to deliver. His word is already here for any who will engage His word for deliverance and preservation. Are you still waiting for the word of God to bring forth you deliverance and preservation? Hebrews 4:12 stated, “For the word of God is living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” The word of God, by virtue of its power demands our time. Are you giving time to study the word or you are skimming through the pages of His word?

All that is needed most in this world is His word. Word of God is for our learning Romans 15:4 admonished, “For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.” Are you spending time to study the word or more time for the world? For those that are spending time to study the word of God, the word of God will no doubt work for them in this world of wickedness. However, the ones whose time for the world is overtaking their time for the word there is a need for a serious readjustment. Are you expecting the word to answer on your behalf when you have not been answering to the word of God?
The word of God cannot fail and will not fail. The book of Isaiah 55:11 made a declaration, “So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” The word of God demands full obedience. Obedience to the word of God manifests the evidence of God in one’s life.

Take it to mind and know it that man can make all the noise quoting the word of God but a failure not to allow the word of God become one’s garment will cause man to become naked and exposed to the wickedness of this world.
Romans 10:17 stated, “…faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Are you in a position to be hearing the word? Is the word sinking into you?  When the word is not sinking into man, it becomes impossible for faith to rise. Give self to the word; allow faith to rise and become one who pleases God. Remember, without faith it is impossible to please God.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace for the word of God to take its place in your life.