FAITH CAPSULE: Give yourself entirety to meditation. It works to the glory of God.

Joshua 1:1-9, Numbers 32

Begin to ask God for the grace to wholly follow Him. To wholly follow Him will establish man to get to the expected end of life’s journey. The word stated about following the Lord God wholly, “Surely none of the men who came up from Egypt, from twenty years old and above, shall see the land of which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, because they have not wholly followed Me, expect Caleb the son of Jephunneh, the Kenizzite, and Joshua the son of Nun, for they have wholly followed the Lord.’”(Numbers32:11-12) Following God wholly is demonstrating the spirit of faith which Caleb and Joshua did. Does it occur to you to examine if you are wholly following God?

It is written in 2Timothy 3:16, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,” As it was profitable to the men of God in the Bible days, so it is profitable to any that makes the choice to get into the word of God continuously. After Moses, God commanded Joshua with the need to engage word continuously by meditating. He said to Joshua in Joshua 1:8, “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.” He pointed out to Joshua that meditating on the word was the way for Joshua to be successful in the assignment that was designated to him. With continuous meditation word will sink into man and the spirit of faith shall be established. With spirit of faith, following the Lord God wholly shall be without struggle.

Also, Paul the apostle knew that his days were numbered when he wrote to Timothy in 1Timothy 4:15, “Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all.” Paul’s command about meditation testifies to the importance of meditation. Meditation that works requires consistency spending day and night, and wholly giving oneself to follow God. Meditation is labor and labor is a sacrifice. A believer that is constant and consistent meditating on the word of God cannot be eliminated from the promise that is encased in the journey of life. Meditation is not memorization and when it becomes consistent, there will always be availability of grace to observe to do according to what the word says. Give yourself entirety to meditation. It works to the glory of God.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace to wholly follow Him.

FAITH CAPSULE: Will you enter as a dwelling place and not as a passing by place?

Psalm 91, Isaiah 57:15-21

God is Holy. 1 Samuel 2:2 testifies, “No one is holy like the Lord, for there is none besides You, nor is there any rock like our God.” He that is holy must also dwell in a holy place; non that is not holy shall see Him. God spoke in the book of Isaiah 57:15, “For thus says the High and Lofty One Who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: ‘I dwell in the high and holy place, with him who has a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.’” Without doubt, there be no better place dwell like His dwelling place.

He mentioned by Himself in the book of Isaiah 57:15, “For thus says the High and Lofty One Who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: ‘I dwell in the high and holy place, with him who has a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.’” The high place belongs to the High and Lofty One and it is also the place of believers with a contrite (a repentant) and humble (one whose shoulders are not rising above his head) spirit. Psalm 34:18 also confirms that, “the LORD is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit”. Evidently, to dwell in His place is also to be near to Him. It is definitely an awesome promise only from our God whose awesomeness is beyond any man’s imagination. He is the only God that gives promises which does not fail and will never fail to remember His children. As a believer, have you thought of entering into His secret place as a dwelling place and not as a passing by place? If you will desire to enter and begin to dwell in His secret place, abiding under His shadow will not elude you.

Psalm 91:1 stated, “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” Indeed and in truth, there is no other place where a believer should desire to abide but under the shadow that does not expire; a shadow that is continuously constant and consistent. It is a shadow that covers one from every form of evil agenda. It is a shadow that will not allow deliverance to be denied over one’s life. To abide demands a step into His dwelling place. The word of God reveals His secret. His word is a not a secret to those who embrace studying and obeying. Engage and embrace His word to have a place and dwell in the high and holy place.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace to be constant and consistent studying the word of God.

FAITH CAPSULE: God is not foolish but full of goodness and mercy.

1 Corinthians 1

God does not waste word. Inside the documentation of God’s word which is often mistaken for story, there is the secret to live life as an overcomer. The story of Jerubbaal reducing men of war from twenty-two thousand to three hundred as commanded by God prompts us to acknowledge the wisdom and the power of God. Often time His instruction might sound foolish but it always deliver victorious power. The book of 1 Corinthians 1:25 buttress, “…the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.” Are you acting wise and nurse a feeling of outsmarting God by contending with His wisdom? Contending with His wisdom is purposely engaging with own direction instead of His direction. Are you violating Him by acts of wickedness thinking God is nowhere to expose your ignorance? God is not a, fool you can trust in His word that states, ”But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty.” (1 Corinthians 1:27)

Imagine one that demonstrated being wise, committed murder and escaped being prosecuted. Is God not wise enough to have him exposed and not escape being convicted? After many years of escape, he fell sick with the signature of death written all over him and no sign of recovering from his sickness. In his “wise” mind, while on his sick bed, it was time to confess the killing he committed many years in the past. After confessing as the killer, death became farther from him and the signs of death also distanced from him. The supposed wise man was arrested and sentenced to life in prison.

God is too great to be undermined. The fact that He makes the choice not to respond according to man’s time or man’s act is not a measurable way of disregarding His wisdom and power. Be wise to understand that, “Because the sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil. Though a sinner does evil a hundred times, and his days are prolonged, yet I surely know that it will be well with those who fear God, who fear before Him. But it will not be well with the wicked; nor will he prolong his days, which are as a shadow, because he does not fear before God.” (Ecclesiastes 8:11-13) As regard to the move of God, what is meaningless to the eyes of man, God is mindful of it.

Prayer for today: Ask God to open your understanding and fill you up with knowledge.

FAITH CAPSULE: God’s preference should always prevail over our best reference.

Judges 7

Jerubbaal (Gideon) was set for war against the Midianites when God spoke to him, “The people who are with you are too many for Me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel claim glory for itself against Me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’ Now therefore, proclaim in the hearing of the people, saying, ‘Whoever is fearful and afraid, let him turn and depart at once from Mount Gilead.’” And twenty-two thousands of the people returned, and ten thousand remained.” (Judges 7:1-3) In the physical, there is a need for strong numeric strength to emerge victorious in battle. However, God’s instruction to Jerubbaal was to reduce number. Jerubbaal harkened to instruction and number was reduced to more than half, from twenty-two thousand to ten thousand.

The God of battle who does not share his glory with man called on Jerubbaal after he had cut down the numbers saying, “The people are still too many; bring them down to the water, and I will test them for you there…” (Judges 7:4) Imagine Jerubbaal communicating with friends about how God has been reducing the number, without doubt friends would have wondered and even considered Jerubbaal as foolish, spiritually insane, overzealous and unrealistic. Jerubbaal led the people to the water as directed by God with the intention to have the number reduced again. At the water, God spoke again, “Everyone who laps from the water with his tongue, as a dog laps, you shall set apart by himself; likewise everyone who gets down on his knees to drink.”  And the number of those who lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, was three hundred men; but all the rest of the people got down on their knees to drink water.” (Judges 7: 5-6). In going against the Midianites, one that considers assigning men that lapped from water over ones that got on their knees to drink water would have been considered foolish.

At all times, regardless of how foolish it sounds, God’s preference should always prevail over our best reference. The number of men to go to battle against the Midianites was eventually cut down to three hundred men from thirty two thousand; this is foolishness by human reasoning. To man, it is suicidal to go to war after ending up with such a small number. Thirty thousand seems to be the right way and not the foolish way. Always remember the word of Proverbs 14:12, “There is a way that seems right to a man but its end is the way of death.” Jerubbaal did not take the path that seems right, he simply obeyed God’s word without complain nor doubt and went with three hundred. Are you fighting a battle yet looking to human wisdom to sustain you? It does not matter how tough our challenges presents itself, focusing on God is enough to assurance for victory (John16:33).

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace to be constantly obedient to His word.

FAITH CAPSULE: Deny stopover in your journey; allow God to take over.

Genesis 11:31, 12:1-9

The book of Genesis 11:31-32 recorded, “And Terah took his son Abram and his grandson Lot, the son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, his son Abram’s wife, and they went out with them from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to the land of Canaan; and they came to Haran and dwelt there. So the days of Terah were two hundred and five years, and Terah died in Haran.” Abraham’s father Terah left for Canaan land ever before God called Abraham to go to Canaan. Terah started his journey to Canaan without plan to dwell in Haran but ended up dwelling in Haran and not get to Canaan. One would always wonder what is it that has caused Terah to start a journey and not get to the end of his journey. Could it have been that the comfort in Haran got Terah stagnated? Have you engaged any journey or uncompleted assignment? It is time to begin to pay attention to God for direction which will see you through to the center of God’s divine agenda for your life.

Terah lived for two hundred and fifty years. With so many years on his side he could not get through to his original destination. The reason for Terah’s stagnation was not recorded. However, every new journey demands a separation from the old. To start a journey and not complete is an incomplete encounter. It was the same Haran that God called Abraham out to go.

Whenever there is a move or a start of a new journey there is a clear indication that multitude is bound to cause distraction or denial from getting to the expected end. When God called Abraham to Canaan, it was with clear direction which was not in place for Terah his father. God instructed Abraham, “Now the LORD had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, From your family And from your father’s house, To a land that I will show you.  I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing.  I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (Genesis 12:1-3) Abraham engaged his journey with God’s instruction. Have you engaged any journey or assignment where stagnation is beginning to manifest? Engaging God for direction is a disengagement from incomplete journey.

A journey without God’s direction will experience stopover like that of Terah. Deny stopover in your journey by allowing God’s direction to take over. Abraham did not dwell in stopover because God took over for the start of his journey. God is a faithful God and He will see you through if you are willing to go through.

Prayer for today: Ask God to enable you in getting to your expected end in the journey that you have embarked on.