FAITH CAPSULE: Claiming to be a believer is not enough, but aiming to be like Him is.

Luke 6:20-49

Jesus taught about the true way into the Kingdom. Jesus stated, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.” (Matthew 7:21) Indeed many are saying to Him, ‘Lord, Lord,’ today and they are saying it with more eloquence, but He is not evident in their life. What the Lord was saying here was that those that are calling on God without doing the will of the Father are bound to miss the Kingdom of heaven. How long have you been saying, ‘Lord, Lord? Can you sincerely declare that you have been doing the will of the Father? Doing the will of the Father is not only in going to church, prayer meetings, and every other function or church activities.

It is important to do His will. It is doing the will of the father that qualifies one as a believer not by calling Him Lord. Jesus stated in Luke 6:46-47, “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say? 47 Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like.” Doing the will of Jesus is in coming to Him, hearing what he has to say, and doing what He says.

It is written, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.” (Revelation 3:20) Jesus is at the door knocking, calling on man. Clearly, so many are not answering; so many came to Him; so many are still coming to Him, but so many are not doing what He asked for.  Claiming to be a believer is not enough, but aiming to be like Him is. Following His word is what believing in Him is all about. Jesus was asked “Then they said to Him, “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?” Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God that you believe in Him whom He sent.” (John 6:28-29)The will of God is for all to work the works God. To work the works of God is to believe in whom that sent Jesus. All the acclaimed believers that have been coming without doing the words are not doing the will. However, not doing the will is not walking in line with God.

Prayer for today: Ask God to take over your moments that you may work the works of God and not miss the Kingdom of Heaven.

FAITH CAPSULE: Acts of complaining are acts of rebellion.

Exodus 15

The coming out of bondage of over four hundred years was a great testimony for the children of Israel. Such testimony is not to be a quiet one, but to be a testimony to what God can do. It is to be a constant reminder, energizing a believer in the journey of life. Just as they came out of bondage and set for their journey to the Promised Land, they ran into a stumbling block. Pharaoh’s chariots came behind them and they were bewildered by the land, closed up by the wilderness. For the children of Israel, there was nowhere to turn to, but to face the forces of Pharaoh or jump and die in the Red Sea.

Does that sound like you? Trust that you serve a miracle working God; a God that makes a way where there is no way. God showed up on their behalf, and made a way in the middle of the Red Sea. God did not only make an ordinary passage, but He made a substantial way. It is written, “So the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea on the dry ground, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.” (Exodus 14: 22) God made a way for His children to give and retain life. However, God made way’s for His children became a death trap to adversary of His children.

When God is for you whatever stand against you will fall for you.  Trust that when God is behind you He is also ahead of you and the enemy can never be more powerful. The Israelites, after having passed through the Red Sea quickly forgot what the Lord had done. By forgetting, they entered into rebellious acts against the Lord God. The bible recorded, “And the people complained against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” (Exodus 15:23-24) The complaint to Moses was an indirect complaint unto God that sent Moses. Acts of complaining are acts of rebellion. All that could have been done was for them to cry to God that made a way where there is was no way. Are you quickly forgetting what the Lord has done? Right after God responded by providing water to drink where there is no water, the Israelites, “…came to Elim, where there were twelve wells of water and seventy palm trees; so they camped there by the waters.” (Exodus 15:27) God was also a head of them. If they had remembered what He had done, they would have known that He is ahead of them in challenging times. The Lord has not forgotten you. Always remember what He has done to provoke His hand that He may add more than your imagination as you journey through in this life.

Prayer for today: Ask God to deliver you from every spirit of complaining. Ask for the grace to constantly remember what He has done and what He can do.

FAITH CAPSULE: With joy, become present in His presence.

Acts 16

In your worship (serving or praising God) disallow worrying but allow joy to be present, so you can be present in His presence. The Psalmist stated in Psalm 16:11, “You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy…” Think of it, if you have missed His presence, how can you claim to have worshiped Him? Many services are being rendered unto Him, but only the Lord knows how many are actually getting to His presence. Worshiping God can be looked at from different angles, but it has to be in the fullness of joy. Worshiping God is not only a religious celebration whereby religious program thrives or where emotions are high. Worshiping God can be in a time of great challenges where all ways to having life abundantly has become a thing of frustration or stagnation.

The apostle Paul and Silas demonstrated what worshiping in a time of challenges with joy could do in Acts 16:25-26, “But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were loosed. ” What happened to Paul and Silas was not a make-believe story, it was a true life documentation, that is written for our learning. Worshiping God to gain His presence is only possible through joy.

It is important to know and constantly praise God with joy but not with burden that follows man to the place of worship. Paul and Silas were at the point of death, but they did not let their challenge interfered their worshiping of God. Paul and Silas must have praised with joy when God showed up for their deliverance from the prison of life. Truly, “Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised, in the city of our God, in His holy mountain. Beautiful in elevation, the joy of the whole earth…” (Psalm 48:1-2)  By going through the pages of the Bible, it should not take forever to clearly identify that joy is the key for living a victorious life. Isaiah 12:3, “Therefore with joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.” By virtue of Paul’s experience, he stated in Philippians 4:4, “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!” Without joy, God is not accessible. Laughing or smiling is not an expression of rejoicing, before Him. Rejoicing goes deeper into the heart and it is about knowing and trusting that He is beautiful for all situations.

Prayer for today:  Ask for the joy of the Lord to fill you up; ask for His to joy overwhelm you in every area of life.

FAITH CAPSULE: What you hear you see and what you see you receive and begin to do.

Joshua 1

Jesus stated, “He who is of God hears God’s words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God.” (John 8:47) Ones that truly hear will see and what you see you receive and begin to do (becomes a life style) God repeatedly pointed out to Joshua the key to be able to do His word. To be able to do the word of God is encased in knowing to observe the word. The word which one constantly observes is the word that one will do. God pointed out that meditating is what Joshua needed in order to be able to observe and to do according to His word. 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.” If the word was not to depart from Joshua’s mouth then it became more of his language. The word was to be all that he constantly chews morning day and night. Can you imagine chewing the word of God that is like fire and hammer as often as it is required?

It is a blessing to be able to observe and to do according to what is written. The ability to be able to observe and do what is written will bring the blessing of prosperity and good success. With the blessings of prosperity and good success comes the peace of God. As a believer, do you wonder what exactly to meditate on in the voluminous Bible? Philippians 4:8 clearly identifies example of what is worthy of our meditation stating, “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.” As much as all of these good reports are written throughout the pages of the Bible, good reports are also evident in everyday life that surrounds us. These are all that we need to constantly meditate on because they are what we learn in the word of God. The ability to be able to meditate and observe to do will no doubt bring forth the peace of God just as it is written in Philippians 4:9, “The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.”

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace to begin to meditate more on His word.

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.