FAITH CAPSULE: Meditate the word of God to carry is presence.

Genesis 39, Daniel 3

Meditate the word of God to carry is presence. God told Joshua to meditate on the word day and night because meditation will cause God not to leave Joshua nor forsake him. Do you meditate the word of God day and night? Are you aware of His presence in your life day and night? Claiming that God will not leave you nor forsake you without carrying His presence continuously is an error.

Identity of those who are sure of His presence is boldness and character to declare God in the face of life terminating challenge. God is faithful to decorate anyone who makes a declaration of Him in the face of challenges. Once, Joseph refused to settle for sin by declaring His God when his master’s wife approached him to lie with her. It is written, “But he refused and said to his master’s wife, “Look, my master does not know what is with me in the house, and he has committed all that he has to my hand.  There is no one greater in this house than I, nor has he kept back anything from me but you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” (Genesis 39:8-9)
Joseph declared God to his master’s wife that God does not tolerate wickedness because wickedness is sin. Joseph declared God and God decorated Him and he eventually became a Prime Minister despite suffering for his declaration as a prisoner.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, the three friends of Daniel, refused to worship gold image. They responded to King’s death sentence through a burning fiery furnace by making a declaration, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter.  If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king.  But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.” (Daniel 3:16-18)
In response to three friends of Daniel declaration, God came down to decorate them right there in the burning fiery furnace. King Nebuchadnezzar saw the miracle and declared, “Look!” he answered, “I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.” (Daniel 3:25) The presence of God made the three friends to thrive in the face of terminating challenge. With God for you, the enemy cannot be more powerful.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace upon the three friends of Daniel to answer you for deliverance and preservation.

FAITH CAPSULE: Jesus, the Light of God is passing by do not be quiet.

Mark 8:22-26, Mark 10:46-52

Jesus in one of His trip was set to depart Jericho when blind Bartimaeus, from his Road Side Begging Office heard that Jesus was passing. Blind Bartimaeus reacted, “…Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” (Mark 10:47) Bartimaeus reaction to his hearing that Jesus was passing caused Jesus to stand still. Jesus could not continue His trip until He attended fully to blind Bartimaeus request. Interesting how a blind man heard and provoke his own deliverance from blindness. Today, many with two eyes to see are actually hearing His passing by but remains in the dark. They are spiritual blinded and physically stagnated.

Jesus declared in John 8:12, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” Indeed and in truth, Jesus is the light of the world that no darkness will ever be able to comprehend but yet many make the choice to remain in the darkness. Bartimaeus the blind only heard about the passing by of Jesus and he made the choice not remain in darkness.

The same book of Mark recorded the encounter of a blind man in Bethsaida with Jesus the light of the world. Despite Jesus’ coming to where the blind man was, the blind man does not have what it takes to engage his miracle unlike Bartimaeus who cried out for his miracle breakthrough. The blind man of Bethsaida had the Light of God, but there was no sight for him to see. How long have you been carrying the word of God with you but yet unable to see? In attempt to give the blind man another sight, Jesus took him out of the town away from every kind of distraction. Jesus spit on his eyes yet he could not see. How often have you been out of distraction unto separation and yet nothing happened? Unlike blind Bartimaeus, the blind man of Bethsaida was blindly blinded. Jesus spit on the blind man of Bethsaida’s eyes yet there was no clarity of sight. An eye without clear sight is same as half knowledge in the word of God. The presence of Jesus, the Light of God, around the blind man was not enough for him to gain sight to see clearly. Instead of seeing clearly, he could only see men walking like trees. Are you experiencing the same situation like the blind man? Jesus knew that the blind man of Bethsaida needed to see clearly, so He could not release him on his own. As a result, “…put His hands on his eyes again and made Him look up. And he was restored and saw everyone clearly.” (Mark 8:25) The Light of God is passing by do not be quiet, engage your own miracle breakthrough just like Bartimaeus.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace not to miss your miracle breakthrough when it is passing by.

FAITH CAPSULE: To walk close to God is to walk before Him.

Proverbs 4:20-21, Ezekiel 3:1-11

When man walks far from the word man will become far from God. To walk far from God is to be close to falling. It does not matter who you are or the kind of title you answer, walking far from God is the avenue to fall away and fail. The word of God is God. Going far from the word by not spending time studying the word on a regular basis is the way not to acknowledge God for what He did. Whenever man does not acknowledge God for what He has done there will be no heart of thanksgiving. Truly, it is the ones who know to think that will know to give thanks. Acknowledging God for what he has done will provoke one to give a hearty thanks to God.

Walk close to His word and not go far from Him.
God spoke through Jeremiah to the children of Israel, “What injustice have your fathers found in Me, that they have gone far from Me, Have followed idols, And have become idolaters? Neither did they say, ‘Where is the LORD, Who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, Who led us through the wilderness, through a land of deserts and pits, through a land of drought and the shadow of death, through a land that no one crossed and where no one dwelt?’”  (Jeremiah 2:4-6) It is important to constantly meditate and know it that God is a jealous God. Giving Him continuous attention by identifying Him as He who saw you through in the past and acknowledging Him for the present is important. At the time He was speaking through Jeremiah, the children of Israel had failed to do what is right by not identifying Him for the past and not acknowledging Him for the present.

When we walk close to His word there is not going to be a place for rebellious act to God. God wants us to hear and receive His word to heart. God said to Ezekiel, “Son of man, receive into your heart all My words that I speak to you, and hear with your ears.” (Ezekiel 3:10) Evidently, the word of God is directed to go to the heart of man whose ear is open to the word. The point here is, give attention to the word of God by allowing your ear to give preference to the word of God. With attention in place for the word to enter, seeing in the word to gain direction shall become man’s portion. Find time to attend and listen to the word; gain understanding and begin to see direction to walk close to God. To walk close to God is to walk before Him.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace to begin to hear and see in His word of direction.

FAITH CAPSULE: Commit to the word of God and it will lead you in the way of God.

Numbers 20:1-13, Psalm 103,

In His way, there is direction and grace to live to the fulfillment of divine assignment. His way reveals His act. In His acts, there is power confirmation; there is deliverance and there is total victory. Psalm 103:7, “He made known His ways to Moses, His acts to the children of Israel.” It is absolutely impossible to follow the ways of the Lord and not arrive at a final destination. Likewise, one cannot see His acts and not tremble at the awesomeness of His power. The acts of God are the invention of His word and His word encased His way. The children of Israel were privileged to see His actions; they saw the move of God’s power so many times during the days in the wilderness. They saw the Red Sea open up to them to provide dry land as a passage. They saw how the firstborn of all the Egyptian masters died while their firstborns were safe. Despite all which they witnessed, those Israelites who left Egypt and whose age was twenty and above never arrived at their expected end. The Israelites despised the word of God and they were destroyed.

The word of God warned, “He who despises the word will be destroyed, but he who fears the commandment will be rewarded.” (Proverbs 13:13) Caleb and Joshua were the only ones that did not despised the word of God. Both Caleb and Joshua did not fail to keep their faith in His acts which gave them direction. In the past days, weeks, months, and years, if you have seen the wonder work of His hand rest and be assured that you have seen His way. However, your title or position is not a license to foolishness (Fool says there is no God by action or by word of confession). Avoid foolishness fear Him and trust Him to lead you through in His way.

Moses, a giant in the hand of the Lord, could not get to the expected end because he failed to fully obey God. When he was commanded by God to speak to a rock for water provision he struck the rock twice (Numbers 20:11-12) Moses saw the Land of Promise, but could not set foot on the land. Are you paying attention to the Word of God? It has never changed and it will remain the same. The unchanging changer will change your situation if you will engage His Word for a favorable lifting in the days, weeks, months and years ahead of you. Commit to the word of God and it will lead you in the way of God. Will you commit your way to His ways and trust in Him?

Prayer for today: Ask Him for the grace to keep you going in His ways.

FAITH CAPSULE: Get the understanding that the Word of God is God.

Exodus 33:12-23, John 1:1-18

It is written, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God.  All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.” (John 1:1-3) The scriptural verse above clearly identifies it that there is no need for theologian’s interpretation to get the understanding that the Word of God is God.
Moses asked from God, “Now therefore, I pray, if I have found grace in Your sight, show me now Your way, that I may know You and that I may find grace in Your sight. And consider that this nation is Your people.” (Exodus 33:13) He wanted direction by asking for the way of God. God responded back to Moses, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” (Exodus 33:14) Obviously Gods response to Moses’ request for the way of God indicates that Gods presence is God’s way. The way of God is the word of God and the word of God is His presence. Every God fearing man like Moses should know better not to make a move outside of His way.

Once, He revealed His way to King Saul through His Prophet Samuel, “Now go and attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them. But kill both man and woman, infant and nursing child, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.” (1 Samuel 15:3) King Saul moved in response to the word of God. It is written, “But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs, and all that was good, and were unwilling to utterly destroy them. But everything despised and worthless, that they utterly destroyed.” (1 Samuel 15:9) Saul moved in a way that seems right to him not according to the way of God. No matter how much the way seems right to you, if it is not the way of God it is the way of man. Proverbs 14:12 warned, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” Do not be wise in your own eyes to ever mistake your way for the way of God regardless of how it is pleasing to man. Heaven withdrew King Saul from retaining the royal crown as the King of the Israelites. People saw him to be king while God already packed him up. He went the way which seems right to him.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace not to engage the way that seems right to you but to constantly engage His way.