FAITH CAPSULE: Man can control clock but not God’s timing.

Exodus 2

God alone is in control of time. Man can control clock but not God’s timing. Which time are you living in? Different times come and go and time waits for nobody. However, God is the only One who is in control of time. He alone is the Alpha and Omega; the beginning and the end. Above all, God is the only One who inhabits eternity. There are times of challenges and times of celebration. The perfect and consistent thing about God’s time and timing is that there is no man who can turn back or turn forward from answering for His purpose. When it was time for Joseph to be promoted from Prime Slave to Prime Minister, no devil under heaven could stop him. The brothers who sold him to slavery in an attempt to deny him from his divine schedule on earth were nowhere to be found. Challenges which followed Joseph through to his center of his divine assignment took time and no man could offset.
Moses attempted to deliver his brethren at his own time when he killed an Egyptian.  The Bible records it, “Now it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out to his brethren and looked at their burdens. And he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his brethren. So he looked this way and that way, and when he saw no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.” (Exodus 2:11-12) It was not God’s timing for the deliverance of the children of Israelites but it was Moses’ timing. Moses got it wrong and it took another forty years (at the least) from the attempted time of Moses before the time of God’s deliverance for the Israelites.

The Psalmist describes Him in Psalm 29:10, “The LORD sat enthroned at the flood, and the LORD sits as King forever.” All that happens to man does not catch God by surprise because He has taken a seat forever before the creation of His hand. Man can possibly and perfectly take control of turning the clock back and forth, but it will have no effect on God’s timing. God alone brings time to pass, but how every individual in the hand of God spends time is what will make the difference.
God will not mismanage His timing for His creation. It is good for His creation to know and understand that, the time of the day, time of the week or time of the year will not deny or disrupt God’s divine agenda for His children. God time is different and we are to only look up to God by waiting for every expectation to manifest at God’s timing.
Prayer for today: Ask God to have mercy on you according to His lovingkindness; according to the multitude of His tender mercies.

FAITH CAPSULE: If God calls you to move, He will equip you through.

Jonah 1

The source of faith is described in Romans 10:17, “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Have you heard from God about your next move? If He has called you, have you answered? There is no reasonable excuse not to answer to His calling. Fear is not enough to deny man obeying God’s command. Fear is not of God, but of the devil. Fear, the opposite of faith is not needed to rise in response to God’s calling. If God sends you, He will back you up. 1 Thessalonians 5:24 gave assurance of God’s backing for the called ones, “He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.” If God calls you to move, He will equip you through the journey of obedience. God alone is more than able to see you through. If you know that He called you, ignore all the confronting challenges which are set to discourage you. Be encouraged and not turn your back from answering to His calling.
“By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.” (Hebrews 11:7) Noah did not question or doubt the call to build an ark in a region where it hardly rains. There was a justifiable reason for Noah not to answer in obedience, but he justified is faithfulness in God by responding fully in obedience. Is there any tangible excuse for you not to respond and move like Noah moved in obedience?
God did not send angel or man when He called Jonah but He spoke by His word. It is written, “Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,  “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me.”  But Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid the fare, and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.” (Jonah 1:1-3) Noah received calling and responded fully in obedience. Jonah received calling and responded in his own way. Jonah did not do as God commanded him. Evidently, Jonah arose as commanded, but fled in opposite direction of the Lord’s command. Disobeying God’s command is an avenue to self-destruction; it is a way of death not of life. To disobey God is to displease Him. The book of Hebrew 11:6 buttress, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”  

Prayer for today: Ask God to open the eyes and ears of your heart that you become consistent obeying Him.

FAITH CAPSULE: Meditating the living word of God is a matchless way of keeping the heart.

Luke 22:1-23

The heart of man is described in the Bible, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it? (Jeremiah 17:9) The book of Ecclesiastes 9:3 went further identifying the heart of man, “This is an evil in all that is done under the sun: that one thing happens to all. Truly the hearts of the sons of men are full of evil; madness is in their hearts while they live, and after they go to dead.” Through the whole Bible it becomes evident that the heart is where the rise and fall of man begins. Most of the time, what flows through the heart of man is what makes or breaks man in the journey of life. It is how man keeps the heart that determines what man gets from living life. The word of God admonishes all stating, “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.” Are you keeping your heart? Keeping the heart by continually (a non-stop meditation) meditating the living word of God is a matchless and unfailing way of keeping the heart.
Judas Iscariot ate and drank with Jesus; he witnessed unusual miracles in the hand of Jesus. Despite all of his exposure to Christ his heart was not exposed to Jesus but to the devices of wickedness. It is written, “Then Satan entered Judas, surnamed Iscariot, who was numbered among the twelve. So he went his way and conferred with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray Him to them.” (Luke 22:3-4)  Betrayal, rebellion, and every other wicked act, operate from the heart, because the heart has always been the prime target for the Satan to get hold of man. Satan went after the heart of Judas, and he was able to establish his plan and purpose of betraying Jesus.
The only proven target for the enemy to strike is the heart. Mr. and Mrs. Ananias and Sapphira were not forced when they voluntarily sell their possession to buttress the fellowship of others, but they came up lying about the proceedings, “But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep part of the price of the land for yourself? (Acts 5:3) Hearts need to be constantly kept by prayer. King David prayed in Psalm 51:10, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” It is only the grace of God is enough to keep hearts from becoming a victim of the wicked one. What is the state of your heart?

Prayer for today: Ask God to take over your days and your moments, so your heart will be consecrated unto Him.

FAITH CAPSULE: Trusting God is resting in the face of challenge.

2 Samuel 5:17-25, Daniel 6

It is written, “Now when the Philistines heard that they had anointed David king over Israel, all the Philistines went up to search for David. And David heard of it and went down to the stronghold. The Philistines also went and deployed themselves in the Valley of Rephaim. So David inquired of the LORD, saying, ‘Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will You deliver them into my hand?’ And the LORD said to David, ‘Go up, for I will doubtless deliver the Philistines into your hand.’” (2 Samuel 5:17-19)
As strong as David was, by the grace of God upon his life, he did not act against the Philistines without seeking God. Seeking God in the face of challenge is an evidence of trust in God. Trusting God is resting in the face of challenge. David’s enemies were not at rest when they went searching for David. Resting on the Lord is waiting on Him by inquiring from Him on a regular basis.
David, having known to trust and rest on the word of God, went and engaged his enemies in battle. The Bible documents it, “So David went to Baal Perazim, and David defeated them there; and he said, ‘The LORD has broken through my enemies before me, like a breakthrough of water.’ Therefore he called the name of that place Baal Perazim.” (2 Samuel 5:20) God backing up His word for David was the breaking power over David’s enemy at Baal Perazim.
Trusting God is giving God His due attention. Giving God attention will always provoke the hand of God to favor those who give Him attention. A man that spends time in the presence of God before engaging daily agenda is one that knows to trust and rest in the Lord. God is a jealous God and the antidote for jealousy is giving attention to Him. To establish a custom way of approaching God will make up giving God a consistent attention. As a believer, there is a need to desire the grace to be constant and consistent inquiring from the Lord.
Just like David, Daniel’s victory over the plot to terminate him for not worshiping a false God was a result of his established custom. Daniel 6:10 identifies Daniel’s custom, “Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days.” Daniel trusted God and maintained his rest in God despite his challenge. Daniel overcame and was victorious.

Prayer for today:  Ask God for your deliverance and preservation in every area of life.

FAITH CAPSULE: One in charge shall give His angels charge over those who trust in Him.

Psalm 91

Trusting God is taking your steps through God because you know His name. Psalm 9:10 buttress, “And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; For You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You.” The name of God is power to deliver and to preserve. His name is trust worthy to instruct, lead and guide. The Psalmist buttress, “The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.” (Psalm 18:10) Are you running anywhere or looking outside of the name of God for your help?
The Psalmist confessed in confidence, “I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.” (Psalm 91:2) Only the ones who know to trust the Lord will testify having edge over challenges. In this world of challenges the only place of refuge and fortress is none other than the name of our Lord God. Refuge is a shelter or protection from danger. Fortress means any place of exceptional security. His name is indeed trust worthy. The Psalmist made statement of confession and confidence which can only be declared for no other god but the One and the only King of kings and the Lord of lords.
The Psalmist was so sure of his trust in the name of God stating, “For He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways.” (Psalm 91:11) For any believer that has come to the understanding of the name of God as a place of refuge and fortress, nothing works better than continuous engagement by meditating: “Lord give your angels charge over me, to keep me in all my ways” Where there is security, safe arrival at every expected end of journey certain.
It does not matter how troubled a journey is, “He shall give His angels charge over those who trust in Him.”  Peter was marked and set for death in the hand of King Herod. While he was in the prison bound in chains for his time of execution, “… 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!” And his chains fell off his hands. Then the angel said to him, “Gird yourself and tie on your sandals”; and so he did. And he said to him, “Put on your garment and follow me.”” (Acts 12:7-8) An angel was charged to keep Peter away from the death trap of King Herod. The same God who answered for Peter is the same God today. Trust in Him with the whole heart, He will not fail you.

Prayer for today: Ask the Lord God to help by making you to trust in Him all the days of your life.