FAITH CAPSULE: Asking from Him is an evidence of faith.

Mark 10: 46-52, John 5:1-15, John 6:1-14,

At Sheep Gate a pool, Jesus paid an unexpected visit. At the pool there was a great multitude of sick people always waiting for the moving of the water. It was a pool where healing was taking place whenever an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease in their life. It was at the pool Jesus saw a certain man with thirty-eight years infirmity. It is written, ^“When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, “Do you want to be made well?”” (John 5:6) How could Jesus, the One who is the healing healer, the eternal surgeon not know there was a need for healing?
Jesus was also checking out of Jericho with His disciples when He encountered a great multitude including blind Bartimaeus. The Bible recorded, ^“And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”(Mark 10:47) Bartimaeus resisted those who asked him to keep quiet as he persistently cried out to Jesus. His persistence caught the attention of Jesus and He, “…answered and said to him, “What do you want Me to do for you?” (Mark 10:51) Again how could Jesus, the one who reverses the irreversible not know there was a need for the blind man to regain his sight.
Jesus got himself and His disciples to the place that called for the feeding of five thousand; there was no food physically in place. John 6:5-6, “Then Jesus lifted up His eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming toward Him, He said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?” But this He said to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do.” How could Jesus, the One that is in charge of meeting needs in the place of lack, not know what He would do? Jesus knew what He would do and He had answer in His hand before questioning. Do you know what to do to come out of stagnation of life?
Jesus questioned to provoke asking so that He will not violate His word which commanded us, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” (Mathew 7:7) Do not be too quiet and miss your victory, open your mouth and ask as commanded. Asking is an evidence of faith, not to ask or to stop asking when answer is yet to be delivered is an evidence of lack of faith. He is answer to all of our questions. Ask Jesus!

Prayer for today: Ask for the understanding and grace to know to ask and not shut out your miracle.

FAITH CAPSULE: Praise God at all times and He will not fail to locate you for your uplifting.

2 Kings 9:1-13

David testifies in Psalm3:3, “But You, O Lord, are a shield for me, my glory and the One who lifts up my head.” (Psalm 3:3) Truly, the only one that lifts man up is the unquestionable all Mighty creator. God will call or raise man for His glory without been questioned. He called Peter while he was a fisherman and converted him to be fisher of men. The same God called Saul out when he was on His way to persecute the followers of Christ. The calling changed Saul to Paul. By virtue of the calling of both Peter and Paul, they lived life to the glory of God.
When it was time for God to raise Jehu, He moved Elisha to instruct his servant, “Now when you arrive at that place, look there for Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi, and go in and make him rise up from among his associates, and take him to an inner room. Then take the flask of oil, and pour it on his head, and say, ‘Thus says the LORD’: ‘I have anointed you king over Israel.’ Then open the door and flee, and do not delay.” (2 Kings 9:2-3) No man determines for God. Nothing qualified Jehu but God Himself qualified him and by that, no man could disqualify him. Jehu was raised from among his associates right after the anointing, “Then each man hastened to take his garment and put it under him on the top of the steps; and they blew trumpets, saying, ‘Jehu is king!’” (2 Kings 9:13) Jehu was made to rise up from among his associates to become a king.
There is no calculation as to how or who is next for God to lift up. However, it is certain that those who praise Him with understand will be raised up into His presence.  To be in His presence is to be above every plan and purpose of the wicked ones. Praise God anywhere and anytime with your whole heart. God does have His way of lifting man.
Why not constantly engage praising God as your avenue to be raised by God? The way He moved for Peter is different from that of Paul. He is not a stagnant God. Praising God with understanding will raise one to the presence of God. In your sacrifice of praise which is reasonable to God, you can possibly be raised. Praise God and ask Him to raise you up from every ungodly associate, every association of failure and every associate that is slowing you down by delaying and distracting you from what God has called you to be for His glory. Praise God at all times and He will not fail in raising you.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace to be constant in praising Him.

FAITH CAPSULE: Weakened faith will waver in the process of waiting.

Romans 4

Waiting on God and not wavering is a demonstration of faith in God. It will deny worrying and enable a reasonable worship to God. Are you exposed to any confronting situation that seems like there is no way out? In your situation, days, weeks, months, and years turned to a season of challenge. It is not time to give up concerning your confronting situation but, it is time to continue to keep on hoping on Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly meeting your expectation. It is written, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, But when the desire comes, it is a tree of life.” (Proverbs 13:12) God will never fail to deliver for those who truly hope and wait on Him. Remember, “…Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.” (Psalm 30:5)
God spoke through Jeremiah to the children of Israel that were in captivity, “For thus says the LORD: After seventy years are completed at Babylon, I will visit you and perform My good word toward you, and cause you to return to this place. For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:10-11) Any situation of captivity will make no difference when there is a steadfast reliance on the authority which is in the word of God. The children of Israel were supposed to wait for seventy years for the Lord to bring them back from captivity. Do you know how long it will take you to come out from where you have found yourself? One thing is certain; the word of God will not fail in the life of those who hope and turn to Him for a way out. The word that was sent to those that were in Babylon, is speaking to all that are exposed to confronting situation.
Father Abraham waited for the promise of God for almost one hundred years. Abraham was described in Romans 4: 19-21, “And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform.” For almost one hundred years Abraham’s faith was not weakened. A weakened faith will lead to wavering in the process of waiting. Wavering is also an evidence of not remembering the promises of God and sometimes testifies to lack of God’s presence in the life of a believer. Be steadfast in hope, gain full confidence in the promises of God and be secured from every trace of unbelief.

Prayer for today: Ask that the Lord God will grant you grace which keeps man from wavering and failing from believing the word of His promise.

FAITH CAPSULE: The absence of His knowledge in you is the evidence of your presence in the world.

1 John 3

Do you desire to dwell in the presence of the Lord? If you are one who desires to dwell in His presence there is a need to amend your ways and your doings. One who is able to amend his/her way will walk in the knowledge of His will. In Colossians 1:9-11 Paul prayed, “For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy.” Paul’s prayer is worth of constant meditation for all that desire to dwell in Him. Walking in the word of God is doing the will of God. To know God is to be in Him and Him in you.

Having been in the church for long or having the ability to memorize and be conversant in quoting the word is not a determinant of knowing Him. It is written, “Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments.” (1 John 2:3) Talking about the commandment of God is not an evidence of knowing God but keeping His commandment is the evidence of knowing Him. Many talk about the commandments of God but few are demonstrating the life of one who keeps His commandments. 1 John 2:4-6, “He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.” The word of God is true. God does not lie and He will not look away from the manifestation of His word. In this world of challenge there is no better place to abide but in the word of God. Determination will not help to dwell in the word; when there is desire to dwell, God will deposit what it takes to dwell in His word into your life. “Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in Him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.” (1 John 3:24)

Prayer for today: Ask God to fill you with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.

FAITH CAPSULE: God will perfect that which He purpose for your life.

Exodus 14, 2 Samuel 5:1-5

God alone will resolve all the unsolvable in your life. He alone knows and has all it takes to make a way where there is no way. Exodus 14:21 testifies , “Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea into dry land, and the waters were divided.” God by His infinite power made a dry land in the sea. What is it that God cannot do? He is worth of all glory, honor and adoration. The psalmist admonished, “Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob, Who turned the rock into a pool of water, the flint into a fountain of waters. (Psalm 114:7-8)
The mountain that was before David was created by King Saul in attempt to deny him where the Lord was taking him. Saul’s mountain fell when he died and David eventually became the king according to God’s plan. It is written, “Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and spoke, saying, ‘Indeed we are your bone and your flesh.  Also, in time past, when Saul was king over us, you were the one who led Israel out and brought them in; and the LORD said to you, ‘You shall shepherd My people Israel, and be ruler over Israel.’’ Therefore all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and King David made a covenant with them at Hebron before the LORD. And they anointed David king over Israel.” (2 Samuel 5:1-3) King David was anointed the third time. The first time was when Samuel anointed David, the second time was his rule over Judah and the third was his rule over the whole of Israelites. When all avenues for David to be king seem to be blocked God made a way for him. The word of God came to pass in the life of David because God never fail. All that the Lord has spoken into your life for your breakthrough will not fail but will come to pass to the glory of God.
2 Samuel 5:4-5 document it, “David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years. In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty-three years over all Israel and Judah.” The time David spent in running and hiding for his life because of Saul’s attempt to terminate God’s plan for his life was nothing to compare with the years which he spent reigning and ruling as God ordained. God will perfect that which He purpose for your life.

Prayer for today: Ask God to cause His face to shine on you, to enable you to  live to the fulfillment of His plan for your life.