FAITH CAPSULE: It is important to know who you are and the One you answer to.

Acts 9

What is the name man calls you? Are you being called by your challenge? God is the unchanging changer and He is perfect to reverse every irreversible. He alone remembers with favor and visit with salvation. God will remember you at His appointed time and you will have a name change, a name that glorifies His Holy name shall become the name you answer to.

It is written, “Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren.” (Luke 1:36) Her name was Elizabeth not Barren which call her. No man had any idea of what God was going to do with her when they were calling her barren. When God visited her, mockery was converted to miracle and she became the mother of John the Baptist. After Jesus, there was none like John in the bible days. Watch out, God is going to visit you the same way He visited Elizabeth and turned her story around for His glory.

Again, it is written, “Now they came to Jericho. As He went out of Jericho with His disciples and a great multitude, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the road begging. 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 10:46-47) Blind Bartimaeus was his popular name. Despite the fact that they know his father’s name (Timaeus), they could not call him out without adding blind to his name. On his day of visitation he disregarded many from keeping him quiet. Many warned him to be quiet; but he cried out all the more until Jesus gave him a standstill attention and his story was changed from blind Bartimaeus to one that followed Jesus.

The bible documents, “Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest  and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.” (Acts 9:1-2) He was Saul the adversary of the brethren. Jesus located him on his way to wicked act against followers of Jesus. In that encounter with Jesus, he had a change of name from Saul to Paul the Apostle. He was transformed from agent of destroyer to agent of deliverance. Whatever man calls you is the evidence of limited understanding about what God can do with your life. However, it is important to know who you are and the One you answer to. Be encouraged in the Lord and you shall live to the fulfillment of your destiny in Christ Jesus.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace not to miss the time of His visitation for your life.

FAITH CAPSULE: Are you too quiet not to be victorious?

Daniel 6

Is your crying consistent and loud enough to get heaven’s attention? Are you too quiet not to be victorious? The word encourages us to open our mouth loud. It is written, “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt; open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.” (Psalm 81:10) Crying out loud is not an evidence of weakness it is a demonstration of trust and understanding that God attends to His children. Jesus points out, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” (John 10:27) If we know His voice, He definitely knows our voice. Also, if we are hearing His voice, He will also hear our voice too. Do you have a voice in heaven which can be recognized when you cry out?

King David was so sure of his voice in heaven when he stated, “As for me, I will call upon God, and the Lord shall save me. Evening and morning and at noon I will pray, and cry aloud, and He shall hear my voice.” (Psalm 55:16-17) A very bold statement is the evidence of full assurance. He made a bold statement, “As for me” David made it known how to get heaven’s attention. Calling loud all day will get heaven’s attention. Is it your custom to be calling on God in the evening hour, morning hour and noon? Those who make calling on God their way of life do so regardless of their challenge. Does that sound like you? If so, you must be having a voice in heaven and all you need is to know not to be quiet before God when you call for heaven’s attention.

Just like David, Daniel had a voice in heaven. Calling day and night was Daniel’s custom. It is written, “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 6:10) In the face of challenge, he did not shy and could not be kept shut. He went and engaged his life style which is accustomed to praying three times a day. To cry out when need calls for will provoke heaven on behalf of those with registered voice in heaven. When it was time for Jesus to wake Lazarus he cried out loud. It is written, “And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me. Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!”
Do not be quiet in your seeking God.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace to seek Him more than ever before.

FAITH CAPSULE: The key for the move of God’s outstretched hand total obedience.

Exodus 12

The midnight is an hour of taking battle to the front of the enemy. Midnight hour is an hour of great deliverance when uncommon miracle by the outstretched of God is manifested. When God promised deliverance for the Israelites out of the bondage of over four hundred years, He told Moses, “But I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not even by a mighty hand. So I will stretch out My hand and strike Egypt with all My wonders which I will do in its midst; and after that he will let you go.” (Exodus 3:19-20) Indeed and in truth, the outstretch hand of God moved, “And it came to pass at midnight that the Lord struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of livestock.  So Pharaoh rose in the night, he, all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was not a house where there was not one dead.” (Exodus 12:29-30) Through the pages of the bible, there is no other wonder such as God’s outstretch hand against Pharaoh and his people at a midnight hour. Is there any area where you are experiencing bondage or stagnation?

Pharaoh reacted to the move of God’s outstretch hand of the midnight hour, “Then he called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, “Rise, go out from among my people, both you and the children of Israel. And go; serve the Lord as you have said. Also take your flocks and your herds, as you have said, and be gone; and bless me also.” (Exodus 12:31-32) In addition to the Israelites freedom from the bondage at the midnight hour, by the outstretch hand of God they were also rewarded for their years of slave work. It is written, “And the Lord had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they granted them what they requested. Thus they plundered the Egyptians.” (Exodus 12:36) At your midnight hour, deliverance will answer at full scale. God will cause you to plunder your enemy by virtue of recovering all that has been stolen from you.

The key for the move of God’s outstretched hand on behalf of the Israelites was their obedience to God’s command through Moses. The word testifies, “Then the children of Israel went away and did so; just as the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did.” (Exodus 12:28) Is there any act of obedience to be engaged before experiencing your midnight miracle of the outstretch hand of God? Obedience to God’s command is key to the manifestation of the midnight outstretch hand of God miracle.

Prayer for today: Ask for God’s mercy for your all round deliverance.

FAITH CAPSULE: It could be that it is time to cry out for His divine intervention.

2 Chronicles 18: 28-34, Mark 10:46-52

When Ahab the King of Israel invited Jehoshaphat the King of Judah to join forces with him against  Ramoth Gilead, he refused to listen to the warning of true prophesy of Micaiah not to go to war but listened to the prophesy of his chosen four hundred prophets. When it was time to go war, Ahab the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “…I will disguise myself and go into battle; but you put on your robes.” So the king of Israel disguised himself, and they went into battle.” (2 Chronicles 18:29) Despite true prophesy not to go into the battle, he decided to go by way of disguising himself. In life there is no way to violate the truth of God. King Ahab went on as planned but the battle turned out against his plan. King Jehoshaphat did not disguise but depended on God. As the battle intensified Jehoshaphat was surrounded. The bible recorded, “…when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, that they said, “It is the king of Israel!” Therefore they surrounded him to attack; but Jehoshaphat cried out, and the Lord helped him, and God diverted them from him.” (2Chronicles 18:31) Ahab made the choice to disguise yet he was destroyed in the hand of his enemy. There is no way unto salvation in any area of life but to call on the savior. Who are you crying out to? Regardless of the nature of our challenge, we only need to know and cry out to God.

Does your situation sound like that of a stranded one? It could be that it is time for you to call on Jesus for His divine intervention. During the days of Bartimaeus, Jesus was moving from one location to another location and Bartimaeus was in the right location to encounter Jesus when he cried out loud for mercy. It could be that it is time for you to identify and accept that your challenge needs a loud cry. When you cry, ignore the multitude that surround you and cry out loud to Jesus for divine intervention. When you cry, call Him like you know Him not like you know about Him. Bartimaeus demonstrated that he did not just know about Jesus when he called out as one that knew all about Him. The ignorance of the crowd that followed Jesus limited there understanding and they attempted to stop Bartimaeus from calling. Bartimaeus knew Jesus’ identity that was not common and he cried out and called, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Do you know Him enough to call Him to a standstill and have Him attend to you? In the calling of Bartimaeus, “…Jesus stood still and commanded Him to be called” (Mark 10:49) The Blind man received his sight and followed Jesus on the road. (Mark 11:52) Jehoshaphat did not disguise but cried out loud and was saved.

Prayer for today: Ask God to open your understand and know to live right for His glory.

FAITH CAPSULE: Be steadfast not to contradict the journey to advance.

Genesis 19:12-26, Daniel 1

It is time to advance in the calling of the Lord. In the process of making advance in the Lord’s calling upon your life, trust God for a clean heart and a steadfast spirit. In addition to a clean heart and steadfast spirit, maintain focus and let the past be in the past by ignoring the multitude in your life. Maintaining focus is crucial to making advance in the calling of the Lord.  Focus will keep man from distraction. A failure to maintain focus will pass man to distraction. Distraction comes along with sudden and untimely death for its victims.

Daniel, young in captivity maintained focus when he purposed in his heart not to defile God. It happened that the king appointed for them a daily provision of the king’s delicacies and of the wine which he drank, and three years of training for them. It sounds good for a young captive to accept provision of the king. To Daniel it was considered as anti-focus when he made the choice to maintain focus. It is written, “But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank; therefore he requested of the chief of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.” (Daniel 1:8) Daniel kept himself to become a vessel for God and he made advancement everywhere he turned to. Daniel engaged his journey in captivity with a purposeful heart. He allowed God to reign in his life when he refused to defile his body (the temple of God). Daniel was steadfast not to contradict his journey to advance.

Lot’s wife could not let the past be in the past she disregarded the command of God which states, “Escape for your life! Do not look behind you nor stay anywhere in the plain. Escape to the mountains, lest you be destroyed.” (Genesis 19:17) Lot’s wife did the opposite when she looked back and became a pillar of salt (Genesis19:26) Whatever Lot’s wife was looking for in her past represents a multitude (unnecessary baggage). The multitude in her life caused her to become a pillar of salt and not escape as ordained for her by God. There is no one that goes forward by looking back. This also testifies that we cannot set sight on the past and be able to see what is ahead. The case of Lot’s wife is that of a shifted focus. Lot must have been steadfast looking forward to where the Lord was taking him and his family. Daniel could not allow any distraction because he was focus. It is time to advance in your calling and allow God’s name to be glorified over your life.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace to be steadfastly focused in every area of your calling.