FAITH CAPSULE: In waiting, wait only on Him and be of good courage.

Exodus 32:7-22

In your challenge, it could be that disappointments are by the day, weeks are not bringing forth expectations, months have rolled out, and years have gone by. Does that sound like you? Ask God for His grace to continue to stand as the season travails. One thing is certain, this season shall pass and your blessing will not pass you by as you continue to wait for God’s intervention. Encourage yourself in your waiting by holding to the promise of Isaiah 30:18, “Therefore the LORD will wait, that He may be gracious to you; And therefore He will be exalted, that He may have mercy on you. For the LORD is a God of justice; blessed are those who wait for Him.” There is no record of any who waits on God and become wasted. As a believer of the word of God, be rest assured that the Lord has been there for you just like He did for the children of Israel while in bondage in the hands of the Egyptians. God had visited them, yet they were still in bondage going through the process of time. God called on Moses and declared, “Go and gather the elders of Israel together, and say to them, ’The LORD God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared to me saying, “I have surely visited you and seen what is done to you in Egypt.”’” (Exodus 3:16) While they were still in bondage, crying out for deliverance, God had already visited them and concluded the plans for their deliverance. If you believe that the God they were crying and groaning to is also your God who you call on, be rest assured that He had already visited you.

As regard to the case of the Israelites in the bondage of Egypt, God mentioned to 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) Yours is coming and the enemy will let go. The same God is control of every challenge and the enemy cannot be more powerful. The outstretched hand of God is on your side. It is testified throughout the Bible, all the great exploits that the hand of the Lord has delivered. Wars have been won where there was no weapon to be used for battle and the same God will show up on your behalf. Understand and know it that there is no partiality with God. God never sleeps and He will not sleep over your confronting challenge. It does not matter how long you have been waiting, but it does matter that in waiting, wait only on Him and be of good courage.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace to remain focus that your faith will not fail.

FAITH CAPSULE: Despite their grueling challenge, they resolved to praying and praising instead of worrying and being anxious.

Acts 16: 16-34

In these days of all kinds of destructive challenges, to be steadfast in obeying the word of God is the key to having a struggle free life for a true believer of the word of God. Lack of trust in God is the evidence of disobedience. The Word of God says, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”(Philippians 4:6-7) It is easy to memorize and quote this verse but when a challenge shows up in an unexpected way, it is very difficult to remember not to be anxious.

Paul and Silas were faced with a life threatening challenge but there was no record of worry or anxiety in the course of their ordeal. After having been accused for teaching customs which were not lawful, they laid many stripes on them and threw them into the prison. Paul and Silas were kept in the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks. Despite their grueling challenge, they resolved to praying and praising instead of worrying and being anxious. The Bible recorded, “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.” (Acts 16:25-26)

As a believer, which area on your journey of life has become painful and exceedingly uncomfortable? How are you engaging your challenge? Is there any sign of worrying or anxiousness in your response? As a believer, if you will remain obedient to the living word of God He will be faithful to deliver you according to His promise“…For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5)  Allow the word of God to operate in your life. The word will only operate in the hearts that are simple. The simple ones are the ones who have the understanding to allow the word to become light. The profitability of the word is when it operates as light. Hebrews 4:2, “For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it.” Evidently, Paul and Silas had peace as they engage praying and praise in the face of their challenge.

Prayer for today: Ask for the word of God to have a place in your life.

FAITH CAPSULE: God is in the business of intervention with deliverance.

JOB 1

“Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4) Psalm 9:2, “I will be glad and rejoice in You; I will sing praise to your name, O most High.” Psalm 16:11, “In Your presence is fullness of joy…”  Proverbs 8:30, “…I was daily His delight, rejoicing always before Him.” All of the above quotations testifies to the truth, without joy no man is accessible to God. The Apostle Paul articulates this perfectly when he states, “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4) The Apostle Paul’s call for joy was expressed with clarity, emphasis and with a shout!
Children of God must go before the Lord with joy, when they meet with God. By this virtue, coming before God is celebrating in joy. Let it be clear that the evil one never shy away from where there is joy. His agenda is to convert joy to sadness. However, our calling is to maintain our joy regardless of challenges. Remember Job? Job 1:6-7, “Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them And the LORD said to Satan, “From where do you come?” So Satan answered the LORD and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it.” (Job 1:6-7) Satan’s interruption was and is always with bad intention. He is empowered to go to and fro looking for one to devour. He was able to secure his wish against Job. He initiated pain for Job where the sons of God are gathering in His presence. It is written in Job 1:11-12, “But now, stretch out Your hand and touch all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face!” And the LORD said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your power; only do not lay a hand on his person.” So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD.”” Can you imagine how in the place of celebration, joy is being tampered with? The wicked one, at his coming out of the place of joy and celebration delivered every form of affliction on Job. In between and through it all, Job did not complain nor did he condemn God. Job cried to God and he eventually received more blessings after his time of testing, than when he first started to enjoy the blessings of God.
Job was right before God. As one in Christ there is righteousness in place. It is always important to know that Satan is in the business of inflicting affliction but God is in the business of intervention with deliverance. Psalmist testifies, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.” (Psalm 34:19) Job was abundantly delivered.

Prayer for today: Ask for the hand of God to hold you up in all your going and coming.

FAITH CAPSULE: Demonstrating love for God can possibly be to engage a very unpopular stand.

Daniel 3

Claiming love for God is easier said than done. Claiming love for God and not having identity of His love makes one to be a sounding brass. Love for God is commitment it is not convenience. Deuteronomy 6:5 demands, “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.” To love God is to fear God. The fear of God is encased in the knowledge of God. How can one who hardly spends time in the word understand and gain the knowledge of God? Ones who do not know God cannot possibly love God. Loving, serving, or worshiping God goes way beyond Sunday gatherings, memorization of Bible verses, answering to titles, and being active in the church. Loving God can sometimes be provocative. Demonstrating love for God can possibly be to engage a very unpopular stand in any area of life. The three friends of Daniel’s love for God was provocation to the highest authority. Their love for God provoked Nebuchadnezzar when they refused to serve his god as a result, “…Nebuchadnezzar was full of fury, and the expression on his face changed toward Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. He spoke and commanded that they heat the furnace seven times more than it was usually heated.” (Daniel 3:19)
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego loved the Lord God with all their hearts, with all their souls, and with all their strength. The love for God in them caused them to bluntly refuse to worship Nebuchadnezzar’s gold image. As a result of their love for God, they were threatened with death, by a burning fiery furnace. In response to the threat, “…Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, “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 your love for the Lord, can you determine if you have stepped on the enemy’s toe or crossed a line that could generate a burning furnace for your destruction? Friends of Daniel’s provocation called for a fiery furnace, “Therefore, because the king’s command was urgent, and the furnace exceedingly hot, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego.” (Daniel 3:22) God did not leave Daniel’s three friends alone in the furnace of fire. He was with them to deliver and preserve them for His glory.

Prayer for today: Whatever is set to offset God’s plan in your life, God in His goodness, and mercy, will turn it against the set-up agent.

FAITH CAPSULE: Disobedience to the word can be compared to sleeping on duty.

Jonah 1

Responding to the calling of God by rising up and going in direction of His calling is obedience to God. However, rising and not going in the direction of His calling is an act of rebellion. Rebellion is going against God’s direction and it going in the wrong direction. Rebellion is refusal to submit to authority in the word of God. Rebellion is the most common act among believers because to disobey one of His commands is to have disobeyed all. There is no minor disobedience or serious disobedience; disobedience is flat-out sin. Jonah, a reluctant missionary at the time of God’s calling for him to be a missionary.
Jonah received the word of God but chose rather to move into his own world. It is written, “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 1:2-3) Jonah responded to the calling when he arose as commanded by God but he went in the way which seems right to him. Job’s disobedience was a conscious and deliberate one. He heard God unmistakably and he unmistakably downgraded the command of God. Many have been called but very few are responding.

A believer who receives the call of salvation but yet turns away from the word of God is no different from Jonah’s act of disobedience. Disobedience to the word can be compared to sleeping on duty. Jesus talked about the issue of sleeping in the Parable of the Ten Virgins. In the parable, the five who could afford to sleep and the five who could not afford to sleep, fell asleep. During Jesus’ transfiguration on the mount, sleeping took over the life of Peter, John and James. When Jesus went to the Mount of Olives with His disciples following, He gave a command: “…Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” (Luke 22:40) The disciples could not stay awake but fell asleep. The call of duty was neglected and sleeping had its way. They slept through until Jesus came over, “Then He said to them, “Why do you sleep? Rise and pray, lest you enter into temptation.”” (Luke 22:46) Rising up and not moving in direction of His command is same as sleeping in the place of watching and waiting for Jesus. There is a reason for each and every one of His callings but to disobey any of His calling is an attempt of falling in line with Jonah’s disobedience.

Prayer for today: Ask God to deliver you from every spirit of disobedience.