FAITH CAPSULE: Begin to see in the word of God as it sounds in your direction.

Joshua 6

It is written, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” (Proverbs 9:10) Do you actually know God or do you know about Him? It does not matter what title one answers to in the church; it does not matter how long one has been in the church or how much one is involved in the church that will determine one’s knowledge of God. Many actually know about God but few know God.  Knowing God is rooted in the understanding of the word of God. The Bible makes us to realize that, “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 Word of God is God and the more understanding gained in the word determines the more knowledge of God. Evidently, believers who hardly spend time studying the word are in no place to claim knowing God. As a believer, how often do you spend time studying the word of God?

Believers who see in the word which sounds in their direction will have the knowledge and understand of God. Seeing in the word is the power to breakthrough or power to overcome challenges. Joshua and the Israelites needed to pass through Jericho in their journey to the Promised Land but Jericho was securely shut in attempt to deny the Israelite passage. God showed up to Joshua and gave him a word of direction to break through the wall of Jericho. God spoke to Joshua, “See! I have given Jericho into your hand, its king, and the mighty men of valor.”(Joshua 1:2) God did not waste words when He commanded Joshua to see. In the word of God, one must see his/her deliverance when the word sounds in one’s direction. In the word of God, it is what you see and receive that will become yours. The word of God is not just words but spirit which gives life. (2 Corinthians 3:6) Job, a man described as a blameless man and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil confessed a lack of understanding. He stated in the last chapter of his tribulation, “I have heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees You. (Job 42:5)

It took Job a long time to see in the word despite all that was spoken in his direction. Begin to see in the word of God as it sounds in your direction; gain understanding and have a knowing-edge over your confronting challenges just as Joshua was able to hear, saw and had a knowing edge over the wall of Jericho.

Prayer for today: Ask God to open the eyes of your heart.

FAITH CAPSULE: At this time of the year, it’s still never too late to wait on God.

Luke 15:11-32

Psalm 27:14 declares, “Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord!” In time of challenging need, how do you wait? The psalmist is saying, in our waiting on the Lord we have to be of good courage. It is possible to claim waiting on God and not be of good courage but of worrying. Any time worrying is in place, worship is out of place. Are you one that cannot wait without worrying? It was a time of war against the Philistines when King Saul failed to wait as commanded by Samuel. Saul assumed priestly entitlements by offering a burnt offering. In his act, he violated the command of God. Saul’s excuse for failing to wait was, “When I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines gathered together at Michmash, then I said, ‘The Philistines will now come down on me at Gilgal, and I have not made supplication to the Lord.’ Therefore I felt compelled, and offered a burnt offering.” (1 Samuel 13:11-12) Saul could not exercise good courage as a result; his heart was not strengthen but weakened. He was worried and he violated worshiping God correctly.

The prodigal son could not wait when he requested his portion of the inheritance from his father and took a journey to a far country where he wasted his inheritance.  The prodigal son went where he was not called to go because his timing in the journey of life had been interrupted by his inability to wait for God’s time. Luke 15: 13-14, “And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living. But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land and he began to be in want.”  Every failure to wait on God’s timing will lead out of God’s planning for a life of abundance and it becomes evidence of disobedience. Obedience brings forth blessing, while disobedience brings forth cursing. The word of God is true when it says, “For since the beginning of the world Men have not heard nor perceived by the ear, nor has the eye seen any God besides You, Who acts for the one who waits for Him.” (Isaiah 64:4)  Wait on God, and you will never step into mistakes. It is never too late to wait on God also it is absolutely true that no one ever complained of falling, or stepping, into grievous mistakes while waiting on God. Waiting on God is a source of God’s grace for anyone that takes to waiting on Him.  It is never too late to wait on God!

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace of enablement to be steadfast in waiting on Him in every area of life.

FAITH CAPSULE: It is not enough to know about His name but to actually understand and know His name.

Luke 18

After the calling upon the life of Moses to go and deliver the children of Israel, God said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: ‘The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is My name forever, and this is My memorial to all generations.” (Exodus 3:15) Moses, by gaining understanding and knowing the name of the Lord God, Pharaoh the King of Egypt let loose the bondage of over four hundred years. At the time of the Israelites’ deliverance, Pharaoh called on Moses and Aaron by night, and said, “Rise, go out from among my people…” (Exodus 12:31) The Egyptians allowed the Israelites to depart from bondage of over four hundred years with uncommon favor. The same God is still in the business of working wonder at the calling on His name with understanding and knowledge.

God is not a partial God but a God of purpose and never fail to perform and perfect according to His word. What is your confronting challenge which seems there is no way out? With knowledge and the understanding of His name, call on Him without ceasing. Calling on Him like no one ever did will get Him to attend to you like He has never done for anyone before.

Jesus was near to Jericho when blind Bartimaeus called out on Him without ceasing. In his crying out, he was not making noise, but he was calling for Jesus’ attention like no one ever did. He cried out Jesus’ name as one who understands and knows Jesus, and Jesus answered him like He has never answered anyone before. It is written, “And he cried out, saying, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” (Luke 18:38)  Hardly there was that many in the Bible that called or cry on Him in desperate situation like Bartimaeus did when he cried out “Jesus, Son of David”. Despite the attempt of the multitude to stop him for crying out, when Jesus heard His name being called with all familiarity, “…Jesus stood still and commanded him to be brought to Him…” (Luke 18:40) Interestingly, the multitude that attempted to keep Bartimaeus’ mouth shut, were commanded by Jesus to bring Bartimaeus near to Jesus. Understanding and knowing Him by His name, being at a right place at the right time is an evidence of understanding and knowing the way to receiving an undeniable miracle. Psalm 91:14, “…I will set him high, because he has known my name. He shall call on Me and I will answer him.” With understanding and the knowledge of His name Bartimaeus called on His name and he got an answer that set him high above his affliction.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace of understanding and the knowledge of His name indeed and in truth.

FAITH CAPSULE: Seek God diligently and become exceedingly rewarded by God.

Numbers 25

Demonstrating faith is zealousness. Zealousness in man is rooted is seeking God diligently. Hebrews 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.” To be zealous for God is pleasing to God it is evidence of fear for God. Through the Bible, ones that please Him are the ones He places high with blessing. Are you zealous for God by your action or by the word of mouth? None can ever please God with word of the mouth which is not backed up with action. It is worthy to seek God diligently. Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, was diligent seeking God and God exceedingly positioned him with blessing.

Once on the journey to the Promised Land, the children of Israel provoked the anger of the Lord by joining to Baal of Peor while they were facing the wrath for their sin, “…One of the children of Israel came and presented to his brethren a Midianite woman in the sight of Moses and in the sight of all the congregation of the children of Israel, who were weeping at the door of the tabernacle of meeting.” (Numbers 25:6) The point here is that, they had not gotten over the consequences of one sin when they began to engage another sin through a fellow in their mist. In response, “…Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose from among the congregation and took a javelin in his hand;  and he went after the man of Israel into the tent and thrust both of them through, the man of Israel, and the woman through her body. So the plague was stopped among the children of Israel.” (Numbers 25:7-8)

Phinehas action, provoked God and God spoke to Moses, “…Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has turned back My wrath from the children of Israel, because he was zealous with My zeal…” (Numbers 25:11) Phinehas could not sit back and compromise with wrong doing in the presence of God. Phinehas went forward with a demonstration of his zealousness for God. As a result of Phinehas’ action, God responded to Phinehas’ zeal zipping him in a bundle of blessing which extends to his descendants. God spoke through Moses, “…Behold, I give to him My covenant of peace; and it shall be to him and his descendants after him a covenant of an everlasting priesthood, because he was zealous for his God…’” (Numbers 25:12-13) God is the benevolent rewarder of those that seek Him with their all.If you desire His zeal, ask for it in prayer and He will deposit that passion in you.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace to be full of zeal for His name.

FAITH CAPSULE: Prayer is the combination of asking, seeking, and knocking.

John 3

The word of God is true and, “All the scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” (2 Timothy 3:16)

It is profitable to know and engage the truth in the word that prayer opens heaven. The combination of asking, seeking, and knocking will bring about open heaven. Jesus was teaching when He stated, in Matthew 7:7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” Jesus was teaching from experience, and from what He knows will undoubtedly happen.

Jesus, by example proved that the key for opening heaven is in prayer. Jesus went to where John was baptizing people so that He may be baptized also. The Bible recorded “When all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized; and while He prayed, the heaven was opened.”(John 3:21) Among all that were baptized before Jesus, none was recorded to have prayed. Jesus prayed and heaven was opened. In your prayer is there any conscious expectation for manifestation? When prayer opens heaven there is no force on earth that will be able to stop or deny heaven’s response package. After Jesus’ prayer, “…the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, “You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.”(Luke 3:22) Right after the open heaven’s manifestation, Jesus went straight into the center of His assignment on earth. Luke 3:23 pointed out, “…Jesus Himself began His ministry…” By this word, if you have prayed, and there is no experience of an open heaven on your behalf, it is time to take your prayer to another level. Are you experiencing a shut up heaven or open heaven? Your open heaven will grant your access into the center of your divine assignment if prayer will become your constant engagement. Jesus proved to us that prayer opens heaven, and the Bible enables us to know that adversaries forces against open heaven. Apostle Paul testifies, “For a great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.” (1 Corinthians 16:9) Regardless of adversaries’ activity, it is important to know that effective, fervent prayer will deny any adversary of hindrance to great and effective open heaven.

Prayer for today: Ask that all adversaries at your open heaven shall be burned off by the consuming fire of God.