FAITH CAPSULE: One thing is certain and that is, the wicked will not go unpunished.

Psalm 73

Doing evil is wickedness. What do you have to say about doing evil (the act of wickedness)? This is what Ecclesiastes 8:11 have to say, “Because the sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.” How the wicked gets away with wickedness can be tempting for those who abstain from doing evil. The psalmist testifies, “But for me, my feet had almost stumbled; my steps had nearly slipped. For I was envious of the boastful, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.” (Psalm 73:2-3) It can be challenging to ignore how the wicked one seems to be excelling while the righteous seems to be regressing. The psalmist later pointed out, “But it is good for me to draw near to God; I have put my trust in the Lord God, that I may declare all your works.” (Psalm 73:28)  The best way to ignore how the wicked seems to be making a head way in life is to draw near to God and put trust in Him just as the psalmist said. One thing is certain and that is, the wicked will not go unpunished. Proverbs 11:21, “Though they join forces, the wicked will not go unpunished; But the posterity of the righteous will be delivered.”

Truly, it might not be wrong for any God fearing man to constantly think of why the wicked seems to be getting away with wickedness. Job, a man described by God as blameless and upright, and one who feared God could not hold back his thought as regard to the wicked. Job asked in Job 21:7-8, “Why do the wicked live and become old, yes become mighty in power? Their descendants are established with them in their sight, and their offspring before their eyes.”  
Also, King David must have been reacting to an act of the wicked when he declared in Psalm 7:9, Oh let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end…” Curiosity over the way of the wicked did not end with King David. The Psalmist also asked in Psalm 94:3 LORD how long will the wicked, how long will the wicked triumph?”

Jeremiah, a prophet of God, was called into proclaiming God’s judgment against the people of Judah for their idolatry, unfaithfulness to the covenant, and their disobedience to the will of God. Jeremiah, at a point in time when he could not hold on to the reason why the wicked prospered he went further and asked God, “…Why does the way of the wicked prosper…” (Jeremiah 12:1). Evidently, in the curiosity of Jeremiah before God, it was clear that the wicked ones grew just like the righteous ones. As an acclaimed believer, is the word near in your mouth but far from your mind?

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace to be delivered and not engage wicked ways.

FAITH CAPSULE: Many are singing the song of salvation yet they are assigned agent of the wicked.

Acts 16

It is written, “This girl followed Paul and us, and cried out, saying, “These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation.”  And this she did for many days…” (Acts 16:17-18) The same girl was described as a certain slave girl possessed with a spirit of divination. (Acts 16:16) The certain slave girl followed the servant of God Apostle Paul for many days despite what she carried and she was not identified. Just as there were possessed ones with all kinds of evil spirit claiming to be a follower of the Lord then so they are all over different grounds of worship today. Imagine how she followed for many days not just one day.

The certain slave girl was probably among the ones who were leading in proclaiming the gospel at the time she was following Paul because the bible makes us to realize, how she was crying out saying that Paul and his team were the servants of the Most High God. Just imagine the certain slave girl operating on a mission field with God’s general. It can be agreed upon that today we have so many of the certain slave girls in different ground of worship. They are all over pretending by proclaiming the gospel. They occupy and operate in different church activities such as usher, choir, deacons and all kinds of leadership or non-leadership positions in the church.
Have you consciously search yourself to know who you are or the kind of spirit you operate? God cannot be deceived neither can He be mocked. It only takes the power of God to identify such people in the church or among the believers.

When Paul eventually turned to the certain slave girl for her deliverance, she was delivered from the spirit of divination. After having been delivered, bigger trouble surfaced for Paul and Silas as they ended up in the prison.
The point here is that, believers should abstain or be very careful from getting self into commitment to others in the name of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ, our Lord and savior, the one whom we are to follow His examples did not commit to any man. The bible recorded, “Jesus did not commit Himself to them because He knew all men.” (John 2:24) Take to the examples of Jesus in the word of God and let there be no reason for ignorant of the devices of the wicked ones. It is ignorant that makes a destitute of believers.
Can you imagine? Many are singing the song of salvation by preaching or reaching out in other areas of ministration, yet they are assigned agent of the wicked, possessed and demonized.

Prayer for today: Ask God to open the eyes of your understanding that you will not be a victim of the wicked one.

FAITH CAPSULE: Meditate the word of God to carry is presence.

Genesis 39, Daniel 3

Meditate the word of God to carry is presence. God told Joshua to meditate on the word day and night because meditation will cause God not to leave Joshua nor forsake him. Do you meditate the word of God day and night? Are you aware of His presence in your life day and night? Claiming that God will not leave you nor forsake you without carrying His presence continuously is an error.

Identity of those who are sure of His presence is boldness and character to declare God in the face of life terminating challenge. God is faithful to decorate anyone who makes a declaration of Him in the face of challenges. Once, Joseph refused to settle for sin by declaring His God when his master’s wife approached him to lie with her. It is written, “But he refused and said to his master’s wife, “Look, my master does not know what is with me in the house, and he has committed all that he has to my hand.  There is no one greater in this house than I, nor has he kept back anything from me but you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” (Genesis 39:8-9)
Joseph declared God to his master’s wife that God does not tolerate wickedness because wickedness is sin. Joseph declared God and God decorated Him and he eventually became a Prime Minister despite suffering for his declaration as a prisoner.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, the three friends of Daniel, refused to worship gold image. They responded to King’s death sentence through a burning fiery furnace by making a declaration, “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 response to three friends of Daniel declaration, God came down to decorate them right there in the burning fiery furnace. King Nebuchadnezzar saw the miracle and declared, “Look!” he answered, “I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.” (Daniel 3:25) The presence of God made the three friends to thrive in the face of terminating challenge. With God for you, the enemy cannot be more powerful.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace upon the three friends of Daniel to answer you for deliverance and preservation.

FAITH CAPSULE: Jesus, the Light of God is passing by do not be quiet.

Mark 8:22-26, Mark 10:46-52

Jesus in one of His trip was set to depart Jericho when blind Bartimaeus, from his Road Side Begging Office heard that Jesus was passing. Blind Bartimaeus reacted, “…Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” (Mark 10:47) Bartimaeus reaction to his hearing that Jesus was passing caused Jesus to stand still. Jesus could not continue His trip until He attended fully to blind Bartimaeus request. Interesting how a blind man heard and provoke his own deliverance from blindness. Today, many with two eyes to see are actually hearing His passing by but remains in the dark. They are spiritual blinded and physically stagnated.

Jesus declared in John 8:12, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” Indeed and in truth, Jesus is the light of the world that no darkness will ever be able to comprehend but yet many make the choice to remain in the darkness. Bartimaeus the blind only heard about the passing by of Jesus and he made the choice not remain in darkness.

The same book of Mark recorded the encounter of a blind man in Bethsaida with Jesus the light of the world. Despite Jesus’ coming to where the blind man was, the blind man does not have what it takes to engage his miracle unlike Bartimaeus who cried out for his miracle breakthrough. The blind man of Bethsaida had the Light of God, but there was no sight for him to see. How long have you been carrying the word of God with you but yet unable to see? In attempt to give the blind man another sight, Jesus took him out of the town away from every kind of distraction. Jesus spit on his eyes yet he could not see. How often have you been out of distraction unto separation and yet nothing happened? Unlike blind Bartimaeus, the blind man of Bethsaida was blindly blinded. Jesus spit on the blind man of Bethsaida’s eyes yet there was no clarity of sight. An eye without clear sight is same as half knowledge in the word of God. The presence of Jesus, the Light of God, around the blind man was not enough for him to gain sight to see clearly. Instead of seeing clearly, he could only see men walking like trees. Are you experiencing the same situation like the blind man? Jesus knew that the blind man of Bethsaida needed to see clearly, so He could not release him on his own. As a result, “…put His hands on his eyes again and made Him look up. And he was restored and saw everyone clearly.” (Mark 8:25) The Light of God is passing by do not be quiet, engage your own miracle breakthrough just like Bartimaeus.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace not to miss your miracle breakthrough when it is passing by.

FAITH CAPSULE: To walk close to God is to walk before Him.

Proverbs 4:20-21, Ezekiel 3:1-11

When man walks far from the word man will become far from God. To walk far from God is to be close to falling. It does not matter who you are or the kind of title you answer, walking far from God is the avenue to fall away and fail. The word of God is God. Going far from the word by not spending time studying the word on a regular basis is the way not to acknowledge God for what He did. Whenever man does not acknowledge God for what He has done there will be no heart of thanksgiving. Truly, it is the ones who know to think that will know to give thanks. Acknowledging God for what he has done will provoke one to give a hearty thanks to God.

Walk close to His word and not go far from Him.
God spoke through Jeremiah to the children of Israel, “What injustice have your fathers found in Me, that they have gone far from Me, Have followed idols, And have become idolaters? Neither did they say, ‘Where is the LORD, Who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, Who led us through the wilderness, through a land of deserts and pits, through a land of drought and the shadow of death, through a land that no one crossed and where no one dwelt?’”  (Jeremiah 2:4-6) It is important to constantly meditate and know it that God is a jealous God. Giving Him continuous attention by identifying Him as He who saw you through in the past and acknowledging Him for the present is important. At the time He was speaking through Jeremiah, the children of Israel had failed to do what is right by not identifying Him for the past and not acknowledging Him for the present.

When we walk close to His word there is not going to be a place for rebellious act to God. God wants us to hear and receive His word to heart. God said to Ezekiel, “Son of man, receive into your heart all My words that I speak to you, and hear with your ears.” (Ezekiel 3:10) Evidently, the word of God is directed to go to the heart of man whose ear is open to the word. The point here is, give attention to the word of God by allowing your ear to give preference to the word of God. With attention in place for the word to enter, seeing in the word to gain direction shall become man’s portion. Find time to attend and listen to the word; gain understanding and begin to see direction to walk close to God. To walk close to God is to walk before Him.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace to begin to hear and see in His word of direction.