FAITH CAPSULE: How are you keeping your heart from becoming a victim of Satan?

Jeremiah 17:5-18, Acts 5:1-11

Heart is described in the book of Jeremiah 17:9-10, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?” Without any doubt, heart seems to be the prime target for the enemy to take over. How are you keeping yours from becoming a victim of Satan? God promised to give the Israelites a heart to know Him. It is written, “Then I will give them a heart to know Me, that I am the LORD; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God, for they shall return to Me with their whole heart.” (Jeremiah 24:7) God’s promise to one is not limited from all, ask God for the heart that will never be accessible to Satan anymore and in anyway.
Ananias sold his possessions in the spirit of blessing fellow believers but allowed Satan to enter his heart. “But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself?” (Acts 5:3) Satan is always after the heart to occupy as his playground. He is the master of trick masters. It was also reported that Satan entered Judas, “Then Satan entered Judas, surnamed Iscariot, who was numbered among the twelve. So he went his way and conferred with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray Him to them.” (Luke 22:3-4) There is no other place that Satan could have entered in Judas that could have been more effective than the heart. Both Ananias and Judas died an untimely death because their heart became the victim of Satan.
God’s promise of giving a new heart included the fact that after giving a new heart, there shall be a return to Him with a whole heart. A whole heart is what it will take to get to His Promised Land; a whole heart is what it will take not to doubt Him, a whole heart is what it will take for man not to complain against Him, a whole heart is what it will take not to die in the wilderness journey. Whole is all that made Caleb to confess positive after spying on the Promised Land. There is no man who can follow God fully except the heart is guided against the moves of Satan. A heart that follows God fully is a whole heart and whole heart is what God has promised to give. Caleb followed Him fully because of his whole heart and God testified in Numbers 14:24, “But My servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit in him and has followed Me fully, I will bring into the land where he went, and his descendants shall inherit it.”  

Prayer for today: Ask God to give you a heart to be whole in Him.

FAITH CAPSULE: Are you finding it difficult to let go of what has been called off?

Exodus 14

God testified, “For forty years I was grieved with that generation, and said, ‘It is a people who go astray in their hearts, and they do not know my ways.’ So I swore in My wrath, ‘They shall not enter My rest.’”(Psalm 95:10-11) Ones who do not know to constantly give thanks to God or praise God at all times will go astray in their heart. Psalmist testifies, “I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make its boast in the Lord…” (Psalm 34:1-2) The psalmist’s testimony is of a heart which never goes astray. 
A heart that goes astray will not see the warning signal against destruction when it comes. It will fail and not stop when there is a warning signal. Our heart needs to be focus on God as much as we have the breath of life. The psalmist buttress “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord” (Psalm 150:6)
Have you been holding on to bitterness, anger, and malice? Are you finding it difficult to let go of what has been called off? Could it be that you are operating a hardness of heart? Hardness of heart is a branch of a heart which goes astray. The Bible have it documented how destructive hardness of heart could be.
Being unforgiving, bitter, malevolent and not to let go when need calls for letting go can be a demonstration of hardness of heart. Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, was a good example among those whose heart was hardened in the Bible. After letting go of the Israelites from the bondage of over four hundred years he decided to pursue them because of the hardness of his heart. It is written, “…And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued the children of Israel…” (Exodus 14:8) In this pursuit, Pharaoh lost everything that he put out to pursue the children of Israel. The Lord was responsible for the hardness of his heart. It is worthy to pray to God and ask God not to let hardness of heart be your portion just as it was Pharaoh’s portion. Pharaoh was available as a vessel of dishonor. Ask God to deny in your life whatever causes man to operate or to be available as a vessel of dishonor. God is the God who reverses the irreversible. Be encouraged to ask, seek, and knock for the grace not to become a vessel of dishonor. The Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh and he was marked for destruction to the glory of God.

Prayer for today: Pray like David did in Psalm 141:4 “Do not incline my heart to any evil thing, to practice wicked works with men who work iniquity…”

FAITH CAPSULE: Do not kiss your favor good bye, but rather cling to it.

Ruth 1, 2

What kind of seed have you been sowing on your God given ground? Whatever you sow is what you will reap. The two daughter in-laws of Naomi had decided to move with her back to her country after the death of her two sons which were their husbands. At first, both refused to yield to Naomi’s persuasion for them not follow her. Eventually, Orpah accepted to her mother in-law’s persuasion by turning back while Ruth insisted and refused to turn back based on the reason of her compassion for mother in-law (Naomi). Ruth’s genuine heart and sincerity made her to cling onto Naomi when Orpah returned back just with a kiss. Ruth’s action was a noticeable action before God and man.
At any time we undertake a noticeable action that glorifies God, Heaven will react on our behalf. In this life, there is no good work that will go unnoticeable before God. Are you consciously and sincerely engaging all that is good and not just some? The prayer of Hebrews 13:21 states, “ make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.” It is an ideal prayer for every believer who wants to be complete in every good work and not just few work.
Ruth was consciously being sincere when she refused not to turn her back and go away from Naomi. Ruth genuinely and sincerely stood with her mother in-law at the time of loneliness; at the time of she was returning to her land after the death of her two sons. By virtue of Ruth’s act of sincerity, she positioned herself to encounter favor of God through great wealthy man, Boaz. Boaz spoke to Ruth, “…It has been fully reported to me, all that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband, and how you have left your father and your mother and the land of your birth, and have come to a people whom you did not know before. The LORD repay your work and a full reward be given you by the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge. (Ruth 2:11-12) 
Ruth was sincere, sincerity is not stupidity; it is a demonstration of who you are; it is an evidence of genuine heart.The day which Boaz set eyes on Ruth, her story was wrapped with favor of God for good. Boaz put in place an uncommon protection and provision for Ruth. Ruth’s sincerity took her to her promised land when she insisted not to kiss her favor good bye just like Orpah did.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace that will get you to where God wants you to be.

FAITH CAPSULE: Hannah engaged the word for her open door breakthrough.
 
1 Samuel 1

God does not waste word. Perceive the word of God (be aware of His word); receive His word into your life; give prudence then understanding will bring forth a knowing edge. With knowing edge in place open doors comes to life.
The word of God declares, “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” (Luke 11:9)   
Are you experiencing closed door in any area of life? Hannah experienced closed door. Hannah engaged the word of God, open door answered on her behalf. It is written, “…although the LORD had closed her womb.” (1 Samuel 1:6). Without any distraction, she was able to ask, seek and knock to have her door opened by God’s mercy. Hannah had all the comfort from her husband Elkanah that could have kept her silent from seeking God to have her door opened, but she refused to waste away because she needed to possess her possession in the Lord.
The word of God is a command and it represents a key in our hand to insert, turn and push a door to open. However, when all we can do is insert and not turn nor push, one is bound to fail and not get door opened. God meant all of what He said and the ones He is still saying for those that will take to work the word of God by walking in His word (believing His word).
God wants His word to be received and to be operated for an effective and infallible result that cannot be denied. When God said ask and it shall be given, He knew exactly that there is provision for every need but asking is what will bring forth the provision. He also said seek because He enjoys being sought for in times of desperation because He alone is God. In seeking Him, He will not hide from you if you seek Him diligently. His word commanded, to knock when there is a need for us to gain entrance to a close door in area of life. Many times we have limited ourselves by asking only and not seeking or seeking and not knocking when our situation actually demands asking, seeking and knocking. Hannah was going to Shiloh every year with a pressing need, but her situation changed when, “…her rival also provoked her severely, to make her miserable, because the LORD had closed her womb. So it was, year by year, when she went up to the house of the LORD, that she provoked her; therefore she wept and did not eat.” (1 Samuel 1:6-7) Hannah came out of complacency and stepped up in her asking, seeking and knocking. God opened her womb and she had, Samuel. Hannah testifies naming Samuel meaning, “Because I have asked for him from the Lord.” (1 Samuel 1:20)

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace to constantly engage His word.

FAITH CAPSULE: God is a God who is more than able to reverse the irreversible.

Judges 11

After the killing of Goliath by David, King Saul’s jealousy and fear of David caused him to place a mark of termination upon David. King Saul marked David for death but David checked out with the aid of four hundred men who were referred to as drifters and debtors, trouble makers and those who were troubled. (1 Samuel 22:1-5) For David to continue the journey of life to the center of God’s divine assignment for his life it was the group of rejected and hopeless ones that God used for David. With God there is no impossibility; with God it is not over except God calls it over. As a believer, where are not to take the position of judging or condemning others. Jesus admonished, “Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned…” (Luke 6:37) It is written, “And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the plank in your own eye?” (Luke 6:41) David could have judged or condemned his liberating force unconsciously. Are you taking the position of judge by unconsciously writing off your support?
Are you being judge or being written off by your brethren? It is worth to always remember that God is a God who is more than able to reverse the irreversible.
Jephthah, the Gileadite, was referred to as a mighty man of valor, but before he became a mighty man of valor, he was a castaway among his brothers because he was the son of another woman. Jephthah was driven out by his brothers and, “then Jephthah fled from his brothers and dwelt in the land of Tob; and worthless men banded together with Jephthah and went out raiding with him.” (Judges 11:3) To his brothers, he was worthless and none of them wanted to have him as part of the family. He was rejected and condemned as a non-entity but to God there is always hope in life. When the people of Ammon made war against the children of Israel, the same Jephthah who was driven out of the city became the one to be sought after for his help. Judges11:4-6, “It came to pass after a time that the people of Ammon made war against Israel. And so it was, when the people of Ammon made war against Israel, the elders of Gilead went to get Jephthah from the land of Tob. Then they said to Jephthah, ‘Come and be our commander that we may fight against the people of Ammon.’” Jephthah a castaway became commander over his people. With God it is not over and we should never call it over for no man except God calls it over.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace not to write any man over when God does not say it is over.