FAITH CAPSULE: Many are followers, but their hearts are not after Jesus.

Acts 8: 5-25

After Jesus’ ascended to heaven, persecution caused His disciples to be scattered to different parts of the world. Philip went to the city of Samaria and began to witness Christ. As Philip was witnessing, many were converted when they saw the miracles by the hand of Philip. The witnessing of Philip brought healing over paralysis and deliverance from unclean spirits. While Philip was in Samaria, Simon who had previously practiced sorcery in the city gave his life to Christ. Before the arrival of Philip, Simon was regarded as a great man with the great power of God. It is written, “Then Simon himself also believed; and when he was baptized he continued with Philip, and was amazed, seeing the miracles and signs which were done.” (Acts 8:13) The message of Philip and the manifestation of miracles brought Simon to believe and followed Philip. As Simon continued to follow Philip, his kind of heart was exposed when he encountered Peter. Although he was converted but the kind of heart which Simon carried was not revealed. Which kind of heart do you carry in following the Lord Jesus? Time will tell regardless of how long you have been carrying a different mind from that of true followers; one day it will come to light.

This passage is a testimony to the fact that today, many are followers, but their hearts are not after Jesus. In the process of time, Peter was in location to expose Simon. Simon witnessed the apostles giving the Holy Spirit to people by the laying of hands and he desired such power demonstration. His desire prompted him to offer money for the manifestation of such power in his life, “Saying, ‘Give me this power also, that anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Spirit.’”  (Acts 8:19) The power of God cannot be purchased by money, but is only receivable if you make yourself available for Him. Peter exposed Simon by saying; “You have neither part nor portion in this matter, for your heart is not right in the sight of God. Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity.” (Acts 8:21-23) Simon was a believer just like many but his heart was poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity. Simon’s true heart was not revealed until he had an encounter with Peter. How is your heart? Can you give yourself a reality heart checkup to identify where your heart belong? It will not take forever before the truth reveals itself. Are you a modern day Simon the sorcerer? Deception, lying and manipulation can only last for a moment because God cannot be deceived.

Prayer for today: Ask God to give you a clean heart and a steadfast spirit to follow truly.

FAITH CAPSULE: It is not enough to be known as a church goer and not be known by God.

Romans 12

The Bible describes what a temple is, “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the spirit of God dwells in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:16) Going by this description of what a temple is, every believer should consciously consider him/herself to be a temple. As a temple, we are supposed to be a building for God’s presence, meaning a building occupied by God. A building occupied by God is a building that is built by the word of God. Apostle Paul admonished us in Acts 20:32, “So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.” A temple should not only be seen as a building where man gathers to worship God. Believer should be identified as a believing body.

Is your temple for God alone? Revelation 15:4, “Who shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy. For all nations shall come and worship before You, for Your judgments have been manifested.”” God is holy and by that virtue, He can only be found in a holy temple. Being an acclaimed believer does not make man a temple where God dwells. God is holy and no sin can have a place with Him. In your temple, is there any defilement (pollution, profanity, or unclean activity) that is denying God’s presence in you?

It is not enough to be known as a church goer and not be known for having God. Defilement is a way of destruction; it is not a way of life, it is against the will of God. It is written, “If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.” (1 Corinthians 3:17) Is God in your temple? God cannot survive unholy environment and it takes holiness for Him to dwell in your temple. In the temple (church) of today (that is you); it will be a miracle not to find one or more defying factors that need not be in your temple. Every acclaimed believer who is yet to empty self so that Christ may fill him/her, are denying God his/her temple. Going to a place of worship (church) is not evidence that one is a temple of God. It is time to take some time out for yourself, identify and begin to pray against defying factors in your temple. Man can be deceived but God who sees through the heart cannot be deceived. Engage the word of God and become the building of God.

Prayer for today: Ask God to open your understanding so that defiling God shall not have a place in your life.

FAITH CAPSULE: Man can control clock but not God’s timing.

Exodus 2

God alone is in control of time. Man can control clock but not God’s timing. Which time are you living in? Different times come and go and time waits for nobody. However, God is the only One who is in control of time. He alone is the Alpha and Omega; the beginning and the end. Above all, God is the only One who inhabits eternity. There are times of challenges and times of celebration. The perfect and consistent thing about God’s time and timing is that there is no man who can turn back or turn forward from answering for His purpose. When it was time for Joseph to be promoted from Prime Slave to Prime Minister, no devil under heaven could stop him. The brothers who sold him to slavery in an attempt to deny him from his divine schedule on earth were nowhere to be found. Challenges which followed Joseph through to his center of his divine assignment took time and no man could offset.
Moses attempted to deliver his brethren at his own time when he killed an Egyptian.  The Bible records it, “Now it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out to his brethren and looked at their burdens. And he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his brethren. So he looked this way and that way, and when he saw no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.” (Exodus 2:11-12) It was not God’s timing for the deliverance of the children of Israelites but it was Moses’ timing. Moses got it wrong and it took another forty years (at the least) from the attempted time of Moses before the time of God’s deliverance for the Israelites.

The Psalmist describes Him in Psalm 29:10, “The LORD sat enthroned at the flood, and the LORD sits as King forever.” All that happens to man does not catch God by surprise because He has taken a seat forever before the creation of His hand. Man can possibly and perfectly take control of turning the clock back and forth, but it will have no effect on God’s timing. God alone brings time to pass, but how every individual in the hand of God spends time is what will make the difference.
God will not mismanage His timing for His creation. It is good for His creation to know and understand that, the time of the day, time of the week or time of the year will not deny or disrupt God’s divine agenda for His children. God time is different and we are to only look up to God by waiting for every expectation to manifest at God’s timing.
Prayer for today: Ask God to have mercy on you according to His lovingkindness; according to the multitude of His tender mercies.

FAITH CAPSULE: If God calls you to move, He will equip you through.

Jonah 1

The source of faith is described in Romans 10:17, “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Have you heard from God about your next move? If He has called you, have you answered? There is no reasonable excuse not to answer to His calling. Fear is not enough to deny man obeying God’s command. Fear is not of God, but of the devil. Fear, the opposite of faith is not needed to rise in response to God’s calling. If God sends you, He will back you up. 1 Thessalonians 5:24 gave assurance of God’s backing for the called ones, “He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.” If God calls you to move, He will equip you through the journey of obedience. God alone is more than able to see you through. If you know that He called you, ignore all the confronting challenges which are set to discourage you. Be encouraged and not turn your back from answering to His calling.
“By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.” (Hebrews 11:7) Noah did not question or doubt the call to build an ark in a region where it hardly rains. There was a justifiable reason for Noah not to answer in obedience, but he justified is faithfulness in God by responding fully in obedience. Is there any tangible excuse for you not to respond and move like Noah moved in obedience?
God did not send angel or man when He called Jonah but He spoke by His word. It is written, “Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,  “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 1:1-3) Noah received calling and responded fully in obedience. Jonah received calling and responded in his own way. Jonah did not do as God commanded him. Evidently, Jonah arose as commanded, but fled in opposite direction of the Lord’s command. Disobeying God’s command is an avenue to self-destruction; it is a way of death not of life. To disobey God is to displease Him. The book of Hebrew 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.”  

Prayer for today: Ask God to open the eyes and ears of your heart that you become consistent obeying Him.

FAITH CAPSULE: Meditating the living word of God is a matchless way of keeping the heart.

Luke 22:1-23

The heart of man is described in the Bible, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it? (Jeremiah 17:9) The book of Ecclesiastes 9:3 went further identifying the heart of man, “This is an evil in all that is done under the sun: that one thing happens to all. Truly the hearts of the sons of men are full of evil; madness is in their hearts while they live, and after they go to dead.” Through the whole Bible it becomes evident that the heart is where the rise and fall of man begins. Most of the time, what flows through the heart of man is what makes or breaks man in the journey of life. It is how man keeps the heart that determines what man gets from living life. The word of God admonishes all stating, “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.” Are you keeping your heart? Keeping the heart by continually (a non-stop meditation) meditating the living word of God is a matchless and unfailing way of keeping the heart.
Judas Iscariot ate and drank with Jesus; he witnessed unusual miracles in the hand of Jesus. Despite all of his exposure to Christ his heart was not exposed to Jesus but to the devices of wickedness. It is written, “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)  Betrayal, rebellion, and every other wicked act, operate from the heart, because the heart has always been the prime target for the Satan to get hold of man. Satan went after the heart of Judas, and he was able to establish his plan and purpose of betraying Jesus.
The only proven target for the enemy to strike is the heart. Mr. and Mrs. Ananias and Sapphira were not forced when they voluntarily sell their possession to buttress the fellowship of others, but they came up lying about the proceedings, “But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep part of the price of the land for yourself? (Acts 5:3) Hearts need to be constantly kept by prayer. King David prayed in Psalm 51:10, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” It is only the grace of God is enough to keep hearts from becoming a victim of the wicked one. What is the state of your heart?

Prayer for today: Ask God to take over your days and your moments, so your heart will be consecrated unto Him.