FAITH CAPSULE: Sleeping in the place of evil agenda will not excuse any believer from evil occurrence.

Acts 12

A believer that has ceased from praying is a sleeping believer living outside the will of God in Christ Jesus for us. The book of 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 states, “Rejoice always,  pray without ceasing,  in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”  The importance of prayer cannot be well emphasized more than Jesus’ statement to His disciples on the Mount of Olives, “…Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” (Luke 22:40) Evidently, by virtue of Jesus’ statement, it should be safe to say that, the elimination of prayer is an invitation for temptation. Despite His warning against sleeping, the disciples fell into sleep and Jesus came back and said to them, “…Why do you sleep? Rise and pray, lest you enter into temptation.” (Luke 22:46) Jesus repeatedly pointed out that sleeping will lead to temptation.
Paul and Silas were awake and not asleep to access their breakthrough deliverance from their jailers when they prayed, “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)
Prayer is not playing games; it is labor. Jesus’ experience in Luke 22:44 demonstrate prayer as labor. It is written, “And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.” (Luke 22:44) It is a serious business and it demands a serious investment. God is a prayer answering God and He will not fail to hear the prayer of His children. Just as Peter fell asleep at the Mount of Olives so he did again while he was set in prison for untimely death at the hand of Herod. In the case of Peter, “…Constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church.” (Acts 12:5) Prayer delivered Peter from a sudden and untimely death. Wherever there is sleep in place of being awake one is positioned outside the will of God in Christ Jesus.
David knew the consequences of giving in to sleeping rather than prayer when he prayed, “Consider and hear me, O LORD of my God; enlighten my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death; lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed against him”; lest those who trouble me rejoice when I am moved.”” (Psalm 13:3-4) Why not engage your eyes in prayer rather than engage your eyes in sleeping when it matters? It does not matter how long you have been in the Lord and neither does it matter the title you answer to, sleeping in the place of evil agenda will not excuse any believer from evil occurrence.

Prayer for the day: Ask God for the grace of enablement to engage prayer without ceasing.

FAITH CAPSULE: God continues to be merciful while man often rushes to judge others.  

John 8:1-12

It is written, “Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” (Genesis 6:5) Since the time of Genesis wickedness reigns on earth while evil prevails in the heart of man. Despite the world of wickedness, God continues to be merciful while man often rushes to judge others. Thank God that God alone is God otherwise, the whole world be gone by now as a result of judgment.
The story of an adulteress woman in the book of John 8:1-12 depicts the world rushing into passing judgment instead of the world being rushed into facing judgment.
The scribes and Pharisees attempted to disrupt Jesus’ teaching in the temple when an adulteress woman was brought to Him. “…And when they had set her in the midst, they said to Him, ‘Teacher, this woman was caughtin adultery, in the very act. Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?’ This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him…” (John 8:3-6) In the case of adulteress woman, the world wanted to rush into judgment. As it has often been, the world which should be judge for sin and sinning turned out took the position of a judge attempting to pass judgment.
Jesus responded to the world (the scribes and Pharisees) when He, “…stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear. So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, ‘He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.’” (John 8:6-7) Jesus drew a line in the sand to identify those who had never been a sinner and those who were sinners. Among the world, none could cross the line of “never had been a sinner”. No man has been assigned to be a judge and Jesus spoke specifically to this when He stated in Mathew 7:1-2, “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.”” Evidently, since no one could cross the line that was drawn by Jesus, no one was qualified to cast a stone of condemnation on the adulteress woman. Jesus, our Lord and Savior, declared to the woman, “…neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”(John 8:11) Jesus the only righteous judge commanded the adulteress woman to go and sin no more. Are you a speck vigilante? Jesus admonished, “Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” (Matthew 7:5)

Prayer for today: Pray not to take any position outside of the Lords calling upon your life.

FAITH CAPSULE:Whatever you behold will either build you up or bring you down.

2 Samuel 11

The Bible records about King David, “It happened in the spring of the year, at the time when kings go out to battle, that David sent Joab and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the people of Ammon and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem.” (2 Samuel 11:1) Ideally, King David was supposed to have been at war. Instead, he was at home walking on the roof and, “…from the roof he saw a woman bathing, and the woman was very beautiful to behold. So David sent and inquired about the woman.” (2 Samuel 11:2-3) Assuming that King David’s location at the wrong time played one of the major roles in his crime against Uriah, the issue of “behold” steered him into his crime against Uriah.
Behold actually means: to observe; look at; see. In most cases, whatever you observe might end up serving you the way you receive it. What you look at will end up in attaching you up to serve your desire. What you see will determine what will become of you. The function ability of beholding what goes around us hangs on to our eyes. Eyes and ears are the major route to our hearts where decisions for action take its place.
After beholding the wife of Uriah while she was bathing, King David inquired about her. He could have turned away from what he observed; what he had looked unto. However King David could not keep his heart under control when he inquired more by sending his messenger for her. After sending for her, “she came to him, and he lay with her, for she was cleansed from her impurity; and she returned to her house. And the woman conceived; so she sent and told David, and said, ‘I am with child.’” (2 Samuel 11:4-5)
Beholding another man’s wife; beholding another woman’s husband; beholding what does not belong to one is a direct trap for self-termination. What is it you are beholding that does not belong to you? King David ended up in deep sin. There is always forgiveness where there is repentance. However, the consequence of sin always remains and could be very costly.
In the presence of two disciples, John the Baptist declared, “…Behold the Lamb of God!” (John 1:36) The two disciples who beheld Jesus followed Jesus. The two disciples’ life was transformed; they were built up to possess their inheritance among the sanctified. Whatever you behold will either build you up or bring you down. If what you behold is of good it will build you up for good and if what you behold is of evil you are set for destruction.
Just as the two disciples beheld Jesus, you begin to behold the living word of God to build you up for His glory.

Prayer for today: Ask God to work in you what is well pleasing in His sight.

FAITH CAPSULE: Know that His word shall come to pass; wait and watch for the manifestation of His word.

Genesis 6, Matthew 25:1-13,

It is written, “The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. So God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth.” (Genesis 6:11-12) God decided to destroy with flood because of the wickedness of man. As a result God said to Noah, “The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will
destroy them with the earth.  Make yourself an ark of gopherwood…” (Genesis 6:13-14) For man it is unimaginable to have the earth flooded in a region where it hardly rains in the period of a year. Thank God He is not a man but the Almighty creator. Noah could have ignored, doubted or procrastinated and not fully engaged full obedience of God’s command. Noah engaged fully as commanded by God. Just as God said, it rained and flooded enough to destroy every living on earth.
Are you paying attention to the truth that Jesus is coming back to judge the whole earth just like Noah’s time when God brought judgment? It also sounds incredible to believe; it has been over two thousand years; many have predicted the end with nothing happened. One thing is certain and that is the word of God. Isaiah 55:11 buttress, “So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” His word was authentic in the time of Noah and His word is still the same today.
Are you sleeping over the unfailing word of God and not watching?
A believer that is often asleep is constantly at risk of missing His word. Jesus gave the Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins which depicts the importance of waiting and watching over the manifestation of God’s word. The ten virgins were all purposeful in their agenda. They all went out to meet the bridegroom. Matthew 25:3-5, “Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.” Having gone far in their pursuit to enter with the bridegroom, sleeping should have been avoided by engaging watching and waiting. They fell asleep and foolishness became their identity. How are you waiting? Can you tell if and when your oil is running out? You have come too far in this journey to begin to entertain foolishness.
Know that His world shall come to pass; do not be ignorant; wait and watch for the manifestation of His word.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace of waiting and not sleep over the word of God.

FAITH CAPSULE: In life, you are either wise or foolish.  

Proverbs 4

How to prevail over the issues of life is directly rooted in how you keep your heart. Proverbs 4:23 “Keep your heart with all diligence for out of it spring the issues of life.” This is not a suggestion but a command that will make the difference in the life of every man that is committed to this command. The heart takes a strategic position in the life of a man because it is where the giver of life looks to determine every action of man. Also, the same heart is where we determine and accept if there is God or there is no God. Psalm 14:1 recorded, “The fool has said in his heart that there is no God…” Confessing there is no God starts from the heart and not from the mouth. When such confession is communicated through the mouth, it always has its root in the heart. Any man that says there is no God through a non-verbal communication speaks from the heart. A believer that claims there is God with his/her mouth but doing all that is contrary to the command of God is indirectly saying there is no God. A wise saying states that, “Action speaks louder than words”. This can be concluded by saying that, what you believe is what you behave.
Every action or behavior is rooted in the heart and this is why Proverbs 4:23 stated, “…Out of it spring the issues of life.” Saul did not say there is no God when Samuel confirmed, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of the LORD your God, which He commanded you. For now the LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel forever.” (1 Samuel 13:13) To be confirmed as being foolish by our action or behavior is the same as being identified as one who makes a verbal confession that there is no God. In life, you are either wise or foolish. To be wise in the wisdom of God and not of the wisdom of this world is an evidence of the fear of God. Likewise, to be foolish in the things of God and not behaving what the word of God commands is as saying there is no God.
Proverbs 4:24-27 identifies what happens when we keep our heart with all diligence:
Besides the truth that issues of life springs from our heart, one will know to always put away deceitful mouth and perverse lips; one’s eyes will be focus where it is right before God; one will know to direct feet on established grounds. Above all, keeping heart with all diligence leads one away from evil at all time. (Proverbs 4:24-27)
It does not matter how much you confess it that you are a believer, if how you live life is not in line with God’s command, you are also saying there is no God.

Prayer for today:Ask God for understand that you may know not live life as a foolish one.