FAITH CAPSULE: Worship God and not give into worrying.

Genesis 39, Matthew 6:25-34

Do you love the Lord God? To fear God is to love God. What is it that is compromising your love for God? To love God is to seek Him. Seeking God is the access to having everything. Seeking God is worshiping God. Jesus was speaking against worrying when He stated, “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’  For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” Does the word of Jesus speak to you? Why not engage worship instead of worrying? He is the Almighty God, all purposeful God, and undeniable God. God deserves all of our love and not a partial love. When you sincerely love God, the enemy cannot do anything to overcome you.
At the age of seventeen, Joseph, who was dearly loved by his father more than anyone else was lost from home in line of obeying his father. Are you on an unexpected and painful ground by virtue of your love for God? Joseph, by virtue of his love for His father entered into an unexpected and painful ground. Joseph, in the course of being lost, his brothers attempted his life but God delivered him from the pit of death. Instead of gaining his route back home, he gained entrance into slavery. Joseph’s story is comparable to how God will show up for any man that enters into a route of pain while obeying God with all their love. Joseph was in slavery when heaven smiled on him and favor answered on his behalf before his master. Joseph was only serving his father when he went into different challenges with no breakthrough in sight. His situation is like that of moving from frying pan into fire. Pay attention to Joseph’s story and you will learn that the only right way is the way of God. To love God is to fear God and to please Him regardless of every challenging situation. When you love Him, He will love you and your enemies attempt will fail while you gain favor from Him. Your challenges cannot be too much for you not to love God. God was with Joseph and He made him successful and prosperous. Whenever challenge comes in the course of loving God, He is able to deliver. The enemy cannot be more powerful than the God you worship. Worship God and not give into worrying.

Prayer for today: Ask for the fear of God that will keep you not to depart from Hi

FAITH CAPSULE:Remember, the Lord will fight for you hold onto your peace.

Exodus 14

King Pharaoh, out of the abundance of his atrocious heart, refused to let go of the Israelites. God intervened using Moses as a vessel but Pharaoh remained determined in pursuing the Israelites beyond his border. After the let go of Israelites from Egypt after over four hundred years of bondage, Pharaoh and his subjects could not let go but went after the Israelites. When the Israelites saw that they were being chased to where there was no way to escape, they took their eyes off their Sustainer; they resolved to negative confession and could not count on God’s leadership through Moses. It is written, “And when Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians marched after them. So they were very afraid, and the children of Israel cried out to the Lord. Then they said to Moses, “Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you so dealt with us, to bring us up out of Egypt? Is this not the word that we told you in Egypt, saying, ‘Let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness.” (Exodus 14:10-12) Is there any representative of Pharaoh and his cohorts that will not let you go or give up on chasing your life? Take to Moses’ word of encouragement to the Israelites: Do not be afraid; stand still; see it (even when is not yet there) that the salvation of the Lord is in place to terminate and never to see the Pharaohs of your life no more. (Exodus 14:13) The most striking point in Moses’ word to the Israelites is, “The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.” (Exodus 14-14) Do you believe? In Moses’ word of God, there is a condition to have God fight for us. The condition is to hold on to peace knowing that God never lose a battle that is committed to Him. Holding peace in the face of the wicked one attempting to take away one’s life is easier said than done. However, if we can only do as the word commands the battle against the wicked is a done deal.
Every confronting challenge is always a designated wicked agenda against man. Confronting challenge is meant to distract man from maintaining focus on God.There is none that is immune to challenges but man can possibly not be moved by confronting challenges. Keep faith by meditating in the testimonies of His awesome ways of deliverance; preservation and you shall be established. Remember, the Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace by believing (behaving) His word and you shall be established.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace to remain covered under His delivering word

FAITH CAPSULE: Disallow the wicked ones act from derailing you and causing your misplacement in the presence of God.

Psalm 73

The job of the wicked is to do evil. The wicked, despite their wickedness are living a life that makes man to wonder why and how it could be for the wicked ones to be having a life that appears better and glamorous. However, we should only be careful and only have our heart directed into the love of God and the patience of Christ Jesus. None is judge except God and all should allow God to do as He pleases. One thing is clear, God sees it all and He will only move against the wicked at His own appointed time. Wickedness has its seat in the heart of man. Jeremiah 17:9-10 tells us about the seat (heart) of wicked stating, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked;who can know it?I, the Lord, search the heart;I test the mind,even to give every man according to his ways,according to the fruit of his doings.” The word of God did not specify whose heart is deceitful meaning that deceitful heart can be the unbeliever’s heart or the believer’s heart. Can you identify if you are wicked or not? Going about and blowing smiles all day or sleeping and waking up in the church building should not be mistaken for a heart that is not deceitful and desperately wicked.
Here are some of what can possibly be the identities or the state of the wicked ones as pointed out in Psalm 73 
Pride serves as their necklace.
Violence covers them like a garment.
Their eyes bulge with abundance.
They have more than heart could wish.
They increase in riches.
They scoff and speak wickedly concerning oppression.
They speak loftily (arrogantly)
They set their mouth against the heavens and their tongue walks through the earth.
Among the above points, none can be identified as incorrect when identifying the state of the wicked one. Are you an acclaimed believer that has the word God un-internalized and translated into practice? If your answer is yes, you are presented with an opportunity to make amends.
Jeremiah testifies his pains concerning the life of the wicked ones when he approached God stating, “Righteous are You, O Lord, when I plead with You;yet let me talk with You about Your judgments. Why does the way of the wicked prosper?Why are those happy who deal so treacherously?You have planted them, yes, they have taken root;they grow, yes, they bear fruit…” (Jeremiah 12:1-2) It is normal to call God’s attention in regard to the wicked one’s act like Jeremiah did but it is not normal to allow the wicked ones act to disrupt or direct us away from what God can do against the wicked at His appointed time.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace not to be a wicked one.

FAITH CAPSULE: Engage the uncommon route to evangelize the world.

John 4

It is written about Jesus, “He left Judea and departed again to Galilee. But He needed to go through Samaria. So He came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar…” (John 4:3-5) His destination was Galilee not Samaria because Samaria to the Jew was a no-go area by virtue of the hatred the Jews had for them. Despite the truth that going through Samaria was the shortest route then, the Jews always avoids Samaria. Jesus did not avoid the short route. The short route represents the uncommon route where very few go through. Jesus took the uncommon route, a route that bitterness and rivalry prevails. Bitterness and rivalry did not deny Jesus from fulfilling one of His divine assignments on earth. It is not important how many of our assignments were executed but how many were not executed because of worldly ideas. Jesus ignored the bitterness and enmity between the Jews and the people of Samaria when He passed through Samaria.
As a believer, we often avoid passing through the way of the world that need to hear more of the word of God to serve our own convenience. Jesus repeatedly proved how wrong the roles that believers world play to deny salvation. When He came to Samaria, He ministered to a woman who had never heard the gospel message. Jesus stated, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” (John 4:13-14) Having ministered to the Samaritan woman, He told her about her past relationships with husbands. To the Samaritan woman, her encounter with Jesus was evidence that Jesus was a prophet. After she listened to all that Jesus had told her, “The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, “Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?” Then they went out of the city and came to Him.” (John 4:28-29) The Samaritan woman left what she carried with her and went on to carry out a great evangelism. Jesus reached her when He ignored convenience; He shelved pride (the root of Bitterness and rivalry) and mission was accomplished. The Samaritan woman went on evangelism, “And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, “He told me all that I ever did.” So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. And many more believed because of His own word.” (John 4:39-41) Just like Jesus, engage the uncommon route to evangelize the world.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace that will enable you to live a fulfilled life to the glory of God. 

FAITH CAPSULE: It is not possible to seek God when your ways are not His ways.

Luke 13:22-35, 19:1-10

As Jesus was going back and forth on earth, through the cities and villages, teaching and preaching the gospel, He was questioned, “…Then one said to Him, “Lord, are there few who are saved?” And He said to them, “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you will seek to enter and will not be able.”” (Luke 13:22-24)The people wanted to know who is saved and who is not save. Do you care to know about who is saved or who is not saved?Jesus responded to the question by letting the people know that few are saved. Jesus laid it down clearly by pointing it out that many will actually strive to enter the hall of salvation through the narrow gate but will not be able to. In these days of so many salvation hindering forces, it can be agreed upon that changing from seeking to diligently seeking salvation is a way to avoid a failure not to enter the narrow gate. The way of salvation is a narrow way and not the wide and popular way. It is clear that striving and not strolling is what it requires to enter through the narrow gate.
Zacchaeus wanted the saving master to visit his house but was short in every possible way for it to happened. He knew he had to seek the Lord’s attention because of all the hindering forces on ground. As a result, he decided to seek Him diligently. It is written, “So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said to him, “Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house.” (Luke 19:4-5) Zacchaeus did not just run (seek) but he ran and climbed the tree (seek diligently) Zacchaeus took an unpopular way and Jesus could not ignore him but to attend to him. The narrow way is the unpopular way while the broad way is the popular way that carries the majority of people. Seeking Him diligently is beyond going to church; seeking diligently is not when we are obeying Him in our own way. Proverbs 8:17 buttress, “I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently will find me.”  Are you seeking Him diligently or gently? The word is true when it says, “…he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” (Hebrews 11:6) Engage the word fully and gain in its blessing exceedingly.

Prayer for today: Ask for His guidance for you not to enter into the broad way.