FAITH CAPSULE: One thing is to claim serving Him; it is another thing to be serving Him in truth.

Psalm 90, 97

To serve God is to love God. Talking love is cheap and not enough but working love is real and complete. How do we love God? To love God, “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.” (Deuteronomy 6:5) To love Him with all your heart is to know Him. Do you know Him or you only know about Him? What is it to know Him? “Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.” (1 John 2:3-5) One who does not love God does not know Him and does not serve Him either.
Which God do you serve? The Psalmist states, “Let all be put to shame who serve carved images, who boast of idols. Worship Him, all you gods.” (Psalm 97:7) It is clear from the word of God that shame belongs to those who serve outside of the living God. Being put to shame or living in shame is not a way to live life. Why not serve God and avoid shame? Shame is a direct evidence of failure, deprivation and embarrassing situation which does not settle well with man.
Serving outside of Most High God of all creation is not an option but a command. As shame belongs to those who are serving idols, so beauty is what belongs to those who are serving God. The Psalmist buttress, “And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands for us; yes, establish the work of our hands.” (Psalm 90:17) Beauty of God is blessing of God. Ones who love and serve Him as commanded shall have the beauty of God upon their lives. It is clearly spelled out by the Psalmist that when the beauty of the Lord comes upon a believer (those who love Him with all their heart) such believer is set to be established for His glory.
How are you serving Him? It is one thing to claim serving Him and it is another thing to be serving Him in truth. The word of God is not a mere fairy tale or fiction but it is purposeful. The purpose of the word is stated in 2Timothy 3:16, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” If you will be purposeful by taking the word of God as a living oracle, shame shall not be your portion, but rather you will end up under the beauty of the Lord with the grace of overcoming challenges of the wicked world.

Prayer for today: Ask God in Jesus name to cause His word to have its rightful place in your life.

FAITH CAPSULE: If you will let God rise on your behalf, you shall stand and not fall.  

Psalm 68, Acts 12

Be encouraged and know there is absolutely nothing too hard or impossible for God to do. Jeremiah testifies, “There is nothing too hard for You.” (Jeremiah 32:17) The angel who visited Mary made a declaration, “For with God nothing will be impossible.” (Luke 1:37) Jesus buttressed all in His word, “if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.”” There is no better one to say it to our hearing than Jesus the author and finisher of our faith. However, engaging the impossibility demands faith just as emphasized by Jesus.
The psalmist states, “Let God arise, let His enemies be scattered; let also those who hate Him flee before Him (Psalm 68:1). Allowing God to rise on our behalf in the face of confronting challenge demands faith like a mustard seed.
To let God is to be able to trust in waiting for the move of His hand at His appointed time. Daniel was set for untimely death because of his love for God. Daniel violated the king’s law which forbade petitioning another God. Daniel’s act was punishable by death in the den of the lion yet, Daniel did not contest nor force against the decree. Regardless of challenge, when the way of escape looks impossible we can always stand on God’s promise of possibility. Daniel let God arise on his behalf by his action which states, “Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days.” (Daniel 6:10) Daniel waited on God for God to rise on his behalf. Resting on the promises of God by obeying His commands will allow God to rise on our behalf in any area of challenge.
It is written “He brings out those who are bound into prosperity.” (Psalm 68:6) God is true to His word when He brought Daniel out from the bondage of untimely death, his testimony turned out to be a prosperous one.
God is faithful to His word and working His word in the lives of those that will let Him. Peter the apostle was in bondage and was set to be killed. While Peter was set to be killed, God was set to bring him out of the bondage of death. At the time of Peter’s deliverance from untimely death, there was no negotiation with the prison officer when the iron gate opened to its own accord. If you will let God rise on your behalf, you shall stand and not fall.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace of faith like a mustard seed.

FAITH CAPSULE: Complaining to God is not an option and should never be what to resolve to do.

Exodus 15

The book of Psalm 28:5 recorded, “Because they do not regard the works of the Lord, nor the operation of His hands, He shall destroy them And not build them up.” One who meditates day and night shall not fail to regard God.  A failure not to regard God is disregarding the works of His hand and the operation of His hand; it is an avenue to self-destruction.
It does not matter how challenging your situation is, complaining to God is not an option and should never be what to resolve to do. Gaining understanding that nothing is impossible for God to do is worthy of the reason not to complain. It is hard to imagine, for the children of Israel, that after walking on dry ground, in the middle of the Red Sea, complaining happened to be the way of asking for their needs to be met. It is written, “So Moses brought Israel from the Red Sea; then they went out into the Wilderness of Shur. And they went three days in the wilderness and found no water. Now when they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter. Therefore the name of it was called Marah. And the people complained against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” (Exodus 15:22-24) Could it have been that the children of Israel forgot so soon, or the issue of their needs was overwhelmingly too much?
If you will meditate on the truth of His word, anxiousness shall give way to waiting and giving thanks. The word of God encourages us, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.” (Philippians 4:6) Taking to the word of God and being anxious shall give way to no complain.
Complaining is an act of rebellion which does not move God but can only remove one from Gods presence. Instead of complaining begin to count your blessings of the past and blessings of the present, thank God for the blessings that are to come. Moses responded to the people’s complain “…So he cried out to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a tree. When he cast it into the waters, the waters were made sweet. There He made a statute and an ordinance for them, and there He tested them,” Complaining before calling out on God is wrong so therefore disengage with complaining. Remember, the Lord God has brought you this far, and He will take you further.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace to refrain from complaining but engage in thanksgiving.

FAITH CAPSULE: Do not engage your goings and comings without Jesus.

John 2:1-12

As you face a new day, a new beginning or a new assignment have you place a conscious invitation to the one that is abundantly able to do all things? Living in the consciousness of the word of God is to consciously look up to God and invite Him in all going and comings. The Bible recorded, “On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. 2 Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding.” (John 2:1-2) He honored an invitation to wedding in Cana of Galilee and He will not fail to honor every invitation in the name of Jesus.
Despite the truth that Jesus was invited to the wedding in Cana of Galilee, embarrassment, shame and mockery showed up as an uninvited guest at the wedding. Uninvited guest showing became a threat before Mary, the mother of Jesus, interceded on behalf of the celebrant. It is not too difficult to imagine what could have become of the wedding celebration without the extension of invitation to Jesus.
Jesus declared, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10) The thief’s agenda is nothing but to deliver shame, mockery and untimely death. However, a failure not to invite Jesus is creating a vacuum for the thief to gain ground. Have you been taking a conscious step to extend invitation to Jesus? He came for us if we are willing to engage Him in prayer for deliverance and preservation as we face confronting challenge.
Inviting Jesus and having him present is not a guarantee that challenges will not come; it is not evidence that weapons will not form against you. However, with Him invited, challenges will come, weapons will form against you, but you will overcome in all areas of challenging situations. With Jesus invited, enemies will have a say, but will not have the last say concerning you. 
If you have invited Him, be prepared to follow through with all His commands. For Jesus to prevail denying shame and mockery at the wedding at Cana of Galilee, His mother warned, “Whatever He says to you, do it.” (John 2:5) With invitation extension, remember to keep all of His command because, “He who keeps his command will experience nothing harmful” (Ecclesiastes 8:5) Have you extended your invitation to the king of Kings? Do not engage your goings and comings without Jesus.

Prayer for today: Call on Jesus to have His way in every area of your life; ask Him to reign and to rule your goings and comings.

FAITH CAPSULE: Think of it, God is not a God who cannot be reached.

Judges 11

It is written, "Understand, you senseless among the people; And you fools, when will you be wise? 9 He who planted the ear, shall He not hear? He who formed the eye, shall He not see?" (Psalm 94:8-9) To lack the understanding of God is the evidence of being senseless. It is safe to call the senseless empty head. Empty head has no direction because not having understanding of God is not being under God’s direction. A man that operates not under the direction of God lives life and end up foolish in life. Understanding God is crucial in order to cruise through the wicked world in these days of wickedness. Proverbs 3:7 point out that understanding is important by stating, “Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom and in all your getting, get understanding.” What is it that you do not understand about God? He is the one who stretch the heavens like a curtain; He is the one who makes the clouds His chariots (Psalm 104). It is wise to understand and know that He alone is the Almighty God; He is the Great I AM the I AM; He is the Ancient of days; He is the Everlasting Father; the maker of Heaven and earth; the One and only true God that will not leave His children, or forsake them. Think of it, God is not a God who cannot be reached.
He is not a God who is too far away; He is not deaf; He is not hard to hear or to see when a need calls for it. God is not distant from us; neither does He plan to be distant from us, except that sin has always been the distancing factor in our relationship with the Father that cares so much for His children. In one of His invitations to His children He said, "Put Me in remembrance: let us contend together, state your case, that you may be acquitted." (Isaiah 43:26). He has always been a saving Master and not a slave master. He created us and He gave us choices. What a merciful and gracious God. David, in his words clearly, demonstrated his personalizing God, and the word testified about him as a man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14, Acts 13:22). He is God who acts for those who wait on Him. (Isaiah 64:4) What has been keeping you distant from God? God is waiting for you today to make a move regardless of your situation. With all humility, begin to talk to Him on a personal level, ask Him about everything and He will answer you with all everything.God does hear, see and speak.

Prayer for today:Ask God for the understanding to relate with God.