FAITH CAPSULE: Care to give a concerned care for God’s sake and gain God’s attention.

2 Kings 4:8-37, Luke 10:5-37

For God’s sake, be concerned to care for others. Taking a chance to care for others for God’s sake is positioning one for the manifestation of God’s glory over one’s life. The Bible records about a notable woman of Shunem that was blessed for taking the chance to care for God’s sake. She was a woman whom Elisha often passed by her house. It is written, “Now it happened one day that Elisha went to Shunem, where there was a notable woman, and she persuaded him to eat some food. So it was, as often as he passed by, he would turn in there to eat some food.” (2 Kings 4:8) Initially when Elisha was passing, all he was doing was stopping to eat. At a point in time the notable woman approached her husband, “And she said to her husband, ‘Look now, I know that this is a holy man of God, who passes by us regularly. Please, let us make a small upper room on the wall; and let us put a bed for him there, and a table and a chair and a lampstand; so it will be, whenever he comes to us, he can turn in there.’” (2 Kings 4:9-10) The notable woman (Shunammite woman) was concerned to care for Elisha, the man of God, for God’s sake. Elisha recognized the caring which he received from the Shunammite woman and he sent his servant (Gehazi) to call the Shunammite woman for him. By virtue of the Shunammite woman’s concerned care, it became glaring to Elisha the need to pray that the Shunammite woman should have a son. The Shunammite gained favor of God when she cared for God’s sake. Elisha prayed for her and she was able to have a son despite the old age of her husband.
There are many ways of caring for strangers and non-strangers, but when such caring is for God’s sake, it provokes the hand of God for a favorable manifestation of God’s goodness and mercy in the life of the one who cares. Most importantly, when our concerned care necessitates taking unusual chances which lead to God’s glory, God’s attention to us becomes undeniable and profitable.
Jesus made us to realize that, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.” (Mathew 5:7) Caring to impress man does not present anyone before God. Care to give a concerned care for God’s sake and gain God’s attention that delivers favorable mercy to the one who engages the chance to give concerned care.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace to know to care when situations demands caring. 

FAITH CAPSULE: When pride settles in man self-destruction takes it reign in man’s life.

2 Kings 5

Pride is a personal ride to self-destruction. When pride settles in man, man is set on a journey for self-destruction. Naaman the leper, by virtue of his position (commander of the army of the king of Syria) allowed pride to almost derail his restoration. Elisha sent a messenger to him with instruction for his healing restoration and he responded as stated in the Bible, “But Naaman became furious, and went away and said, “Indeed, I said to myself, ‘He will surely come out to me, and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God…” (2 Kings 5:10-11) Naaman rejected instruction for his healing restoration and went in rage. Being furious and having a rage where there is need to tremble in honor and humility is the evidence of empty pride. For Naaman, if not the sake of his servant that redirected him back to Elisha’s instruction, he would have missed his healing restoration.
Jesus, in one of His crossing over “…one of the rulers of the synagogue came, Jairus by name. And when he saw Him, he fell at His feet and begged Him earnestly, saying, ‘My daughter lies at the point of death. Come and lay Your hands on her, that she may be healed, and she will live.’” (Mark 5:22-23) Jairus put aside his religious title that could have built an empty pride in him. Jairus’ title did not measure to the task that was at hand as he went to meet with Jesus. Jairus needed to have his daughter delivered from the point of death. Unlike Naaman, Jairus could not allow his title to deny his miracle but approached Jesus trembling with all honor and humility. The word mentioned that he “fell at his feet and begged Him earnestly.” Jairus fell at His feet to lay it all unto Jesus. Imagine Jairus begging earnestly for the life of his daughter saying, “Here I am, a poor religious leader, have mercy on my dying daughter.” While begging at the feet of the Master, he made his request without paying attention to his title and the multitude. Jairus saw Jesus and he took a step of faith; pride subsided and humility took the place of pride. Jairus’ stepping out caused him to have a direct contact with Jesus. Jesus knows all things and Jairus’ need was not strange to Jesus. His stepping out and seeing Jesus was a renunciation of being a part of the multitude to being one who was on purpose and not flowing with the crowd. Let Jesus see you in your need and not just in the crowd. Watch out, “Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall.” (Proverbs16:18)

Prayer for today: Ask God to deliver you from every spirit of pride.

FAITH CAPSULE: What is denying you from engaging healing or deliverance miracle?

Mark 10:46-52

It is written, “As He went out of Jericho with His disciples and a great multitude, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the road begging. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, ’Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!’” (Mark 11:46-47) Clearly, Bartimaeus’ healing began at the point where he was able to hear about Jesus. Many are located at the center of their healing and deliverance but they lack understand to engage their healing and deliverance. With Bartimaeus, his physical blindness could not interfere with his hearing that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. Many had eyes and ears but could not see Jesus passing by neither could they identify with Jesus. Bartimaeus, a blind man, heard about Jesus and called out.
What is denying you from engaging healing or deliverance miracle? Your eyes are in place and hearing is functioning. An adage states, “Once a sick man identifies that he is sick, healing is set to have its place in his life.” Bartimaeus identified he was blind and gaining sight was set to take a place when he refused not to be shut up by the multitudes that were set to shut him up.
The major force that could have denied Bartimaeus was the multitude. Bartimaeus understood well enough that the name of Jesus was all that he needed. As a result of his understanding, the multitude’s attempt to discourage him and shut him up failed and could not prevail. In the location at which you can receive your deliverance, are you paying attention to forces of discouragement and hindrance or are you paying attention to your understanding about your Lord and Savior? The Bible recorded how the multitude (force of hindrance) attempted to deny Bartimaeus. “Then many warned him to be quiet; but he cried out all the more, ’Son of David, have mercy on me!’”(Mark 10:48) Bartimaeus could care less and cried out even more. He denied giving attention to the multitude. Bartimaeus’ cry called for Jesus to respond with full attention. With Jesus’ attention, the same crowd that attempted to silence Bartimaeus also responded saying, “…Be of good cheer. Rise He is calling you.” (Mark 11:49) It is not enough to know about whom you believe but to actually know Him and be known in Him is what will put His mark on your life. The cry of Bartimaeus, “Jesus, Son of David” testifies to his knowledge of Jesus. Bartimaeus was blind in the physical but he did have spiritual insight. Many can see, but are yet spiritually blinded.    

Prayer for today: Call on His name to have mercy that the eyes of your heart be opened.

FAITH CAPSULE: Grace in place is not for sin to have a place.

Genesis 6, 7

Multiplication and beauty is a blessing from the Lord. The Bible recorded, “Now it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them, that the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves of all whom they chose.” (Genesis 6:1-2) God meant good by blessing His creation and with blessings of God, His creation multiplied in wickedness and all kinds of ungodliness that provoked the hand of God against man. It is written, “… LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. So the LORD said, “I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth…” (Genesis 6:6-7) Sin set man against God and disqualified man from His grace, “But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD” (Genesis 6:8). The same eyes that spotted sin during the time of multiplication and beautification of God’s creation are still the same eyes today. Nothing can escape the eyes of God and the word testifies, “For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him…” (2 Chronicles 16:9)
God’s eye is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. God is forever consistent and He will not overlook sin. There is always sin and there is always forgiveness. However, forgiveness does not take away consequence. If you have been privilege with multiplication and beauty by God, it is definitely not the time to engage sin and sinning before Him. God alone can send showers (rain) of blessing or showers (rain) of destruction. The shower that fell during the time of Noah was in two fold. To the wicked ones, it was a shower of destruction while to Noah it was a shower of grace. The Bible recorded in Genesis 7:11-12, “In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.  And the rain was on the earth forty days and forty nights. ” The rain that flooded in the time of Noah was the result of sin. God’s blessing does not come with sorrow and neither was it meant to bring sorrow but when sin reigns it provokes the hand of God against man. Just as grace was available for Noah so it is for all man. However, the word of God makes it clear that grace in place is not for sin to have place by stating, “Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?  Certainly not!

Prayer for today: Pray against every force that causes man to abuse God’s blessing in life.

FAITH CAPSULE: Know it that God is not asleep.

Psalm 37

Evildoers are wicked. Being evil or wicked is foolishness. It takes the lack of the fear of God to be foolish. The Bible also testifies to it stating, “The fool has said in his heart, “there is no God” they are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none who does good.” (Psalm 14:1) Are you experiencing any effect of the wicked? Is there any how the evil one is attempting to deny what belongs to you as ordained by God? Know it that God is not asleep; He does not slumber and the enemy cannot be more powerful than God. The book of Ecclesiastes 8:13 states, “But it will not be well with the wicked; nor will he prolong his days, which are as a shadow, because he does not fear before God.” King David wrote, “Do not fret because of evildoers, Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity.” (Psalm 37:1) Which one of King David’s advice of ‘do not’ are you doing? Being fretful of the evildoers or being envious of the workers of iniquity? Being fretful of the evildoers testifies to not having rest in the Lord but troubled because of the evildoers. Also, when you are envious because of the workers of iniquity it is a demonstration that you have shifted your focus from God but to the works of the evildoers.
The wicked are here to stay until the Lord is ready to take them away. King David went further in the same Psalm 37 and gave the prescription to rest in the Lord while ignoring the wicked and their wickedness. Psalm 37:3, “Trust in the LORD, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.” Let the Lord take care of His business concerning the wicked. There is nothing that gets past the Lord. The Lord sees all things and He knows all things that are going on. He alone knows when to deal with them when they refuse to come out of their wickedness. Jeremiah also complained to God, “…Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why are those happy who deal so treacherously? 2 You have planted them, yes, they have taken root; they grow, yes, they bear fruit. You are near in their mouth But far from their mind.” (Jeremiah 12:1-2) Clearly it is important that those who fear God should concentrate on pleasing God by working the works of God rather than questioning His response to the wicked. Knowing that it is an abomination to fools to depart from evil is enough to trust God for intervention at His set time. Are you wicked? Would you be honest and take some time out, search, examine, and identify if there is any wicked way in you? There is no minor or serious wickedness. God will judge wickedness.

Prayer for today: Ask God to deliver you and preserve you from all that identifies man as wicked.