FAITH CAPSULE: All that we need to desire is the grace to constantly and consistently fear God.

Numbers 14:1-38

It is written, “He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He also will hear their cry and save them.” (Psalm 145:19) Any man that truly knows to fear God knows what God wants and what God does not want for His children. Knowing what He wants for us will make it impossible for us to be asking or having a desire for what He does not line up in His desire for us. All that we need to desire is the grace to constantly fear Him. God alone knows all of our desire; He knows those that fear Him and He is more than capable to fulfill everyone’s desire.
Everything a man can consider as need is obtainable when we live in the fear of God. Proverbs 19:23 buttress the importance of fearing God when it states, “The fear of God leads to life, and he who has it will abide in satisfaction; He will not be visited with evil.” (Proverbs 19:23) Are you one that desires not to have His desire for your life? A man that presses for his own desires will get it with persistency.
Often time, getting one’s desire which is not of God leads to self-destruction. The children of Israel, coming out of bondage of over four hundred years; seeing the wondrous work of God; strongly press for their own desire that is outside of God’s desire for them. They could not let go Egypt but pressed in their asking and complaining for all kinds of food they were eating in Egypt despite the truth that Lord did not make them to have any lack. God responded and gave them their food of desire. The bible recorded, “So they ate and were well filled, for He gave them their own desire. They were not deprived of their craving; but while their food was still in their mouths, the wrath of God came against them, and slew the stoutest of them, and struck down the choice men of Israel.” (Psalm 78:29-31) Get to know it that God wants the best for you and whatever we do not receive could be because it is out of time or out of place for us. However, when we hold onto Him in fear, He will not fail in giving us what only leads to life and not to our self-destruction like that of the stoutest of the Israelites that were destroyed as mentioned in the above scriptural verse (Psalm 78:29-31). It is worthy to desire for the fear of God so we may abide in God’s satisfaction and not end up in life’s dissatisfaction which always bring evil to man. The point of this write up is for us to live a life that brings desirable good things that are encased in the fear of God. Where there is no fear of God, nothing good will move in the direction of man.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace to constantly and consistently live in the fear of His holy name.

FAITH CAPSULE: When God goes before His vessel, every impenetrable ground will yield for penetration.

Isaiah 45: 1-13

God alone will make and unmake, He alone is the unquestionable King of kings and purposeful mighty creator. God appointed by separating a pagan ruler (Cyrus King of Persia) to Himself for engaging His will. The book of  Isaiah 45:1 recorded, “Thus says the LORD to His anointed, To Cyrus, whose right hand I have held— To subdue nations before him and loose the armor of kings, To open before him the double doors, So that the gates will not be shut:” No man in heaven or under heaven dictates to God who is to be separated unto Him for appointed assignment. God held the right hand of the pagan king and his life story was influenced and changed for good and forever. By virtue of the word of God, as stated above, when God holds anyone’s right hand, victory is certainly certain. When He holds one’s right hand, one no longer does the battle but becomes a vessel being used by God. As it was when He held the right hand of Cyrus, so it will be for every other vessel for God’s assignment. Are you a vessel of His assignment? God will subdue and loose the weapons of your enemy; undeniable doors will be opened for your breakthrough. When God holds your right hand, He becomes the one doing the battle for you on the battlefield.
The book Isaiah 45:2 also pointed out that when He appoints, He will go before the one that is appointed and separated for His assignment. Isaiah 45:2 recorded, “I will go before you and make the crooked places straight; I will break in pieces the gates of bronze and cut the bars of iron.” When God goes before His vessel, every impenetrable ground will yield for penetration and the rough places that have been troubling will be made smooth. When He goes before one, highly invested gates that are specially and specifically constructed to stop and deny breakthrough will be shattered; they will not stand but fall down flat. Above all, every treasured and hidden activity of the wicked will be exposed. When the Lord goes before His vessel, the riches that the enemy cherishes will be exposed and the enemy will be naked. God is still in the business of holding the right hand of His appointed (anointed) vessel and He is still going before them. There is nothing that can be compared to answering as the Lord’s vessel. He is the Holy One of Israel; He alone is the Lord that does all things and nothing is impossible for Him to do.

Prayer for today: Ask God to take over your life in the new month and cause you to be concentrated unto Him.  

FAITH CAPSULE: Seeking God starts from the heart.

Jeremiah 10

A failure to seek God is the evidence of dull-heart and it denies every heavenly blessing that makes a difference in the life of man. It is written in Jeremiah 10:21, “For the shepherds have become dull-hearted, and have not sought the LORD; therefore they shall not prosper, and all their flocks shall be scattered.”
Are you dull-hearted? Are you seeking God with your all your heart? God demands that we seek Him diligently. Seeking Him diligently will also amount to keeping our heart diligently for Him to reign and rule in our heart. Among the ways of seeking Him with our heart is meditating on His word. In meditation lies prosperous way and good success. The Lord God spoke to Joshua after Moses was dead, “Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left that you may prosper wherever you go. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” (Joshua 1:7-8) The heart that is constantly active in meditation will become active in experiencing prosperity. The kind of prosperity that the Lord mentioned to Joshua was an all-round prosperity. An all-round prosperity is the one that gives good success. Remember, what is good is God’s.
The ability to observe and to do according to the word of God comes only from constant and consistent meditation on the word of God. Doing and observing the word is obeying God. It is only in obeying the word of God that seeking God reigns. As a believer, where do you stand in seeking God? Seeking God starts from the heart. A dull heart is the evidence of God’s absence. Where God is absent, the enemy’s presence prevails. The word of God is secret to those whose heart is not engage in seeking Him. However, “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty” (Psalm 91:1). The secret place of God is no longer a secret to those that know to seek Him in the pages of His word that never fails. Spending time and holding on to the word of God in meditation brings about prosperity that leads to good success. God cannot be mocked and neither can He be manipulated and whatever is sowed is what you will reap. Sow by investing time in meditation and your heart will be active and not dull.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace of enablement to be constant and consistent meditating the word of God.

FAITH CAPSULE: Jesus is the bread of life.

John 6:22-59

A woman of Samaria had an encounter with Jesus when Jesus asked her for water. She was reluctant because it was not real for a Jew to be asking water from a Samaritan. Jesus spoke to her, “…If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.” (Luke 4:10) Jesus is the gift of God and He is also the living water. He is the water that never dries.
Jesus was speaking in John 6:47-51, “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life.  I am the bread of life.Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead.  This is the bread which comes down from heaven that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.” Jesus is the bread of life and anyone that believes is the one that actually feeds on the bread of life.
What do you feed on that is considered more sustaining than the living bread? Truly, we are what we feed on and whatever we feed on determines what we become. Do you believe enough to accept that He is the living water and the bread of life? 
As an acclaimed believer, are you feeding yourself enough of Jesus? Jesus is the bread of life. He said in John 6:57, “… So he who feeds on Me will live because of Me.” He alone is the bread of life and feeding on Him is the only way of having His word abiding in you. The evidence of believing is the word that abides in us. John 5:38, “But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe.” Yesterday and today, many goes after Jesus to feed on bread that perishes.  Jesus, after feeding of the five thousand, many went after Him just to look for more bread to eat. Jesus, knowing the reason for their coming, responded to them and said, “…Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. (John 6:26) Loaves will only fill you and get digested but the bread of life will abide in you forever. Change your appetite, get into Jesus’ reality and begin to feed of life that is in Jesus.

Prayer for today: Ask Him to feed you with the bread of heaven and to grant the grace for your life to retain the living water.

FAITH CAPSULE: Fear in the face of trouble is the demonstration of no confidence in the Lord.

1 Samuel 28

The book of Proverbs 3:25-26 counseled, “Do not be afraid of sudden terror, Nor of trouble from the wicked when it comes; For the LORD will be your confidence, And will keep your foot from being caught.” To be afraid in the face of trouble or in the face of sudden terror is the demonstration of no confidence in the Lord or the evidence of lack of knowledge what God can do. Often times, it is easy to confess hope and trust in the Lord but when trouble or sudden terror comes like a wave, faith becomes tested. However, the more one hear and hear about how different troubles and sudden terrors were overcome by the presence of the Lord, our faith supposedly will rise. The word of God is true when it states that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. (Romans 10:17) How are you boosting your confidence and not be afraid in the face of world challenges?
To be afraid is an indirect way of despising the word of God in one’s life. At every time the word of God is despised one is set for destruction. Destruction is exactly what the enemy wants for every man. Fear is the weapon of the enemy and the opposite of faith.
Saul was afraid and brought himself down as king. Once, Saul gathered all Israel together, and they encamped at Gilboa to fight the Philistines. It is written, “When Saul saw the army of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart trembled greatly.  And when Saul inquired of the Lord, the Lord did not answer him, either by dreams or by Urim or by the prophets.” (1Samuel 28:5-6) As a result of his feeling, he entered into deception in attempt to hear from God. He disguised and acted against the law by consulting a woman who is a medium. It is written, “Then the woman said to him, “Look, you know what Saul has done, how he has cut off the mediums and the spiritists from the land. Why then do you lay a snare for my life, to cause me to die?” (1 Samuel 28:9) Being afraid did not solve the problem of Saul but compounded it. Saul reacted to the sudden terror by becoming afraid after he could not hear from God.
David was supposed to be afraid when the Amalekites invaded his camp at Ziklag; burnt down and took away women and children as captive. David’s people spoke of stoning him because the soul of his people was grieved. David was distressed but he strengthened himself in the Lord God. (1 Samuel 30:4-6) You have the word of God, be strengthened in the word of God and you shall overcome and not be victim of being afraid.
 
Prayer for today: Ask God to enable you to operate in the spirit of power, love and sound mind.