FAITH CAPSULE: A Christian life journey can be compared to running a race which must be completed.

1 Corinthians 10:1-13

It is written, “Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ. But with most of them God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.”(1 Corinthians 10:1-5)
Paul the apostle was sharing a hard truth, a truth that is threatening. To be a part of sojourners at the onset of a journey and not get to the final destination of such journey is an epic failure. The important issue about life journey is that getting started is not enough except the one in journey gets through to the final destination.
A Christian life journey can be compared to running a race which must be completed. In every race, celebration should always be a thing of the end not in the beginning or half way through. Thousands and thousands started the journey, went, and passed through different grounds together, enjoyed an equal and very balanced provision with no separation by hierarchy, but not all saw the end of the journey. Are you following Jesus fully or just flowing with the crowd? 
With the above verse, it is possible for so many to be numbered while few become counted. Also, many will access the broad way while few enters into the narrow way. (Matthew 7:13)  God can never be intimidated and not do what He will do.
Jesus stated in the book of Matthew 13:30, “Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.” Jesus said, “Let them grow together until the harvest time.” He did not separate them or stop them from growing. God is not in a rush to judge man but at His appointed time, His judgment will separate all. Ones which are for real in their race; ones which are pretending or deceiving are going to be separated from each other. How are you running your race? God is not asleep, nor is He too busy, but there is time in His hand. The word declares in Ecclesiastes 8:11, “Because the sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.”
The word of God is true. Imagine the tares and the wheat growing together; meditate on it and run your race without falling off and end up becoming tares which are set to be burn.

Prayer for today: Ask for His tender mercy and truth to continually guide.  

FAITH CAPSULE: When God remembers, He favors and restoration becomes evident.

1 Samuel 1

Calling on God to remember us is evident to the fact that we have a Father who we can call on despite having caused a self-destruction. Samson, after having exposed himself to self-destruction, called to the LORD saying, “O Lord GOD, remember me, I pray! Strengthen me, I pray, just this once, O God that I may with one blow take vengeance on the Philistines for my two eyes!” (Judges 16:28) Indeed, God remembered Samson and He granted him his wish. Hannah, by virtue of her bareness, made a vow during her call for God to remember her and said, “O LORD of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a male child, then I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life, and no razor shall come upon his head.” (1 Samuel 1:10-11) Does your situation call for desperation due to mockery? God honors vows and it could be that a vow of what you are capable of delivering is what you need. God is not a joker and He takes a vow serious. The Bible also warns about vow, “If a man makes a vow to the LORD, or swears an oath to bind himself by some agreement, he shall not break his word; he shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth.” (Numbers 30:2) Do not make a vow and end up not able to fulfill it. God did remembered Hannah as the Bible testifies, “And Elkhanah knew Hannah his wife, and the LORD remembered her.” (1 Samuel 1:19) God is a God who never forgets but always remember.
In the book of Acts, a man called Cornelius testified, “So Cornelius said, ‘Four days ago I was fasting until this hour; and at the ninth hour I prayed in my house, and behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing, and said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard, and your alms are remembered in the sight of God.’” (Acts 10:30-31) Cornelius needed to be remembered in the sight of God and his alms giving caught the eyes of God after he had prayed. Have you been praying and do you have an account that is worth enough to get the sight of God? Know this day that God is a faithful God. Take a conscious and deliberate step to call for Him to remember you. As you proceed by His grace into a new day, meditate in prayer. “Remember me, O LORD, with the favor You have toward Your people. Oh, visit me with Your salvation, That I may see the benefit of Your chosen ones, That I may rejoice in the gladness of Your nation, That I may glory with Your inheritance.” (Psalm 106:4-5)

Prayer for today: God, for His goodness sake, will restore all that He has for you in Jesus name.

FAITH CAPSULE: Can you think of where to run or hide?

Exodus 6:1-8

The psalmist declared, “Let them praise the name of the Lord, For His name alone is exalted; His glory is above the earth and heaven.” (Psalm 148:13) There is no any other name which can save or deliver like the name of God. The psalmist called, “Save me, O God, by Your name, and vindicate me by your strength.” (Psalm 54:1) Is there any other name you can think of calling for salvation or deliverance outside the mighty name of the gracious God?
When it was time for the deliverance of the Israelites from Pharaoh “… God spoke to Moses and said to him: ‘I am the LORD. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by My name LORD I was not known to them.’”(Exodus 6:2-3) The name of God alone brought them out of the bondage of Egypt. Pharaoh attempted every oppositional means to disapprove the effectiveness and the power that is in the name of God but failure answered to him.
The name of God answered with fire for Elijah on Mount Carmel. Elijah alone confronted four hundred and fifty Baal’s prophets on Mount Carmel. Elijah challenged the prophets of Baal, “Choose one bull for yourselves and prepare it first, for you are many; and call on the name of your god, but put no fire under it.” (1 Kings 18:25) The bible recorded, “Baal prophets called on the name of Baal from morning even till noon, saying, “O Baal, hear us!” But there was no voice; no one answered.” (1Kings 18:26) When Elijah called on the name of God, fire of the Lord fell.
In His name, undeniable testimonies of victory occupy the pages of the bible. Proverbs 18:10 recorded, “The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.”  If you have accepted Christ as your Lord and Savior your righteousness is set in Him. Call on the name of the Lord as your shelter and He will cover you in every area of confrontation. Goliath in David’s life meant to kill him when he threatened, “…come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!” (1 Samuel 17:44) David responded to Goliath stating, “…you come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.” (1 Samuel 17:45)Can you think of where to run or hide? In this world, there is no hiding place that is safe except in the name of the Lord.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace to know and to call on the name of God in all your way.

FAITH CAPSULE: Expect from God for your request.

John 2:1-12

Behind every story in the bible there are powerful secrets to deliver and to turn lack to abundance. In the story of David killing Goliath there is enough secret for every believer to encounter all that represent goliath challenge. However, gaining understanding of the secret in the story (word) demands a listening ability. Jesus points out the source of gaining understanding, “Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to my word.” (John 8:43) Gaining understanding in the word of God is accessing the secret in the word and it demands listening attentively. One that is able to listen will gain understanding. With understanding in place, the ability to activate knowledge will give one a knowing edge over confronting challenge.
What is your challenge? The bible is loaded with more than enough secret to engage your confronting challenge. Are you in need of deliverance or attempting to overcome lack where abundance is in great demand?  The story about Jesus turning water into wine is a case where lack was converted into abundance. The secret in the story is what will also convert one’s lack to abundance. It is written in the story, “On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there.Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding.And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no wine.” (John 2:1-3) Is it your third day of a new week or your third day of a new month? Take conscious approach in your prayer and invite Jesus just as He was invited to the wedding on the third day. State it in your prayer it is your third day; point it out to the impartial God, just as He showed on the third day at the wedding you are inviting Him to show up for you on this third day.
On that third day of the wedding in Cana of Galilee, knowing that Jesus honored the invitation, a petition for need was spoken to Him by His mother stating, “They have no wine” As a believer, do you stand a ground to speak your need just as the mother of Jesus? Speak your need and move in trust, hoping for manifestation. His mother spoke and engage preparation stating, “Whatever He says to you, do it.” (John2:5) How are you preparing for the manifestation of your request? It is time to make a faith rooted preparation. Is it the blessing of the womb? It is time to begin to put baby’s need in place. The bible makes us to realize that without faith it is impossible to please God. (Hebrew 11:6) Going by the consistency in the word of God, it should be agreed that with faith God is pleased. Expect from God for your request.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace to have a standing ground before Him.

FAITH CAPSULE: God demands from all to obey fully…no exception.

Numbers 12

God’s commands demands a serious attention which will enable man to avoid violating any of His command. Without doubt, he who is devoid of wisdom despises His command and ends up as a fool. Violation of His command will expose man to death and sometimes stagnation in every area of living life. However, the bottom line of it is made clear in Proverbs 13:13, “He who despises the word will be destroyed, but he who fears the commandment will be rewarded.” Are you consciously or unconsciously engaging any act of disobedience to His word? Obeying or disobeying the commands of God is a serious matter and it demands serious attention. Regardless of whom you are or the kind of title you are answering to inside or outside of the church, God demands from all to obey fully…no exception.
It is written, “And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”(Genesis 2:16-17) Disobeying God is an open avenue to death. God did not spare Adam and Eve from reaping the fruit of disobedience when death became the consequence of disobedience. Besides dying from the consequence of disobedience, stagnation is possibly another cause of disobedience.
When Moses was leading the Israelites, ““Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married; for he had married an Ethiopian woman. So they said, “Has the LORD indeed spoken only through Moses? Has He not spoken through us also?” And the LORD heard it…” (Numbers 12:1-3)The dissension of Aaron and Miriam was an indirect act of disobedience to God who called Moses. The act of disobedience caused them delay and stagnation on the course of their journey when, “Miriam was shut out of the camp seven days, and the people did not journey till Miriam was brought in again. And afterward the people moved from Hazeroth and camped in the Wilderness of Paran.” Just because of Miriam the whole entourage suffered stagnation.
With God, there is mercy which never runs out. However, with sin comes consequence. God will forgive where there is repentance but consequence remains regardless of repentance. David, a man after God’s own heart did not escape from the consequence of his sinful act when he set up Uriah for untimely death after having taken and lay with his wife Bathsheba. It is written, “…the thing that David had done displeased the Lord.” (2 Samuel 11:26) Among the consequences of David’s sin was that the Lord struck the child that Uriah’s wife bore to David.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace to be constantly obedient and not become a victim of sin.