Faith Capsule: Obey the good word of the good God.

Genesis 19

Disobedience to the word of God is disrespectful to God’s Lordship over one’s life. Disobeying God’s word is disregarding God for who He is. To disobey God is to despise God. When man despises the word of God, man takes a position of stepping into self-destruction. “The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, And He delights in his way.” (Psalm37:23) God is good and it is good to obey the word of God. To whom the word orders his step and to whom is able to obey, it is good. However, to who is ordered by the word of God and does not obey, it is bad. Also, obedience to the order in the word of God is a guarantee to make man prevail regardless of this world’s challenges. Are you one that studiously takes a stand in the word of God without taking suggestion from the word of man? It is written, “Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the Lord upholds him with His hand.”(Psalm 37:24) However, there is a difference in falling. Anyone who falls and does not get up will fail and be counted out while the one who falls and gets up shall not be utterly cast down. Have you faltered in response to the Word that orders your step? To falter in the Word that orders your step is to fall.
The wife of Lot faltered by virtue of her disobedience to the word of God. Lot’s wife despised the word of God and became destroyed. Lot and his wife were specifically commanded by God about how to preserve their life through the route of escape from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. It is written, “So it came to pass, when they had brought them outside, that he said, ‘Escape for your life! Do not look behind you nor stay anywhere in the plain. Escape to the mountains, lest you be destroyed.’”(Genesis 19:17) The steps of Lot and his wife were ordered by the angel that brought them out of the destruction to escape and have life. Lot’s wife failed to retain God’s word of command in her route of deliverance. Lot’s wife entered into disorder that evidently took her life away. The Bible specifically mentioned that Lot’s wife looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt. (Genesis 19:26) God had a good plan for her escape when He brought them out of Sodom and Gomorrah, but she resulted to disobedience by looking back. Obey the good word of the good God. Take steps of a good man and delight in the good God.

Prayer for today: Ask God to teach you in His way and lead you in a smooth path. Let me not be a failure. 

FAITH CAPSULE: Every opened door is bound to engage challenges from the adversaries.

Ezra 4

God alone opens and shut doors just as He pleases, for His children. Unquestionably God is God and there is none other God but Him. The children of Israel, while in captivity, the Lord opened door for them to go back and rebuild the temple when the Lord stirred the heart of Cyrus King of Persia. The Bible records that, “…when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the descendants of the captivity were building the temple of the LORD God of Israel, they came to Zerubbabel and the heads of the fathers’ houses, and said to them, ‘Let us build with you, for we seek your God as you do; and we have sacrificed to Him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us here.’” (Ezra 4:1-3) Let it be known that adversaries did not present themselves as adversaries; it was their intention to later on be revealed as adversaries. Those adversaries wanted to join with the children of Israel in helping to build not because they loved them, but rather to tear down their attempt to build. What happened was, the Lord opened a great door but adversaries were in place to deny the open door.
When the children of Israel denied their adversaries from joining to help them build, the adversaries turned to discouraging them. It is written, “…they troubled them in building, and hired counselors against them to frustrate their purpose all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.” (Ezra 4:4-5) The people of the land (the adversaries) had no good plan in their attempt to join with the children of Israel that were coming out of captivity. The point here is that every opened door is bound to engage challenges from the adversaries.
Paul the apostles, despite his great exploit as regard to the business of the kingdom of God testifies his experience stating, “For a great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.” (1 Corinthians 16:9)In every attempt of your build up for the glory of God, your adversaries will pretend and persist, but you will respond and resist just like the children of Israel. Some adversaries persist for long, but we are to resist by praying. It is written, “…and while He prayed, the heaven was opened.” (Luke 3:21) Jesus prayed and heaven opened. Any closed heaven that experiences opening through prayer is bound to prevail regardless of adversaries or not.
Are you experiencing any agent of adversaries in your building process? Pay close attention in your building process; adversaries will pretend and persist. Be encouraged in the Word of God, resist and you shall prevail.

Prayer for today: Ask God to deliver and defend you from all adversaries at your open door.

FAITH CAPSULE: When God sends you He will back you up.

Genesis 12

To get going in the journey of life and answering to the calling of God demands to arise from comfort zone and get into the avenue of commitment. Coming out of our comfort zone can be painful but the end of it is always gainful. Rising up and answering to the calling of God can be out of our plans but no one answers to Him and not shine for His glory.
Without any warning signal, God called Abram out from his comfort zone, from among his family which he knows and understands well. For Abraham to get to where the Lord wanted him required Abraham to get out of his country. Genesis 12:1, “Now the LORD had said to Abram; ‘Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house to a land I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing.’” For Abram to access the blessings he must accept the calling to be removed from his comfort his zone.
Moses died and not able to step on the Promised Land. For Joshua to lead the children of Israel and to step on the Promised Land he had to rise up and cross the Jordan. Joshua 1:2, “Moses My servant is dead. Now therefore, arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them-the children of Israel.” Whatever God says He will do and it has already been done by the time He calls you. Any man that refuses to engage serving God by coming out of comfort zone or by rising to His calling, rejects the blessings of God upon his/her life. There was a need for Abram to get out before entering into the promise of God. Similarly, there was a need for Joshua to arise and go in order for the manifestation of God’s promise to be fulfilled. What are you waiting for? What is keeping you grounded from arising and getting into His calling for your life? God has a plan and purpose for our life. When God sends you He will back you up and He will bring into fruition the plans for which He sends you. Before Joshua answered God’s calling, God had already completed the mission on behalf of Joshua. Joshua 1:3, “Every place that the sole of your feet will tread upon I have given you as I said to Moses.” What else do you need before you answer His call? If He has called you, get out, arise and go because, “He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.” (1 Thessalonians 5:24)

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace to hear and answer; to see and move in response to all His calling.

Faith Capsule: God is a God of order and His children should maintain order in every area of life.

2 Kings 20

Hardly there is any area of living life that does not demand to engage orderliness. The book of Leviticus recorded about having order in burnt offering to God when it stated, “And the fire on the altar shall be kept burning on it; it shall not be put out. And the priest shall burn wood on it every morning, and lay the burnt offering in order on it; and he shall burn on it the fat of the peace offerings.”
The children of Israel could not engage their journey to God’s land of promise without orderliness. The Israelites started their journey according to the command of the Lord through Moses. The Bible testifies to orderliness in their journey stating, “Thus was the order of march of the children of Israel, according to their armies, when they began their journey.” (Numbers 10:28) Without doubt, orderliness is among God’s character. As a child of the Most High God; created in His image, are you engaging life in an orderly manner?
After King Ahaz, Hezekiah came to power and did what was right before his God. Hezekiah cleansed the temple and restored service back the way it should be. The Bible testified of Hezekiah, “So the service of the house of the LORD was set in order.” (2 Chronicles 29:35) Orderliness was restored and joy, peace and life returned to the land. Evidently, setting things in order often result to joy and peace. It does not matter how long you have maintained orderliness, when orderliness fails all area that pertains to life is bound to fail. Hezekiah started his reign great and it was recorded, “…he did what was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father David had done.” (2 Chronicles 29:2) However, in the later part of his reign he fell sick and it was a sickness unto death. It is written, “In those days Hezekiah was sick and near death. And Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, went to him and said to him, ‘thus says the LORD: Set your house in order, for you shall die, and not live.’” (2 Kings 20:1) Hezekiah’s house was not in order and he resulted to untimely death. God is a God of order and His children should maintain order in every area of life. Hezekiah turned back to God and humbled himself and God returned to restore him back to life. Whatever belongs to you and has now been taken away could be the result of the lack of orderliness. Are you taking to your Christian journey in a disorderly manner? Allow Spirit of God to lead and do not attempt to lead the Spirit of God.

Prayer for today: Ask God to deliver you from the spirit that causes disorder in the life of man.

FAITH CAPSULE: With faith and no fear, man will be able to see in the living Word of God.

Exodus 14, Jeremiah 1:1-12

The word of God does not fail and there is never going to be a time that the word God is going to fail. The book of Isaiah 55:11 testifies, “So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” The children of Israel were on their way out of bondage to God’s promise land for them when the Red Sea stood on their way to deny them. The children of Israel allowed fear to rise and faith to sink. As a result of their state of mind, Moses resulted to a word of encouragement when he stated in Exodus 14:13, “…do not be afraid, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today you shall see again no more forever. The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.”God gave His Word to them through Moses. God wanted them to see salvation in His Word. Can anyone who is unstable and clouded with fear be able to see? With faith and no fear, man will be able to see deliverance and preservation inside the living Word of the living God. Fear, distraction, inconsistency and lack of commitment in serving the Lord are among the forces that will always deny a believer from standing still. Wherever you have been told that there is no way, say no to fear, stand still and begin to see a way in the Word of God.
It is written, “See, I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out and To destroy and to throw down, and To build and to plant.” (Jeremiah 1:10) When God declared that He has put His words in Jeremiah’s mouth, all that Jeremiah needed to do to be able to operate the Word was to be able to see in the living Word of God. What God said to Jeremiah was God’s representative of God. In order for the Word of God to come to be, Jeremiah would have to see what is not in place as being in place. God wants His children to exercise a creative faith by seeing what is not in place as being in place.
God has never gone to sleep and He will not fall asleep concerning your situation. Take to Moses’ advice in Exodus 14:14, “The LORD will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.” See it in the Word and know it in faith that your miracle is at hand.

Prayer for today: Ask God to open the eyes of my heart so that you see when He speaks to you.