FAITH CAPSULE: The evidence of knowing God is serving Him fully with understanding.  

Mark 10:17-31

Running around in the name of God; engaging religious program without the knowledge of God is the ignorance of the highest order. To many, serving in the house of God is a tradition and not a transition to having a genuine relationship with God. Also, to some, going to house of worship is like going to a social gathering. In truth, ignorance is what makes destitute of a believer. Do you know the God that you serve or you only know about Him?
The Bible records about a rich young ruler in Mark 10:17, “Now as He was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before Him, and asked Him, ‘Good teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?’” Just as the rich young ruler was running after Jesus and knelt before Him with readiness of heart to live by His word, so also many are running back and forth to religious programs or churches without the understanding of God. For the rich young ruler to run after Jesus, he must have known about Him but not knowing Him. Does the story of the rich young ruler sounds like you? The rich young ruler knew all that he needed to know about religion from the commandments of his youth. You also have the same knowledge because you were born in a Christian home. The evidence of knowing God is serving Him fully with understanding. Jesus made the rich young ruler to get the understanding of all that it takes to serve Him, “Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, ‘One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross and follow Me.’” (Mark 10:21) Jesus is saying to you and all that runs after Him; all that only know about Him without knowing Him, all that He requires is the need to give all unto Him. Giving all to Jesus is dropping off baggage of delay that will not allow us to properly carry the cross. The weight of your own self is too heavy to add to the weight of the cross. The choice has to be made. Are you willing to give up all about self and give in to all about Jesus? The rich young ruler ran after Jesus but yet, he was not ready to fully engage with all that it requires to know Jesus. It is written concerning the rich young ruler, “But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.” (Mark 10:22) Playing religion has to give way to Jesus reality, or it will kill and destroy.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace of understanding that it takes to seek God.

FAITH CAPSULE: Do you have challenges forgiving others that fault you?

Mark 2:1-12

It only takes the grace of God to operate the spirit of forgiveness. One with the grace to forgive and to be forgiven is the one that engages to receive from the One that is grace-full. Jesus stated in His prayer model, “…forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors…” (Mathew 6:12) Forgiving those that have wronged us is very crucial for us if we want to become a believer that stands and not fall in the face of challenges of the wicked world. Jesus laid the demand of what it takes to become one that stands in prayer by stating, “And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.”(Mark 11:25-26) To be forgiving those that faults one, and to be receiving forgiveness from the One and only God that answers prayer is crucial to every true believer that wants to be able to stand in prayer before God. Do you have challenges forgiving others that fault you? Determination to forgive others will fail you, but the grace to be able to forgive others will not fail if you ask for the grace to be able to forgive others.
It does not matter how much faith one carries, without forgiveness, healing will be delayed. The Bible document the story of a man with paralysis when he could not access where Jesus was preaching because of the crowd. When the men that brought the one with paralysis could not enter, they resolved to breaking through the roof of where Jesus was preaching. The action of those that brought the man with paralysis was based on their faith that Jesus was going to heal the man with paralysis. Having torn off the roof in addition to their faith, there was a need for forgiveness to allow the flow of healing from the paralysis. Are you physically or spiritually paralyzed? Along with your faith you will need forgiveness from God. Mark 2:5, “When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, ‘Son your sins are forgiven you.’” There is no reasoning about this; it is the Word of God. Jesus taught it in the Lord’s Prayer. You must always ask for forgiveness when you go to Him in prayer. The paralytic man needed to be forgiven for him to be able to receive. After pronouncement of forgiveness, Jesus declared, “I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.” (Mark 2:11) The paralyzed man had faith; he received forgiveness, and was healed.

Prayer for today: Call on Him, because you have faith and ask Him for forgiveness that will convert all your stagnation into motion.

FAITH CAPSULE: So many are actually lame and do not know it.

Acts 3

Deliverance from stagnation is often subject to having expectation for manifestation, being at the right location and at the right time. A man that was born lame and always has to be carried around was on time at the gate of the temple on the day of his healing visitation. With high expectation for manifestation, are you constantly engaging your ground and your hour of visitation, as regard to your confronting issue or challenge of life? Lameness is a movement disability and it can be difficult or impossible for one to move when it exists. Anyone with the experience of what it means to be stagnated in any area of life is in the better position to share the experience. Are you facing the challenges of being lame (stagnated) in any area of life? It is absolutely certain that no man would love to be in a position of lameness concerning any issue of life.
A lame man was at the right place at the right time when “Peterand John went up together to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms from those who entered the temple; who, seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, asked for alms.” (Acts 3:1-3) So many are actually lame and do not know it. They have been lame ever since they were in their mother’s womb because of generational curses. Are you having a “lame” experience in any area of your life? Are you at the right location and at the right time to receive your deliverance? If you can identify your location and time then your situation is half-solved. The lame man was at the gate of the Temple at the hour of prayer. When he saw Peter and John, he asked them for alms, but being the hour of prayer; Peter and John had more to offer him. It is written, “And fixing his eyes on him, with John, Peter said, ‘Look at us.’ So he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them.” (Acts 3:4-5)  In addition to the lame man being at the right location and at the right time, Peter called for the lame man’s attention so there would be expectation that makes manifestation of his healing become a reality. In your lame situation, you have been inside, not outside the Temple so many times, yet you have never received your healing. If you will begin to engage right timing, right location with expectation, healing and deliverance shall be manifested in your life and there shall be a change of story for your life.

Prayer for today: Ask God to take charge of the steps you take and the time you run in the journey of life.

FAITH CAPSULE: When you reach out for your blessing, it will not pass you by.

2 Kings 4:8-17

Today many appear in the name of God but not answering truly to the calling of God. Many come answering to the title: pastor, apostle or prophet but not answering to the task behind the title. By virtue of the truth that many are operating deceptively, lying and manipulating people in the name of God, one should not abstain from being sensitive to his or her God sent blessing. One should always be sensitive enough by the grace of God not to miss where there is a need for one to be open to his/her God sent blessing.
The Bible documented about a notable woman (Shunammite woman) that was sensitive enough to persuade her God sent blessing agent not to pass by without her engaging her miracle blessing. A barren Shunammite woman recognized the constant passing by of a man of God and became engaged to being a blessing to the man of God. It is written, “And she said to her husband, ‘Look now, I know that this is a holy man of God, who passes by us regularly.’” (2 Kings 4:9) She had an open eye and mind to see the man of God passing by regularly. Have you been able to identify and see who God has been sending to you on a regular basis? It is important to be sensitive to who God wants to use in blessing us. God perhaps has been sending someone your way while you lack the sensitivity to acknowledge whom He has been sending. A failure to acknowledge God sent blessing might cause a failure for one not to possess what God has packaged through His sent one. The Shunammite woman pressed further in her attempt to attend to the man of God, by stating to her husband, “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 lamp stand; so it will be, whenever he comes to us he can turn in there.” (2Kings 4:10)  The Shunammite woman did exactly what she wanted to do for the man of God. Elisha was acknowledged by the Shunammite woman who was barren. The upper room which was prepared for him became the ground of the Shunammite woman’s blessing for the fruit of her womb. While Elisha was in the room he prophesied to the Shunammite woman, “Then he said, ‘About this time next year you shall embrace a son,’ And she said, ‘No, my lord. Man of God, do not lie to your maidservant!” (2 Kings 4:16) She thought it was a lie, but according to the word of Elisha, she did conceive and had a son. When you reach out for your blessing, it will not pass you by.

Prayer for today: Ask that God for the grace not to miss His blessing when it comes your way.

FAITH CAPSULE: The mercy of God is the eye of God and the eye of God is His mercy.  

Exodus 2, 3

It is written, “And His mercy is on those who fear Him from generation to generation.” (Luke 1:50) The book of Psalm 33:18 also states the same as Luke 1:50, “Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, on those who hope in His mercy. The point here is that, the mercy of God is the eye of God and the eye of God is His mercy.  
Do you fear Him enough to know that His mercy is upon you? To fear God is the evidence of knowing Him. To fear God is all that it takes to trust and hope in Him. Where have you placed your hope? If you have placed your hope on any man or anything rather than the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, you are far from rest. You might be enjoying rest or breakthrough, but it will not last unless it is from the Everlasting God. The mercy of God (His eye) is what we need to look up to. You do not look up to Him with words that do not have their roots in your heart. He sees our heart and not our outer self which only matters to those around us. Our outer self will not affect how He responds to us. The eye of the Lord is open round the clock. He sees all that we are doing and He never runs out of mercy because He is a merciful God. God deals with us not by our merit but by His mercy.
Encased in the mercy of God is His favor. To man that looks up to Him He will always to look down to remember and favor man. It does not matter how long or how short challenges persist; when one truly look up to God, God will look down to acknowledge one. The bible recorded, “Now it happened in the process of time that the king of Egypt died. Then the children of Israel groaned because of the bondage, and they cried out; and their cry came up to God because of the bondage. So God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God acknowledged them.” (Exodus 2:23-25) The Children of Israel cried and groaned to God because of their affliction. In response, God heard them; God remembered and He looked to acknowledge them. In looking at them, He promised to give them favor in the sight of the Egyptians. It was favor that was to disallow them from going empty handed but to go fully loaded. It was a favor to plunder the Egyptians. (Exodus 3:21-23) His mercy is indeed in His look (eye)

Prayer for today: Ask God to remember you with favor in the coming days, weeks, months and years.