FAITH CAPSULE:Quoting the word of God without understanding does not carry power.
 
Joshua 1

God was speaking to Joshua after the death of Moses when He stated, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9) The word that was spoken to Joshua also speaks to everyone that believes in God. The word of God is true to perform and perfect. The word of God does not return to Him void, but it shall accomplish what pleases God, and it also prospers in the thing for God sent it.” (Isaiah 55:11) By virtue of the authenticity of the word of God that never fail, many often claim and expect God to be with them wherever they go just as He promised Joshua. However, it is lack of understanding and the evidence of ignorance for a believer that does not engage the demand of what it takes for God to be with them everywhere they go. Are you one that claims or confesses the word without being confirmed as one that is living the word of God?
Before God’s promise was laid down for Joshua, God commanded Joshua to engage in what it takes for Him to be with Joshua wherever he goes. God stated, “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 1:8) Are you meditating the word of God day and night? The Bible makes us to realize that the word of God is God. Without any doubt, the one that does not stop meditating the word of God day and night is the one that constantly carries God around day and night. The one that meditates is the one that will have God wherever he/she goes. Quoting the word of God without understanding does not carry power for the word to manifest in the life one that quotes the word.
As a believer, if you will begin to consciously operate in the word of God with sincere and desired expectation, the word will bring about manifestation in your life. Many believers are missing it because they are saying it from the mouth and not from the heart. To many, the word of God has become only a signature tune instead of a means to tune heaven into response. Do not be limited by the lack of knowledge; be embedded by the knowledge that is in the word of God. The word of God is true and it is power. 

Prayer for today: Ask for the Word of preservation to reign and rule over your life.

FAITH CAPSULE: Quoting the word or claiming the word is not same as living the word
 
1 Samuel 24:1-15, Psalm 91

It is written, “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.” (Psalm 91:1-2) Ones that truly dwell in His secret place know and understand what it is to abide under His shadow. Ones that truly dwells are the ones that truly trust in God and confesses nothing but His divine protection.King David’s entire walk as recorded demonstrated that he did not only know about God but he knew God enough not to stop trusting and testifying about God’s deliverance grace upon his life. God also testified of David as man after His own heart. If there was anyone that all his life demonstrated a dwelling under the shadow of the Almighty, David was absolutely the one. It only takes dwelling in the secret place for one to abide under His shadow that protects and give deliverance like the ones that David experienced. David passed through King Saul evil agenda and came out victorious. Psalm 91 declares that those that dwell in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. A Psalm of David, Psalm 15 was written for our learning and understanding to know about what it takes to dwell in the secret place of the Most High. “LORD, who may abide in Your tabernacle? Who may dwell in Your holy hill? He who walks uprightly, And works righteousness, And speaks the truth in his heart; He who does not backbite with his tongue, Nor does evil to his neighbor, Nor does he take up a reproach against his friend” (Psalm 15:1-3) Do you claim to be dwelling in the secret place of the Most High God without living life as indicated above?
Quoting the word or claiming the word is not same as living the word and getting the result as promised by God in His word. David’s life summarizes what it takes to dwell under the secret place of the Most High God. David knew he was next in line to become king; David had all the chances to kill Saul but yet his upright walk could not allow him to violate God by killing God’s anointed (king Saul). When the chance to kill Saul came to be, David only cut a part of his garment off and later showed up to King Saul. David stated to King Saul, “…there is neither evil nor rebellion in my hand, and I have not sinned against you…” (1 Samuel 24:11) It was clear in David’s word to King Saul the reason why he an overcomer over King Saul’s evil agenda towards him.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace that disallows any operation of evil or rebellion in man’s hand so you can have a place to dwell and abide under His shadow.

FAITH CAPSULE: Knowing to quote the word of God or going to fellowship is not an evidence of God’s presence in a believer’s life.

1 Samuel 26

The absence of God in the life of a man is the presence of the devil. When King Saul lost the presence of God, the evil that was active in him moved him to attempt David’s life. Whenever a man lost the presence of God hearing from God becomes impossible. King Saul no longer hears from God but from men that were surrounding him. A shift from listening and getting direction from God to listening and getting direction from man leads to destruction. The Bible recorded number of times when King Saul was moved to go after David by those that was surrounding him. 1 Samuel 24:1-3, “Now it happened, when Saul had returned from following the Philistines that it was told him, saying, “Take note! David is in the Wilderness of En Gedi.” Then Saul took three thousand chosen men from all Israel, and went to seek David and his men on the Rocks of the Wild Goats. So he came to the sheepfolds by the road, where there was a cave; and Saul went in to attend to his needs. (David and his men were staying in the recesses of the cave.)”
King Saul, because of the absence of God in him, he was listening to the ones that were surrounding him. If you do not carry God’s presence, man will move you; challenges will move you and all that is not of God will move you. Saul’s response to those that were moving him against David did not stop but it continued. It is written in 1 Samuel 26:1-2, “Now the Ziphites came to Saul at Gibeah, saying, “Is David not hiding in the hill of Hachilah, opposite Jeshimon?”  Then Saul arose and went down to the Wilderness of Ziph, having three thousand chosen men of Israel with him, to seek David in the Wilderness of Ziph.” The world today is a dangerous place because God’s presence is missing in the life of man. Knowing to quote the word of God or going to fellowship is not an evidence of God’s presence in a believer’s life. Are you carrying His presence or you are being carried by the presence of the evil one? The time and the days we are living demands that we carry His presence constantly and consistently.
David was right in his assumption when he responded to King Saul, “…If the Lord has stirred you up against me, let Him accept an offering. But if it is the children of men, may they be cursed before the LORD, for they have driven me out this day…” (1 Samuel 26:19). Today, David’s curse is on every man or woman under heaven that are being used to drive you out from the ground where the Lord has planted you. Amen

Prayer for today: Ask God to have mercy on you that nothing shall cause His presence to depart you.

FAITH CAPSULE: When praising God is provoked by understanding, God revokes challenges of the enemy.

Psalm 100

God is the only One who is in control all of time. He alone is the Alpha and Omega; the beginning and the end; the ancient of days and the great I Am that I Am. He alone dwells in an unapproachable light. Above all, God is the only One who inhabits eternity. There are times of challenges, times of disruption, times of isolation, times of celebration and many more of different times. He is God whose time does not expire nor limited by time. Above all the different times is the grace and privilege of life. The Psalmist declared, “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.” (Psalm 150:6) By virtue of the goodness and mercy of God, it cannot be too much if at every breath we are saying, “Praise be to God.” Praising God demands a clear understanding from one that is praising Him. Psalm 47:7 states, “…sing praise Him with understanding” When praising God is provoked by our understanding, God will revoke challenges of the enemy that are militating against our destiny. God deserves all our attention at every breath of life. He is a jealous God.
King David, a man after God’s heart knows that in the heart of God praising Him with understanding is raising standard against our enemies. King David was speaking from his life time experiences when he testified, “I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praise; So shall I be saved from my enemies.” (2 Samuel 22:4) David understood quite well what it meant to be constantly praising God. Praise will stop every hand of enemies not just enemy. Every enemy that confronts us on a daily basis requires constant praise for them to fall down flat. Through the Bible, many wars were fought and won just by praising God that is worth of praise. Praising Him is not in the mouth, but in the heart through the mouth. David was confessing the kind of praise that delivers him from every hand of his enemies. Praising God can never be too much. Praise Him when you’re going out and praise Him when you’re coming in. Praising God in the morning, afternoon and night will get a believer into the presence of God. God inhabits the praises of His people. Psalm 22:3, But you are holy, Enthroned in the praises of Israel.” What will it cost you to let praising Him be your only language as you enter into a new day, a new week, a new month? Constantly praising God is what will make all the difference in every walk of life. Praise the Lord!!

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace to be constant in praising gracious and merciful name of God.

FAITH CAPSULE: When complaint sets in you, discouragement will also settle inside you.

Deuteronomy 1

The Psalmist asked, “Oh, turn to me, and have mercy on me! Give Your strength to Your servant, And save the son of Your maidservant.” (Psalm 86:16) The mercy of God strengthens. Truly, the mercy of God is all that we need in the journey of life which demands constant strength renewal. In every journey, there is tendency to fall when foot slips, however, the mercy in place will always make one to prevail. Psalmist testifies, “If I say, “My foot slips,” Your mercy, O LORD, will hold me up.” (Psalm 94:18)
The journey of life is not a straight course. It is full ups and downs; valley and hill. Above all, the journey of life can be likened to a journey through the wilderness. In every man’s journey of life, the mercy of God is in place to see every sojourner through. However, giants whose places are in the mind and often pass through the mouth are set to terminate man from getting to the expected end. The giant of delay, denial and destruction is in every man and if any would let him, he will not let that man arrive at their expected end. The name of that giant is the spirit of complaint. In the company of complaint, is the spirit of discouragement. It is written, “And you complained in your tents, and said, ‘Because the LORD hates us, He has brought us out of the land of Egypt to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us. 28 Where can we go up? Our brethren have discouraged our hearts, saying, “The people are greater and taller than we; the cities are great and fortified up to heaven; moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakim there.”’ (Deuteronomy 1:27-28) It is clear that when complaint sets in you, discouragement will also settle inside you. God has promised and He cannot fail. As much as it is important to understand that there are giants on the way to the expected end, then passing through the wilderness should be with diligence so as to gain possession. The passage through the wilderness is a necessary experience. One, however, does not have to live there. For the children of Israel, an eleven day journey became a forty year agony. The wilderness became a habitation when it was only meant to be for a learning experience. The experience is to be added to you and become your make-up in living in the promise land and also in carrying out God’s divine schedule in life. The wilderness experiences are not to break you if you do not break yourself down and make the wilderness your habitation. God is a faithful God. He will go before us and He will fight for us just like He has done in the past.

Prayer for today: Ask for God’s mercy to deliver you from every evil work and to preserve you that you may see the glory of God.