FAITH CAPSULE: Compromising can be complicating enough to terminate man in the journey of life.

Daniel 6:1-28
 
Right from the time Daniel became a captive he did not compromise his faith. A young man in captivity does have every reason to despise the word of his God that could not stop him from becoming a captive. Daniel knew his God enough to remain focus and the Bible testifies, “But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank…” (Daniel 1:8) Daniel remained focus and refused to compromise his faith in the face of challenge. Compromising can be complicating enough to terminate man in the journey of life. Reasons for compromising one’s faith is without ceasing in this world of wickedness. For Daniel, reasons to compromise did not cease but Daniel stood his ground without compromising his faith.
It is written in Daniel 6:1, “When Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his window open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days. With a plan to entrap Daniel into denying his God and compromising his faith, a law was enacted by his enemies. Daniel knew what the consequences of defying the law would be, but responded by doing what pleased his God. He went and gave God his customary attention, which was to pray three times a day. There was no compromise in what he had been doing before or after the law was changed to trap him. Something similar to this may be happening to you consciously or unconsciously. Compromising our faith or standing in the Lord is the report that the devil wants to take to God concerning us. The Bible says, “When Daniel knew”. When he knew, he did not run away, he did not panic; he did not try to persuade anyone, he did not try to solve anything by himself, and he did not go back to the lawmakers to argue with them. When he knew, he went home to settle with God on his knees. Take your stand on whatever ground you find yourself when your faith is being challenged; take it before God in prayer and you will be surprised how He settles you. Evidently, Daniel knew his God and he took his ground against compromising. The word declares,“Those who do wickedly against the covenant he shall corrupt with flattery; but the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits.” (Daniel 11:32)
Now you know like Daniel how to proceed when the enemy tries to get you to compromise your faith.
 
Prayer for today:Ask God for the grace to remain focus and never to compromise your faith in Him.          

FAITH CAPSULE: To be thank- full is to be praise-full.

Psalms 100, Luke 17: 11-19
 
In the book of Luke 17, the Bible recorded that when Jesus entered a certain village, He was met by ten lepers. The lepers’ desire was to be cleansed from leprosy. Instead of the lepers to be quiet they lifted their voices asking Jesus for mercy. Jesus responded by spoke the word that cleansed the lepers and only one out of the ten lepers went back to give thanks. Jesus responded to the act of no appreciation by stating, “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine?18 Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” (Luke 17:17-18) One leper thanking Him out of ten does not meet the expectation of Jesus. Are you taking time to thank Him for the past months and not just for this month?
To be thank- full is to be praise-full. To be praise-full is to be God-filled. David, once described as a man after God’s heart (1 Samuel 13:14), was a praise-full man. Without a doubt, by the testimonies in David’s writings, he was a man who praised God on a different level. As a result, God established him on a level that is different from any other Bible character, Psalms 18:3, “But you are holy, enthroned in the praise of Israel.” It is in praising God that His place of habitation is created. It is evident in the life of David that he would not consider putting anything above praising his God. David was once despised by Michal because of the way in which he gave praise to God.2 Samuel 6:16 recorded , “Now as the ark of the LORD came into the city of David, Micah, Saul’s daughter, looked through a window and saw king David leaping and whirling before the LORD; and she despised him in her heart.” David was praise-full. He set no limit on where, when or how he praised God. Praising God is a powerful way of provoking the hand of God. Many battles of Bible were won by praising God. Remember the wall of Jericho? The wall of Jericho fell down flat when God gave the command to the children of Israel to praise, Him. How is your praise life? Are you giving praise serious attention? Consider changing your weapon of offense against your wall of Jericho by increasing your time praising Him.Psalms 100:2 states, “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His court with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.” Giving thanks will only see you through to the gate. Stop yourself from being held back at the gate and let your praises take you into His courts where He sits and reigns Then, you will be God-full.
 
Prayer for today: Ask that the heart of thanksgiving should reign in your life.

FAITH CAPSULE: The word of God is light and it is the beauty of the Lord.

Psalm 90
 
In the days when wickedness and darkness thrives, man need to be constant walking in the word of God. The word of God is light and when it shines darkness disappears. Walking the word of God is behaving the word and allowing the word of God to take charge in every affairs of one’s life. As the year begins to run out, it is worthy to give thanks for the past months and for the privilege of life. It is also worthy to ask God for His beauty to be upon us. Is there anything you desire this new day, take it to the Lord in prayer.The word of God is light and it is the beauty of the Lord. The Psalmist asked inPsalm 90:17, “And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us and establish the work of our hands for us; yes, establish the work of our hands.” Without doubt, the beauty of the Lord is light. 1 Timothy 6:16, “Who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and everlasting power, Amen.” Light is what enables us to see. Psalm 119:105 describes the word of God, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”
When the light of God (the beauty of God) is on one, every work or attempt of darkness will be exposed. When His beauty (the light of God) is on one, there will be a way where there is no way and darkness shall disappear. But not so for others who cannot see because of the darkness that is upon them. When that light is upon you, it will bring you closer to God. One that gets closer to God will walk in revelation. Do you sincerely desire the beauty of the Lord our God to be upon you? Is the work of your hand facing challenges of different magnitudes? Jesus commanded in Matthew 7: 7-8, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.”Ask Him with a heart of expectation. The Psalmist asked because he wanted the work of his hand to be established. He is a faithful God and He will give you the desires of your heart only if your desire is rooted in Him.
 
Prayer for today:Pray just as the Psalmist prayed by asking for the beauty of the Lord to be upon you and establish you against every form of evil agenda as the year run close to an end.

FAITH CAPSULE: Provoke the hand of God against all that is provocative to you as a child of God.

1 Samuel 1
 
Hannah, the wife of Elkanah, was barren. Hannah’s challenge was not enough to discourage her from going to worship God. Hannah kept going to the ground of worship with her husband and her husband’s second wife (Peninnah). In her going to the place of worship, provocation, mockery, aggravation for not having a child did not cease from flowing from Peninnah. Despite the Bible’s documentation of Peninnah aggravating approach to Hannah for not having a child, Hannah gave no reason or excuse not to go and worship God. Hannah did not make any excuses not to go worship and offer sacrifices to the Lord of hosts at Shiloh. What is your excuse when it is time for fellowship? Going to church only on Sundays is not enough to carry you through yet you do have piles of unreasonable excuse not to go worship.
The Bible recorded Hannah’s situation, “…her rival also provoked her severely, to make her miserable, because the Lord had closed her womb. So it was, year by year, when she went up to the house of the Lord, that she provoked her; therefore she wept and did not eat.”(1 Samuel 1:6-7)It is important for a believer to know and understand that when provocation follows one to the house of God,it becomes evidence that it is time to provoke the hand of God against one that is provoking us. Hannah sought the hand of God to divert provocation from her life. It is written, “And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed to the Lord and wept in anguish. Then she made a vow 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)Hannah could not be silent in her seeking God but revealed her countenance as she prayed.She made a strong vow, calling on God to look on her situation she asked God to remember her and not forget her. God is a precise God. Hannah was precise in her request. She made it clear to Him that she desperately wanted a male child. Year after year, she went back and forth to Shiloh. Finally, God granted her request and gave her a son, Samuel. It could be that God is waiting for you to provoke His hand for your request. Take a lesson from Hannah’s approach, insist and persist on having your mockery converted to miracle. God is a faithful God.

Prayer for today:Ask God to deal with you according to His mercy.

FAITH CAPSULE: What exactly is stopping you from lifting your voice in asking Him?  

Lk.17:11-19
 
Jesus was speaking in John 14:12-14, “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.  And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.” We serve a God that is not only true to His name but also magnifies His word above all His name. (Psalm 138:2) What else does a father need to give to his son that God has not given to us that we may live life abundantly? Jesus said, “…I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10) Indeed, by virtue of Jesus’ testimony, He already brought all that it takes to live life more abundantly, and not that He is yet to bring it. What a mighty God we serve! He said in John14:14, “If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.”  He has never failed in His Word. He said that His Word will not come back to Him void.
Do you believe Him and His Word? So, what exactly is stopping you from lifting your voice in asking Him? Is it your distance, or your condition? The ten lepers had everything against them in asking for their miracle. In Luke 17:12, “Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers who stood afar off.” They stood afar off because they were supposed to be isolated by virtue of their disease. In that part of the world, they were regarded as unclean. Despite their dilemma, keeping quiet was not their portion. Luke 17:13, “And they lifted up their voices and said, ‘Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!’’’ The lepers could not keep quiet when they spotted the Word of God. Almost every moment the word is in your face yet you have remained silent on that particular challenge that is facing you. You just cannot identify the reason why you have not been taking that concern to the Lord as you have been doing with other difficulties. The enemy is hard at work trying to steal from you and deny you. There is no problem that is too difficult for God. Perhaps you are wary of dealing with challenges. However, when you begin to take on your challenges–by ignoring every hindrance and constantly lifting your voice — He will answer you. Have you been asking for God’s help as much as you should be? If you truly believe in His word, be persistent, resist the enemy and insist on your miracle.
 
Prayer for today: Pray as the Psalmist: Deliver me in Your righteousness, and cause me to escape; Incline Your ear to me, and save me.(Psalm 71:2)