FAITH CAPSULE: Claiming belief in Jesus is not true in anyone who harbors any form of wickedness.

1 John 3

It is always worthy for a time of self-evaluation that could honestly and sincerely point every man onto genuine repentance. Are you one of the believers that carry a diary of woes? That is, are you one that is having a well-documented list of all those have faulted you, or that are faulting you for the past several years? With a deep and sincere self-evaluation, what kind of diary are you keeping? Your diary could be at the back of your mind or in a written form. There is a genuine excuse for every reason not to forgive and hold on to grudge, bitterness and other forms of evil, but before God, there is no excuse for not forgive others. He sent His most beloved to the cross for every sinner. Peter, quoting from Psalm 34:12-16, stated in 1 Peter 3:10-12, “…He who would love life and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips from speaking deceit. Let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayers; but the face of the LORD is against those who do evil.” Just as humility is good, so pride is evil. What the word is saying here is, refrain and turn from evil by seeking and pursuing peace.
Claiming belief in Jesus is not true in anyone who harbors any form of wickedness like the ones that are mentioned above. 1 John 3:23 states, “And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us.” Do you love one another, or do you love one that you choose to love or the one that you have been able to forgive? So many good things are being said about you, but you are holding on to so many things, like anger and bitterness of heart. It is not what people around you are seeing or saying that matters, but it is what God is seeing about you. Carrying a pouch full of empty pride that is generating lies, deception, anger, bitterness and an unforgiving spirit from one fellowship to another is like walking in darkness. It is written in 1 John 1:5-7, “If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” Will you consider a sincere and honest self-evaluation? Come out of self-deception give it all to God and He will bring you out of all that is wicked and evil.

Prayer for today: Ask God to deliver you from any spirit that is not in line with His word.

FAITH CAPSULE: Do you know Him well enough for who He is?

Psalm 91, 46

It is written, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.” (John 1:1-3) Going by the verses above, it is clear that the Word of God is the work of God (without the word nothing was made that was made). Knowing that the Word of God is God, it is safe to also state that the testimony of God is God. Interestingly, Psalmist states, “Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, who seek Him with the whole heart!” (Psalm 119:2) What is it that u are seeking Him for at this point in time?  Without seeking Him, you cannot know Him to relate with you at the junction that you are expecting His manifestation in your life. Do you know Him well enough for who He is? If you know Him enough then you can identify Him in every area where you are expecting Him to show up. Some know Him as the mighty provider, and when they have need for provision they will call Him by His name (Mighty Provider). Some also know Him as the healing healer, and when there is a need for healing, they will call Him by His name (Healing healer, Eternal Surgeon). What will you say of your God?
The Psalmist testifies of Him, “I will say of the LORD, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.’” (Psalm 91:2) The Psalmist’s testimony is his identification for protection and stronghold (refuge and fortress). Do you keep any of His testimonies to identify with? Psalm 46:1 declares, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” There is no delay in His timing. When it is time in His eternal kingdom to bless you or deliver you, He will show up at the right time without delay. God is never late in His own time; it is man that despises the man-made schedule. Do you keep His testimonies to know Him well enough; to identify with your need through Him? Knowing about Him is not enough. Get to know Him by keeping His testimonies. Knowing Him is what makes the difference in the world of challenges. The word of God is consistently true. Be blessed by keeping His testimonies. Whatever the situation, be careful what you say, for it can take away your inheritance in Christ Jesus. Faith demands that you say what you know about Him, and say it out loud, so it will become a part of you. Do not be quiet but testify to what you know if you know Him for who He is.

Prayer for today: Ask Him to teach you and lead you so you are delivered from the will of your adversaries.

FAITH CAPSULE: Every act of obedience counts before God.
 
2 Chronicles 25

God confirms the authenticity of His word when He stated in Isaiah 55:11, “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.”Obeying the word that does not return void is a serious issue. God expects a full obedience to His word of command. A failure to obey fully is a passage to ending up cursed instead of becoming blessed. When God gives His command, to delay in obeying is same as not obeying. The case of Amaziah is one of the many cases in the Bible that testifies disobedience as failure in obeying the word of God. Concerning Amaziah, it is written, “And he did what was right in the sight of the LORD, but not with a loyal heart.” (2 Chronicles 25:2)Amaziah was described as being obedient when he did what was right in the eyes of God. He lost in his position of obedience when his heart failed and was no longer able to give himself fully to God. His obedience was sighted when he executed his servants who had murdered his father the king and did not execute their children. His action not to execute their children was in line with the law of God that stated in 2 Chronicles 25:4, “…The fathers shall not be put to death for their children, nor shall the children be put to death for their fathers; but a person shall die for his own sin.”
Every act of obedience counts before God. Obeying God in the past does not count for the present where disobedience takes the place obedience. Amaziah fell into disobedience after God had gave him victory over his enemy. He was to fight against Edom when he received word from God requesting him not to use the troops of Israel as his ally. Amaziah went as requested and God fought on his behalf to win the battle. After having won, Amaziah dishonored God when he turned to worship the god of Edom people which he had conquered. What could have encouraged Amaziah to worship a god that could not fight a successful battle against Almighty God? Amaziah gave his attention to a god that is not God. In giving attention, one is also attending indirectly or directly to whatever is gaining one attention. God is a jealous God. When we give Him all of our attention, He will attend to us. Amaziah somehow missed the mark which resulted in him not giving his whole heart to God.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace to be consistent in obeying the word of His command fully and without any delay.

FAITH CAPSULE: Is your prayer with seriousness or is it to gain the attention of man?

Daniel 6

Bishop David Oyedepo of the Winners’ Fellowship once stated that, “Prayer is like a labor room where undeniable proofs are given birth to.” Prayer is indeed a labor and, when it is actively engaged, it delivers undeniable miracles. Prayer is the antidote for suffering. The Bible confirms it by stating, “Is anyone suffering let him pray” (James 5:13). Prayer demands that it is to be engaged earnestly (serious intention, purpose or effort). The seriousness, which prayer demands is evident when the Bible stated, “Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit” (James 5:17-18). Elijah prayed earnestly (he prayed with seriousness and purpose). Is your prayer with seriousness or is it to gain the attention of man? Prayer is seeking God. Seeking God diligently must require more labor than just seeking God. The word of God confirms that those that seek God diligently get rewarded by God (Hebrews 11:6). The need for praying earnestly was evident in Jesus’ prayer engagement. It is written, “And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground” (Luke 22:44). Jesus praying and sweating like great drops of blood falling testifies to how laborious prayer is. Are you one that is expecting to engage prayer differently from God’s way and get result? Think of it, if Jesus did, we are not exempted from doing just as He did. Once, the disciples were curious why their prayer could not deliver as expected.
It is written, “As for me, I will call upon God, and the Lord shall save me. Evening and morning and at noon I will pray, and cry aloud, and He shall hear my voice” (Psalm 55:16-17). David’s testimony points out the labor that is in prayer. Taking time out three times a day to pray is indeed a labor that is worth the while because it is certain to deliver. Daniel is another one whose engagement to prayer three times a day set him for deliverance from the hand of his persecutors. It is written, “Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows 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” (Daniel 6:10). Daniel made prayer his life style by committing himself to prayer three times a day. Make prayer your constant engagement and the world will not endanger you.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace to be standing and not sleeping in praying.

FAITH CAPSULE: Answering to title in and out of the church is not an evidence of faith.

Luke 17:11-19

Faith is responding with action to His command, while we are yet to receive our request. It is recorded that when Jesus entered a certain village ten lepers stood afar off lifted up their voices calling for mercy. Jesus responded, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed.” (Luke 17:14) The lepers acted faithfully when they were redirected from crying out their request to go and show their bodies to the priest without having got their healing. Their healing came only when they were on their way (…it was that as they went, they were cleansed). Evidently, it is faith to respond by acting to have received request when answer to request is yet at hand.
Obviously, volumes of book will not be enough to identify great exploits that were faith rooted in the Bible. Operating faith is God provoking agent because the word makes us to realize that without faith God is not pleased. (Hebrews 11:6) If without faith God is not please, operating faith is what pleases God. Imagine what a father that is constantly pleased with his child will do to a pleasing child. In living life, there is no substitute for faith and let there be no backup plan in the place of faith.
Constant engagement with the source of faith (word of God) is what keeps faith growing and alive. A faith that is alive and growing is the kind of faith that God is looking for in us. Man’s title or position in or outside of the church is not the evidence of faith. Truly, faith is alive in many with title but busy programs are hindering spending time on the source that makes faith growth. Jesus addressed the issue of the quantity of faith in His conversation with His disciples. It is written, “And the apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.” So the Lord said, “If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.” (Luke 16:5-6) A mustard seed is a very small seed and when it is alive and growing it grows to become big. Do you want an increase faith just like the apostles? Titles will not increase faith; running of program at the maximum level or running from program to program is not a source of growing faith. Increase in studying the word; more attention to the word increases faith. Be faith-full and be pleasing to God in your walk of life.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace that causes man not to stop desiring for more of the word.