FAITH CAPSULE: A journey through the wilderness is a process where character is built up to maintain life in the Promised Land.

Mark 1:1-15
 
The wilderness is a place where the enemy has planted all kinds of mines to derail the transportation that will bring man to the ground of transformation. Also, it is a journey that cannot be avoided if one desires transformation in life. The children of Israel passed through it to get to their Promised Land. The fact that the Lord led them through the wilderness was evidence that it was the best available route. It is written, “Then it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, “Lest perhaps the people change their minds when they see war, and return to Egypt.” So God led the people around by way of the wilderness of the Red Sea. And the children of Israel went up in orderly ranks out of the land of Egypt” (Exodus 13:17-18). The wilderness was the best available route and yet it appeared the worst and the most challenging to the children of Israel. The journey through the wilderness is the route that takes God’s children through to where God has purposed for them in life.
Luke 4: 1-2 documents that, “Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,being tempted for forty days by the devil. And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry.” The next experience in Jesus’ life after having been filled with the Holy Spirit was on a journey to the center of His divine assignment. The journey of Jesus calls for a passage through the wilderness. This experience in Jesus’ journey was same as that of the children of Israel. The Israelites, after having been freed, moved on to their next experience, which was going through the wilderness. Jesus our Lord and Savior went through the wilderness and for us, taking the same path should not be an exception. A journey through the wilderness is a process where character is built up to maintain life in the Promised Land. Jesus, the author and the finisher of our faith could not enter into His full assignment on earth until He was led into the wilderness. The Bible makes us realize what exists in the wilderness journey of Jesus stating, “And He was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan, and was with the beasts; and the angel ministered to Him.” (Mark1:13)Does it feel you are in a wilderness journey? The same ministration that Jesus received will also answer for you. It is a season that must past if you will remain focus on God.
 
Prayer for today: Ask for the grace to remain focus and be strengthened.

FAITH CAPSULE: Declare God in your way and be decorated by God.

Daniel 3
 
To declare the work of God is to be obedient to God and disobey the gods of this world. The three friends of Daniel (Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego) demonstrated what it means to declare the works of God and be decorated by God. The three friends of Daniel disobeyed King Nebuchadnezzar by not worshiping a gold image. Whoever does not fall down to worship gold image was to be casted into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. Attempts to get them worship did not work and the king questioned:Who is the god who will deliver the three friends from his hands?
The three friends of Daniel, in the face of untimely death declare the wonder-working God stating, “…O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.” (Daniel 3:16-18) It is impossible to declare the wonder-working God in the face of a challenging confrontation like that of the three friends and not have God decorate the declarer of His wonder-working name.
God decorated the three friends immediately in an uncommon way in the history of creation when He came down to deliver them in the fiery burning furnace. They were highly decorated and the king could not resist from announcing the awesomeness of God.
It happened while they are in the burning furnace that God Himself came down instead of sending an angel for their deliverance. When the king saw the God whom he did not know before, he was astonished and he stated, “Look!” he answered, “I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.”(Daniel 3:25)
The three friends of Daniel, while in captivity, despite their challenging situation consciously took to the way of life by remaining close to the God of their fathers and they were not far from God. The wicked was not a challenge to them as they remained focused on their God. The three friends of Daniel trusted in God and their hope could not become rusted.
The Bible is written for our learning because God did not speak to waste His word. The same God of yesterday is the same today and forever. Draw nearer to God, ignore the wicked, focus and hold onto God in these days of rising challenges and you will ride above all.
 
Prayer for today:Ask God for the grace to stand a ground for Him when a challenge demands it.

FAITH CASULE: Telling the truth is threatening and it is bitter for man to accept.

Jeremiah 38
 
Delivering God’s message is nothing but telling absolute truth. Are you one that has been delivering the truth as directed by God? It is important to know that telling the truth is threatening and it is bitter for man to accept. Jeremiah was delivering God’s message telling the people what the Lord had shown him while Zedekiah was King. The people did not like the prophecy that was coming forth to them from God through His servant, Jeremiah. The truth through Jeremiah was, “Thus says the Lord: ‘He who remains in this city shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence; but he who goes over to the Chaldeans shall live; his life shall be as a prize to him, and he shall live.Thus says the Lord: ‘This city shall surely be given into the hand of the king of Babylon’s army, which shall take it.’” (Jeremiah 38:2-3) Truth was too bitter for the people to accept it as a result Jeremiah was taken captive under the permission of the king. It is written, “So they took Jeremiah and cast him into the dungeon of Malchiah the king’s son, which was in the court of the prison, and they let Jeremiah down with ropes. And in the dungeon there was no water, but mire. So Jeremiah sank in the mire.” (Jeremiah 38:6)
They did not realize that to silence the messenger of God does not silence the message. The messenger of God only experience silence if God allows it. Jeremiah was doing the work of God, while the people were doing the work of the wicked one. The enemy wanted to terminate the work of God in Jeremiah’s life. Ebed-Melech, an Ethiopian and one of the eunuchs in the king’s house, went to the king and presented to him the grounds for Jeremiah’s release. It is written, “Then the king commanded Ebed-Melech the Ethiopian, saying, ‘Take from here thirty men with you, and lift Jeremiah the prophet out of the dungeon before he dies.’”(Jeremiah 38:10) Jeremiah was released from the dungeon which would have been the pit of his untimely death. Are you one that is experiencing life and death challenge because of telling the truth? Trust in the Lord with all your heart. God in His goodness and mercy will send your Ebed-Melech, and you will be lifted out of every dungeon of the wicked one, to the glory of God. When God sends His messenger He backs them up with deliverance and preservation.

Prayer for today:As a child of the Almighty God, rebuke every representative of an untimely death in your work for God.

FAITH CAPSULE:One that despises the word of God is set for self-destruction.

Luke 11:1-28
 
Jesus was minding His business: teaching the word, healing and delivering the oppressed (propagating the Kingdom of Heaven on earth) when a certain woman made known her heart. It is written, “And it happened, as He spoke these things, that a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, “Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You!”But He said, “More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it.”(Luke 11:27-28)Without doubt, the certain woman must have been in place hearing the words of Jesus; impressed and decided to speak out with emotion, in appreciation of the word of God when she raised her voice and made the statement above. Just like the woman was in the place where Jesus was teaching before she responded with emotion, today many are in the place where the same word of God is being preached responding with emotion. Jesus’ response to the woman’s emotional response is same to those that are being caught up with emotional response to the teaching of the word of God today.
Jesus’ response: “Blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!” Does this speak to you? It is time to stop the emotion of hearing the word without keeping what the word of God says.
Hearing the word of God does not become a blessing for one that does not keep and heed to the word of God. When hearing the word of God is backed with keeping the word of God, getting blessed becomes undeniable.
One that hears the word and keep the word of God will undoubtedly heed to what the word is saying. Jesus cannot waste word when He stated, “Blessed are those who hear and keep the word.” Jesus must have known then that many are coming to hear but not keep the word of God. Hearing and not keeping to the word of God is to despise the word of God. One that despises the word is set for self-destruction. To hear the word of God and keep to it demands walking in His way and not in a way that seems right unto us. Proverbs 14:12 points to what it is not to walk in the way of God’s word, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” Are you one that desires life? Take to the word of God and get out of mere emotion by hearing and keeping the word of God.
Keeping the word is taking and maintaining the life Jesus came to give us that we may have life abundantly.

Prayer for today:Ask for the grace that makes man to hear and keep the living word of God.

FAITH CAPSULE:Operating Jesus’ name does not identify one as a follower of Jesus.

Luke 9:23-36, 57-62
 
Many who claim to follow Jesus could possibly just be flowing with Him. Flowing with Jesus and being a part of the crowd is about the same.
Following Jesus is a calling that demands the whole being of the called. Following Jesus is costly. Jesus was speaking about following Him when He stated,“If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?” (Luke 9:23-25)
Following Jesus is not by force, but by making a choice if it is of one’s desire. The challenging part is that it demands for one to deny self and engage in carrying the cross. It requires daily going about the business of God rather than one’s own business. It is not about carrying the cross only when it is convenient. Following Jesus can become a life threatening endeavor that often demands seeking for a way of saving one’s life. However, desires to save one’s life should be totally hanged on the hope for salvation from Jesus. Following Jesus is without any doubt profitable more than any worldly profit. In following Jesus, it is impossible to fall short of the glory of God.
What it means to be flowing with Jesus is evident in the case of the non-follower who engaged himself in casting out demons in Jesus name. The disciples went and reported to Jesus saying,“Teacher, we saw someone who does not follow us casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow us.”(Mark 9:38)  Operating in the name of Jesus being not a follower of Jesus was forbidden by His disciples. In response to His disciples He said, “Do not forbid him, for no one who works a miracle in My name can soon afterward speak evil of Me.For he who is not against us is on our side.” (Mark 9:39-40) Going by Jesus’ response, it is safe to say that operating Jesus’ name does not identify one as a follower of Jesus. It could be one that received Him but not believe in Him or one that believed in Him but did not receive Him into their life. Those who fully receive Him and believe in Him will no doubt answer to the calling of daily living by the Word of God.
Following Jesus is a full-time commitment. Following Jesus requires daily living the Word of God. Flowing with Him can be that of convenience and not of commitment. Are you following or flowing with Jesus?
 
Prayer for today:Ask God for the grace to follow Him fully.