FAITH CAPSULE: Every distinct action commands heaven’s attention.

Mark 2:1-12
 
Every distinct action commands heaven’s attention. The men that tore the roof top at where Jesus ministered in Capernaum acted their faith and healing was instantly provoked. Jesus was ministering the word in a full house, where all access into the house had been blocked by crowd’s attendance. It was then that men who came with a paralytic man decided to gain entrance through the roof into the house. By virtue of their action, the Bible records Jesus’ response, “When Jesus saw their faith; He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you” (Mark 2:5). Undeniably, faith is see-able because faith is an action. Faith is acting out the word of God that is heard. Our action that is rooted in the understanding and knowledge of God is what God is looking for in us. It was the action (tearing through the roof to gain access) that Jesus saw and was provoked to move on behalf of the paralytic man.
So many provoked heaven and many are still provoking heaven by their uncommon action/distinct action (faith) and many have received uncommon miracles while many are still receiving distinct and instant miracles.
Yes, believers have read and have been privileged to see how distinct action provokes instant miracles. The question is do you have what it takes to activate distinct action?
God was speaking in Jeremiah 23:29, “Is not my word like a fire?” It takes the burning of the word in the inside of one to act or behave in a distinct way that calls for heaven’s attention. It was the burning word in the heart of the three friends of Daniel (Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego) that caused them to refuse to obey, bow or worship a golden image. Although, they were sentenced to death by a fiery burning furnace but their response was a distinct response stating, “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 3:17-18). In the face of death by fiery furnace, the three friends of Daniel’s distinct action provoked heaven to come down for their deliverance. The Lord came down to join them in the fiery furnace, when He could have sent angels or speak to their deliverance. Deliverance, healing and preservation often inhabits heaven’s visitation whenever distinct action is demonstrated in testimony to our trust in the power of God. 

Prayer for today: Ask for the burning word of God never to lose its fire inside of you.

FAITH CAPSULE: There is no excuse that is reasonable enough for sinning against God.

1 Samuel 13
 
It is written, “The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God…” (Psalm 14:1)  Saying or declaring that there is no God can be in a verbal or non-verbal communication. Going against God’s command or making the choice to walk in a way that seems right to one is without doubt, communicating there is no God. It does not matter what a man’s title is in the church or outside of church, walking outside of His command is making a bold statement that there is no God. It is foolishness.
Samuel was speaking to King Saul when he stated, “…you have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God which He commanded you…” (1 Samuel 13:13) Saul, God appointed, God anointed king for His children violated God when he engaged himself offering a burnt offering that was only entitled to priest according to the Law of Moses. Saul was not qualified to offer burnt offering. Saul was to wait seven days for Samuel to carry out the burnt offering but failed to continue in waiting on the seventh day.
Saul had reasons why he violated the Law of Moses and the instructions of God’s prophet but there is no excuse that is reasonable enough for sinning against God. It was a foolish move on the part of Saul.
Are you paying attention to whatever it is that generates fear and causes man to act outside of God’s command?
When the children of Israel began to look at the gathering of their enemy (1 Samuel 13:5) instead of looking up to God, they saw fear and the reason to be afraid settled in them. The Bible identifies the effect of looking to the gathering of enemy: They were distressed, they went and hide in the caves and they crossed over from their ground of deliverance.
Samuel’s delay could have been a way of testing Saul’s obedience and trust in God. Saul cited reasons of justification stating: the danger at hand, the gathering of the Philistines; Samuel’s delay and the scattering of the people. The bottom line of his action was identified by Samuel as foolishness. (1 Samuel 13:13) In any situation, foolishness is not acceptable by God and there is no justifiable reason of escape when we act it that there is no God.  
Have you been elevated by God? Keep up with looking up onto God. Disengage with seeing negative. See clearly that God will not forsake you.
Samuel responded to Saul’s foolishness, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, which He commanded you. For now the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought for Himself a man after His own heart…” (1 Samuel 13:13-14)
Be wise and not foolish.
 
Prayer for today: Ask God to fill you the knowledge of His will.

FAITH CAPSULE: The wicked ones are mouthful of the word of God, but mindful of self.

Jeremiah 12
 
Wicked is defined as evil by nature and in practice, highly offensive or obnoxious. Wickedness is an ungodly sin. It is what provoked the hand of God to destroy man from the face of earth during the time of Noah. Genesis 6:5 “Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” (Deuterenomy28:15) Just as it was then, so it is today.
Today, wickedness knows no bounds. It reigns outside the church, and it reigns inside the church. Within a group of believers, if there is a request for who should be considered as wicked, so many would refuse. As a self-proclaimed Christian or born again believer, have you ever considered or seen yourself as one who dwells in wickedness? Jeremiah pinpointed who and what qualifies one as wicked. Jeremiah complained why the way of the wicked prospers. In Jeremiah12:2, “He brought before God by saying to God, ‘You have planted them, yes they have taken root; they grow, yes they bear fruit. You are near in their mouth but far from their mind.” In his question, there is a clear indication that the wicked are those that speak the word of God but do not carry it in their mind. They are mouthful of the word of God, but mindful of self. This is extensively deceiving because they grow and prosper, and nothing is written over their forehead that identifies them as wicked. Clearly, the wicked are those that could be highly conversant in speaking the word of God while the word of God is absent or far from the mind.
Jesus referred to them as hypocrites when he was debating the Scribes and the Pharisees. Matthew 15:7-9, “Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying: ‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me, and in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.”Do you consider yourself as a hypocrite? A hypocrite is a pretender. A hypocrite is one whose walk and talk do not match. A hypocrite is also a person that acts it but does not practice it. If what you possess is not what you profess, you have failed in doing what you say, and you are a son of the wicked; in vain you worship Him.
There is a need to serve God in deed and in truth. One cannot serve in deed and in truth, and be living in wickedness.
 
Prayer for today: Ask against the spirit that comes into man’s life to become a wicked one.

FAITH CAPSULE: One that assumes to have arrived will resume to be deprived.

Job 1, 42
 
In the book of Job 1:1, the Word described Job as a blameless man and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil. God also questioned Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?” (Job 1:8) possible to assume that a man like Job has arrived in the things of the Lord. Despite God’s acknowledgement of who Job was in His sight, Job confessed the lack of understanding. Job 42:5, “I have heard of You by the hearing of the hear, but now my eye sees You.” By virtue of Job’s confession it is possible that until he was able to listen and hear in the word, it was not possible to see from where God wants one to see. “I have heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees You. It is hard to believe that such a man that God testified to as none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil (Job 1:8) will come out and confess lack of understanding. With Job’s confession, it is clear that whenever a man thinks he has arrived in the things of the LORD, he has ultimately checked himself into deprivation from entering where God is taking him. Paul clearly nailed it in his warnings in 1Corinthians 10:12: “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall”. One that assumes to have arrived will resume to be deprived. Job was indeed a man of God. It is
The apostle Paul, as much as he was a general in the field of God’s mission, did not pretend or assume that he has arrived at the goal of calling. Paul declared Philippians 3:13-14, “Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, for getting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead. I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Are you one that is counting self to have apprehended?
The point here is for man to learn and know not to allow shoulder rise above head. It is humbling to know to continue to abstain from self-glorification. Just in case you are one that have been privileged by God to give two or three revelations that came to pass in deed and in truth, it is not a liberty for one to go on thinking that one have arrived. God is still God and He can always bring anyone back beyond where He has brought one from.
If Job could have God testify about him, and would later confess that he has not been hearing what it takes to see God, you have to go into your prayer room and seek God’s face.
 
Prayer for today: Ask God to give you an ear that hears when He speaks.

FAITH CAPSULE: A failure to hear or see will cause one to miss the appointed time of manifestation.

2 Kings 5
 
It is written in Exodus 3:1-3, “Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. And he led the flock to the back of the desert, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed. Then Moses said, “I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn.” The point to be drawn from is that Moses needed to turn to be able to see. It was indeed a turning point in the life of Moses when he saw and was able to perceive. From the time of Moses’ turning, he began to hear what God had to say. In Moses seeing, there was an opening for hearing and understanding. Also, the purpose of living for God became a manifestation and he did not miss his appointed time on earth. The Bible is written for our learning. God did not create any to be empty in life; he has created everyone for a purpose. God’s purpose is for His name to be glorified in His entire creature. Everyone has a need to focus and not miss God’s calling when God is showing and when He is speaking to impart understanding for direction. Like Moses, some were able to hear, see and gain understanding what it takes to turn around unto God’s purpose. The ones that could not hear and the ones that could not see and gain understanding failed in the purpose of God for their life. Gehazi a servant of Elisha failed to connect with the power of God in Elisha because he could not see. Elisha was able to see and get connected with the power of God in Elijah (2 Kings 5:20-27). The difference in the life of Elisha and Gehazi was the ability to focus and see the move of the hand of God. Elisha, as a servant of Elijah, saw the power of God in Elijah, understood it, and asked for double portion. He desired what he saw and devoted to getting connected. As a result, Elisha received the double portion of the anointing upon the life of Elijah. Gehazi, as a servant of Elisha, could not see the power of God as obtainable. He focused on material that was meant for Elisha after the healing of Naaman, the leper. Gehazi went for the leper’s material, placed himself under a curse and became a leper. Is it only the material things of this world that you can see as obtainable? Begin to see and to hear in the word of His direction; gain understanding turn unto Him and have a knowing edge over the challenges of this world.
 
Prayer for today: Ask God to open your ear and eyes of understanding.