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.

FAITH CAPSULE: It is not enough to hear the Word and then not take action on what you have heard.

Matthew 15:1-20
 
It is written, “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12) Beyond every reasonable doubt the word of God is truly powerful as described in the quotation above. It work wonders to any that heed and walk in it as expected by God. Are you one that has been hearing the word of God and not see it manifest? Unarguably, it is not enough to hear the Word and then not take action on what you have heard. Are you religious, or are you a believer? If what you are hearing is not evident in your life, then you are not living the Word. Hearing the word does not qualify one as a believer. Hearing the Word and doing what the Word commands us is what qualifies one as a believer. Jesus’ response to those who delivered a message that His mother and brothers were looking for Him was a clear implication that merely hearing and not living out the Word is an error. Not following through on the Word renders our hearing it incomplete and does not deem one a believer. Luke 8:19, “But He answered them and said to them, ‘My mother and My brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it.’” According to the response of Jesus hearing and doing is what identifies one as His relation. It does not matter how much or how often you draw close to Him if hearing and doing what He says is not in place in the life of one that hears Him. The Word has to be in you and you need to do what the Word says. In the world of today, many are claiming to be a believer without hear and doing His word. Many acts as drawing unto Him but far from Him by virtue of hearing the word but not doing the word. In these days, drawing near to Him should never be a yardstick in measuring or identifying one as a believer. Many are drawing near to God with their mouths while their hearts and ears are outside of Him. Matthew 15:8, “These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me.”  It is worthy that we engage the zealously; hear the Word of God with the ear and listen with the heart. Man can be deceived but God that sees the heart is impossible to be deceived.
 
Prayer for today:Ask God for the grace to open the ears of your heart which will enable you in His Word.

FAITH CAPSULE: Receive the Word not only as daily bread, but also as oxygen.

1 Thessalonians 2:1-16, 2 Corinthians 3:6-18
 
In responding to ministration of the word of God, acclaimed believers most times respond stating, “I receive it” After having heard a preacher preach, how often have you claimed to receive the Word, and after having claimed to have received the Word, nothing happens? There are no changes, no results, but yet you continue to claim, “I received it.” The Word of God is true, it does not fail and it will not fail unless you fail to live by His Word. 1 Thessalonians 2:13, “For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe.” The Word that you claimed to have received is not working because: One, you have failed to welcome the Word. Can you imagine how you would receive a message that one million dollars has just been deposited into your account? If you truly receive the Word as frequently as you claim, you will celebrate it. Two, if what you claim to have received is scripturally based, then do not let anything deny your acceptance and celebration of it. When the measure of how you welcome what you receive matches up with the celebration, then what you have received will work effectively for you.
The Word of God is not a letter, it is Spirit. John 6:63, “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.” How have you been receiving the Word of God? If you have been receiving the Word of God as a letter, it will weigh you down, and you will be better off not to have received it than to receive and be weighed down into stagnation with no motion in life. However, if you have been receiving the Word of God as Spirit, it will work effectively by making its receiver a rider rather than a toiler in the face of wicked world. The Word will be transporting you around and above this wicked generation. Receive the Word as not as letter, for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.”(2 Corinthians 3:6)
It is when you receive, believe and live the Word that you become a believer. Receive the Word not only as daily bread, but also as oxygen. You can do without bread for several days, but without oxygen, in minutes you are dead. 78
 
Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace to increase you with a zeal for His Word that is life, not letter.