FAITH CAPSULE: Trust in the God whom you serve and hope in the power of His deliverance.

1 Samuel 13:1-14, Daniel 3

It is written, “Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, and whose hope is the LORD.” (Jeremiah 17:7) When a life terminating challenge occurs, it is easy for one that constantly claims trust in God to loose hope in waiting on God for deliverance. By this virtue, it can be concluded that it is possible to trust in God and not have hope in Him. King Saul knew God enough by trusting Him to accept and become the King for the children of Israel. Once, when he was to wait on God’s command that forbids all but the priest, from offering a burnt offering to God he failed to wait. King Saul lost hope and was compelled to violate the command of God. Does that sound like you?
Once, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego refused to serve or worship King Nebuchadnezzar’s gold image, they were sentenced to the harsh penalty of death by the fiery furnace. However, they were determined to stand their ground for God because the trust and hope they were having in God was intact. King Nebuchadnezzar further questioned them about who would deliver them. They were so sure of their trust and hope in God as they responded, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, ‘O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter.’”(Daniel 3:16) Is there any matter which is demanding you to compromise your faith? Is the matter threatening to you? You can be confident, just as these men of faith were, that you have no need to answer the question. Trust in the God whom you serve and hope in the power of His deliverance. They trusted God and responded in Daniel 3:17, “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.” Seeing that they had been delivered from the furnace fire, King Nebuchadnezzar speaks in Daniel 3:28, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, who sent His Angel and delivered His servants who trusted in Him, and they have frustrated the king’s word, yielded their bodies, that they should not serve nor worship any god except their own God!” At every trust and hope in God the hand of the enemy shall be frustrated and shattered. Our trust in God will uphold us in the presence of our enemy. If you trust and hope in Him, act it out and He will react because He is a God of knowledge and by Him actions are weighed. (1 Samuel 2:3)

Prayer for today: Ask God to endue you with the grace that causes man to stand in trust regardless of the circumstances.

FAITH CAPSULE:His going through will not leave you empty, but will endue you with all it takes to be connected to heaven.

John 4

Jesus was speaking in the book of Revelation, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.” When He was here on earth He did not stop reaching out to those that did not know Him. After He has risen and went to the right hand of God He continues to reach out. Indeed He came to give life to those who will accept Him. Jesus was and He is the Great Savior that paid it all on the cross of Calvary.
A song testifies about Jesus, “Everywhere he went He was doing good.” He was, and He is the Almighty healer that heals the leper and gives light in the darkness. If you will let Him go through you today, you will not be left the same way. As much as Samaritans were rejected by the Jews, and as much as the Jews avoided the land of Samaria because of sin, Jesus had the need to go through Samaria. He wanted to touch the sinner’s life. John 4:4-5, “But He needed to go through Samaria. So He came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.” Will you let Him go through you? His going through will not leave you empty, but will endue you with all it takes to be connected to heaven.
He will be a fountain of living water instead of a dry well. His journey through Samaria was not to judge, but to take them from the past into a place where they could be with Him. There must have been another route that Jesus could have taken to go to Galilee, but He chose to go through Samaria. When his time in Samaria was completed, He was asked to stay a little longer. John 4:43, “Now after the two days He departed from there and went to Galilee.” After having departed from Samaria, He delivered to Samaritans the gift of God; living water and what it takes to draw the living water. He also put in place all that it takes not to be thirsty to whoever accepted the living water. Jesus is Lord yesterday and forever. Allow Jesus to go through you, He will never forsake you. After you have let Him through, His presence will continue to be a wellspring in your life. Let Him go through you and you will never be the same again.

Prayer for today: Ask God to have mercy upon you according to His lovingkindness; according to the multitude of His tender mercies.

FAITH CAPSULE:It is your heart that God wants to meet before He commits into your hand great feats.

Daniel 1, Acts 5:1-11

It is written, “But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession. And he kept back part of the proceeds, his wife also being aware of it, and brought a certain part and laid it at the apostles’ feet. But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself? (Acts 5:1-3) Ananias and Sapphira died a cheap and untimely dearth. It is important that you give your heart a procedure that will remove every thought that is not right, that is negative and that is not fruitful to the glory of God. The thinking that you carry out in your heart is what will determine your future on the face of the earth. The word confirms this in the book of Proverbs 4:23 “Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life.” It is clear that in all that you keep with diligence, your heart should be number one. Keep your heart meticulously clean or wickedness will reap through it. The testimony of Daniel’s life of exploit was rooted in the operation of his heart. It is written, “But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with portion of the king’s delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank; therefore he requested of the chief eunuchs that he might not defile himself.” (Daniel 1:8) Daniel’s operation of the heart made all the difference in his life when he purposed in his heart to do his all for the glory of the Lord. God established him like no any other one through the pages of the scripture. What is lurking inside your heart? That which you harbor in your heart will make all the difference in your life. Will you be singled out as a giant in the hand of the Lord or will you forsake your calling to adhere to the world? It is your heart that God wants to meet before He commits into your hand great feats. 2Chronicles16:9, “For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him. In this you have done foolishly; therefore from now on you shall have wars.” What His eyes are looking for throughout the earth is not what your eyes or any eye can see. His eyes look for the heart that is loyal to Him. In your heart think or meditate on what glorifies God then great exploitation will be yours.

Prayer for today: Ask God to put His fear in your heart that you may dwell in His secret place and abide under His shadow.

FAITH CAPSULE: You can only follow who you believe.

Mark 8:31-34, Luke 4:31-37

So many came to Jesus, but very few followed Him. The price is too costly to follow because to follow Jesus is to forsake all. Christianity today is convenience, not commitment from the heart. The most glaring identity of Christians, the self-acclaimed born again today is: lying, manipulation and deception. Among the believers, the sign does not follow any more because their lifestyles do not reflect the one that is following the Master.Born again Christians are very use to the Word of God, but they no longer let the Word use them. Billy Graham once said that, if the Holy Spirit is taken out of the church, 95% of church activities would be going on without any noticeable change. God, however, in His infinite mercy, continues to be patient with His children. The Bible talked about Jesus in Luke 4:32, “And they were astonished at His teaching, for His word was with authority.” Today, most of His acclaimed follower’s word is not backed with power. Sick come into church and they leave to go back home still sick. Do you wonder what is going on with the Word of God? The Word of God is still the same and it has not change, it is the world that is changing from the Word. If you do not work for the Word, the Word will not work for you. Jesus’ disciples once asked Him, John 6:28, “What shall we do, that we may work the work of God?” Have you ever figured out what has to be done to work the work? John 6:29, “Jesus answered and said to them, this is the work of God that you believe in Him whom He sent.” When there is no trust, there will be no obedience to the Word. Without obedience, faith is absent and belief does not have a place to reside.
You can only follow who you believe.
Following
Following Jesus is self denial. If you can not deny yourself it is impossible to follow Him. Mark 8:34, “When He had called the people to Himself with His disciples also, He said to them ‘Whoever desires to come after Me, let Him deny Himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.’” Following Jesus is a daily activity, not only a Sunday activity.
In following Him
In your following there is no excuse; there is no distraction. When you follow Him, there have to be consistency. Consistency will build up to commitment, and then continuity will have its place. When you follow Him, you do not have to walk how others walk, you do not have to see like they see, and you do not have to hear what they hear. Keep focus on the leading Master. Some went to Him voluntarily and ended up with excuses. He called some, but they could not handle the weight of the cross.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace to follow Him fully.

FAITH CAPSULE: Negative sound will hinder God’s promise.

Deuteronomy 1:19-46

God is faithful and true to His Word. Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not evil, to give you a future and a hope.” God who made this statement will not build you up and pull you down. The children of Israel were delivered from a bondage which appeared would last from eternity to eternity. The deliverance was enough confirmation for the children of Israel to know that God is a Mighty Deliverer. On their way to Canaan, the Red Sea could not hold them down; pharaoh failed in his attempt to re-enslave them. God was at hand carrying and providing for every call they made. God wanted to carry out His promise.
At a certain stage of their journey, Moses said to them “Look, the LORD your God has set the land before you: go up and possess it, as the LORD God of your father has spoken to you; do not fear or be discouraged (Deuteronomy 1:21) Sadly, the children of Israel had a different mind set of getting to their Promised Land. They did not take to heart the word of Moses, the mouthpiece of God. They were close to the land, but they were not looking up to the land. They must have been looking down away from the land. When God makes a promise and you are not looking up to that promise, you will miss out of His promise. Has He promised you something and you are looking down? Instead of going by God’s direction through Moses, they called on Moses and said, “Let us send men before us, and let them search out the land for us, and bring back word to us of the way by which we should go up, and of the cities into which we shall come.” (Deuteronomy1:22)
This was not God’s plan. God’s plan was to take them to their promise land. Has He brought you far enough and now you are taking things in your own hands? There is no right time to take over from God when He is leading. Their plan pleased Moses; so he took twelve of them to go and spy the land (Deuteronomy 1:23). Most of the spies came back with a negative report which generated complaints and all kinds of negativity. It is written, “And the LORD heard the sound of your words, and was very angry, and took oath, saying, surely not one of these men of this evil generation shall see that good land of which I swore to give to your fathers.” (Deteurenomy1:34-35) In a journey that they over came hindrances, it was the sound of their mouth that hindered them from God’s promise.

Prayer for today: Ask God not to withhold His tender mercy from you.