FAITH CAPSULE: Recognizing Jesus’ authority is uncommon faith to heal and to deliver.

Matthew 21:23-27; Colossians 1:15-29

It is written, “…power belongs to God.” (Psalm 62:11)  It is safe to say that to whom power belongs to is the one with undeniable authority. After Jesus had cleansed the Temple by driving out all the irrelevancies, He came back into the temple. Matthew 21:23, “Now when He came into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people confronted Him as He was teaching, and said, ‘By what authority are You doing these things? And who gave You this authority?’” Jesus Christ is the Authority. Questioning Authority where He gets authority from is absolute lack of knowledge. While Jesus was here on earth the chief priests constantly questioned His authority. The Bible testifies that, “He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes” (Matthew 7:29)Despite the fact that His teachings were with authority they could not recognize Jesus as the Authority. Today so many are still questioning His authority. Inside and outside of the Church, His authority is being constantly questioned. Are you questioning Him, too? The word of God says, “Wives, submit to your own husbands as to the Lord and husbands love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her.” (Ephesians 5:22, 25) Inside and outside of the church, both wives and husbands love according to their own ways. That is the equivalent to questioning His authority. Questioning His authority is not limited to asking, “Why?”, but also extends to, “why not do what the word says?” Jesus is the unfailing and eternally established authority who cannot be denied. His authority extends over all areas of life. He has authority over sickness and disease. Once, Jesus healed a paralyzed servant of a centurion. The centurion recognized Jesus’ authority and testifies, “For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” (Matthew 8:9). Jesus responded to the testimony of the centurion, “…Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!? (Matthew 8:10) Recognizing Jesus’ authority is uncommon faith to heal and to deliver. Accept Him by recognizing His authority and healing and deliverance will be your portion just like the centurion’s servant. “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.”(Colossians 1:15-16)  Now you know why He is the authority. Are you still questioning His authority?

Prayer for today: Ask God to deliver you in His righteousness.

FAITH CAPSULE: Do not be too quiet to deny your victory but cry out to God.

Mark 10:46-52

Crying out unto God is not a sign of weakness but a way of communicating with God. It is written, “Now it happened in the process of time that the king of Egypt died. Then the children of Israel groaned because of the bondage, and they cried out; and their cry came up to God because of the bondage.” (Exodus 2:23) After the bondage of over four hundred years, the cry of the children of Israel brought heaven’s attention for their deliverance. God is a prayer answering God and it could be that the children of Israel did not realize that they were in bondage until the King of Egypt died. Nevertheless, their cry out to God brought them out of bondage. It is also written, “Then Jonah prayed to the LORD his God from the fish’s belly. And he said: “I cried out to the LORD because of my affliction, and He answered me.  “Out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and You heard my voice.” (Jonah 2:1-2) Jonah cried out for self deliverance from self inflicted affliction. Jonah, a prophet of God put himself into affliction when he blatantly disobeyed God’s command. God called on Jonah, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me.” But Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD…” (Jonah 1:2-3) Are you experiencing self inflicted or enemy inflicted affliction? God will listen and hear your cry if you will open your mouth wide, God will fill it. (Psalm 81:10) Evidently, Crying to God will bring forth deliverance from affliction and will cause bondage to loose its grip.David, a man after God’s own heart, a giant killer could not be quiet every time challenge presents it self. He testifies, “In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried out to my God; He heard my voice from His temple, and my cry came before Him, even to His ears.” (Psalm 18:6) Crying out to God helps in time of distress. God is still the same and He is not a partial God. Have you heard about Jesus or have you not heard enough about Him? This happened to blind Bartimaeus, “And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Then many warned him to be quiet; but he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” (Mark 10:47-48) Bartimaeus’ crying out brought him out of blindness when he could not be quieted by agents of denial. Do not be too quiet to deny your victory but cry out to God.

Prayer for today: Ask God to hear your cry, and attend to your prayer.

FAITH CAPSULE: Job feared God.

Job 42

After Job had lostall (not some) of his material possessions and his children, he was struck by painful boils. Job 2:7, “So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD, and struck Job with painful boils…”  Imagine a man described by the Almighty God as, blameless and upright man who fear God and shun evil, being struck by painful boils. Painful boil is one of the covenant curses for the disobedient ones. It is written in Deuteronomy 28:35, “The LORD will strike you in the knees and on the legs with severe boils which cannot be healed, and from the sole of your foot to the top of your head.” There was no documentation of any violation of God that calls for the covenant curse on Job. However, it happened to Job that was upright and blameless. Your challenge has gone far enough and spouse, family and friends are despising you while church families are questioning your faith—disallow discouragement God alone is the righteous judge. All kinds of advice and accusation were diverted at Job by his friends yet, Job did not sin in all of his response to friends. Job was a righteous man but his righteousness is not to claim that God owes him. Job 34:5 states that, “For Job has said, I am righteous but God has taken away my justice.” God owes no man but man owes God in all of his being. The Lord pointed out in response to Job, “Who has preceded Me, that I should pay him? Everything under heaven is Mine.”(Job 41:11)  It can be concluded here that God owes no man and He is not obligated to reward man.
Through it all, Job spoke of God what is right. Job submitted to God and he affirmed God’s unconditional sovereignty of his life. In the face of all that turned against Job, God responded, “Now the LORD blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning; for he had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, one thousand yoke of oxen, and one thousand female donkeys. He also had seven sons and three daughters. And he called the name of the first Jemimah, the name of the second Keziah, and the name of the third Keren-Happuch. In all the land were found no women so beautiful as the daughters of Job; and their father gave them an inheritance among their brothers. After this Job lived one hundred and forty years, and saw his children and grandchildren for four generations.”(Job 42:12-16) Job stayed through the course of his challenge and crossed over into God’s blessing for his life. God is true to His word just as it is written, “The Lord takes pleasure in those who fear Him, in those who hope in His mercy.” (Psalm 147:11) Job feared God.       

Prayer for today: Ask God’s fear to reign and rule your heart.

FAITH CAPSULE:Leave it all for God; worry not but worship Him.

Job 1-2

Thank God for God. Forever, God shall be God. The Bible described Job as a blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil. (Job1:1) Job was blessed with seven sons and three daughters. His blessings were also extended to material possessions. Job at his time possessed, “…seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred female donkeys, and a very large household, so that this man was the greatest of all the people of the East.” (Job 1:3) In one day, without warning, a man that feared God and shunned evil, the greatest man of all the people of the east lost all of his material possessions and his children. Job plunged from the height of prosperity to the pit of poverty. Four rapid disasters struck him alternatively from earth and heaven. From earth, his livestock and servants were raided and killed by the Sabeans. On the same day heaven went against him when fire of heaven fell and burned up the sheep and servants. Again the earth forced against him when the Chaldeans raided the camels and killed the servants. The fourth disaster was climatic blow from heaven. It was a great wind that destroyed his house and killed his children…all disaster in one day. Job must have felt that all heaven and earth pitched against him to destroy him. Despite all, there was no iota of complain or blaming God for his tragedies. How are we to react in the face of confronting challenges?
In Job’s case, as if the lost of property and children was not enough his health became a victim of unexpected attack. Job was struck, “…with painful boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. And he took for himself a potsherd with which to scrape himself while he sat in the midst of the ashes.” (Job 2:7-8) In the midst of it all, Job did not despise his God. Job’s wife was the first to spite him when she reacted, “Do you still hold fast to your integrity? Curse God and die!” But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips.” (Job 2:9-10) Your challenges have taken a new twist; it is going deeper than earlier thought. In the midst of it all you still have the breath of life and it is worth praising God for. Without the Bible documentation of the cause of Job’s affliction it is easy to conclude that Job must have sinned. In your light affliction (compare to Job’s) are you being judge as sinner? Leave it all for God; worry not but worship Him.

Prayer for today: Ask God for strength to persevere in every area of challenge.

THE PLACE YOU ARE

FAITH CAPSULE: Where you are now will soon change for the better. You will eat better food
than what you have missed.
 
Exodus 16:1-19
 It does not matter where you are now, it only matters how you are living in the place where you are. The children of Israel knew for sure that they were on a journey, they were on the way to the Promised Land: a land that is waiting for them to look after, a land flowing with milk and honey. They had seen the great hand of God at work, and that alone was a confirmation that He that began a good thing will take them to an expected end. The Bible recorded that, “…He made known His ways to Moses, His acts to the children of Israel. (Psalm 103:7) Indeed they saw His acts and yet they could not maintain where they were with expectation. The children of Israel lost touch and could not hold on to the hand of God that brought them out of bondage of over four hundred years. It is also written, “They soon forgot His works; they did not wait for His counsel, but lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, and tested God in the desert.” (Psalm 106:13-14)Is your story the same? Are you saying it cannot happen to you–that it is not possible to forget where he has brought you? Determination will fail you, but the grace of God will pass you. All you have to do is to constantly remember that you are on a journey and that He has given you all what is needed for you to go through that journey if you will carry with you always the Word of God. The children of Israel had what was necessary for them to go through into the land of promise, but they could not accept it all. God put in place good food, but they could not stop asking for tasty food. Exodus 16:3, “And the children of Israel said to them, ‘Oh, that we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat and when ate bread to the full! For you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.’” Where you are now will soon change for the better. You will eat better food than what you have missed. Trust in Him; He will take you to your expected end. Accept all that He has put in place until you get to the expected end.

Prayer for today: Ask God to help you entreat His favor with your whole heart; to be merciful to you according to His word.