FAITH CAPSULE: Avoid taking chances that can change your life for a worse experience.

2 Samuel 11

To be at the right place at the right time will always produce a positive result. In other words, being at the wrong place at the right time or the right place at the wrong time can be exceedingly destructive without the Word of God in place. To be at the wrong place at the wrong time is evidently the cheapest way to self-destruction. The right place at the right time is the only right with no iota of wrong having its way. King David, as greatly as he was used by God, got caught up in the right place at the wrong time. As a result, he failed to stand in the command of God. The Bible recorded, “It happened in the spring of the year, at the time when kings go out to battle…” (2 Samuel 11:1) While David was suppose to be at the battlefield like other kings he, “…Arose from his bed and walked on the roof of the king’s house. And from the roof he saw a woman bathing, and the woman was very beautiful to behold.” (2 Samuel 11:2) King David’s standing at the right place at the wrong time caused an outstanding mark of pain on him that endured all the days of his life. To King David, it was the mark of adultery that had a great negative impact on his life journey. As an acclaimed believer, are you conscious of your present location? Avoid taking chances that can change your life for a worse experience. God cannot be hidden from and His presence will always locate you. As an acclaimed believer, where are you standing? Just as we pay attention to where we are standing giving attention to what we stand for is also important. What do you stand for? Where you are standing or what you are standing for can usher you into an unending journey of pain or an unending journey of great gains. In King David’s wrong standing, he entered into an indirect killing of Uriah when he ordered Uriah’s killing at the battlefield. King David, “…wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by the hand of Uriah 15 And he wrote in the letter, saying, ’Set Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and retreat from him, that he may be struck down and die.’” (2 Samuel 11:14-15) David creating a set up for the destruction of Uriah was an attempt to cover up his adultery that brought forth an unexpected seed. David’s adultery brought to life a child that he did not expect. King David’s standing was not acceptable to God because he violated the command of God.

Prayer for today: Ask for God’s divine guidance through every walk of life.

FAITH CAPSULE: Honoring God is not in quoting the word but living and behaving the word of God.

Genesis 39, Daniel 6

After all that Eli could do for his children’s violation of God’s command was only warning, the Lord sent His servant to Eli, stating, “…for those who honor Me I will honor…” (1 Samuel 2:30) God is a faithful and His word cannot be broken. God confirmed the validity of His word when He spoke, “So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:11) Knowing that honoring God will no doubt bring honor to you, is there any conscious and uncommon step that you are taking to honor God? Through the pages of scripture, some men took deliberate steps to honor God and God honored them beyond their imagination. Joseph, a young man that was sold to slavery by brothers of the same birth had no reason not to honor God when God’s name deserved to be honored. Joseph had a good reason to despise God but he honored God. Joseph was in position to become the master of the house whenever his master was absent from home because the wife of his master’s persistent attempt to lie with him. The Bible recorded, “But it happened about this time, when Joseph went into the house to do his work, and none of the men of the house was inside, 12 that she caught him by his garment, saying, “Lie with me.” But he left his garment in her hand, and fled and ran outside.” (Genesis 39:11-12) The reason why Joseph reacted the way he did was because of His honor for his God. Joseph sated, “…how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” (Genesis 39:9) Honoring God is not in quoting the word but living and behaving the word of God. God does not move by just the words of our mouth but by the actions behind His word in our mouth. Remember, the Bible described God, “…For the LORD is the God of knowledge; and by Him actions are weighed.” (1 Samuel 2:3) Our actions and reactions is what measure us before God. Daniel knew the gravity of denying other gods to honor his God when he went to his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days. (Daniel 6:10) Both Joseph and Daniel honored God and were greatly honored by God. Joseph went from prison to presiding over the whole land while Daniel had dinner and spent all night with hungry lions with out a single scratch. How are you honoring God? Honor God and He will honor you.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace to be a vessel of honor.

FAITH CAPSULE:Placing favor against God is dishonoring God.

1 Samuel 2:12-36

Honoring God or dishonoring God consciously or unconsciously does not have excuse but does have grave repercussions. It is very important to pay attention to our walk in line with the word of God that calls for His name to be honored. When the sons of Eli dishonored God it caused their generations to pay the price of their action. The Bible recorded, “Now Eli was very old; and he heard everything his sons did to all Israel, and how they lay with the women who assembled at the door of the tabernacle of meeting. So he said to them, “Why do you do such things? For I hear of your evil dealings from all the people. No, my sons! For it is not a good report that I hear. You make the LORD’s people transgress. If one man sins against another, God will judge him. But if a man sins against the LORD, who will intercede for him…” (1 Samuel 2:22-25) The sons of Eli dishonored God by their acts. Evidently, Eli warned his sons of God’s judgment but he fell short by not rebuking them for their actions. God’s response to Eli’s approach to his children was not favorable. God responded, “Why do you kick at My sacrifice and My offering which I have commanded in My dwelling place, and honor your sons more than Me, to make yourselves fat with the best of all the offerings of Israel My people?” (1 Samuel 2:29) The sons of Eli clearly dishonored God but who could have tell that Eli’s action counted against him as dishonoring God? It is clear in the case of Eli that by neglecting his parental duty, he was in effect favoring his sons above God. God is a jealous God and placing favor against God is dishonoring God. Moses walked in line with God and would not have consciously dishonor God by his action when he struck the rock instead of speaking to the rock for water as commanded by God. After Moses realized his fault, he repeatedly asked for forgiveness but God responded, “Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not believe Me, to hallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.” (Numbers 20:12) A failure to hallow God is a demonstration of not honoring God. Honoring God in all areas of life demands a serious attention. Before God, there is no excuse for failure in line with His word of command. Adams’ excuse after eating from the tree states, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.” (Genesis 3:12) Adams’ excuse delivers no escape from God’s judgment. Before God, can there be any better excuse than that of Adam?

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace to guide you away from dishonoring Him.

FAITH CAPSULE: When there is no communication from God there will be no continuation in line with His word of direction.

Genesis 12, 13

God wanted to establish Abraham when He called him out of his country and family to a land He promised to show him. At the time of his departure, “…Lot went with him…” (Genesis 12:4) Evidently, Abraham did not invite Lot (Lot meaning separation). Abraham journeyed and got to the land of Canaan. While at Canaan, the Lord appeared to Him and said, “…To your descendants I will give this land…” (Genesis 12:7) God called Abraham out; and God continue to speak to him while he was in obedience to the calling of God. It was reported that Abraham built an altar to the Lord who appeared to him. As a result of famine in the land, Abraham took off to Egypt without consulting the God that called him. Abraham’s departure from God allotted ground was an entrance to fear for the security of his life. God did not speak before he moved as a result, when he was close to entering Egypt, “He said to Sarai his wife, “Indeed I know that you are a woman of beautiful countenance. Therefore it will happen, when the Egyptians see you, that they will say, ‘This is his wife’; and they will kill me, but they will let you live.”” (Genesis 12:11-12) God called Abraham and Abraham recalled himself when he moved to Egypt. Sounds like your story? When there is no communication from God there will be no continuation in line with His word of direction. God in His goodness and mercy delivered Abraham from Egypt and Pharaoh. Abraham left Egypt and went back, “To the place of the altar which he had made at first. And there Abram called on the name of the LORD.” (Genesis 13:4) Abraham went back to the place of his encounter with his God. Lot did not stop going with Abraham. God did not call Abraham and Lot together as a result there was a need for separation (Lot). When God is making you, situations will develop to shape you. Abraham now on the right ground needed in his right mind for God’s purpose. Lot (Mr. Separation) needed to come out of Abraham’s life. Strife between Lot’s herdsmen and Abraham’s herdsmen called for separation between Abraham and Lot. God, not having showed up since Abraham left the place of his first altar, now showed up after Lot’s separation. Bible recorded, “And the LORD said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him: “Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are—northward, southward, eastward, and westward; for all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever.” (Genesis 13:14-15) God called you; He will back you up, make no move without His word.

Prayer for today: Ask God to keep you from going out of His word.

FAITH CAPSULE: Where there is expectation there will be a manifestation.

Esther 1, 2

It is written, “To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck what is planted.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1-2) In this season of a new beginning, what is your expectation? Where there is expectation there will be a manifestation. It is one thing to have a New Year resolution and it is another to have a New Year expectation. Your New Year resolution is in your rest solution. Rest solution is no where other than in the living Word of God. Trusting God for unlimited breakthrough is not a sin but a blessing. Esther’s kind of encounter of unlimited breakthrough is a kind of breakthrough to desire. Esther was the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her as his daughter. (Esther 2:15) It was the refusal of Queen Vashti that allowed for the entrance for Queen Esther. Pray that someone, somewhere, someday will make a wrong move or a wrong decision that will bring forth your right move into your breakthrough. Queen Vashti was the Queen of King Ahasuerus. At one point, King Ahasuerus requested the Queen’s presence, but the Queen made a decision not to move at the request of the King. This did not sit well with the King, so he sought counsel from his closest advisors about what to do in response. Esther 1:15, “What shall we do to queen Vashti, according to law, because she did not obey the command of King Ahasuerus brought to her by the eunuchs?” The result of the King’s Counsel was Queen Vashti’s banishment from the presence of the King. As a result, Esther was brought into place as the new Queen. Esther, meaning star in Persian language, lived to answer her name. A daughter of a captive became King Ahasuerus’ Queen. Esther was the least expected to replace Queen Vashti. Have you thought of your story changing overnight in a land in which you were an alien or a land where all hope is hanging in the balance? Someone, somewhere, someday will make a wrong move that will bring forth your right move into your breakthrough in this new season. Esther’s elevation brought forth deliverance for the Jews who were under the control of King Ahasuerus. Are you in your “Esther position” now? Do you know if you have come to your present position for such a time as you now find yourself? Do not be silent, be a relief for those who are in need for God’s sake. If you are one that believes in the name of God, be expectant and God will bring forth your breakthrough.

Prayer for today: Ask God to have mercy on you as His custom is towards those that love His name.