FAITH CAPSULE: If having faith is what pleases the Father, not having faith will be what displeases the Father.

Hebrews 11:1-13
 
Jesus once said to the Jews, “And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do these things that please Him.”  (John 8:29) It is not enough to read and pass on in the Word of God, but we must read and gain the full understanding. Until understanding is in place, having a hedge against all confronting situations or challenges remains elusive to every confessing believers. Also, spiritual status is determined by reception and application of the Word. What you receive and understand will determine the level of result that you will be producing as you journey in the face of earth. Interest and commitment are what will always provoke the zeal for understanding that is gained in the Word of God that builds up a believer for inheritance among the sanctified. The Word of God is indeed true to the fact when it stated in Proverbs 4:7, “…In all your getting, get understanding.” It is a demonstration of need for understanding to want to know what it is that pleases the Father. Pleasing the Father is evidently crucial and important to continue in the journey of life because it keeps a believer in constant and continuous touch with the Father. Hebrew 11:5-6 points out what it takes to please the Father: “By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, and was not found, because God had taken him; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God. But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” If having faith is what pleases the Father, not having faith will be what displeases the Father. When faith is not in place in the life of a believer, the Father will not be in place in the life of such a believer. Jesus specified that doing what pleases the Father is what makes the Father to be in Him and not leave Him. What is the source of this faith that makes the Father’s presence to always be in Jesus? Romans 10: 17, “…Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”The importance of hearing so as to understand is vital and that is emphatically emphasized throughout the Bible. The apostle Paul knew the importance of hearing as vital to understanding the Word. What you do not understand will not work for you. Understanding is the key to the Word operating in the life that it enters. Listen to the Word; allow it to have a place in you and the Father will reign over you.
 
Prayer for today: Ask for the grace of God to enable your listening and understanding the word.

FAITH CAPSULE: When you fail to remember God’s direction, you will be denied a place in God’s directory.

Numbers 20:1-13
 
Walking in disorder will deny one from getting to the promise land. Once Moses received an orderly direction from God but delivered it in disorder. It is written, “Take the rod; you and your brother Aaron gather the congregation together. Speak to the rock before their eyes, and it will yield its water; thus you shall bring water for them out of the rock, and give drink to the congregation and their animals.” (Numbers 20:8)   Moses went and struck instead of speak to the rock. He went further and spoke to the people by calling them rebels. Out of God’s order is out of God’s ordination. Moses was ordained to lead the Israelitesto the Promise Land but was denied from entering into the Promised Land because he went out of order that was given to him by God. Moses was a giant in the hand of God. It does not matter how strong or weak one is in the hand of God, whenever disorder sets in one’s journey, one is bound to be off set in that Journey. It is worth praying and asking for God’s mercy in keeping one from taking a step of disorder.
God is not a wicked God. He is a good and gracious God that will not violate His own word and neither shall there be any excuse for any to violate His word. The order in place for the ark of God was without exception. God had warned His people including the Levites not touch holy objects like the ark. While the ark was being transferred to Jerusalem, at a threshing floor (a place for processing grain) Uzzah reached out and touch the ark. It was unintentional. It was out of order to reach out and touch the ark. Uzzah’s action was unintentional but the word of God is with intention to keep orderliness in all areas of life. Death penalty had been specified for violators that goes out of order and touch the holy object of the tabernacle of God (Numbers 4:15) God does not waste word and every attempt not to be wasted in His word should be engaged in orderly manner. The book of Roman 6:1 asked, “…Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?  Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?” Indeed Uzzah lived in the days of law and we are living in the days of His grace. However, this is not an excuse to be living a life of disorder. God’s direction is His order. Living outside of His direction is living in disorder which is a way of death and eternal damnation.
 
Prayer for today: Ask for the grace that keeps man from falling to have a permanent place in your life.

FAITH CAPSULE: Do you assume that He is leading when you are not letting Him?

2 Kings 20
 
After over four hundred years of bondage the children of Israel did not depart from Egypt just by any way. At the time of their departure from bondage, God led the people around by way of the wilderness of the Red Sea. And the Children of Israel went up in orderly ranks out of the land of Egypt (Exodus 13:18) With God in place as the leader, there is always order in place for the followers. God is a saving master and not a slave master. God leading is by choice not by force. However, His leading is a way of life that is absolutely right and well rooted in orderliness. Walking in His order is a way of life. Engaging a way out of God’s way is taking to a way that seems right. Proverbs 14:12, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” Are you allowing Him to take the leadership of your journey in life? Do you assume that He is leading when you are not letting Him? God is waiting to take a lead in our life. God is God that acts for those who wait for Him. Are you willing to move according to His order? His order is direction. It is the password that will access all to breakthrough in the journey of life. In which area of life have you been facing opposition, hindrance, confusion or affliction? It is never too late to make a U-turn from every wrong turning and allow the leadership of God to take over. Why not retrace your step so that He may be glorified over your life.
According to the testimonies in passages of the Bible, It is clear that walking in disorder is a direct route unto termination. The book of 2 Kings 18:4-8 reveals the orderliness in the life of Hezekiah. He allowed God to lead him when he removed idols and broke their sacred places. Hezekiah trusted in the Lord God of Israel; he held fast to the Lord; the Lord was with Him. God being with man is the evidence of man being in order. Despite having walked in orderliness, a time came when he could no longer walk in orderliness. Hezekiah’s trust in God departed from him and he could no longer stand against his enemy. God sent Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, to Hezekiah, “Thus says the LORD: ‘Set your house in order, for you shall die, and not live.’” (2Kings 20:1)  Are you dying from lack of order? Turn your face to the Lord and pray. Hezekiah did, and God heard Hezekiah’s cry. God added fifteen more years to Hezekiah. It is never too late to cry out unto God for life to be restored.
 
Prayer for today: O Lord, let every of my step in life be in line with your word of order.

 FAITH CAPSULE: Hindrance is a weapon of the devil.

Isaiah 6
 
Is there any representative of Uzziah in your life? Until the Uzziah in the life of Isaiah passed away Isaiah could not pass unto living his divine purpose. Until the death of King Uzziah, Isaiah could not see, hear or receive God’s call of duty.
If you sit back and allow your Uzziah, hindrance will interfere in your journey by delaying or denying you from where God has destined you. Hindrance is a weapon of the devil. The devil has no limitation in his attempt to deny the purpose of God but, there is a limitation as to whom his victim could be. Isaiah was on time but not in tune with God until the death of King Uzziah.
Before Isaiah heard the voice that sent him out as a representative of God, a number of things happened. The first of all was the death of King Uzziah. It wasn’t until King Uzziah died that Isaiah could see what he saw. It was his seeing that set him up for God’s calling. This is why it is important to ask God to destroy whatever represents King Uzziah in your life. The Bible declared in Isaiah 6:1, “In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple.” Isaiah went further to describe what he saw after the death of King Uzziah. Does this relate to your situation? Do you know if your hindrance is still well, alive, and active? Prayer unto God will definitely move your hindrance. After Isaiah had been able to see, he recognized himself as one that needed a cleansing touch. He said, “Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the king, The LORD of hosts” (Isaiah 6:5) Isaiah cried out in repentance when he saw all that was in the presence of the Lord of host. Isaiah cried for the LORD’s cleansing in his life. Isaiah’s cry sent for a needed refinement. Isaiah 6:6, “Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a live coal which he had taken with the tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth with it and said: Behold, this has touched your lips; your iniquity is taken away, and your sin purged.” The journey of destiny is beginning to take place in the life of Isaiah. King Uzziah is dead; Isaiah began to see;   he was able to repent and he received cleansing. The big picture began to settle in place for Isaiah. Isaiah 6:8, “Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: “whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, ‘Here am I! Send me.”’ There is no bigger calling in life than as receiving God’s call of assignment.
 
Prayer for today: Ask God to sentence every representative of King Uzziah in your life to a permanent death.

FAITH CAPSULE: Purpose to love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith.

1Timothy1
 
One that is misplacing the purpose of God’s command is set to be displaced and not be full in the blessings of obedience. It is not impossible for the loudest praise worshiper to be the most empty before God. It would also not be a surprise if the loudest prayer within the fellowship of believers is the least heard of by God. This kind of person is an idle talker.
1Timothy 1:5-6, “Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith, from which some , having strayed, have turned aside to idle talk.” The purpose of the commandment is not registered in an idle talker. As a result, the praise or prayer of an idle talker cannot be registered in heaven. The Word of God points to the truth that, one that strays from the purpose of the commandment have turned to becoming an idle talker. Are you are a noisemaker/idle talker? It is only the grace of God that is carrying you. However, the same word says, “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? (Romans 6:1-2) It is good to constantly examine and adjust ourselves in the word of God. By the word of God we are warned; by the word we obtain our reward. Is a pure heart in you?
Most of the time, the idle talker/ loud speakers claim to love brethren but they do not understand their claim. God cannot be deceived. He sees through your heart; not through your noise making. 1Peter 1:22, “Seeing you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the spirit in sincere love of brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart.” Has the word of 1 Peter fallen on deaf ears for you? Do you love fervently with a pure heart? Ones that love with pure heart are the pure in the heart. It is written, “Blessed are the pure in the heart: for they shall see God.” (Matthew 5:8) Can you now see that not loving with pure heart has stamped out all your loud singing and lengthy prayers, as non-legit before God?
What about good conscience? Your claim for making the most noise and the lengthy prayer is based on you having faith. You have missed it and you are still missing it. As a matter of fact, you are heading for a shipwreck. 1Timothy 1:19, “Having faith and a good conscience, which some having rejected, concerning the faith have suffered a ship wreck.” You are a victim of yourself. It is not possible for you to claim faith as you do and not carry a good conscience. When you lack good conscience, you are empty and idle in operation before God.
 
Prayer for today: Ask for the enablement not to become a vessel that is set to be wasted.