FAITH CAPSULE: God’s acknowledgement is all that is needed to terminate your entire struggle from bondage.

Exodus 2:23-25, 3:1-10, Isaiah 6,

What or who is it that needs to die before you gain motion from every area of stagnation? It is written concerning Isaiah, “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. Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one cried to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory!” And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke. So I said…” (Isaiah 6:1-4) It took the death of King Uzziah for Isaiah to begin to see, hear and speak where he could not before the death of King Uzziah. It was after the death of King Uzziah that Isaiah was brought to the ground where he could not operate before. After the death of Uzziah, Isaiah’s lips were touched, his iniquity was taken away, and it was also the time he answered the calling of the Lord’s assignment for his life. The children of Israel were in bondage for over four hundred years without any mention of there attempt to come out of bondage. It could have been that they were hiding the pain or they were suffering in silence. Also, it could have been that they could not see what God wanted them to see. As a result of the death of the King of Egypt, the story of the children of Israel changed. Exodus 2:23, “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.” The point here is, pray to God that any thing, any situation or any person that is representing the King of Egypt (King of Bondage), in your life should die a permanent death in your land. When the King of Egypt died in the land where the children of Israel had been in bondage, they were able to see the need to groan and cry for freedom. You need to be freed into God’s service, where bondage has been keeping you down and you remain stagnant. When the King died, the children of Israel moved God with a characterized call–a call that made God prone to act. Exodus 2:25, “And God looked upon the children of Israel and God acknowledge them.” God’s acknowledgement is all that is needed to terminate your entire struggle from bondage.

Prayer for today: Ask God that whatever has taken reign over your life, whatever is not of Him, whatever is representing the King of Egypt should die just as it was for the children of Israel.

FAITH CAPSULE: Be filled with the Spirit and be full of God.

Ephesians 5:13-21

The book of Ephesians identified four ways to be filled with the Spirit, “but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of God.” (Ephesians 5:19-21) The three verses above encourage every believer with four ways about how to be filled with the Spirit. Among the four ways that are mentioned giving thanks, always, for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus is one way that is easily taken for granted. How are you living a “thanks-giving” life? The passage requires giving thanks always when situations are going the way we want it and when situations are going the way we do not want it. Thanks giving should always be the song. It can be challenging to give thanks when confronting situation becomes exceedingly challenging and testing. Giving thanks to God is not an every now and then sacrifice it should be a regular sacrifice. Giving thanks should not be based on how you feel, but to fill your heart with thanking God. Just as the verse above requires giving thanks for all things, another verse in the book of Romans declared what will be for those that give thanks for all things. Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” It can be said that when thanks is given for all things all the time, all things will work together for good. The word of God is directly related and none of His word can be left out to achieve the purpose of another. The word of God is spirit and when it is being done in us it becomes evidence that the Spirit of God dwells in us. The word of God is what we need to fill us; build us and position us to inherit our possession in Christ Jesus. Are you taking to the word of God in part or in whole? Take to the word of God in whole by giving thanks for all things and all things will work together for good. Are you giving thanks always to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus? In addition to speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, start to give thanks for all things, and you will be filled with the Spirit. The word of God is Spirit and it is true to perform and perfect. Be filled with the Spirit and be full of God.

Prayer for today: Ask for God’s enablement to live by His word.

FAITH CAPSULE: If you have been waiting on God for long it will not be long for Him to remember you.

1 Samuel 1

God is not a forgetful God but He remembers with favor and visit with salvation. God does not sleep and He will not sleep concerning His children. God is God that moves at His own pace and His timing to remember and visit. After the flood of Noah time, “…God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the animals that were with him in the ark. And God Made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters subsided.”  (Genesis 8:1) God’s remembrance of Noah brought Noah back to a dry land at God’s ordained time. God knew that the children of Israel were in bondage for over four hundred years. The Bible recorded, “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.  So God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God acknowledged them.” (Exodus 2:23-25) In the process of time and at the groaning and crying of the children of Israel, God remembered them. The unquestionable God is in total control every time. Salvation was not activated for the children of Israel until God remembered them. What do you need for God to remember you? God is able to remember you and dry every tear of lack; He is able to remember in moving you forward from every ground of stagnation. Depending on where you are or what you want Him to remember you for, your case might require for you to cry or groan. God will never forget you. Sarah was barren because God closed her womb. (1 Samuel 1:5) Despite her barrenness she kept her faith going to Shiloh yearly with no record of complain. If you have been waiting on God for long it will not be long for Him to remember you because He is a merciful God and no situation is hidden from God. After many years of going to Shiloh, she encountered favor when Eli the priest at Shiloh prayed, “Then they rose early in the morning and worshiped before the LORD, and returned and came to their house at Ramah. And Elkanah knew Hannah his wife, and the LORD remembered her. So it came to pass in the process of time that Hannah conceived and bore a son, and called his name Samuel saying, “Because I have asked for him from the LORD.” (1 Samuel 1:19-20) Just as Noah was remembered in the process of time Hannah was also remembered.

Prayer for today: Remember me, O LORD, with the favor You have toward Your people. Visit me with Your salvation.

FAITH CAPSULE: It is dangerous ground to compromise with unfounded truth.

Numbers 16

An adage says, ‘Birds of the same feather flock together.’ Flocking with a wrong group is a direct avenue to a wrong and deadly compromise. When compromise is godly rooted it can be a blessing. However, when compromise is evil rooted it amounts to a deadly result. The Bible recorded, “Now Korah the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, with Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab, and On the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men; and they rose up before Moses with some of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty leaders of the congregation, representatives of the congregation, men of renown. They gathered together against Moses and Aaron, and said to them, “You take too much upon yourselves, for all the congregation is holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the LORD?” (Numbers 16:1-3) Korah not only had a good number of people but he got renowned men to compromise. Korah had company that was strong enough to stand against the man of God, Moses. It was the wrong company led by Korah because Moses did not take it light when he pointed out to Korah by stating, “Therefore you and all your company are gathered together against the LORD…” (Numbers 16:11) Are you currently engaged or involved in any group or company attempting to take an unfounded allegation against any leadership? Your engagement or involvement is nothing else but compromise. It is a dangerous ground to compromise with unfounded truth. Many compromised with Korah and experienced the judgment of God when, “…the ground split apart under them, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, with their households and all the men with Korah, with all their goods. So they and all those with them went down alive into the pit; the earth closed over them, and they perished from among the assembly.” (Numbers 16:31-33) King Jehoshapaht refused to accompany King Ahab of Israel to compromise his trust in the Lord his God in a war by disguising against the King of Syria. Ahab went further stating to King Jehoshaphat, “…I will disguise myself and go into battle; but you put on your robes.” So the king of Israel disguised himself and went into battle.” (1 Kings 22:30) Ahab compromised by disguising. The same battle that could not claim the life of Jehoshaphat because he refused to compromise his trust in his God took the life of Ahab. Compromising can go on for long time; it can be executed silently or loudly. However, when there is a failure to identify it and stay away from it, its deadly consequence is certain.

Prayer for today: Ask God to deliver you from every conscious or unconscious life terminating compromise.

FAITH CAPSULE: Material gain is not a purpose in following Jesus.

Luke 9:57-62

The cost of discipleship is to follow Jesus at all cost. Following Him is not to flow with the crowd but a departure to the other side. When we follow Jesus, we should not just follow by the word of the mouth but by our walk in the word of God. Cost of discipleship means nothing should come between us and our going after the business of the kingdom. Material gain is not the purpose of following Jesus. It is written, “Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to Him, “Lord, I will follow You wherever You go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” (Luke 9:57-58) The man that volunteered to follow Jesus without any condition failed to count the cost. The man must have been coming with emotion. His desire to follow must have been rooted in his feelings. Following with feelings would never be strong enough to sustain the challenges of following Him. The Bible recorded, “Then He said to another, “Follow Me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.””(Luke 9:59) In following Him there should be no excuse whatsoever between His calling and accepting to follow. In the midst of His calling for one to follow and one volunteering to follow, another one approached Jesus “And another also said, “Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house.” (Luke 9:61) Jesus knows the end from the beginning. He sees our heart and exactly our stand in our claim as Christian. He responded to the last one, “But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.””(Luke 9:62) As an acclaimed Christian, a born-again believer, how are you following Him? Are you following with conditions or unconditionally? It is the evidence of understanding to know and to follow Him fully. To make a choice and not follow Jesus fully is evidence of wandering from the way of understanding. Proverbs 21:16 pointed out, “A man who wanders from the way of understanding will rest in the assembly of the dead.” Jesus said let the dead bury his dead. Will you think it over and let the dead bury the dead? Will you put aside your needs and know that there will be a time to bare farewell to your house? In following Him fully there will be tests of time but you will rest at all time with victory on your side. Jesus will never fail you.

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