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.

FAITH CAPSULE: Ridicule is from the outside; it is an agent of discouragement.

Luke 8:49-56

As an acclaimed believer, all the things that do not represent God in your life should be considered as an outsider. All things that are outside of your belief are outsider to you and should be treated as an outsider. Doubt, fear, mockery are all outside of your belief and should be totally disallowed for you to live for the glory of God. As there are outsiders so there are also the ones to be considered as insiders. Having faith instead of fear, living in truth and having integrity can be considered as the representatives of insider. Once, Jesus’ received the report of a dead daughter of a ruler of the synagogue and He responded, “Do not be afraid; only believe, and she will be made well.” When He came into the house, He permitted no one to go in except Peter, James, and John, and the father and mother of the girl.”(Luke 8:50-51) In Jesus’ response there was encouragement when He called against fear. Also he disallowed outsider when He permitted no one to go in except His insiders (Peter, James and John, and the father and the mother of the girl) Jesus’ insiders are agent of encouragement and not discouragement; they are agent of miracle not agent of mockery. Jesus lined up Himself with what it takes to bring forth life where there is no life. Jesus did not address the challenge on the outside until He had taken care of the inside. How are you resolving your challenges? Are you permitting the outsiders or the insiders’ interference? While Jesus was taking care of the inside, the outsider’s agent (ridicule) was in operation. It is written, “And they ridiculed Him, knowing that she was dead.”(Luke 8: 53) The outsiders that were present ridiculed Jesus thinking it would be impossible for Him to raise the dead back to life. Ridicule is from the outside; it is an agent of discouragement. As an agent of discouragement, ridicule will bring forth discouragement to stop exercising faith, which would cause the loss of faith. Jesus did not hesitate He needed to settle the outside since the inside had been addressed, the Bible recorded in Luke 8:54, “…He put them all outside, took her by the hand and called, saying, “Little girl, arise, “Then her spirit returned, and she arose immediately. And He commanded that she be given something to eat.”” Jesus did not allow the surrounding people or the outsiders deny the miracle. Just as Jesus put all agents of mockery and ridicule out in the case of the daughter of the ruler of synagogue, so He will do on your behalf.

Prayer for today: Ask God to help return all that belongs to you so there shall be a testimony to glorify God.

FAITH CAPSULE: Lot’s insistence on hospitality paid off when he was rewarded with salvation from destruction.

Genesis 19:1-25

Hospitality in the midst of depravity delivered Lot from the rain of brimstone that came over Sodom and Gomorrah. Besides the fact that Lot left Haran with Abraham when God called Abraham out, nothing in particular points to Lot’s qualification for his salvation among the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. When it was time for Sodom and Gomorrah to be destroyed because of their wickedness, God let it known to Abraham, but not Lot. The Bible mentioned that Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom when the angels arrived. By virtue of his hospitality, when he saw them, “…he rose to meet them, and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground. And he said, “Here now, my lords, please turn in to your servant’s house and spend the night, and wash your feet; then you may rise early and go on your way.” (Genesis 19:2) The angels did not accept Lot’s offer but Lot insisted. The Bible described that Lot “…insisted strongly; so they turned in to him and entered his house. Then he made them a feast, and baked unleavened bread, and they ate.” (Genesis 19:3) Lot was concerned about the safety of the angels while they were in Sodom and Gomorrah and the concern of Lot became reality when the people of Sodom surrounded Lot’s house at night demanding to know the angels carnally. Lot’s hospitality of using his daughters as providing security for the angels fell short of pleasing the people of Sodom. Eventually, the angels struck the people with blindness. After the ordeal that demonstrated the sinful nature of the people of Sodom, the angel requested Lot, his wife, son in-laws and two daughters to leave Sodom because of inevitable destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Lot had done well before the angel; he made good account of himself as one that lives in the land but not part of the land. The Bible recorded, “And while he lingered, the men took hold of his hand, his wife’s hand, and the hands of his two daughters, the LORD being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city. So it came to pass, when they had brought them outside, that he said, “Escape for your life! Do not look behind you nor stay anywhere in the plain. Escape to the mountains, lest you be destroyed.” (Genesis 19:16-17) Lot’s insistence on hospitality paid off when he was rewarded with salvation from destruction. Though he lingered, the angels were persistent and prevailed by taking hold of his hand and his family unto salvation.

Prayer for today: Ask God to take hold of you out of every area of life; every area of decision making or location, which are not of God that you have been lingering.

FAITH CAPSULE: The touch of His hand is healing and His hand inhabits all kinds of provision.

Luke 4:38-39, 5:12-15

The mighty hand of God brought the children of Israel out of the bondage of over four hundred years. In His hand there is power to heal and power to cleanse from every agent of mockery and shame. The touch of His hand is healing and His hand inhabits all kinds of provision. He is the Lord of lords, the healing healer, the Eternal Surgeon and He is gracious and merciful. Once Jesus needed to be served but sickness took over His server. It is written, “Now He arose from the synagogue and entered Simon’s house. But Simon’s wife’s mother was sick with a high fever, and they made request of Him concerning her. So He stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. And immediately she arose and served them.”(Luke 4:38-39) Simon’s wife’s mother received the healing touch of Jesus and she was up to serve the Lord. The power to move from sickness to serving the Master is in the hand of the Master. As it was requested on the behalf of Simon’s wife’s mother, will you request for His hand to bring you out of all that have been keeping you from serving Him? Also, in His hands there is power to cleanse. Jesus’ hand will clean every stain of mockery if you will call for the extension of His cleansing hand. A man that was full of leprosy fell on his face to ask for his cleansing and he received his cleansing. Leprosy is an agent of shame, embarrassment and mockery. Is there any way or anyhow you have been experiencing shame, mockery or any kind of disease or situation that is causing you from not being able to present yourself where you have a need? Again, your cleansing and deliverance is in the hand of the Healing Master Jesus. The Bible recorded, “And it happened when He was in a certain city, that behold, a man who was full of leprosy saw Jesus; and he fell on his face and implored Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” Then He put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately the leprosy left him.””(Luke 5:12-13) Willingness to be cleansed from every mockery demands falling on the face and imploring for the hand of Jesus. The hand of Jesus worked for the man with leprosy. He was cleansed from his head to his toe without any issue of leprosy all because of the healing hand of Jesus. Jesus has it all in His hand. All that it takes for you to be delivered and free is in His hand, if you will ask it will be activated.

Prayer for today: Ask for the hand of God that answered for the children of Israel to answer for you.

FAITH CAPSULE: There are some delays that are meant for God to measure our faithfulness.

Exodus 32:1-14

Having a delay in manifestation of expectation is not a denial. Ignoring the occurrence of delay in any area of journey in life will block out doubt and the idea of stepping out of the right track. Knowing whom you believe with a consistent meditation on His testimonies will add up favorably, when it seems that the road has been cut off. Once in the journey of the children of Israel, “Now when the people saw that Moses delayed coming down from the mountain, the people gathered together to Aaron, and said to him, “Come, make us gods that shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.” (Exodus 32:1) The children of Israel knew quite well by virtue of their exposure to different miracles through Moses that God could not have abandoned them, yet they gave into an unnecessary worry that did not have a basis. As a result of Moses’ delay from coming down from the mountain, an unholy gathering took over from where there was supposed to be holy gathering. The children of Israel began to see delay as a result they began to look for another god. Some delays are necessary especially when God is the beginning of such a journey. There are some places you have started, but delay has made it look like you are wasting out. The fact is, when you wait on God you can never be wasted. Also, there are some delays that are meant for God to measure our faithfulness. Some delays are not of failure, but to actually make a way of getting to the expected end. As a result of Moses’ delay the children of Israel sought for a god to take over from God that cannot be substituted. Delay will turn man quickly out of the way of God’s command and generate anxiousness. Apostle Paul talked about what to do in place of anxiousness, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7) A state of unexpected delay will definitely generate concern and there could be every reason to be anxious, but the word of God reveals here the antidote for anxiousness. Take all to God in prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, and the peace of God will take over you. Instead of you seeing delay, see it as “deliverance on the way” God is in control of all and He will not delay any longer in Jesus Name.

Prayer for today: Ask God to turn every of your delay unto deliverance in the name of Jesus.