FAITH CAPSULE: God is the only God that can determine and can bring to pass what ever He wants you to be.

Judges 6:11-40, 7

God is God and He alone will use anything or anybody that is ordinary to carry out an extraordinary assignment. He alone is worthy of all glory because there is none like Him and forever there will not be any like Him. In the eyes of God there is nothing like I am “nobody.” Moses was nobody when he became the body that God used for great and undeniable miracles. God called him but he tried hard to avoid God’s calling. Moses responded to God’s calling, “…O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.” (Exodus 4:10) Like Moses, what is it that is making you to think or consider yourself as nobody? Are you looking into what surrounds you as a measurement of what you can do and what you cannot do? Are you considering what is being said about you as a determinant for what you can do or what you cannot do? In this world, there is no man or power that can determine and decide what you can do or what you cannot do if God decide to use you. God responded to Moses’ excuse, “Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the LORD?” (Exodus 4:11)God is the only God that can determine and can bring to pass what ever He wants you to be. Underestimating one’s usefulness is nothing new. When God was looking for someone to conquer the troublesome Midianites, He selected a “nobody” Gideon, and he called him a “…mighty man of valor” (Judges 6:12). Gideon, knowing his limitation responded, “…How can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house” (v. 15). God did not give up on Gideon but persisted, saying, “Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat the Midianites as one man.”(Judges 6:16) Gideon was the Lord’s choice for the assignment and all that surrounded Gideon could not stop God’s plan. It is also confirmed by Paul the Apostle in 1Corinthians 1:27, “But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty.” Despite all that you have been hearing and all that you have seen, if you are someone that still considers yourself as nobody, giving a further review to the story of Gideon will let go of the negative thoughts in your life. In the eyes of God no man or situation can reduce you if the Lord did not reduce you.

Prayer for today: Ask God to increase you for His name to be glorified.

FAITH CAPSULE:Walk His word and He will locate you and show Himself strong.

1 Samuel 13:1-15
God has eyes to search and see as He chooses to. Psalm 94:9 recorded, “He who planted the ear, shall he not hear, He who formed the eye, shall He not see? (Psalm 94:9) He sees from His throne what we cannot see that is within us. God is awesome. God sees the heart of man more than how man could see his own heart and that is the reason why no heart can hide from Him. God does not sleep nor slumber; His eyes go from place to places it is written, “For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him…” (2 Chronicles 16:9) Whoever God shows himself to, will cause his name to be glorified.While the eyes of God is going around, can you be found and qualified to be made strong for His name to be glorified? God is not a partial God when you  obey the word of God, He will find you. God found David and declared, “I have found My servant David; With My holy oil I have anointed him…” (Psalm 89:20) When God find you, your life will never be the same again. It was after God found David that he was made king over his people.God went further to testify of David, “I have found David the son Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will.” (Acts 13:22) When God finds you He will establish you; He will back you up with all that it takes for you to glorify His name and to make the world glorify Him through you. In e finding of David there are promised blessings of God that cannot be broken. It is written, “Also My arm shall strengthen him. The enemy shall not outwit him, Nor the son of wickedness afflict him. I will beat down his foes before his face, and plague those who hate him. “But My faithfulness and My mercy shall be with him, And in My name his horn shall be exalted. Also I will set his hand over the sea, And his right hand over the rivers. He shall cry to Me, ‘You are my Father, My God, and the rock of my salvation.” (Psalm 89:21-26) The testimonies of many giants in the hand of God throughout the Bible are evidence that they were truly found by the hands of God. It takes the backing of God in the life of men like Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego to excel to the glory of God. God’s eyes have not stopped running to and fro throughout the whole earth. Walk His word and He will locate you and show Himself strong.
Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace to walk worthy of His calling.

FAITH CAPSULE: As foolish as any prescription to breakthrough could sound, if it is from God, expect an undeniable breakthrough.

Joshua 6

It is written in 1 Corinthians 1:25, “…the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.” Imagine trying to break through a wall that is strong and fortified; too tall to climb and too wide to break down. In order to break through such a wall, you have been given instructions to march around this wall for a certain amount of days. While marching you are to remain quiet and have no communication with those around, on the last day of marching you are told to make the loudest shout. What can marching or a loud shout do to break down this impenetrable wall of hindrance? Would this not be considered as foolishness of the highest order? Indeed and in truth, God is not a complicated God but a complete and consistent God. Whenever He is about to do something huge, He will give a very minute direction that could place an unbeliever or sometimes a self acclaimed believer in a foolish mode. The children of Israel witnessed the enormous outstretch, and miraculous hands of God   on their journey before they approached the Wall of Jericho. To arrive in the Promised Land the children of Israel had to pass through the wall of Jericho.The people of Jericho knew quite well not to allow the children of Israel passage. As a result the people of Jericho made a move, “Now Jericho was securely shut up because of the children of Israel; none went out, and none came in.” (Joshua 6:1) Our enemies can try to delay us but they cannot deny us from the promises of God. God responded to the situation by telling Joshua what to do. Joshua 6:3-5, “You shall march around the city, all you men of war; you shall go all around the city once. This you shall do six days.  And seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark. But the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets. It shall come to pass, when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet that all the people shall shout with a great shout; then the wall of the city will fall down flat. And the people shall go up every man straight before him.” The children of Israel did exactly what was commanded of them without room for foolishness or doubt. More than what was expected happened to the wall of Jericho, not only did it fall down but if fell down flat, as mentioned in the Bible. As foolish as your prescription to deliverance could sound, if it is from God, expect an undeniable breakthrough.

Prayer for today: Ask the Lord God to deliver you from every act or spirit of unbelief.

FAITH CAPSULE: Surrendering unto God is easier said than done.

Isaiah 12

In the journey of life, the evidence of joy in your daily walk in the Lord can be a determinant of how much you have surrendered to God. To surrender to the Lord is to have fully given up all challenges to Him. Surrendering to God is like saying ‘Father take all of my days and moments, and let it be concentrated unto You, Lord’. Surrendering unto God is easier said than done. Many sing it on a regular basis, “I surrender unto Jesus” but they did not live the life of one that has surrendered unto Him. The three friends demonstrated what it means to be fully surrendered unto God. They were sentenced to death inside a burning fiery furnace yet they did not struggle, they only responded to their persecutors, “…our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.” (Daniel 3:17-18) God alone is able to carry you through and He will never leave you nor forsake you. Jesus is inviting you when He called out, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”(Matthew 11:28-29) Have you actually given your burdens to the burden buster, the Master that loves, the only One that terminates yoke? If surrendering is not possible, He would not have requested us to surrender all unto Him. God is a faithful God and it is left for us to activate faith in Him and He will elevate us in every step that we take. Joy and having joy is what grants access to Him. Isaiah 12:3 testifies that “Therefore with joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation” Also, the Psalmist recorded in Psalm 16:11, “You will show me the path of life. In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” Without any iota of doubt, it is clear in the testimonies above that joy is what will grant access to the presence of the Almighty God because in His presence is the fullness of joy. By the grace of God, meditating on His word of testimonies will enable us to be able to observe how to act according to His word, not only how to talk according to His word. Doing, not talking will bring forth joy that is launch-able into the well of salvation for the Living Water of God.

Prayer for today: Ask today for the grace to surrender all in every walk of life.

FAITH CAPSULE: Waiting can be painful but it is always gainful when one is able to wait.

Judges 11

God is the only God that is in the position to turn any hopeless situation to a hopeful and glorious situation. The story of Jephthah is one that changed from hopeless to a hopeful and glorious story. The Bible recorded that Jephthah was the son of a harlot, and Gilead begot Jephthah. It is written, “Gilead’s wife bore sons; and when his wife’s sons grew up, they drove Jephthah out, and said to him, “You shall have no inheritance in our father’s house, for you are the son of another woman.” Then Jephthah fled from his brothers and dwelt in the land of Tob; and worthless men banded together with Jephthah and went out raiding with him.”Jephthah was in a situation that he did not order for. He was in a situation that was outside of his control and he was paying for what he did not bargain for. Are you experiencing any similar situation such as that of Jephthah? Wait on God He will move concerning your situation. Waiting can be painful but it is always gainful when one is able to wait. Wait, watch and see what the Lord will do to your situation. In regard to Jephthah, the children of Israel came back asking him for help. The children of Israel were confronted by enemies and there was a need for a commander. The elders of Gilead had to go and seek Jephthah for help. It was recorded in Judges 11:6, “Then they said to Jephthah, ‘Come and be our commander, that we may fight against the people of Ammon.’” Whenever man condemns, God has His way of redeeming every condemned. Jephthah became a hot commodity. A son of harlot; driven out by brothers, now being sought to be a leader. Jephthah responded in Judges 11:7, “So Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, “Did you not hate me, and expel me from my father’s house? Why have you come to me now when you are in distress?”” The same God that set up a situation for Jephthah to be called back to rise above and beyond where he was before being expelled will always be available to turn your story around for His name to be glorified. God can never be too late or too soon, God will show up in your situation at His divine timing. Jephthah accepted the assignment and victory was delivered to the children of Israel. Jephthah did not just end up as a commander but he became the head because victory was delivered into his hand. The story of Jephthah was changed for good.

Prayer for today: In the name of Jesus, your story will change for good to the glory of God.