FAITH CAPSULE: When God place His call upon your life you will have to answer to what must be done

Acts 9:1-19

Have you answered to what must be done for you to enter into God’s divine assignment for your life or you are waiting on God for what must be done? As a believer do you know what must be done for you to fulfill your divine assignment? Going and coming to fellowships on weekdays or Sundays will not substitute for any believer’s divine assignment. Through the Bible, every man that answered to the calling of divine assignment was able to answer to what must be done. The difference between believers who are serving to the fulfillment of their calling is their answering to what must be done. However, either you are a believer or not, when God place His call upon your life you will have to answer to what must be done to fulfill your divine assignment. It was recorded of Saul of Tarsus, “Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” (Acts 9:1-4) Saul of Tarsus was on his way to wreck havoc on the disciples of the Lord in Damascus when he encountered what must be done for him to live the fulfillment of his destiny in Christ Jesus. After Saul’s response to the light that shone on him and brought him down to the ground, he asked who the Lord is and Jesus responded by introducing Himself. In Saul’s response to Jesus’ introduction, it is recorded in Acts 9:6, “So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?” Then the Lord said to him, “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” Saul received instruction about what must be done. Also, Saul’s name was changed for good to Paul and from the moment of receiving instruction, Paul began to move in the direction of God’s assignment for his life. Determination is not what will help; but the grace of God is what will get you into your divine assignment. The Word of God promises that “He will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go and He will guide you with His eye” (Psalm 32:8).What must be done in your life will get you to where you must be in the Lord.

Prayer for today: Ask God to help you to locate what must be done to serve the Lord in deed and in truth.

FAITH CAPSULE:He is not a slave master but a Saving Master.

Micah 2, 3

Absolutely there is no word that is strong enough to describe the awesomeness of God. He pardons iniquity, and does not retain His anger forever. He delights in mercy; He is compassionate; He casts all our sins into depth of sea. God is a covenant keeping God. Amos 3:7 describes Him, “Surely the Lord God does nothing, unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets.” God revealed to Micah what will happen in the latter days, Micah 4:1-5, “Now it shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the LORD’s house shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and peoples shall flow to it. Many nations shall come and say, “Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, and we shall walk in His paths.” For out of Zion the law shall go forth, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. He shall judge between many peoples, and rebuke strong nations afar off; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. But everyone shall sit under his vine and under his fig tree, and no one shall make them afraid; for the mouth of the LORD of hosts has spoken…”” What more can God do for us so that we know we have a God who truly cares for us. The birth of Jesus was not hidden when He revealed through some of His servants in the Bible. He revealed to Micah about the coming of Jesus long before Jesus was born, “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting.” (Micah 5:2) Have you received and believed Him? A failure not receive or believe in him is a passage to the ways of his enemies. Nahum 1:2-3 described God’s wrath on His enemies, “God is jealous, and the LORD avenges; the LORD avenges and is furious. The LORD will take vengeance on His adversaries, and He reserves wrath for His enemies; the LORD is slow to anger and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked. The LORD has His way…” He is a good God. He is not a slave master but a Saving Master. God does not run out of mercies but by disobedience, we often run out on the mercies which He has in place for us.

Prayer for today:  Ask our Lord God to deposit His fear in your heart so that you will not depart from Him.

FAITH CAPSULE: Determination will not help, but it is only by the Spirit of God.

Psalm 91

Reading and not studying the word of God can be compared to going into the presence of God and coming out without spending any reasonable time. Studying and living life by the word of God is an evidence of dwelling in the presence of God. The word of God is not just a story but in it are the secrets that keep one to dwell under shadow of the Almighty God. “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” (Psalm 91:1). Without any doubt, there is no other place where a believer should desire to abide but under the shadow that will not give up; a shadow that will always be constant and consistent and a shadow that will overshadow all forces of the wicked from getting to a believer. In order to abide, there has to be a step into His dwelling place. The key to His dwelling place is a secret but not to a believer who carries the Word for a purpose and not to play church. God is not a liar and what He said He will do has already been done. He mentioned by Himself in the book of Isaiah 57:15, “For thus says the High and Lofty One Who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: ‘I dwell in the high and holy place, with him who has a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.’” The high place belongs to the High and Lofty One and it is also the place of believers with a contrite (a repentant) and humble (one whose shoulders are not rising above his head) spirit. Psalm 34:18 also confirms that, “the LORD is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit.” This is an awesome promise only by a God whose awesomeness is beyond any man’s imagination. He is the only God that gives promises that will never fail. Have you, as a believer, thought of entering into His secret place as a dwelling place and not as a passing by place? One that is having a contrite and humble spirit is the one that the word of God refers to as having a simple heart, the heart that accommodates the word of God that gives life. It is recorded in Psalm 119:130, “The entrance of Your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.” If you will desire to enter and begin to dwell in His secret place, abiding under His shadow will not elude you. Determination will not help, but it is only by the Spirit of God. Begin to desire entering into the secret place with a simple heart and it shall become of you.

Prayer for today: Ask for the goodness and mercy of God that will deposit grace to dwell in His secret place. 

FAITH CAPSULE:A captured mind is a trapped mind in the things that are not of God.

Colossians 3:1-17

Jesus said in one of His teaching, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33) Seeking the kingdom of God and His righteousness is taking a position in walking in line with the word of God. Apostle Paul wrote in Colossians to make us understand that there is a position to be taken by every believer. He emphasized in Colossians 3:1, “If you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.” The Apostle Paul is saying the same thing that Jesus said while He was alive. How do we seek with effectiveness? Further down in the same chapter 3 of Colossians, Apostle Paul gave a clear understanding to show that the only way to be able to seek with effectiveness is to set our minds on things that are above and not on things that are on the earth. This is an indication that indeed, the battle ground that the enemy wants to capture is our mind. A captured mind is a trapped mind in the things that are not of God. When we begin to effectively set our minds on those things which are above, those things which are on the earth will begin to be offset in our lives and no longer have its way. The idea of setting is to purpose to go. It is also to purposely be fixed against any distraction. A mind that is set will not be found without constant meditation during the day and night. Are you willing to set your mind on things that are above where Christ is? If yes, then there will be a need to “…put to death your members which are on earth such as fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness which is idolatry” (Colossians 3:5). This is not all of your old man that needs to be put off, but anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of our mouth is also included. In the place of putting off of the members that are of this earth (the old man), there will be a putting on of the things that are of God; characteristics that represent He that is above. Apostle Paul called these tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering (Colossians 3:12). Above all of this is love and allowing forgiveness to reign and to rule in the heart and life of every believer of the Word. Be zealous for the fear of the Lord all the day and consistency in the place or position that is above with Christ will deliver you from becoming a waste when He comes back again.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace to fear Him all the days of your life.

FAITH CAPSULE: God is not moved by man’s title but by man’s task.

1 Samuel 2

What anyone calls you is not what matters as compared to what you call yourself or what you answer to. It is written concerning Elizabeth, “Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren.” (Luke 1:36)After Jesus, there is none like John in the days of Bible. Yet, his mother, Elizabeth was called barren because people did not know that God was working according to His time. What are you being called? Barren, poor…? Answer to what you want to be and not what they see in you. The Barren eventually became the mother of a giant man of God. It is written in, “Now the boy Samuel ministered to the LORD before Eli. And the word of the LORD was rare in those days; there was no widespread revelation.” (1 Samuel 3:1)At a time when Prophets, priests, Bishops, pastors and every other kind of title holders in the land of Israel were not hearing from God, a little boy called, “The Boy Samuel” heard from God. God is not a respecter of man. With God, nothing is impossible. God does not move by man’s title but man’s task. The Boy Samuel, as a child his task was that of a household name minister and he was putting on what prophets, bishops and pastor were supposed to be putting on. As a child nothing counts before him but his ministration before the Lord. As child he was not overwhelmed by man’s given title neither was he being carried away by programs all over the land and the Bible recorded that, “But Samuel ministered before the LORD, even as a child, wearing a linen ephod. Moreover his mother used to make him a little robe, and bring it to him year by year when she came up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice.” (1 Samuel 2:18-19)What people called Samuel could have denied him but God device His own way to deny name calling. God knows what we are to be and He will place us in the right location that will deny every denying agent from us. The Bible testifies, “Surely the Lord GOD does nothing, Unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets.” (Amos 3:7)Let them say or call you what they see in you by the limitation of what they can see. But it is important to know who you are and who you answer to. The Boy Samuel was yet to be identified as a prophet before he started hearing from God. Encourage yourself in the Lord and you shall live to the fulfillment of your destiny in Christ Jesus.

Prayer for today: Ask God to enable you in all that He created you for.