FAITH CAPSULE: If you will let the enemy have its way in your life, he will go beyond making you miserable and attempt to kill you.

Exodus 1

In life situations changes from time to time and challenges present it without warning. Regardless of who you are, where you are or what you do life challenges can be very unpredictable and exceedingly painful. Are you facing any challenge which you have not called for? The children of Israel moved to Egypt when Joseph was in position to accommodate them in Egypt. The Bible recorded after the death of Joseph, “Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. And he said to his people, “Look, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we; come, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, and it happen, in the event of war, that they also join our enemies and fight against us, and so go up out of the land.” (Exodus 1:8-10) Suddenly, the children of Israel became a threat to the new King. God’s blessing of the children of Israel was the cause of fear for the Egyptian king. God’s blessing was increasing the children of Israel while the enemy attempted to reduce them. Does this sound like your situation? God’s increase in your life is building up the enemy’s attempt to reduce you. As a result of the growth of the children of Israel, “the Egyptians made the children of Israel serve with rigor. And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage—in mortar, in brick, and in all manner of service in the field. All their service in which they made them serve was with rigor. (Exodus 1:13-14) God is not asleep nor is he too tired to help in your deliverance. He moved concerning the children of Israel when He heard their cry. The new king did not stop at making life miserable for the children of Israel but went further and gave command to kill every newborn son of the children of Israel. If you will let the enemy have its way in your life, he will go beyond making you miserable and attempt to kill you. Pharaoh meant business in his attempt to terminate the children of Israel because of their growth but God has the power to help and overthrow. Have you specifically asked God concerning all that is causing you pain? It is never too much or too late to ask. “With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible.” (Mark 10:27)  Are you willing to see God terminate every Pharaoh that is hunting you life?

Prayer for today: Cry unto God that every man or woman, every agent of the wicked that are causing pain and rigor in your life, in your emotions, in your finances, in your home and in your work to face God’s termination.

FAITH CAPSULE: A true believer is one that does not only memorize the word of God but also behave the word.

1Kings 17: 1-7

The word of God is powerful, and it was given to us for our deliverance. When we have a clear understanding of the word of God, it will answer in time of challenges. We need to have a clear understanding of the word, because knowing about the word is not enough but to be known in the word. A true believer is one that does not only memorize the word of God but also behave the word. Elijah demonstrated what it means to be a believer that behaves the word of God. The declaration of Elijah was not empty when he approached king Ahab of Israel, “…as the LORD God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word.”(1 Kings 17:1) Indeed, Elijah’s declaration fully accomplished its purpose when rain ceased for three and half years. The God that answered Elijah is not a partial God; he will answer all those who take a stand in his word. God will always respond on behalf of every word behaving believer like Elijah. Elijah understood the word and demonstrated a knowing edge when he declared, “As the Lord lives” Elijah knew the word enough by operating Jeremiah 4:1-2 which states, “If you will return, O Israel,” says the LORD, “Return to Me; and if you will put away your abominations out of My sight, Then you shall not be moved. And you shall swear, ‘The LORD lives.’” Elijah did not only quote God but he declares his stand. What is Elijah’s stand? Psalm 24:3-4 asked the same question and gave the answer when it states, “Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD? Or who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, nor sworn deceitfully.” Every believer that can answer yes to having a stand that is right before God will no doubt operate the kind of Elijah declaration. Elijah’s exploit is not what we can not do because the Bible made us to realize that, “Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.” (James 5:17-18) Elijah’s sincere zealousness for God was evidence when he prayed earnestly. As a believer, is your stand right in the Lord? Knowing to quote the word of God will not produce the same result like living and behaving the word God.

Prayer for today: My Father and my God let your word have its place in my life. 

FAITH CAPSULE: God cannot be rushed out of His plan of salvation.

1 Kings 19

After Elijah executed the prophets of Baal at Brook Kishon, Jezebel the wife of Ahab the king of Israel threatened to do the same to Elijah. When news got to Elijah, he did not take the time to seek God for answers, but instead he fled for his life. The Bible recorded, “But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he prayed that he might die, and said, “It is enough! Now, LORD, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers!” (1 Kings 19:4)Elijah wished death for himself because he took off running before seeking direction from God. As a believer, when we are faced with challenges it is important for us to learn how to wait on God instead of making hasty decisions to remedy challenges. Waiting on Him will enable us to run where we need to run and walk where we need to walk. As Elijah progressed in his running from under a broom tree into the cave, God responded to him, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the LORD…” (1 Kings 19:11)The command for Elijah to stand is waiting for God to show up. Are you experiencing a similar situation, where you have taken a jump before learning how to walk? While Elijah was standing on the mountain waiting for God, the bible records,“…and behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.” (1Kings 19:11) Trusting God is not timing God. Trusting God is taking time to wait for the Lord. God cannot be rushed out of His salvation plan. God did not show up in the great and strong wind neither did He showed up in the earthquake or fire. God’s appearance or His time of His visitation cannot be controlled by man. His timing is not our timing. We have clocks that we can manipulate in our hand but He alone has time in His hand. How or when you are expecting Him does not matter to Him but it does matter for you to take a stand in waiting. For Elijah, God showed up in a still and small voice. His visitation for you might not be the still and small voice. Do not calculate Him but respond to His command. God’s command for you is to trust and wait on the Lord. God has never failed.

Prayer for today: Deliver me in Your righteousness. Let me not be ashamed.

FAITH CAPSULE: Waiting on God is not wasting away.

Lamentation 3

Waiting on God should never be considered as wasting away but way of life. The Bible points out, “For since the beginning of the world Men have not heard nor perceived by the ear, Nor has the eye seen any God besides You, Who acts for the one who waits for Him.” (Isaiah 64:4) Can you imagine the goodness of His faithfulness? Indeed He will not fail to honor His word. In this world that He created, there is none that is above waiting on God. Regardless of any man’s title outside or inside of Church, when situation or challenge calls for waiting on God there should be no hesitation but to wait. Jeremiah, a giant in the hand of God, called and sent by God, did not accept life in the lowest pit when he found himself there. Lamentation 3:55, “I called on Your name, O LORD, from the lowest pit. You have heard my voice: “Do not hide Your ear from my sighing, from my cry for help.” You drew near on the day I called on You, and said, “Do not fear!”” The testimony of Jeremiah teaches believers and non-believers of the word of God that no man is above challenges or situation that calls for crying unto God for His divine intervention. Jeremiah, a prophet ordained and called by God, demonstrated the need to always wait on God. Waiting on God should never cease or slow down in the life of those that know Him. The devil is out to kill, steal and destroy and there is none that is outside of his radar. However, he does not have what it takes to raid on any ground that is under the cover of the blood of Jesus Christ. It is only, “Through the LORD’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning: Great is Your faithfulness.”(Lamentation 3:22) At the time of Jeremiah’s life in the lowest pit, there was no record of regret, complain, or questioning of God about why the Lord called him and have him in the pit. Jeremiah remained focus confessing his faith. Your situations today are not worse or better than that of Jeremiah. Learn to wait on God in the same manner Jeremiah did. Know in your heart that the same Lord that saw Jeremiah through will not abandon you. Above all your challenges and the source of your challenges there is God that answers when you wait on Him. He is a good God with good thought for each and every one of His children. Will you take time to wait on Him? It is written, “The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seek Him.”(Lamentation 3:25)

Prayer for today: Ask God to remember you with favor and to visit you with salvation.

FAITH CAPSULE: What you see will bring the calling of God in your direction.

Acts 9:1-19

The Apostle Paul, before the change of his name from Saul was, “…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.” His purpose was to terminate the disciples but God disposed his purpose. Acts 9:3-4, “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?” Saul’s journey to go and kill and destroy turned out to be the journey to go and start saving and delivering souls to the Lord. Paul encountered the visitation of Jesus and his life was turned around and he bmecame the evidence of Jesus. During this encounter, the Bible recorded, “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.” (Acts 9:6)In order for Paul to hear and accept the calling of the Lord there was a need for him to see the move of the Lord. At every time the move of the Lord is seen with attention from the ones that sees His move, there is always a call that follows. Saul saw the move of the Lord first before a call from the Lord followed through. Like Paul, Moses is another one that saw God’s move before he heard God’s calling for is divine assignment. Exodus 3:2-3, “And the Angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed. Then Moses said, “I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn.”Moses saw a flame of fire from the midst of bush, while Saul saw a light shone from heaven. What have you been seeing? What you see will bring the calling of God in your direction. Before God’s calling sound in your direction you have to see or else the attention to receive His calling will not be there. When Moses saw the fire burning, he decided to turn aside, “So when the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am,” (Exodus 3:4) God is still in the business of calling those that will be able to see and answer fully to His calling like Paul and Moses.

Prayer for today: Ask God to open the eyes and the ears of your heart.