FAITH CAPSULE: Are you making uncommon move to get your invitation across to Jesus like Zacchaeus did?

Luke 19:1-10

All that loves the Lord and calls Him Lord will love to invite Him into their house, but the price to pay in getting an invitation across to Him is way too much for the majority. There are too many invitation interceptor and they are deliberate agents to deny every believer’s invitation getting across to Jesus. Zacchaeus who was a tax collector had all what it takes not to get his invitation delivered. The same Zacchaeus also demonstrated what it takes to deny every agent that intercept invitations to Jesus. Among all that it takes not to get invitations across are crowds (the multitudes) and stature. It is written in Luke 19:3 “And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature.” Zacchaeus had both, he was short and he was in the midst of crowd. Zacchaeus needed to see Jesus because his seeing Jesus would help to deliver his invitation to Jesus. The crowd and his short stature were the intercepting agents that would have denied him. Just like Zacchaeus, crowd is all that is clouding you from seeing and understand the need to spend more time in is presence. The crowd in place does not settle well with a short stature. Zacchaeus acknowledged his great dilemma and knew that without making an uncommon move, Jesus would never receive His invitation. As a result he refused to accommodate his dilemmas. The Bible recorded, “So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way.”(Luke 19:4) Are you making uncommon move to get your invitation across to Jesus like Zacchaeus did? We have to show Him that we want the love he brought to us. It is written, “And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said to him, “Zacchaeus make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house.” So he made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully.” (Luke 19:5-6) Do you sincerely desire to have Jesus invited to your house? Just like Zacchaeus did, all believers can do. By getting away from every representation of a crowd and by looking for a higher ground or place where Jesus is conversant, where He is always passing through. As a result of Zacchaeus’ running and climbing, his invitation came to Jesus and Jesus became a guest to Zacchaeus. Zacchaeus a tax collector, short in stature, among the crowd had his invitation delivered and Jesus entered his house. You can invite Jesus into your house if you will go all the way to deliver your invitation.

Prayer for today: I ask for the grace to seek You with all that You have given me.

FAITH CAPSULE: When the heart is stirred, the ear will hear.

Ezra 1

When it was time for the children of Israel to return to their home land from the captivity of seventy years, God did not use a prophet like Moses. God used Cyrus, an unbeliever, to accomplish His purpose. When it was God’s time to move, the Bible recorded, “Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia…” (Ezra 1:1) It is important to note, that God stirred the spirit of Cyrus before Cyrus could hear and accomplish his divine agenda. This indeed testifies to the fact that when the heart is stirred, the ear will hear. In contrast, it is evident that Pharaoh‘s spirit was not stirred; and as a result he could not hear and he maintained a heart of stone. It is written in Proverbs 21:1-2, “The King’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, like rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes.” Cyrus king of Persia had no choice but to move in line with what God has drawn up for his life. Cyrus, during the first year of his reign, “…made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying, Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: All the kingdoms of the earth the LORD God of heaven has given me. And He has commanded me to build Him a house at Jerusalem which is in Judah. Who is among you of all His people? May his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem which is in Judah, and build the house of the LORD God of Israel (He is God), which is in Jerusalem. And whoever is left in any place where he dwells, let the men of his place help him with silver and gold, with goods and livestock, besides the freewill offerings for the house of God which is in Jerusalem.” (Ezra 1:1-4) God, through Cyrus king of Persia, opened a door for the children of Israel to come out of captivity and rebuild the temple. Who can fathom the limits of the Almighty? Do you know who is going to activate your breakthrough or deliverance? God alone will move on your behalf, He has not changed, and he will forever remain the same. Cyrus king of Persia put in place more than needed for the children of Israel.

Prayer for today: Ask God to bring forth your Cyrus, the one that will deliver your great and effective opened door.

FAITH CAPSULE: Are you considering all that God has put around you before making any decision of relocation?

Numbers 10:11-35

At the time of the departure of the children of Israel from Mount Sinai, Moses offered his father-in-law to come with them Numbers 10:29, “Now Moses said to Hobab the son of Reuel the Midianite, Moses’ father-in-law, “We are setting out for the place of which the LORD said, ‘I will give it to you.’ Come with us, and we will treat you well; for the LORD has promised good things to Israel.””  Moses wanted him to continue with him and the children of Israel to the Promised Land. Moses expressed what to gain, by emphasizing on the good that was going to accompany them with the Lord’s promise. Moses pointed out that it had been given to them, and that it was just a matter of going to posses the land. Moses’ word was encouraging enough for his father-in-law to pack up all that he had and join Moses on the journey. Indeed it is good to follow a man in God’s hand but it could be exceedingly dangerous if God is not in your decision of diversion. Moses’ father-in-law refused the offer from Moses, “…And he said to him, “I will not go, but I will depart to my own land and to my relatives.”” (Numbers 10:30) Hobab was satisfied with the land where God planted his feet, and he couldn’t accept any land offer. He also considered his relatives as one of the reasons not to go with Moses. Moses’ father-in-law could not allow self-centeredness takeover in decision. Are you considering all that God has put around you before making any decision of relocation? Moses attempted to convince him again in, Numbers 10: 31-32, “So Moses said, “Please do not leave, in as much as you know how we are to camp in the wilderness, and you can be our eyes.  And it shall be, if you go with us—indeed it shall be—that whatever good the LORD will do to us, the same we will do to you.””Moses’ father –in-law responded wisely and refused to go with Moses. It is always good to know where you are going and be able to say no to every agent of diversion. Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, whose name means excellent, made an excellent decision by not going. The prophetic utterance that he carried out from the day he was named, answered for him. He could have gone with the children of Israel and faced the same life taking sin that took away generations that came out of Egypt. By virtue of his decision he escaped a destruction that was not meant for him. What are the enticements you are facing? It may look good to the eyes, but if it is not of God, chances of untimely death are around the corner.

Prayer for today: Ask God to let you not go where He has not called you to go.

FAITH CAPSULE: Belief is in learning and living by the Word of God.

Genesis 49

If you do not love the Lord, you cannot serve Him and if you cannot serve Him, you cannot love Him. Deuteronomy 6:5, “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.” Do you love God? Are you serving God? Serving God is loving God; loving God is serving Him. The standard that is required by our jealous God is to serve and love Him with our all and all. God sees our heart and He does know our limitation; if you are blessed with the strength and ability to stand in your time of worship and you chose to take a seat in your worship, no man can judge you, but remember that He is a jealous God. In every area of worshipping Him, give it all to Him and He will acknowledge your worship. The Bible points out in Hebrews 11:21, “By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff.”  Jacob, in his dying days did not cease in his love and praise for God with all his strength. He did not let his age slow down his worship of the almighty God. So many come to worship with full strength in them but they cannot do better than to give half strength. Where do you stand? Jacob was at a dying age yet he found a means to lift himself up before the Lord. You are not of old age and you have not found a way to lift yourself up before God in your worship. What is it that is holding your able body back? Young and vibrant men and women who are far from dying age come and sit in the presence of God worshiping without reason for not standing. Will you begin to cultivate a habit of taking a full stand in your worship to God? The details of Jacob’s last account of leaning on his staff to worship can be connected in Genesis 49:33, “And when Jacob had finished commanding his sons, he drew his feet up into the bed and breathed his last, and was gathered to his people.” With this account, it can be concluded that after all the worshipping and blessing, Jacob went to sleep in the Lord. Knowing there is no limitation in worshiping God is for our learning. 2 Timothy 3:16-17, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” Belief is in learning and living by the Word of God.

Prayer for today: I ask for the grace to give all unto You in every of my worship O Lord.

FAITH CAPSULE: A failure to ward off temptation is to welcome sin.

Genesis 2, 3

To be satisfied is defined as, to put an end to (a desire, want, need, etc.) by sufficient or ample provision. As a believer in the word of God, can you tell if satisfaction is a missing point in your daily walk of life? Another word for satisfaction is contentment. The Bible made us to realize that, “…godliness with contentment is great gain.” (1Timothy 6:6) It is not possible to be godly without having the fear of God. A godly person must be a God fearing one. Without the fear of God we are vulnerable to walking into the forever open door to temptations. A failure to ward off temptation is to welcome sin. Proverb 13:21 made it clear that “…evil pursues sinners.” Right in the Garden of Eden, where every need was available for man not to become victim to temptation, Eve could not escape the route of sin when she let her door open to the evil one. Eve sinned when she lied by adding to the word of God. God gave His command to man, “…Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”(Genesis 2:16-17) When the evil one approached Eve about eating from every tree, Eve responded, “…we may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘you shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’”(Genesis 3:2-3) God did not say “nor shall you touch it” it was Eve that added to the word of God. Adding to what God did not say is telling a lie and all that it does is give liberty to be pursued by the evil one. Could it be that Eve did not know the word of God enough so as to fear God and not to add to His word? With God, there are no excuses for our sins but only repentance or face judgment from God. Indeed and in truth, to know the Word of God is to fear God. Proverbs 19:23 said it all, “The fear of the LORD leads to life, and he who has it will abide in satisfaction; he will not be visited with evil.” Taking the Word of God seriously shows that we take God seriously and it will be the only way to shut the door on evil. Once a man violates God’s command, man will be positioned to be violated by the world. Fear the Word of God and live life in satisfaction.

Prayer for today: Lord I ask that You put Your fear in my heart that I will not depart from You.