FAITH CAPSULE: Waiting on God can be very difficult and challenging especially when it takes longer than expected.

Psalm 40

It is written in Isaiah 64:4, “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.” A wonderful testimony like this is enough to energize our waiting on the Lord in times of need. Barrenness is a kind of need that demands waiting patiently on God. When barrenness takes its reign in the life of a man without any indication of when to expect a breakthrough, there is then a need for letting God take over. Barrenness can be in any area of life such as financial, fruitlessness, health situations or any other area of life. Waiting on God can be very difficult and challenging especially when it takes longer than expected. God is never in a hurry or in a rush, but He will do what His word says He will do. His words are perfect and proven. Wait patiently for God and He will visit you, He acts for those that wait for Him. David testified in Psalm 40: 1-2, “I waited patiently for the LORD; and He inclined unto me, and heard my cry. He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps. He has put a new song in my mouth- praise to our God; many will see it and fear, and will trust in the LORD.” With grace to wait patiently, no pit in hell will keep us grounded. Waiting for God will grant us the grace to walk firmly, without falling, on any ground that we want. Passing through the trial of waiting will no doubt put a new song in our mouth just like Hannah. Hannah going to Shiloh every year despite her barrenness was an example of waiting for God patiently. She did not give up and there was no record of her failure in her going to Shiloh every year. One year, God looked down on her and granted her the fruit of the womb. Hannah became the testimony forever with a new song. David stated in his testimony, “He makes my feet like the feet of the deer and sets me on my high places.”(2 Samuel 22:34) Waiting on God took David to his high places. Every man has a low place in the journey of life, but waiting on God will bring you out of low places and take you to your high places, a place that is above and beyond every agonizing situation that has kept you down. “Wait on the LORD; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the Lord!” (Psalm 27:14)

Prayer for today: Ask God to look down on you and raise you up from the pit of barrenness and every representative of horrible.    

FAITH CAPSULE: Favor is not a merit; it is God working on your behalf.

Esther 2:1-18

Favor is what makes the difference in every journey of life. When God pours out His favor on you, you will become eternally and forever set for His glory. Favor is defined as: grace, friendly or obligating act that is freely granted. In the Bible days, so many were founded by the grace of God for favor and today God is still finding men for favor. Esther was an orphan; she was raised by her uncle because her father and mother passed away while she was young. She had an encounter with the favor of God and the story of her life was permanently turned around for the glory of God. Esther was attending to her own affairs. She was not soliciting for any position; neither was she looking for a husband when heaven smiled on her because the current queen (Vashti) had made a wrong move that violated her position. The hour that Queen Vashti failed to honor the calling of King Ahasuerus was also the hour an open door of favor was activated for Esther. Is it possible that somewhere, some situation or a situation has triggered your favor, but there is a need for grace to continue to remain patient for you to enter into your season of favor? It happened to Esther and it could be that your miracle is also on the way. There was a need for a new queen after Queen Vashti had disobeyed King Ahasuerus. The king made a decree that would bring forth a new queen and the new queen had to be chosen from among many women. Esther was among the ones that were taken to the custodian of the women. Esther 2:9, “Now the young woman pleased him, and she obtained his favor; so he readily gave beauty preparations to her, besides her allowance. Then seven choice maidservants were provided for her from the king’s palace, and he moved her and her maidservants to the best place in the house of the women.” The moment the grace of God found Esther, favor was evident. Esther had no need for additional help because God was operating on her behalf. When the favor of God is in place, all that it takes for meeting every need will be in place. What you thought was a need will become available for you. Favor is not a merit; it is God working on your behalf. Favor has no age barrier or any form of discrimination. Only God alone has the power to give us favor. It is never too late for you to be blessed and highly favored because He is a faithful God.

Prayer for today: Ask God to empower you with His favor.

FAITH CAPSULE: Conformity to this world is thriving even among the believers of the Word of God.

Romans 12: 1-2, James 4:4-6

The sound and clear warning by Paul the Apostle, in Romans 12:2 states, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God”. Conformity is defined as an action or behavior in correspondence with current customs, rules, or styles. The warning is not to be conformed to this world, but unfortunately the warning is clearly falling onto deaf ears. Conformity to this world is thriving even among the believers of the Word. What is it about this world? The ruler of this world is the wicked one; the liar and the destroyer, the devil himself. He engineered the falling of man when he led Adam and Eve into the disobedient that kicked them out of where God had placed them: the Garden of Eden. The same skill that the enemy used in transforming Adam and Eve is still very much in operation today and that is more the reason why we have to yield our mind to constant renewal by the Word of God. The Word that you received yesterday is to meet the challenges of yesterday and it might not apply to the challenges of today. As a result, constant renewal is a daily activity. Constant renewal will keep us not act to in accord with the prevailing standards, attitudes and practices that are not in line with the word of God. Believers of the Word are called not to be conformed to this world and the refusal not to conform to this world is rooted in the mind. The mind is to be constantly renewed or the world will remove the mind from where the Lord wants it to be. The mind is the battle ground where the enemy wants to take over. It is a serious warning that will carry any believer who takes to the warning through in the journey of life. Will you get your mind busy in the area of constant renewal in the word of God? Do this because “for all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world (1 John 2:16)” It is a sound and clear warning: do not be conformed to this world. Will you obey the Word of God and not be conformed to this world? The word of God that sounded in the direction of Saul also directs us by stating, “…Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams.” (1 Samuel 15:22)

Prayer for today: Open the ears of my heart and let me be obedient to your Word O Lord.

FAITH CAPSULE: In all of His commands, there is no taking a stand in the middle ground.

2 Chronicles 17

God is still in the business of answering prayers. Ask God to give you a heart that delights in His ways. A heart that delights in the law of God is set for blessings and there will be no stumbling block in any of his walk of life. It is written Psalm 1:1-2, “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scornful; But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and His law he meditates day and night”. What does your heart delight in? A heart that delights not in His way will not take to His way, but goes in the opposite direction of His way. In all of His commands, there is no taking a stand in the middle ground. Taking a stand the middle is standing out of the commands of God and it is a way of curses, not blessing. The evidence and the result of taking delight in the law of God can be seen in the life of King Jehoshaphat when he ruled in Judah. It was evident that he walked in the ways of God. He sought God and he did not walk according to the acts of his people. (2 Chronicles 17:3-4). The results of his walk moved the hand of God as recorded in 2 Chronicles 17:5, “Therefore the LORD established the kingdom in his hand; and all Judah gave presents to Jehoshaphat, and he had riches and honor in abundance”. What other blessings can substitute for the blessings that come from God? God is God that will not overlook sin. Also, He is God that will not look away from every heart which delights in His commands. With all that had a place in the life of Jehoshaphat, it is recorded that “his heart took delight in the ways of the LORD; moreover he removed the high places and wooden images from Judah” (2Chronicles 17:6). The only way to have our heart to be delighted in the law is in meditation of the word of God. The Psalmist pointed it out in his statement that, “…But his delight is in the law of the Lord and His law he meditate day and night.” Meditation is not only at a certain time of the day but it is an all day and everyday engagement before it can produce result. Have you taken your meditation serious? Take your meditation serious; delight yourself in the word of God and you shall be a light that cannot be hidden but shinning to the glory of God.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace to be constant and consistent in meditating His Word.

FAITH CAPSULE: a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness

Jonah 1-4

Who is it or what is it that you cannot forgive? If you have anyone or situation that you cannot forgive begin to ask God to help you to forgive so you can move on in claiming your possession in Christ Jesus. One of the greatest gifts of God is the grace of God. Jesus Christ is loving, tenderhearted and will forgive anyone who chooses to receive and believe Him. The Bible states that the heart of man is evil and desperately wicked. Imagine Jonah’s selfish, inconsiderate and unforgiving heart. This was a man of God that clearly heard from God and made a choice of going against God. The Bible recorded in Jonah 1-3, “Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me.” But Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. He went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid the fare, and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.”” Jonah heard clearly and directly from God and made his own move instead of obeying God. Jonah’s behavior was deliberate and conscious disobedience. God, in His consistent character had mercy on Jonah and delivered him from a terrible storm and out of the fish belly. God had wanted him to minister repentance to the people of Nineveh when he attempted to flee. Eventually, after God’s mercy had brought him out of the storm and out of the belly of the fish, he made his way and ministered salvation to the people of Nineveh. By virtue of his ministration, the people of Nineveh repented and God turned around His wrath unto forgiveness for the people of Nineveh. One would imagine that Jonah having experienced the mercy of God in forgiveness would celebrate with the people of Nineveh for God’s mercy. Rather, Jonah became angry and contested with God’s move to forgive the people of Nineveh. After God had forgiven the people of Nineveh, the Bible recorded, “But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he became angry. So he prayed to the LORD, and said, “Ah, LORD, was not this what I said when I was still in my country? Therefore I fled previously to Tarshish; for I know that You are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, One who relents from doing harm.  Therefore now, O LORD, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live!” (Jonah 4:1-3) God is a good God. Let forgiving spirit have its place in your life.

Prayer for today: Ask God to plant in you the spirit of forgiveness.