Faith Capsule: To falter in the Word that orders your step is to fall down into disorder.

Genesis 19

“The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, And He delights in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; For the LORD upholds him with His hand.” (Psalm37:23) God is good and it is good to obey the Word of God. To whom the Word orders his step and to whom is able to obey, it is good. However, to who is ordered by the Word of God and does not obey, it is bad. Also, obedience to the order in the Word of God is not a guarantee not to fall because the Word states “Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the Lord upholds him with His hand.” However, there is a difference in falling. Anyone who falls and does not get up will fail and be counted out while the one who falls and gets up shall not be utterly cast down. Have you faltered in response to the Word that orders your step? To falter in the Word that orders your step is to fall down into disorder. Disorder is not a way of life, but rather is a way of death. Hezekiah was once sick unto death because of disorder in his house. It is written, “In those days Hezekiah was sick and near death. And Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, went to him and said to him, ‘thus says the LORD: Set your house in order, for you shall die, and not live.’” (2 Kings 20:1) Hezekiah realized death and was able to get life back when he repented and asked for mercy before God. The wife of Lot faltered into disorder and she could not have her life back. Lot’s wife was a given specific order about how to preserve her life in her route of escape from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. It is written, “So it came to pass, when they had brought them outside, that he said, ‘Escape for your life! Do not look behind you nor stay anywhere in the plain. Escape to the mountains, lest you be destroyed.’”(Genesis 19:17) The steps of Lot and his wife were ordered by the angel that brought them out of the destruction to escape and have life. Lot’s wife could not line up with the order and she entered into disorder that evidently took her life away. Lot’s wife looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt. (Genesis 19:26) God had a good plan for her escape when He brought them out of Sodom and Gomorrah, but she resulted to disobedience by looking back. Obey the Word of the good God. Take steps of a good man and delight the good God.

Prayer for today: Teach me in Your way O Lord and lead me in a smooth path. Let me not be a failure. 

Faith Capsule: We have the clock in control; He has time in His hand to control.

Genesis 41

Joseph’s dream stated, “There we were, binding sheaves in the field. Then behold, my sheaf arose and also stood upright; and indeed your sheaves stood all around and bowed down to my sheaf.” (Genesis 37:7) Joseph’s dream was not well received when it was revealed to his brother. After his first dream, he spoke to his brother and father, “Look, I have dreamed another dream. And this time, the sun, the moon, and the eleven stars bowed down to me.” (Genesis 37:9) The father and brothers rebuked him for his dream. Joseph’s dream connotes greatness above his brothers, but it did not communicate the steps to get to such greatness. His dream was his divine assignment, but the steps to get there were not unfolded. God, the Creative Creator, had the master plan and details of how Joseph would get to the center of his divine assignment. Do you have a dream or any vision that is yet unfolded? God is not a rusher neither can any of the creation of His hand force His hand to move ahead of His plan. Detail plans of dreams or vision are always in the hand of God and can only be unfolded in phases. In the case of Joseph, it is clear that he learned humbleness by the things he suffered as the phases of journey were gradually unfolded. Indeed, responsibility is the price of greatness and Joseph learned it all in the phases of his journey to greatness. God, the Creative Creator, has His way of unfolding the phases that are couple with challenges to make us and not to break us. In your journey to the center of your divine assignment, let your heart be for God so you will arrive at the final destination. With a heart for God from your inside, He will show you on the outside what He wants you to be for His name to be glorified. Joseph navigated every phase with the fear of God by virtue of how he responded to confronting challenges. Joseph’s dream finally came to be when Pharaoh declared, “I am Pharaoh, and without your consent no man may lift his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.” (Genesis 41:44) Our times are in the hand of God. We have the clock in control; He has time in His hand to control. Joseph’s dream at age seventeen came to be at age thirty.Who can be like God? He alone is the Creative Creator. Are you waiting for the manifestation of your dream or vision? As you get into phases in your journey, do not take any way that seems right to you, but only take the way of God.

Prayer for today: In You O Lord, I put my trust; let me never be ashamed; deliver me in Your righteousness.

FAITH CAPSULE: God is not talkative, but when He talks it has to be activated for the result to be accomplished.

Joshua 1:1-9

Spending time on the Word of God is spending time to listen to the voice God speak to you. The Bible makes us to realize that, “if you diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the LORD your God will set you high above all nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the LORD your God.” (Deuteronomy 28:1-2) God was speaking to the children of Israel on their way to the Promised Land. What God said to one speaks to all. It is good to listen to the Word of God, but it is not enough when there is no obedience to what His Word says to you. Doing what the Word says is obedience. Without observing what the Word says, the chance of doing what the Word says is not possible. God said it in Joshua 1:8, “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it.” The Word of God in His book of law demands meditation day and night before it becomes a thing of observation. Until the Word of God becomes what you constantly and consistently observe, doing accordingly to it is not going to be possible. Clearly the message is not only about memorizing, but also meditating. There is no better way it can be emphasized more than when God repeatedly warned Joshua about the need to observe the Word in Joshua chapter one. God is not talkative, but when He talks it has to be activated for the result to be accomplished. The children of Israel needed to be able to observe in order to obey during their journey through the wilderness. The Bible pointed out that not one person was feeble among them because of the cloud of glory that guided them. According to Numbers 9:15-23, the cloud moved from day to day for them because they were able to observe and do. When the cloud moved, they moved and they did not attempt to move ahead of the cloud. It was not just about getting results, but to get results according to the word of direction that makes the way to prosper and have good success; not just success. There has to be meditation day and night to be able to observe and do according to the Word. Get serious with your time in the Word and good success, which is God’s success (not just success), will get to you.

Prayer for today: My Father and my God, instruct me, teach and guide me with Your eye and let me know the way I should go.  

Faith Capsule: Complaint will not announce itself before it establishes itself inside the life of its victim.

Exodus 17:1-7

The Book of Proverbs records, “It is better to dwell in a corner of a housetop, than in a house shared with a contentious woman.” (Proverbs 21:9) This Scripture not only addresses woman, but both man and woman. Any man or woman can be bound with a quarrelsome or hostile attitude. Does this fit your description? To be contentious could be a railroad for complaint to ride on or a track for complaining to gather its speed. In the journey of life, the spirit of complaining will not give life, but rather absolute death. In the midst of unforeseen situations, who are you to complain to? What is it that can justify complaint over what you cannot control? The spirit of complaining is nothing but a negative approach unto the One and only One God who is in control of Heaven and earth. Complaining can also be a way of pointing a finger in the face of the One who holds our time in His hand. When circumstances beyond our control takes its place in our life, complaining is not an option to dwell on. If you have arrived at a junction where you consider there is nothing in place that is worth thanking God for, why don’t you turn onto thanking God for the past and for what He has already done? Why roll over into complaining when you can ride on into praising and thanking Him for what He has done. When praising and thanking God for what He has done, His hand will be provoked to move in what you want from Him. The children of Israel who were delivered from Egypt were the greatest victim of complaint. Complaining did not take their life away in bondage, but it took it after they were out of bondage. What a victim! Complaint will not announce itself before it establishes itself inside the life of its victim. As recorded in Exodus 17:2-3, “Therefore the people contended with Moses, and said, ‘Give us water, that we may drink.’ So Moses said to them, ‘Why do you contend with me? Why do you tempt the LORD?’ And the people thirsted there for water, and the people complained against Moses, and said, ‘Why is it you have brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?’” It is evident that they started with contention before taking it to the level of complaining. Ask God to deliver you from every spirit of complaint. Stay on track and do not get derailed. It is worth it to be commending Him and not complaining to Him. Keep on praising Him and He will keep on raising you.

Prayer for today: Deliver me O Lord from every spirit of complaint. Let me be constant in appreciating Your goodness and mercy.

Faith Capsule: Moses’ contentment made him and he became Heaven connected for God’s assignment.

Numbers 12

In Numbers 12:7-8 God testifies, “Not so with My servant Moses; He is faithful in all My house. I speak with him face to face, even plainly, and not in dark sayings; and he sees the form of the LORD. Why then were you not afraid to speak against My servant Moses?” (Numbers 12:7-8) This testimony of Moses by God was in response to the dissension of Aaron and Miriam. Aaron and Miriam spoke against Moses because of his Ethiopian woman whom he married. (Numbers 12:1) Also they wanted to know if the Lord had been speaking only to Moses. Evidently for God to have held Moses in such a high esteem, Moses must have taken a step earlier in his life that provoked God’s attention over his life. Every giant in the hand of God demonstrated at some point in life what it takes for God to notice them and set them up for a noticeable exploit. For Moses, contentment can be considered as a character in him that lined him up for a noticeable assignment for God. Exodus 2:21, “Then Moses was content to live with the man, and he gave Zipporah his daughter to Moses.” Moses, having lived in one of the most celebrated locations, the palace of Pharaoh for forty years, ended up in Midian. Moses refused to get carried away by the exuberant palace life and could not ignore his brethren’s suffering. In his act of support for one of his brethren, he became a murder and had to flee from the palace because of Pharaoh’s attempt to persecute him. Moses was content to live in the desert, with Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. There was no evidence that Moses demonstrated bitterness or complaint with his new family in the land but he remained contented. Moses’ contentment made him and he became Heaven connected for God’s assignment. To be content is to be a provoker of the move of God’s hand for favor, guidance, deliverance, preservation and many more of God’s blessings. Contempt can be considered as living by faith. It is written in 1Timothy 6:6-7, “Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.” For Moses to have come out of a palace and into a no place with a testimony of being content, had to have undoubtedly gain Heaven’s attention. Faith is what pleases God; Moses demonstrated faith that pleased God. His action demonstrated that he brought nothing to this world and no material wealth could have kept him away from doing what was right when doing right demanded it. Moses had faith and God was pleased to use him for a great and noticeable assignment. Moses was content and he had a great uncommon gain.

Prayer for today: Lord I ask for the grace of contentment in every step of life.