FAITH CAPSULE: God will see you through the challenges of this world.

John 1:1-18

The word of God is wisdom. 
The Bible states, “For wisdom is a defense as money is a defense, but the excellence of knowledge is that wisdom gives life to those who have it.” (Ecclesiastes 7:12) 
One with wisdom and money does have a defense.
However, the difference between wisdom and money as a defense is that wisdom gives life.
Also, the word of God is light. 
Psalm 119:130  states, “The entrance of Your words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple.” 
The point here is that wisdom is the word of God, and the word of God is light. 
Going by the scriptural verses above, the word of God (wisdom) identified as a defense must have a place inside every believer of the word of God before it can work as a defense.
Without any doubt, the amount of light one carries to navigate in the wicked world clouded by darkness is the word of God as light.
However, attempting to navigate a world of darkness with dim or no light is equal to taking an avenue to fall. 
How bright is the light that you carry inside? 
The question is, how much of the word (wisdom) do you carry inside of you?
For every believer who desires to live to the fulfillment of the divine of God, the word of God (wisdom or light) that is in the life of one must be enough to terminate confronting darkness. 
Darkness is to become exposed because darkness is not supposed to rule over light. 
John 1:5 informs all, “And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.”  
How bright is the light in you? 
“Jesus spoke to them again, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.’” (John 8:12)
Jesus, the living Word of God, is the light needed to take a journey to the next level without any delay or fear of confrontation in this dark and wicked world.
The Word of God that was in the beginning with God (John 1:2) is the same Light of God. 
The Book of John 1:3-5 describes Him, “All things were made through Him, and without Him, nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.” 
The above verse testifies to the reason for carrying a reasonable light.
Wisdom (the Word of God) is the truth defense that gives light.
The light of God is the navigating force in the wicked world of darkness. 
Live life for God by engaging the word of God diligently to find God in all ways.

Prayer for today: Ask that the word of God will have a place in you.

FAITH CAPSULE: God will see you through the challenges of this world.

Daniel 1

Distraction can come from a non-excepted route.
Adversity was with distraction for Job to walk out of God that is never far from all His creation.
Adverse adversity located Job when his wife attempted to lead him to discontinue his God by saying to him, “Do you still hold fast to your integrity? Curse God and die!” (Job 2:9) 
Job denied distraction and could not discontinue His God as suggested by the wife.
Job responded to his wife, “You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?” (Job 2:10) 
Imagine the challenge before Job. 
Whatever represents distraction to prompt looking away from God is an agent of destruction.
Adversity challenges will lead to having faith or fear that often make or break one in the race of life not to miss heaven.
There is a need for the grace to continue trusting God in the place of adversity. 
Daniel and his three friends, at a young age, were held captive in a foreign land, yet there were no records of complaints or any attempt to despise their God. 
Instead of looking away from God, they did not give up but continued trusting God. 
The king wanted to build Babylon in them when he ordered the best of the best for them by setting them aside with his delicacies. 
Daniel refused to resume feeding on the delicacies of the king. 
Daniel 1:8-9 records, “But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank; therefore he requested of the chief of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself. 9 Now God had brought Daniel into the favor and goodwill of the chief of the eunuchs.”   
Daniel did not stop looking up to God; he could not discontinue with his God. 
Daniel trusted his God and could not defile himself but live for the glory of God.
Job could not curse his God, as suggested by his wife.
The word of God promises all, “Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, on those who hope in His mercy.” (Psalm 33:18) 
Continue with a purposeful heart, and whatever it is that cannot touch God will not touch you.  
God will never forsake His children. 
None walks in line with God and falls outside of Him. 
Jesus paid the entire price that we may have life. 
He was persecuted, died on the cross, rose on the third day, and lived as king forever. 
With Christ, no one should have any reason to be discouraged or to discontinue walking with God in the face of challenge. 
Live by the word of God to get you through the challenges of this world.

Prayer for today: Ask for the boldness and character not to look away from God.

FAITH CAPSULE: Know how to become secure under His shadow. 

Psalm 91

Fear God constantly and consistently to dwell in His secret place.
Psalm 91:1 records, “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” 
Interestingly, anyone who chooses to dwell in the secret place of the Most High?
One who gains a position in the secret place is supposed to become directed and preserved by God.
Know how to become secure under His shadow. 
However, the secret place of the Most High is not a physical place 
nor is it in a church building. 
The word of God identifies where the secret place of the Most High is situated when it states, 
“The secret of the LORD is with those who fear Him, and He will show them His covenant.” (Psalm 25:14)
Without any doubt, one having the fear of God is rooted in the word of God.
Among the blessings of dwelling in the secret place of the Most High God is uncommon protection in the face of confronting challenges. 
The Jews that went back to rebuild Jerusalem after the captivity experienced adversaries that were attempting to deny them from rebuilding. 
All attempts to stop them failed, and they testified, “But the eye of their God was upon the elders of the Jews so that they could not make them cease till a report could go to Darius.”(Ezra 5:5) 
The Bible states in Psalm 33:18, “The eye of the LORD is on those that fear Him, on those who hope in His mercy.” 
To be under the watchful eye of God that is not visible to the naked eye is to be in His secret place. 
Do you fear God indeed and in truth, or do you fear Him just at your mouth? 
What does it mean to fear God? 
To fear the Lord is to love the Lord.  
God wants us to love Him because He is love. 
Deuteronomy 30:6 buttresses, “And the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.” 
To fear the Lord is to love Him.
To love Him is to live for the glory of God. 
Those who dwell in the fear of God are in His secret place. 
To have a place in the secret place calls for dwelling, not entering and departing regularly. 
One cannot fear God today and not fear Him tomorrow.
Fear God continually, expecting to dwell in the secret place of the Most High. 
Dwelling in a secret place demands living constantly and consistently in the fear of God. 
Without the fear of the Lord, there will be no abiding in the secret place of the Most High. 

Prayer for today: Ask God to put His fear in your heart so that you may abide under the shadow of the Most High. 

 FAITH CAPSULE: God shall make a way for you where there is no way.

Exodus 14:10-31

It is written, “Whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying: You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created.” (Revelation 4:9-11) 
He is a good God, and He is worthy of all glory and honor and thanks. Why not allow only giving glory, honor, and thanks as a way of life? 
Allow your prayer and supplication to become rooted in giving glory and honor while giving thanks to God. 
Paul knew what he was saying when he stated, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, and let your requests be made known to God.” (Philippians 4:6) 
God owes man nothing except that man owes God all the glory and honor. Out of His goodness and mercy, He gave His love, and the Bible states, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)  
Just as the children of Israel received their deliverance from the bondage of over four hundred years when God sent Moses to them, so all have received deliverance today when God sent Jesus. 
To those who receive and believe in Jesus, everlasting become their portion. 
Believing and receiving Him becomes the only way out of every trap of hell. 
He came and shed His precious blood on the Cross of Calvary. 
The children of Israel, despite their deliverance, the Pharaoh in their life refused to give up on chasing them because of the hardness of his heart. Pharaoh pursued them by going after them with all of his might while the children of Israel remained trapped between the Red Sea and the chariots of Pharaoh. 
The king of Egypt, Pharaoh, engaged in this operation, “…The Lord had hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued the children of Israel…” 
Have you received Jesus, and yet the Pharaoh in your life persists and refuses to give up chasing after you? 
Do you feel trapped between the representative of the Red Sea and the chariots of Pharaoh? 
Just like the children of Israel, are you experiencing hindrance in your ways, and it all looks like no way? 
Is your case anywhere close to that of the Israelites?
God is able, and He will deliver you. 

Prayer for today: Ask God to move on my behalf and gain all the glory and honor over all that represents Pharaoh in your life.

FAITH CAPSULE: To awake in the place of praying shuts out temptation. 

Luke 22 

Every engagement with Satan is temptation enablement.  
The day the serpent engaged Eve, she became a victim of eating the fruit in the middle of the garden.
The temptation to submit against the commandment of God overtook Eve.
Eve became disobedient to the command of God and fell for sin when she ate against the command of God.
Judas Iscariot engaged Satan. 
One that engages with the devil will open for the devil to gain entrance.
Luke 22:3-6 records, “Then Satan entered Judas, surnamed Iscariot, who was numbered among the twelve. So he went his way and conferred with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray Him to them. And they were glad and agreed to give him money. So he promised and sought opportunity to betray Him to them in the absence of the multitude.” 
Always, with temptation, disobedience takes its place. 
Disobeying God is the evidence of betraying God.
Temptation is the key that opens the door to all kinds of sin. 
Jesus emphasized that prayer is a way to lock out temptation. 
Luke 22:39-40 records, “Coming out, He went to the Mount of Olives, as He was accustomed, and His disciples also followed Him. When He came to the place, He said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.”  
While He was praying, the disciples were sleeping. 
To sleep at the prayer hour is the avenue for the temptation to have a place.
Jesus was praying earnestly, but the disciples were sleeping with sorrow as He approached them and said, “Why do you sleep? Rise and pray lest you enter into temptation.” (Luke 22:46) 
Jesus must have seen what would happen when He came to speak to the disciples about being awake. 
The bible recorded, “While He was still speaking, behold, a multitude; and he who was called Judas, one of the twelve, went before them and drew near to Jesus to kiss Him. But Jesus said to him, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?”(Luke 22:47-48)  
Satan gained entrance into Judas, one that sold out his Lord and Savior cheaply. 
By your way of life, is there any way you have been selling Jesus out consciously or unconsciously? 
When Jesus woke His disciples up from sleeping, instead of praying, they entered a situation that caused all of them to scatter in an attempt to save their lives.
Peter attempted to strike instead of him to allow Jesus to speak to the situation.  
Peter turned to strike by cutting off the ear of the servant high priest. 
The action of Peter prompted Jesus to speak to the situation. 
Evidently, with temptation in the place of prayer, one will end up denying and selling Jesus out. 
Engage unceasing prayer to disallow temptation.

Prayer for today: Ask for the strength to be awake on the prayer altar.