FAITH CAPSULE: The abundance of God never runs out. 

Exodus 20

It was with mercy that God led the children of Israel out of the bondage of over four hundred years.
Just as power belongs unto God, mercy also belongs to God. 
Mercy, meaning loyal love, is the conventional love of the covenant-keeping God. 
Only God renders mercy unto whom He chooses to render mercy. 
It was with mercy that God led the children of Israel out of the bondage of over four hundred years. Exodus 15:13 records, “You in Your mercy have led forth the people whom You have redeemed…”  
Joseph feared God, and God was with him through his entire ordeal. 
The word testifies about Joseph, “…the LORD was with Joseph and showed him mercy…” (Genesis 39:21) 
Today, God still renders mercy and power as He was rendering it in the Old Testament through to the New Testament. 
The mercy of God is in abundance that never runs out.
Also, His mercy endures forever. 
Many giants of faith operated under the power and mercy of God. 
God spoke to Moses, “For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion.” So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy.” (Romans 9:15-16) 
The ‘whomever’ that God is talking about is throughout the Bible, as in the book of Luke 1:50, “And His mercy is on those who fear Him from generation to generation.” 
Who are the ones who fear Him? 
Those who have received, believe and behave the word of God. 
Those who fear God are His people whose hearts He plants His fear so they do not turn away from Him. (Jeremiah 32:40) This is to say that the ones who fear Him are those He has drawn unto Himself. (John 6:44) They are the ones He has chosen for Himself. 
The ones He chose for Himself are the ones He provided to Himself as a provision for His divine assignment.
The Bible recorded about David, “Now the LORD said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go; I am sending you to Jesse the Bethlehemite. For I have provided Myself a king among his sons.” (1 Samuel 16:1) 
God is not a partial God, and He is still in the business of drawing His children, but only those who do not withdraw but position themselves in line for His undeniable power and mercy.
Do you fear God? 
To fear God is to love God. 
God will not cease to show mercy to those who love Him and keep His commandments. (Exodus 20:6) Engage living in the fear of God and allow His mercy to be you.

Prayer for today:  Ask God not to withhold His tender mercy from you.

FAITH CAPSULE: To be full of His fear is to be full of His love. 

1 John 3: 7-21

Claiming to love God comes down to obeying the commands of God. 
The will of God for all His creation is to fear Him. 
One with the fear of God shall be full of Him.
Ecclesiastes 12:13 admonishes, “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandment, for this is man’s all.” 
Hear Him to fear Him.
To fear Him is to know and be consistent in obeying His commandments. One obeying the command of God lives for the glory of God.
Be full of His obedience and become the fear of God. 
To be full of His fear is to be full of His love. 
God is love, and love is also the presence of God. 
To fear God is to love God, the character of carrying His presence.
Apostle Paul points out that the purpose of the command of God is to love God. 
He states, “Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith, from which some, having strayed, have turned aside to idle talk.” (1Timothy 1:5-6) Paul was not talking about the love that flows from the tips of lips. 
Paul was talking about a standard love that counts before God and a kind of love that is worthy of provoking the attention of God.
To love (fear) God is to constantly dwell in His presence (His presence is His word) and not depart from Him. God spoke, “They shall be My people, and I will be their God; then I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear Me forever, for the good of them and their children after them. And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from doing them good; but I will put My fear in their hearts so that they will not depart from Me. Yes, I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will assuredly plant them in this land, with all My heart and with all My soul.’” (Jeremiah 32:38-41) 
In the above word of God, it is clear that the fear of God qualifies one as the people of God and not the assumption of others; it is not a title inside or outside of the church. 
Going by the word of God documented above, anyone who fears God undeniably takes a position to experience the goodness of God. 
It is also a joyous thing for one to dwell in His fear. 
Without a doubt, anyone doing what is good will gain the strength of God.
One with the joy of God is not to experience lack.
Why not do it right by fearing God and allowing the joy of the Lord to be your strength?

Prayer for today: Ask God to direct your heart into His Love, the patience of Christ.

FAITH CAPSULE: Know that God is on your side always.

2Kings 6:1-23 

Just as challenges are in place and persist in the world of unbelievers, 
so it is in the word of believers. 
Believers are not immune to experiencing challenges but can be unmovable in the face of challenges. 
Word of God admonishes, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.” (Psalm 34:19) 
One knows that memorizing and quoting the scripture is far and not enough to bring forth the required deliverance in the face of challenge. 
One should know and do right before God.
Proverbs 11:9 states clearly, “…but through knowledge the righteous will be delivered.” 
Deliverance from afflicting challenges of the righteous is rightly in the knowledge of the word of deliverance. 
The word of God is to perform and perfect. 
Psalm 107:20 records, “He sent His word and healed them, And delivered them from their destructions.”
As a believer, are you spending time to engage the word of God that is knowledge to deliver? 
Are you thinking of what you should do in response to all the confrontations before you? 
As a believer, ask that God locate you this hour to visit you with salvation in the name of Jesus.
God answers prayer without doubt.
When the confronting challenge located both Elisha and his servant, God, answered with deliverance,
The fear of the servant of Elisha in response to the enemy subsides with faith.
The book of 2 Kings 6:15 records, “And when the servant of the man of God arose early and went out, there was an army, surrounding the city with horses and chariots. And his servant said to him, ‘Alas, my master! What shall we do?’” 
There is always an answer to confronting challenges. 
Elisha responds to his servant that is right for a believer in the challenging time.
Elisha answered his servant in 2 Kings 6:16, “So he answered, ‘Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.’” As a believer, it is a lesson to know God as God that cannot fail to deliver.
God cares for His children and does not fail to focus on Him.
The word of God wants all to bury fear so that faith will rise.
Elisha said it, and Paul the Apostle encourages, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made know to God; and peace of God, which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6).” 
In challenging times, pray for the spiritual eyes to become opened as Elijah prayed for the spiritual eyes of his servant.
Fear of the servant of Elisha sank while his faith came alive to gain victory. 

Prayer for today: Ask God to open your eyes to see and know that God is always on your side. 

FAITH CAPSULE: Looking up in the right place for help will provoke an answer at the right time. 

Joshua 5:13-15, Psalm 121

Know and understand to look up to God for help in the face of challenges.
As an acclaimed believer, a delay in experiencing manifestation in any area of expectation is not enough reason to stop looking or lifting your eyes to the Lord for help. 
Not being able to lay hands on expectations during the year journey should not divert attention from lifting eyes to the perfect God to deliver.
The Psalmist testifies, “I will lift up my eyes to the hills from whence comes my help? My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.” (Psalm 121:1-4) 
An acclaimed believer knowing Psalm 121 should know looking or lifting eyes to gain from above. 
Before Abraham knew what God had in place as an acceptable replacement for Isaac becoming the sacrificial lamb, he looked up with expectation. Genesis 22:13 records, “Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there was a ram caught in the thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son.”  
Looking for help is essential. 
If you are not used to looking up to God for help in times of need, reaching your breakthrough will be a thing of challenging difficulty.
After Joshua and the Israelites crossed over the Jordan, another challenge from the Wall of Jericho persisted. 
The wall stood as a hindrance to getting to their Promised Land. 
Joshua did not just know about God, but he knew God for him to approach the wall as one who knows his God. 
Joshua did what one who knows God will do in the face of challenge. Joshua 5:13-14 records, “And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, a man stood opposite him with His sword drawn in his hand. And Joshua went to Him and said to Him, ‘Are You for us or our adversaries? So He said, “No, but as Commander of the army of the Lord I have now come…’”  
When Joshua looked in the right place, he found the right help at the right time. 
Are you looking in the right place for the right help? 
The testimony of the Lord is sure to make the wise simple (Psalm 19:7) 
It is wisdom for all to give self to the testimonies of God. 
Take to the testimonies of God and allow looking up to God for your help to become your lifestyle. 
Help from men will not go far enough, but always look up to God. 

Prayer for today: Ask God for the understanding to know and seek Him when the need calls for it.

FAITH CAPSULE: What is your identity as a Christian? 

Acts 19

Christianity is not about what one is against.
Christianity should be communicating what one stands for.
The Bible recorded the story of itinerant Jewish exorcists who wanted to conduct what they did not carry inside of them. 
The Jewish exorcists, who witnessed miracles from God conducted through Apostle Paul, attempted to do themselves like Paul. 
Acts 19:13 records, “Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists took it upon themselves to call the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “We exorcise you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches.” 
Interestingly, the evil spirit could not identify them in the conduct of Paul. The evil spirit responded to the Jewish exorcists, “…Jesus I know, and Paul I know, but who are you?” Then the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, overpowered them, and prevailed against them so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.” (Acts 19:15-16) The conduct of itinerant Jewish exorcists does not line with the kind of conduct that carries the power of God. 
As an acclaimed believer, how are you conducting your life? 
Are you answering to what is not your conduct?
As believers in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, your conduct should serve as communication with your neighbors, as a weapon against confronting challenges.
Also, Christianity is not about what one is against but should communicate what you stand for. 
As a believer, you make too much noise in communicating what Christians are against and less noise in communicating what Christians stand for. Also, your conduct is not loud enough for an unbeliever to see Christ in you. 
If, for example, at your workplace, there is a call for the persecution of believers in Christ, would you be identified as one who confesses Jesus? Do you think your conduct as a follower of Christ will be enough for your fellow workers to identify you, or will there be no evidence for anyone to identify you as a Christian? 
Think, are you a hidden cross-carrier? 
Some kinds of religious one can easily identified by their dress, haircut, or jewelry. 
What is it that will identify you as a Christ follower? 
Paul the Apostle certainly could not live in your neighborhood without being recognized as a believer. 
Even if he chose to be silent, his conduct would identify him. 
How do you conduct yourself? 
2 Corinthians 1:12 says, “For our boasting is this: the testimony of our conscience that we conducted ourselves in the world in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom but by the grace of God, and more abundantly toward you.” 
It is time to quit hiding by being silent when claiming to be a Christian. The conduct of a believer should not keep observers guessing whether you are a Christian or not. 

Prayer for today: Ask God to help you so that your conduct will always bring out the message of the Gospel.