FAITH CAPSULE: Have you considered which way you are walking before God?

Psalm 139

There is a way of everlasting, and there is a way of eternal damnation. Both ways do not complement each other.
No one can avoid the consequences of the choice of the two to walk.
Which of the two ways you are walking?
The way everlasting is to God, just as the way to eternal damnation is to the devil. 
Psalm 90:2 testifies, “Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever You had formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.”  
Psalm 145:13 states, “Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and Your dominion endures throughout all generations.”  
Daniel 4:3 states, “How great are His signs, and how mighty His wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and His dominion is from generation to generation.”  
John 3:16 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.” 
The above scriptural verses testify to where God is and where he will be. Where God is will also be a place for all His obedient children. 
Have you considered engaging the way everlasting? 
Consciously or unconsciously, the wicked ones take to the way of eternal damnation. 
Is wickedness your way of life?
Which way of life are you engaging before God, who sees all?
Wickedness operates from the heart. 
Jeremiah testifies, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9) 
Deceiving, lying, and manipulating life is wicked, making way for eternal damnation.
Are you keeping your heart to avoid missing everlasting by ending up in eternal damnation? 
The word of God points out a way of avoiding eternal damnation by stating, “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.” (Proverbs 4:23)
Eternal damnation must be a “no-go” place. 
The Psalmist wanted to make sure that the way of eternal damnation is not portion when he spoke, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psalm 139:23-24)
By you inquiring, know it today that you have not engaged the way of the wicked, the way to eternal damnation. 
The ones whose word of God is near in their mouth but far from their heart are the wicked ones. 
Evidently, across the pages of the Bible, it is clear that wicked ones head into the way of eternal damnation. 
Make the right choice and trust God for the help of enablement to engage the way to everlasting and not eternal damnation.
Determination will not be enough to deliver anyone, but with desire, living the life of prayer before God is the way, not to be a candidate of eternal damnation. 

Prayer for today: Ask for the mercy of God to keep you away from the way of eternal damnation.

FAITH CAPSULE: Be persistent in prayer, resisting all discouragement. 

Matthew 15:21-28, Luke 18:1-8

Persistent payer is not the character of those with no heart to wait patiently for answered prayer.
Matthew 15:21-22 records a demonstration of a woman with the character of persistent waiting on God for expectation for an answer in prayer before God. “Then Jesus went out from there and departed to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him, saying, ‘Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed.’”  
A woman of Canaan wanted a positive response from Jesus.  “But He answered her not a word. And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, ‘Send her away, for she cries out after us.’ But He answered and said, ‘I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.’” (Matthew 15:23-24) 
The response of Jesus and His disciples was enough to discourage the woman of Canaan from turning her back to Jesus, but she pressed further, expecting to gain.
She persisted in receiving by resisting all discouragement. 
The Bible records, “Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, ‘Lord, help me!’” (Matthew 15:25) 
Despite her appeal, Jesus answered, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.” (Matthew 1:26)  
The answer of Jesus made her insist and persist for her miracle. 
The woman responded to Jesus, “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.” (Matthew 15:27) 
There is no better way to describe persistence than that of the Canaanite woman before Jesus. 
Eventually, she got an answer from Jesus, “’ O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.’ And her daughter was healed from that very hour.” (Matthew 15:28)
Great faith is the evidence of unyielding persistence in expressing expectation. 
Are you expecting to get an answer to your prayer request? 
Jesus is the Master healer. 
He alone is the One who gives and takes as He pleases. 
There is no place or reason for giving up on Jesus.
Some challenges demand crying out instead of crying silently. 
Are you crying silently where a challenge calls for crying out? 
All should understand that crying out is not a sign of weakness. 
The woman of Canaan cried out regardless of the multitudes and eventually got the attention of Jesus.
She called Jesus out, “Son of David”.
She was repeatedly snubbed and eventually got a delayed answer.
The case of the Canaan woman demonstrates that Jesus is the Master who unpredictably answers to all. 
He will never fail to answer those who reach out and do not give up on their request.
Engage Jesus in prayer, looking to Him alone, to be focused on getting an answer like the Canaan woman instead of looking outside of Jesus.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace of strength on your prayer altar. 

FAITH CAPSULE: The Israelites saw fear and spoke negatively to become a victim of their confessed negative.

Exodus 14

Undeniable manifestation of miracles brought was the exit for the Israelites out of the bondage of over four hundred years,
Despite the miracles they saw coming out of the bondage, they failed to see deliverance in their journey to the Promised Land. 
At a point in their journey, Pharaoh approached the Israelites in an attempt to return them to where the Lord God delivered them from. 
Exodus 14:10 records, “And when Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians marched after them. So they were very afraid, and the children of Israel cried out to the Lord.”  
A failure to see in the word of God is evidence of looking into the world present.
The Israelites could not see in the word of promise that was delivered to them by God through Moses. 
As a result of their disability not to see God’s promise, they saw the Egyptians that were after them. 
What you see is going to have a direct effect on what you think and what you say. 
The Israelites saw fear and spoke negatively. 
The Bible records their response, “Then they said to Moses, “Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you so dealt with us, to bring us up out of Egypt? 12 Is this not the word that we told you in Egypt, saying, ‘Let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness.” (Exodus 14:11-12) 
The Israelites saw fear and spoke negatively to become a victim of their confession.
Why is it so difficult to see that God alone is in control? 
Have you taken your eyes away from what God said and what He is saying to you through the pages of the Bible? 
Whatever one beholds will eventually hold such down in the place of moving forward.
Moses knew the effect of the negativity of the confession of the Israelites, and he responded by stating, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.” (Exodus 14:13-14) 
When there is no clarity of sight, confusion will bring forth complaints, and rebellion will gain ground. 
Just as Moses lived through his journey meditating day and night, there should be no excuse for meditating on the word of God day and night.
Meditating is communicating to God to gain and retain the presence not to be forsaken by God. 
With meditation, there will be clarity of sight. 
Seek God by seeing Him to find Him.

Prayer for today: Ask for understanding in seeing by hearing the word of God.

FAITH CAPSULE: Seeing in the word of God is the key to gaining from the word of God!

Deuteronomy 1

Having faith in God is the ability to see in the word of God.
One who hears the word of God will not be a victim of stagnation but move forward to claim the promise in the word of God.
The ability to see what God says is a direct effect of possessing His promise.
It is interesting how promises of God for His children in the pages of the Bible are well laid while His children languish, not see and possess those promises.
As a believer, consciously see in the promises of God the act of provoking force that will generate a move in the direction of possessing the promise of God. 
God promised the Israelites a land that flows with milk and honey (Promised Land). 
At a point in time, during their journey from the bondage of over four hundred years, they chose to dwell too long at Horeb instead of going forward to claim the land that flows with milk and honey.
As a result of the Israelites dwelling too long, God sent Moses to the Israelites, “The Lord our God said to us at Horeb, “You have stayed long enough at this mountain. Break camp and advance into the hill country of the Amorites; go to all the neighboring peoples in the Arabah, in the mountains, in the western foothills, in the Negev and along the coast, to the land of the Canaanites and to Lebanon, as far as the great river, the Euphrates. See, I have given you this land. Go in and take possession of the land…” (Deuteronomy 1:6-8)
Seeing in the word of God is the key to gaining in the word of God!
There was a need for the Israelites to see in the promise of God that the Promised Land was for them already.
The Israelites should not have had any reason for doubt but to move forward and possess the promise of God. 
The Israelites proved short-sightedness by not moving forward but rather going with a spying mission. 
Moses testified, “Then all of you came to me and said, “Let us send men ahead to spy out the land for us and bring back a report about the route we are to take and the towns we will come to.” (Deuteronomy 1:22) The Israelites wanted to possess the land by seeing the world around them before seeing and engaging the word of God. 
It was a demonstration that they wanted to make sure God knew what He was talking about when He asked them to move forward. 
The Israelites could not see as commanded by God. 
Are you acting like the Israelite, not seeing in the word of God that moves you to claim His promise but remain stagnated?

Prayer for today: Ask to become enabled with clarity of sight, seeing the word of God, not to become stagnated.

FAITH CAPSULE: Are you experiencing a challenge overwhelming you? 

Joshua 7 

One not contented in life shall become envious, greedy, and jealous of the character of one that covets. 
Greediness is rooted in a lack of contentment. 
One who is greedy is not generous. Covetousness is a command with no need for interpretation. 
Exodus 20:17 states in the Ten Commandments: “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.  
With the victory of the representative of the wall of Jericho in your life, you will expect victory to be your identity. 
However, when you fail to identify with the commandment of God, you will lose your identity as a winner. 
On the way to the promise of God, challenge is a frequent engagement, but full compliance with the word of God is the only way of getting to the promise of God. 
After bringing down the wall of Jericho, the children of Israel set for war against the people of Ai. 
Being a winner, they assumed victory because the people of Ai were few, but they fell and could not stand before their enemies.
As a result of the loss of Israelites to Ai, Joshua went before God “And Joshua said, “Alas, Lord God, why have You brought this people over the Jordan at all—to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? Oh, that we had been content, and dwelt on the other side of the Jordan!” (Joshua 7:10) 
He considered their past as better than their present. (Oh that we had been content, and dwelt on the other side of the Jordan Joshua 7:7)  
Are you experiencing a situation where it feels that your past is better than your present? 
It could be that God has departed you just like He departed the Israelites as a result of Achan’s covetousness. 
Joshua pleaded before God, and God told him about the covetous sin of Achan.
God called covetousness sin. 
Covetousness is transgressing the command of God, and He also called it deception. (Joshua 7:10-11) 
Covetousness brought them down, and they could not stand before their enemies but turned their backs on their enemies. 
Are you turning your back on your enemies? 
Is it that the challenge you need to overcome is now overwhelming you? God does not waste His word, and the Bible testifies that He magnified His word above all His name. (Psalm 138:2) 
Why not consciously engage His word? 
The word obeyed for past victory will not complement your present battle. 
Every battle demands consistency with obedience to the word of God. 
For the Israelites, past victory could not complement future victory because of the sin of covetousness. 
The Israelites violated God and could not stand a lesser opposition in their direction. 
The lesser opposition struck and chased the Israelites as the hearts of the people melted.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace not to operate covetousness in every walk of your life.