FAITH CAPSULE: Every disguise against the word of God is an avenue to self-destruction. 

2 Chronicles 18: 28-34, Mark 10:46-52

When Ahab, the King of Israel, invited Jehoshaphat, the King of Judah, to join forces with him against Ramoth Gilead, he refused to listen to the warning of the prophet Micaiah against war.
Ahab listened to the prophecy of his chosen four hundred prophets. 
When it was time to go to war, King Ahab told Jehoshaphat, “…I will disguise myself and go into battle, but you put on your robes.” So the king of Israel disguised himself, and they went into battle.” (2 Chronicles 18:29) 
Despite a true prophecy not to go to the war, he decided to go by way of disguising himself. 
In life, there is no right way outside of the truth of God. 
King Ahab went on as planned, but the war was against him. 
King Jehoshaphat did not disguise but depended on God. 
As the war intensified, Jehoshaphat was on the side of God. 
2 Chronicles 18:31 records, “…when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, that they said, “It is the king of Israel!” Therefore, they surrounded him to attack, but Jehoshaphat cried out, and the Lord helped him, and God diverted them from him.”  
Ahab chose to disguise to become destroyed in the hand of his enemy. 
There is no way unto salvation in any area of life but to call on the Savior. Who are you crying out to? 
In times of challenge, crying out to God is deliverance.  
Does your situation sound like that of a stranded one? 
Cry out to Jesus for His divine intervention. 
During the days of Bartimaeus, Jesus was passing while Bartimaeus was in the right location to encounter Jesus when he cried out loud for mercy. It could be time to identify and accept that your challenge needs a cry out loud. 
Cry in your closet or outside, and ignore the surrounding multitude, the hinderer of life, as the evil.
In your cry out, call on Him as His known for answering the calling upon Him.
Bartimaeus demonstrated that he did not just know about Jesus, but he knew Him as deliverance and healer.
The ignorance of the crowd that followed Jesus is limited to understanding, and they attempted to stop Bartimaeus from crying out to Jesus. 
Bartimaeus knew Jesus.
He cried, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 
Do you know Him enough to call Him to a standstill and have Him attend to you? 
In the calling of Bartimaeus, “…Jesus stood still and commanded Him to be called” (Mark 10:49) 
The Blind man received his sight and followed Jesus on the road. (Mark 11:52) 
Jehoshaphat did not disguise but cried out loud to gain his salvation.
Ahab disguised against the word of God to die a sudden death.

Prayer for today: Ask God to open your understanding and know to live right for His glory.  

FAITH CAPSULE: Focus on God and be steadfast not to contradict the journey to advance.

Genesis 19:12-26, Daniel 1

It is time to advance in the calling of the Lord. 
The process of advancing in the calling of the Lord demands having the trust to have a clean heart and a steadfast spirit. 
In addition to a clean heart and steadfast spirit, maintain focus and let the past be in the past by ignoring the multitude in life. 
Maintaining focus is crucial to making advance in the calling of the Lord. 
The focus will keep one from distraction. 
A failure to maintain focus will lead one to distraction. 
Distraction can lead to sudden and untimely death for its victims. 
Daniel is an example that denied distraction.
Daniel, while in captivity, maintained focus when he purposed in his heart not to defile God. 
The king appointed Daniel and his brothers with a daily provision of delicacies, wine, and three years of training.
It is possible to sound good for a young captive to accept, but to Daniel, it was considered not to focus wrongly.   
Daniel 1:8 records the response of Daniel not to defile himself, “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.”  
Daniel kept focus on becoming a vessel for God, and he made advancement everywhere he turned. 
Daniel engaged his journey in captivity with a purposeful heart. 
He allowed God to reign in his life when he refused to defile his body (the temple of God). 
Daniel was steadfast in not contradicting his journey to advance. 
The wife of Lot could not let the past be in the past.
She disregarded the command of God that said to her: “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 wife of Lot did the opposite when she looked back and became a pillar of salt (Genesis19:26) 
Whatever she was looking for in her past represents a multitude (unnecessary baggage). 
The multitude in her life caused her to become a pillar of salt and not escape as ordained for her by God. 
No one goes forward by looking back. 
The wife of Lot is a testimony to the truth that no one sets sight on the past and can see what is ahead. 
The case of her is that of a shifted focus. 
Lot must have been steadfast, looking forward in obedience to the direction of the word of God.
Daniel could not allow any distraction but focused on being steadfast in his life journey.
It is time to advance in the calling of God, focusing on His word and avoiding distraction.

Prayer for today: Ask for the strength of God to focus on Him.

FAITH CAPSULE: What stops one from living life to present self as a representative of Christ? 

Luke 10:29-37

An acclaimed believer of Christ that does not represent Christ is an established deceiver. 
In the church, deceiving and manipulating is not a strange act. 
As an acclaimed believer, have you fallen into such an act? 
Going to church is not a ticket to heaven. 
Many are on the right track but remain trapped. 
Is it possible that one shall miss heaven and miss hell? 
To miss heaven is to gain hell. 
God is a good God with provision for no one to perish instead of taking to the perishable avenue. 
John 3:16 buttresses, “that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. 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. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.”
Why not represent Him not to perish?
In the parable of the Good Samaritan, a priest and a Levite were to present and represent Christ by their title. 
They were to present Christ in their way of living life but failed to, while sinners of a sinful nation could not pass by but present as representatives of Christ. 
Luke 10:30-33 documented, “…A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance, a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. Likewise, a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion.” 
How often have you walked past on the other side instead of presenting and representing Christ? 
Christ, the compassionate One to be copied by way of life, is not one that only flourishes by answering to title.
He does not ignore the needy ones. 
No excuse counts; neither is there any excusable before the Almighty God not to represent Christ.
It is worth calling on God and asking Him for the grace to answer His calling, living life as a believer of Christ. 
Attending church can deceive the world, and answering to titles can become a way of manipulating others, but God cannot be deceived and manipulated. 
Let all run this race with a mark that glorifies the Lord and Savior. 
Look around! 
There is always a waiting list in our passing whereby there is a need for a believer to present and represent Christ. 
As an acclaimed believer, one must live life to present oneself as a representative of Christ. 

Prayer for today: Ask to be enabled to live life as a representative of Christ in this wicked world.

FAITH CAPSULE: Have confidence in God alone.

What kind of a believer are you?
Live life by the word of God to claim His promise.
The believers quote or talk more of the word of God than walking by the word of God.
Abraham walked by the word of God to claim the blessings of God.
He directed his servant, “…The Lord, before whom I walk, will send His angel with you and prosper your way…” (Genesis 24:40) 
Take note, claiming the blessings of God is not by quoting the word of God, not living in the church, but living by the conditions in the word of God.
Abraham lived by the conditions in the word of God.
Are you walking by the WORLD or walking by the word of God?
Pray to live life by the word of God.
In praying, ask from God, not in doubt.
God as a jealous God is the evidence that He is a caring Father.
God is caring and approachable by questioning Him with faith but not with doubtful questions.
Moses, at his waiting on God, questioned God with faith: “…show me now Your way, that I may know You…” (Exodus 33:13) 
Knowing God is personalizing God as a father who cares to act for one who waits on Him.
God responds to Moses, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” (Exodus 33:14)
Do you know God or know about Him?
It is not enough to know God by mouth but by the heart.
Seek God diligently, and live life for God to find Him.
God alone brought you this far.
The goodness and mercy of God have brought you this far. 
In challenging times, keep to the word of God (walking along with God).
Having patience rooted in faith should be the vehicle.
Challenging is troubling and should not prompt one to rely on anyone but God.
Proverbs 25:19 warns, “Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble Is like a bad tooth and a foot out of joint.”
Have confidence in God alone.
Trust and hope for the mercy of God to see you through this time, living life for the glory of God.
Meditate prayerfully that this month shall be for continual reliance on God in all endeavors. 
Relying on God provokes victory of God.
Relying on God is waiting on God.
There is no shame in waiting on God.
God acts for the one who waits for Him. (Isaiah 64:4)
Gain the attention of God by waiting on Him.
Psalm 25:3 states, “Indeed, let no one who waits on You be ashamed…”  
Waiting on God endures a period of not knowing how long to get an answer from God. 
Waiting on God cannot be a waste of time. 
God will answer with yes, wait, or no.
In a time of waiting, among what to exercise as a believer are:
Be courageous; trust and hope; rest in the Lord; be patient for Him; do not fret; keep His way; let your soul wait silently.

Prayer for today: Ask to be enabled to live by the word of God, waiting on God alone.

Luke 23:1-43

FAITH CAPSULE: The word is not to be forced on anyone.

Living by the word of God is living for God.
The word of God is God.
God is a saving master but not a slave master.
The word of God is His command.
God will not force His word on anyone with the choice not to give self to His word.
The consequences of following or not following the command of God will be the consequence of following or not following His word.
Live by the word of God. 
He knows it all for all.
Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” 
The above word is the word of the One and only true God, the ancient of days, the great I Am, the I AM. 
It is the word of God that never fails. 
It is the word of God that cares for His children. 
2 Samuel 22:11 testifies to all the knowing God, “He rode upon a cherub and flew, And He was seen upon the wings of the wind.” 
Psalm 104:3 buttresses, “He lays the beams of His upper chambers in the waters, Who makes the clouds His chariot, Who walks on the wings of the wind.” 
The word of God is the information for transformation. 
The book of Proverbs 4:7 declares, “Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get Wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding.”
The understanding gained in His word gives a knowing edge over challenges. 
Anyone with a lack of knowledge is evidence of not knowing God. 
How are you giving yourself to the word of God that constantly comes in your direction? 
Remember, the word is not by force on anyone.
It is the responsibility of all to let the word have its way so it may deliver and lead one to the purpose of God in life. 
The documentation of two criminals as they responded to the world around them that knows what the future holds for all under heaven, “Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, “If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us.” But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, “Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? (Luke 23:39-40) 
One of the criminals gave to the word and conversed with Jesus, “Then he said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” (Luke 39:42) 
Having the knowledge of information that is of peace, and not of evil answered in the life of criminal, and he became the candidate of heaven when Jesus responded: “…Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.” (Luke 23:43) 
The word of God holds the future, and it is worth living by His word. 

Prayer for today: Ask God to fill you with the knowledge of His word.