FAITH CAPSULE: HOW MUCH ARE WE GIVING TO SLEEP IN THIS 

Matthew 25

Challenges are mounting with evidence of believers sleeping the way it pleases acclaimed believers.
God is not talkative but actively truthful in His word.
God is coming to judge the world, if ready or not, at His appointed time.
Sleeping in the place to be awake is a sleep of death and shall not be your portion.
The Parable of Ten Virgins is a secret, not just an allegorical story, to point out what is to come on the appointed judgment of God over the word.
SLEEPING
Matthew 25:1-3 documents, “Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. 3 Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, 4 but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 5 But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.
6 “And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!’ 7 Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9 But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’ 10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding, and the door was shut.
11 “Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ 12 But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’
13 “Watch, therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.
The majority answered that believers are flooding in the name of God as they please, sleeping or awake. 
Also, they are equipped with things of God or not.
The ten virgins in the parable are composed of five wise equipped with lamps and oil, while the five foolish with no oil for lamps.
As the bridegroom delayed (but not to deny) all, slumbered and slept.
Which speaks to you? 
A wise one or a foolish one?
The bridegroom arrived at his appointed time.
All woke up, but the foolish one had no oil, pleading to get from the wise with oil.
As the foolish went to buy, the bridegroom entered for those ready to go for the wedding.
The foolish called out to be allowed into the wedding but disallowed.
The foolish were not PREPARED, not READY for the bridegroom’s arrival.
How are you waiting for God?
Sleeping of carelessness is not giving regard to God to live a wasted life.
Every standard living life should be prepared, ready for the return of God, not to miss heaven.

Prayer for today: Ask God to enable you not to be shut out to miss His presence.

FAITH CAPSULE: The way to live life for the glory of God is to be humble.

2 Chronicles 7

Being humble will enable one to run the race of life without becoming a vessel of faith failure.
One knowing God will be humble, not be a vessel of faith failure. 
Are you humble?
A humble one is with a low estimate of the importance of self.
God pays attention to how all conduct themselves in the life journey. 
James 4:10 testifies that God pays attention to humble ones, “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.” 
One who is humble is one with a meek spirit.
The Bible identifies the meek ones:
Psalm 37:11, “But the meek shall inherit the earth, And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.”
Matthew 5:5, “Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth. “
God is consistent and committed to His promise as 2 Chronicles 7:14 records the promise of God for humble ones, “…if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”
Are you humble and glaring by your way of life?
With the desire, give yourself to become humble, to claim the promises of God over the life of the humble one.
Be humble in this challenging trouble and not become a vessel of faith failure. 
Philippians 2:3-8 identifies several ways to be humble, “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. 4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests but also for the interests of others. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.” 
The way to live life for the glory of God is to be humble.
Jesus, our Lord and Savior, humbled Himself and was obedient to the point of death on the cross. 
What stops you from becoming humbled and living life for the glory of God?
Numbers of people in the Bible were humbled to walk with God. 
Paul was humbled.
Moses was humbled, and Numbers 12:3 testifies, “Now the man Moses was very humble, more than all men who were on the face of the earth.” 
Make it your way of life to be humbled, keep your eyes on God, and not become a victim of faith failure in this challenging trouble of today.

Prayer for today: Ask God to enable you to become humble before Him.

FAITH CAPSULE: Are you looking away from God?

Genesis 11:1-9, Psalm 24 

Without a doubt, creation cannot maneuver God, the Creator.
If you are surviving by telling lies to deceive or manipulate your world, mark that God, the Creator alone, sees all.
Watch it and know that telling lies can build you up for years to move you forward, but just a day is certainly enough to bring you out as a liar, a deceiver, and a manipulator to bring down all years built up in lies.
You can maneuver your world with lies, but not the Creator, the God of all.
Isaiah 40:28 records, “Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable.” 
The one and only Perfect God does have the world in His hand. 
Psalm 24:1 states, “The earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness, the world and those who dwell therein.”  
Under heaven and above, no one is in place to outmaneuver God. 
Can you imagine a creature attempting to outmaneuver the Creator of all?
The God that spoke to Jeremiah is the same that created heaven and earth and all its fullness. 
He spoke to Jeremiah, “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.” (Jeremiah 1:5) 
Many, by the wickedness of their heart, are destroying others to build for themselves. However, when the building is outside God, it becomes an effort to outmaneuver the only Perfect Creator.
The building of the Tower of Babel was not in line with God.
The building was evidence of an attempt to maneuver God.
Genesis 11:4 records, “And they said, Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.”
Self-centeredness to take charge instead of focusing on God wants to maneuver God. 
Are you looking away from God? 
The construction of the tower of Babel failed to consider that God was in control.
The land and its fullness belong to God. 
God does not tolerate selfishness because it operates in opposition to the way of God. 
Self-centeredness represents arrogance and pride.
God saw the people were coming from and knew where they were going with the Tower of Babel.
The act of self-centeredness to build against God provoked the response of God. 
Genesis 11:7-8 states, “Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech. So, the LORD scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they ceased building the city.”   
Stop building outside of God, the attempt to maneuver God.

Prayer for today: Ask that you are enabled to live life for the glory of God.

FAITH CAPSULE: In the word of God, there is always an answer confronting the challenge.

2Kings 6:1-23

Under heaven, no man is immune from experiencing challenges. 
To know God is taking a position to experience deliverance. 
Psalm 34:19 encourages, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out them all.” 
Get to know God, and when challenge/affliction strikes, you shall not fail to experience the deliverance of God.
The word of God is an assurance of deliverance in all afflictions. 
In the world, there is none with a title or not that is with an exemption for encountering affliction, but the hand of God is not short to deliver all that live life by the word of God.
The children of Israel were not exempt from affliction, but God’s outstretched hand of God delivered the Israelites. 
Just as challenges exist and persist in the life of unbelievers, so it is in the life of believers. 
Believers are not immune to experiencing challenges but can be unmovable in the face of challenges.
Are you quoting the word of God as a believer, not living life by what you are quoting of God?
Knowing to be quoting the word of God is not enough to bring deliverance in the face of affliction. 
However, understanding the word of God is enough to deliver. 
Proverbs 11:9 admonishes, “…but through knowledge, the righteous will be delivered.” 
If you are one with the knowledge of the word of God, affliction will not keep you down but be delivered. 
God will not fail to perform and perfect. 
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? 
There is always an answer to address what is in place of challenges. 
As a believer, it is not wrong to ask, “What should I do?” 
However, it is caution in your asking because there is no room for complaint against God. 
Know to ask right before God.
The servant of Elisha had seen miracles done by the hand of Elisha, his master, a giant in the Lord. 
Despite all testimonies through Elisha, when confronting challenge came, the servant asked, “What shall we do.” 
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?’” 
In the word of God, there is always an answer confronting the challenge. Elisha answered his servant, “…Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” (2 Kings 6:16) 
If you are living by the word of God, there will be challenges/afflictions, but the Lord will deliver you out of them all.

Prayer for today: Ask that your eyes see the deliverance of God in place for you.

FAITH CAPSULE: A lack of commitment to the word of God will lead to confusion in the life journey.

Genesis 19

The word of God is a direction not to live a life of waste.
God does not fail, but a man walks away from God to experience failure.
Life is a journey.
The journey demands walking with God.
God gives every moment to be alive to walk with God, walking before Him.
Commitment to the word of God is giving to walk before God without ceasing.
A commitment to the living word of God is the unfailing route in the life journey.
A believer without commitment to the word of God is a religion with no relationship with God. 
Does that sound like you?
Are you truthful to yourself, living by the word of God, walking with God?
Are you deceiving with a demonstration of walking with God but walking away from God?
One with a commitment to the word of God is with an understanding of seeking God with all the heart and soul. 
One that seeks God diligently walks, sits, and stands in the word of God, the evidence of commitment to God and to become blessed by God. 
Psalm 1:1-2 confirms: “Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law, he meditates day and night.” 
As an acclaimed believer of God, let your commitment be rooted in God, not seeking the counsel of the ungodly.
Failure can be the lack of commitment to God in His word. 
Giving self to self-convince in the place of commitment to God will not arrive at the promise of God.
Commitment is not convenient, but it is self-sacrifice before God.
One that compromises the word of God is with no commitment.
Discipline works with commitment, but doubting will deny not to be committed. 
With doubt, fear will relegate faith. 
One with a lack of commitment to the word of God is not mindful of God.
A lack of commitment to the word of God will lead to confusion in the life journey.
A lack of commitment to God is looking away from God.
The word of God directed Lot and his wife for deliverance from destruction, “…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) 
Lot was committed to the word of God, but his wife could not commit to the word of God for her deliverance from destruction. 
Lot was committed to the word of God, but his wife could not commit to the word of God for her deliverance from destruction. 
The Bible records the consequence for the wife of Lot, “But his wife looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.” (Genesis 19:26) 
Are you sincerely committed to the word of God? 
In the life journey, be committed to God and remain connected to the promise of God.

Prayer for today: Ask God to take charge of the life He has given you.