FAITH CAPSULE: The conclusion in the way of life is to fear God.

Psalm 34

The book of Ecclesiastes 12:13 documents how to live life, “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandment, for this is man’s all.” 
The conclusion for living is for all to live by the fear of God.
The understanding needed to live for God is the ability to listen to the commandment of God (word of God). 
Knowing the word of God is going after the heat of God. 
For example, God identified King David as one after the heart of God.
The fear of David for God kept him and saw him through his life terminating challenges. 
King Saul chased the life of David while David gained the position to kill Saul. 
David was so fearful of God not to kill King Saul when he said, “…But my eye spared you, and I said, ‘I will not stretch out my hand against my lord, for he is the Lord’s anointed.” (1 Samuel 24:10) 
Is the fear of God your way of living life? 
David did not allow foolishness in his heart, and he did not demonstrate a lack of fear of God by killing King Saul. 
David was a man after the heart of God. 
The life experience of David qualifies to teach all the fear of God. 
In Psalm 34, David spoke out, “Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord.” (Proverbs 34:11)
Are you a true believer that listens to hear and is one with an understanding of the fear of God?
Are you aware that the fear of God is a way to provoke the blessings of God? 
Through listening to the word of God, know God by keeping your heart diligently.
David Psalm 34 pointed out four points for all to learn and know God’s fear: Keep your tongue from evil, keep your lips from speaking deceit, depart from evil, and do good; seek peace and pursue it. (Psalm 34:13-14) 
Digesting the four points into life will mark one as a God-fearing one. 
It is the grace of God that is giving life year after year. 
However, not knowing the fear of God is not a way to live before God.
To fear God is for self-good because it keeps such not departing from God. When one can obey fully by fearing God, He will preserve such fully.
Whatever is in line with the word of God and one with a desire for God shall be established by God.
One with a desire for God shall not live a life of waste.
David said:
Keep your tongue from evil.
Keep your lips from speaking deceit, depart from evil, and do good.
Seek peace and pursue it.

Prayer for today: Ask God to redeem your heart to fear Him.

  FAITH CAPSULE: Your change will only come at the appointed time of God.

Exodus 2

Change is the act of transformation or substituting of one situation for another. 
All should always look for a better condition in the life of journey.
When the Israelites began to feel pain in the hands of Pharaoh and his people, the need for change began to press on the Israelites. 
Exodus 2:23-25 records, “Now it happened in the process of time that the king of Egypt died. Then the children of Israel groaned because of the bondage, and they cried out, and their cry came up to God because of the bondage. So God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. 
And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God acknowledge them.” 
The Israelites needed a change when they cried to God, and their cries reached God. 
Crying to God is not evidence of weakness but an expression of expectation. 
God heard the crying of the Israelites and remembered them, but the change did not answer immediately. 
Are you waiting on God prayerfully for a change?
Know that change will only come at the appointed time of God.
You have indeed been waiting for quite some time but have nothing to show for your waiting. 
Delay is all you are experiencing in the place of expectation for change, and know that delay is not a denial. 
Delay is possibly the device of the enemy to frustrate your expectation when waiting on God. 
Ignore delay but lay your request for a change at the feet of the Master. In the life journey, experiencing being delayed in expectation will prompt discouragement.
Discouragement provokes complaints. 
The complaint is an act of rebellion. 
In your case, disallowing discouragement and complaint will not have a place in you. 
Without complaint in you, rebellion will have to relocate itself outside of you. 
Worrying is like a parasite that will eat into one quietly when change seems to be slow in coming forth. 
Deal with worry by engaging in worshiping God. 
Worship God by praising and giving Him thanks to God regardless of manifestation or not.
Give thanks to God for all things, and all things will work for good.
As you wait for a change, be conscious that your thoughts deliver by your action. 
Do not doubt in your heart as regards your expectation for change. Having doubts will prompt you to have a backup plan for your expectation. 
However, in faith, there is no backup plan. 
The backup plan is a lack of faith, and God is not pleased when there is no faith. (Hebrews 11:6) 
Live life to please God while you are waiting on Him for your expected change. 
Your change shall come.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace to be patient and become persistent in waiting on Gom.

FAITH CAPSULE: Disallow your concern to allow the command of God.

Jonah 1, 2

Disallowing the command of God is disobedience.
Disobedience to the word of God is an avenue to painful consequences in life.
Disobedience is evidence of carelessness, not keeping God’s commandment (word).
Proverbs 19:16 warns, “He who keeps the commandment keeps his soul, but he who is careless of his ways will die.” (Proverbs 19:16)
Are you keeping yourself in the word of God for His direction over your life?
Jonah was a case of disobedience to the command of God.
The book of Jonah 1:1-3 records, “Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me.” But Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid the fare, and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.”
Jonah was careless not to keep to the direction of God over his life.
When God calls and sends one, He will back such one not to fail.
The command of God is His direction to keep but, disobedience will lead to self-destruction. 
Jonah was supposed to obey God regardless of what seemed right to him.
Have you received the calling of God with a specific direction, not your specified idea?
God called Moses out to lead the children of Israel out of the bondage of over four hundred years. 
Moses, out of his concern for God, reacted to the rebellious act of the children of Israel toward God. 
Moses took it upon himself to strike the rock against the direction of God. God responded to the disobedient of Moses, “Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not believe Me, to hallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.” (Numbers 20:12)
The same God sent Samuel to go and anoint David while Saul was still living as the King. 
Samuel was concerned about the command of God when he asked, “How can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me.” (1 Samuel 16:2) 
Out of concern, Samuel could have responded by going his own way but went by the command of God.
God responded to Samuel, “…Take a heifer with you, and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’ Then invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do; you shall anoint for Me the one I name to you.”1 Samuel 16:2-3) 
The concern of Samuel could not provoke him to disobey the command of God. 
God alone knows the end from the beginning.
God knows all before the birth of anyone. 
Disallow your concern by allowing His command to have His place.

Prayer for today: Ask to live by obeying the word of God.

FAITH CAPSULE: know to plead for the mercy of God.

Exodus 15

Plead for the mercy of God!
God is at a distance where or when sin exists and does not accommodate sin.
With sin, one is short of the presence of God, but without sin, one will gain the fullness of the presence of God. Romans 3:23 speaks to all, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” 
Distance from the presence of God will provoke unwanted, unexpected painful challenges that exist in the wicked world of sin.
With repentance from sin, the mercy of God shall answer painful challenges.
Day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year, the mercy of God has been consistent to see you this far, not to become a victim of the wicked world.
Just as power belongs unto God, mercy also belongs to God. 
The mercy of God means God is compassionate and kind.
His mercy is with forbearance that does not run out.
Only God is in the position to render mercy unto all without failing.
The mercy of God does not result in merit but in the goodness of God. 
God cannot be intimidated or manipulated by His creations to obtain His mercy.
God testifies to His mercy, “…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 9:14-16)
The mercy of God is in place for all, and nothing under heaven can displace or deny one to experience His mercy.
The mercy of God could not be displaced or denied of the Israelites from coming out of the bondage of over four hundred years.
The Bible records, “You in Your mercy have led forth the people whom You have redeemed…” (Exodus 15:13) 
In this wicked world, understand and know to live life to attain the mercy of God as the Bible records His word.
Know to plead for the mercy of God.
Know to plead for the mercy of God.
God identified Job as a blameless man that fears God and shuns evil but not with an excuse not to plead for the mercy of God. Job 9:15 records the pleads for mercy by Job in the presence of God, “For though I were righteous, I could not answer Him; I would beg mercy of my Judge” (Job 9:15). 
There is no excuse for Job to receive the mercy of God without pleading for His mercy. 
Just like Job, the Psalmist pleads for the mercy of God, “Have mercy on me, O LORD! Consider my trouble from those who hate me, You who lift me up from the gates of death.” (Psalm 9:13). 
Know to plead for the mercy of God.

Prayer for today: Ask, and plead before God for His mercy over the challenges of your life.

FAITH CAPSULE:  When God calls you with promotion, He will put people in a position to dress you and not reject you. 

2Kings 9:1-13

When God calls one, such shall be elevated to arrive at the divine assignment for the glory of God.
For example, Jehu was only a commander in the army of Ahab at the time God called Jehu to become the King of Israel.
God is the caller of mine without permission to call one as He pleases, regardless of the status of anyone He calls. 
Before the calling of Jehu, there was no prior announcement or qualification for the calling of Jehu.
The calling over the life of Jehu was not by the way of the world but by the way of God.
In the calling of Jehu, there was no indication of what the calling was for Jehu. 
In the life journey, your elevation will come just like it went and located Jehu. 
It was business as usual when Elisha sent one of the prophets to go and anoint Jehu with oil as the King of Israel. 
2 Kings 9:2 records, “Now when you arrive at that place, look there for Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi, and go in and make him rise up from among his associates, and take him to an inner room.” 
Jehu rose from among his associates to become the head among his associates. 
The calling of God at the appointment of His time cannot deny or derail the call.
Interestingly, Jehu did not pray to ask for the calling over his life.
Jehu was not with the idea of the calling of God.
Jehu did not struggle or take any stand of opposition before the anointing came unexpectedly to lift him above and beyond his associates. 
The calling of elevation over the life of Jehu was from God, and his associates could not resist nor reject him as the King. 
Have you received the calling of God unexpectedly when not expected to be called the King of Israel?
When God calls you with promotion, He will put people in a position to dress you and not reject you. 
God will be for you in answering His calling.
2 Kings 9: 13 records, “Then each man hastened to take his garment and put it under him on the top of the steps; and they blew trumpets, saying, “Jehu is king!” 
Jehu did not only receive dressing but was announced with the blast of trumpets and with a loud announcement of his new position. 
Are you wondering if you will ever rise above and beyond where you are now? 
God is a great God.
He is still in the business of extending favor, mercy, grace, and blessings. Let no situation or condition dictate to you or discourage you from what you can become or what you cannot become. 
God, the lifting lifter, will lift you above your associates in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Amen. 

Prayer for today: Ask to be enabled to give attention to God by studying His word.