FAITH CAPSULE: Are you experiencing stagnation in any form?

Mark 10:46-52

Stagnation is a state or condition marked by a lack of flow, movement, or development.
Is stagnation the situation that you recognized or not?
Stagnation is not of God but of the enemy of God.
In the place of stagnation, it is time to call on Jesus for His divine intervention.
Mark 10:46-47 records, as Jesus went out of Jericho, “…with His disciples and a great multitude, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the road begging. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”  
The blindness of Bartimaeus placed him in stagnation. 
With blindness, there will be no sight for one to see when there is a need to take the right direction. 
When one does not see such will remain stagnated, limited not to make desired choices in all areas of choice.
Blind Bartimaeus stagnated and had his place on the roadside to live as a beggar.
One with blindness in the physical eyes is so in the spiritual eyes. 
Blind Bartimaeus makes the roadside his office.
He was popular enough to be identified by his father (Timaeus).
He was blind with no sign of sight.
Bartimaeus could not see. 
Roadside serving as an avenue for transformation for many is the same road where blind Bartimaeus remained stagnated with no transportation in his life to become transformed.
Are you experiencing stagnation in any form in the journey of your life? 
In any form of stagnation, it is time you call on Jesus for His divine intervention. 
Thank God for the blood of Jesus shed on the Calvary. 
The shedding of the blood of Jesus has made Jesus everywhere at every time and ready to answer every call. 
During the days of blind Bartimaeus, while Jesus was moving from one location to another location, blind Bartimaeus was in a position to encounter Jesus when he cried out loud for mercy.
It could be time you identify and accept that your condition needs a loud cry to Jesus for His visitation of your life. 
When you cry out to Jesus, ignore the multitude from keeping you quiet. When you cry, call Jesus out as One you know, not you only know about. There is a difference between knowing Jesus from knowing about Jesus. Bartimaeus demonstrated that he did not just know about Jesus when he called out Jesus with knowledge. 
Bartimaeus knew to cry out as he stated, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 
In the calling of Bartimaeus, “…Jesus stood still and commanded Him to be called” (Mark 10:49) 
Blind Bartimaeus received his sight and followed Jesus on the road. (Mark 10:52)
Bartimaeus came out of stagnation to become a follower of Jesus. Knowing Jesus is to believe Him to break all causes of stagnation.

Prayer for today: Know God to ask for open the eyes of your heart.

FAITH CAPSULE: Insist and resist the enemy against an open door.

Mark 5

Seeking the face of God for a breakthrough over concerning challenge demands to insist and resist to gain the presence of God, denying the enemy the agent of a hindrance.
The enemy is stubborn to deny breakthroughs. 
God is a good God that opens the door for one with need while the enemy takes a position to shut down the open door. 
The testimony of Apostle Paul is evidence that the enemy does not have respect for no one in his business to deny open doors of breakthrough. Apostle Paul states, “For a great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.” (1 Corinthians 16:9) 
Do you know if your open door of breakthrough is the target of the enemy with an attempt to deny you? 
As a believer, insist on and resist the enemy against the open door before God.
Jairus insisted and resisted the enemy for the open door of healing for his daughter, not to become a victim of untimely death, when he came to Jesus. 
The Bible records, “…And when he saw Him, he fell at His feet and begged Him earnestly, saying, ‘My daughter lies at the point of death. Come and lay Your hands on her, that she may be healed and she will live.’” (Mark 5:22-23)
The demonstration of Jairus testifies to his insistence and resistance to get the attention of Jesus for the healing of his daughter. 
Jairus, one of the rulers of the synagogue, pride could have denied him from persisting and resisting to gain an open door of deliverance for his daughter in the hand of sudden death. 
Jairus put aside his religious title not to become a victim of gaining an open door of healing for delivering his daughter. 
Jairus did three things to have the open-door answer for the deliverance healing for his daughter.
First, he met Jesus at the right location as the crossing point. 
Your crossing point could be at the ground of fellowshipping. 
In time to gain opened door, many have missed their crossing point because of their title (pride). 
Jairus consciously disallowed his title, not to deny his miracle healing for his daughter. 
In life, insist on and resist the manifestation of expectation to experience the visitation of God.
Secondly, Jairus saw Jesus, and he took a step of faith. 
Stepping out of the multitude caused Jairus to have direct contact with Jesus. 
Jesus knows all things, and the need of Jairus was not strange to Jesus. His stepping out and seeing Jesus was a renunciation of being a part of the multitude with pride. 
Just like Jairus, allow Jesus to see you in your need.
Thirdly, Jairus fell at His feet. 
He laid it all unto Jesus. 
Jairus did not allow his title to prompt pride in him when he fell before Jesus to make his request.
Pride could not shut open the door for the healing of the daughter of Jairus.

Prayer for today:  Ask for the answering hand of God against the agent that shuts the open door.

FAITH CAPSULE: The enemy is in the business of disrupting the flow of any good doing.

Joshua 1

The process of the journey demands the preparation to excel for the glory of God.
In the life journey, the enemy is always on track to deny one, not to arrive at an expected end.
The enemy is stubborn not to give up wicked agenda. 
Devil is the master of wickedness and was stubbornly wicked in his attempt at Jesus. 
Jesus, the time of coming out of His forty days of fast, the devil repeatedly tempted Him but failed.
The book of Luke 4:13 records, “Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time.”
The devil promised not to give up but will always seek another time to activate its wickedness.
Have you accepted Jesus? 
Accepting Christ is not an indication that one is free from experiencing temptation. 
Under Heaven, temptation or sin will not go away as long as the devil is around.
The Israelites had the word of God to bring them to the promised land that flows with milk and honey land.
Despite the promise of God in place for the Israelites, there was a warning not to fail.}
Leviticus 18:1-5 records, “Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘I am the LORD your God. According to the doings of the land of Egypt, where you dwelt, you shall not do; and according to the doings of the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you, you shall not do; nor shall you walk in their ordinances. You shall observe My judgments and keep My ordinances, to walk in them: I am the LORD your God. You shall therefore keep My statutes and My judgments, which if a man does, he shall live by them: I am the LORD.”
God sees the future. 
God pointed out He was bringing the children of Israel out of bondage (Egypt), a land of sin, and taking them to Canaan land of opportunity. 
One coming out of the land of sin and going into the promise of God is a great grace.
For the Israelites, coming out of the bondage of Egypt to Canaan is the process and preparation for provision.
The process of the journey is what will prepare everyone for the provision of God. 
All should know that the enemy is in the business with disruption of preparation to possess the promise of God.
Adapting to meditating on the word of God, as stated in the book of Joshua chapter eight, is the way of observing the word of God.
Meditate on the word of God day and night to be observing the word of God day and night.

Prayer for today: Ask that the word of God become established in your life for His deliverance and preservation over your life.

FAITH CAPSULE: Look up to God by obtaining the mercy of God.

Psalm 34

Maintain looking up to God instead of looking up to the world.
God is a merciful God. 
Who do you remember to look up to? 
Psalm 20:7 states, “Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; but we will remember the name of the Lord our God.”
Lifting eyes to God is evidence of having the confidence to trust in Him. 
All should have confidence in God. 
To fear God and have faith is what pleases God. 
Lifting eyes to God is giving a jealous God attention, the antidote for a jealous God.
The Psalmist stated, “Unto You, I lift up my eyes, O You who dwell in the heavens. Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their masters, As the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress, So our eyes look to the LORD our God Until He has mercy on us.” (Psalm 123:1-2) Emphasis on the request for mercy by the Psalmist, the evidence of being dependent on God. 
Without a doubt, constant consistency in studying the word of God, 
will live loving God.
Exodus 20:6, “…but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.” 
Obtaining His mercy is in obeying His command. 
Every time one sees the face of God, such is waiting on God with the expectation that there is none to depend on but Him.
Isaiah 64:4 states, “For since the beginning of the world Men have not heard nor perceived by the ear, Nor has the eye seen any God besides You, Who acts for the one who waits for Him.” 
God will act for one that seeks Him. 
Have you been looking for a man to act on your behalf? 
God clothed with majesty is the only worthy God.
Look up to God. 
Put confidence in God that embraces one in His palm. 
The Psalmist must have been looking up to Him with the understanding that God will look upon him when he states, “Look upon me and be merciful to me, as Your custom is toward those who love Your name.” (Psalm 119:132) 
Do you love the name of God?
Is your love set for the world?
All should set love for God to gain and retain the presence of God.
Set love for God to gain and retain His presence.
Look up to God by obtaining the mercy of God. 
Looking up to God is maintaining hope in God to gain deliverance from every form of shame. Psalm 34:5 records, “They looked to Him and were radiant, and their faces were not ashamed.”
It is never too late to turn around by looking up to God instead of looking to the world.

Prayer for today: Ask not to look away from God, and He shall not hide His face from your going and coming.

FAITH CAPSULE: A heart that is not open for the entrance of the word of God will experience darkness.

 Psalm 95

The destination of the word of God is not to the head or mouth but to the heart.
The word of God is to settle in the heart.
The word of God should occupy the heart.
Proverbs 4:4 buttresses, “He also taught me, and said to me: “Let your heart retain my words; Keep my commands, and live.” 
When word enters the heart, the activity of darkness shall become terminated. 
With understanding is to experience light when the word of God gains entrance into the heart. 
Psalm 119:130 testifies, “The entrance of Your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.” 
Above all, the word of God in the heart terminates darkness. 
John 1:1-5 states the importance of the word of God in the darkness of this world, “In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him, nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. “And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.”
A heart that does not give entrance to the heart is bound to struggle continually to navigate in life.
Give entrance for the word of God in your heart not to become a victim of wickedness.
A hardened heart does not have a place for the word of God to rise above the wickedness and darkness of the world.
For example, the journey of the Israelites experienced disruption and derailed, as many could not arrive at the promise of God.
The hardness of the heart takes over the Israelites.
Psalm 95:7-9 states, “Today, if you will hear His voice: “Do not harden your hearts, as in the rebellion, as in the day of trial in the wilderness, When your fathers tested Me; They tried Me, though they saw My work.” 
Many ears receive the word of God but not with the heart. 
The hardness of the heart is a factor in not receiving the word of God.
The hardness of the heart gives to rebellion.
The Israelites turned rebellious and tested God. 
Despite the manifestation of the word of God, the Israelites failed to journey by the word of God and repeatedly complained before God.
For forty years, the Israelites could not live by the word of God.
Psalm 95:10 concludes, “…it is a people who go astray in their hearts, and they do not know My ways.” 
Are you opening your heart for the word of God to gain entrance?
Many are not allowing the entrance of the word of God in the heart for direction in the world of darkness.
A failure to open a heart for the word of God will go astray.

Prayer for the day: Pray to have an open heart for the word of God to gain entrance.