FAITH CAPSULE: Listening to gain understanding makes one become learned.

Proverbs 13

Limitation of the relationship with God is the evidence of lack or limitation of learning from the word of God. 
Engage the word of God, listen, and understand by learning from the word of God.
Romans 15:4 informs, “For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.”
What is it to learn in the word of God? 
Learning the word of God is to gain understanding and knowledge for instruction and experience, not to become a victim of a wicked world. However, the majority are too busy and mindful of the world instead of learning in the word of God. 
With no or limited learning gives way to repeating mistakes to become victims of evil agenda. 
For example, in the book of Judges, Israelites were distanced from God by giving to repeated sins. 
A consequence of the pain of their sin was prompting repentance for forgiveness. 
Without their learning for understanding and knowledge, returning to sin was the pattern of the Israelites. 
Today, many are giving themselves to the pattern of not learning to avoid distance from God but living in repeated sin before God.
Word of God wants us all to learn from Christ as stated, “But you have not so learned Christ.” 
Ephesians 4:17-24 documents the reason to learn:
“ This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.”
Hearing and hearing (not hearing every once in a while) is the way of listening. 
It is in hearing that man will gain and learn to fear God all the days of life. Deuteronomy 4:10 speaks to all then and now, “…Gather the people to Me, and I will let them hear My words, that they may learn to fear Me all the days they live on the earth, and that they may teach their children.’”
Today, not hearing the word of God is not learning to fear God. 
Parents are too busy to learn from the word of God and not available to teach children.
The government also aids parents by taking out the word of God from school to teach children about the fear of God. 
To despise the word of God is the route to destruction. (Proverbs 13:13)

Prayer for today: Ask for a quickening mind to learn the word of God.

 FAITH CAPSULE: Trust and hope in God to frustrate the enemy.

Daniel 3

To know the name of God will always put their trust and hope in God. 
Jeremiah 17:7 states, “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is the Lord.” 
Psalm 9:10 buttresses, “And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; For You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You. You; For You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You.”  The inability of one that does not place trust and hope in God does not have the boldness and character to frustrate the enemy.
For example, going into the prayer ground with a prayer request is trust in God. 
However, coming out of praying ground with doubt and negative confession is evidence of not having hope in God. 
It is incomplete to approach God with trust and not have hope. 
Jeremiah 17:7  states, “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is the Lord.” 
Having trust in God and participating in activities among believers while confessing a lack of hope is evidence of not knowing God indeed and in truth. 
The fear of God is knowing God.
One that does not fear God cannot possibly trust and have hope in God. 
In the face of fiery furnace fire, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego refused to serve or worship the gold image of king Nebuchadnezzar.
The three brothers had trust in God with hope in God which is a demonstration of boldness and character, a winning combination. 
The three brothers took a stand in their trust and hope in God to respond to King Nebuchadnezzar: “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter.” (Daniel 3:16) 
The three brothers had trust and hope in God to experience the possible in the place of impossibility.
Just like the three brothers, is there any challenge attempting your life?
In the face of untimely death, in fiery fire, three brothers of Daniels responded to King Nebuchadnezzar, “If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king.” (Daniel 3:17) Truly, deliverance answered for the three brothers and king Nebuchadnezzar responded, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, who sent His Angel and delivered His servants who trusted in Him, and they have frustrated the king’s word, yielded their bodies, that they should not serve nor worship any god except their own God!” (Daniel 3:28) 
Trust and hope are the evidence of boldness and character, which is a winning combination for one with the fear of God. 
Just like the three brothers of Daniel, trust and hope in God to promote you and prostrate your adversary to the glory of God.

Prayer for today: Ask God to enable you with trust and hope to live life for His glory.

FAITH CAPSULE: Determination is not enough for no one to answer to the calling of God.

Daniel 1 

Determination and desire with prayer will answer the calling of God without fail.
Jesus prophesied the failure of Peter, but Peter did not accept the prophecy.
Peter was determined not to deny Jesus. 
Determination failed Peter. 
Mark 14:72 records the failure of Peter: “A second time the rooster crowed. Then Peter called to mind the word that Jesus had said to him, “Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times.” And when he thought about it, he wept.” 
Peter, a disciple of Jesus, is an example that determination is not enough to answer fully to live for the glory of God without prayer. 
Jesus prayed against the failure of Peter as Luke 22:32 states, “But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.”  
With determination and desire, continual prayer shall uphold not fail to answer to the calling of God.
Are you with determination not to fail to answer the calling of God?
Do you have the desire to answer the calling of God?
How is your heart for God?
It is worthy for all to live life for God.
Living life for God is giving heart to God, the evidence for answering the calling of God.
Give heart to God!
The Psalmist prayed, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” (Psalm 51:10) 
With desire, pray for a clean heart and a renewed steadfast spirit to answer the calling of God.
The book of Proverb 23:7 buttresses, “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he ‘Eat and drink!’ he says to you but, his heart is not with you.’” 
Answering the calling of God demands a diligent heart that will avoid any form of negativity. 
With prayer, one should also know and understand to keep the heart with diligence to deny wickedness from reaping through the heart to fail and not answer the calling of God.
Daniel kept his heart with diligence by purposing positives to the glory of God. 
Daniel 1:8 records, “But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with portion of the king’s delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank; therefore he requested of the chief eunuchs that he might not defile himself.” 
Daniel, purposed in his heart, was marked out for great exploit to the glory of God. 
The heart of Daniel made the difference that matters in all of his life.
Proverbs 4:23 records, “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.”  
With a desire for a clean heart, giving self to pray continually, shall have a diligent heart for God.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the strength not to fail but to live for the glory of God.

FAITH CAPSULE: Consciously or unconsciously, pride is a hindrance that denies living life for the glory of God.

2 Kings 5

Having pride is a hindrance not to living life for the glory of God.
Can you search your heart and not become a victimized self for not living life to the glory of God?
There is nothing more than self that reduces self, but self. 
Naaman had leprosy that was not enough to reduce him to live life for the glory of God.
2 Kings 5:1 records, “Now Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great and honorable man in the eyes of his master because by him the Lord had given victory to Syria. He was also a mighty man of valor but a leper.”  
Leprosy in the life of Naaman could not deny him from honors achieved.
The Hindrance issue of Naaman was alive in him but not before his master and the people around him. 
Pride was in the life of Naaman. 
Pride is the hindrance issue between Naaman and the word of his healing. The Bible records, “Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored to you, and you shall be clean.” (2 Kings 5:10) 
Wash and clean was the word of healing for Naaman. 
The power to get healing for Naaman was obedience to the word of God.
The pride in Naaman provoked negative to the healing word for him.
2 Kings 5:11-12 records, “But Naaman became furious, and went away and said, “Indeed, I said to myself, ‘He will surely come out to me, and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place, and heal the leprosy.’ Are not the Abanah and the Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?” So he turned and went away in a rage.”  
Pride was a hindrance issue in the life of Naaman.
Unknowingly or knowingly, is there any trace of pride in your life?
Pride in the life of Naaman was furious (extreme anger); Naaman walked away from his glorious healing.
Knowingly or unknowingly, are you with the spirit of pride like Naaman?
Pride in the life of Naaman subsided, and obedience to the word for his healing set him up.
Today, search for yourself and look in the word of God. 
The word of God is a revealing word for man to observe for self-correction. 
Give self continually to the word of God as a mirror for dressing self not to become a victim of self-destruction in life. 
Pride can give one a ride for self-destruction.

Prayer for today: Ask before God for deliverance from the pride of self-destruction. 

FAITH CAPSULE: Faith by mouth or head is not faith rooted in the heart.

1kings 3: 3-15

Without faith, God is not pleased.
Hebrews 11:6 buttresses, “But without faith, it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”  
Your action before God is your faith, and your faith is action not hidden from God.
God is a jealous God, the antidote for jealousy is attention.
Please God by living y His way, and He shall be pleased with you.
Are you living life by faith (that is the word of God) to please God? 
Habakkuk 4:2 states, “…the just shall live by his faith.” 
2 Corinthians 5:7 point out that all watch and stand by faith. 
Faith by mouth or head is not faith rooted in the heart. 
Many claims to be a believer but with no faith by standing far from God.
Are you giving attention to God by how you stand?
One that hears the word of God repeatedly, continuously walks, or stands in line with God, pleasing God.
Live life to be pleasing God by standing and watching by faith. 
Please God with your lifestyle meditating day and night to access the presence of God.
Take note by understanding and knowing that God must be pleased and become rewarded by gaining and retaining the presence of God.
King Solomon, the son of David, the third king of Israel, was known for his wisdom and the building of the temple. 
Solomon pleased God with his speech to provoke God to endue him with wisdom that became his identity forever.  
Living life for God testifies to pleasing God.
It happened to be that Solomon went to sacrifice at Gibeon when God appeared to him. 
God asked Solomon, “…What shall I give you?” (2 Kings 3:5) 
King Solomon responds to God, “Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?”(1 Kings 3:9) 
Having God and His work at heart is faith.
He had the business of God at heart which was pleasing to God. 
Solomon was not pleasing himself but pleasing God for God. 
For Solomon, self-pleasing before God was not in place for asking but for wanting to live life to the glory of God. 
What is pleasing you above pleasing God?
Are you an acclaimed believer, a professional minister, or a minister for the business of God? 
Solomon provoked the blessing of God as he pleased God, “The speech pleased the LORD, that Solomon had asked this thing.” (1 Kings 3:10) 
To please God, Solomon provoked God with uncommon wisdom for the life of Solomon. 
Live life by pleasing God for His uncommon blessing to answer in your life for His glory.

Prayer for today: Ask to be enabled to live a life that pleases God.