FAITH CAPSULE: With desire, one is set not to give up but to push on to achieve expectations. 

Proverbs 20, Matthew 15:21-28

Desire is a like a force that drives one to arrive at an expected end. 
Desire is an inner feeling that compels one to attain what the heart expects. 
With desire, one is set not to give up but to push on to achieve expectations. 
A woman of Canaan with desire had an inner feeling which compelled her to receive healing from Jesus despite the denial held against her from receiving from Jesus.  
Matthew 15:21-22 records, “Then Jesus went out from there and departed to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him, saying, ‘Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed.’”  
The woman of Canaan desired a positive response from Jesus but the response for her was enough to discourage her desire for Jesus. 
Matthew 15:23-24 records Jesus and His disciples’ response to the woman of Canaan, “But He answered her not a word. And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, ‘Send her away, for she cries out after us.’ But He answered and said, ‘I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.’”
Life is full of ups and down as the world is loaded with discouragement to work against desire. 
The woman of Canaan maintained her desire and remained focused on Jesus. 
Instead of her giving up, she pressed further. 
She persisted, resisting all discouragement. 
Matthew 15:25 records, “Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, ‘Lord, help me!’”  
Despite her desire, Jesus answered her, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.” (Matthew 1:26) 
The answer of Jesus was not enough to discourage the woman of Canaan’s desire but made her insist and persist in her miracle. 
The woman responds to Jesus, “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.” (Matthew 15:27) 
The desire of Caanan woman from the depth of her heart was not hidden from Jesus as Jesus ultimately answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.’ And her daughter was healed from that very hour.” (Matthew 15:28)
God only sees and moves by desires in the heart of man. 
Proverbs 21:2 states, “Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, But the Lord weighs the hearts.” 
No one can hide in the heart from God. 
Proverbs 20:27 buttressed, “The spirit of a man is the lamp of the Lord, Searching all the inner depths of his heart.”
The case of the Canaan woman demonstrates that Jesus answers to all with a desire for expectation.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace to desire from God without fail.

FAITH CAPSULE: Loving God is not just of emotion but get motion to doing good for the glory of God.

1 John 3

The command of God from the beginning speaks to all loving one another.
Deuteronomy 6:5 records, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.” 
Luke 10:27 states “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself.”  
Loving one another is evidence of loving God.
The message for all since the beginning is to love one another.
1 John 3:11-12 states, “For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another, not as Cain who was of the wicked one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil and his brother’s righteous.” 
The majority always claim love for God when there is no love for one another.
An acclaimed believer that does not practice righteousness by not loving others as commanded by God is a liar.
1 John 3:10 buttresses, “In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother.”
Do you have a love for God by living by His word? 
The love of God is to love unconditionally, sacrificially, and personally.
Personally: Christ should be the character of the believer that claims to love.
1John4:20-21, “If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.”
Jesus demonstrates unconditional love for all to learn and to live life for His glory.
With is the love for all?
He died for all while we were sinners. (Romans 5:8)
Sacrificially, the demonstration of love should be of the love of God, not just talking about love. 
1 John 3:16-18, “By this we know love because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but indeed and in truth.” Do you love God as commanded by God? 
Loving God is not an emotional or mouth love.
God sees all hearts under the heaven. 
Love Him indeed and in truth.

Prayer for today: Ask that love of God become established in your heart.

FAITH CAPSULE: Continually live life for the glory of God.

Genesis 39

Continuity can be uninterrupted flow. 
Continuity demands unceasing discipline living right for the glory of God. Through the pages of the Bible, those who continually focused on God excelled greatly to the glory of God. 
Continuity eschews inconvenience and answers with commitment, meaning that those who continually seek God do not have excuses for the inconvenience in every area of seeking after God. 
Continuity is what constantly connects one with God.
Giving continually to serving the Lord God shall experience the hand of God consistently. 
The Psalmist testifies, “But I will hope continually, and will praise You yet more and more.” (Psalm 71:14)
“So shall I keep Your law continually, forever and ever.”(Psalm 119:44)
Hosea 12:6 buttresses, “so you, by the help of your God, return; Observe mercy and justice, and wait on your God continually.” 
Act 6:4 laid it down for all, “we are to give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”
Hebrews 13:15 admonished us, “Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God.”
With continuity, Joseph served God faithfully and did not give himself to sin.
Joseph did not hide in sin but stayed away from sin before God.
Joseph experienced pressure from the wife of his master.
The wife casts longing eyes on Joseph, asking him to sleep with her. 
Joseph responds, “But he refused and said to his master’s wife, “Look, my master does not know what is with me in the house, and he has committed all that he has to my hand. There is no one greater in this house than I, nor has he kept back anything from me but you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” (Genesis 39:8-9) 
Joseph, abstaining from sin, hidden from the world but not from God, was evidence of the continuity to avoid sin and sinning before God. 
Joseph states, “How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God.” 
Continuity should be a constant with consistent walking with God.
Continuity in serving God is to position one to gain the hand of God that has never failed to deliver. 
Seek God by serving Him continually.
In the journey of life, whenever contentment is missing in the life one, covetousness shall set in to give way to complaints that become the act of rebellion. 
With rebellion, there is no conscience, and compromising the word of God establishes itself. 
A believer that compromises demonstrates a lack of commitment.
Lack of commitment is evidence there is no continuity in living life by the word of God. 
Live life continuity in the word of God for the glory of God.

Prayer for today: Ask that you will live a life of commitment to the glory of God.

FAITH CAPSULE: What does the commandment mean to you? 

John 8:1-36

The commandment of God is His law to guide man. 
Commandments of God are the purpose of God for all to love. 
The command of God did not change from the time of the Old Testament till today. 
Galatians 5:14 records the urgency of the purpose of the commandments stating, “For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 
The commandments of God are fulfilled for all to love others as God loves us.
In the book of 1Timothy 1:5-6, the word of God identified three avenues for love demonstration before God: “Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith, from which some, having strayed, have turned aside to idle talk.”
Loving from a pure heart, a good conscience, and sincere faith stands to count before God.
Ones that love with pure heart strive for a good conscience, with sincere faith. 
One that claims faith (as many in the church do) and does not have a good conscience is impossible.
Conscience is the sense of right and wrong that governs the thoughts and actions of one.
Actions of one before God demonstrates such faith before God. 1 Samuel 2:3 buttresses, “…For the Lord is the God of knowledge; and by Him, actions are weighed.”
Conscience is what convicts man to turn man from what is not right before God.
Lying, deception, and manipulation are the identities of many acclaimed believers, the evidence of one that lacks a conscience. 
Also, the lack of conscience will cause a believer to live life in empty pride consciously or unconsciously.  
Conscience is responsible for conviction in life. 
However, pride often hinders one not to respond to conscience when the conviction is in place. 
Conscience will convict one that is ready to disregard pride. 
The Pharisees led a woman caught in adultery to Jesus with the hope of a judgment over the adultery woman.
They requested stoning her according to the Law of Moses. 
Jesus responds, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” (John 8:7) 
The book of John 8:9 documents the people to the response to Jesus, “Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one…”
All are to strive for conscience and not become to grow in having love before God. 
The defense of Paul before Felix made it known in his statement that conscience is what all should strive to become part of life. Paul states, “This being so, I myself always strive to have a conscience without offense toward God and men.” (Acts 24:16)
Having a conscience without offense toward God and anyone is a good conscience.

Prayer for today: Ask to live a life growing to know and have the conscience to gain, to retain the presence of God.

FAITH CAPSULE: Asking from God without a doubt is a pointer to a life of obedience.

Exodus 3

The direction of God is His command.
In His direction, there is a way where there is no way.
The direction of God is to deliver when full obedience is in position.
In His direction, doubt will lead to denying self and misdirection, fear will rise, and faith will sink.
The calling of God is His direction. 
When God calls you, he will back you up and not fail. 
1 Thessalonians 5:24 buttresses, “He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.”
Do you doubt the calling of God over your life?
Why is doubting interfering with your obedience to the direction of God? Asking without doubting the command is the way not to become a victim of self-destruction. 
Knowing God instead of knowing about God is asking in faith for His direction regardless of any challenge. 
With full assurance, Jesus promised in Matthew 7:7, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock and it will be opened to you.” Asking faithfully, not asking in doubt, as promised in the word of Jesus, is to deny excuses for disobedience to God.
Does that sound like you?
When it was the time of God for the Israelites to come out of the bondage of over four hundred years, God called Moses.
Moses responded before God with questions but without complaint or doubt. 
God called Moses, “…I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.” (Exodus 3:10) 
Moses responded to the calling of God, “…Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” (Exodus 3:11) 
God responded to Moses, “…I will certainly be with you. And this shall be a sign to you that I have sent you…” (Exodus 3:12) 
When God calls you, He shall back you up unfailingly.
In life, there is no reason to stop asking God prayerfully in faith and not in doubt. 
Moses asked prayerfully in faith in Exodus 33:13, “Now, therefore, I pray, if I have found grace in Your sight, show me now Your way, that I may know You and that I may find grace in Your sight. And consider that this nation is Your people.”  
Asking from God was a pointer for Moses’ journey as commanded by God. Fear God, ask without doubt, and honor Him. 
God is not a wicked God but a caring God. 
Moses asked prayerfully, and God answered him, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”(Exodus 33:14) 
Ask from God, and hold onto His answer to gain and retain His presence.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace to ask and hear when He speaks unfailing direction to you.