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.

FAITH CAPSULE: In this wicked world, all should live as upright believers. 

Colossians 3

What kind of believer are you in this wicked world of today?
Are you a believing believer or an unbelieving believer? 
The majority of believers today are a mouthful of the word of God but not mind-full of the word of God.
Many are far from God, answering as a believer but living as unbelieving believers with actions that are not desperate for God but occupied with self-interests. 
What is your action saying before God?
Does your action point you out as a believer before God?
Action speaks louder than voice.
Desperate action, demonstrated before God, will gain the attention of God to see it as faith.
In the testimony of a paralytic man, God saw faith in his action. 
Mark 2:1-5 records action before Jesus, “And again, He entered Capernaum after some days, and it was heard that He was in the house. Immediately many gathered together so that there was no longer room to receive them, not even near the door. And He preached the word to them. Then they came to Him, bringing a paralytic who was carried by four men. And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was. So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.” 
Jesus saw faith in the paralytic roof-tearing action.
Are you a mouthful believer with action desperate for self-interest or the glory of God?
Action rooted in the word of God delivers an answer that gives glory to God. 
Believers set their minds on the things above, answering as upright believers are few. 
Is it your desire to be living as an upright believer? 
Among the promises of God for the upright believer is recorded in
Psalm 112:4, “Unto the upright there arises light in the darkness…”
The devil is taking charge of the world under darkness, working around to devour. 
However, living by the word will make one an upright believer.
To fear God is to be living life in obedience to the word of God, while darkness will be giving up for the light of God to be keeping the believing one.
Live upright, be raised with Jesus, seeking the things of God which are in the above. 
Colossians 3:1-5 records, “If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.”
Fear God and live as an upright believer of God.

Prayer for today: Ask that the fear of God shall answer for you as a garment.

FAITH CAPSULE: One that is not committed to God will complain and not arrive at the promise of God. 

Numbers 32

Giving self to a convenient location will dislocate commitment in the life of one from getting to the center of divine assignment.
The Israelites could not commit to arriving at the promise of God for their life when they considered a convenient location of their choice.
The choice of convenience in the place of commitment will not fly.
The children of Gad and Reuben settled for the East side of the Jordan when God wanted them to cross the Jordan and establish them. 
The choice of convenience was a priority above the promise of God for the children of Gad and Reuben. 
The priority above the promise of God can relocate one away from a divine assignment for one.
Numbers 32:1-7 documents, “Now the children of Reuben and the children of Gad had a very great multitude of livestock; and when they saw the land of Jazer and the land of Gilead, that indeed the region was a place for livestock, the children of Gad and the children of Reuben came and spoke to Moses, to Eleazar the priest, and to the leaders of the congregation, saying, “Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Shebam, Nebo, and Beon, the country which the Lord defeated before the congregation of Israel, is a land for livestock, and your servants have livestock.” Therefore they said, “If we have found favor in your sight, let this land be given to your servants as a possession. Do not take us over the Jordan.” And Moses said to the children of Gad and to the children of Reuben: “Shall your brethren go to war while you sit here? Now, why will you discourage the heart of the children of Israel from going over into the land which the Lord has given them?” 
God promised land that flows with milk and honey, but the children of Gad and Reuben wanted to settle for land with milk. 
The Bible states that the children of Gad had a great multitude of livestock as they recognized the region for livestock (the source of milk).
As a result, the commitment to the Promised Land with milk and honey subsided.
The request of the children of Gad was a discouragement to their brethren from going forward. 
One that is not committed to God will complain and not arrive at the promise of God. 
Commitment is not convenient but sacrifice. 
One with no commitment to the word of God will compromise the word of God. 
Discipline lines with commitment, while doubt lines against commitment.
With doubt, fear rises to relegate faith. 
Let your life journey be committed to God to remain connected to the promise of God.

Prayer for today: Ask that you enable to be committed to the word of God.

 FAITH CAPSULE: Continually praying the word of God shall prevail.

Acts 12:1-19

Apostle Paul states, “but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” (Acts 6:4) 
There is nothing like giving self to prayer and the ministry of the word of God. 
Daniel gave himself to prayer as a vivid prayer. 
The wicked world served Daniel as a dinner for hungry lions, but lost appetite became the portion of hungry lions.
Daniel survived in the hungry den of Lion with no single scratch.
Praying the word of God is prevailing in this wicked world. 
Daniel prayed in the face of his wicked world as it is written, “…in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days.” (Daniel 6:10) 
A vivid praying character is giving self to praying before God.
A vivid praying believer will ask, see and know to receive from God. 
The hand of God wanted to take the Israelites out of the bondage of over four hundred years to the Promised Land, while the Wall of Jericho took a stand to deny the Israelites. 
Joshua 6:1-2 states, “Now Jericho was securely shut up because of the children of Israel; none went out, and none came in. And the Lord said to Joshua: See! I have given Jericho into your hand, its king, and the mighty men of valor.” 
God commanded Joshua to see victory when victory was yet in place. The encounter with Joshua demonstrates the need for all to give themselves to praying and be able to see, know, and receive what God has put in place for a breakthrough.  
Give constant prayer by the church before God is a prevailing church. 
The Bible records in Acts 12:1-2, “Now about that time Herod the king stretched out his hand to harass some from the church. Then he killed James the brother of John with the sword.” 
The hand of Herod went out against James to take away his life.
It was the same hand that took the life of James that went in the direction of Peter with a failed attempt to kill Peter, “So when he had arrested him, he put him in a prison, and delivered him to four squads of soldiers to keep him, intending to bring him before the people after Passover.” (Acts 12:4) 
Herod had evil against Peter.
Is there any evil against your life or your church brethren? 
Peter was to experience evil like the one that took the life of James but, “…Constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church.”  (Acts 12:5) Give self to prayer is prevailing in this continually wicked world.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace and strength to increase your prayer life.