FAITH CAPSULE: Are you aware if you are far or close to God? 

Exodus 33

Walking far from God is walking in the avenue to experience failure, to fall to falter in life.
Are you walking in the word of God or by the world you are living in today?
It does not matter who you are or what title you answer, but to walk far away from God is the avenue to fall.
In every walk of life, walking close to God demands observing the way of God.
The way of God is the presence of God. Proverbs 23:26 informs, “My son, give me your heart, And let your eyes observe my ways.” God is in His ways, and His way is His presence.
Seek God diligently the evidence of walking in His way, keeping close and not far from God.
The prayer of Moses before God and the response of God speak to what it means to walk close and not far from God records, “Then Moses said to the Lord, “See, You say to me, ‘Bring up this people.’ But You have not let me know whom You will send with me. Yet You have said, ‘I know you by name, and you have also found grace in My sight.’ 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.” 
And He said, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” (Exodus 33:12-14) 
The prayer of Moses states, “Show me your way that I may know you” 
testifies that God is in His way. Moses asked right before God.
The answer of God to Moses confirms that the way of God and the rest of God is the presence of God.
One with a title or no title should not assume to be close to God and not ask for the way of God. Just like Moses, know to ask for the ways of God for your life.
Search your heart continually to know if you are far or close to God.
Give your heart to God to observe His way, the evidence of walking close to God.
Walking close to God is not to impress your world but to press on God to gain and retain the presence of God continually.
Where are you before God?
The work of the individual is the walk that counts before God.
What is your work before God that keeps you close to God?
Jesus asked, “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?”
Jesus responds, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.” (John 6:28-29)
Do you have work before God, and God identifies your work?
It is your work, your belief in God, that draws you close or far from God.
In the challenging days, walk with God by giving yourself to the word of God continually.

Prayer for today: Ask that God enables you to walk close to Him.

FAITH CAPSULE: Give earnest heed to the word of God.

Daniel 1

A failure to give earnest heed to the word of God will lead to taking a distance from God. 
Keeping distance from God is getting closer to the position of self-destruction.
Earnest implies having a purpose and being steadily and soberly eager to pursue it.
Heed means paying attention, listening to, and following the word. 
To give earnest heed is to be purposeful and give attention to the word of God.
The heart is where purpose takes place.
The heart is where listening takes place.
Be mindful that the heart is where God sees the doing of all under the heaven.
Hebrews 2:1-4 records the need to give heed to the word of God,
“Therefore, we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away. For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward, how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him, God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will?”
Are you giving heed to the word of God?
One with earnest heed for God shall be purposeful for God.
Daniel Purposed in His heart.
Daniel was more earnest in heed for God, purposed in his heart to gain the favor of God.
Daniel 1:8-9 records: “But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank; therefore, he requested of the chief of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself. Now God had brought Daniel into the favor and goodwill of the chief of the eunuchs.” 
David had a heart after the heart of God. 
God will always locate any that earnestly heed His word.
The reaction of God to the violation of Saul testifies to the heart of David for God saying: “…I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will.” (Acts 13:22)
There is no compromise, but with no excuse, all must give earnest heed to the word of God.
The word of God is not to convince anyone.
The word of God demands commitment from all.
Also, the word of God is not for decoration but for declaration. 
In life, the way of all declares the word carried by all.
All should come out from RELIGION in the mouth, but give heart to the word of God. A failure to give earnest heed to the word of God will lead to distance from God but closer to self-destruction.

Prayer for today: Ask to enable giving heed to the word of God.

FAITH CAPSULE: Stop complaining and start counting the blessings of God.

Numbers 14

Blessings of God are rooted in His faithfulness. 
Psalm 89:1 records, “I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever; With my mouth will I make known Your faithfulness to all generations.” 
Are you counting, or are you complaining? 
Counting the blessings is praising Him for what He has done to provoke more of His doing. 
Complaining will complicate the life journey.
Regardless of challenges, see it in the word of God that the Lord is more than able to see you through your challenges. 
See that God turned the rock into a pool of water and the flint into a fountain of waters (Psalm 114:8) 
God is more than able to turn around your story above and beyond your expectation.
See that God does not slumber nor sleep, but He is awake and mindful of you in your challenging situation. 
Know that complaining does not settle well before God. 
Complaining is sin, and God will not overlook sin. 
God did not overlook the complaint of the children of Israel against Him. Assuredly, your complaint against God shall get His attention. 
The complaining of the Israelites complicated their journey. 
For the Israelites, their journey of eleven days turned into a journey of forty years.
The complaint before God made the Israelites become a wanderer in the wilderness when they were supposed to be a wonder to their world.
See the wonders of God in the word of God, to become positioned to exploit for the glory of God. 
The time of the year is not evidence that the visitation of God for your breakthrough has expired. 
Have you been complaining in any way you have taken to? 
The Israelites took to the way of wilderness which was supposed to be a passage for them to pass through, but they ended up living in it.
The complaining of the generation that came out of Egypt made the wilderness become their habitation.
The complaining made the Israelites wander on their wilderness journey. 
For the Israelites, the wonder of God was to be the journey from bondage to the promised land.
However, wandering to become wasted in the wilderness answered for the Israelites. 
Have you seen or experienced the act of God in your life?
The book of Numbers 14:22-23 documents, “Because all these men who have seen My glory and the signs which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have put Me to the test now these ten times, and have not heeded My voice, they certainly shall not see the land of which I swore to their fathers, nor shall any of those who rejected Me see it.” 
Stop complaining and start counting the blessings of God.
See what God has done, and it will enable you to see through what He will do.  
Can you count and see the blessings of God over your life? 

Prayer for today: Ask God to deliver you from complaining before Him.

FAITH CAPSULE: Dwelling in God is to know God.

1 John 3

Do you desire to dwell in the presence of God?
The desire to dwell in the presence of God demands to amend ways and doings. 
All that amends their way will walk in the knowledge of the will of God. Colossians 1:9-11 record prayer, “For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy.” 
The prayer of Paul the apostle is worth constant meditation for all that desire to dwell in the presence of God. 
Walking in the word of God is doing the will of God. 
To know God is to be living in God.
Having been in the church for a long or having the ability to memorize and be conversant in quoting the word is not evidence of knowing God. 
Many know about God but do not know God to keep His word. 1 John 2:3 buttresses, “Now by this, we know that we know Him if we keep His commandments.”  
Talking about the commandment of God is not evidence of knowing God but keeping His commandment is evidence of knowing Him. 
1 John 2:4-6 states, “He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this, we know that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.” 
The word of God is truth. 
God does not lie, and He will not look away from the manifestation of His word. 
In this world of challenge, there is no better place to abide but in the word of God. 
Determination is not what will make one dwell in the word.
Peter determined not to deny Jesus, but he denied Christ three times. 
However, the prayer of Jesus delivered Peter not to become a victim of denying Christ. Luke 22:32 records the prayer of Jesus for Peter, “But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.”  When there is a desire to dwell in God, God will deposit what it takes. 
Word buttresses, “Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in Him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.” (1 John 3:24) 

Prayer for today: Ask God to fill you with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.

Faith Capsule: Indeed, to despise the command of God is evidence of a lack of fear for God.

Romans 6

God is a God of order.
The word of God is to obey.
His commands are not negotiable. 
Have you been commanded but not obeyed? 
It does not matter who you are, but it does matter not to despise the word of God. 
To despise His word is to be destroyed. 
Proverbs 13:13 buttresses, “He who despises the word will be destroyed, but he who fears the commandment will be rewarded.” 
To despise the word of God is a lack of fear for God. 
Moses despised the word of God and could not step on the Promised Land. 
There is no excuse to despise the command of God. 
Moses experienced the consequence of his error when he despised the word of God.
Numbers 20:7-8 record, “Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Take the rod; you and your brother Aaron gather the congregation together. Speak to the rock before their eyes, and it will yield its water; thus you shall bring water for them out of the rock, and give drink to the congregation and their animals.”  
Moses was to obey the command of God to give water to the children of Israel, but he despised the word of God.
Acting outside of the word of God is despising the word of God.
Numbers 20:11 states, “Then Moses lifted his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod, and water came out abundantly, and the congregation and their animals drank.” 
Before Moses struck the rock, he called the children of Israel name that was not in the direction of God.
The disobedient move of Moses did not settle well with God.
God responds 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 life journey ended up in the wilderness for Moses when he struck a rock instead of speaking as commanded by God. 
Simple disobedience denied Moses from getting to the Promised Land, and his pleading before God for his disobedience could make God reverse His judgment towards Moses. 
Indeed, to despise the command of God is evidence of a lack of fear for God.
For all, living in the time of dispensation of grace is not a reason to despise His command.
Jesus indeed paid it all for all on the Calvary. 
However, the word questions all, “…Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?”(Romans 6:1-2) 
The sin of Moses is enough for all to learn not to despise the command of God. 

Prayer for today: Ask God to deliver you not to become a victim of disobedience.