FAITH CAPSULE: What kind of a believer are you?

Matthew 5:1-16

In life, the word of God (command of God) demands nothing but for all to be fully obedient with no iota of middle ground.
To be fully obedient is living life by the word of God.
To be fully obedient to the word of God will please God to provoke the blessing of God.
Living a life of disobedience is bound to provoke the curse of God. 
Are you partially obedient to the word of God as in the middle? 
Are you like water that is not warm or cold? 
The book of revelation talked about the middle ground, “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.” (Revelation 3:15-16) 
As an acclaimed believer, you are either one who contributes to your world as a preserver or one who contributes as a non-preserver (destroyer). 
In the Bible days, there was no refrigerator for preserving food but salt. Jesus likens salt to be as the life of a believer.
Jesus points out that a believer should be responsible for impacting changes to the environment such as their workplace, neighborhood, and family gatherings. 
Salt, as a preserver, means believers should be agents of preserving the decaying world of sin and iniquity around them. Instead, the world is the one that is changing believers lately. 
The believers today should not be changed by the affairs of this world if they cannot change the world. 
It is not enough to be fluent in Bible verses if the character does not support the fluency of the word in the mouth. 
The majority of believers appear to be quiet, claiming that they do not want to offend any by their belief. 
What kind of a believer are you?
Does the question point to you?
Imagine this, in the world of a kitchen where there is salt, how can it be that every food coming out is tasteless and unacceptable?
Question yourself why your world is tasteless in your presence as salt that answers to the calling of God? 
Jesus said in Matthew 5:13, “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men”. 
The salt in the kitchen where food is tasteless and unacceptable does not affect its world, to have lost its flavor. 
Are you like salt in a kitchen with no effect? 
The salt that is not effective has lost its purpose. 
According to Jesus, salt becomes an underfoot material when it cannot preserve. 
What kind of salt are you? 
Boldness in quoting the Word without Godly character to back it up will continue to make you a powerless believer. 
You are to be a salt that seasons your world with good and acceptable contributions to the glory of God.
Think and search to identify: what kind of a believer are you?

Prayer for today: Ask from God to enable you to be salt for your world.

FAITH CAPSULE: One that sees God will KNOW God to answer the calling of God by turning to God. 

Exodus 3

Looking away from God is not looking for God to find God.
One that looks for God that is always near to all shall know to turn to God.
The evidence to KNOW GOD is to TURN ASIDE to God.
It is an error, incomplete to look at God but not turn aside to God.
All must TURN ASIDE to God.
Looking for God will find God to TURN ASIDE to God.
Turning aside to God is essential to engage the calling of God. 
For example, Moses could not live life in the calling of God until he TURNED ASIDE to God. 
Exodus 3:2-4 records
“Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. and he led the flock to the back of the desert and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. and the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So, he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed. then Moses said, “I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn.” so when the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” and he said, “here I am.” (exodus 3:2-4) 
Moses looked without getting the calling of God until he turned aside to see.
The key to arriving at the calling of God demands turning aside to see God. 
One that sees God will KNOW God to answer the calling of God by turning to God. 
The world is full of distractions from inside to outside and will deny turning aside to look for God, to find God.
However, with desire and persistent PRAYER, one WILL not fail but turn aside to God. It was the prayer of Jesus that positioned the faith of Peter to turn to God. 
Many are looking outside for God wrongly by running from church building to another building, giving self to empty promises by counting on man but not committed to God (the evidence of knowing about God to turn to God.)
Knowing about God but not knowing God is prevalent (widespread) even among many acclaimed believers.
Are you running after a man posing in the name of a great man of God but not knowing GOD to turn aside to God?
Do you KNOW GOD to turn aside to God?
With desire, strive to know God and turn aside to God.
Turning aside to God shall come out of religion, get into the reality of Christ knowing to do according to His word.

Prayer for today: Ask God to turn your eyes from looking at worthless things and revive you in His way.

FAITH CAPSULE: The wilderness journey is inevitable for all that is with the calling of God. 

Exodus 13:17-22, Matthew 4:1-17

Navigating the wilderness journey of life is with challenges.
The time of the wilderness journey of life comes with the spiritual, emotional, or physical challenge that is never beyond the intervention of God.
Jesus experienced the challenge of temptation in His journey of life.
The Bible records, “Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.” (Matthew 4:1) 
Jesus, Lord, and savior passed through the wilderness before getting to the center of His divine assignment.
If Jesus could not escape the experience of the wilderness journey of life to arrive at the center of the divine assignment, no one shall escape the challenges of the wilderness journey of life.
In life, it is how wild a wilderness journey is that will determine how challenging one will engage for the glory of God. 
The deliverance of the Israelites out of the bondage of over four hundred years to the Promised Land could not be through a back road but the wilderness journey. 
Exodus 13:17-18 records, “Then it came to pass when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, “Lest perhaps the people change their minds when they see war and return to Egypt.” So God led the people around by way of the wilderness of the Red Sea. And the children of Israel went up in orderly ranks out of the land of Egypt.” The wilderness journey of life is with no avoidance of challenges.
Navigating the wilderness journey goes through the process and becomes positioned in the promise of God.
The wilderness journey is not a journey that one plans for but is a journey that puts one in the plan of God.
The wilderness journey is not a journey of the comfort of choice or interest. 
The wilderness journey is a journey for everyone in the hand of God to pass through to learn obedience. 
The wilderness journey is inevitable for all that is with the calling of God. 
In your answering to the calling of God, are you seeking a back road or shortcut to avoid the wilderness journey?
The wilderness journey is a journey of trial and temptation that can be an unencouraging route with pain.
Obedience to the direction of God is the only available avenue that leads through the promise of God into claiming the promises of God without failure. 
Any attempt to avoid the wilderness journey will make a believer become a wanderer not to arrive at the promised plan of God.
Engage your wilderness journey by knowing that God shall see you through.
The wilderness journey is a wild journey where nothing works but faith. 

Prayer for today: Ask from God that you shall not become a victim of termination navigating the wilderness journey of life.

FAITH CAPSULE: Watching and praying is asking, seeking, and knocking to call on God.

Psalm 141

Prayer is not a parade to impress man but to provoke the hand of God for His favor of goodness. 
Prayer is a labor that is not for one with the spirit of laziness. 
The prayer of Jesus in the garden demonstrates that prayer is labor that God cannot ignore. Luke 22:44 identifies the labor prayer of Jesus, “And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.” 
Engage prayer with labor as a way of life in this wicked world to be saved. 
Give yourself to prayer.
Prayer is the master key to assessing and receiving from God. 
With understanding, prayer is not assuming to receive from God but to ask, seek or knock just as Matthew 7:7 records, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”
To ask or think is praying to receive as Ephesians 3:20 records, “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.”
Before God, ask with action rooted in faith for God to see and not deny an answer.
To seek is in watching not to miss when God answers.
Knocking persistently for an open door will not deny the prayer as the master key to open or lock.
Watching and praying is asking, seeking, and knocking to call on God.
Pray with understanding for knowing to gain an edge in challenges.
The word of God points to all the importance of seeking God with understanding as Psalm 47:7 denotes, “For God is the King of all the earth; Sing praises with understanding.” 
As the word of God demands to sing praises with understanding, praying before God and other ways of seeking God is not with the exemption from praying with understanding.
With a prayer of understanding, God does not ignore.
With prayer, one cannot be quiet to become victorious.
Prayer is action. The evidence of having understanding and knowledge of God will always gain the attention of God. 
1 Samuel 2:3 admonishes, “For the Lord is the God of knowledge; And by Him, actions are weighed.” 
Let your prayer be an action that carries weights before God that will provoke God to incline His ear to your prayer.
A prayer that carries weight before God cannot be blown as with no weight away from the presence of God by any force of wicked.
How is your prayer life?
Are you praying to God from the head or heart?
Is your prayer rooted in the word of God or the word of your head?
Is your prayer at your convenience and without commitment before God?
Apostle Paul identifies the importance of how prayer should be to gain the attention of God, as he states in Acts 6:4, “but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”
Let praying before God become your priority as your way of life.

Prayer for today: Ask God to enable you to always watch in your prayer.

FAITH CAPSULE: In challenge time, do not worry but give yourself to worshipping God.

Psalm 3

When trouble increase, it becomes challenging trouble. 
Challenging trouble is a growing trouble that persists but with no sign for it to cease. 
Challenging trouble often graduates to permanent when it does not cease.
Challenging trouble is intending to terminate the troubled ones. 
Are you worrying instead of worshipping God?
David had increasing trouble when he said, “Lord, how they have increased who trouble me! Many are they who rise up against me. Many are they who say of me, “There is no help for him in God.” (Psalm 3:1-2)
TWO WAYS AMONG WAYS DAVID APPROACHED HIS TROUBLE.
One of the testimonies of how David dealt with increasing trouble in his life records, “But You, O Lord, are a shield for me, My glory and the One who lifts up my head.” (Psalm 3:3)  
David acknowledged the awesomeness of God instead of allowing his trouble to overtake his life. He refused to be reduced or excused himself from worshiping God. 
Acknowledging God in a time of increasing trouble is a way of thanking God; it is a way to provoke the hand of God for His intervention.
Acknowledging God in a time of troubling challenge is expressing what the Lord God can do, as David states, “One who lifts up my head…”
Acknowledging God in a time of troubling challenge is an action that God cannot ignore. 2 Samuel 2:3 testifies, “For the Lord is the God of knowledge, and by Him, actions are weighed.” 
Acknowledge God in time of trouble, and God shall acknowledge you.
Second testimony of how David dealt with his troubling challenge records, “I cried to the Lord with my voice, and He heard me from His holy hill.” (Psalm 3:4) 
Crying is not a sign of weakness. 
The challenge of David was not a silent cry. 
David cried out with his voice; it was not just a cry in his heart but a cry that went out loud to God at His holy hill. 
It is worthy to cry out loud to God, unlike being quiet not to become victorious. 
The word of God requests that we open our mouths wide. (Psalm 81:10) Open your mouth wide, and God will fill your open mouth. 
David testifies that the Lord heard him from His holy hill. 
God is not a partial God. Romans 2:11 points out, “For there is no partiality with God.” 
In your challenging trouble, do not count on crying out to any man, but cry out to God, and He will hear your cry as He heard to attend David. 
Regardless of how long your challenge persists, you make it a point to resist and insist on worshipping God for His divine intervention.
Be encouraged, know that God shall deliver.

Prayer for today: Ask that God shall lead and keep you not to become a victim of troubling challenges.