FAITH CAPSULE: Carry the word of God to be carried by God.

Proverb 30

Are you giving to the word of God for the heart?
Do not dilute the word of God.
Proverb 30:6 warns, “Do not add to His words, Lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar.”
Revelation 22:18 o warns, “For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book.”
No one should add or take away from the word of God.
How do we carry the word of God?
Carry the word of God in the depth of hearts, not just by the mouth.
Deuteronomy 6:6 records, “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart.”  
Deuteronomy 11:18 “Therefore, you shall lay up these words of mine in your heart and your soul, and bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.”
Psalm 119:11 “Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You.”
Ezekiel 3:10 “Moreover He said to me: “Son of man, receive into your heart all My words that I speak to you, and hear with your ears.”
Joseph is a testimony that carried the word in the heart and could arrive at the center of God’s divine assignment for his life.
As he journeyed, sin presented itself to him when the wife of his master approached him to lie with her.
Joseph could not fall to sin against God.
Genesis 39:19 “…How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?”
Joseph hid the word of God in his heart so as not to sin against God.
Imagine what could have happened to Joseph in life if he had fallen for the sin presented to him by the wife of his master.
The word you in the heart will serve as a key to open the door for deliverance and breakthrough.
One meditating the word of God in the heart will not be a victim of the wicked world.
Word of God promised to deliver the Israelites to the Promised Land, and the word of promise stayed in the heart of Caleb. Joshua 14:7 records the testimony of Caleb, “I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadesh Barnea to spy out the land, and I brought back word to him as it was in my heart.”
Caleb and Joshua did not confess negatively as a spy.
The report by Caleb and Joshua branched out of the heart occupied by the word of God.
Come out of memorizing the word in your head; commit to meditating the word in the heart.
In this wicked world, keep the word of God.
The word of God is alive and is proven.
1 John 2:5 said it all, “But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him.”
Give yourself to the word of God to become a building that stands for God, by God.

Prayer for today: Ask to be carrying the word of God.

FAITH CAPSULE: God magnified His word.

Psalm 138

The word of God is God. (John 1:1)
God creates all!
God magnified His word above all His name. (Psalm 138:2)
The word of God is living, and it stands forever.
Isaiah 40:8 states, “…But the word of our God stands forever.”  
The word of God is a proven living word.
Without a doubt, what is it that the word of God cannot do?
Hebrews 4:12 points out, “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”
There is nothing the word of God cannot do!
With understanding, know to give yourself to the word of God and be able to live for God.
God is a consuming fire. (Hebrews 12:29)
God also testified to have sent His word.
With faith in God, whatever is not of God shall be consumed by His fire.
His word is in place for all purposes to answer for all who believe in His word.
God describes His word in Jeremiah 23:29, “Is not My word like a fire?” says the Lord, “And like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?”
An acclaimed believer who is not an unbelieving believer will gain understanding to know and engage the word of God that is consuming fire, which devours all that does not represent God.
The word of God is like a hammer in position to break forces to deny one not to be a victim of the forces of the wicked world.
The word of God is not to be taken for granted.
In this wicked world, not believing the word of God is taking a position of self-destruction. Proverbs 13:13 warned, “He who despises the word will be destroyed, but he who fears the commandment will be rewarded.” Doubt is a way of despising the word of God.
The word of God warns against lying, deception, and manipulation, but the wickedness despises the word of God.
Often, the world, by their action, takes to the word of God as not truth. One that is true to the word of God will not live the life of wickedness but shall abide by James 1:21-23 as stated, “Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror.”    
Engage the world to be built by and not be broken.
The word of God performs to perfect.
Paul, the Apostle, admonished in Acts 20:32, “So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.”
Live for God according to His word.

Prayer for today: Ask to be enabled to live for God.

FAITH CAPSULE: In asking, be exact when asking before God.

1 Samuel 1

When blind man Bartimaeus received information that Jesus was passing, he knew to cry out for his need. 
Luke 18:38-39 records, “And he cried out, saying, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Then those who went before warned him that he should be quiet; but he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”
To know to ask, not to know about asking. 
Bartimaeus asked for mercy with the assumption that Jesus knew his problem. 
Jesus knows all problems, but He wants all to know for asking what is needed.
Do you know how to ask, or do you only know about asking? 
Jesus wants all to know and ask. 
Luke 11:9 states, “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” 
Without a doubt, Jesus knows the needs of all but engages Him by asking for the demonstration of faith.
Bartimaeus made a noise of asking for mercy, and Jesus decided to remind him to ask, “Saying, what do you want Me to do for you?” He said, “Lord, that I may receive my sight.” (Luke 18:41) 
Making a noise without asking is not enough to gain the attention of God.
In asking, be specific and exact before God.
When are you going to start asking rather than making noise? 
Hannah could have died barren until she asked for a son from God instead of being quiet under the comfort of her husband. 
The husband of (Elkanah), Hannah, gave preferential treatment to make Hannah comfortable with her barren situation. 
However, on one miracle trip, she received her breakthrough when Peninnah (the second wife of Elkanah) provoked her. 
Hannah became provoked by Peninnah. “And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed to the LORD and wept in anguish. Then she made a vow and said, “O LORD of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a male child, then I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life, and no razor shall come upon his head.” (1 Samuel 1:10-11)  
The bitter heart of Hannah urged her to ask for her needs before God.
All the while, Hannah was going to Shiloh with nothing to show off until she knew to ask, and her story changed from a barren woman to the mother of Samuel. 
Hannah testifies that she asked for Samuel from the Lord by the meaning of Samuel, “…Because I have asked for him from the LORD.”(1 Samuel 1:20)
Do you know how to ask, or do you only know about asking?
Bartimaeus and Hannah asked, and all should know to ask. 

Prayer for today: Ask God for your need, and also ask to be surrounded with songs of deliverance.

FAITH CAPSULE: Are you planning or does God do it? 

Matthew 25:1-13

God does the planning; we do the preparing. 
Seeking God is a plan of wanting to see God, but preparation is to seek God diligently to see Him.
The values you have to see God is the evidence rooted in your act and behavior.
In seeking God to find God, “What you do is what you believe; everything else is just religious talk.” 
The wise virgins value the invitation and adjust their behavior accordingly to be ready. 
They are women who have pure hearts, cultivate goodness, and guard their speech. 
They are righteous and have faith. 
In the parable, faithful waiting involves preparation and readiness, not planning and predicting.
The teaching encased ten virgins of Jesus points to being ignored by the world.
Are you preparing and ready?
Are you planning and predicting? 
Ten virgins waited.
Five virgins prepared.
Five virgins only had a plan.
Five virgins who got shut out represent irresponsible ones not prepared.
Preparation is calling upon God by seeking Him diligently.
Preparation is not seeking Him one way but having a relationship with God. 
Throughout the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus teaches people about living and growing in a relationship with God. 
Jesus stresses that being spiritually alive means not just knowing religious information or being with a denomination but doing what Jesus teaches regarding love for God and neighbor.
The biblical truth is this: God does the planning; we do the preparing.
Jeremiah 29:11 informs us what God says: For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord.
In Genesis 12, God told Abram to begin a journey and didn’t even tell him where he was going. 
Abram couldn’t plan the itinerary but prepared by telling his family, wrapping up business details, packing his tent, and setting out. 
The Exodus from Egypt is a story of prayer and preparation. 
God planned the Exodus, but no person could. 
No one would have written the story God did, and Moses didn’t get to see the whole plan ahead of time. 
The Israelites prepared by marking their doors, taking everything, they could carry, eating fast food, and waiting for the word to move out. 
John the Baptist preached: “Prepare the way of the Lord.” He didn’t say, “Plan the way of the Lord.”
Are you planning in the place of preparing before God?
Proverbs 19: 21 informs all: There are many plans in a man’s heart, Nevertheless the Lord’s counsel—that will stand.
It is the wisdom and character of one who lives by the word of God (believer) to prepare in the place of the plan. 
All are limited to planning the future, much of what happens, but to give to prepare in watching and praying.
The biblical approach to the future involves prayer and preparation more than prediction and planning.
Prayer for today: Ask that seeking God in preparation be meaningful and established in your way of life before Him. (Seeking God diligently)
Ask that the plan of God for your life shall stand all the days he has given you.

FAITH CAPSULE: Shiloh is a ground to remain persistent.  

1 Samuel 1

Despite opposition, obstacles, discouragement, and mockery, you continue to have hope in God for your breakthrough. 
Despite the delay and abandonment from the loved ones, your trust does not waver. 
Does any of the above describe your situation? 
If yes, you are not alone. Know that God is with you. 
It seems so very long that you have been waiting with no answer. 
Know that as long as you remain persistent, you insist on the visitation of God by waiting.
God promised in Isaiah 64:4, “For since the beginning of the world men have not heard nor perceived by the ear, nor has the eye seen any God besides You, who acts for the one who waits for Him.” 
A believer of the word should trust and hope that God acts for those waiting on Him.
Keep the testimony of Hannah, seek God, and you shall see His act manifested in your favor. 
Elkanah, Hannah, Peninnah, and her sons and daughters attended Shiloh yearly to worship and sacrifice to the LORD of hosts. 
Every year they went, nothing changed in the story of Hannah. 
She was barren and coming. 
Hannah does not complain or fight anyone despite no answer to her barren challenge.
Hannah was the neediest and probably the quietest. 
Hannah kept on going with her family with no excuse. 
She was barren but trusted God for intervention, and she was persistent. You may be wondering what happened in your case. 
Are you questioning God?
Remain trusting and hopeful, continually wait and patiently, the character of persistence.
Keep calling on God without doubt, and be consistent.
Know that delay is not denial.
God is a good God. 
He is a God of the eleventh hour to make a way where there is no way.
Persistence demonstrates that you have faith that pleases God.
God is not pleased when there is no faith. 
The situation with Hannah was that God had closed her womb. 
Elkanah gave his best to make up for Hannah.
1 Samuel 1:5 records, “…Hannah a double portion, for he loved Hannah, although the LORD had closed her womb.” 
Elkanah cannot be in the place of God.
Persistency often provokes the hand of God to open a closed door. 
The Lord God remembered Hannah, “So it came to pass in the process of time that Hannah conceived and bore a son, and called his name Samuel, saying, “Because I have asked for him from the Lord.” (1 Samuel 1:20) 
The time of preparation is the process of time.
The Lord blessed Hannah more than she expected. 
Know today that God is God. 
Let nothing seal up your open door by confessing negatively.
Go the way of persistence and understanding that God can choose to open or close the door. 
He alone is God.

Prayer for today: Ask God not to withhold His tender mercy from you. 

Ask for His loving kindness to preserve you continually.