FAITH CAPSULE: Identify your sin before God to gain His forgiveness. 

Luke 7:36-50

To experience the forgiveness of sin before God comes with a condition.
The Bible records certain conditions that provoke forgiveness before God.
The listed conditions for forgiveness are to confess, repent, have faith, and demonstrate love.
Confession provokes forgiveness:
Confession of sin before God provokes the forgiveness of God.
1 John 1:9 records, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Psalm 32:5 testifies that confession is a way of receiving forgiveness before God, stating, “I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” And You forgave the iniquity of my sin.” 
Recognize your sin before God to gain His forgiveness. 
Repentance provokes forgiveness:
Repentance must come from the depth of the heart. 
To repent and not repeat sin is a choice not to be held down as a sinner but to gain forgiveness from God.
Repentance of sin that provokes forgiveness states:
“Him God has exalted to His right hand to be Prince and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.” (Acts 5:31)
“Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you.” (Acts 8:22)
Repent, and God will forgive!
Having faith provokes forgiveness:
God alone sees faith that is genuinely rooted in the heart and acts. 
With faith demonstrated in the sight of God, the forgiveness of God shall answer for the sinner.
The healing of the story of the roof-tearing faith by a paralyzed man was the result of his forgiveness. 
Luke 5:18-20 documents, “Then behold, men brought on a bed a man who was paralyzed, whom they sought to bring in and lay before Him. And when they could not find how they might bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the housetop and let him down with his bed through the tiling into the midst before Jesus. When He saw their faith, He said to him, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.” 
Jesus saw his faith, and the forgiveness of Jesus for the sinner provoked healing.
Love demonstration provokes forgiveness: 
A sinful woman gains forgiveness from Jesus. 
With love, she approached Jesus with an alabaster flask of fragrant oil; she wept; washed His feet with her tears; wiped them with the hair of her head; she kissed His feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil. 
She loved the Lord, but she was the sinful woman of the city. 
The forgiveness of the woman by Jesus provoked questions from the people. 
Jesus talked to Simon, “Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.” Then He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” (Luke 7:47-48) 
The conversation between Jesus and Simon confirms that love demonstrated before God provokes forgiveness. 
Let us have a heart of receiving forgiveness from God.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace not to be a victim of unforgiving.

FAITH CAPSULE: Wrongdoing is a sin and does not have a place before God

2Samuel 11

In the place of doing, there is a consequence for right or wrongdoing.
Excuses do not deny consequences.
Always do right to disengage wrongdoing.
Any right doing is bound for one to be increased before God, while wrongdoing shall reduce one not to arrive at the calling of God.
Think it right and know right to gain right to the glory of God.
King David engaged in assignment right when he sent Joab, his servants, and all of Israel to battle.
King David started right but turned wrong when he stayed back from going to war.
The Bible records, “It happened in the spring of the year, at the time when kings go out to battle, that David sent Joab and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the people of Ammon and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem.”(2 Samuel 11:1)
David was to be at the battlefront when he remained at home.
King David used his rightful power when he unrightfully took possession of the wife of Uriah. 
Uriah the Hittite was at the battleground when David made his move for his wife. 
2 Samuel 11:4-5 records, “Then David sent messengers and took her, and she came to him, and he lay with her, for she was cleansed from her impurity; and she returned to her house. And the woman conceived; so she sent and told David, and said, “I am with child.” 
David chose to be at the right place at the wrong time. 
David was supposed to be at the battlefront but chose to be home at the wrong time. 
The absence of David from the battlefront promoted action outside of God. 
He committed adultery and also extended it to murder. 
Sin is like a disease that does not stop itself when there is no choice in place to stop sinning. 
Wickedness was the sin of David. 
In the place to do right, are you about to engage in a sin wrongly? 
It is always good to go back to God before the enemies use one as a ground to expand your sin. 
The sin of David becomes expanded. 
2 Samuel 11:14-15 records, “In the morning it happened that David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by the hand of Uriah. And he wrote in the letter, saying, “Set Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and retreat from him, that he may be struck down and die.”
On that morning hour, David could have been in the presence of God seeking forgiveness but went further with sinning to orchestrate the death of Uriah in the battle.
God rightfully positioned David as a king, but he took his rightful position to commit an unrighteous act. 
Regardless of your God-given position, inside or outside of the church, always remember, “The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good.” (Proverbs 15:3)

Prayer for today: Pray not to be in a position to engage in sinful acts before God.

FAITH CAPSULE: Trust and hope in God to continually wait and rest on God.

1 Kings 1

God is a good creator of all His creation.
God alone is in control, and He oversees the affairs of all.
In His goodness, He is near to all except those who are far from Him.
How far are you from God?
In the journey of life, it is the level of understanding that one purpose shall determine how far one goes with God.
Know that God is in control.
Anyone with the understanding of God in control of life shall continually wait and rest on God.
To trust and hope in God will gain the blessing of God.
Jeremiah 17:7 admonishes, “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, And whose hope is the Lord.”
To have trust in God and not exercise hope will not provoke the blessing of God.
Trusting and hoping God is the character of waiting on God.
If you know that God is in control of your life, you will wait and rest amid unrest. 
Regardless of the enemy attempting to upstage the plan of God over your life, always trust and hope that the word of God shall not fail over your life.
David promised to put Solomon in place as king, but Adonijah set up a plot because he realized that David was old and advanced in years.
The Bible records, “Then he conferred with Joab the son of Zeruiah and with Abiathar the priest, and they followed and helped Adonijah. But Zadok the priest, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei, Rei, and the mighty men who belonged to David were not with Adonijah.” (1 King 1:7-8)Adonijah conferred with some but not with those counts and matters.
Adonijah was set up for failure because he attempted to answer a calling not of God for him.
The hand of God was in place for Solomon to be king but not for Adonijah. 
There was no struggle for Solomon because Solomon was in the divine schedule for his life. 
The move of Prophet Nathan requires the mother of Solomon, Bathsheba, to play the role of bringing the plan and purpose of God to life when he said to Bathsheba, “Go immediately to King David and say to him, ‘Did you not, my lord, O king, swear to your maidservant, saying, assuredly your son Solomon shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne? Why then has Adonijah become king?’” (I Kings 1:13) 
Bathsheba reacted, and Nathan responded. By David, Solomon became king.
Today, focus on God. 
Trust and hope God, wait with rest on God.
In your entire endeavor, let the peace of God that surpasses all understanding have its place in your life. 

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace of God that you shall live in the center of the divine assignment of God for your life.

FAITH CAPSULE: No one should not afford to live life foolishly. 

1 Samuel 13

Foolishness is a sin before God, but God does not tolerate sin.
It takes a foolish-minded one to take a position as a speaker for a forum that claims there is no God.  
Psalm 14:1 buttressed, “The fool has said in his heart that “there is no God” They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none who does good.” 
One that says in the heart that there is no God is such that speaks it from the mouth that there is no God. 
Jesus buttresses, “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things.” (Matthew 12:34-35) It is always evil to say there is no God. Often, it is an action that reveals a foolish one, not only what utters from the mouth.
Are you saying there is no God by your verbal communication, body language, or the company you relate with?
The word will point out who the foolish is.
The foolish ones have all turned aside, not serving the Lord God.
The foolish ones engage in corrupt and dishonest practices, such as bribery, and lack integrity.
The foolish ones do not do good but evil in approach and live in sin and iniquity.
Does any of the above sound like you? 
No one should not afford to live life foolishly. 
Living life in the wicked world of today demands a constant answer not to be foolish. 
The world is wicked. 
Genesis 6:5 testifies, “Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”  
Without a doubt, it takes a foolish mind to embrace the wicked world. 
As a believer, how do you answer to a foolish world? 
A believer must be with wisdom, not to be foolish. 
Foolishness is a sin, and sin does nothing but destroy. 
One with the life of a sinner is far away from God.
Saul became a sinner by his act when he offered the burnt offering not belonging to the King but to a priest. 
In a time of war against the Philistines, Saul could not wait for Samuel to sacrifice. 
At the arrival of Samuel, Saul gave an excuse for his foolishness while his act was foolishness to have engaged in offering. 
Samuel responded to the foolish act of Saul, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, which He commanded you.” (I Samuel 13:13)
In engaging the wicked world, avoid foolish excuse that amounts to sin before God. 
Foolishness is a sin before God and will deny sinners from seeing God.

Prayer for today: Ask to be delivered from foolish engagement and not to miss the presence of God.

FAITH CAPSULE: Do not become a victim of distraction.

Genesis 11:27-32, Acts 7:1-8

Distraction is a deterrent that prevents one from arriving at the calling of God, the center of divine assignment.
Distraction is a reducer bound to reduce its victim.
Distraction is not of God but the evil to silently cause and lead to untimely or sudden termination of life.
Distraction can sneak into the life of its victim.
It will delay or deny one to gain and retain the presence of God.
An agent of distraction can be the closest one, whether far or near, and such an agent can be known or unknown to the victim of distraction.
What is your distraction?
Prayerfully is to be detached from a known or unknown agent of distraction physically or spiritually.
Imagine the documentation of Terah, the father of Abram (Abraham).
Terah was living in Ur of the Chaldeans when he set to go to the land of Canaan with his family.
When Terah arrived at Haran, distractions derailed going forward, not going to Canaan.
Genesis 11:32 records, “So the days of Terah were two hundred and five years, and Terah died in Haran.”
Terah was a victim of distraction and did not arrive at the desired location.
Terah was not aware of his distraction.
God appeared to Abraham to move Terah to Canaan. (Acts 7:2)
Terah stopped at Haran, which could be the distraction of reluctance.
Worshipping of the moon in Ur was the same at Haran to prompt Terah to stop at Haran until he died.
The mourning of Haran, the son of Terah, is also a reason to move to Canaan before stopping at the city of Haran, where Terah died.
FACTORS OF DISTRACTION THAT DERAIL ARE EVIDENT IN THE LIFE OF TERAH ARE:
Terah was reluctant and did not focus going forward, and the desire for change was not.
Terah was reluctant, not wanting to move from Ur because the call to move forward went to Abram.
Terah could not focus on moving away from the place of worship. At Ur to Haran, worshipped the moon as in Ur.
Terah could not let go of Ur till he died at Haran.
The drive that moved Tearh from Ur at the death of his son must have died down when he got to Haran.
Prayer is a key to locking out the force of distraction.
Ask that the spirit of reluctance that procrastinates to derail moving forward shall not have a place in your life.
Ask that every force that distracts one not to move for the glory of God be terminated in your life.
Ask the force that denies focus, an agent of distraction, to be crushed and not exist in all your ways of life.
Terah could not let go of Ur till he died at Haran.
Ask that goodness and mercy shall deliver you from sudden death rooted in distraction.
Ask that any expected or unexpected issue with the capacity to distract physically or spiritually shall not locate you.