FAITH CAPSULE: Serving God is worshiping God.  

Genesis 32

The will of God is for all to live life for God.
The word of God specifically wants all to exist for Him. (Revelation 4:11)
God creates all, and all to live for Him.
Who has the right to question God about what He wants for His creation?
God alone is a jealous God.
The antidote to jealousy is attention.
The will of God for man is to serve God.
God called the Israelites out of bondage to serve Him as it is written, “When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.” (Exodus 3:12)
Serving God is worshiping God.
Worshipping God is to be separated to God.
Understanding the love for God will strengthen one to serve God.
However, those who separate themselves to worship God will definitely abide in God.
The book of 1 John 2:15-17  buttresses, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world.  And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.”
One separated from all sources of distraction will be a worshipper of God.
Seeking (worshipping) God demands all being.
The reward of worshipping, seeking God diligently, shall be rewarded because He is a rewarder of those who seek Him diligently. (Hebrews 11:6)
To be separated is a sacrifice.
Abraham separated himself to answer the word of God.
The calling of God for Abraham to depart from his country and his family to a land unknown to him. (Genesis 12:1-2) The calling of God was a call of sacrifice to seek God.
Abraham was accounted to him for righteousness because it was evidence that he believed God. (Romans 4:3)
When a man responds to the word of God by denying self-engagement, it is a demonstration of seeking God.
Worshipping God is separation, seeking God.
Abraham, Jacob encountered a divine assignment; he separated from his family and all his possessions. Genesis 32:22-24 records, “And he arose that night and took his two wives, his two female servants, and his eleven sons, and crossed over the ford of Jabbok. He took them, sent them over the brook, and sent over what he had. Then Jacob was left alone; and a Man wrestled with him until the breaking of day.”
Until Jacob separated from all, God did not engage him for his name change to Israel.
Jacob was separated, and God enabled him to live in the center of his life assignment.
Be separated to God; live life for God, be fully established for His glory.

Prayer for today: Ask that the goodness of God shall answer over your life.

FAITH CAPSULE: One who abides in the word of God shall prevail.

John 15

The word of God is God. (John 1:1)
The word of God is encouraging to live by.
To live by the word of God is the price of deliverance and preservation.
The word of God makes all to know, stating, “He sent His word and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.” (Psalm 103:20)
To live by the word of God can be challenging when the storm of the world continually rises higher and higher.
One who abides in the word of God shall prevail.
Abide can be described as remaining or continuing to abide in Jesus despite a particular situation. Furthermore, to endure, sustain, or withstand without yielding but submitting to Jesus describes to abide. Abiding in Jesus also means accepting conditions without questioning His authority.
Abiding in Jesus demands an uncommon sacrifice. Above all, to remain steadfast or faithful means to abide.
Above, the meaning of abiding in Him is above.
Understanding abiding in the word is complete to be dwelling in the word of God.
Psalm 91:1 encourages, “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.”
Dwelling and abiding in the word of God is the character of one who trusts and hopes in God.
One who trusts and hopes in God shall provoke the blessing of God.
Jeremiah 17:7 encourages, “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is the Lord.”
With all the descriptions above, to abide indeed and in truth will build up a believer in God.
A believer should live by the word of God.
Apostle Paul encourages, “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.” (Acts 20:32)
To abide in the word of God is to be connected with Jesus.
However, connection with Jesus should not be a mouth demonstration; it should be of the heart.
One to be of the heart is bound with manifestation, bearing fruit to the glory of God.
Jesus declared, “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.” Jesus is the true vine for all to abide.
Take note of two kinds of VINES, which are: True vine (Jesus is the true vine); False vine is the opposite of true vine.

Prayer for today: Ask for the hand of God to keep your life.

FAITH CAPSULE: To be steadfast is not a self-satisfying engagement

Luke 5

Follow the commanding word of God, wholly follow God fully.
Following God demands to be steadfast.
To be steadfast is not a self-satisfying engagement but can be full of pain, a self-discipline, to live for God.
Have you ever wondered what it truly means to be steadfast before God?
To be steadfast before God is rooted in having faith.
A Christian faith embodies a profound commitment to God, marked by unwavering trust and loyalty to God regardless of the challenges.
It transcends mere persistence; it is a heart posture that acknowledges the sovereignty and promises, even when circumstances seem bleak.
This deep-rooted assurance empowers believers to stand firm in their convictions, often reflecting the resilience demonstrated by Job, Daniel, and Paul, who faced trials yet remained anchored in their faith.
Without doubt, steadfastness is a character that remains anchored in having faith in God.
The determination will not be enough to be steadfast before God without having the desire to live for God.
For example, King David wanted to be steadfast before God by asking God, Psalm 51:10, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”
A steadfast spirit before God was demonstrated by Caleb and Joshua.
Caleb and Joshua refused the negative confession about the Promised Land.
The testimony of Caleb and Joshua provoked the declaration of God, stating, “My servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit in him and has followed Me fully, I will bring into the land where he went, and his descendants shall inherit it.” (Numbers 14:24)
Those who follow the commanding word of God wholly follow God fully.
Elisha steadfastly gave himself to God.
At the calling of Elisha, through Elijah, “…He left the oxen and ran after Elijah, and said, ‘Please let me kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you.’ And he said to him, ‘Go back again, for what have I done to you?’  So Elisha turned back from him, and took a yoke of oxen and slaughtered them and boiled their flesh, using the oxen’s equipment, and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he arose and followed Elijah, and became his servant.” (1 Kings 19:20-21)
Elisha left all behind when he answered the calling of God.
In answering, Elisha demonstrated steadfastness; He emptied himself by getting rid of material that could have held him back.
Elisha used his equipment as a boiler to boil his slaughtered oxen. Whatever man cannot forsake for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven is what will cause Heaven to forsake such from becoming a qualified candidate for the Kingdom of Heaven.
Become emptied of all that is possible to deny self to find God.
Forsake all that is not of God, for your calling be established.
Be steadfast in following the word of God fully to be rewarded by God.

Prayer for today: Ask God to enable you to live a steadfast life before Him for His glory.

FAITH CAPSULE: Sin and sinning are evidence of not fearing God.

Deuteronomy 6

Fear God, live by His word.
The majority know about God but do not know God.
The evidence of not knowing God is sin and sinning before God.
The whole world is ravaged by sin.
Sin and sinning are evidence of not fearing God.
When there is no fear, sin takes over in the form of wickedness.
Wickedness ravages the world.
God saw the wickedness of all, as Genesis 6:5-7 records, “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. And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. So the Lord said, “I will destroy man…”
God saw the wickedness of the earth, and He was sorry.
To know the word of God is to learn to fear God.
None is born with the fear of God, but to learn and grow in the fear of God.
Wickedness is sin, the evidence of the lack of fear for God.
The majority only know about God, not know Him to fear Him.
God does not look away from sin.
In the wicked days of Noah and Lot, God judged the deeds of the world. The judgment of God is in the calendar of God, His appointed time, which is beyond the influence of the world.
The word of Jesus buttresses in Luke 17:26-30, “And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. Likewise, as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. Even so, will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed?” 
Understand that the word of God is perfect to perform.
Psalm 18:30 states it, “As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is proven…”
God will not speed in response to the wickedness of man.
God does have His appointed time; He will not judge outside of His time.
Ecclesiastes 8:11-12 said it well, “Because the sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil. Though a sinner does evil a hundred times, and his days are prolonged, yet I surely know that it will be well with those who fear God, who fear before Him.”
Live with the fear to gain the promise of God for those who fear Him.
Fear God and do not become a vessel of self-destruction.

Prayer for today: Ask for the fear of God to be your garment.

FAITH CAPSULE: Live a life of giving thanks to God for all things.

Psalm 136, Luke 11:38-44

Thinking thanks is not the same as giving thanks.
Are you thinking thanks, or are you giving thanks to God?
God owes none, but all owe Him thanks for His every moment of mercy.
Do you count how many thanks have been offered to God this moment?
One who counts the number of thanks offered to God today does not count right, before God, the evidence of wrong counting.
One who is short of giving thanks to God is not praising God enough. Thanking God is praising God.
Psalm 150:6 stated, “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!”
The word of the psalmist is worthy to learn the need not to stop thanking God when there is life.
Evidently, thanking God at every breath is having life to escape from sudden death.
Do you have any reason not to give God non-stop thanksgiving?
Today, this moment, let giving thanks to God become a way of life.
God alone is worthy of thanks-giving for His mercy.
Psalm 136:1-3 gave a non-stop thanks to God, “Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. Oh, give thanks to the God of gods! For His mercy endures forever. Oh, give thanks to the Lord of lords! For His mercy endures forever.”
Measuring the number of thanksgivings to God will be short.
God cannot be acknowledged enough for His immeasurable goodness to all.
The mercy of God is uncountable.
Psalm 136:26  also declares thanksgiving giving to God, stating, “Oh, give thanks to the God of heaven! For His mercy endures forever.”
Two things that are certain to gain when thanking God becomes a way of living life are:
First, give thanks to God for all things, in all things, and all things will work together for good.
The Bible says, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28)
Having in mind Romans 8:28, be a doer of the word of Ephesians 5:20 as stated,“… giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Secondly, God performs in prayer, but He perfects in thanksgiving.
At the cave of Lazarus, Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?” Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. And I know that You always hear Me…”
Jesus thanked God because He knew that God always hears and gives heed to his need.
Make it a way of life, giving thanks to God.

Prayer for today: Ask God for a heart of thanksgiving as a way of life.