FAITH CAPSULE: Do not replace yourself from where God has placed you. 

Esther 8:1-17

Do not replace yourself from where God has placed you.
God has the best interest for you as His investment, to exist for His glory.
Jeremiah 29:11 states, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”  
The word of God speaks to all.
God is aware of the location of all.
God is aware of the challenges militating against all.
Where you are physically is not as important as where you are in the Lord.
With God, all will work for good. 
Mordecai was a Jew who was captured and carried away by Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon. 
Mordecai brought up Esther, the daughter of his uncle, after the death of the father and mother of Esther. 
The place for Mordecai was at the gate of the king.
The Bible records in Esther 2:21-22, “In those days, while Mordecai sat within the king’s gate, two of the king’s eunuchs, Bigthana and Teresh, doorkeepers, became furious and sought to lay hands on King Ahasuerus. So the matter became known to Mordecai, who told Queen Esther, and Esther informed the king in Mordecai’s name.” 
Bigthan and Teresh had to die because of their plot against King Ahasuerus.
The documentation of Bigthan and Teresh laying the hands of the king turned out to be a favor of Mordecai. 
One would think the report ended up just in documentation. 
However, the report later turned out to be an avenue for deliverance for the Jews when Haman wanted to have all Jews in the land destroyed. 
On the night of the day that Harman came up with the law to destroy the children of Israel, the king lost his sleep, and led to the deliverance of the Jew. 
While the king was awake, not able to sleep, he read the documentation that saved his life through Mordecai. 
Esther 6: 1-2, “That night the king could not sleep. So one was commanded to bring the book of the records of the chronicles, and they were read before the king. And it was found written that Mordecai had told of Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king’s eunuchs, the doorkeepers who had sought to lay hands on King Ahasuerus.” 
King reacted to the document and decided to honor Mordecai.
The document saved the life of Mordecai.
As a result of the place and purpose in the life of Mordecai, the Jews experienced deliverance, and a new turn took its toll on the life of Mordecai as he went from the gate to become great in the hand of King Ahasuerus. 
Do not replace yourself from where God has placed you to be.
Allow God to be in charge of your life. 

Prayer for today: Ask for the hand of God to keep you in the place of the assignment of God for your life.

FAITH CAPSULE: Always do right before God with no wrong. 

2 Samuel 6

Before God, there is no excuse to do wrong in the right way or to do right in the wrong way.
After God created Adam, He decided on His perfect understanding to create a helper for Adam, saying, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.” (Genesis 2:18) 
Adam did not demonstrate the need for help, but God knows it was good to create Eve as a helper for Adam. 
Adam chose to violate the command of God by responding to the suggestion of Eve by eating from the forbidden tree. 
At the time of the visitation of God to Adam and Eve, God asked why they ate from the forbidden tree.
Adam responded to God, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.” (Genesis 3:12) 
The answer of Adam to the question by God was an indirect excuse for his disobedience and a way of blaming God for his act of disobedience. Before the Perfect God, there is no excuse to do wrong in the right way or to do right in the wrong way. 
God demands full compliance to His command without any excuse for disobedience. 
Adam had a very appealing reason, but action is what weighs before God. As Adam violated the word of God, Uzzah, the son of Abinadab, violated the word of God. 
Uzzah did the right wrongly when he put out his hand to the ark of God in an attempt to prevent it when the ox that was transporting the ark stumbled. 
The effort of Uzzah provoked God, “Then the anger of the Lord was aroused against Uzzah, and God struck him there for his error, and he died there by the ark of God.” (2 Samuel 6:7) 
Uzzah attempted to do right wrongly.
Uzzah should not have put his hand on the holy thing. 
Numbers 4:15 records, “…but they shall not touch any holy thing, lest they die. These are the things in the tabernacle of meeting which the sons of Kohath are to carry.” 
The law was specific that the ark was to be carried by the sons of Kohath, not by any other means of transportation, and no one should touch by hand. 
The Psalmist describes the character of God, “All the paths of the LORD are mercy and truth, to such as keep His covenant and His testimonies.” (Psalm 25:10) 
God is merciful and very truthful to His word.
His testimonies are very consistent from the past to the future. 
Are you doing right wrongly or doing wrong rightly? 
With God, doing right in the right way is all that counts. 
Also, there is no excusable excuse that counts. 
Adam had reasonable excuse but does not count before God. 

Prayer for today: Ask God to enable you not to miss your steps in any of His paths.

FAITH CAPSULE: Complaining before God is an act of rebellion.

Deuteronomy 1:23-46

Israel had gone far enough in their journey, and they wanted to map out how to move forward. 
For the Israelites, instead of going forward in the direction of the promise of God, they called on Moses, stating, “Let us send men before us, and let them search out the land for us, and bring back word to us of the way by which we should go up, and of the cities into which we shall come (Deuteronomy1:22).” 
Has He brought you far enough, and now you are taking things into your own hands? 
It is wrong to start thinking about how you will make it through the journey from where God has brought you.
The Israelites ignored the plans of God pleased Moses, so he took twelve of them to go and spy on the land (Deuteronomy 1:23). 
Except for Joshua and Caleb, the spy returned with discouraging negative news to the people. 
Because of the negative report, the children of Israel entered into complaining, and they could not confess or see any positive. 
The report generated from spying had them engaged in negative confession. 
Despite all the miracles at the time of their coming out of the bondage of over four hundred years, they lost faith and could not believe God for His word of promise. 
An act of complaint is an act of rebellion before God. 
God responded to their rebellious act in Deuteronomy 1:34-35, “And the LORD heard the sound of your words, and was very angry, and took oath, saying, surely not one of these men of this evil generation shall see that good land of which I swore to give to your fathers.” 
Not trusting God for His word will cause one not to hope in Him by looking up to Him. 
Also, not looking up to God will cause man to look down and away from the way of God. 
For the Israelites, the journey of eleven days became forty years journey. At the point of entering the promised land, they entered into deep wilderness. 
God does not run out of mercy, but they ran out of the mercy of God. 
On a journey that they overcame giants and all kinds of hindrances, the sound of their mouths denied them not to arrive at the Promised Land. 
What kind of sound are you producing in your journey of life? 
Are you confessing negative or positive? 
Can you ignore the world around you and give yourself to the word of God? Apostle Paul admonished in 2 Timothy 1:13, “Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me, in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus.” 
Engage the word of God to claim the promise of God. 

Prayer for today: Ask to engage the word of God as a lamp to your feet and a light to your path.

FAITH CAPSULE: Allow God to take you through just as He promises.

Deuteronomy 1:1-22

God is truth, at His word, His word is a done deal.
God is a faithful God. 
Lying is not in the character of God. 
Deception does not have a place in Him. 
What God says He will do is a done deal. 
God is faithful in His word. 
Promise God states, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11) 
God will not purposely build you up and turn around to pull you down. 
The children of Israel were to come out of the bondage of over four hundred years. 
It was a bondage that appeared to last from eternity to eternity, but the deliverance of God answered for the Israelites. 
Their deliverance was with the promise of a land that flowed with milk and honey. 
The deliverance was enough confirmation for the Israelites to know that their God was a mighty Deliverer. 
He alone is the Almighty God. 
The promise of God is in His plans that are not for evil but for good. 
On their way to Canaan, the children of Israel encountered every representative of giants attempting to terminate the promise of getting them to the Promised Land. 
Victory, however, was won by the hand of God on behalf of the Israelites. The Red Sea and agent to deny the Israelites to arrive at the promise of God failed. 
God wanted to carry out His promise.
Moses reminded the promise of God, “Look, the LORD your God has set the land before you: go up and possess it, as the LORD God of your father has spoken to you; do not fear or be discouraged (Deuteronomy. 1:21).” 
Sadly, the children of Israel had a different mindset of getting to the promise of God for them. 
They did not take to heart the word of Moses, the mouthpiece of God. They were close to the land, but they were not looking to the land, evidence of not taking to the promise of God.
When God makes a promise, not giving self to the promise of God, such is set not to claim the promise of God.
Has He promised you, and you are not giving yourself to His word? 
The Israelites did not move by the word God by asking, “Let us send men before us, and let them search out the land for us, and bring back word to us of the way by which we should go up, and of the cities into which we shall come (Deuteronomy1:22).”
Do not substitute the promise of God that sounds in your direction.
God planned to take them to the Promised Land. 
Has he spoken and not brought it to pass? 
Allow God to take you through just as He has brought you out and set you up for His promise in life. 

Prayer for today: Ask God to uphold you according to His word. 

FAITH CAPSULE: Have you denied yourself from serving God?

Luke 10: 38-42

Sincerely desire for selfish self to die.
It is not only when you see believers around you that you should act as a servant of God.
Acting that does not count before God is not true but false humility.
The world is deceivable but not God.
God sees the heart of all.
Is there any way you can hear it better to provoke your understanding and know that serving Him demands following Him diligently? 
Jesus states, “If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me: and where I am, there my servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor.” (John 12:26)  
The word of Jesus is clear enough for those with hearing ears and who know to serve the Lord by following Him diligently. 
Ignorance is not an excuse. 
Ignorance will only make a destitute out of a believer; it will ridicule the journey if one fails to master what it takes to follow the Master.
Think of Martha, the sister of Mary and Lazarus.
She saw it all and loved Jesus.
Matha goes wherever she can see Jesus; her brother Lazarus was raised from the dead by Jesus; she also welcomed Jesus to her house. 
So, what needs to count before it can be apparent that one is serving the Lord is evident in what Martha was doing. 
Are you on the same page with Martha? 
Martha was always at the service of Jesus, but it is evident that she was not following Jesus fully at that stage in her life. 
She was concerned about herself. 
The Bible recorded about Martha in Luke 10:39-40, “And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word. But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, ‘Lord do you care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help.’” 
Mary was busy engaging Jesus at His feet while Martha ran around to put things in order. 
Jesus responded to the question Martha, saying, “…Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:41-42) 
Martha was concerned about the ‘me in her’ when she asked Jesus about His concern for her serving alone and not having the help of her sister to serve. 
Self will deny you if you do not sincerely desire for the selfish self in you to die a permanent death. 
It is in your control to desire that services will not be in vain by asking God to take away that spirit of self.
Serving God with self-interest is not serving diligently.
The character of serving God with diligence is following God fully. 

Prayer for today: Ask God to deliver you from every spirit of selfishness.