FAITH CAPSULE: In your battle, let God arise for you.

Joshua 6

Falling is different from falling flat shall become the portion of your enemy in the name of Jesus. 
Are you engaging in any battle or battle is engaging you? 
What about giving up your battle unto God to fight your battle for you? Any situation that will not allow you to rise when God says arise and shine is an enemy at your war front. 
God is a great warrior, and He is mighty in battle.
Will you consider turning your battle over to God, the mighty warrior? 
As a child of God, you should not underestimate or overestimate any battle. 
The devil has been around long and cunningly divisive and could make one think the battle is small. 
The devil could also make you think that the battle is too big to fight. 
All he wants for all is to give up instead of looking up to God alone, who can deliver.
The reason why all should not fight our battle is that the battle we fight can rise again. 
However, the battle God fights on behalf of one shall become a total victory, and the enemy never rises again.
For example, when He fought the battle at the Wall of Jericho on behalf of the Israelites, it was a total victory. 
Before the battle of Jericho, the Bible states, “Now Jericho was securely shut up because of the children of Israel; none went out and none came.” (Joshua 6:1) 
Despite the security at the gate, God gave Joshua detailed directions about bringing the wall down because the wall was Jericho’s defense. With the obedience of Joshua as the leader of the Israelites, the wall of Jericho fell flat. 
The victory was astounding for the Israelites following the instruction, “…The wall will fall down flat…” 
Falling down is different from falling down flat. 
Falling down flat was damage to the enemy that can not recover.
Joshua knew what had taken place after the war by stating in Joshua 6:26, “…Cursed be the man before the LORD who rises up and builds this city Jericho; he shall lay its foundation with his firstborn, and with his youngest he shall set up its gates.” 
Joshua placed a curse, and when Hiel of Bethel attempted to recover, failure overridden his effort to rebuild the wall of Jericho. 1 Kings 16:34 records, “In his days Hiel of Bethel built Jericho. He laid its foundation with Abiram his firstborn, and with his youngest son Segub he set up its gates, according to the word of the LORD, which He had spoken through Joshua the son of Nun”  
How else can you be convinced that God fights the battle that no devil under heaven can bring it back to life? 
Let God arise for you, and the enemy shall become permanently shattered.

Prayer for today: Ask for the hand of God to bring down every representative of the wall of Jericho in your life.

FAITH CAPSULE: Allow His thoughts and way to overtake you in life.

Isaiah 55

The word of God is truth to perform and to perfect.
God spoke clearly and directly to Jeremiah, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.”(Jeremiah 1:5) 
God was not a liar and will not become a liar concerning your challenge. What He said to Jeremiah speaks to all.
God that created Jeremiah is the same God that created all, and He knows all. 
The same God that spoke to Jeremiah said in Isaiah 55:11, “So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” 
His word is truth that will not fail to perform what He said it will perform. If God has spoken, who are we not to believe? 
All that the Lord said has come to be, and His word is still coming to pass just as He said it. 
Despite the truthfulness of His word, man often demonstrates fear where there is a reason to demonstrate faith. 
The word of God encourages those who will give themselves to the word of God.
Philippians 4:6 encourages all, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.” 
God is consistent in His word, unlike the world. 
Will you take all your challenges up to Him in prayer while letting anxiousness prevail in your life? 
Just a reminder, the same word of God states, “Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.” (Matthew 18:19)
Does the word of God reflect in your ways of life? 
His word says a gathering of two or three together in His name will draw His presence. 
Why not faithfully allow His thought and way to overtake you in all your endeavors? 
Do not allow yourself to become limited by your thoughts, but let your thoughts in the word of God reign and rule over your entire situation. Isaiah 55:8-9, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts” 
Give yourself to the word of God.
His word is truth to perform and to perfect; His word is mighty. 
God magnifies His word above all of His name.
Allow your thoughts and ways to become occupied by the word of God.

Prayer for today: Ask that His mighty word fill you in every area of your life. 

FAITH CAPSULE: What kind of praise do you offer God when you come before him? 

Psalms 34, 146,

Make the right choice and do as God requests to experience His promises.
Acceptable sacrificial praise is full of joy, which glorifies God and accesses His presence where there is joy for evermore. 
God is holy, and he will not respond where there is sin.
When God sent Samuel to go and anoint David, He sent him with what to communicate with Jesse, the father of David. 
1 Samuel 16:5 records, “…I have come to sacrifice to the LORD. Sanctify yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice.’ Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.” 
In this communication, it is clear that sanctification comes before sacrifice. 
Once, the children of Israel were to present themselves before God, “So Moses went down from the mountain to the people and sanctified the people, and they washed their clothes. And he said to the people, “Be ready for the third day; do not come near your wives.’” (Exodus 19:14-15) 
Throughout the Bible, approaching God is without sin. 
What kind of praise do you offer God when you come before him? 
Praise is not noise-making, not a performance to draw attention, not in the choice of nice words rooted in beat. 
Praise and thank God for Jesus, who has taken away all sins. 
A believer that will confess with sincere and genuine hearts, in the name of Jesus, praising Him will bring the presence of God because He is God that inhabits the praises of His people.
When God is in your praises, enemies will go missing.
Who should praise God? 
You should sing praises to God while you have your being. 
The Psalmist states, “I will sing praises to the Lord while I have my being.” (Psalm 146:2) 
In the pages of the Bible, it states that those who fear Him should praise Him. 
Praise Him with the voice of joy, harp, and melody; praise Him among the people or in your secret closet. 
Psalm 34:1, “I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.” 
Praising God raises one before Him.
Believers should know that God has spoken and laid down His expectations that will generate manifestation. 
God does have a standard for His expectation that He does not lower.
God has a standard for expectation.
When believers seek God diligently, the result will match His promises. 
Coloring the word of God, taking the word of God out of context, or adding to the word of God will only take a believer through emotional moments with no manifestation of expectation.
Praise God is seeking God to find God.
God is a faithful God.
Praise Him to gain and retain His presence.

Prayer for today: Ask God to deal bountifully with you so that you may live and keep His word.

FAITH CAPSULE: Anyone with praise offering to God will have God for themself.

Psalms 47, 100

Praising God is engaging the presence of God. 
Praise is in the Bible as what brings God to all and all to God. 
When the soul and the heart become the habit of praising God day and night, such become a dweller in His presence. 
Praise is a language of faith. 
If you have praise to offer, you have God. 
One that praises Him with understanding not as entertainment, becomes the easiest way of getting His attention. 
The Psalmist declares in Psalm 47:7, “For God is the King of all the earth; sing praises with understanding” 
When there is an understanding of the word of God, there will be a knowing edge that brings forth a provocative and undeniable result. 
When one understands that God is King and He is on the throne, praises rooted in the heart of such, just in the head or mouth, will be rendered unto Him to get into His presence. 
No wonder the Psalmist states in Psalm 100:4, “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise…” 
Without a doubt, there is no iota of a lie, confusion, or contradiction in the Bible except if the reader is confused and often contradicts such. 
Psalm 22:3 records, “But you are holy, enthroned in the praise of Israel.”  With a clear understanding that God inhabits the praises of His people, will you not consider that God is within your reach more than you can ever imagine? 
Rendering praises unto God is an important matter, and it is for those who want to touch Him and be touched by His presence. 
Praising God is rendering a sacrifice. 
Hebrews 13:15 states, “Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.” 
Since praise is a sacrifice to God, all that praise God should give oneself to be sanctified before the sacrifice. 
The book of 1 Samuel 16:5 states, “And he said, ’Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the LORD. Sanctify yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice.’ Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.” 
When God sent Samuel to go and anoint David, it is clear that sanctification comes before sacrifice. 
A sacrifice without sanctification is a distance from God. 
Also, all cannot gather in sin and claim to be sacrificing unto Him in praise and worship. 
Praise is sacrifice, and it is proper to render a living sacrifice holy and acceptable to God, which is our reasonable service. (Romans 12:1). 
What are you offering to God?
Giving praise to God as a way of life will engage the presence of God.

Prayer for today: Ask that your soul and heart become the habitation of praising God.

FAITH CAPSULE: Watch and pray to deny the assignment of the adversaries.

Ezra 4

Every opened door is bound to engage challenges from the adversaries.
God alone opens and shuts doors.
He alone is God, who cares for His children.
Unquestionably, God is God, and there is no other God but Him. 
While the Israelites were in captivity, the Lord opened the door for them to go back and rebuild the temple when the Lord stirred the heart of Cyrus, King of Persia. 
The Bible records, “…when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the descendants of the captivity were building the temple of the LORD God of Israel, they came to Zerubbabel and the heads of the fathers’ houses, and said to them, ‘Let us build with you, for we seek your God as you do; and we have sacrificed to Him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us here.’” (Ezra 4:1-3) 
Know that adversaries did not present themselves as adversaries, but their intention revealed them as adversaries. 
Those adversaries wanted to join with the children of Israel in helping to build, not because they loved them, but rather to tear down their attempt to build. 
What happened was that the Lord opened a great door, but adversaries were in place to deny the open door. 
When the children of Israel denied their adversaries from joining to help them build, the adversaries turned to discourage them. 
Ezra 4:4-5 records, “…they troubled them in building, and hired counselors against them to frustrate their purpose all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.”  
The people of the land (the adversaries) had no good plan in their attempt to join with the children of Israel who were coming out of captivity. 
The point here is that every opened door is bound to engage challenges from adversaries.
Always pay attention to adversaries in all endeavors.
One who gets into prayer not to be a victim of adversaries should get to watch in addition to praying.
Paul, the apostle, testifies his experience by stating, “For a great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.” (1 Corinthians 16:9) 
In every attempt of your build-up for the glory of God, your adversaries will pretend and persist, but you will respond and resist, just like the children of Israel. Some adversaries persist for long, but all are to resist by praying. 
Luke 3:21 records, “…and while He prayed, the heaven was opened.”  Jesus prayed, and heaven opened. Any closed heaven that experiences opening through prayer is bound to prevail regardless of adversaries or not. 
Are you experiencing any agents of adversaries in your building process? Pay close attention in your building process; adversaries will pretend and persist. Be encouraged in the word of God, resist, and you shall prevail. 

Prayer for today: Ask God to deliver and defend you from all adversaries at your open door.