FAITH CAPSULE: It is not the time to think of giving thanks but to give God hearty thanks. 

Luke 1:26-56

There is so much to give thanks to God.
Giving thanks to God at every breath is never too much.
It is not time to think thanks but to give God thanks.
It is not an ordinary grace but a great grace to be alive. 
The mercy of God, not your merit, has brought you through the days of this year.
Privilege of God, not your right, is keeping you standing. 
At the time King Saul was after the life of David to kill him, David pointed out in his conversation with Jonathan, “…but there is a step between me and death.” (1 Samuel 20:3) 
From January to December, you have taken several steps by great grace, not by great act. 
The time for all is to count blessings instead of counting wants before God. 
Today, come out of every area of worry and engage in reasonable worship.
Is there any need for worrying in your life? 
Worry possibly takes away worship in the life of the acclaimed believer in Christ Jesus. 
Every time a believer steps out of the feet of Jesus where the word of deliverance and preservation is in place, the believer will fall from worship to worry. 
Distraction is an agent of disruption. 
One who is distracted is disrupted and will not hear what it takes to engage in worship instead of worry. 
Martha was worried while having the Unchanging changer (Jesus) in her house. 
She was worried because of so much distraction. 
Luke 10:38-40, “Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village, and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. 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 not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.” 
Are you worried? 
Is it too hard not to worry? 
Do not worry, know, “For with God nothing will be impossible.” (Luke 1:37) 
Your worrying is evidence of your attempt to carry your yoke and burden by yourself. 
Hear the word of Jesus, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30) The word of God is simple enough for you to let Jesus take charge of your yoke and your burden. 
It is not the time to think of giving thanks but to give God hearty thanks for the grace of life. 

Prayer for today: Ask that you enable me to live a life of thanking God.

FAITH CAPSULE: Celebrate the love of God and work the works of God.

EPHESIANS 5:1-21 

Live acknowledging the birth of our Lord and Savior by celebrating Him. 
However, celebration is not enough when living life as an unbelieving believer. 
Those who receive and believe in Jesus are the rightful children of God. The book of John 1:12 buttress, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.” 
Are you a believing believer or an unbelieving believer? 
Do not only engage in celebration but do right by accepting Jesus as your Lord and Savior. 
Jesus asked, “…What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?” Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God that you believe in Him whom He sent.” (John 6:28-29)
Working the works of God requires living for God as a believer. 
To believe in Him is to be taking the steps of Jesus when He was here on the face of the earth. 
Taking steps like Him will require walking the walks that he walked. 
The apostle Paul also confirmed the word of Jesus by stating, “Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.” (Ephesians 5:1-2) 
Walking the walk is a labor that determination cannot bring to pass. Walking the walk will only prevail by the grace of God in the life of the one who desires it. 
Walking the walk is a labor that determination cannot bring to pass. Walking the walk will only prevail by the grace of God in the life of the one who desires it. 
Apostle Paul stated in Ephesians 5:15-17, “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” 
Walk carefully, watchful in every step of life. 
Being watchful is knowing that the days are evil and the evil one is ready to devour any careless walker. 
Walking as a fool is taking steps out of line for God. 
Psalm 14:1, “The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God…” 
As a believer, knowing to walk and not walk as the word calls for is the same as saying there is no God. 
Walking in wisdom is a way of saying there is God, the evidence of the indwelling of the Spirit of God. 
What does it take to become filled with the Spirit of God? 
Ephesians 5:18-20, “And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,”
Celebrate the love of God and work the works of God.

Prayer for today: Ask for the enablement to work His work.

FAITH CAPSULE: God is a caring God to give the gift for all not to perish. 

Luke 14:16-22Jesus came to give Himself as a gift of God for all who will accept Him.

Jesus came to a synagogue in Nazareth, “And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written, ‘The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD.’” (Luke 4:17-19) 
Jesus identified Himself by pointing out that He is the gift of God that has come for all.
Jesus came for all, and none could relate to all recordings about Him by the prophet Isaiah long before the birth of Jesus. 
Today, many know about His name, celebrate His birth in great numbers, and are yet to accept it as the gift of God for all. 
Jesus came to give Himself as a gift for all who will accept Him. 
Jesus declared, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come into him and dine with him, and he with Me.” (Revelation 3:20) 
How can one not hear the knock of the gift of God that is in place? 
Jesus, the Anointed One, is here to heal every broken heart, but the brokenhearted are not opening their doors.
Jesus, the gift of God for all, will not force Himself to enter any heart that is not open for Him. 
The Spirit of the Lord that He, Jesus, was carrying is gentle and not a forceful spirit. 
A captive remains captive when not capitalizing on the privilege of grace that does not grant an opening for the gift of Jesus. 
Blind remain blind because they refuse to look up to Jesus. 
Many see through other gods instead of the One and Only God. 
Also, many are putting man in the place of Jesus, and by that virtue, the vision is not clear enough for them to move in the right direction. 
Jesus is the Lord and Savior who is not a slave master.
The birth of Jesus made salvation available that cannot be manipulated nor monopolized by anyone.
Jesus came for the poor so that He can make them rich in the things of the Lord. 
It is evidence of half knowledge by knowing about God.
Jesus is not available for one that does not comprehend Him. 
Jesus wants us to be like Him, living for the glory of God.
If you believe in Jesus, then behave like Jesus. 
Behaving like Jesus is not of determination, but it is by the grace of God. 

Prayer for today: Ask that God shall enable you to continually stay in Him, not to live a life of waste.

FAITH CAPSULE: Know to give self to the eternal word of God.

John 1:1 states, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
John 1:3 informs, “All things were made through Him, and without Him, nothing was made that was made.”
Luke 4:36 records,“…is with authority and power…”
In Jeremiah 23:29, the word of God testifies, “Is not My word like a fire?” says the Lord, And like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?”
Acts 20:32, The word “…will build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.”
Revelation 22:7 records, “…Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”
Revelation 22:9 states, “…those of keep the word of God Worship God,
Psalm 119:130, “The entrance of Your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.”
Is the word gaining entrance for you to become established?
Jesus, the living word, said in Revelation 3:20, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come into him and dine with him, and he with Me.”
David, a man after the heart of God, testifies to the word of God, “You have magnified Your word above all Your name.” (Psalm 138:2)
What one is carrying in the word of God will determine how much one will excel for the glory of God.
Jesus is the word of God.
The living word of God is alive and is seeable, but not a letter.
Listening to the word is hearing and hearing (repeatedly) the word. (Romans 10:17)
Become a listener, not just a hearer of the word of God.
One that does not hear, to see in the word of God cannot receive to live the word of God.
Job testifies to see what he hears. 
Job 42:5 records, “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees You.”
Bring the word of God out of a letter to life.
Hear to see in word to receive and to become of you.
Jesus rhetorically asked and answered, “Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word.” (John 8:43)
There is a need to give self to the word of God.
PRAYER
Ask God to fill you with the knowledge of His word in all wisdom and spiritual understanding that you walk worthy to the glory of God. 
Ask that the fire nature of the word begins to burn all that is not of God, hibernating in you be burned off. 
Ask that the hammer nature of the word of God begins to break every hindrance and that you begin to walk in the word of God permanently.
Ask that from this moment, the word of God begins to gain entrance in your heart, terminating darkness activity against your life.

FAITH CAPSULE: Celebration of Jesus is not over, but a way of life.

Mark 11:12-14, 1 Peter 1:13-21

The celebration of the birth of Jesus is rooted in understanding is seeking Jesus. 
Seeking God is to find Him.
Are you available to Jesus to find you?
A fig tree perhaps was the only one of its kind at a time and in the region when its creator could not find it when needed.
Jesus created the fig tree for a purpose. 
The fig tree was to be pleasing to the creator but not found available.
Mark 11:13 records, “And seeing from afar a fig tree having leaves, He went to see if perhaps He would find something on it. When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the seasons for figs.”  
The fig tree was attractive with its decoration, pleasing to the world around it, but could not be available to deliver its purpose to its creator.
Does that sound like you?
Are you one who celebrates with all kinds of decoration, but God cannot see in you that you are living according to the purpose of your being? 
The celebration of the birth of Jesus rooted in understanding is for seeking Jesus.  
The words of God demand, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33) “…seek the LORD your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul.” (Deuteronomy 4:29) 
All should seek God in celebration and not be of mere attraction. 
The attraction displayed celebrating the birth of Jesus is like a fig tree that attracts its creator without anything to show. 
All the actions of Jesus and His words were to know and live for God.
How much attention are you devoting to the Word of God? 
The level of attention devoted to celebrating the birth of Jesus should determine the understanding gained. 
Also, the level of understanding will lead to having a knowing edge.
Jesus was not only displaying His power when He approached the unfruitful fig tree by the inviting leaves it displayed. 
Jesus was communicating a message through the demonstration of power. 
Christianity or Christmas celebration is not just about adornment and Sunday noise-making. 
Christianity is about the reality of Christ, which is fruitfulness. 
Do not let your adornment be merely outward by the arrangement that is putting on fine apparel or beautifying your surroundings with Christmas lights. 
Avoid being a side attraction. 
Attraction is possible not to deliver the message of the season marking the birth of Jesus.
The Christmas celebration is once a year, but living for God as a Christ-like life is a year at the breath of life.
All that Jesus wants is to see your fruitfulness. 
Make note that all are to live for the glory of God.

Prayer for today: Ask Him to deliver you from religion into the reality of Christ.