Category Archives: Devotions

GIVE YOURSELF TO GOD

FAITH CAPSULE: Give yourself to the word of God to become mindful of God. 

Psalm 8

Be MINDFUL of God, living life by the word of God.
The word of God is God. (John 1:1) 
One full of God (Word) will be MINDFUL of God.
Are you MINDFUL of God or MINDFUL of the world?
How can one who is not of God, the creator, be mindful of a  neighbor or family? 
Psalm 8:4 records the question of David before God, “What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him?” God is mindful of man, while man is mindful of the world.
Give yourself to the word of God to be mindful of God, not to become a victim of this wicked world.
Jeremiah 12:1-2 identifies one with a mouthful of the word of God with empty of God in the mind, “Righteous are You, O Lord when I plead with You; Yet let me talk with You about Your judgments. Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why are those happy who deal so treacherously? You have planted them, yes, they have taken root; They grow, yes, they bear fruit. You are near in their mouth But far from their mind.” 
One with a mindless place for God will be living life as a wicked one before God.
There is nothing that goes under heaven that God does not see. 
God sees and will judge all at His appointed time.
Genesis 6:5-7 records that God recognized the wickedness of all, “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 whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.”
Are you mindful of God or mindful of the world?
Consider that it is time to come out of the world by giving yourself to the word of God.
Give oneself to the word of God to gain entrance into the reality of Christ.
Today, be responsible before God.
Responsibility is the price of greatness. It is for all to know the truth of God. 
John 8:32 records, “…And YOU shall know the truth, and the truth shall make YOU free.”  
It is the responsibility of all to study, search for His word, and know the truth of God.
Responsibility before God is not making the noise of the name of God without living for God.
Responsibility before God will not tell lies to deceive and manipulate others in the name of God. 
Responsibility is for one to become MINDFUL of God, living life by the word of God.

Prayer for today: Ask God to enable you to become full of Him by His word.

A KIND OF BELIEVER

FAITH CAPSULES: What kind of a believer are you?

Kings 17

Are you answering as Christian but reduced, not living as Christ-like?
Acts 11:26 records that the DISCIPLES were first called Christians in Antioch.
Are the disciples the same today?
For example, James 5:17 states, “Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. “
Elijah was a follower of God indeed, not a follower of God by the mouth.
Kings 17:1 records the character of a follower of God, “And Elijah the Tishbite, of the inhabitants of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word.”
Elijah lives for God to be qualified to stand and claim before God.
One that cannot stand to claim before God will live to fall, not stand when claiming before God. 
A pretender to stand in the name of God will fall.
Remember, the itinerant Jewish exorcists pretending earnestly in the place of praying (earnestly) fell into the hands of evil spirits.
Elijah prayed with the earnest character of one who stands to claim before God.
What does it mean to pray earnestly?
Pray with sincere and intense conviction.
PRAY WITH SINCERE:
Praying with heart, not just mouth as in empty noise.
PRAY WITH INTENSE CONVICTION:
Pray in trust and hope. For example, trust to come and pray to God but will come after prayer with doubt for the manifestation of prayer request before God. 
Before God, it is trust and hope to provoke the blessing of God, not just trust without hope. (Jeremiah 17:7)
Just like Elijah, Daniel made prayer as is custom and could not become a victim in the lions of the den. (Daniel 6:10)
His life of custom prayer was daily, going down on his knees three times daily.
Elijah demonstrates seeking God with all his heart and soul, which is seeking God diligently.
Deuteronomy 4:29 states, “But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul.” 
There is a difference between seeking God and seeking Him diligently.
Know to seek God diligently.
Romans 2:11 encourages all, “There is no partiality with God.”
Seek God diligently to find God.
PRAYER
Ask to be enabled to live life as His disciple that follows Him.
John 12:26 says, “If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me..”
Ask that you will serve God by following Him.
Ask that the spirit of God to be in prayer earnestly become your portion.
Ask for understanding and strength to pray with a sincere heart and intense conviction in seeking God.
Ask that seeking God in trust and hope becomes your way of life and that the blessing of God be your portion. (Jeremiah 17:7 testifies God blesses when one trust and hope)
Ask that having prayer as a custom becomes your way of life. 

TESTIMONIES OF GOD

FAITH CAPSULES: Keeping the testimonies of God to experience His blessing.

1Timothy 4

Know that the word of God is His command, His statutes, and is the testimony of God.
Living a God-given life is keeping His testimonies of God that provoke the blessings of God.
Expectation for the blessing of God demands keeping His testimony diligently.
The word of God speaks to all, “You shall diligently keep the commandments of the Lord your God, His testimonies, and His statutes which He has commanded you.” (Deuteronomy 6:17)
Let there be desire in you to experience the blessings of God.
Keeping the testimonies of God is seeking Him to receive His blessing.
What you keep in the word of God (testimony of God) is what you have received to become of you and position you for the blessings of God.
Psalm 119:2 encourages, “Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek Him with the whole heart!”
The promise of God does not return to God void.
Isaiah 55:11 testifies, “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.”
Living a God-given life, be encouraged in the word of God, and keep the word of God that does not return void.
It avoids the word of God not to claim the promise of God.
Keeping the testimonies of God will be meditating on the word of God.
Meditating is communicating with God so as not to miss His presence.
The word of God identifies keeping His testimonies in Joshua 1:8, “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.”
Keeping God’s testimonies by meditating on His word is set to gain the blessing of God’s success.
In the life journey, give yourself to testimonies of God by meditating on His word continually.
The Bible identifies when you meditate on the word of God:
Psalm 77:6, “… I meditate within my heart, And my spirit makes diligent search.”
Psalm 77:12, “I will also meditate on all Your work, And talk of Your deeds.”
Psalm 145:5, “I will meditate on the glorious splendor of Your majesty, And on Your wondrous works.”
1 Timothy 4:15, “Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all.”
The word of God is God.
The word of God is His command, His statutes are His testimonies, and one that will live life by keeping the word of God, meditating on the word of God will experience the blessings of God.
Keep the testimonies of God to experience the blessing of God.

Prayer for today: Ask God to enable you to keep His testimonies.

CALLING ON GOD

FAITH CAPSULE: It is right to ask God to give His ear to your calling.

Psalm 141

This day, pray the word of God as Acts 6:4 records, “But we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”
When God calls one, He will back such up not to be a failure. 1 Thessalonians 5:24 informs us, “He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.”
It could be that you are on the right track to your center of divine assignment but yet delayed because of a lack of understanding to see clearly in your calling like Moses.
Moses was on the right track but trapped on the right until God called his attention for him to open up and see what he carried to go forward to his divine assignment.
God called the attention of Moses in Exodus 4:2, “So the Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?” He said, “A rod.”
The moment Moses got the attention of what it takes to move forward in the calling of his life, every hindrance of delay, denial, stagnation, inactivity, and inaction gave up his advance in the calling of God.
PRAYER
Ask that the calling of God in your life become activated over your life.
Ask that your ears, eyes, and mind become open to seeing all that the Lord God has put in place for the direction of God that will enable you to answer the calling of God over your life.
Ask that every agent of denial, delay, and stagnation be converted for motion by the hand of God over your life, not to be a failure in the name of Jesus.
All the time, God is near, but man is always far from God.
With the desire to be near to God, David knows to ask God to DRAW HIM when he said, “Draw near to my soul and redeem it; Deliver me because of my enemies.” (Psalm 69:18)
Psalmist also testifies, “But it is good for me to draw near to God; I have put my trust in the Lord God, that I may declare all Your works.” (Psalm 73:28)
One that is near to God will experience a soul that is redeemed, and deliverance from enemies will become for one.
If being drawn near to God is possible without prayer, David would not have prayerfully asked God.
The creations of God are by His Word, and they cover the earth, which is the testimony that God is near to all that will acknowledge the nearness of God. Psalm 75:1 declares, “We give thanks to You, O God, we give thanks! For Your wondrous works declare that Your name is near.”
When the name of God is near, then the presence of God is not far but near to give heed to those who know to call on Him.
PRAYER 
Ask that whatever will keep you far from God be permanently terminated and that you be near to God.
Ask that God will redeem your soul and deliver you from the enemies of your life.  

BECOME RECEIVED 

FAITH CAPSULE: Jacob received the testimony to become revived.

1Kings 17

Regardless of age, status, or title, there will always be ups and downs. 
In the place of ups or downs, situations will demand to be revived, not become a failure, or experience untimely termination. 
To become revived is to experience renewal with strength, to become energized, to be active, and not be denied to live life to the glory of God.
In life, to become revived by God will enhance one physically, spiritually, and emotionally. 
With the desire to become revived, the psalmist asked God, “Revive me according to Your lovingkindness, So that I may keep the testimony of Your mouth.” (Psalm 119:88) 
With the desire, ask God to revive you just as the psalmist did.
The lovingkindness of God is His considerate, caring love and mercy that endures forever.
The desire to keep the testimony of God testifies to the understanding that one knows the blessing of keeping the testimony of God. Psalm 119:2 informs, “Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, Who seek Him with the whole heart!” 
The testimony of God is His proof, His demonstrations, His evidence encased in His word. 
One who seeks the word of God will excel to the glory of God. 
The key to it all is to become REVIVED by GOD. 
Is it your desire to be revived by God?
One that is revived by God (not by determination) will be able to keep the
testimony of God and be blessed. 
With the testimony of God, the blessing will become revived to RECOVERED, RESTORED, REPAIRED, REGAIN, AND BE REJOICED.
ASK FROM GOD TO REVIVE YOU TO BE RECOVERED. 
Jacob received the testimony to become revived by the report that Joseph was alive. As a result, Jacob recovered and went to meet with Joseph. (Genesis 46)
Pray that God will provoke a means to revive you, that you will recover to gain all the goodness of God separated from you by the wickedness of this world.
ASK FROM GOD TO REVIVE YOU TO BE RESTORED. 
Samson became revived to restore the position of miracle, not of mockery over his enemies. (Judges 16)
Pray that God will strengthen you to become restored in a position of increase to deny every mockery over your life.
ASK FROM GOD TO REVIVE YOU, TO BE REPAIRED. 
Desire to become repaired, answering as a temple of God.
Pray that God will revive you to become repaired in every area of life, as His temple. 
ASK FROM GOD TO REVIVE YOU, TO HAVE REJOICED IN THE LORD CONTINUALLY.
PRAY that God will revive you to live life with the joy of God as your strength.
ASK FROM GOD TO REVIVE YOU TO BECOME REGAINED.
Pray that God will give heed to your calling on Him at all times.
God is kind.
Have the desire and pray to be revived by God, and you will keep the testimony of God.
Prayer for today: Ask that you will live life for the glory of God.