FAITH CAPSULE: Prayer is a personal communication with God.

Daniel 6, Luke 22:39-53

Prayer is the master key. Consider your prayer session to avoid praying amiss.
How is your prayer life?
In this wicked world, prayer is all it takes to gain deliverance from temptation.
When disciples of Jesus followed Him to the Mount of Olives, He told them, “…Pray that you may not enter into temptation…” (Luke 22:40)
Prayer is a master key to shutting out temptation and denying evil to gain entrance.
Prayer is a master key that shuts and opens.
Praying can demand strength to pray and to gain entrance to receive from God.
Prayer is not a fun fair; it is laboring before God.
The prayer time of Jesus in the garden demonstrates that prayer is a laborious assignment.
His prayer demonstrates, “And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.” (Luke 22:44)
Jesus, our Lord and Savior, demonstrated to all that understanding and knowing prayer is to sail through in this wicked world.
Are you counting on someone to be praying for you?
Recognize that prayer of labor demands your personal prayer engagement more than relying on someone to pray on your behalf.
When Daniel realized the writing against him in judgment, the Bible records his reaction, “Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt on his knees three times that day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days. Then these men assembled and found Daniel praying and making supplication before his God.” (Daniel 6:10-11)
Daniel did not count on prayer from someone, but engaged in prayer time.
The master key, the prayer of Daniel, shut down the judgment set against him while in the den of the lion.
The mouth lions that were supposed to devour Daniel could not touch Daniel, and he came out unscathed. (Daniel 6:19-22)
The prayer of Jesus on Mount Olives was in agony.
Also, He was in labour and engaged earnestly.Earnest prayer is a serious, intended prayer; a purposeful prayer engagement; and a sincere prayer that is zealous.
Jesus on Mount Olives was in labor, as He sweated like drops of blood.
Is your prayer labor or casual?
Claiming Jesus is not by mouth but to be living like Jesus.
Prayer is a must.
Prayer can be loud or quiet.
Prayer is a personal communication with God.
Prayer is not a demonstration of pleasing man; prayer is not to be arousing empty emotion. Seek God laboriously; engage prayer as the master key.
Believe that God will act for the one who waits for Him.
Prayer is the master key.
Consider your prayer session to avoid praying amiss.

Prayer for today: Ask that the strength of praying on the altar shall not cease.

FAITH CAPSULE: Do not become a victim of sin.

Psalm 73, 94

Know God, do not be a sinner in the name of God.
At this moment, it is time to turn to God and not be a victim of sin.
When the children of Israel came out of the bondage of over four hundred years for their journey to the Promised Land, they all passed through the Red Sea.
The whole population of the Israelites journeyed under the same cloud of protection; God gave them all the same light and fire to lead them as direction and protection.
As they all journeyed, they all drank from the same rock as God allowed. God is good.
God is a merciful God.
Imagine the mercy of God towards the sins and sinning of the world?
Ecclesiastes 8:11-13 records the goodness of God, “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. But it will not be well with the wicked; nor will he prolong his days, which are as a shadow, because he does not fear before God.”
During the journey, sinners and non-sinners were all together.
They experienced what the Lord was doing to keep them in their journey.
However, at the time of God, all were separated.
Sinners from non-sinners got separated by God according to their doings.
God did not struggle or experience the failure to identify sinners from non-sinners among the population of the Israelites.
God is a merciful God; He is a long-suffering God; He alone is in control of time, and He operates at His appointed time of separating sinners.
Until the appointed time of God to separate sinners from non-sinners, the blessing of God reached the whole population of Israelites.
Are you getting away with sin yet, enjoying the blessings of God that cover the whole population of sinners and non-sinners of the earth?
From the beginning of the year till this moment, the mercy of God has been answering the population of sinners and non-sinners.
However, think about the journey of the Israelites, where sinners were eventually separated by not crossing into the Promised Land.
At this moment, it is time to turn to God and not be a victim of sin.
God does not overlook sin; no sinner is out of His reach, but He is waiting for the appointed time to separate sinners from non-sinners.
God is not in a rush to do what He has set out to do.
The timing of God is not the same as the clock that operates in the world.

Prayer for today: Ask that the mercy of God answer for you, not to be a victim of sin.

FAITH CAPSULE: Destruction strikes when there is no knowledge.

Hosea 4

One with half knowledge or without knowledge is the same as not knowing.
Understanding is the result of having a knowing edge in the ways of life.
The source of understanding is listening.
Jesus identifies the reason for the lack of understanding as the inability to listen.
Listen to the wisdom of God by hearing and hearing (the word of God)(John 8:43)
To gain a knowing edge will not be a vessel of destruction, but to live for the glory of God.
A lack of knowledge is a route to destruction.
Hosea 4:6 records for all, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.”
Demonstrating a lack of knowledge or half of knowledge is not an excuse for obedience to the word of God or failing to exercise knowledge before God.
Have you forgotten or not known the law of God?
God is a gracious God.
God will not overlook the consequences for not doing according to His word for His glory.
God is not a God who will entertain any form of excuse from anyone who despises His law.
Forgetting the law of God to do wrong before God shall provoke painful consequences.
Are you considering a reasonable excuse for despising the law of God?
Adam had a good excuse that did not count before God.
Adam violated the law of God.
He ate wrongly when his wife, Mrs. Eve persuaded him to eat from the wrong tree.
God approached him, “…Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?” (Genesis 3:11)
Adam answered with a good excuse before God, “Then the man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.” (Genesis 3:12)
Adam had a reasonable excuse, knowing that he did not ask God for Eve.
God gave Adam Eve as a helper.
Adam demonstrated a lack of knowledge.
The excuse for his disobedience before God is a lack of knowledge.
Adam forgot that God never does wrong.
The case of Nadab and Abihu testifies that ignorance is not an excuse before God.
Nadab and Abihu demonstrated a lack of knowledge concerning the word of God. Every lack of knowledge exposes man to a risk of devastating consequences.

Leviticus 10:1-2 records, “Then Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it, put incense on it, and offered profane fire before the LORD, which He had not commanded them. So fire went out from the LORD and devoured them, and they died before the LORD.”
There was no time for both sons of Aaron to give an excuse to escape the consequences of their lack of knowledge.
It is knowledge to engage the command of God as directed.
Avoid the painful consequences of a lack of knowledge.

Prayer for today: Ask God to enable you not to forget His law.

FAITH CAPSULE: Let it be your character to look up to God.

Daniel 6

Know to know God, to love Him by looking upon Him, and He will look upon you for your salvation.
Jealousy is the character of God.
One who seeks God fulfills the expectation of God seeking Him, to know Him.
God is a jealous God. He desires and deserves the attention of His creation.
God looks upon all because of His love for all.
Psalmist testified, “Look upon me and be merciful to me, as Your custom is toward those who love Your name.” (Psalm 119:132)
Know God more to seek Him, give your love to Him to gain His attention. Direct your love to God for His looking upon you.
The Israelites cried out in pain for His attention; He did not look away from them, but He looked upon them for their deliverance. Exodus 2:25 records, “And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God acknowledged them.”
God will look upon anyone with the character of looking up to Him.
God looks upon His children with action and no delay.
He is an awesome God and sincerely cares for His children.
All ways of seeking God demand understanding.
Do you have the understanding to seek God?
Psalm 14:2, 53:2  records, “The Lord looks down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there are any who understand, who seek God.”
Knowing God is to love God by looking upon God.
Looking upon God is taking a position to possess His promises in His looking upon man.
Praying constantly is looking upon God.
Daniel customarily prayed, looking up to God to gain from God.
When a firm decree was in place against Daniel for not serving a god that is not his God, death in the den of lions was established as punishment.
Daniel became a target for sudden death while looking up to God.
Daniel 6:10  states, “Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days.” Looking up to God is the way of life for Daniel.
An unbeliever of God recognized God of Daniel when he declared, “…But the king spoke, saying to Daniel, “Your God, whom you serve continually, He will deliver you.”(Daniel 6:16)
Daniel came out of the den of lions with no injury or scratch on him because he believed in his God. (Daniel 6:23)
Daniel looked up to God, and God could not look away from him for his deliverance and preservation.
Know God to love Him by looking upon Him prayerfully, and He will look upon you for your salvation, where there is no way out.

Prayer for today: Ask that God remember you to visit you for salvation.

FAITH CAPSULE:  Feed on the word of God, and not become a victim of self-destruction.

Psalm 18

To grow in life demands feeding.
Growing physically or spiritually requires nourishing food.
What kind of food are you eating?
Eat the right food at the right time and in the right environment to enhance growth.
Feed on the word of God to grow in knowing God, living life for the glory of God.
One can fast by not eating bread for days, but no one should fast the word of God under any circumstances.
Word from the mouth of God is a live wire for man in this wicked world. Jesus declared the importance of the word from the mouth of God, “But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’” (Matthew 4:4)
It is exceedingly good for all to settle it in the heart that the word of God is God Himself.
Think of it, the word of God is His mark (signature), the mark of God only represents God.
In life, hear the word that proceeds from the mouth of God to prompt growing in God, before God.
The word of God heard and established in the heart will grow confidence in the walk of life.
Genesis 15:1 records, “After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.”
The word of God that came to Abram was God Himself.
Abram knew God, and to grew with confidence in God.
Psalm 18:30 buttressed, “The word of the Lord is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him.”
The word of God is God, a proven shield, and not any other God that shielded Abram.
One who knows God in His word as a shield is bound to gain boldness and the character not to live a life of waste, but to be a winner for God.
To know God will gain boldness and character, a winning combination.
The word of God that proceeds from the mouth of God is for one to grow, and not to be a victim of self-destruction.
God already sent His word as stated in Psalm 107:20, “He sent His word and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.”
Know God more, and His word is dependable.
A believer who claims to be feeding on the word of God but lacks growth in the things of God lacks understanding.
The lack of understanding is a testimony of not knowing and growing in God.
Jesus questioned and answered rhetorically, “Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word.”(John 8:43) The word of God that is known will enhance growth in life.

Prayer for today: Pray that the word of God becomes a personal priority to feed on.