FAITH CAPSULE: With understanding bound to be right for God.

Psalm 34

The world is full of ups and downs.
Gain an understanding of God  
One set to navigate the world of challenges should have an understanding of God.
With understanding one bound to be right through the journey of life.
The word of God promises, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.” (Psalm 34:19)
The world is a place of challenge.
The word of God is wisdom.
1 Corinthians 1:30 states, “But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God…”
One who gains wisdom and understands, the wisdom is the character of having understanding.
One with understanding shall have a knowing edge.
Understanding is what it takes to have a knowing edge to become a testimony of one living for the glory of God.
All are to live for God, the only creator of all, for the glory of God. (Revolution 4:11)
It demands understanding to live for God in every aspect of living.
God creates all to exist for Him.
A failure to exist for Him is evidence of living a life of waste.
How are you living?
Is there an understanding of your portion to know why and how to live for God?
Understanding is crucial to living life for God.
Praise 47:7 speaks to all, “For God is the King of all the earth; Sing praises with understanding.”
The word that demands praise with understanding also demands seeking Him with understanding.
With understanding, living for God shall excel for His glory.
The question and answer of Jesus, the light of God, state the importance of gaining understanding to live for God.
Jesus rhetorically questions and answers the importance of having understanding, stating, “Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word.” (John 8:43)
Does the word of God speak to you?
Listening is the key to gaining an understanding of the Word of God.
Are you listening enough to the word of God?
Listening is hearing, and to be hearing the word of God repeatedly.
Listening is not having a headshot of the word.
When one gains understanding, it is such that the word gains entrance into the ear, to gain light.
Psalm 119:130 states, “The entrance of Your words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple.”
Is the word gaining entrance into you?
Are you simple to gain and retain the word of God?
The evidence of one who is simple is one living by the word of God and answering as a believer.
Simple is referred to as a believer through the pages of the Bible.
There is a need to strive and gain understanding, to know and live life for the glory of God.
Does the word speak to you?
God is a caring creator who is merciful and gracious to those who seek Him diligently.
Let it be your choice to live for God, not to live a life of waste.

Prayer for today: Ask for the strength to strive to live for the glory of God.

FAITH CAPSULE: Pay attention to the emphasis in the word of God.

Mark 14:27-72

The emphasis of the word of God is a warning to give attention and not live outside of God.
Jesus warned Peter he would deny Him three times, not once.
Jesus said to His disciples, “All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written: ‘I will strike the Shepherd, And the sheep will be scattered.’ “But after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee.”
Peter said to Him, “Even if all are made to stumble, yet I will not be.” (Mark 14:27-29)
Peter had the determination not to deny Jesus.
Jesus points out that the lesson of determination is not enough; to live by the word of God, one must have a desire, by the grace of God, not to deny living for God.
Jesus responded to Peter, “Assuredly, I say to you that today, even this night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times.” (Mark 14:30)
Peter was so sure of his determination not to deny Jesus, saying, “But he spoke more vehemently, ‘If I have to die with You, I will not deny You!”
Jesus had told Peter (act of emphasis in the word of God) that he would deny Him three times, not once.
Peter denied Jesus!
Is the emphasis of the word of God getting your attention to warn you?
Thank God, Jesus, who sees tomorrow from today; present from future, had prayed against the failure of Peter when he denied Him, prayed, “But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.” (Luke 22:32)
There is a lesson in paying attention to emphasis in the word of God.
In the situation, be aware not to sleep off physically or spiritually,
Jesus attempted not to excuse His disciples for sleeping at the hour of prayer.
Jesus went back and forth to keep His disciples awake during the prayer hour.
Twice, Jesus could not keep them awake: “Then He came the third time and said to them, ‘Are you still sleeping and resting? It is enough! The hour has come; behold, the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going. See, My betrayer is at hand.” (Mark 14:41-42)
Three times, Jesus wanted to keep His disciples awake, not to sleep, but to pray.
The word of God is written for learning, not for decoration.
The word of God is a sustaining prescription for any man with a desire not to be a victim of this wicked world.
Sleeping in the place of watching and praying is the ground for the enemy to sow its agenda.
Matthew 13:25 buttressed, “…but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way.”
Are you awake by watching and praying?
Strive to live life, not to despise the word of God.
Pay attention to the word of God to gain and retain the presence of God.

Prayer for today: Pray not to live life outside of God.

FAITH CAPSULE: Give to praising God in the midst of challenge

2 Chronicles 20

It is the grace and mercy of God that have brought you this far, not because you know how to live life.
Many were standing yesterday, but were not able to stand.
Praise be to God!
Glory be to God!
In your God given new day and days to come, praising God is enough to bring your enemy down for you to the glory of God.
Psalm 48:1-2 records “Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in His holy mountain. Beautiful in elevation, the joy of the whole earth…”
“For the Lord is great and greatly to be praised; He is to be feared above all gods.” (Psalm 96:4)
Do not submit to fear, but submit to God, praising His greatness regardless of stubborn enemies.
Jehoshaphat received a message of fear as stated in 2 Chronicles 20:2-3, “A great multitude is coming against you from beyond the sea, from Syria; and they are in Hazazon Tamar” (which is En Gedi). And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.”
Is there any great that is greater than the only greatest God that is above any other gods? Absolutely, there is no other god greater than the Ancient of Days.
Concerning enemies, the Lord that is great and greatly to be praised is not going to look over your sincere understanding praise; He will deliver you.
With the message of the enemy against Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat sought God and received a message to stand still and see the salvation of the Lord.
In the coming days of this year, praise God to stand still and see the hand of God on your behalf.
Stand still, see and know that the same God of yesterday, today, and forever will not fail to deny you.
Give to praising God in the midst of challenge, stand still, see, and know that God is with you.
The word recorded how Jehoshaphat stood still and saw in 2 Chronicles 20:21-22, “…he appointed those who should sing to the LORD, and who should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army and were saying: Praise the LORD For His mercy endures forever. Now, when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated.”
With praising God, victory is certain and undeniable.
Let no man prescribe how you are to praise Him, but take the prescription of the Psalmist praise as stated in Psalm 150:1-6, “Praise the Lord! Praise God in His sanctuary; praise Him in His mighty firmament! Praise Him for His mighty acts; praise Him according to His excellent greatness! Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet; praise Him with the lute and harp! Praise Him with the timbre and dance; Praise Him with stringed instruments and flutes! Praise Him with loud cymbals; Praise Him with clashing cymbals! Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!

Prayer for today: Ask God to let your praise worship be acceptable before Him.

FAITH CAPSULE: Complaint does not have a place before God.

The Israelites failed to separate the multitude.
Israelites allowed a mixed multitude wrongly.
Wrongdoing will result in a wrong gain.
The documentation of Exodus 12:31-51 and Numbers 11:1-15 will provide knowledge when there is understanding.
In every journey of life, there will always be a crossing over.
Are you at a point of crossing over in the journey of your life?
Jesus went on a journey with His disciples, a cross-over experience.
Mark 4:35-36 states, “On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, ‘Let us cross over to the other side.” Now, when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him.”
In any cross-over journey, multitude should not be encouraged as an associate of any form.
The children of Israel allowed a multitude to journey with them.
Exodus 12:37-38 records, “Then the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides children. A mixed multitude went up with them also…”
As the journey continued, the multitude revealed their negative color among the Israelites.
Mixed multitude should be a company from any cross-journey.
As the journey continued with the Israelites, Numbers 11:4 records, “Now the mixed multitudes who were among them yielded to intense craving; so the children of Israel also wept again and said: ‘Who will give us meat to eat?”
With mixed multitudes, a complaint started among the Israelites before God.
Complaint does not have a place before God.
In the place of complaint is to give a compliment to God for all He has done, for all He is doing.
Where there is a complaint, rebellion is accompanied.
With the complaint, rebellion became the portion of the Israelites.
Are you on a cross journey with mixed multitudes?
Mixed multitude must be uprooted out of your cross-over journey if there is a desire to get through to the expected end of the journey.
A mixed multitude can be an unwanted, unnecessary burden associated with anyone.
With the multitude of challenges, a complaint was in place.
Jesus, with His disciples, experienced a windstorm challenge.
Mark 4:37  states, “And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?”
The presence of Jesus in the boat with His disciples was not evidence that the storm would not show up. However, with Jesus in every cross-over journey, there shall be assurance for safe deliverance.
In your cross-over journey, learn to discharge your mixed multitude just as the disciples did in their journey with Jesus.
In a journey, do not underestimate the effect of mixed multitude.
The Israelites allowed the mixed multitude and were disallowed arrival at the promise of God.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace not to accommodate or align with mixed multitude in your cross-over journey.

FAITH CAPSULE: Doing right always ends in right.

Genesis 41

Dundeon is a dark, usually underground prison.
Anything or representative of prison is not fun nor comfortable.
An unwanted situation is crowding life.
In your life, is there any situation of a dungeon that is crowding you?
The life journey of Joseph was like a journey in a dungeon that turned out to be the avenue to the center of divine assignment.
Joseph embarked on a journey to become prime minister after spending time in the dungeon of life.
The story of Joseph changed from bad to better when the Chief Butler mentioned him before Pharaoh.

The Bible recorded, “Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him quickly out of the dungeon; and he shaved, changed in his clothing, and came to Pharaoh.” (Genesis 41:14)
Living a life of the dungeon can change for good, to the glory of God.
What is not your fun and painful, physically, spiritually, or emotionally, crowding you?
It does not matter how you get into the dungeon or how long you have been in the dungeon of life; God shall bring you out for His glory.
In all challenges, look up to God alone.
Isaiah 45:22 buttress, “Look up to Me and be saved, all you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.”
Just look up to God for the termination of your dungeon situation.
In obedience, Joseph went to check for his brother.
The arrival of Joseph at his brothers was a welcome surprise as
Joseph embarked on a life journey in the dungeon.
Joseph was painfully sold as a slave and ended up in prison.
Joseph did not bargain for the entire unfavorable situation that came his way while obeying his father.
In prison, Joseph interpreted favorable and unfavorable dreams for confined Chiefs (Butler and Baker).
The interpretation of the dream came through, and Joseph pleaded to the chief to remember him.
For two years, Joseph was forgotten in prison by the chief.
God will remember His children at an appointed time, but man will not remember man.
Be encouraged!
God is at work on your behalf; the plans of God for your life are intact.
His own plan for you does not exclude your time in a dungeon situation, but is to train you.
Know that such is life, and it is full of ups and downs, but God, who is up, will lift you at His appointed time.
At the appointed time of God, Joseph came out of the dungeon; there was no devil under heaven to deny the deliverance for Joseph.
The dream had by Pharaoh was interpreted by none other than Joseph.
The Chief Butler remembered Joseph before Pharaoh.
The interpretation of the dream by Joseph provokes testimony for the rest of his life.

Prayer for today: Ask God for your appointed time by God for the glory of God to become established.