FAITH CAPSULE: Is your mind occupied with doubt?

Mathew 11

Having doubt is evidence of not being positioned to hear and hear the word of God.
What is it that is causing you to have doubt instead of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ? 
With doubt, fear rises while faith sinks.  
The Bible identifies the source of faith, “…faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Romans 10:17) 
Do not hear the word of God once in a while.
Engage in hearing and hearing by the word of God, and allow faith to rise so that fear will sink and doubt will have no place in you. 
Having fear outside of God is giving oneself to a slave master.
What is it in your mind holding you down?
When fear strikes the mind, there is a need to surrender oneself to faith, thereby gaining freedom from it.
Deny your present situation and location from operating as an agent that causes you to doubt.
John the Baptist doubted Jesus. 
The Bible records, “And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples and said to Him, “Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?” (Matthew 11:2-3) 
Is there any representative of prison in your life, causing doubt about what Jesus can do? 
John the Baptist, while spending time in prison, doubted Jesus. 
It was John who baptized Jesus. 
Matthew 3:13 records, “Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him.”  
John the Baptist bears witness of Jesus, “…Behold. The next day, John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is He of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.”’ (John 1:29-30) 
John also exalted Jesus when he stated, “He who comes from above is above all; he who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of the earth. He who comes from Heaven is above all.” (John 3:31) 
Despite all that John the Baptist knew about Jesus, he doubted Jesus. 
Remember, you have heard and seen it all; if you hold on to all you know, you will depart from doubt and not dwell in it. 
Jesus responded to the doubt of John, and His word addressed doubts, “…Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.” (Mathew 11:4-6) 
Where there is doubt, faith tends to drown.
Hebrews 11:6 records, “…But without faith, it is impossible to please Him…” 
With faith, declare to your situation that Jesus is Lord and there is nothing He cannot do. 

Prayer for today: Ask that you be enabled to focus on God so that your faith will not fail.

FAITH CAPSULE: Knowing to give regard to God is waiting on Him.

Psalm 37

The character of one who gives regard to God, knows to wait on God.
One who gives regard to God believes in God.
In your waiting on God, do you question God?
Questioning in doubt will not yield an answer, but questioning with faith is possible to receive the expected.
Waiting on God is a way out of shame. 
When waiting on God, without looking outside of God, without any iota of doubt, shame shall not have a place in life. 
The Psalmist buttresses, “Indeed, let no one who waits on You be ashamed; Let those be ashamed who deal treacherously without cause.” (Psalm 25:3) 
In your waiting, give regard to God, and God will attend to you.
Are you one who is constantly questioning how the wicked ones are excelling? 
Refrain from asking God in doubt, the character of rushing out of the move of God.
Have peace of God when you know how to wait on God.
Psalm 37:7 states, “Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him; do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.” 
One who makes regard to God, waits on God.
Waiting on God is keeping His word and not fretting in the face of any wickedness. 
God is a great defender who delivers those who wait on Him.
Is your crying wearing you out? 
Listen to the testimony of the Psalmist, “I am weary with my crying; My throat is dry; My eyes fail while I wait for my God.” (Psalm 69:3) 
Many wait and waste because of a lack of knowledge of God.
God has never failed, and He shall not when He is waited on Him.
Waiting on God is not a sign of weakness.
Wait on God silently and patiently. 
David testified in Psalm 40: 1-2, “I waited patiently for the LORD, and He inclined unto me, and heard my cry. He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps. He has put a new song in my mouth- praise to our God; many will see it and fear, and will trust in the LORD.” 
Waiting for God will grant the grace to walk firmly on any ground and not fall. 
Passing through the trial of waiting will no doubt put a new song in the mouth of one who knows how to wait, giving regard to God.
One with a low place in life and waiting on God is an avenue to come out of low places to high places, where there is no falling.
“Wait on the LORD; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the Lord!” (Psalm 27:14)
Gain a strong heart by waiting on God.

Prayer for today: Ask that you will know how to wait on God when challenges present themselves.

FAITH CAPSULE: All should keep in mind not to be a victim of distraction.

Matthew 16

Minding the mind is minding oneself to live life for God.
There is no business before all the creation but to mind the mind to find God.
Finding God is seeking God diligently.
Deuteronomy 4:29 records, “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.”
The condition to seek God and find Him is to seek Him diligently with heart and soul, that is, knowing His command in the heart, and live obediently by His command.
One who minds the heart keeps the heart diligently.
Proverbs 4:23 admonishes all, “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.”
Be diligent not to be a victim of the slip of opening the mind to distraction.
Distraction is a route to deny or delay, which can lead to destruction.
All should mind not to be a victim of distraction.
In challenging times, the Israelites confessed to negative evidence of not having faith in God.
Not mind leads to faith-failure.
God responded to the faith-failure through Moses as stated: “Say to them, ‘As I live,’ says the LORD, ‘just as you have spoken in My hearing, so I will do to you: The carcasses of you who have complained against Me shall fall in this wilderness, all of you who were numbered, according to your entire number, from twenty years old and above. Except for Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun, you shall by no means enter the land which I swore I would make you dwell in.” (Numbers 14:28-30)  
Failure to serve God with the whole heart is evidence of not following Him fully.
As a result of not following God fully, every Israelite who left Egypt above the age of twenty failed to complete their journey to the Promised Land. Are you serving God fully to avoid failure, not to arrive at the promise of God?
Many acclaimed believers, such as prayer intercessors, choir leaders, ushers, Sunday school teachers, and deacons, do not follow Christ fully as the word demands.
Jesus responded to uncommitted believers as stated: “Then Jesus said to His disciples, if anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.” (Matthew 16:24)
Are you a committed believer who keeps their mind by following the word of God?
Is there any way for you to hear it better so that you can understand and know that in serving Him, you must keep your mind for God?
Jesus said, “If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me: and where I am, there my servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, he My Father will honor.” (John 12:26)
Give your ear to hear, to have what it takes to keep your mind.

Prayer for today: Ask God to enable you against any agent of distraction.

FAITH CAPSULE: See God in His word to know His presence.

2 Kings 6

See God in His word and be built up for His glory..
A failure to see in the word of God will not see God, to give God regard for who God is or what God has done or is doing.
Psalm 28:5 speaks to all, “Because they do not regard the works of the Lord, Nor the operation of His hands, He shall destroy them And not build them up.”
Giving regard to God should be a way to live for God.
Giving regard to God is seeking God diligently to find God.
Give attention to know who God is!
Give yourself to the word to gain and retain what is in place from God.
God sent His word to heal and deliver from all destruction.
Psalm 107:20 records, “He sent His word and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.”
There is deliverance and preservation in seeing God.
One who does not listen, that is, hearing and hearing the word of God, will not understand and know God for who He is.
Also, will not see God for what He can do.
Proverbs 4:20-23 emphasizes the importance of giving to the word of God,“My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart, for they are life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh. Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.”
To listen and gain an understanding will rest in God with peace that surpasses all understanding.
Make it a way of life, listening to see God for you.
Elisha and his servant were set for destruction by their enemy, which prompted fear for his servant.
Elisha responded to the fear of the servant,“And Elisha prayed, and said, “Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” (2 Kings 6:17) 
Through prayer, the servant of Elisha could recognize the deliverance plan of God, which was already in place.
One who sees in the word of God shall recognize God to gain rest, the peace of God.
Being restrained from seeing will not allow one to recognize the presence of God or gain and retain His presence.
The eyes of the disciples were restrained and could not see Jesus during His visitation on their journey.
Luke 24:13-16 documents about two disciples who could not recognize Jesus, to give Him regard,“Now behold, two of them were traveling that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was seven miles from Jerusalem. And they talked together of all these things which had happened. So it was, while they conversed and reasoned, that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were restrained, so that they did not know Him.”
See God to gain and retain His presence.

Prayer for today: Ask against every restraining force not to see God.

FAITH CAPSULE: Put the past behind and allow Him to lead and direct.

John 21

Before the time Peter and some of the disciples gave up all and followed Jesus, they were professional fishermen. 
Matthew 4:18-20 records, “And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” 
The called ones immediately left their nets and followed Jesus. 
Peter and his fellow fishermen followed Jesus to the time He went to the cross.
After the death and resurrection of Jesus, new developments came into play. “Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We are going with you also.” They went out and immediately got into the boat, and that night they caught nothing.” (John 21:2-3) 
Have you received and believed in the death and resurrection of Jesus? For everyone who has received and believed in Jesus, there should be no going back to the past. 
Simon Peter suggested to other disciples to turn back to go fishing.
To give life to God is to put the past behind and allow Him to lead and direct.
The disciples returned to their occupation and toiled all night with nothing to show for. 
John21:4-5 records, “But when the morning had now come, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Then Jesus said to them, “Children, have you any food?” They answered Him, “No.”  
The disciples caught no fish all night. 
The disciples returned to business as usual and did not recognize Jesus. Turning away from following Him will always lead to emptiness. 
Just like the disciples, Jesus is what all need to have in full and not be empty in any area of life. 
Turning away after following Him will turn one into a life of waste. 
Jesus intervened in their situation and made it a great testimony when He commanded, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast, and now they were not able to draw it in because of the multitude of fish.” (John 21:6) 
After accepting Jesus, returning to your former lifestyle is a choice that will complicate destiny. 
Before Jesus came with them on the boat, the disciples did not have a testimony, but when Jesus showed, they had a great testimony. 
John 21:11 records, “Simon Peter went up and dragged the net to land, full of large fish, one hundred and fifty-three; and although there were so many, the net was not broken.” 
If you have received and believed the report of His resurrection, there should be no turning back to the former lifestyle. 

Prayer for today: Ask you to be enabled going forward, not turning back in answering to the calling of God.