DOUBT
Matthew 11:1-15

Among the definitions of doubt are: to be uncertain; consider questionable or unlikely; hesitate to believe and a feeling of uncertainty about the truth. As a believer, dwelling in doubt is destructive to standing in the Lord. Also, the ability to be able to see and hear the truth and turn away from doubt can be productive for a believer in the journey of life. Having heard and seen so much of the power that is in the name of the Jesus, are you still in doubt? John the Baptist doubted Jesus, “And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples 3 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 that is causing doubt of what Jesus can do? John the Baptist, while spending time in prison doubted Jesus. It was John that baptized Jesus, “Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him” (Matthew 3:13) 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! 30 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 that, “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, when he was in the prison of his life, he doubted Jesus. John wanted to know what he already knew. Remember you have heard it all and you have seen it all; if you will hold on to all that you have known you will depart from doubt and not dwell in it. Jesus’ response to John’s doubt is the same response that is speaking to you, “…Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: 5 The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them. 6 And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.” (Mathew 11:4-6) Where there is doubt faith has a tendency not to stand. Hebrew 11:6, “…But without faith it is impossible to please Him…” Do not allow your present situation to dictate to you what your God can do or what he cannot do. Take your stand and declare to your situation that Jesus is Lord and there is nothing He cannot do.
 
Prayer for today: Ask the Lord God to deliver you from every spirit of doubt

TOILING?
Luke 5:1-11

How long have you been toiling without anything to show for your toiling? Once a group of fishermen toiled all night and had nothing to show for it until they had an encounter with Jesus. Are you toiling in any area of life without anything to show for it? In the case of the group of fishermen that toiled with nothing to show for it, there were two things they did that triggered their breakthrough miracle. Is there any area of life where your toiling has not been productive? Are you toiling with no result coming forth? The two things that the fishermen did that triggered their miracle are in Luke 5:1-5, “So it was, as the multitude pressed about Him to hear the word of God, that He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret, 2 and saw two boats standing by the lake; but the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets. 3 Then He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little from the land. And He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat.4 When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” 5 But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.” The first thing was: The fishermen had no idea of who Jesus was when He requested to use their boats as the podium for communicating His message. Despite lack of productivity in their toiling all night they did not reject the request of Jesus. Is your situation dictating how you respond to strangers coming your way? You never know who God is going to use to touch your life in your present situation and it is not an excuse not to reach out to anyone that crosses your way. Secondly, the fishermen did not reject the command of Jesus when He commanded them to launch out into the deep and let down their nets for a catch. The fishermen could have complained to Jesus’ command that called for doing what had not worked all night. The fishermen listened and did as they were directed to do. In your non productive toiling, is there any voice sounding in your direction that you have been ignoring? Take some time out and identify if the voice is meant for your breakthrough. The Fishermen were able to give and they were also able to listen and respond. What is the Lord saying to you that you are yet to obey? He will not ignore you in your toiling if you do not turn away from Him in your time of toiling.
 
Prayer for today: Ask God to open you up so that you will be able see and hear what will bring forth your breakthrough.

CHANGE YOUR WORLD
1 Chronicles 4:1-12

A change that you need is a change that will meet your need. It is recorded in I Chronicles 4:9, “Now Jabez was more honorable than his brothers, and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, “Because I bore him in pain.” How else can the Bible describe a man better than being referred to as honorable? Throughout the Bible very few individuals were singled out with great identification like that of Jabez. Job was referred to as, “…Blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil.” (Job 1:1) Also, Samuel noted David in 1 Samuel 13:14, “…The Lord has sought for Himself a man after His own heart…” King David was a man after God’s heart. Jabez had every reason to make it in life but then there was a need for a change somewhere in his life. Jabez was an honorable man living a degenerated life; not living up to his potential and what the Lord had called him to be. Jabez recognized the meaning of his name as what needed to change. The Bible recorded, “And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, “Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!” So God granted him what he requested. ” (1 Chronicles 4:10) God is the only Unchanging changer. Jabez (meaning sorrow) called on God and specifically requested for what could be his blessings as one that is identified honorable by the word of God. Jabez prayed a specific and direct prayer. Jabez wanted to be blessed, he did not pray “bless me Lord” but he specified the kind of blessing that he wanted. An honorable man deserves a large territory and he asked for the blessing of a large territory. Above that, he prayed for the hand of God to be with him just in case the evil one went after him. He called on God to have himself changed from being a vessel of pain to a vessel of gain. What area of your life needs to be changed for you to enter into what the Lord has called you to be? All it took for change to have its way in the life of Jabez was the ability to ask, and he did not ask a miss. Jesus encouraged us in Luke 11:9, “…Ask and it will be given to you: seek, and you will find; Knock and it will be opened to you.” Is it your name that needs to be changed for changes to be able to locate you? It is never too late and when the wind of change blows from the Lord nothing can stand against you.
 
Prayer for today: Lord my God, open my eyes to everything or situation that is representing a trap in my life let me not miss your blessing of change.

NO MORE STAGNATION
Acts 3:1-9

“Now Peter and John went up together to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour.” (Acts 3:1) In the going up of Peter and John to the temple there was togetherness. It is always important that in going up to the temple togetherness should always be in place, especially when it is the hour of prayer because Jesus emphasized, “…If two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.” (Matthew 18:19) Today, many are going up to the temple without the spirit of togetherness. The absence of togetherness is the absence of the manifestation of power. Another power generator for Peter and John was the importance of time consistency with God. There going was at the hour of prayer and not after the hour of prayer. Today, believers walk late into temple without paying attention to the importance of promptness. All of these count before God and they are among what moves the hand of God. All of these are demonstrations of the fear of God and the evidence of a sense of order. Remember, God is a God of order. There was power in the going of Peter and John because they were together and on time with the business of their God. At the gate of the temple, a man lame from his mother’s womb was waiting for the unexpected to happen. Peter and John, the agents of expectation for manifestation were also on time to the ground of their business. Just as Peter and John came in contact with the lame man, all that needed to get the lame out from his years of stagnation was the ability to get the lame man’s attention. The lame man seeing, “…Peter and John about to go into the temple, asked for alms. 4 And fixing his eyes on him, with John, Peter said, “Look at us.” 5 So he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them.” (Acts 3:3-5) Peter and John had all that the lame man needed to get out of stagnation into motion. Without attention there will be no expectation and when expectation is not in place there will be no manifestation. Peter and John called for the lame man’s attention and he responded to the calling of Peter and John expecting to receive. The obedience of the lame man got him more than he expected because his stagnation was transformed to motion. All the people that knew him to be a lame man and the ones that knew him to be a beggar saw the glory of God in his life and, “…They were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.” (Acts 3:10) The lame man gave attention, he had expectation and in his life manifestation had its way.
 
Prayer for today: Ask God to bring forth your miracle that will fill people with wonder and amazement of God’s miracle in your life.

EAT AND DRINK HIM
John 6:22-59

Jesus made a statement, “I am the bread of life.” (John 6:48) Evidently, we are what we eat and what we eat becomes us. What are you eating and drinking in these challenging days? In other words what are you feeding on? As an acclaimed believer, are you feeding yourself enough of Jesus? Jesus is the bread of life. He said in John 6:57, “… So he who feeds on Me will live because of Me.” He alone is the bread of life and feeding on Him is the only way of having His word abiding in you. The evidence of believing is the word abiding in you. John 5:38, “But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe.” Many went after Jesus just to eat and be filled. Today, many are still going after Him just to be filled. After a number of miracles and the feeding of the five thousand, many went after Him just to look for more bread to eat. Jesus, knowing the reason for their coming, responded to them and said, “…Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. 27 Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him.” (John 6:26-27) They are going around because of the world they want to have in the name of the Word. Jesus’ reality is not about worldly gain,but about the Word of God gaining entrance in us. His message for you today is, “…Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. 55 For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. 56 He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. 57 As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me.” (John 6:53-57) Loaves will only fill you and get digested but the bread of life will abide in you forever. Change your appetite, get into Jesus’ reality and begin to seek, eat and drink of life that is in Jesus. Once you taste the bread of life, there will be no turning back but you will always want more.

Prayer for today: Eternal King of glory, I ask that you feed me with the bread of heaven till I want no more.