Jesus, give me a clear picture of the word “doubt.” You said Peter HAD little faith and then You asked him why he doubted. Wasn’t the reason he doubted because he had little faith? Show me that in a sense the answer is “YES.” If You were talking about the size of Peter’s faith, Peter’s faith would be so little that he just couldn’t keep from doubting. But, Help me understand that You weren’t talking about size; You were talking about duration. Peter’s faith was in You one moment and was in the wind and the waves the next moment. Teach me that this is “little” faith too.

Luke 17:5-6 (NIV) The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, Be uprooted and planted in the sea, and it will obey you.” Jesus, when the apostles asked You to “Increase our faith!”, help me understand that they were asking You to make it bigger. When You said: “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, help me see that You were saying You didn’t need to make it bigger. Make it clear to me that the reason You didn’t go ahead and tell them what they DID need was because You were teaching them how to get the answers through revelation and explanations from God.

Jesus, why did Peter doubt? An even better question would be, why do I doubt? Teach me what doubt is. Teach me that doubt is faith in anything other than God. When he (Peter) saw the wind, he was afraid. You called that event doubting. Show me why was Peter afraid. You were still there. The word “come” was still in effect. But, help me realize where Peter’s eyes were. When they were on You, he was fine. When they were on the intensity of the wind, he was afraid.

Jesus, teach me that faith, trust, reliance, and dependency on You caused Peter to ask if he could come to You, get out of the boat when given permission, and walk on the water through the creative power of God’s word. When Peter started looking at the effects of the wind, show me where that faith, trust, reliance, and dependency went. Help me see that all of a sudden the wind became more powerful than You in Peter’s mind. The wind had been there all along. The weather hadn’t changed. You hadn’t changed. Show me that something in Peter changed. Help me learn that “when he saw” is the key.

Mat 8:5-10 (NIV) When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, asking for help. “Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed and in terrible suffering.” Jesus said to him, “I will go and heal him.” The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have You come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant WILL be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” When Jesus heard this, He was astonished and said to those following Him, “I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such GREAT FAITH.

Jesus, when You told Your apostles that, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, Be uprooted and planted in the sea, and it will obey you.”, help me understand that You weren’t saying they couldn’t get bigger faith. You were just saying that their problem wasn’t size it was duration. Make it clear to me that even if Peter got GREAT faith, as long as he had a duration problem, he would have just moved his GREAT faith over to believing in a GREAT way that the wind and waves were going to kill him.

Jesus, You were looking at the same wind and waves Peter was looking at. When You saw them, You didn’t start sinking. Teach me that stable faith enables me to believe no matter what I see. But, help me understand that when I am a trainee like Peter, I need to start off controlling my eyes. I need to ONLY keep my eyes on You at all times. Show me that in a sense, I must always keep my eyes on You; but, help me see that I will be able to do both as I grow in my training, skills, talents, and experiences. Heb 12:2a (NIV) Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith. Let me fix my eyes on You, Jesus!

Jesus, make it clear to me that when I am thinking about the creative power of the Word, I feel strong, safe, enabled, transformed, and filled with faith in God. When I am thinking about my own strength and abilities, I feel weak, defeated, endangered, sinful, or filled with faith in the weakness of my body. Teach me that like Peter, I can have faith in both things in a short period of time. Not much time lapsed between Peter walking on water and sinking. What was causing this faith problem in Peter?

James 1:6-8 (NIV) But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a DOUBLE-MINDED man, UNSTABLE in all he does. Jesus, help me always keep in mind that believing and then doubting is called double-mindedness. Help me realize that it is a spiritual disease that keeps me from getting anything from God.

Jesus, teach me that being double-minded causes me to have the “ability” to alternate between two OPPOSING concepts and alternately BELIEVE in both of them. Show me that it is like Peter, who was able to believe he could walk on water one minute and then had the “ability” to believe a totally opposite thing the next. One minute I am thinking about the creative power of God’s Word and knowing I have offered my body as a living sacrifice. The next minute I am thinking about the weakness of my commitment. Make it clear to me that it is a deadly disease that attacks my faith and blocks off God’s answers to my prayers.

Rom 8:5 (NIV) Those who live according to the sinful nature have their MINDS SET on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their MINDS SET on what the Spirit desires. Jesus, remind me that the reason I offered my body as a living sacrifice was because I was living according to the sinful nature in my body. I want a MIND SET on what the Spirit desires.

Jesus, teach me that getting a mind-set is the same procedure as offering my body as a living sacrifice. Before I can have results in an area of need I have to have:

1. Biblical permission.
2. Creation power.
3. Acceptance of responsibility.
4. My mind set on what the Spirit desires.

Jesus, show me that it is like in the case of the Bible saying: Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifice: I could see this as a command that required me to use my human effort; or, I could see it as a job for The Three Keys To All Of Christianity. Make it clear to me that when the Bible says: “offer your body as a living sacrifice,” that is Biblical permission for me to do it. It is also speaking creation power into me that, if accepted in stable faith, PRODUCED it in me the moment I received it and believed it.

Rom 8:5 (NIV) Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.

1. Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires: First, Jesus, remind me to thank God for setting me free from this sinful nature by empowering me to offer my body as a living sacrifice. Remind me to thank Him for empowering me to STOP living according to the sinful nature and having my mind set on what that nature desires.


2. Those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. Next, Jesus, help me accept, in faith, the fact that this verse is giving me Biblical permission. Teach me that the words, “Those who live in accordance with the Spirit” aren’t telling me to try to do this with my human effort. They are telling me what to pray for. So, I ASK God to empower me to live in accordance with the Spirit. Help me know this verse gave me Biblical permission to ask. So, help me see that I am ready for the next step:


3. Those who live in accordance with the Spirit: Jesus, make it clear to me that, that’s me because I ASKED for something I had Biblical permission to ask for.
   
   Faith in Creation Power: Jesus, help me accept the fact that I am one of those who have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. Help me know that I can now STOP being double-minded. I have a MIND SET on the Holy Spirit’s desires. I have been healed from the “ability” to alternate between two OPPOSING concepts and alternately BELIEVE in both of them. I am now ready for the next step:


4. Acceptance of responsibility: Jesus, once You said “come,” to Peter, he HAD to get out of the boat, walk on the water, and come all the way to You. Help me see that I now have the responsibility to USE my Holy Spirit MIND SET. If my body, the world, or the devil tries to convince me that I don’t have the Holy Spirit’s MIND-SET, my responsibility is to CRY OUT to You for help. YOU WILL HELP ME! I am NOW ready for the next step:


5. Jesus, make it clear to me that my mind IS set on what the Spirit desires. You want me to believe and live on the basis that I can offer my body to the things of God. Teach me that if I have ANY problems with it, I must CRY OUT to You. You will empower me to win.