John 11:5-8 (NIV) Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. Yet when He heard that Lazarus was sick, He stayed where He was two more days. Then He said to His disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.” “But Rabbi,” they said, “a short while ago the Jews tried to stone You, and yet You are going back there?” John 11:16 (NIV) Then Thomas (called Didymus) said to the rest of the disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with Him.”

Jesus, help me NOT be like Thomas who had seen You do many miracles; yet, he still couldn’t put his total faith in You. Help me not be one of those who will only believe what they see. Help me not start out with doubt, reservations, skepticism, and won’t get my hopes up. Help me not refuse to BELIEVE so I won’t get let down. Help me not be cautious, wait to see how things turn out, and protect my emotions until I see that all went well. Help me put my trust in You. Help me read the Bible, see how You provided good things, and then BELIEVE that You will do the same for me.

John 14:2-3 (NIV) In My Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with Me that you also may be where I am.

Jesus, help me NOT be like Thomas, who wasn’t listening to You; help me NOT be busy doubting, worring, and being distracted with my own thoughts. You just told him that YOU were going to be the transportation to Your eternal Kingdom. Help me not fail to take faith-action because I can’t hear You say, “I will come back and take you.” From that moment on, Thomas should have know that You were his way to the place You were going to; but, help me not react like him and allow doubt, distrust, confusion, and human effort control my mind.

John 14:4 (NIV) You know the way to the place where I am going.” Jesus, when the Bible says something like, Rom 10:9-10 (NIV) That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. help me not wait and see if it worked; show me that if I do, it won’t work. 2 Cor 5:7 (NIV) We live by faith, not by sight. Teach me that living is to be based on faith-action; help me see that everything I DO all during my day is to be based on faith in what You ARE doing in and through my life. If it doesn’t “look” like it is working help me not base my faith on the way it looks; teach me that faith-action dies at that moment where I do that.

Jesus, when You told Thomas, You know the way to the place where I am going. help me not be like him and refuse to believe You. Help me NOT check my brain and because I can’t find any evidence in there that tells me I know the way, I doubt You. Help me not do the same, as I go about my day; help me NOT look at the situations and circumstances and “believe” that I don’t know how to handle that situation with You. Empower me to ASK You to help me with it, and KNOW YOU WILL! Teach me that taking faith-action requires that I BELIEVE in You. Help me see that you aren’t asking me to believe that the situation will work out. You are asking me to BELIEVE that YOU will make it work out for my good. Rom 8:28 (NIV) AND WE KNOW that in ALL things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.

John 14:5 (NIV) Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we don’t know where You are going, so how can we know the way?” Jesus had just said: “John 14:4 (NIV) You know the way to the place where I am going.”” The battle with faith-action is, your brain may not be able to come up with the answer; so, you can decide that you don’t know how to do something. But, faith-action is to look to Jesus for HOW and wait until He causes the answer to pop up in your mind. If you decide YOU don’t know and base your action on that, then you won’t be able to take faith-action. If you decide YOU do know, and base your life on that, then you will take ACTION but not FAITH-ACTION. But, if you wait until Jesus tells you how, then with His instructions and power, you will be able to take FAITH-ACTION.

John 14:6 (NIV) Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” Jesus, like Thomas, if I don’t believe it when You say: “You know the way to the place where I am going (John 14:4).” What would cause me to believe it when You say: “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” Make it clear to me what I should do to get myself started believing those things You say. When You say: “You know the way to the place where I am going (John 14:4).”, Teach me that I need to ASK You to help me BELIEVE I know where You went. Help me not be like Thomas and contradict You by saying: “Lord, we DON’T know where You are going.”

Jesus, help me understand that once I learn how to simply ASK You to help me with the first statement, that lets me know how to ASK You to help me with: “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” Help me see that faith-action keeps failing me for as long as I keep reading the Bible and feeling like it isn’t true of me. When I look at my life and I am not able to see what the Bible says is happening in my life, help me NOT accept as “fact” that the Bible is TRUE but not for me.

2 Cor 5:7 (NIV) We LIVE by faith, not by sight. Teach me that this Scripture is taking about faith-action by LIVING on the basis of the fact that what the Bible says is true. If it isn’t being manifest in my life, help me apply my two tool sets to it until it does. Show me that practicing faith-action can involve mistakes, failures, misunderstandings, and partial successes. But, as long as I LIVE by faith, I will keep DESIRING, STUDYING, PRAYING, BELIEVING, LOVING, and trying to take FAITH-ACTION.

John 20:24 (NIV) Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. Jesus, when I am like Thomas, who was somewhere else when the rest of the Disciples got a chance to see You. Help me base my faith on what others tell me. Help me understand that just because I missed the meeting doesn’t mean I have to miss the truth. If the Bible tells me something and others tell me that it happened to them, help me see that I don’t have to wait until it happens to me before I BELIEVE. As a matter of fact, make it clear to me that You will require me to BELIEVE it BEFORE it will happen to me. Teach me that faith and faith-action MUST come into me BEFORE I will EVER experience it in my life. Help me be willing to BELIEVE the Bible, You, the Holy Spirit, and my heavenly Father so I can LIVE Your life.

John 20:25 (NIV) So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in His hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe it.” Jesus, You made me so that my mind needs evidences that something is true; I have to be convinced of something or I will be gullible. Make me where I can’t just take people’s word for something, I have to base my life on truth, not people’s opinions and experiences. So, help me see how I am going to find out what the truth is without demanding that I get my own personal experience on the matter.

Jesus, You had proven Yourself to Thomas over and over again. The disciples had proven themselves to Thomas over and over again. When I get to a place where I know for a fact that You and Your people are trustworthy, let there be a time when I start trusting them. If it hasn’t happened to me, but, it has happened to those who have EARNED my trust, then help me be able to give them “the benefit of the doubt.” Help me not go around acting like my Christian friends are untrustworthy.

Jesus, show me that If You told Thomas several times that You were going to be raised from the dead in three days, that should have been enough to help to assist Thomas in giving the information some plausibility. But, help me see that Thomas took a negative view and said: “Unless I see the nail marks in His hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe it.” Help me not be like that.

John 20:26 (NIV) A week later His disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” Jesus, if I am struggling with faith and faith-action, help me understand that all I have to do is stick with You and Your people; and, You will see to it that I get what I need. Even if I have a really bad attitude about certain truths in the Bible, show me that if I will keep giving You opportunities to prove it to me, You will. You want me to get the breakthoughs I need through believing and taking faith-action. You want me to be able to start LIVING those things that have been credited to my perfect record with God. So, because Thomas stayed around, You showed up and gave him another chance to be set free from bad attitudes and weak faith. I now ASK You to empower me to do the same. Help me stick with You and Your people until I get the breakthroughs I need.

John 20:27 (NIV) Then He said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see My hands. Reach out your hand and put it into My side. Stop doubting and believe.” Jesus, help my attitude not be like Thomas’; help my attitude be that I just need proof; he had an unbelieving attitude that started with skepticism. He was starting with unbelief, doubting that it WASN’T true, and rejecting people’s word. Help me be in a neutral attitude where I am WILLING to be convinced; help me be open to the possibility. Help me be waiting for adequate proof before I make my final decision. Help me NOT be like Thomas, who had his mind already made up. Help me NOT decided to REFUSE BELIEVING until I have adequate proof. Help me keep my mind open to the Bible, You, the Holy Spirit, and my heavenly Father. Things may not be happening to me that are happening to others; but, help me see that if I will keep an open mind, You will help me get the TRUTH on the matter.

John 20:28 (NIV) Thomas said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus, help me see that Thomas wasn’t one of those who was NEVER going to be able to be convinced. He just always started with the “worse-case-scenario.” He felt like it probably wasn’t true; but, if he could get enough proof, he would be at least open minded enough to BELIEVE. Help me approach You with a neutral attitude, if I just can’t BELIEVE the Bible, You, the Holy Spirit, or my heavenly Father. Help me NOT come to You with doubt; if I do, show me that You will rebuke me for not coming to You with a neutral mind. Thomas’ information came through other people; it was acceptible for him to wait until he heard it from You before he made his final decision. But, Thomas said: “Unless I see the nail marks in His hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into His side, I WILL NOT BELIEVE IT.” Help me wait until I hear from You before I make my final decision; but, help me not determine to REFUSE to believe. Give me a neutral opinion until You give me the TRUTH.

John 20:29 (NIV) Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen Me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” Jesus, if the Bible says it, help me accept my RESPONSIBILITY for believing it. Help me not wait until it happens to me; teach me that it is my responsibility to apply my two tool sets to the situation until it DOES happen to me. After I have involved myself in ASKING, SEEKING, and KNOCKING, then empower me to DESIRE, STUDY, PRAY, and then wait on You to give me the faith so I can BELIEVE. But, once You give me the faith to believe, empower me to apply The Three Keys To All Of Christianity to LOVE and FAITH-ACTION. Make it clear to me that whatever the Bible says must be LIVED through my life. Gal 6:9 (NIV) Let us not become weary in DOING good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.