Daily Devotional
Matthew 21: 21 Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.
When Jesus told his disciples in Matthew 21:21 that if they had faith and not doubt they could do what he did to the fig tree, He did so expecting them to live by the principle of believing and not doubting. In order for us to live by that principle we must first understand two things: a) what it means to believe and not doubt? b) How we could practice this principle regardless of what is happening around us?
To believe and not doubt is refusing to entertain any other thoughts and beliefs that are contrary to what we want to see. It is being firm in your faith. We have a tendency of thinking opposing thoughts when things do not go as expected. However, through the repetition of those thoughts we form new beliefs that attract an outcome that is different from the one we wanted to see. From that perspective you can see that doubting is actually self-defeating. After Jesus cursed the fig tree in Matthew 21, He did not spend His time wondering thereafter if it would happen: His thought and expectation was that what He said would happen. We will have to take a similar approach to replicate what Jesus did.
Now that we know what it means to believe and not doubt, practically how can we maintain that position regardless of what is happening around us? We have to practice directing our thoughts on the outcome God has promised or what we want to see. The Shunammite woman illustrated in 2 Kings 4 how this could be done when she repeatedly said “it is well” despite the fact that her son was dead. She directed her thoughts rather than allow her circumstances to dictate what she would think or believe. If she had based her thoughts and belief on her present circumstance, quite naturally she would have thought, believed and acted as if her son was dead and that would have been the result she would have gotten. She chose instead to think that “it is well” and that thought became her belief and guided her action and her son lived again.
More than likely on your journey you will encounter circumstances that push you towards thoughts of doubt and fear, respond by consistently directing your thoughts towards the outcome you want to see. That is how you get the results you want to see.
Life Application: Take a few minutes at the start of each day to write a quick summary of the outcome you want to see that day and read it to yourself at least twice and anytime you start to think thoughts of doubt; in that way you will direct your thoughts to the outcome you want to see.
Prayer: Lord, I will believe and not doubt knowing that you are able to do all things. Erase every shred of doubt from my mind concerning things you have promised and declared. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Daily Devotional 
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