Plant the Seed of Increased Capacity
Have you ever had a situation in your life, where someone tried to encourage you or mentor you into greater faith? Have you ever read something in scripture about who you are in Christ, or what is possible because of your faith and it just seemed to hard or impossible to believe?
Have you ever been in a position, where you feel you just don't measure up to what is said in scripture? Have you outright doubted what was in scripture?
If you're in this position or have been in this position, don't fret. We've all been there.
The Bible relates a story in Mark 9:15-27 about a young man who was possessed by an evil spirit. Jesus had just taken three disciples with Him privately. When they returned, they saw the rest of the disciples in a discussion with some of the scribes there.
Jesus asked the disciples what was going on. Then a man from the crowd came forth and told Jesus, his son was possessed by a spirit that makes him mute. The boy was brought to Jesus and various symptoms were displayed before Him.
Jesus asked how long it had been happening to him. The father related it had been going on since childhood.
The father made, what looked like on the surface, a very logical statement. He told Jesus, "If you can do anything, take pity on us and help us." Jesus gave the father a remarkable answer. "If you can? All things are possible to him who believes."
The father gave Jesus an equally remarkable answer. "I do believe; help my unbelief".
Have you ever been in a position, where you feel you just don't measure up to what is said in scripture? Have you outright doubted what was in scripture?
If you're in this position or have been in this position, don't fret. We've all been there.
The Bible relates a story in Mark 9:15-27 about a young man who was possessed by an evil spirit. Jesus had just taken three disciples with Him privately. When they returned, they saw the rest of the disciples in a discussion with some of the scribes there.
Jesus asked the disciples what was going on. Then a man from the crowd came forth and told Jesus, his son was possessed by a spirit that makes him mute. The boy was brought to Jesus and various symptoms were displayed before Him.
Jesus asked how long it had been happening to him. The father related it had been going on since childhood.
The father made, what looked like on the surface, a very logical statement. He told Jesus, "If you can do anything, take pity on us and help us." Jesus gave the father a remarkable answer. "If you can? All things are possible to him who believes."
The father gave Jesus an equally remarkable answer. "I do believe; help my unbelief".
The Capacity To Be Called
This was an interesting answer by the father of the boy. He believed, yet he needed help with his unbelief as well. I think we can all identify with the father's answer. What was the father actually asking? He was asking Jesus to increase his capacity to believe.
I stated in my article on the Law of Capacity, that capacity is the foundation of faith. It's also your first step to great faith. This is a law of faith. In order for faith to grow in your life, you must have growing capacity for that faith.
But, capacity is also a faith seed that is sown and can grow. That's the good news. With the help of the Holy Spirit, you can grow your capacity for faith. It's a seed you sow. It grows, leading you into greater and greater faith.
To illustrate this, let's take a look at the example of Peter. This is a man who was a fisherman. This was a man who grew his capacity for faith, though he was like many of us. He was stubborn. He spoke before he thought. He sometimes acted very cocky. Yet, this man grew into great faith; even after denying Jesus.
In order to see how Peter grew in his faith, through the seed of capacity, let's look at three scriptures.
The first one is Mark 1:16-8. This scripture describes the call of Peter. "As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 'Come, follow me,' Jesus said, 'and I will make you fishers of men.' At once they left their nets and followed him.
Here you see the first level of Peter's faith. He was first called to follow Jesus. The first test of faith we'll have and the first seed of faith we can sow, is the capacity to believe in Jesus enough to follow him. Peter could have had only an interest in who Jesus was or what he was about. He could've stopped there.
That's the choice all of us face at some point; whether to believe on and follow Jesus. Before any other seed of capacity can be sown and grown, we must have the capacity to follow Jesus. This comes first. If you and I don't sow that seed, it doesn't matter what other seeds we have.
So, what did Peter and Andrew do? The scripture says that "immediately they left their nets and followed Jesus. They had no idea what the future held. They were invested in their fishing business. But, they had the capacity of faith to drop everything and follow Jesus. They only had one way to find out what Jesus was about. They needed to leave their nets behind and follow Jesus, who was ahead.
I stated in my article on the Law of Capacity, that capacity is the foundation of faith. It's also your first step to great faith. This is a law of faith. In order for faith to grow in your life, you must have growing capacity for that faith.
But, capacity is also a faith seed that is sown and can grow. That's the good news. With the help of the Holy Spirit, you can grow your capacity for faith. It's a seed you sow. It grows, leading you into greater and greater faith.
To illustrate this, let's take a look at the example of Peter. This is a man who was a fisherman. This was a man who grew his capacity for faith, though he was like many of us. He was stubborn. He spoke before he thought. He sometimes acted very cocky. Yet, this man grew into great faith; even after denying Jesus.
In order to see how Peter grew in his faith, through the seed of capacity, let's look at three scriptures.
The first one is Mark 1:16-8. This scripture describes the call of Peter. "As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 'Come, follow me,' Jesus said, 'and I will make you fishers of men.' At once they left their nets and followed him.
Here you see the first level of Peter's faith. He was first called to follow Jesus. The first test of faith we'll have and the first seed of faith we can sow, is the capacity to believe in Jesus enough to follow him. Peter could have had only an interest in who Jesus was or what he was about. He could've stopped there.
That's the choice all of us face at some point; whether to believe on and follow Jesus. Before any other seed of capacity can be sown and grown, we must have the capacity to follow Jesus. This comes first. If you and I don't sow that seed, it doesn't matter what other seeds we have.
So, what did Peter and Andrew do? The scripture says that "immediately they left their nets and followed Jesus. They had no idea what the future held. They were invested in their fishing business. But, they had the capacity of faith to drop everything and follow Jesus. They only had one way to find out what Jesus was about. They needed to leave their nets behind and follow Jesus, who was ahead.
The Capacity To Believe Jesus' Word
The next scripture to see is Luke 5:4-6. Jesus was by a lake and there were so many people pressing around him, he got into a boat belonging to, you guessed it, Simon. He asked Simon to pull out a little from shore. When they had gotten away from the shore, he sat down and taught the people from the boat.
The scripture says when Jesus finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch." Simon answered Jesus by saying, "Master we've worked hard all nightand haven't caught anything."
This is an interesting contrast showing that Peter's capacity is growing, Apparently, from the time he was called to this moment when Jesus told him to go out into deep water for a catch, Peter had spent time with Jesus. He heard his teachings, had spoken with Jesus and perhaps had seen some of the works Jesus was doing.
Then there's the contrast in what Jesus told them to do and Peter's immediate response. Jesus told them to go out into deep water for a catch. He didn't say to go out into deep water, so that there might be a catch or hopefully a catch. He said plainly for them to go out into deep water for a catch.
What was Peter's immediate response? It was the kind of response that most of us would probably respond with. "Master, we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything." First of all, Peter's faith capacity had increased to the point where he called Jesus his master.
He recognized the work they had already done. They had done all that was humanly possible by their own effort to catch fish. In fact, they'd been putting in the effort all night. What did they have to show for all of their effort? Not one, single fish.
Yet, you can see something interesting here. He has sown the faith seed of capacity, to the point where, in spite of the effort they'd put in to no avail all night, he would do what his Master, Jesus said. His faith capacity had grown where he knew if Jesus said it, then it was going to be fruitful.
So he responded by saying, "But because you say so, I will let down the nets." Peter's faith capacity had grown to the point that all that needed to happen was for Jesus to say the word.
What was the result of that increased faith capacity? The scripture says "they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break." This is what an increased faith capacity can do.
Remember the Law of Correspondence?
This law states that your outside world will correspond with what's going on in your inside world. On the inside, Peter had sown the faith seed of capacity. It had grown to the point that by doing nothing more but believing Jesus' word, increase was manifested in his life.
The scripture says when Jesus finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch." Simon answered Jesus by saying, "Master we've worked hard all nightand haven't caught anything."
This is an interesting contrast showing that Peter's capacity is growing, Apparently, from the time he was called to this moment when Jesus told him to go out into deep water for a catch, Peter had spent time with Jesus. He heard his teachings, had spoken with Jesus and perhaps had seen some of the works Jesus was doing.
Then there's the contrast in what Jesus told them to do and Peter's immediate response. Jesus told them to go out into deep water for a catch. He didn't say to go out into deep water, so that there might be a catch or hopefully a catch. He said plainly for them to go out into deep water for a catch.
What was Peter's immediate response? It was the kind of response that most of us would probably respond with. "Master, we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything." First of all, Peter's faith capacity had increased to the point where he called Jesus his master.
He recognized the work they had already done. They had done all that was humanly possible by their own effort to catch fish. In fact, they'd been putting in the effort all night. What did they have to show for all of their effort? Not one, single fish.
Yet, you can see something interesting here. He has sown the faith seed of capacity, to the point where, in spite of the effort they'd put in to no avail all night, he would do what his Master, Jesus said. His faith capacity had grown where he knew if Jesus said it, then it was going to be fruitful.
So he responded by saying, "But because you say so, I will let down the nets." Peter's faith capacity had grown to the point that all that needed to happen was for Jesus to say the word.
What was the result of that increased faith capacity? The scripture says "they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break." This is what an increased faith capacity can do.
Remember the Law of Correspondence?
This law states that your outside world will correspond with what's going on in your inside world. On the inside, Peter had sown the faith seed of capacity. It had grown to the point that by doing nothing more but believing Jesus' word, increase was manifested in his life.
The Capacity For Doing The Works Of Jesus
There's a third scripture you need to examine. This is found in Matthew 14:25-29. Earlier in the chapter, Jesus had instructed the disciples to get into the boat go ahead of him to the other side of the lake, while he was dismissing the crowd he was teaching.
The scripture says that after he dismissed them, he went into the hills to pray by himself. The scripture goes on to say that later, as evening came, the boat the disciples had taken was a considerable distance from the shore and Jesus was alone. The boat was buffeted by the wind and the waves were against it.
During the fourth watch of the night, which was between 3am and 6am in the morning, Jesus went out to the disciples. He was walking on the water. Now, the disciples saw Jesus, and at first, thought he was a ghost.
But, Jesus immediately said to them, to not be afraid but have courage, because it was him and not a ghost.
Peter, immediately shows that is faith capacity had grown even further. His first response wasn't to feel deep relief and lessened anxiety because they hadn't seen a ghost. He didn't tell Jesus to help them against the storm because they were tired.
What was his immediate response? He had sown seeds of faith capacity, they had taken root and grown to the point, where Peter could immediately say; "Lord, if it's you, tell me to come to you on the water." What kind of statement was that?
Would your or my first response to Jesus be to tell us to walk on water and we would?
Peter's faith capacity had grown in a couple of ways. When he and his brother Andrew were called by Jesus to follow him, they dropped their nets and followed him.
Next, when Jesus told them to go into deep water for a catch, Peter called him "Master".
Yet, in this third scripture, Peter's faith capacity had grown to the point where he called him "Lord". Where is your faith capacity right now? What do you call Jesus in your life? Is he a good teacher, a good prophet, master or Lord? Your faith capacity will determine what you call him in your heart.
But Peter made an astounding request. But, it wasn't only a request. It was accompanied by a declaration. He asked Jesus to tell him to come to him on the water. Can you imagine even making that kind of request in the first place?
His faith capacity had grown to the point, where, at Jesus's word, Peter believed in a miracle...that even the laws of nature can be suspended, for him to walk on that water. As a result, Peter walked on the water. After awhile he took his eyes off of Jesus and went into lower level focus. This lower level focus led Peter into the realm of fear. As a result, Peter began to sink.
By going into lower level focus, Peter's capacity for faith shrank and he began to sink.
Do you see why the faith seed of capacity is so important? You can only believe for what you have the capacity to believe.
As you plant your faith seed of capacity, remember the three key things that definitely have an effect on your faith capacity. They are your self-image, focus and self-talk.
Remember your self-image is rooted in Jesus. Any other root and your self-image will be without a strong foundation. Maintain higher level focus. When Peter changed his focus, he went from the realm of faith, to the realm of fear. Then as a result of entering into the realm of fear, Peter began to sink, telling himself he was sinking, then asking Jesus to save him.
Remember Peter. Plant the faith seed of capacity and watch your faith grow.
The scripture says that after he dismissed them, he went into the hills to pray by himself. The scripture goes on to say that later, as evening came, the boat the disciples had taken was a considerable distance from the shore and Jesus was alone. The boat was buffeted by the wind and the waves were against it.
During the fourth watch of the night, which was between 3am and 6am in the morning, Jesus went out to the disciples. He was walking on the water. Now, the disciples saw Jesus, and at first, thought he was a ghost.
But, Jesus immediately said to them, to not be afraid but have courage, because it was him and not a ghost.
Peter, immediately shows that is faith capacity had grown even further. His first response wasn't to feel deep relief and lessened anxiety because they hadn't seen a ghost. He didn't tell Jesus to help them against the storm because they were tired.
What was his immediate response? He had sown seeds of faith capacity, they had taken root and grown to the point, where Peter could immediately say; "Lord, if it's you, tell me to come to you on the water." What kind of statement was that?
Would your or my first response to Jesus be to tell us to walk on water and we would?
Peter's faith capacity had grown in a couple of ways. When he and his brother Andrew were called by Jesus to follow him, they dropped their nets and followed him.
Next, when Jesus told them to go into deep water for a catch, Peter called him "Master".
Yet, in this third scripture, Peter's faith capacity had grown to the point where he called him "Lord". Where is your faith capacity right now? What do you call Jesus in your life? Is he a good teacher, a good prophet, master or Lord? Your faith capacity will determine what you call him in your heart.
But Peter made an astounding request. But, it wasn't only a request. It was accompanied by a declaration. He asked Jesus to tell him to come to him on the water. Can you imagine even making that kind of request in the first place?
His faith capacity had grown to the point, where, at Jesus's word, Peter believed in a miracle...that even the laws of nature can be suspended, for him to walk on that water. As a result, Peter walked on the water. After awhile he took his eyes off of Jesus and went into lower level focus. This lower level focus led Peter into the realm of fear. As a result, Peter began to sink.
By going into lower level focus, Peter's capacity for faith shrank and he began to sink.
Do you see why the faith seed of capacity is so important? You can only believe for what you have the capacity to believe.
As you plant your faith seed of capacity, remember the three key things that definitely have an effect on your faith capacity. They are your self-image, focus and self-talk.
Remember your self-image is rooted in Jesus. Any other root and your self-image will be without a strong foundation. Maintain higher level focus. When Peter changed his focus, he went from the realm of faith, to the realm of fear. Then as a result of entering into the realm of fear, Peter began to sink, telling himself he was sinking, then asking Jesus to save him.
Remember Peter. Plant the faith seed of capacity and watch your faith grow.
