red just to the right of the altar of incense. Zachariah was paralyzed in fear.

13-15 But the angel reassured him, "Don't fear, Zachariah. Your prayer has been heard. Elizabeth, your wife, will bear a son by you. You are to name him John. You're going to leap like a gazelle for joy, and not only you—many will delight in his birth. He'll achieve great stature with God.

15-17 "He'll drink neither wine nor beer. He'll be filled with the Holy Spirit from the moment he leaves his mother's womb. He will turn many sons and daughters of Israel back to their God. He will herald God's arrival in the style and strength of Elijah, soften the hearts of parents to children, and kindle devout understanding among hardened skeptics—he'll get the people ready for God."

18 Zachariah said to the angel, "Do you expect me to believe this? I'm an old man and my wife is an old woman."

19-20 But the angel said, "I am Gabriel, the sentinel of God, sent especially to bring you this glad news. But because you won't believe me, you'll be unable to say a word until the day of your son's birth. Every word I've spoken to you will come true on time—God's time." The Message

For years they had been praying for a child. Now, when possibility of it happening is past, an angel comes with the good news. There is one problem. Zechariah ain’t about to believe it! And is silly enough to tell AN ANGEL “You expect me to believe THAT?” !!!!!

A person in the ministry who will not believe is worse than a HEATHEN!!

LOOK IN THE MIRROR! YOU ARE IN THE MINISTRY!

So …. How’s your "believer"?

The way to tell how your " believer" is …. listen to what you say. OUT OF THE ABUNDANCE OF THE HEART THE MOUTH SPEAKS.

Do you live by what you see and feel and think and hear? Or do you live by God’s Word?

You know why the angel shut Zechariah’s mouth?

SO HE WOULDN’T SPEAK DOUBT AND UNBELIEF WHILE THE CHILD WAS IN THE WOMB!

God said John would be born full of the Spirit. You cannot be full of the Spirit if you are listening to doubt and unbelief. You cannot be full of the Spirit if you are speaking doubt and unbelief.

Acts 12:
1-4 That's when King Herod got it into his head to go after some of the church members. He murdered James, John's brother. When he saw how much it raised his popularity ratings with the Jews, he arrested Peter—all this during Passover Week, mind you—and had him thrown in jail, putting four squads of four soldiers each to guard him. He was planning a public lynching after Passover.
5All the time that Peter was under heavy guard in the jailhouse, the church prayed for him most strenuously.

6 Then the time came for Herod to bring him out for the kill. That night, even though shackled to two soldiers, one on either side, Peter slept like a baby. And there were guards at the door keeping their eyes on the place. Herod was taking no chances!

7-9 Suddenly there was an angel at his side and light flooding the room. The angel shook Peter and got him up: "Hurry!" The handcuffs fell off his wrists. The angel said, "Get dressed. Put on your shoes." Peter did it. Then, "Grab your coat and let's get out of here." Peter followed him, but didn't believe it was really an angel—he thought he was dreaming.

10-11Past the first guard and then the second, they came to the iron gate that led into the city. It swung open before them on its own, and they were out on the street, free as the breeze. At the first intersection the angel left him, going his own way. That's when Peter realized it was no dream. "I can't believe it—this really happened! The Master sent his angel and rescued me from Herod's vicious little production and the spectacle the Jewish mob was looking forward to."

12-14 Still shaking his head, amazed, he went to Mary's house, the Mary who was John Mark's mother. The house was packed with praying friends. When he knocked on the door to the courtyard, a young woman named Rhoda came to see who it was. But when she recognized his voice—Peter's voice!—she was so excited and eager to tell everyone Peter was there that she forgot to open the door and left him standing in the street.

15-16 But they wouldn't believe her, dismissing her, dismissing her report. "You're crazy," they said. She stuck by her story, insisting. They still wouldn't believe her and said, "It must be his angel." All this time poor Peter was standing out in the street, knocking away.

16-17 Finally they opened up and saw him—and went wild! Peter put his hands up and calmed them down. He described how the Master had gotten him out of jail, then said, "Tell James and the brothers what's happened." He left them and went off to another place. The Message

Here we have BELIEVERS, praying and interceding for Peter who is in prison. And when God answers their prayers they refuse to believe it.

I have to ask, WHAT THE HECK WERE THEY PRAYING? Were they praying something like: “dear god please give peter the courage to be executed” “dear lord if it be thy will help peter endure” “dear lord please help us all through this hard time and give us the strength to face the loss of peter” ???????????

If they were praying "GOD SET HIM FREE"..... if they were praying for God to WORK MIRACLES .. and IF they believed it, there would not have been the manifestation of doubt and unbelief!!

SOMETHING IS WRONG!! DO WE BELIEVE OR NOT? DOES OUR " BELIEVER" NEED FIXED?

Begin by taking in God’s Word and agreeing with it instead of agreeing with what you see and feel and hear and think.

Rom 10:17-18
Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ. NIV

Two applications:

One – take in the Word … believe the Word .. speak the Word .. agree with the Word in spite of what you see and feel and hear.

Two – hear Holy Spirit as He brings the Word to your mind .. listen to Holy Spirit as He guides you .. agree with Holy Spirit in spite of what you see and hear and feel.

Walk in the Spirit … BE LED BY THE SPIRIT .. not by all the other voices out there.

STOP LISTENING TO NEGATIVITY AND UNBELIEF! Listen to the Lord and follow Him!