2026-02-11 Wednesday - Bro Scott Wiggins

Devotional

Day 1: The Power of What You Focus On

What you focus on determines what you find. Your mind is designed to seek out and highlight that which you have decided is most important. This is a God-given mechanism, a kind of internal guidance system that filters the world around you. By consciously choosing to focus on God's promises and His purpose, you train your heart and mind to see His hand at work. You will always find what you are looking for. [20:07]

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. (Matthew 7:7-8 ESV)

Reflection: What is one specific promise from God that you feel led to focus on this week? How can you intentionally set your mind on that promise each day?

Day 2: Defining Your Ask, Seek, and Knock

Vague desires yield vague results. The call to ask, seek, and knock requires intentionality and a clear objective. It is not a passive hope but an active pursuit of God's will. Defining what you are asking for, what you are seeking, and which door you are knocking on brings clarity to your faith. This clarity aligns your expectations with God's purpose and empowers your prayers. [20:35]

If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him! (Matthew 7:11 ESV)

Reflection: In this season of your life, what are you specifically asking God for, and what does actively seeking that look like in your daily routine?

Day 3: Renewing Your Mind to Overcome Scarcity

A scarcity mindset is a filter of limitation that contradicts God's abundance. It focuses on lack and risk, often rooted in past experiences or fears, and it can paralyze your God-given potential. This mindset must be actively dismantled through the renewing of your mind by the Holy Spirit. You are called to see yourself as fertile ground for God's investment, not as a barren wasteland. [33:16]

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. (Romans 12:2 ESV)

Reflection: Where have you recently sensed a scarcity mindset limiting your view of what God can do in or through you? What truth from Scripture can you meditate on to renew your mind in that area?

Day 4: Stewarding What You've Been Given

God entrusts each person with gifts and callings according to their ability. Faithfulness is not measured by comparing your portion to another's, but by your willingness to steward what is in your hand. The parable of the talents reveals that fear and a misperception of God's character lead to barrenness. He is a good master who rewards faithful stewardship with greater responsibility and joy. [37:26]

His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ (Matthew 25:21 ESV)

Reflection: What specific "talent" has God placed in your care—whether it be time, a skill, or a resource—that He is inviting you to invest and multiply for His kingdom?

Day 5: Embracing Your Value and Purpose in Christ

Your value is not self-determined; it is conferred by the King. In Christ, you are a new creation, robed in righteousness and filled with purpose. To devalue yourself is to limit the work God desires to do through you. He specializes in taking broken vessels and making them whole again, filling the cracks with His glory. You are called to live expectantly, based on who He says you are. [42:40]

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. (Romans 12:1 ESV)

Reflection: How might embracing your God-given value and purpose change the way you approach a current challenge or opportunity in your life?

Sermon Summary

Matthew 7:7–11 frames asking, seeking, and knocking as active expressions of faith that demand clear intent and bold expectation. The text urges intentionality: define what is being asked for, set the mind on that target, and pursue it with single-minded focus. Practical psychology enters the picture through the reticular activating system (RAS), which filters daily inputs and amplifies whatever the mind consistently seeks. Visual exercises demonstrate how focus shapes perception; what the mind expects, the mind tends to find.

Expectation becomes a spiritual discipline. Scripture references and reflective quotes call for raising the internal wage one asks of life and of God — not in a consumer sense but as a surrendered, expectant posture that aligns desire with divine purpose. The RAS, paired with practices like journaling and focused prayer, rewires attention toward opportunities to steward and multiply what God entrusts. This attention requires daily work: disciplined prayer, prolonged time in God’s presence, and honest self-examination that replaces vague hoping with concrete aims.

Scarcity mindset emerges as the chief enemy of increase. Defined as a belief in limitation, it filters reality through fear, undercuts risk-taking, and narrows the capacity to multiply gifts. The parable of the talents illustrates consequences: faith that receives must also trade, invest, and steward; burying gifts out of fear results in loss and judgment. Conversely, faithful multiplication — even over “a few things” — receives greater responsibility and joy.

Transformation calls for renewed minds and persistent spiritual habits. Romans and Proverbs anchor the call: set thoughts on heavenly things, think on what is true and virtuous, and present the body as a living sacrifice. The text insists on more than ritual: prolonged encounter with the Holy Spirit reshapes patterns formed by trauma or culture. The closing appeal presses for renewed expectancy, courageous stewardship, and immediate action — pray with depth, reject limiting narratives, and move to multiply what God has already given.

Key Takeaways

1. Define what you are asking Clear, specific requests shape prayer into focused pursuit rather than vague wishing. Naming the aim calibrates the heart, trains the imagination, and activates practical steps toward that goal. Prayer with defined intent invites God to meet a concrete need and mobilizes the believer’s will to cooperate. Precision in petitions roots expectation in responsibility rather than passivity. [20:35]
2. Program the mind for focus The reticular activating system amplifies whatever the mind rehearses; consistent attention surfaces matching opportunities. Intentional practices — visualization, journaling, sustained prayer — train perception to notice resources and connections that otherwise remain invisible. Spiritual disciplines become cognitive habits that orient daily life toward kingdom aims. Repetition and devotion change what the mind flags as important. [24:14]
3. Reject scarcity; expect increase Scarcity thinking narrows vision, isolates gifts, and corrodes risk-taking necessary for multiplication. Identifying scarcity’s roots — trauma, culture, or habit — frees the believer to choose a counter-narrative of stewardship and growth. Embracing expectant faith reshapes decisions, enabling investment of time, talent, and treasure for kingdom fruit. Choosing abundance of vision triggers action that aligns with God’s purposes. [32:10]
4. Multiply gifts, steward what’s given The parable of the talents mandates active stewardship: received gifts must be traded and grown, not hidden. Faithfulness over little things qualifies for greater responsibility and entrance into the joy of the Lord. Fear-based conservatism forfeits potential and invites loss; courageous stewardship cultivates increase. Responsible risk honors the Giver and enlarges service. [34:51]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[16:38] - Opening: Sensitivity to the Spirit
[17:45] - Prayer and Topic Announced
[18:03] - Matthew 7:7–11: Ask, Seek, Knock
[23:47] - Defining Expectation and Anticipation
[24:14] - The Reticular Activating System (RAS)
[28:59] - Vision: What Are You Looking For?
[34:51] - Parable of the Talents Explained
[43:59] - Broken Vessels and Worth Restored
[46:02] - Confronting Scarcity Mindset
[49:54] - Altar Call: Renew and Act

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading
Matthew 7:7–11 (ESV)
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!”

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Observation questions

What three actions does Jesus command in Matthew 7:7, and what is promised for each?
How does Jesus use the analogy of a father giving gifts to his children to illustrate God’s character?
What specific term did the sermon use to describe the part of our brain that filters what we see based on what we focus on? [24:14]
According to the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14–30), what was the master’s response to the servant who buried his talent? [34:51]

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Interpretation questions

Why might Jesus emphasize asking, seeking, and knocking as separate actions? What does each imply about our posture toward God?
How does a scarcity mindset, as described in the sermon, directly contradict the promises in Matthew 7:7–11? [32:10]
In the parable of the talents, the servant who buried his talent claimed he was afraid of his master’s harshness. How might his perception of the master have shaped his actions? [41:34]
The reticular activating system was presented as a natural example of a spiritual principle. How might this concept help explain Proverbs 23:7 (“as he thinketh in his heart, so is he”)? [24:14]

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Application questions

What is one specific, tangible thing you are currently asking God for? How can you move beyond vague wishing to focused, expectant prayer? [20:35]
Scarcity mindset often whispers, “There’s not enough” or “You’re not enough.” What area of your life (finances, relationships, gifts) is most often filtered through this lens? What is one practical step you can take this week to reject that narrative? [32:10]
The parable of the talents shows that faithfulness in small things leads to greater responsibility. What is one “talent” (time, skill, resource) you’ve been given that you’ve been hesitant to invest or risk? What would it look like to actively “trade” with it this month? [34:51]
How can practices like journaling, visualization, or focused prayer help “program” your mind to notice God’s opportunities and provision? Which one will you commit to trying this week? [24:14]
The servant who buried his talent was called “wicked and slothful” for his inaction. Where might fear of failure be causing you to play it safe spiritually, and what would courageous stewardship look like in that area? [38:29]
What would it look like to approach your daily time with God not as a ritual, but as a prolonged encounter meant to renew your mind and reshape your expectations? [47:46]
Who in your life can you share a specific prayer request with this week, inviting them to both pray with expectation and hold you accountable to act?

Sermon Clips

I believe tonight, I am being called to reprogram that little part of my brain to expect better things. I expect health in my body, and I'm gonna work like I've got health in my body. I expect to have mental capabilities because I'm going to work in that department. I expect increase in the church because that's what I I I see it, and I'm gonna expect it and I'm gonna work towards it. All of this plays together. What? What are we looking for? What are we asking for? What are we seeking? What are we knocking? Matthew seven, again, [00:29:31] (38 seconds) #ReprogramToExpect

The RAS is a powerful neural network that plays a crucial, and I'm gonna read for a second, you guys excuse me, plays a crucial role in cognitive function. This often overlooked part of the brain holds the key to unlocking heightened focus. Somebody say focus. That's important. Along with other efficiencies, the RAS is, in other terms, a GPS that constantly directs our attention to what matters most. Also, it's a spotlight that in a sense sifts through the constant barrage of sensory stimuli we encounter every day, sight, hear, touch, everything, [00:24:14] (42 seconds) #ActivateYourRAS

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2026-02-11 Wednesday - Bro Scott Wiggins - Increase: Expectations