DAY 12

“We worry far too much about outcomes instead of focusing on inputs. We cannot make things grow. Period. All we can do is plant and water. But if we plant and water, God promises to give the increase.”

- Mark Batterson

TODAYS READING: Matthew 17:14-26

PRAYER: "God, as I open myself up to you in these moments to read this passage fresh and anew, I ask that you reveal to me that which you would have me learn today. Help me see. More than that, I pray for transformation as I take what you show me and apply it to my life. Amen."

He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” ~Matthew 17:20-21

"As small as a mustard seed"… That’s pretty small. To be more precise, it is about the size of the head of a straight pin—the kind used by seamstresses to pin a pattern to fabric. So yah, that’s pretty small, isn’t it? Yet Jesus says that if we have even that little amount of faith there is nothing we cannot do.

So why, then, aren’t we doing more? And why do so many of us feel God isn’t working in our lives the way we want Him to?

A lack of faith or simply not God’s will?

I consider myself a man of faith. I believe with every ounce of my being that God can do whatever He wants, whenever He wants, however He wants. I believe with every ounce of my being that God is the one and only God, that He is the creator of the universe, and that He is almighty and all-knowing.

But… there have been plenty of times (and sadly, I’m sure there will be more) that I don’t think God will do what I know He can do. And that, my friends, is a lack of faith. Well, sometimes, anyway. Sometimes I don’t believe God will do something that I know He is fully capable of because I am convinced it simply isn’t His will. This probably leads you to the question of how I know which is which.

A lack of faith is simply not trusting God to keep His promises, believing He can do something, or believing that He wants to bless us and direct our lives. For example, not tithing because we don’t think we can and still have what we need to cover our expenses is a lack of faith

Believing something is not His will comes from studying the scriptures and knowing that there are simply some things God won’t do for us because He knows better.

An example of this would be pursuing a romantic relationship with a married person; asking God to give you this person as your husband or wife. If the relationship doesn’t work out, it is not because God was unfaithful or because you didn’t have enough faith. It’s because that person belongs to someone else.

Do you see the difference?

How to have a mustard seed kind of faith

Jesus uses the mustard seed to illustrate the kind of faith we need because the tiny mustard seed grows into something much, Much, MUCH bigger than its original size. In other words, our faith is meant to grow… a lot.

When I am asked the question of how to have more faith, I point people to these two things:

One: First is the man in Mark 9 who asked the disciples to cure his son from demon possession. The disciples couldn’t do it (because of a lack of faith). But when Jesus asked the boy’s father if he believed, he said, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24)

Before I tell you what I think about this verse, I want to clarify what the boy’s father is saying. The Greek word for ‘unbelief’ is apistia. The word literally means distrust.

When the man asks Jesus to help his unbelief, he isn’t saying he doesn’t believe, he is asking Jesus to give him more faith. He knew Jesus could give it, but he needed faith to believe He would.

So… when I am asked the question of how to have more faith, the first thing I tell someone is to ask for more faith. Pray for more faith.

Two: Take the opportunities God gives you to see faith in action. It’s not enough to say you have faith or even believe God is God. True faith grows when you let God be God and do what He does best—the amazing and seemingly impossible.

Our initial introduction to the concept of faith is small. It is a faith that comes from hearing and believing the Word of God. After that, however, the only way for our faith to grow is to use it.

Give your rebellious teen over to God. Tithe. Quit fighting the idea of caring for your aging parents because you aren’t sure your family can handle it. Go on a mission trip and let God take you out of your comfort zone and use you.

Quit trying to fix broken relationships and let God do it for you. Quit holding grudges, forgive, and move forward. Don’t be embarrassed or afraid to offer your talents in your church or community so that you can minister to others. Don’t worry about being made fun of at work or school for sharing the Gospel and having a Christ-like attitude that rejects sinful behaviors.

A mustard seed kind of faith is faith that isn’t content to stay small, but one that buries itself in the soil of God’s Word, takes root, and grows and grows and grows and…

Prayer: Lord, increase my faith. Amen.

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