All-Powerful Lord, You have told me that the way to please You is to live by faith. So, what is faith? Two words seem to describe it best – sure and certain. The beginning of faith starts with believing You are faithful and what You say is true. It requires me to believe that You do what You say You will do and be willing to wait patiently for You to fulfill Your promise. Faith is based on my dependence on You and a willingness to do Your will. It involves submission and obedience to Your will with a readiness to do whatever You ask of me. In Your justice, You’ve given every man the measure of faith. That measure gives me the ability to choose You to be preeminent in my life. Once that decision is made, I can grow my faith as I get to know You better and use it in my daily walk. As my faith grows, I should be careful not to think of myself more highly than I should because everyone’s faith grows at their own pace.
Faith is like a bridge from Your infinite supply to my finite need. The bridge between You and me is built by my standing firm and waiting patiently for the connection to be made. Your Word tells me that when I hear Your words and believe they are true and they apply to my situation, I can move forward acting on faith. I can only receive based on how much I can believe. The only way for faith to become mine is by stepping out … trusting You will do what You say … and, claiming it to meet my need. Faith cannot grow where hearts are hardened and will not accept Your words as truth, where one is easily discouraged when answers don’t come quickly, or where lives become entangled in worldly living. The seed of faith germinates in the life of one who hears what You say and understands it. Peace with Your Father is essential for my faith to grow and that can only come when I am reconciled to Him through You.
Your Word tells me that a small amount of faith can move mountains. You use a mustard seed in Your illustration to show how a small amount of faith can accomplish what is seemingly impossible. A mustard seed, while being the smallest of seed, is alive and grows when placed in good soil (a willing and submitted heart). In such a medium, faith can take root and grow. It starts out growing beneath the surface (in my heart) and then becomes visible (as I live by faith in my daily walk) relying on You to do what You have promised. While each step is part of a gradual process in trusting You more, each one involves changes that remove barriers of doubt and reservation. I can then believe You for bigger things. A successful walk is not a function of needing more faith but in whom I’ve placed my faith. Help me strengthen my faith so I can cast mountains into the sea. And it’s in Jesus’ name I pray. AMEN!!
Mathew 17:29-21 He replied, “I tell you the truth, 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.”