Category: Faith of a Mustard Seed

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Let Jesus Be LORD

27 And they came again to Jerusalem. And as He was walking in the temple, the chief priests and the scribes and the elders came to Him, 28 and they said to Him, “By what authority are You doing these things, or who gave You this authority to do them?” 29 Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one question; answer Me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. 30 Was the baptism of John from heaven or from man? Answer Me.” 31 And they discussed it with one another, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ 32 But shall we say, ‘From man’?”—they were afraid of the people, for they all held that John really was a prophet. 33 So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.” ~ Mark 11:27-33

The next morning, Tuesday, they arrived again in Jerusalem, and while Jesus was walking in the temple courts, the chief priests, the teachers of the law, and the elders came to Him, and it was like they attacked Him, ‘By what authority are You doing these things?’ ‘And who gave You authority to do this?’ But Jesus was and is way smarter than they were and would not allow Himself to be trapped by their questions. So, instead of giving them a right-out answer, He, instead, asked them a question in order to receive an answer. He asked about John’s baptism—was it from heaven, or of human origin? But they were on their toes. They knew Jesus was clever and was always trying to lead them to admit and receive the truth. So, after discussing it among themselves, they simply answered, ‘We don’t know.’ So Jesus wouldn’t answer their question either.

See, Jesus didn’t just toss out a random question when He asked about John’s baptism—He was shining a light on the hearts of those chief priests, scribes, and elders. He knew their question about His authority wasn’t sincere; they wanted to trap Him, not learn from Him. By asking, “Was John’s baptism from heaven or from men?” Jesus cleverly turned the tables. John had pointed straight to Jesus and proclaimed Him the Messiah, so if they admitted John’s work was from God, they’d have to face their own rejection of Jesus. It was like Jesus was saying, “You already know the answer, but will you admit it?” His question wasn’t just a debate tactic—it was an invitation to truth, a chance for them to see that He was sent by God. But their hearts were too hard, too tangled up in pride and power to take that step. Jesus’ wisdom left them speechless, showing us He’s not just smart—He’s the Truth itself, calling us to trust Him fully.

Those religious leaders squirmed under the pressure and finally muttered, “We don’t know,” because they were caught between a rock and a hard place. Say John’s baptism was from heaven, and they’d have to explain why they ignored him and, by extension, Jesus. Say it was just human, and they’d lose the crowd, who loved John as a prophet. So they dodged the question, too scared of the people and too stubborn to face the truth about Jesus. Their answer wasn’t just a cop-out; it showed they cared more about looking good than knowing God. It’s a warning for us—when we dodge Jesus’ call or question His place in our lives, we’re not fooling Him. He sees our hearts, just like He saw theirs. That’s why this moment matters—it’s Jesus asking us, too, to stop hiding and let Him be LORD, no matter what it costs.

Heavenly Father, lead me in the truth of Your Son, Jesus Christ. Help me to submit totally to Him and let Him be LORD of my life. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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A Foreign Word

Exodus 2:11-15 NIV

[11] One day, after Moses had grown up, he went out to where his own people were and watched them at their hard labor. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people. [12] Looking this way and that and seeing no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. [13] The next day he went out and saw two Hebrews fighting. He asked the one in the wrong, “Why are you hitting your fellow Hebrew?” [14] The man said, “Who made you ruler and judge over us? Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian?” Then Moses was afraid and thought, “What I did must have become known.” [15] When Pharaoh heard of this, he tried to kill Moses, but Moses fled from Pharaoh and went to live in Midian, where he sat down by a well.

Moses now living in Pharaoh’s own house has never forgotten his own people. He even tries to save one of them but it backfires on him because the one he tried to save throws it back in his face and then Pharaoh finds out and tries to kill Moses. So what exactly did Moses do?

He saw an Egyptian beating one of the Hebrews and so he killed the Egyptian. The next day Moses saw two Hebrews fighting and when he questioned the one in the wrong, the man threw in his face what he had done to the Egyptian the previous day. So, fear entered Moses that what he done had become known. Then what happened? Sure enough Pharaoh finds out and tries to kill him. So Moses flees Egypt and goes to Midian.

Now, God comes to Moses in the burning bush and calls him, but Moses asks God the very same question the Hebrew slave asked him “who am I to do this?” It had been several years when Moses fled Egypt, yet that same question had caused doubt in him and stayed with him all those years.

Think about this. Moses was talking to God. God was speaking back to Moses and telling him that He was chosen by God, yet Moses is like “who am I to do these things?” This still happens to us today.

The enemy will use a simple phrase from our past in order to keep us from our future. Moses missed out on the priesthood coming through his line. He missed out on performing the miracles before Pharaoh in Egypt. Moses even missed out on a healing touch for his tongue, all because one man who was in the wrong lashed out on him when he was being corrected.

Never let the enemy use someone else to keep you from your call. God has called each and every one of us to a specific job. The enemy knows this, so he plants seeds of doubt, fear, anger, bitterness, etc. in our minds years in advance in order to control us. In order to keep us from our call. In order so that when God finally calls us, we’ll have so much doubt, we won’t be able to trust God.

So, what do we do? We don’t go in our own strength but in the strength of the LORD. When God calls you, He doesn’t send you on your own. He sends you in His Spirit. He sends you in His strength. Matter-a-fact He Himself goes before you. So what do you have to lose?

Fear LORD, I’m sorry for every time you have called me and I have given up. I’m sorry for every time I have slowed someone else’s words and opinions, dictate my life. Please forgive me and give me the strength to overcome. Please give me another opportunity to do Your work and fulfill the call You have on my life. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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He Fulfills

Genesis 22:15-18NIV

[15] The angel of the Lord called to Abraham from heaven a second time [16] and said, “I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, [17] I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, [18] and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.”

Today marks the beginning of the first day of the month leading up to Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday. Easter, much like Christmas, is often attacked and slandered by non-believers (and even believers) who say that their origins are stolen from popular Pagan feasts, festivals, and gods/goddesses. When you actually begin to research these claims, there is no evidence for a single one of them. So, where did Easter actually come from? Well, it dates all the way back to a promise to a faithful father.

Abraham had waited 25 years for God to fulfill His promise of an heir. When Abraham turned 100 years old, God’s promise was fulfilled, and Isaac was born. Now, think about this for a second. This promise didn’t come without Abraham first obeying God and acting in faith by taking his son, Isaac, and sacrificing him on an altar to God. Abraham, in faith, took his son up the mountain to fulfill what God had commanded of him. Isaac, noticing everything needed for the sacrifice, but the sacrifice itself asked his father where the sacrifice was.

Genesis 22:6-8 NIV

[6] Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, [7] Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?” “Yes, my son?” Abraham replied. “The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” [8] Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together.

Abraham didn’t go up the mountain believing his son would be left dead on the mountain. No. He knew the LORD is good and he put his faith in that good God He knew. And he said “God Himself will provide the lamb.” It wasn’t until he went up that mountain, built the altar, and laid his own son on the altar that the LORD then stopped him and gave a ram in Isaac’s place. Once they sacrificed the offering, that had been provided by God Himself, then and only then did God give Abraham the promise of the Messiah.

Because Abraham did not hold back his son from God, God in turn did not hold back His Son from the world.

Galatians 3:16NIV

[16] The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. Scripture does not say “and to seeds,” meaning many people, but “and to your seed,” meaning one person, who is Christ.

God always looks for just one person willing to obey in faith His commands. Today, we have Easter, not because we stole beliefs from Pagans, but because we celebrate a promise fulfilled. A promise of the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God, who came to us from Heaven to die and rise again. That is why we celebrate Easter. We celebrate the fulfillment of the greatest promise, our freedom from sin and our return to our Creator.

Dear LORD, thank You for Your promise. Thank You that You are a God that is not slow in fulfilling Your promises, but wait until the fulfillment of time. Thank You for every promise You have given me. I ask for strengthening in my faith that I might live in obedience to Your promise. That I might not lose hope or begin to doubt, but that I might have faith to see Your promise fulfilled. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen. 

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Abundant Life Pt. 2: Help My Unbelief

20 So they brought him. When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth. 21 Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has he been like this?” “From childhood,” he answered. 22 “It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.” 23 “ ‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.” 24 Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” ~ Mark 9:20-24

This father’s desperate plea reveals a struggle we can all relate to: the battle between faith and doubt. He brought his son to Jesus, confident in His power to heal. Why else would he come? He had likely heard stories of Jesus’ miracles—perhaps even knew someone touched by His hand. John tells us that Jesus performed so many wonders that the world couldn’t contain the books if they were all written down (John 21:25). So, this father arrived expecting a miracle. But when the disciples failed to cast out the demon, his confidence faltered. Doubt crept in, and he began to question Jesus’ authority, saying, “If you can do anything …”

Jesus’ response is striking: “If you can? All things are possible for one who believes.” The father’s words had betrayed his wavering faith, and Jesus called it out—not to condemn, but to challenge. Realizing his struggle, the father cried out for help with his unbelief. His story mirrors a challenge we often face today. We know God’s power. We’ve seen Him move. Yet, over time, familiarity can dull our expectations. Like this father, we can become “inoculated” against the fullness of God’s promises.

In the 18th century, doctors inoculated patients against smallpox by exposing them to a small dose of the disease, triggering immunity. Similarly, we can be around church, prayer, and God’s Word just enough to grow complacent. We’ve witnessed half-hearted faith and tepid prayers, and it numbs us to the miraculous. Doubt sneaks in, and we start to wonder if God will really act.

But Jesus offers a better way. He paid the ultimate price—not just for our salvation, but for our healing: spirit, soul, and body. Isaiah 53:5 proclaims, “By His stripes, we are healed.” The abundant life He promises includes freedom from sickness. So, if you’re battling illness today, don’t settle for doubt. Proclaim your healing, ask Jesus to uproot any unbelief, and trust in His finished work on the cross. Let’s reject inoculation and embrace the complete transformation God desires for us. Heavenly Father, help me with my unbelief. I know that for those who believe, all things are possible. Please help me reach that point so that I can live the abundant life that You promised. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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Lay Out Your Fleece

Judges 6:36-40 NIV,

[36] Gideon said to God, “If you will save Israel by my hand as you have promised— [37] look, I will place a wool fleece on the threshing floor. If there is dew only on the fleece and all the ground is dry, then I will know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you said.” [38] And that is what happened. Gideon rose early the next day; he squeezed the fleece and wrung out the dew—a bowlful of water. [39] Then Gideon said to God, “Do not be angry with me. Let me make just one more request. Allow me one more test with the fleece, but this time make the fleece dry and let the ground be covered with dew.” [40] That night God did so. Only the fleece was dry; all the ground was covered with dew.

Gideon had received a direct message from the LORD, but his heart was unsure. So, instead of ignoring the LORD, he confirmed it with the LORD twice. He laid out a fleece twice in order to confirm the call the LORD had on his life. God wasn’t angry. He wasn’t impatient. Instead, God simply granted Gideon’s requests and comforted his heart.

God does not change. He if confirmed Gideon’s request and eased his doubt, He will do the same for you. When I’m not sure what to do, I may out two fleece before the LORD. I get very specific as Gideon was. And you know what? The LORD has never not answered. He has never led me in the wrong direction. He has never allowed me to go through something on my own. The LORD is faithful to us. He will never leave us, nor forsake us. He is our helper and our friend.

The LORD’s desire is for our faith to grow. He wants us to walk by faith, not by sight, because sometimes, our sight will destroy our faith. We’ll see giants in the land God promised us our we’ll see an army too strong and large for us to handle. We’ll see ourselves as the enemy wants us to see ourselves, not how God sees us. When you believe you heard from God, but doubt is filling your heart, list out two fleece before the LORD. Be specific in your request and, most importantly, don’t allow doubt to creep in whatsoever. Force yourself to trust that the LORD will hear you and answer you.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Lay Out Your Fleece.

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Rely On The Manuscripts

John 15:18

18 If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.

Matthew 24:9

9 Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake.

1 John 3:13

13 Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you.

Jesus said that we would be hated for the sake of His name. It’s very easy to miss all that Jesus was saying in this statement. For instance, He wasn’t just talking about persecution in the physical sense, but also the world being against all associated with His name. This isn’t just about us living here today, but about those of the past as well. That would include the authors of the Bible.

The Bible, especially the New Testament, is the best preserved ancient text in existence. The New Testament alone has over 25,000 manuscripts compared to Homer’s Illiad having 1,800 and Plato’s The Republic having 7. These two historical documents aren’t ever put into question whether they’ve been changed, doctored, or if they’re even reliable. In fact, they’re studied in schools and universities. But the New Testament, with 25,000 manuscripts is seen as unreliable.

Let that sink in. We have the best preserved ancient historical manuscript in existence but the world deems it unreliable. You’re laughed at and mocked if you even believe it. Why is that? Because the world hates Truth. The world hates the Light. It wants to remain in darkness. It wants to reject the Light. So, it deems the source of Truth, the Word of God, unreliable. It deems it untrustworthy and corrupted.

The enemy will lie, deceive, and manipulate in order to destroy the souls of humanity, but one thing he cannot do is destroy the Word of God. It’s still here. We still have the words of Christ as He Himself said them. Why is this important? Because, as Peter stated,

Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.

John 6:68-69

The Words of our LORD and Savior have not been lost. They haven’t been altered. They haven’t been corrupted or destroyed. They are still here. They are still the words of eternal life. They are still living, breathing, and sharper than any double-edged sword.

So, be encouraged by this. Let your faith grow as you can be assured in confidence that the Word of the LORD has not been changed.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Rely On The Manuscripts.

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A Safe Entrance

18 The Lord will rescue me from every evil work and will bring me safely into His heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever! Amen.  ~ 2 Timothy 4:18

Paul was beaten, kicked out of cities and nations. He was stoned and left for dead. Paul had a rough time as a Christian, yet he still stated, “The LORD will rescue me from every evil work.” Let that sink in. When we think about the LORD rescuing us, we believe it should be physically rescued from all oppression and opposition, but that wasn’t how Paul saw it. Paul saw this physical body as just a temporary place for us to dwell until we receive that new body. So, what does that mean?

Paul understood that the world, the devil, the kingdom of darkness could do anything they wanted to his physically body, but the LORD would deliver his soul out of their hands. They couldn’t taint his soul. His soul was safe. It was secure in the hands of the LORD.

Dear LORD, thank You for holding my soul in Your hands. Thank You that I can live with the confidence that You, oh LORD God, have me and no one can separate me from Your love. Thank You, LORD. Help me to never forget this. Help me to never overlook this. Teach me to believe and put Your trust always in You, LORD God. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen. 

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Answer Truth

1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” ~ Genesis 3:1NIV

They say if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. No one embodies that quote better than Satan. The very first temptation started with the question, “Did God really say…?” Satan honestly hasn’t changed his approach. Today, it’s the same thing. Did God really say that? How do you know? Don’t you know the Bible has been changed and rewritten multiple times? Books have been taken out and added back. It can’t truly be trusted.

Satan didn’t ask this to Adam. Why? Adam was there when God gave the command. Eve, on the other hand, was not yet created when God gave this command. It’s the same with us today. When God breathed the Word of God to the authors of the Bible, we were not there. So, what does Satan do? He asks us the same question he asked the woman. Did God really say…?

So what are we to do? We are to build our faith. How do we do that? We study the Scriptures. We learn them inside and out so that they might be written on our hearts. So that when Satan uses someone to say, “Did God really say …?” We can not only confidently say what God has said, we can explain it and defend it.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Answer Truth.

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Distribute The Bread

Mark 8:6-10 NIV

[6] He told the crowd to sit down on the ground. When he had taken the seven loaves and given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to distribute to the people, and they did so. [7] They had a few small fish as well; he gave thanks for them also and told the disciples to distribute them. [8] The people ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. [9] About four thousand were present. After he had sent them away, [10] he got into the boat with his disciples and went to the region of Dalmanutha.

The Gospels say that Jesus gave thanks, broke the bread, and then gave it to His disciples to pass out. Then He did the same with the fish. To me, it sounds like to everyone else after His prayer of Thanksgiving, nothing happened. It doesn’t sound like the bread multiplied then. It sounds like he broke it in half, gave it to the disciples, and they then distributed in obedience. Now, I could be wrong, but that’s how it sounds to me.

It doesn’t sound like the miracle took place before they started passing it out, but because they were obedient to Christ they did as He commanded. It wasn’t necessarily about their faith, but about their obedience. We can see this when He tells them to cast their nets on the other side. They didn’t believe it would do anything, but they were obedient anyways.

Our faith doesn’t have to be super strong to see miracles. It just has to be tied to obedience. Most of us will never see a miracle because of disobedience. Whether it’s disobedience of not going or doing a specific action because we don’t fully understand the why in that moment or because we don’t do the basic requirements of loving God.

When we walk in obedience, whether we realize it or not, we are walking in faith. Obedience is faith in action. We may not see it in that very moment, just like the disciples didn’t see it in the moment Jesus broke the bread, but if we are obedient, we will see it.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Distribute The Bread.

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Pray For A Modern Day Miracle

Luke 17:6 NIV

[6] He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.

Today is Pro-Life Sunday, the Sunday before National Sanctity of Life Day. The creation of National Sanctity of Life Day was rooted in response to Roe V. Wade. Today, however, Roe V. Wade is no longer in effect and has been overturned. I would say that this event, the overturning of Roe V. Wade on June 24, 2022 was nothing about of a modern-day miracle.

This Pro-Life Sunday, don’t forget to continue to pray for modern day miracles. Our God moved in the past, therefore He will move now. So pray in faith for the protection of all the unborn babies still in harms way. And pray that one day, abortion will no longer be legal. That mothers will no longer sacrifice their children on the alter of self.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Pray For Modern Day Miracles.

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