Tag: Faith of a Mustard Seed

³⁶ And leaving the crowd, they took Him with them in the boat, just as He was. And other boats were with Him. ³⁷ And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. ³⁸ But He was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” ³⁹ And He awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. ⁴⁰ He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” ~ Mark 4:36-40

Even though Jesus intended and expected the disciples to have enough faith to calm the seas, when they called for Him, He still came to their rescue. Why? Because they ran to Jesus when they felt they couldn’t hang on and do anything themselves. Jesus scolds them for their lack of faith and their succumbing to fear, but He doesn’t leave them. He only corrects them. He disciplines them because He loves them.

Today, many of us are in the middle of a storm. The wind and the seas are blowing. The boat is threatening to flip with us in it, yet Jesus is asleep. He’s at peace in the stern, but we are wide awake and being tossed about on deck, watching in horror as the wind and the seas get more violent. Jesus isn’t awake; He’s asleep. Why? Because He has given us authority through His name to calm the wind and the seas. This is our test. Jesus is still with us, asking if we have the faith. We’re not alone in our test; the Teacher may be silent, but He is with us. He is asleep because He is expecting us to take His powerful name and calm the storm that is threatening to sink us. So, be not afraid. Even the faith of a tiny mustard seed can move the largest mountain. Nevertheless, if your faith fails you, run to the master. Scream out His name. Call on Him. Seek Him, and He will awake. He will calm the winds and the seas, and you will be saved. This promise from God you can stand on.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Calm The Raging Seas.

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¹⁹ Then the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision of the night. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven. ²⁰ Daniel answered and said: “Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, to whom belong wisdom and might.” ~ Daniel 2:17-19^NLT

Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego’s lives were on the line because King Nebuchadnezzar demanded that one of his enchanters, sorcerers, magicians, and astrologers tell him the disturbing dream he had. Then they were to explain it to him. But when no one could do it, he called for all of their execution. Daniel’s response wasn’t fear; it was to fervently pray to his God in faith.

When things go wrong, and we’re at the end of our rope, how many of us have the faith to pray fervently to God? How many of us are willing to put all of our faith in the Almighty? Daniel’s hope was gone. His request was impossible. Nevertheless, he had hope. He believed that his God was the God of the impossible.

We serve that same God today. That same God that did the impossible and saved them. And our God does not change. If He did the impossible yesterday, He’ll do the impossible today. He’ll make a way where there’s no way. He’ll open shut doors. He’ll return what the Devil stole from you. He’ll answer your prayers if you would only have faith and put all of your trust in Him.

Dear LORD, please forgive me for my lack of faith. Please strengthen my faith so that I may see the answers to my prayers. Help me to discipline my body, mind, and soul so that I might produce more fruit. So that I might produce more gifts. So that I might hear from You and You might hear me. Help me to seek You with all that is in me. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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¹⁶ All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, ¹⁷ that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. ~ 2 Timothy 3:16-17

The Word of God has been given to us so that we may grow as disciples of Christ in righteousness and relationship with Him. We can have confidence in His Word because it was God-breathed and not the opinions, thoughts, or misunderstandings. The Bible is the Word of God that we are to stand on. This is a part of our spiritual armor.

¹⁵ and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.

Ephesians 6:15

We’re to stand on the Word of God. We’re to build our lives on His Words. His unshakable, infallible, untainted Word. How do we stand on the Word of God? We read it. We study it. We learn and memorize it. So that we can have confidence in our beliefs. The more we learn about God, the closer we draw to Him. The closer we draw to God, the more peace we have. The more confidence we have because we can then always be ready to defend our beliefs against anyone who would try to cast doubt on them (1 Peter 3:14-16).

The Word of God is a foundation. We build our faith through our relationship with Him, which only comes through knowing and learning about Him and spending time with Him. Let your faith grow by growing your knowledge and understanding of Scripture.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Confidently Stand On The Word of God.

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²⁸ When she had said this, she went and called her sister Mary, saying in private, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.” ²⁹ And when she heard it, she rose quickly and went to Him. ~ John 11:28-29

Mary and Martha’s brother Lazarus had just died. They were currently in mourning when Jesus came four days late. Martha heard that Jesus was on His way and got up and ran to Him, but Mary remained in the house, mourning. After speaking with Jesus, Martha came back to the house for Mary and told her that Jesus was calling for her. It was only at that time that Mary got up and went to Jesus.

Sometimes grief distresses us to the point of blindness. It blinds us from seeing where our hope is because we begin to play the blame game. We blame God for our problems instead of trying to understand, instead of seeking comfort in the Comforter. We know that if we love God, He will work all things out for good. We have to put our faith and trust in Him. We have to walk according to faith and not according to sight.

When things go wrong, run to the only Way. When you’re in distress, run to the only Comforter. When you’re grieving, run to the only source of Joy. The LORD doesn’t always run to us; sometimes, we have to run to Him so that He can show us a new perspective. A new way of seeing our current circumstance.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Run To The Good Shepherd.

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²³ By myself I have sworn; from my mouth has gone out in righteousness a word that shall not return: ‘To me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear allegiance.’ ~ Isaiah 45:23

The foundation of Christianity is that Jesus wasn’t just a man from Galilee but that He is God. With each generation, the belief that Jesus was, is, and always will be God dwindles. Doubt seems to be sweeping across the world throughout the Church, the Body of Christ. Why? Maybe it’s because we no longer read our bibles. Maybe it’s because we no longer base our beliefs on the Bible but try to make the Bible fit our beliefs. But the Word of God is clear. We don’t just have any old person as our savior. We don’t have just any old person being our Rock and Deliverer. We have God Almighty being our Savior, Rock, Deliverer, and Friend. Jesus is God.

So that there would be no doubts in our minds, He wrote out His Word and preserved it throughout each generation so that we might know Him. So that we might know how to live and grow in righteousness. The LORD prophesies through Isaiah that every knee shall bow, and every tongue shall swear allegiance to Him, yet Paul in Philippians 2:9-11 that this will be to Jesus. This isn’t an error in Scripture; this is confirmation that Jesus Christ is God.

Don’t allow anyone to weaken your faith with verses taken out of context or bold statements. Search the Scriptures for yourself. Study them. Meditate on them, but most importantly, seek guidance from the Spirit of the LORD. Let Him guide you and not your own mind (or anyone else’s). Let the LORD be your Truth. Let Him lay your foundation of faith so that it may be strong and unshakable.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Encourage Your Faith.

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²⁴ And He said to them, “Pay attention to what you hear: with the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you. ²⁵ For to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.” ~ Mark 4:24-25

Jesus told us to pay attention to what we hear, but what does that mean? Jesus is simply saying, use your faith, and you will receive a reward. The more you use, the more you will receive, and the more will be added.

Jesus said that all you need is a Mustard Seed of faith. Understand that a mustard seed starts out small but grows into a mountain-moving faith, and it doesn’t have to take very long. Because the measure you use will be measured back to you, and still more will be added.

That is why Peter and John were so confident when they said, “Silver and gold I have not, but what I do have, give I unto you,” and then proceeded to say, “In the name of Jesus, rise up and walk,” in full confidence that it would be so.

That is why people could bring handkerchiefs and aprons and place them on Paul’s body, and demons would come out, and diseases would be healed. That is why they would place sick people in Peter’s path just so that his shadow would fall on them as he passed by, and just his shadow would heal them. They didn’t just have faith; they put that faith into action.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Grow Your Mustard Seed of Faith.

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¹⁵ He who has ears to hear, let him hear. ~ Matthew 11:15

The Word of God is living and active; therefore, it cannot lie dormant or inactive; it must be stirred up within us. How do we receive the Word of God? Through hearing. Once we receive the Word, then we must mix it with [(ho) Pistis] The Faith and put it into action. We put it into action through word and deed.

In other words, we live what we preach, and we preach what we live. No one hides a lamp under a bowl but puts it on a stand so that the whole room can be lit and those in the room can benefit from it. It’s the same principle in the Parable of the Mustard Seed. When it’s fully grown, it grows into the largest of all the garden plants, and the birds of the air come and nest in the branches. It benefits all.

Jesus declared that there is a right way and a wrong way to hear; that is why He solemnly warned us to be careful how we hear. When we study the original Greek, we find that there are two types of hearing. One where we let sound or words pass through our ear canal and right out the other ear canal. Those words are meaningless to the hearer because they did not meet or did not mix it with [(ho) Pistis] The Faith. It’s as the saying goes, “My words fell on deaf ears.” Therefore, it was of no benefit to those who heard.

Then there is a right way to hear. It is the hearing that is both present and active, as well as past and active. When a word is spoken to us, we immediately receive the Word, like the fourth hearer in the Parable of the Sower, and it is immediately mixed with [(ho) Pistis] The Faith, and it produces a harvest of a hundredfold.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Hear The Living Word of God.

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²⁴ And He said to them, “Pay attention to what you hear: with the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you. ²⁵ For to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.” ~ Mark 4:24-25

Jesus told us to pay attention to what we hear, but why? Shouldn’t we hear all arguments and points of view before we come to our decision? Here’s what Jesus is saying. Pay attention to what you hear because the measure you use it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you. It’s not about the general hearing but the hearing and believing that Jesus is talking about.

It’s hard to put everything into a word that you are not sure you can trust. In other words, not every word is for you. Maybe it’s not you that the LORD is prompting to sow that $1,000 seed. Maybe it’s your neighbor sitting next to you or in the opposite row from you. But if it’s you that God is speaking to, you had better obey. It is better to obey than to sacrifice.

Again, we can connect this to the servant with the five talents who turned it into ten talents. It is the fourth hearer who received a hundredfold. The flip side is this. If you receive a Rhema Word, and do not mix it with [(ho) Pistis], The Faith! And if you do not act on it, it will be taken away from you and given to him, who already has.

How long before that happens? I don’t know. Because God is a merciful and patient God, but nevertheless, from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. Whether it is in the here and now or in the Judgment, it will come to pass. For to the one who uses [(ho) Pistis], The Faith, with the measure that he is given, it will be measured back to him, and still, more will be added.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Pay Attention To What You Hear.

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¹⁴ And the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, son of Benaiah, son of Jeiel, son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, in the midst of the assembly. ¹⁵ And he said, “Listen, all Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat: Thus says the Lord to you, ‘Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, for the battle is not yours but God’s. ¹⁶ Tomorrow go down against them. Behold, they will come up by the ascent of Ziz. You will find them at the end of the valley, east of the wilderness of Jeruel. ¹⁷ You will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem.’ Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, and the Lord will be with you.” ¹⁸ Then Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before the Lord, worshiping the Lord. ¹⁹ And the Levites, of the Kohathites and the Korahites, stood up to praise the Lord, the God of Israel, with a very loud voice. ²⁰ And they rose early in the morning and went out into the wilderness of Tekoa. And when they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Hear me, Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem! Believe in the Lord your God, and you will be established; believe His prophets, and you will succeed.” ~ 2 Chronicles 20:14-20

Please understand that a great multitude of Moabites, Ammonites, and some of the Meunites were coming up to do battle against Jehoshaphat. Jehoshaphat was terrified. So, he set his face to seek the LORD by proclaiming a fast throughout Judah. And the whole of Judah assembled to seek help from the LORD. Then Jahaziel received a Rhema word from the LORD. He said, “This is what the LORD says,” and he proceeded to say what he had just heard from the LORD.

The Rhema Word that they heard was immediately received and acted upon. They did not debate it. They did not form a committee to determine the accuracy of the Rhema. They heard it. They recognized who it came from. Because it resonated with them. They accepted it. They immediately put it into action. They began to worship. They began to praise. They began to give thanks for His deliverance.

But I want to point something out to you. Jahaziel was not a Johnny-come-lately. He was not a wishy-washy man. He was not a stranger among friends. They knew him and his daddy and daddy’s daddy and his daddy. They knew him to be a creditable man.

Therefore, the Rhema Word was received, accepted, and mixed with [(ho) Pistis], The Faith! And they celebrated it. Why? Because Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice.” If Jahaziel was in the habit of saying, “Thus sayeth the LORD…” When the LORD had not spoken, do you think the congregation would trust his words now, in such a dire time as this? Probably not.

How did they react to the Rhema Word? Did they let the word lie dormant after receiving it? Or did they immediately put it into action? They immediately put it into action. King Jehoshaphat and all of Judah recognized what they had heard. They recognized that it came from the LORD. So, they mixed their Rhema Word with faith and put that faith into action.

Far too often, people are led astray by their own desires because they confuse them with a word from God. We have to learn to hear the Spirit of the LORD and the voice of our Good Shepherd, Jesus. When we’ve done this, we then have to believe the Rhema Word given to us and put it into action faith. Believing a Word from God is for us isn’t enough; we have to then put that faith into action, lest we make it void.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Put Your Rhema Word Into Action.

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¹⁹ Then, at break of day, the king arose and went in haste to the den of lions. ²⁰ As he came near to the den where Daniel was, he cried out in a tone of anguish. The king declared to Daniel, “O Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?” ²¹ Then Daniel said to the king, “O king, live forever! ²² My God sent His angel and shut the lions’ mouths, and they have not harmed me, because I was found blameless before Him; and also before you, O king, I have done no harm.” ²³ Then the king was exceedingly glad, and commanded that Daniel be taken up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no kind of harm was found on him, because he had trusted in his God. ~ Daniel 6:1-5

What had happened was Daniel, a Jewish exile, was promoted to be the chief of the king of Babylon’s wise men, or chief of the magicians, according to Daniel 4:6, 9. Not that Daniel was a magician in any sense, only that he was an interpreter of dreams. A very wise man. At the end of Babylon’s reign of power, Daniel was the only one able to interpret the writing. Now, the king, Belshazzar, was so pleased, or thankful, that he made Daniel the 3^rd highest ruler in the land. Which was short-lived because he was killed that very night and his kingdom was overtaken by the Medes and the Persians, and king Darius, the Mede, was made king (Daniel 5:31).

Daniel could have been discouraged. He could have been angry at God for taking away another king that he had earned great trust and favor with. Instead, Daniel remained faithful to God. He didn’t waiver in his faith, not even once. In fact, Daniel was so consistent in his faith that those who wanted to have him removed could only think to make his faith illegal. And even then, Daniel remained faithful to God. He knew the punishment. He understood the risk, but his faithfulness to God was more important than his life. Because of this, God was with him in the lions’ den.

This is the same kind of faithfulness God desires us to have. A faithfulness that no matter what may come our way, God will be there for us. That God will be with us on the mountain and in the valley. During seasons of tribulation and during seasons of prosperity. The LORD will remain faithful to those who remain faithful to Him. He is our great provider, but He is also our great deliverer.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Remain Faithful To The Faithful God.

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