The Power of Mustard Seed size Faith

Faith is probably the most confusing topic in all of Christianity and since Satan is the author of confusion, we can lay the misunderstandings and confusion on him.

Most people think that faith is a synonym for belief... so they think that if they believe something is so, then it will be so. Others link faith with determination... if they are determined enough, bolstered by their faith, then they can have what they are determined to have. You might call such people "white-knuckled Christians". They clench their fists in a strong desire to believe something, believing they’ll get what they want if they're determined enough. Faith is not formed or activated by the power of positive thinking or one's personal will and determination to get what you desire.

Hebrews 11:1 gives us a Biblical definition of faith... "Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen". This verse tells us that faith is a conviction that we have regarding something that allows us to be able to act on it as if it were assured of happening. Hebrews 12:2 says "...Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith" and Romans 12:3 says "...God has allotted to each a measure of faith.”

These two verses clearly tell us that faith is not something that we do or a presence of mind that we develop, but that faith is a gift from God. Rom 10:17 says "...faith comes from hearing and hearing by the word of Christ." So faith is a gift from God that we grow into as a result of hearing and contemplating the Word of God. In 2 Cor 10:15 we learn that our faith can grow, so as we study the Bible, God can add to our faith.

Let me summarize some of the key principles about FAITH gleaned from the articles over the past month.

Faith as small as a mustard seed

Faith even the size of a mustard seed can move the mountains blocking the horizons of our hopes, shadowing the light and beauty of God’s love in our lives, limiting and bounding the scope of our service to Christ. Faith the size of a mustard seed can make the "improbable" possible.

Faith can stand up to and remove [minimize] the things that trap us, the stuff that scares the daylights out of us, the things that test and erode our confidence in God and make us wonder whether God is in fact able to make something of our efforts in Christian living.

In Matthew 10:8... Jesus had given his disciples full authority to "cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons." They had the power to perform healings, cleansings, miracles, with absolute trust, confidence and faith they would be successful in these endeavors!

Yet on one occasion, not long after Jesus empowered and sent them forth, they are unable to heal a small boy. So Jesus had to step in and do what they could not do... because they did not trust their faith and the source of their faith. Jesus in a pointed way confronts his well-meaning disciples by calling them a "faithless" generation.

The words remind us of other events of faithlessness, in particular, Luke 8, where Jesus and his disciples, on a boat on the Sea of Galilee, are caught suddenly by a violent windstorm; and the disciples rush in to wake a sleeping Jesus, crying, "Master, we are perishing!" There, too, Jesus responds by asking his followers, simply... "Where is your faith?"

Frequently Jesus confronts the disciples with that question: "Where is your faith?" He could not make his words any clearer: In Matthew 17:20, he tells his followers, "The reason you could not cure the young boy is because of your little faith."

Nothing is impossible for you

Faith enough to move mountains? Mountains! What kind of mountains? Jesus is not talking about the physical moving of real earth and rock mountains. He doesn’t say that prayer can move Pike’s Peak into the Pacific. Nowhere in the Gospels do we read about Jesus or anyone else rearranging geography just for the sake of testing the power of the promise. There was another, very real mountain looming in front of the disciples that day; specifically, it was the mountain of healing that sick boy that had been brought to them.

Each of us is called by God to do something different. Whatever it is that God has called us to do, God has also given us full authority and the power to do it. What is your "mountain"?

It may be a mountain of sharing Christ with a person very close to you. It may be a mountain of taking a stand for Christ in a new, more powerful way. It may be a mountain of accepting new responsibilities, a role of leadership, in your service to Christ.

It may be a mountain of giving that last little area of your life, the one little compartment that you’ve not been willing to part with yet, giving even that part of your life completely over to Christ.

It may be a mountain of refusing to sit quietly any longer while your colleagues, acquaintances, co-workers, trample the name of Christ.

It may be to accept Christ into your life and be to be baptized [immersed] in obedience to the New Testament plan of salvation.

And there’s even another category of "mountains" that may be standing before you today. These are the mountains which shout back at you... taunting you, even saying, "You don’t stand a chance of getting past me!" Mountains of self-rejection; mountains of low self-esteem; mountains of doubt; mountains of discouragement, all brought into sharp focus by past failures.

Once again, the promise holds: Christ has given you full authority to get past these mountains; and with faith even as big as a mustard seed, you can do just that. You can do it because Christ promises you that you are loved and accepted by Him.

You can do it because Christ promises that he can make all things new–even a life that’s been marked by failures, disappointments, rebellion, anything at all.

God can begin to remove these mountains from before you even today!

Faith, according to the writer of the book of Hebrews, is... "the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." The promise of Christ, though, is that we don’t have to be super heros! We simply need to muster up faith the size of these tiny little seeds and the mountains [obstacles] in our lives will begin to dissolve to insignificance.

All that’s required of believers is that tiny amount of faith that allows us at least to say, "I think it’s possible" and I’m willing to follow God and find out! The faith that removes mountains... is a faith that says, simply, "Nothing, nothing can cut us off from God... Nothing can separate us from the love of God that is in Jesus Christ." Your Faith, the size of a mustard seed, in the steadfast, enduring, tenacious love of God; faith in Christ’s ability to bring to completion whatever good work may be working in you.

Remember... FAITH is the enabling power of God. He equips you [with faith] to overcome the obstacles of life and focus on spiritual things... Him. Use the power he has given you to grow in Him and be all you can be for His will and purpose.

EMPOWERING OUR FAITH TO MOVE THE MOUNTAIN

So Jesus answered and said to them, "Have faith in God. "For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. "Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. "And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. "But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses." Mark 11:22-26 NKJV

All Christians go through unsettling times during their lives. It’s during these times when our faith is “tested” when the Lord uses our circumstances to refocus on Him, to become more dependent upon Him. Problems will loom large in front of us and if we focus intently on them they will be like mountains, all consuming obstacles we don’t think we can get around. When we focus on the problem God looks small, when we focus on God the problem looks small. When troubled and challenged, we must rely on God by our faith and through prayer.

Prayer moves the hand of God. Never do we want to inhibit or curtail God’s power in our lives by limiting the power of our prayers. We must never allow ourselves to languish in a life situation where we by our lack of faith or our attitudes, prevent Him from helping us to move the mountains before us. Here is a list of some things, amplified by Scriptural commentary, that are important to God, so that we can pray in true faith and see God move in our lives...

Forgive everyone that has offended or hurt you, even in the slightest way. As the scripture above states, God will not forgive you if you don't forgive others. Failure to forgive one another causes separation between us and God and He will not respond to our prayer. Unforgiveness is also an open door for Satan to enter and cause division, which God hates.  So... love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. (Luke 6:35-36 NIV)

Cultivate and maintain a clean heart. As it is said in Psalms...  Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD? Or who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, Nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive blessing from the LORD, And righteousness from the God of his salvation.  (Psalms 24:3-5 NKJV) If our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him. And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. (1 John 3:21-23 NIV)

Pray always in God's will. "If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you." (John 15:7 NIV)  When Jesus and His words are in us and guiding us then His will becomes our will, and prayers that speak forth God's will move the Kingdom of Heaven into action on our behalf. Here are some things that you can do and pray for that will move all of heaven into action, for in these things God delights. Think about these things recorded in the Old Testament by the prophet Isaiah, ponder them, for you will see that they all find application in your life as a Christian in today’s contemporary world... "Is this not the fast that I have chosen: To loose the bonds of wickedness, To undo the heavy burdens, To let the oppressed go free, And that you break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out; When you see the naked, that you cover him, And not hide yourself from your own flesh? Then your light shall break forth like the morning, Your healing shall spring forth speedily, And your righteousness shall go before you; The glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; You shall cry, and He will say, 'Here I am.' "If you take away the yoke from your midst, The pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, If you extend your soul to the hungry And satisfy the afflicted soul, Then your light shall dawn in the darkness, And your darkness shall be as the noonday. The LORD will guide you continually, And satisfy your soul in drought, And strengthen your bones; You shall be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail. Those from among you Shall build the old waste places; You shall raise up the foundations of many generations; And you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach, The Restorer of Streets to Dwell In. (Isaiah 58:6-12 NKJV) 

Call upon the Lord with a humble heart.   "...if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14 NKJV) Humility always moves us closer to God, pride always moves us further away from God.   For thus says the High and Lofty One Who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: "I dwell in the high and holy place, With him who has a contrite and humble spirit, To revive the spirit of the humble, And to revive the heart of the contrite ones.” (Isaiah 57:15 NKJV) Lack of humility will dampen your relationship with God. Prideful attitudes will most certainly inhibit your communication with God and leave you to challenge the mountains of your life without Divine assistance.

Pray for God's compassion, mercy, and grace.   But let him who glories glory in this, That he understands and knows Me, That I am the LORD, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight," says the LORD. (Jeremiah 9:24 NKJV) The Lord loves to demonstrate His loving kindness, his justice for those that are oppressed, and to bring His righteousness into the hearts of people. These kinds of prayers touch God's heart and move Him into our situations and circumstances.   He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6:8 NKJV)

Focus on Jesus, not the problem.  So Jesus said, "Come." And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, "Lord, save me!" And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?" (Matthew 14:29-31 NKJV) Peter was able to walk on the water when he focused on Jesus, but when he began to focus on the physical situation it caused fear, which is doubt, the opposite of faith, and his doubt caused him to sink. Fortunately He knew where to look when things got really bad, and of course Jesus was moved with compassion to save him.

Our relationship with God, our union with Him is the key to our faith, our hope and our future. When we try and go it alone, using our own power to solve life’s challenges we have little more than a shallow hope that the mountains in our lives will somehow be removed or minimized. When we try and “hang on to the things of this world” that influence our attitudes, especially towards others, we risk inhibiting the power of God acting in our lives.

Hope without confidence and assurance is no faith at all. Confidence and assurance comes from trusting in God, living in harmony with His will and purposes, thereby maintaining the precious faith He has given to us. Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1).  

Our best defense against the things of this world, against the distractions that so easily ensnare us and cause us to set our own course, failing to totally trust in and waiting on God is to do what the Bible recommends... Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. (Colossians 3:2 NKJV) 

Bulldozing the Mountains in your Life

If it's not the size of our faith that makes the difference, then it must be the size of the God we put our faith in. If there are mountains in your life that you want removed... fear, doubt, loneliness, concerns and worries, you need look no further than your faith. 

Jesus tells us in no uncertain terms that we can use His power to change our circumstances through belief in Him, trust in Him, and without human interference except our earnest prayers.  He tells us that there is nothing too big or so broken that He cannot remove and restore... but we have to first believe it can be done.

So much is written on Faith, but little to really explain precisely what it is and how it really works in our lives.  We know in vague terms it is an elusive premise since it involves what we cannot see (Hebrews 11:1).  It is based on a powerful belief in something that is not tangible to human comprehension and relies on something we cannot even hold in our hands.  There is no scientific basis to explain it and yet it is the single most important truth and one that defies all logic.  It is born of the Holy Spirit and given freely to all who sincerely seek it.  It is a discernment that grows clearer to a new believer with each step taken toward a life-long commitment to the message of the cross. 

It is that something we can’t really comprehend or explain that urges us on a journey to an uncertain future in this life towards the promises of eternity.   It is a clarification and verification of what the Apostles have written about and handed down to us through the Bible.  It is the recognition that Jesus died for sinners’ to make a way to receive salvation and be restored to fellowship with God.  It is the knowledge that we have been touched by the Savior’s hand, had our souls charged by the power of God through the Holy Spirit, and through that touch we experience our faith.

No matter how small our faith is, it is powerful enough to change any situation if we focus on the possibilities... going beyond ourselves and the situations we face.  We can see success through the intervention of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, seasoned by our own measure of conviction based on a trusting faith.  If we rely on God’s abilities to alter our circumstances we can know and expect Him to come through for us.  It is our distinct dependence on God’s capabilities to handle all things of this earth as they pertain to us as believers, that enables us to “move the “mountains” standing in our way.  Often, in fact usually, God does not change the circumstances or the challenges, but enables us to endure them with assurance and peace... ultimately our trust in Him, our faith... changes our attitudes towards our circumstances.

Many times instead of asking God for his help we first see if we can overcome the mountains we face by ourselves, and when we are hopelessly muddled in a sea of tangled despair we offer it up to God for repair.  Only then does our faith become motivated.  And sometimes we still tie a string to the problem so we can continue working on it along with God. This is the wrong approach.

Faith believes firmly and with supreme confidence; a childlike faith based on the promises of God through His Son.  Most of us have or will face insurmountable problems in our lives that we cannot find answers for and these problems stand like great barriers in our Christian journey.   We don’t know what to do or how to find our way around them.  We become frozen in fear and those of us who are insecure in our faith, find out just as quickly how spiritually weak we really are and just simply give up.

Sometimes we stand in front of that “mountain” and weep in frustration.  We look at the problem and throw up our hands in despair and defeat.  This is the time to lean on our faith.   This is the time to test the strength and fiber of our belief in all that God has done and promised.  This is the time to put into practice what we have declared during the good and easy times. This is the time to hand it all to God immediately, then wait, trust, pray and surround yourself with those of like precious faith who will comfort you through your hard times. That’s how God supports you... through the enduring faith of others.

Sometimes we have prayed about a situation and we believe our prayers go unanswered.  Or, our prayers do not bring the answer we seek because we’re not "listening" properly.   We have pleaded without success and it feels like we’re praying in vain.  But it is not the power of prayer that is lacking... it is the faith of the one praying that’s coming up short.    When we pray with strong emotions hoping for an immediate “our way” answer to our prayers, we are failing to realize that many of our prayers are not backed up by the faith our heavenly Father requires of us as Christians. In order for us to show our faith, we expect the answer we want first, not realizing answers to our prayers are born of our faith and trust and patience, and come in God’s time in Gods way.  Trust and faith must be the foundation of our prayer life.

Faith motivates and encourages us.  Faith helps us size up our mountains and see the possibilities even though they loom large before us, giving the appearance of blocking all our hopes and dreams. 

In personal and challenging circumstances, we might be inclined to doubt the power we have within us. We seek to solve our problems by our own strength.  Jesus Christ asked us to trust in the power within us, the Holy Spirit, by picking up a “chisel” and confronting our mountains, like David of the Old Testament when confronted with Goliath.  With a small slingshot and stone and a strong eye on his faith... that it wouldn’t be him but God Almighty, he was enabled to remove his mountain with a single shot.  We can do the same with our problems with the powerful aid of the Holy Spirit, but only by totally trusting Him and demonstrating a patient faith.

If you have a mountain in your life and it needs to be removed, get on your knees and ask God for help in confronting and dealing with it.  Prove your faith by believing God will give you the strength and wisdom to conquer the obstacle in your way.  Start hammering away at your mountains, and watch them dwindle bit by bit to insignificance.  Much of your victory will be the “attitude” you development that changes the way you look at life’s challenges. With confidence in God, He will bless and acknowledge your dependence on Him and give you the power to move, minimize and marginalize the seemingly immovable barriers in your life.  Remember, the barriers may never leave, but how you look at them and deal with them can, if you work with the Holy Spirit to change your view and attitude towards whatever it is that holds you back.

The daunting sight of an enormous mountain can be a frightening thing, and yes we get tired and weary with the tribulations of the world pressing us down, but we must get those mountains to move.  We can only reduce them to insignificance by believing that with God's help we can. 

Faith says don't give up... be patient, trust God for the way around the obstacle.  You will win if you don't give up.  When we STOP depending on our own efforts and depend on God and His wisdom in overcoming our problems, it is then that He steps in and takes control of our lives.

Attitudes of Faith

The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” The Lord replied, “If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you. “Who among you would say to your slave who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field, ‘Come here at once and take your place at the table’? Would you not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me, put on your apron and serve me while I eat and drink; later you may eat and drink’? Do you thank the slave for doing what was commanded? So you also, when you have done all that you were ordered to do, say, ‘We are worthless slaves; we have done only what we ought to have done!’” Luke 17:5-10

“If I just had more faith….” I think most of us have struggled with that feeling at some point in our lives. If I just had more faith I wouldn’t have so many questions or doubts. If I just had more faith God would answer my prayers. If I just had more faith my family member would not have died. If I just had more faith I would be more involved in the church. If I just had more faith I would be a better person, a better parent, a better spouse. If I just had more faith I would know what to do, I would handle things better.  If I just had more faith life would be different... better.

This sort of reflection is an approach to faith at least as old as the apostles’ own faith. It was the approach they had taken when they asked Jesus... “Increase our faith.” Jesus has just warned them not to become stumbling blocks to others and admonished them to forgive an offender as many times as needed, unlimited if necessary. That will be difficult. It will be a challenge to live that way. “Increase our faith,” was their response. It seems like a reasonable request considering the lofty expectations of Jesus. If a little faith is good, then a lot must be better. If McDonald’s can supersize our fries and drink, surely Jesus can supersize our faith.

The request to increase our faith, the belief that if I had more faith things would be different, reveals, at best, a misunderstanding of faith itself and, at worst, demonstrates our own propensity towards unfaithfulness. Jesus is very clear that faithfulness is not about size or quantity. “If you had faith the size of a mustard seed,” he says, “you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.”

Faith is not given to us in a packet to be spent as currency in our dealings with God. Faith is not measured out according to how difficult the task or work before us. Faith is not a thing we have or get. Faith accrues to us out of a relationship with God based on trust and love.

Faith grows in us from obedience to truth and true doctrine. Faith grows in us based on how strongly we believe what God has instructed for our growth through his Word the Bible. A good analogy to understand the faith relationship with God is that of a married couple’s faithfulness to each other. They are faithful because they have committed themselves to each other in love and trust, through good times and the not so good times. They are faithful because they intentionally give their life to the other and receive the other’s life as their own. They are faithful because they carry with them that one relationship wherever they go, in all that they are and all that they do. So it is in our faith-relationship with God.

Faith will not, however, change the circumstances of our lives. Instead, it changes us and how we look at the circumstances of our life. Living in faith does not shield us from the pain and difficulties of life, it does not undo the past, and it will not guarantee a particular future. Rather, faith is the means by which we face and deal with the circumstances of life – the difficulties and losses, the joys and successes, the opportunities and possibilities. Faith transformed how you look at your life circumstances... sort of like the glass is “half full” or the glass is “half empty.” Faith transforms our attitudes.

Faith does not get us a gold star, a pat on the back, a reward, or a promotion in God’s eyes. It is simply the way in which we live and move and have our being so that, at the end of the day, the faithful ones can say, without pride or shame, “We have done only what we ought to have done!” Nothing more and nothing less. We have lived in openness to, trust in, and love for Christ. We have allowed him to guide our decisions, our words, and our actions... totally, everything we think and do. We have been sustained by him in both life and the prospect of death.

Faith is not lived out in the abstract. It is practiced day after day in ordinary circumstances. Some days when the pain and heaviness of life seem more than we can carry, it is by faith – our relationship with Jesus, the indwelling Holy Spirit – that helps get us moving each day to face the realities of a stressful life. Life is constantly changing. We face new circumstances which are always opportunities to grow our faith based on our resulting view... our attitude. When we feel the pain of the world and respond with compassion by feeding the hungry, housing the homeless, speaking for justice; when we experience the brokenness of a relationship and offer forgiveness and mercy; when we see the downtrodden and offer our presence and prayers — in all these circumstances, through our attitude and actions we are living by the strength of our faith. Then there are days when we feel powerless, lost, and do not know the way forward. It is by our faith that we can find comfort and peace in silence, waiting for the hard times to pass. Remember, God will not allow us to be trampled with more than we can deal with. "God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength but with your testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it" (1 Corinthians 10:13) Most of us don’t realize how much we can handle, how strong we really are when we trust in God. God knows our limits and our capacities, so the message here is to trust Him when the going in tough and we’re feeling particularly oppressed.

Faith is an attitude... it’s how we live. It’s the lens through which we see ourselves, others, and the world. It’s the criterion by which we act and speak. Faithfulness means that no matter where we go, no matter what circumstances we face we do so in relationship with the One who created, loves, sustains, and redeems us, the One who “abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel” (2 Timothy 1:10).

Jesus does not supersize our faith. It is not necessary. We live by faith not because we have enough faith or think we need more for certain challenges... but simply because we trust God totally our faith is powerful and sustaining. Even mustard seed sized faith is all we need. Jesus said that. Trust his words.

So, the question is not how much faith do you have, but how are you living the faith you do have? How is your relationship with Jesus? Is it changing your life, your relationships, and the lives of others?

If it is not, more of the same [faith] will make no difference. Christ gave us a “helper” in the Holy Spirit. “He” is our source of power for living a dynamic life of faith built on trust in all that God has done and says he will yet do. Nothing has been withheld from us.

We do not need more faith. We need more response to the faith, the Christ, the mustard seed, the relationship we already have. Maybe its time for an “attitude” adjustment?

I’ll have a little Mustard with my Faith, please.

The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith!" Jesus 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. Luke 17: 5-6 NIV

Jesus replied, "Because you have so little faith. 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." Matthew 17:20 NIV

Have you ever wondered what Jesus meant when He said that if we have even the smallest amount of faith—like a grain of mustard seed—we could move mountains or plant trees in the ocean?

Well, no one has ever physically moved any earth and rock mountains or uprooted trees by the power of their faith, so what is it that Jesus is speaking about? What makes the potential of faith so powerful?

Why do some Christians seem to have an abundance of faith, and other Christians have so little? What does it take to have an abundance of life-changing faith? Over the next few weeks I’ll attempt to provide some insight into how we should understand this important communication of Jesus, addressed to his disciples.

The context of any Biblical passage is important to comprehending what is being said and ultimately taught. More often that not, when we take a single verse out of its native context, we end up misinterpreting the verse. This is a common mistake with people who like to “proof text” their theological positions. Someone comes up with a novel way to think theologically, and then searches the Scriptures to find biblical support for their view.

So when we get to a passage such as Matthew 17:20 wherein Jesus says... “For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you,” we must first look at the overall context of the passage – what is the setting for this statement of Jesus’?

Jesus, along with Peter, James and John, had just come down from the mount of transfiguration, and they encounter a man with a demon possessed child. The man tells Jesus that he had earlier brought his son to his disciples, but they couldn’t cast the demon out (Jesus earlier in Matthew 10:1 had given his disciples the authority to cast out evil spirits). Jesus on hearing this, chastises the crowd for their lack of faith and then casts the demon out of the boy. Later, when his disciples inquire as to why the demon didn’t obey their command, Jesus replies with his statement in Matthew 17:20. Jesus rebukes them for their weak faith and says that even if they had mustard seed sized faith, they could command the mountain to move.

Contextually speaking, to what does the “mountain” refer in this passage? The mountain is metaphor for a barrier, an obstacle, something that must be overcome. In this case it would refer to the challenge of casting out the demon that was afflicting the man’s son.

Jesus tells his disciples that if their faith was stronger, they could have commanded the demon to leave the boy, and it would have happened. The essentiality of faith was clearly the expectation in Matthew 10 when Jesus sent them out to cure diseases, cast out demons and spread the gospel.

It should be clear from the context that Jesus does not intend to assert that mustard seed sized faith can literally move mountains. If you consult commentaries on this passage, you will learn that the expression Jesus uses was a common colloquialism of that day. To a Jew of Jesus’ day, a mountain was a metaphor signifying a seemingly impossible task.

The point Jesus was making in using a mustard seed, one of the smallest of all seeds, to illustrate faith, is that even a little bit of faith can overcome mountainous obstacles in our lives.

Even the smallest amount of faith is life-changing. When Jesus said that faith the size of a mustard seed was enough to pluck up a mulberry tree by the roots and transplant it into the sea, He was illustrating the incredible power of faith.

Jesus, while most likely frustrated with his disciples over their limiting faith, he was compassionate and patient... knowing that their faith would grow. His rebuke was not harsh, but helped them understand where they were in their spiritual growth.

Faith even the size of a mustard seed can move the mountains blocking the horizons of our hopes, shadowing the light and beauty of God’s love in our lives, limiting the scope of our service to His Kingdom. Faith the size of a mustard seed can make the improbable possible.

Faith can stand up to and move, indeed remove, the things that trap us, the stuff that scares the daylights out of us, the things that test and erode our confidence in God and make us wonder whether God is in fact able to make something of our efforts.

Faith enough to move mountains. What kind of mountains? Don’t worry, a testing of your faith will not mean you have to demonstrate your ability to move Pike’s Peak into the Pacific. The very real mountain looming in front of the disciples on that day was the challenge of healing that sick boy that had been brought to them.

Each of us is called by God to do something different. Whatever it is that God has called us to do, He has also given us full authority to accomplish “our challenge” by the strength of our faith and the guiding and leading power of the Holy Spirit working in our lives. So what is your "mountain"?

It may be a mountain of sharing Christ with a person very close to you. It may be taking a stand for Christ in a new, more powerful way. It may be accepting new responsibilities, such as a role of leadership in your service to Christ.

It may be a mountain of turning over that last little area of your life that you’ve not been willing to part with, giving your life completely over to Christ. It may be a mountain of refusing to sit quietly while your business colleagues, casual acquaintances, co-workers, trample the name of Christ.

It may be to accept Christ into your life. It may be obeying the gospel, and submitting to be baptism (Acts 2:38).

There’s even another category of "mountains" that may be standing before you today. These are mountains that shout back at you, taunt you, as if saying, "You don’t stand a chance in getting past me!" Mountains like self-rejection; mountains of fear; mountains of doubt; mountains of discouragement all brought into sharp focus by past insecurities and failures.

Once again, the promise holds: Christ has given you full authority to get past these mountains; and with faith even as big as a mustard seed, you can do just that. You can do it because Christ promises that you are accepted and loved by him.

You can do it because Christ promises that he wants to transform you, making even a life that’s been marked by fears, doubts, failures, disappointments, rebellion, anything at all, into a life that mirrors His own. (Romans 12:2)

God can move your mountains. Trust him “by your faith” and watch what happens.

Next week... digging a little deeper on the subject of “faith that moves mountains.”

New Years Resolutions... Helpful or Not?

The new year is fast approaching, just a couple of days away. Have you made your list of resolutions for the New Year?

Some of the more common New Year’s resolutions are commitments to quit smoking, to stop drinking, to manage money more wisely, and to spend more time with family. By far, the most common New Year’s resolution is to lose weight, exercise more and eat a healthier diet.

Like other Christian festivals, the celebration of New Years Day started long before the church came into existence. Like many things we’ve adopted, it has its origins in ancient Roman culture. Julius Caesar instituted New Year's Day on January 1 to honor Janus, the two-faced god who looks backwards into the old year and forwards into the new. The custom of "New Years resolutions" started then, as Romans made resolutions with a moral flavor... mostly to be good to others.

I have mixed feelings about making New Year's resolutions. In the first place, I can find nothing in scripture that suggests it's a Biblical concept. The Holy Spirit, not a New Year's resolution, is the agent of meaningful transformation in a Christian’s life. New Years resolutions are a reminder of trying to change and improve by our own strength and will. Making resolutions has the same feel to it as the widely established non-biblical belief that "The Lord helps them that help themselves." The truth is, if you added the word "cannot," as in... "The Lord helps them that cannot help themselves," there might be some validity to the thought.

Another potential pitfall with New Year's resolutions is intentionally waiting for New Year's Day to fix something that is broken, especially if sin is involved. Sin needs our immediate attention. It's the same feeling you get when you hear an inexperienced parent give a disobedient child "until the count of ten" to obey. The take-away message for the child, is that a deferred percentage of obedience is acceptable. In reality, "obey" and "later" (or "next year") don't work well together in the same response.
 
Okay all that said... if anyone should have reason to make a New Year's resolution, it should be Christians. We have been freed from the bondage of sin by the Holy Spirit, Who is able to effect genuine transformation in our lives. If you want a picture of this liberation, put yourself in the place of the demon-possessed man in Mark 5:1-20. If God can overcome the spiritual bondage described in that passage, He can overcome the sinful behaviors in our life as well.

For most, if not all Christians, a more focused and realistic goal would be a resolution to cooperate totally, completely and submissively with the Holy Spirit in order to be delivered from one particular area of sin in your life. Being "in Christ", being saved, does not give Christians automatic or immediate deliverance from sinful behaviors, especially those that have been developing over many years. Addictions to smoking, alcohol, drugs, and pornography, for example, are extremely hard habits to break. Nevertheless, there are concrete steps that you can take to put yourself in the path of God's grace for deliverance from all types of sin, but you must be resolute in your determination to be freed from sinful conduct and attitudes.

Resolving to deal with temptation and life-dominating sin is what God demands of his followers. Only HE can help us overcome sin and we do need to be in serious resolve to work with the Holy Spirit in defeating the things that impede our spiritual growth. Here’s a short list of practical steps that you can follow when you are tempted to turn towards sin in your life.

(1) First, we should thank God for the temptation. Yes, thank Him because it is an opportunity for personal spiritual growth. Begin with a prayer to God thanking Him for the trial. Remember, it is not a sin to be tempted - temptation becomes sin when we turn towards that temptation in the direction of sin.
 
(2) Next we must move away from the direction of the sin. If it is coming at you, change your course. Do whatever you have to do to remove yourself from the circumstances that put you in sins path. Put as much distance as you can between you and the source of the temptation. Run don’t walk casually. This means be decisive and be quick about what you do. You know the problem and how you are tempted, so be bold and decisive.

(3) As you are moving away from the source of temptation, quote scripture that you have memorized that applies directly to the area of temptation. For example, if your struggle is with pornography and sexual immorality... then quote 1 Corinthians 6:18-20. Do this while you are moving away from the source of temptation. Reciting that passage of scripture over and over would be the best protection. You can get help from your preacher and the elders, to help identify scripture that applies to your sin and to help identify other spiritual disciplines that can be employed to reduce the incidence of temptation.
 
(4) Find yourself an "angel of accountability." Confess to that person that there is a specific sin that you are struggling with and ask that person to hold you accountable in that area.
 
(5) Finally, make for yourself and carry around a "think and do list" specific to your particular sin. You call it a "Philippians 4 list." In Philippians 4:8-9 we read... "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me - put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you."
 
Work with your accountability partner to make up a card or group of cards - one for each "whatever is..." as sited in Philippians 4:8 - and come up with a list of things that you can do that would be admirable, or lovely, etc. This is a personally intentional, deliberate and Holy Spirit focused and dependent process of dealing with the sin. The first part is to "put off" the sin; the last part is to "put something good on in its place." That is, do something different, something good!
 
Your accountability partner MUST be willing to ask you pointed questions each week and you must promise to answer honestly and to hide nothing from your accountability partner. Here’s a couple of questions that might be helpful... first is... "How many times were you tempted in your sin area this week?" The second is... "How many times did you turn towards the sin?"
 
As you struggle for freedom from sinful conduct you will be tempted over and over again. Remember, Satan doesn’t want you to succeed. Consider keeping a detailed count [a diary] of the number of times you are tempted for the purpose of tracking your progress. It is NO sin to be tempted. We sin the moment we take a small step in the direction of the sin rather than running away from the temptation. We sin the moment we hesitate from turning away from temptation. Writing down what happens and reading it back to yourself aloud, sharing it with your accountability partner, will be a very sobering exercise, one that will yield positive change in your attitude and help you build the mental strength for the next time you are in a weakened moment.
 
One other recommendation regarding your selection of an accountability partner - consider making it someone that you ABSOLUTELY do not want to have to report failure to, such as a younger Christian who considers you more mature in your faith, but who is mature enough to handle helping you with your spiritual temptations. Knowing that you will have to report failure, and knowing that it is someone to whom you do not want to admit failure to, is a powerful motivation that will make you think before sinning.
 
This sounds like a lot of work, and it is, but if you employ these steps in dealing with sin struggles and in getting control over your thoughts, there is no reason to be resigned to defeat. God is with you in the person of the Holy Spirit. Rely on Him.

Why not make a New Year's resolution to gain victory over one sin area in your life? And why not start working on that resolution today?

Have a Joyful New Year in serving the Lord and growing in Holiness!

The Neverending Season of the Christ

The Christmas story began long ago... at the founding of the world. Plans were being made in heaven, man did not know nor understand what we happening. Thousands of years would pass before man would understand what God had been doing from the very beginning. The God who created all things and blessed his crowning achievement, man, watched as he made a fatal choice, falling into sin and hopeless despair. All the while, God was planning a monumental recovery plan. God’s nature didn’t change, he didn’t make a mistake in his creation of humanity... man made the mistake, and the God of love and mercy had our redemption in mind from the moment man turned against him.

The prophets Jeremiah, Malachi, Zephaniah, and Micah all proclaimed the Christ that was to come. Not even they could have imagined how the world was going to change. Who was this Christ to be? Where would he come from? When would he come? What would he do? Great questions all, and God began to slowly and methodically reveal to humanity, that a day would come when the world would change forever.

The change would be good for everyone. The change would come upon the world almost without notice, with little fanfare. Simple people would be shown the arrival of this one called “Messiah” the likes of shepherds, vagabonds and sojourners, just a few, not thousands. The “change” arrives in the form of a newborn baby, born of a human woman. A baby, a small boy, would grow to manhood.

The Old Testament is the lead up to the Christmas story. It’s all about the coming change that would be the hope of mankind. Every day we use that small, mystical word—hope. It’s tough to live without hope. What is hope? It’s a vision for better days... events that will change us in the present. Hope is your best friend and security on an uncertain journey... there’s something up ahead, around the corner, its forming, its coming into sight, and it’s all good.

That good future that God began planning thousands of years before the Christ-child arrived wasn’t just an abstract concept, it was a real living person. We soon discover it was God in the flesh. That man who came to be known as Jesus came with power that reached into the souls of men and transformed them into new creations.

The Christmas season is a time for everyone to reflect on where you are in discovering this “Christ” who changed the world... who turned it upside down! We are all on a journey to destiny. What was once an uncertain journey without hope is now changed... we are all invited on a journey towards better days, a journey of real and lasting hope. Our hope is in Jesus. If we let him, he will work in and through our lives, reaching into our souls and giving us real lasting hope. Jeremiah 33:14–16

The Christmas story is for those who treat their spiritual lives with careless contempt. The unmotivated and uninspired, the bored and distracted, all yawning in the face of God. Most don't know what they're doing. Such people need a serious wake-up call. Or in the words of the ancient prophet Malachi, they need to meet the God who is like a “refiner’s fire” (Malachi 3:2). God inspired Malachi to say...You were made for better days. You weren’t made to coast in your spiritual apathy. God has better days coming. Every year, Christmas serves as a wake-up call for all those who need to “see the possible” in themselves, that God has made possible through Jesus, the Christ.

God so loved the world, that he gave us his only Son... (John 3:16) That’s one of the most hope inspired passages in all the Bible. It promises so much for those who believe in the “change” God sent into the world. God wants nothing to separate us from his greatest gift... or keep us from knowing the joy that is found only in Jesus, the Christ.

Near the end of the Old Testament, you’ll find a small book called Zephaniah. The last half of chapter three contains a wonderful, moving, tender, and powerful description of God’s love. A philosopher once said... there are only two things that can crack open the human heart... suffering and beauty. The picture of God’s love at the end of this little book is designed to crack open our hearts with its beauty. In a world filled with hatred and sin, this description is not what humanity deserves, but it is the love God offers to everyone. This is the hope of Christmas... that God did something extraordinary in Christ that changes everything. Zephaniah 3:14–20

Finally, the human heart since the beginning of time, has longed for tranquillity... peace. There has been no peace on this earth, only strife. The ancient Hebrew word shalom, means “peace.”

In the Bible, God’s peace—shalom—meant much more than simply the absence of war and strife. Shalom meant not only inner peace or spiritual peace; it meant wholeness and completeness throughout all creation. It meant the end of injustice. It meant the rich would no longer oppress the poor. It meant all brokenness would be set right and healed. It meant that people would love one another.

The hope of shalom was wrapped up in a single person, long foretold in Old Testament Bible prophecies. Someone would come, who would provide a way to peace. Peace came to earth nearly 2,000 years ago, heralded by angels, his birth witnessed by shepherds... Jesus... he is the peace. He changed everything. His arrival on this world opened the door to a new beginning for all humanity. Hope came into the world.

Jesus came and brought shalom with him. He calls everyone to discover and embrace his peace... infused with the hopes and promises of eternity.

Christmas... it’s all about a God who came to earth, to bring peace, to save sinners, to turn back the rage of heaven and restore hope in the hearts of man, woman and child.

Have a merry and joyful celebration of the birth of your personal SAVIOR!