Faith as a Mustard Seed Moves Mountains

Does Jesus hear us because we are full of faith or because it is his will at that moment? Could it be that when the Lord hears us in our moments of “little” faith, he is glorified through both His mercy and our dependence on him for all things?

These are questions posed is the prologue article to this series, “Minuscule Faith Moves Mountains.” In the previous articles we discussed:

What Salvation by Faith Means: We are saved by grace through faith. How do we come to the faith? What does our faith save us from?

The Precious Fruits of Faith: What does it mean to have faith in Jesus and live a “faith-based” life?

Avoiding the Legalistic Faith Trap: How often do we continue to approach God though a letter of the law mindset that keeps us trapped in things that kill?

In this article, we are going to focus on how powerful even the minutest amount of faith can be and why that is so.

When Your Faith Feels Small, Remember Where Your Faith Comes From

There are times when all Christians feel as if their faith is hanging by a thread. When going through these hard times, it can be very helpful to remember that your faith was given to you by God. Real faith is a gift, and God does not give us faith for nothing.

• With faith, we are able to approach Jesus with an understanding that he is the Son of God.
• With faith in Jesus, we grow in the knowledge of the Lord as we learn what it means to live as Christians.
• With faith in Jesus, we are freed from the bonds of law (legalism) because we know that we cannot live in true righteousness by our own ability.
• With faith in Jesus, we are healed from the brokenness of sin as we learn to forgive others as God forgives us.
• With faith in Jesus, we will bring forth fruits of righteousness, bringing God glory as we live out the gospel.
• With faith in Jesus, we will trust the Lord and we will not live in fear.
• With faith in Jesus, we will overcome all accusations of this world, even those of The Accuser.
• With faith in Jesus, we will thrive in the kingdom of heaven during our present lives.
• With faith in Jesus, we will overcome death.
• With faith in Jesus, we are made wise virgins and faithful servants in the everlasting kingdom forever.

Faith is a precious gift to those who God is raising up as His children. As we walk by faith, we grow in the things of the spirit as we die to the bonds of the flesh. It is an on-going journey, and one that is under the complete authority and workmanship of our creator. There is nothing we can do to earn it and there is nothing we can do to stop it. All things are by the power of God, and it is He who is “the author and finisher of our faith.”

As Jesus teaches us how to walk by faith according to the power of the Holy Spirit in us, we stop struggling so much. We stop living in fear. We stop trying to perform outwardly and instead trust that who we are will change overtime as we are made in the image of Christ. We will not focus on what this world has to offer or what those in this world think of us, because we have faith in something better. We have the kingdom of heaven, now and forever.

All things are given to you, dear Christian. From the moment you first believed until the day you are raised from the dead or transfigured at the coming of the Lord, Jesus, all things pertaining to your salvation are given by grace through faith.

Little Faith Accomplishes Much

How mighty is your God? How vast and immense is One who is eternal? How powerful do you suppose even a vapor of His ability within us might be? If you have faith, you have power living inside of you. Even if that faith seems minute, this is something given to you by the Almighty!

When we call out to Jesus in faith, he hears us. We do not always feel full of faith, but it is in these moments of weak faith that Jesus is made strong in us. His mercy, patience, and power are shown to us so that we know our hope lies in Jesus alone. He hears the broken and the humble. He resists the proud. Sometimes it is the weakest of us, those who are most prone to doubt, and even those who have struggled to believe in Jesus at all who are most likely to be made strong in Christ.

With faith, even mountain-sized sins are leveled to the ground.

You might recall when Jesus said that a faith as a mustard seed can move mountains. If you read this in context (Matthew Chapter 17), you will see that Jesus said this in response to his disciples who could not remove devils from a child. Jesus then healed the child. Don’t you see? Jesus came to heal us. It is by faith in him, “by whose stripes we are healed,” that we can overcome all manner of destruction. He healed people because of his mercy and to show us that he has authority to forgive sin. He also has power to heal. Believe in him! Nothing is impossible for you. No sin has power over you. No darkness is stronger than The Light!

Seek him diligently, and you will be rewarded with the treasures of heaven. You will have love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, and self-control. You will learn Godly wisdom that this world cannot know. You will learn what is true by he who is The Truth. You will grow in the power of his might, able to stand in the faith no matter how the waves roar around you. We must lay hold of the faith, not lay it up in a napkin, and invest what God has given us in the things of the spirit. We are not foolish virgins or wicked servants. We are children of the promise!

You are forgiven. You are redeemed.

You are the workmanship of Jesus Christ within you. True faith is powerful and will bring forth mighty fruits of the Spirit. These fruits are life and light, and they will replace the darkness in you overtime. You are not bound to the destructive forces of this world. You have most wonderful promises in Jesus and great hope and joy that endures all trials we go through. Though we do not yet see all things under our feet, all things are under our feet because all things are under His feet.

He has overcome the world so that we too can overcome.

In Conclusion

Does Jesus hear us because we are full of faith or because it is his will at that moment? Could it be that when the Lord hears us in our moments of “little” faith, he is glorified through both His mercy and our dependence on him for all things?

All things happen according to the will of our sovereign God. If our salvation were based on our ability, none would be saved. The purpose of the creation is to “bring many sons of God to glory.” This process can only be completed by the Son, Jesus. God gives us faith in Jesus so that we can pursue the promises of the kingdom of heaven — promises that are given by grace. Within these promises, we are made free from the prisons of this world and the prince of it. We are forgiven by the blood of Jesus shed on the cross and we are raised from death by the power of the resurrection.

We are promised a new nature as the Spirit conforms us into the image of Christ. This is a work done by the power of God, not us. It is God’s “good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” God is made strong in our weakness, even when we feel weak in the faith.

This article is part of the series entitle, “Minuscule Faith Moves Mountains.” The final article in this series will discuss trials of our faith and continuing in the faith.

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