5 The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” 6 And the Lord said, “If you had faith like a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and be planted in the sea’; and it would obey you. Luke 17:5-6

 
Almost every believer I have ever met felt like they needed more faith. They’ve prayed for it, attended conferences, read books, attended services to bolster their faith, and even prayed earnestly for increased faith. The twelve closest to Jesus sure felt the need for an increased level of faith. Evidently they looked at Jesus and concluded,”Hey, we are lacking!” Jesus basically told His small band of ruffians they were not lacking, but slacking. The faith they had was enough! They were simply not properly using what faith they did possess.

Has your spiritual gas tank ever run dry? You go to church, worship, or spend some time with the Lord to fill yourself up. While your spiritual life may resemble a gas tank which occasionally needs filling, your faith level doesn’t operate along these same lines. Faith is not like a gas tank which constantly needs topping. The church is not a gas station that merely exists to service your Christianity. Like Jesus’ disciples, we falsely conclude if we had just a little more of God, just a little more faith, just a little more spirit …. then we could accomplish all of the things the Lord requires. Our request for the Lord to “top off our tanks” or “increase our faith” is invalid. These types of requests will not make us better disciples or stronger followers.

According to Jesus, we don’t need more faith. Faith is such a powerful weapon, we only need a tiny amount of it to do incredible things in the Kingdom. Faith is like an atomic bomb. The energy released from a tiny mustard seed amount of faith can literally move mountains. If you are a believer, then you already possess some faith.

I had the opportunity to visit the Holy Land a few years back. As our group was walking down the Mount of Olives I began to pick some of the branches and twigs from the trees along the path. I noticed some little pods growing from some of the trees and asked our guide about them. He told me they were mustard seeds. The pods were about the size of a pencil eraser. As I examined these little pods, the guide then instructed me to break one open. It was then that I discovered the real size of mustard seeds. Thousands of little ground pepper sized seeds burst forth from the little pods. They were minuscule. Jesus obviously used the smallest item known to his followers to explain just how little faith we need to see God move.

Faith is our secret weapon, but it is not used to destroy like the atom. Just a minuscule amount of faith brings about the impossible. Jesus used the example of mustard seeds because even though they are the small, they possess something a pebble, a grain of salt or a grain of sand doesn’t possess. Mustard seeds have life! The question is not whether there is life in the mustard seed. Each seed has an abundance of life. The question is have we planted our faith in God’s Kingdom so that He might do the impossible? Sized doesn’t matter. What does matter is action. Have we planted what faith we do possess?

Jesus knew that the quantity of faith is not as important as whether faith is present at all. It’s like being pregnant- either you are or you aren’t. There is no such thing as being a little pregnant. In the same instance, you either have faith in God or you don’t. If we do, then God will work amazing things in our lives. It serves no purpose to keep asking God for more of something we have never used in the first place. Faith, like seeds, must be planted. This is why James said, “Faith by itself if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” James 2:17

Are you planting what faith you do possess today or are you still waiting for the Lord to give you more. Your faith will not increase until you begin to use the faith you possess. None of us will ever feel qualified enough, know enough, or have enough experience to feel comfortable in seeing God move in our life. He only requires we believe in His process.

Blessings – From God’s Incubator,

Pastor