Yes its long...but its a piece of my heart... Have you ever struggled with faith? Most of us have at one time or another; the question I have pondered is whether or not we ever truly lose faith? We find a lot in The Holy Bible regarding faith, and how powerful it can be; we are going to focus on a verse from Matthew that deals both with the strength of faith, and the weakness of the lack thereof. In Mathew 17 we find Jesus coming down from the mountain with Peter, James, and John, they had just had a miraculous encounter with Jesus and were receiving instruction and prophecy of Jesus. They came into a village and a man fell at Jesus feet asking him to heal his son whom His disciples could not heal. Jesus, after a bit of scolding healed the boy. When the disciples asked why they could not heal as they were commissioned to do by Jesus, He replied unto them Because of your unbelief; for truly I say to you If you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you shall say to this mountain, Remove hence forth to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible to you. However this kind goes out not but by prayer and fasting. The disciples had an advantage that we do not have in that they witnessed first hand the physical presence of Christ, however our faith is all the more special because it must be blind faith. When we examine what Jesus said unto them, and apply it to our physical and spiritual lives the first thing that is apparent is how little faith it takes to do such great things. The faith of a mustard seed can not only move a mountain, but makes NOTHING IMPOSSIBLE! How great is that!? But Jesus goes on to tell us that these things are only possible through prayer and fasting. Well touch on that a little later on, but first lets look more closely at the mustard seed. Why a mustard seed? Mustard seeds contain a very hard shell which must be broken only through repeated and patient grinding between stones or metal grinding wheels. This hard outer shell is almost impenetrable without the use of tools... This hard outer coating is the armor of God which we are instructed to put on daily. Satan has many stones and tools in this world that work to grind away that coating and attempt to destroy the faith it contains. Through prayer we are strengthened, through the study and application of Gods word, we are unbreakable. Inside that mustard seed, well it contains a very potent and flavorful spice and a little goes a long, long way, just like our faith! The best thing about our faith is that it is renewable! It never gets used up, in fact the more we depend on our faith and use it, the more it is strengthened as we see the results. So why couldnt the disciples heal as they were instructed? Because they didnt believe that they could. When God tells you something, dont question it, just do it! If God sent you to do it, He empowered you to accomplish it. This doesnt mean that it is always going to be easy, this is where prayer and fasting comes in... We all know the importance of prayer, our connection with God, our supply of restrengthening and rejuvenation; but fasting has fallen out of custom over the years. Fasting doesnt simply mean going off food for a certain time, there are many different kinds of fasting. It is simply depriving ones self of something in order to improve discipline, show devotion, and even learn to appreciate blessings even more. It serves to remove distractions in our relationship with God. Fasting can be as simple as giving up electronics, giving up your favorite hobby for a while, abstaining from coffee or sugary drinks and cleansing your body with water. If youve ever undertaken a project and in order to complete it you have had to give up one thing or another for a length of time, you fasted to complete a task. When we undertake a task for God, we must be willing to devote time and resources to complete that task and it will involve some sort of fasting to complete it. So be prepared and take Jesus at His word that to achieve the full potential of your faith, that you will only achieve that through prayer and fasting. And the important thing to remember is that your reward will far exceed what you gave up for that time. On a final note I want to address the question of whether we ever lose faith? I dont think the disciples ever really lost faith, I just believe that they didnt fully apply it and became complacent or blinded by doubt. Faith is a powerful thing, but so is doubt. They continually encountered people who doubted who they were, what they represented, and what they could do. We live in a world filled with doubt today. So if the faith of a mustard seed can move mountains, how much doubt does it take to interfere with our faith? A spec of sand...thats right not even a grain, just a spec. Have you ever gotten a spec of dust in your eye? It feels like a boulder! Your eye immediately slams shut and begins watering profusely. You cannot see! But are you blind? Did the world disappear? The answer is no, the world is still there, and you will see again! What if they spec of sand gets inhaled? You begin to cough, you struggle to stop and breathe but it continues to irritate and cause you to be uncomfortable and unable to even talk...but it is temporary, you are not going to die. Even though the spec of sand makes life seemingly unbearable for a few moments, it is temporary; the same as the spec of doubt. Doubt can make life seem unbearable and can blind us of our faith, but know that it is always there, just as God is always there. Doubt, though strong, is temporary, faith is forever because it is guarded by the armor of God! When you see someone struggling with faith, put on your armor and help them wipe the doubt from their life. Use your faith to lift them up, share your faith, remember you cannot use it up because it is the ultimate renewable resource! Pray for them and guide them until their eyes and heart clear to see their own faith still there waiting to steer them back toward God, who will take over and guide them upon the right path.
Posted on: Thu, 08 Jan 2015 18:19:28 +0000
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