mustard seed faith | Kristi's Morning Devotional

August 5, 2020July 21, 2020

Growing “In Him”

It is my prayer that you gained new insight for your daily walk with the Lord because of our brief study of “in Him” and “in Christ”. Over the next week or so I will be sharing some thoughts from God’s word that you have probably heard before but if you start each day’s reading reminding yourself that you are in Him I know the Lord will give you a greater understanding of these truths.

The Bible has much to say about seeds, planting and growing. God intended for nature to be an example for us to learn from and live by. We see what good soil, the right amount of water and sunshine can do on a daily basis. The trees in our yards and parks flourish; the pastures grow and provide food for the cattle; the desert has its own beauty from the vegetation that grows there. Yes, it’s all around us!

Jesus taught parables about farmers growing seeds and protecting what they had planted. In one of my favorite stories He warns of birds coming to eat the seeds that are unprotected and of weeds that choke out the plants while they are young. Finally He tells of the harvest that comes when the seeds are well cared for and allowed to grow. Jesus makes this correlation:

“This is what the story means: The seed is God’s message, 12 and the seeds that fell along the road are the people who hear the message. But the devil comes and snatches the message out of their hearts, so that they will not believe and be saved. 13 The seeds that fell on rocky ground are the people who gladly hear the message and accept it. But they don’t have deep roots, and they believe only for a little while. As soon as life gets hard, they give up.

14 The seeds that fell among the thornbushes are also people who hear the message. But they are so eager for riches and pleasures that they never produce anything. 15 Those seeds that fell on good ground are the people who listen to the message and keep it in good and honest hearts. They last and produce a harvest.” Luke 9:11-15 CEV

The seed, God’s word, is perfect. It will grow anywhere but it must be protected to bring a harvest. Did you notice that Jesus said if we keep it “in” our hearts it will produce? In the book of John, chapter one, the first thing John says is “in the beginning was the Word, and the word was with God and the word was God”. Jesus is the word of God in the flesh. That makes Jesus and His word the seed that we should be planting in our hearts.

As the seed grows it provides life, protection and safety. God’s word will do the same in our lives and the lives of those around us.

“Then Jesus said, “What can I use to show you what God’s kingdom is like? What story can I use to explain it? 31 God’s kingdom is like a mustard seed, which is smaller than any other seed on earth that you can plant. 32 But when you plant it, it grows and becomes the largest of all the plants in your garden. It has branches that are very big. The wild birds can come and make nests there and be protected from the sun.” Mark 4:30-32 ERV

A mustard seed will germinate in about five to ten days if the soil conditions are right. The black mustard tree, referred to in the verses above, will grow to an average of three to five feet tall and can continue to grow up to ten to fifteen feet tall.

When we allow God’s word to grow in our lives we can be a blessing and a place of rest and safety to those around us. God’s word is powerful but if we allow the day to day cares of life to take hold in our hearts they can choke out the growth of God’s word. We must keep our focus on God’s ability and not our inability.

“I am writing to you who share the same precious faith we have. This faith was given to you because of the justice and fairness of Jesus Christ, our God and Savior. ²May God give you more and more grace and peace as you grow in your knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord.” II Peter 1:1-2 NLT

Be blessed and grow!

May 20, 2020May 20, 2020

More Faith

I have often heard folks say, “I wish I had more faith or I wish my faith was bigger or stronger”.

This morning I would like to share a couple of thoughts on “Faith” and “Unbelief”. Imagine you are holding a coin in your hand right now. One side of the coin is faith and one side is unbelief. The outcome in the situations of your life are directly affected by the side of the coin that you are looking at.

There are many Scriptures when Jesus addressed “Unbelief” in the hearts and minds of those that he was ministering too. In Matthew it says that Jesus couldn’t do any mighty works in his own hometown because of their unbelief.

Aman who had a demon possessed son brought him to Jesus for healing. Jesus told the father if he believed all things were possible. Then the father responded Lord, I believe – help my unbelief. After Jesus set the boy free his disciples came and asked:

“Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?” ²⁰So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. ²¹However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.” Matthew 17:19-21 NKJV

Jesus didn’t say that it was because of their “little” faith or even lack of faith but because of unbelief. He then goes on to say that with faith as little as a grain of mustard seed, nothing would be impossible to them. And as a side note when Jesus said “this kind” goes not out but by prayer and fasting, He was talking about the unbelief.

Faith, simply put, is our belief that God not only can do but will do those things that He has promised. Abraham is our example of this unwavering faith. He had a lifetime of evidence to support his unbelief of being able to have a child. He and Sarah were old and had never had children. If they had gone to the fertility clinic, everyone would have laughed at them and sent them home. But thank God, Abraham didn’t listen to all the unbelief (his own or that of others) he was strong in faith.

“And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah’s womb: 20 He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; 21 And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.” Romans 4:19-21

When we give our life to Christ and are born again, we are given faith as a part of our new nature. Paul says in Romans that God has given all of us “the” measure of faith and in Galatians he tells us that faith is a fruit of the Spirit.

We can all agree it takes faith to get saved. “For by grace are ye saved through faith”. Faith is believing that God will do what He says He will do, and grace is God giving us what we don’t deserve and can’t earn on our own. This was the time in our life that our faith in God was the smallest, mustard seed size, but it was big enough for us receive our greatest miracle – salvation.

When there is something that seems to be bigger than our faith, we should go to God’s word, find His answer, feed our faith (Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God) and it will cause our unbelief to shrink. We keep our focus on God and His ability and not our doubt and inability.

We decrease the doubt and unbelief because we know “mustard seed” faith is more than enough to move our mountains.

May 18, 2019May 18, 2019

Heads or Tails

This morning I was reading in Mark where Jesus was teaching his disciples about faith. All of Jesus’ teachings have faith as their foundational premise. We are told in Hebrews that without faith it is impossible to please God; Jesus was all about pleasing the Father in all he did so he lived and taught faith.

I often hear folks say, “I wish I had more faith or I wish my faith was bigger or stronger”. This morning I would like to share a couple of thoughts on “Faith” and “Unbelief”. Imagine you are holding a coin in your hand right now. One side of the coin is faith and one side is unbelief. The outcome of the situations in your life are directly affected by one or the other.

There are many Scriptures when Jesus addressed “Unbelief” in the hearts and minds of those that he was ministering too. In Matthew 13 it says that Jesus couldn’t do any mighty works in his own hometown because of their unbelief. In Mark 9 the man who had a demon possessed son brought him to Jesus for healing. Jesus told the father if he could believe all things were possible to him. The father responded Lord, I believe – help my unbelief. After Jesus healed the boy his disciples came and asked:

“Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?” ²⁰So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. ^21 [b]However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.” Matthew 17:19-21 NKJV

Jesus didn’t say that it was because of their “little” faith or even lack of faith but because of unbelief. He then goes on to say that with faith as little as a grain of mustard seed, nothing would be impossible to them. When Jesus said “this kind” goes not out but by prayer and fasting, He was talking about the unbelief.

Faith, simply put, is our belief that God not only can do but will do those things that He has promised. Abraham is our example of this. He had a lifetime of evidence to support his unbelief that he and Sarah couldn’t have a child. Both he and Sarah were barren. If they had gone to the fertility clinic, everyone would have laughed at them and sent them home. But thank God, Abraham didn’t listen to all the unbelief (his own or that of others) he was strong in faith.

When we give our life to Christ and are born again, we are given faith as a part of our new nature. Romans 12 says that God has given all of us “the” measure of faith and then in Galatians 5, Paul tells us again that faith is a fruit of the Spirit.

We can all agree it takes faith to get saved. “For by grace are ye saved through faith”. Faith, believing that God will do what He says He will do, and grace, God giving us what we don’t deserve and can’t earn on our own. This was the time in our life that our faith in God was the smallest and yet it was enough to create the greatest miracle – salvation.

What situation has you focused on unbelief? Go to God’s word, find His answer, feed your faith (Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God) and it will cause your unbelief to shrink. When unbelief shrinks “mustard seed” faith is more than enough to move mountains.

February 22, 2019February 22, 2019

Out of Balance

Do you remember those days in seventh grade Science class when your teacher brought in a set of scales and weights? I do!

Mr. Fox put the scales on the front lab table. There were a set of graduated weights and there were various other objects too; an apple, a brick, a coin, salt, and feathers. We then embarked on a series of trials. One of the objects was the exact same weight as one, or a combination of, the weights. It was up to us to determine which one.

Nine times out of ten we were out-of-balance!

Have you ever felt that way? That things in your life are out-of-balance. This morning I’m going to tell you why that’s a good thing.

When it comes to our walk with the Lord we need to be top heavy. Jesus disciples came to him and asked Him to increase their faith.

“The apostles said to the Lord, “Give us more faith!”⁶The Lord said, “If your faith is as big as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Dig yourself up and plant yourself in the ocean!’ And the tree will obey you.” Luke 17:5-6 ERV

Notice Jesus didn’t tell them that they needed BIG faith. No, He told them that if they had little faith, faith as little as a mustard seed, that they would be able to accomplish big things. The question was how to use the faith they had. Look at the example he gave them.

“Suppose one of you has a servant who has been working in the field, plowing or caring for the sheep. When he comes in from work, what would you say to him? Would you say, ‘Come in, sit down and eat’? ⁸Of course not! You would say to your servant, ‘Prepare something for me to eat. Then get ready and serve me. When I finish eating and drinking, then you can eat.’ ⁹The servant should not get any special thanks for doing his job. He is only doing what his master told him to do. ¹⁰It is the same with you. When you finish doing all that you are told to do, you should say, ‘We are not worthy of any special thanks. We have only done the work we should do.’” Luke 17:7-10 ERV

Here, Jesus is referring to faith as a servant. He told the disciples to put it to work. Faith is doing what the master has told you to do. Jesus had told them to go out and teach, preach, heal the sick, raise the dead and cast out devils. They did as he told them and they came back amazed at the results they had. But then there were other times when they let the circumstances stop them from doing what the Lord had said. He told them to get in the boat and go to the other side; they let the waves and the storm overwhelm them with fear and they almost capsized. Then there was the night that Jesus was arrested. He told them to pray with Him so they wouldn’t fall into temptation, instead they fell asleep and scattered in fear when the soldiers took Jesus away.

There are no great accolades for doing what you are told to do but there are great results. Faith is a tool that God wants us to use. Using our faith is as simple as obeying what God says. Just like a servant obeys his master.

If little faith can make great things happen then where’s the problem? It’s fear. Do you realize that fear is also a form of faith? Fear is a belief that the negative will happen. Instead of trusting God and putting faith in His word fear believes that circumstances will overwhelm and shatter God’s promises.

“In Christ we come before God with freedom and without fear. We can do this because of our faith in Christ.” Ephesians 3:12 ERV

“The followers went to him and woke him. They said, “Lord, save us! We will drown!”²⁶Jesus answered, “Why are you afraid? You don’t have enough faith.” Then he stood up and gave a command to the wind and the water. The wind stopped, and the lake became very calm.²⁷The men were amazed. They said, “What kind of man is this? Even the wind and the water obey him!” Matthew 8:25-27 ERV

If we have little faith and great fear we will be out-of-balance and the results will be disastrous. But if we have little faith and no fear or doubt we can move mountains.

“Jesus answered, “Have faith in God. ²³The truth is, you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, mountain, fall into the sea.’ And if you have no doubts in your mind and believe that what you say will happen, then God will do it for you. ²⁴So I tell you to ask for what you want in prayer. And if you believe that you have received those things, then they will be yours.” Mark 11:22-24 ERV

Let me ask you this. What types of things cause fear in your life? It’s important to identify them. Is it cancer, bankruptcy, divorce, rebellious children, loss of employment, auto accidents? Find what God says about each and every one of these things and as you do you will begin to remove them from the fear side of the scale. The more items you remove, the greater the weight of your faith becomes. Soon, faith in what God says and will do will tip the scales and you will be out-of-balance in faith.

“We thank God for you always. And that’s what we should do, because you give us good reason to be thankful: Your faith is growing more and more. And the love that every one of you has for each other is also growing.” II Thessalonians 1:3 ERV

It’s time to tip the scales in the right direction!

May 18, 2018May 18, 2018

Two Sides to the Coin

Do you ever struggle with the size of your faith? The disciples of Jesus struggled with theirs.

I often hear folks say, “I wish I had more faith or I wish my faith was bigger or stronger”. This morning I would like to share a couple of thoughts on faith and unbelief.

Imagine we are holding a coin in our hand right now. One side of the coin is faith and one side is unbelief. The outcome in the situations of our life are directly affected by the side of the coin that we are looking at.

There are many Scriptures when Jesus addressed unbelief in the hearts and minds of those that he was ministering too. In Matthew 13 it says that Jesus couldn’t do any mighty works in his own hometown because of their unbelief. In Mark 9 the man who had a demon possessed son brought him to Jesus for healing. Jesus answered if you can believe all things are possible to him to you. The father responded Lord, I believe – I need you to help me with my unbelief. After Jesus set the boy free his disciples came and ask:

“Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?” 20 So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. 21 However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.” Matthew 17:19-21 NKJV

Jesus didn’t say that it was because of their “little” faith or even lack of faith but because of unbelief. He then goes on to say that if their faith was the size of a mustard seed, nothing would be impossible to them. And as a side note when Jesus said “this kind” goes not out but by prayer and fasting, He was talking about the unbelief.

Faith, simply put, is our belief that God not only can do but will do those things that He has promised. Abraham is our walking example of this. He had a lifetime of evidence to support his unbelief in being able to have a child. Barrenness for both he and Sarah. If they had gone to the fertility clinic, everyone would have laughed at them and sent them home. But thank God, Abraham didn’t listen to all the unbelief (his own or that of others) he was strong in faith.

“Abraham’s faith never became weak, not even when he was nearly a hundred years old. He knew that he was almost dead and that his wife Sarah could not have children. 20 But Abraham never doubted or questioned God’s promise. His faith made him strong, and he gave all the credit to God. 21 Abraham was certain that God could do what he had promised.” Romans 4:19-21 CEV

We can all agree it takes faith to get saved. “For by grace are you saved through faith”.

Faith, believing that God will do what He says He will do, and grace, God giving us what we don’t deserve and can’t earn on our own. This was the time in our life that our faith in God was the smallest and yet it was enough to create the greatest miracle – salvation.

If we focus on the situation or problem in our lives that is causing us to worry, unbelief with win over faith. But if we go to God’s word, find His answer, feed our faith (Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God) and it will cause our unbelief to shrink.

We must keep looking at Jesus, he is the one who shows us what faith in God can do. He is our example.

“We must never stop looking to Jesus. He is the leader of our faith, and he is the one who makes our faith complete. He suffered death on a cross. But he accepted the shame of the cross as if it were nothing because of the joy he could see waiting for him. And now he is sitting at the right side of God’s throne.” Hebrews 12:2 ERV

As we look at Him and all that He did our unbelief with decrease and our faith with grow. It’s like putting weights on a scale – we simply decrease the unbelief.

We have God’s word that “mustard seed” faith is more than enough to move mountains. So go move some mountains.