Hey Dad, Let's Talk 2| Faith as Small as a Mustard Seed |
|
"Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, 'Why couldn’t we drive it out?' He 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. But this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.' ” (Matthew 17:14-16, 18-21) Why is it that the disciples couldn't cast out this demon when Jesus had so clearly given them the power to heal every sickness and to exorcize demons (see Matthew 10:1,8)? If they’d been successfully healing people and casting out demons prior to this episode (and they were), why would they suddenly have such little faith that it couldn’t even be compared to a minuscule mustard seed? You would think their faith would be sky high from so much success. But it would seem the disciples were viewing the power God had given them as a magical power, rather than a spiritual gift. Perhaps they were relying on themselves (over-confident) and taking the credit themselves instead of acknowledging that it is God alone who has the power to heal and to cast out demons - that it was God healing people through them and not them doing the healing. Maybe they were viewing their gift as a magic wand and the moment that wand didn’t work, they thought it was broken. It doesn’t take much faith or confidence to wave a magic wand around that has always worked before. It is very possible for a Christian to come to a place where he renounces his faith and never returns. Christians can become atheists; their faith can die. The famous evangelist, Charles Templeton, is one such example. You must hold onto your faith like a lifeline! Because if you choose to keep on believing, your faith will remain full and breathing. But if you choose to doubt, your faith (belief) will fade away to nothing. Unless God has led us to move a particular mountain, we will push and shove and huff and puff in vain. Not every mountain is meant to be moved. We also mustn’t think mountain moving is reserved for overly righteous, overly intelligent, and overly famous Christians. No matter who you are, where you come from, where you work, what your intelligence is, or what your life experience is - whether your faith be great or small (even as small as a mustard seed), you can be the catalyst in miracles within your family, amongst your friends, in your community, in your city, or even the whole world. Think about it: a brand new Christian with no experience at all (faith as small as a mustard seed) has the same power within him (the Holy Spirit) as does the veteran Christian who has lead thousands to Christ.
NEXT ARTICLE: Though He Slay Me, Yet Will I Trust Him
ADDITIONAL ARTICLES:
(c) 2007 - Bekah Ferguson Permissions: By all means, you are welcome to reproduce and distribute my articles in excerpts or complete format as long as you don't change any of the wording. If you do reproduce any part of my articles, please include the following information: by Bekah Ferguson, Ontario, Canada. www.bekahferguson.com Licensed under Creative Commons. |
"When they came to the crowd, a man approached Jesus and knelt before him. 'Lord, have mercy on my son,' he said. 'He has seizures and is suffering greatly ... I brought him to your disciples but they could not heal him.' ... Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed from that moment.