I had a conversation some years ago with one of my co-workers about God and faith. I told him that I know God is real and that Jesus Christ is His son and our Savior. He told me that I really just think He is real and I said that I know He is real. He asked me how I know He is real since I’ve never seen Him. I told him that I had faith and therefore believe that He is real. We never got passed this conversation because he never believed that faith could result in knowing and believing.
My question to you is “Do you have faith?”
God’s word has quite a number of scriptures concerning faith.
Hebrews 11:6 New International Version
6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
Romans 10:17
New International Version
17 Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.
1 Corinthians 16:13
New International Version
13 Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.
And the one I love the most Matthew 17:19 New King James Version: When the disciples were unable to cast out a demon, they asked Jesus why
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.
So, do we have that kind of faith?
There was a time in my life when I lost all faith. Even now that I have returned to Jesus and have made Him the center of my life I still wonder if I have that kind of faith.
Many religious leaders talk of their tremendous faith and many preachers preach on the subject but let’s stop and take a hard look at faith.
Faith as a mustard seed? A mustard seed is very tiny. It doesn’t seem like it would be difficult to have that much faith. We have faith in God because we know that He is alive and is the reason we live. We have faith in Jesus Christ because we believe that He is our lord and savior. Surely that is more faith than the size of a mustard seed. If so, go move a mountain. “Are you serious” you ask? Yes!
The point I’m trying to make is that if you don’t think you can do the impossible that God wants done then your faith must be very tiny. Now, that’s not a bad thing. Obviously, the faith we have, though tiny, is tremendous! It carries us through each day by relying on the Lord for everything. Our faith makes us whole and gives us a relationship with Christ that we lean on each and every day. This faith we have should remind us of the love the lord has for us, the truth in His word, and the ability to withstand temptation.
I consider my faith to be strong, but compared to the size of a mustard seed, quite small. Nonetheless, my faith has enabled me to be held in the arms of my savior and withstand any of the temptations Satan tries to use to get me away from Jesus.
Continue to work on your faith. This can only make you stronger in the Lord. We need to be strong and courageous to take on the battle!