Faith as a Mustard Seed

What does it mean to have faith as a mustard seed?

” ‘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.’ “

Matthew 17:20 NKJV

Could mustard seed faith be that powerful? In the Scripture above, Jesus reassured His disciples after they had failed to cast out a demon from a boy. Then his father appealed directly to Jesus for help.

“’Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water. So I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not cure him.’”

Matthew 17:15-16 NKJV

After Jesus rebuked the demon and cast it out, He and His disciples privately analyzed what had gone wrong. Jesus stated it was due to their unbelief; however, He assured them that faith as small as a mustard seed is strong enough to move mountains, and nothing would be impossible to them.

He further divulged that this kind of demon only comes out with prayer and fasting. Hence, sometimes more power is needed than just prayer alone. Prayer combined with fasting is the ultimate powerhouse that overcomes the strongest demon.

First, let’s define faith. 

According to Merriam-Webster, it means firm belief in something for which there is no proof, something that is believed especially with strong conviction, and complete trust. According to the Word, faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1 NKJV).

After the disciples listened to Jesus critique their lack of belief, they cried out to Him, ‘Increase our faith!’ (Luke 15:5 NIV).

How do we get more faith?

So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God (Romans 10:17 NKJV).

How encouraging that is! Romans 12:3 also tells us that God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. Since we all have some faith, it boils down to how we use it, no matter if it’s as tiny as a mustard seed.

Listening to sermons, reading the Bible, studying and memorizing it– all these are ways to grow our faith. The Book of James also teaches us about faith in detail. Let’s look at some examples.

Abraham

James teaches that faith without works is dead. In Chapter 2, verses 21-24, James shows how Abraham’s belief in God and his resulting works produced a perfect faith, based on strong belief.

Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, ‘Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.’ And he was called the friend of God. You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.

Rahab

 Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way?

James 2:25 NKJV

After hearing how Israel had defeated her enemies with God’s help, Rahab believed the Lord was “the God in heaven above and on earth beneath” (Joshua 2:11b). When Rahab hid the spies, they repaid her by saving her family from Jericho’s destruction. She obeyed through silence, remaining inside her house, and tying a scarlet thread to her window. (Read the entire story here in Joshua 2:1-24.)

Hebrews chapter 11 lists several examples of inspiration regarding faith. Here’s a list:

• Abel’s sacrifice pleased God;
• Enoch’s life was pleasing to the Lord, and he didn’t die;
• Noah, moved by godly fear out of a warning about things not yet seen, built the ark;
• Sarah received the strength to conceive;
• The stories of the Patriarchs Isaac, Jacob, Joseph;
• Moses, the recipient of the Law, delivered his people from slavery into the Promised Land;
• And more… read more HERE

May we be inspired by these biblical accounts and continue to grow in our mustard-seed faith.

Dear Father God, thank you for giving each of us a measure of faith that is strong enough to uproot trees and move mountains. Help us to increase our belief so we can do great things in Your Name! We ask and receive in the Name of Jesus, our Lord and our Savior, Amen.

Faith as a Mustard Seed by Karen Jurgens copyright ©2024 All rights reserved.