Matthew 17

Today’s chapter begins with Peter, James & John on top of a mountain witnessing the amazing transfiguration of Jesus. Suddenly Moses & Elijah appear, and an audible voice of God is heard saying, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy. Listen to him.” The disciples are terrified and they fall face down on the ground. Jesus calms them and they travel back down the mountain.

A large crowd is at the bottom waiting for them. A man comes to Jesus and begs Him to heal his son who is suffering from a terrible illness that violently throws him into fire or water. He tells Jesus that he brought his son first to the disciples but they were not able to heal him. Jesus rebuked the demon in the boy, and it left him. Afterward, the disciples ask Jesus privately why they were not able to cast out the demon when they tried. Jesus replies,

“You don’t have enough faith,” Jesus told them. “I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible."

Not enough faith? Really?!? Haven’t we just read about multiple miracles in the book of Matthew that the disciples witnessed first hand? Didn’t they JUST witness the transfiguration and hear the voice of God booming from the sky? It’s easy to judge them isn’t it? It’s easy to wonder how they could have such little faith. But aren’t we equally as guilty? Sure, I’ve never heard an audible voice from God … but Christ has done many amazing and miraculous things in my life and I still struggle to trust Him at times. WHY IS THAT?? The mustard seed is very small, and if that much faith could move a mountain … how little must my faith be? Microscopic maybe? It makes me feel like I don't have any faith at all. And what is faith anyway?

In Hebrews 11:1 the Bible describes faith like this:

“Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.”

Sounds simple right? We know that God is able to do anything He wants. We know He is all knowing, all powerful, all loving. We've seen Him work wonders in our lives and those around us. So what’s the problem? None - if the human mind were solely ruled by reason. If the mind were ruled by logic alone, once we had accepted something as TRUE, we would continue to make our decisions based on that truth. HOWEVER, we are also emotional beings. We allow our fear, anxiety, and other emotions to control us and stifle the Holy Spirit that is working in us. Now, before you get too hard on yourself for having feelings, remember that we are created in the image of God. Jesus had feelings. We just have to be careful not to let our feelings rule us. We must honestly take them to God and allow Him to work through us, acting in faith in spite of what we feel.

Remember God’s word is:

• truer than anything we feel
• truer than anything we fear
• truer than any circumstance we have faced or will ever face

Okay, so if we are emotional beings with microscopic faith, how can we grow it to the size of a mustard seed?

1) Stay in God’s Word, read it, listen to it, sing it, memorize it, until it grows deep down in your soul. Colossians 2:7

2) Keep your mind off of yourself and solely focus it on God. Hebrews 12:2

3) Stay in a close relationship with God. You cannot grow your faith if you are not spending time with the author and perfecter of faith Himself. Matthew 6:33

4) Surround yourself with other believers that will encourage you but who will also wound you when they need to. Build relationships with those who will speak the Truth to you in love, even if it hurts. Ephesians 4:15

5) Set your convictions ahead of time! If we wait until we get into a tough situation to decide how we will react, we will go with our emotions and make the wrong choice. John 8:32. Like we heard in the Explore God series:  "I want to talk to your mind and help you establish some convictions in this area. So that, when your heart is drunk with sorrow and loss, your mind can drive you safely home.”

PRAYER: Father, forgive me for my lack of faith! Help my heart believe that You are better than anything else and You are more trustworthy than my feelings. Holy Spirit create in me a clean heart and shine Your light into this dark world for all to see. Help me get out of the way and allow You to be glorified. Thank you for allowing us the privilege of knowing You and serving You. In Jesus' precious name, Amen.

  Jeanene Hill |Office Manager

Jeanene and her husband Lester moved to Hutto in 2005. They have three children: Jacob, Dylan & Adam. As a teenager, Jeanene accepted Christ and committed to seeking a life that honors Him. She has spent many years working in the pregnancy resource and childcare fields. Currently Jeanene works as the Office Manager and volunteers as the Children’s Ministry Director. Contact Jeanene Hill: [email protected]