Where Is Your Faith?

"The Lord answered, "If you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, 'May you be uprooted and thrown into the sea,' and it would obey you!" 

Luke 17:6

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." 

Matthew 17:20

"For with God nothing shall be impossible."  

Luke 1:37

Mark 11:22-25 (New Living Translation), 

“Then Jesus said to the disciples, “Have faith in God. I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart. I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours. But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too.”

Jesus was matter-of-fact: "Embrace this God-life. Really embrace it, and nothing will be too much for you. This mountain, for instance: Just say, 'Go jump in the lake'—no shuffling or shilly-shallying—and it's as good as done. That's why I urge you to pray for absolutely everything, ranging from small to large. Include everything as you embrace this God-life, and you'll get God's everything. And when you assume the posture of prayer, remember that it's not all asking. If you have anything against someone, forgive—only then will your heavenly Father be inclined to also wipe your slate clean of sins." 

Matthew 11: 22-25 (The Message) 

(A friend of mine brought “The Message Version” to my attention. I love how it is stated.)

“You can pray for anything, and if you have faith, you will receive it." Matthew 21:22 NLT 

and stated in NIV “If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer."

If you ask believing that is faith. How is faith defined? As a firm belief in something for which there is no proof; complete trust; belief and trust in and loyalty to God. Faith means believing without questioning; without trying to compromise; without doubting; without arguing or disputing; nothing wavering (to feel or show doubt, indecision)and without analyzing. James 1:6 says “But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind.”

What size is a mustard seed? 1 – 2 mm in size Here are some comparisons to help you vision how tiny a grain of mustard seed is.

• · 1 mm = 0.0393700787402 inch or 5/127 inch
• · 2 mm=  0.0787401574804 inch or 10/127 inch
• · 1.5 mm is about the diameter of a pin head or length of average flea
• · It is compared to a grain of sand
• · To compare to 5 mm which is the length of the average red ant. So a mustard seed is less than half of the average red ant.

We can summarize that a mustard seed is very tiny. So Jesus is not telling us we have to have LOTS of faith to move mountains, is He?  No, He is saying we only have to have a tiny, tiny bit of faith. It is so amazing that we do NOT need but a tiny bit of faith to move mountains!

But the most awesome of it all is that you don’t need but that little bit of faith- the size of a mustard seed – but to have that faith in God! That is the main point.  If you only have that small amount of faith in God then you will be able to move that mountain or that mulberry tree. Wow! It doesn’t take much but you have to have that faith in God and not in yourselves or anyone or anything else.

So maybe we need to stop praying for more faith and start searching our hearts and examining our hearts and lives and make sure we are putting our faith in God! Just to sum it up once again with these two verses is all we need is a tiny amount of faith in God to move mountains!

"For with God nothing shall be impossible."  Luke 1:37

So how much faith do we have? Where are we putting our faith? Is it put in man or in God? Are many mountains being moved in your life? I think it is about time we started moving those mountains, don’t you?

What To Think!

Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, 

if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. 

Philippians 4:8

This verse is a lifetime of energies – positive energies. I understand that we all will have negative thoughts and be critical; of course, we are all human BUT the “kicker” is when we harbor these negative thoughts and critical thoughts. That is where we go wrong. The New Age is pushing “positive thinking” as to “get whatever you want” but Christian aspect of positive thinking is to be in the right state of mind and heart. The Bible is definitely full of positive thoughts and Scripture for us to live our lives to the fullest as God desires for us. Yes, “live positively” by faith in God knowing that God is in control and He is going to do what is best for us and our lives but we have to stay in His will as stated in Matthew 6:33, “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” Because you are seeking God’s Kingdom above everything else you are opening you thoughts and heart up to God’s desires and thoughts and God will certainly bless you abundantly, whether it be in health, financially, popularity, talent, etc.
 

“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, 

believe that you have received it, and it will be yours” 

(Mark 11:24, NIV)

You CANNOT out-give God in any way but make sure you accept any blessing and bounty in giving God all the honor and glory. Here are some verses that show us why we were put on this earth and where the honor and glory should go. Yes! To God, All honor and glory!

"Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God"

 (I Corinthians 10:31).

"And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Philippians 2:11).

"I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart: and I will glorify thy name for evermore" 

(Psalm 86:12).

"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven"

(Matthew 5:16).

Now back to Philippians 4:8, what are we to think on? The things to think on should be true, noble, just, pure, lovely, of good report, with virtue, and are praiseworthy. I looked each one of these words up and they all have similar words as synonyms and in their definitions. I will mention a few of the words and then compare the ones that are similar.

• Ø True – sincere; real; fact; authentic; genuine; correct; exact; precise; loyal; honest; reliable; level
• Ø Noble – honorable; excellent rank; outstanding; very good; grand; aristocratic (considered the best of its kind); genteel (polite); great
• Ø Right – what is good or proper; appropriate; genuine; real; authentic; exact; true; veracious (honest, accurate, precise)
• Ø Pure – spotless; stainless; unmitigated (absolute, complete, perfect); unmixed; absolute (prefect, pure, positive); refined
• Ø Lovely – obsolete (unique); delightful; grand; beautiful; neat; marvelous; splendid. These are some slang words that were worth mentioning: A-OK; awesome; cool; dandy; jim-dandy; fantabulous; fabulous; groovy; keen
• Ø Admirable – obsolete; deserving the highest esteem; excellent; exciting wonder; surprising; applaudable; commendable; creditable, estimable (deserving esteem; admirable; worthy of praise); praiseworthy; meritorious (deserving reward or praise); laudable (worthy of praise; admirable; commendable)
• Ø Excellent – superior; very good; eminently good (outstanding, distinguished, prominent); fabulous; divine; par excellence (being the best of its kind); splendid; superb; righteous; noble. Here are some slang words associated with excellent: jim-dandy; dandy; A-OK; awesome; peachy; heavenly
• Ø Praiseworthy – laudable; applaudable, commendable; creditable, estimable, meritorious; admirable

Are you getting the picture? Did you read anything negative? I didn’t. Everything is positive! What does that tell us? Think on positive things, right? We can just let the verse answer that question. Well, by the time you have thought on all these GREAT and positive things, there is no room for negatives to creep in because your thought process is full of POSITIVE!

Among the things that are so similar and mentioned quite a few times in the definitions of these things to think on are: sincere; real; authentic; genuine; exact; faithful; honorable; dependable; grand; great; righteous; absolute; obsolete; splendid: applaudable; commendable; creditable; estimable; laudable; praiseworthy; awesome; A-OK; fabulous; and the list can go on. There is so many of these things in our lives! How or where do we look to find these things? We read the Bible and count our many blessings just to name a few. Just read over the verses and chorus of this well known song. It is familiar to many of us but read it and realize what blessings we have in our lives.

COUNT YOUR MANY BLESSINGS

Verse 1: When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.

Verse 2: Are you ever burdened with a load of care?
Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?
Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly,
And you will keep singing as the days go by.

Verse 3:

When you look at others with their lands and gold,
Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold;
Count your many blessings money cannot buy
Your reward in heaven, nor your home on high.

Verse 4: So, amid the conflict whether great or small,
Do not be discouraged, God is over all;
Count your many blessings, angels will attend,
Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end.

CHORUS: Count your blessings, name them one by one,
Count your blessings, see what God hath done!
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
Count your many blessings, see what God hath done.

(Baptist Hymnal)

So, I would like to close this article with a few verses that really put our lives into prospective on how much faith we have. Those that are thinking it takes more than positive thinking to get us through life or that positive thinking is not Christian. Let’s just meditate on these verses and see where God leads us.

“The Lord answered, "If you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, 'May you be uprooted and thrown into the sea,' and it would obey you!”  

Luke 17:6

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." 

Matthew 17:20

“For with God nothing shall be impossible.” 

Luke 1:37

Think on these things mentioned above; have faith –even as small as a mustard seed- and just see where God takes you! God bless you!

On Your Way To Peace Of Mind

A really good thing to consider if you are trying to find peace of mind is to mind your own business. Put point blank keep your nose out of other people’s business. 

“Make it your goal to live a quiet life, minding your own business and working with your hands, just as we instructed you before.” 

I Thessalonians 4:11

We have enough trouble taking care of our own daily business. I am sure some of you remember the saying, “clean up your own backyard.” Or maybe the Bible Scripture in Matthew 7:5, “Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend's eye.”

God created each one of us totally different. We are all uniquely made. God said, “Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous--how well I know it.” Psalm 139:14. There is only one of us that God has created. So to speak, He created us and threw the mold away. We are uniquely made down to everyone has a unique fingerprint. No two are the same, such as the snowflake. God made us different in looks, design and thoughts. So if God created us all unique we all will not have the same opinion or do things the same way. God is in control and He knows what He is doing.

As the saying, “there is more ways than one to skin a cat”, well there is more ways than one to get something accomplished. I have the way I would do the job and you have your way. They may be totally different but the job still gets done.

Are you one that thinks only your way is the right way? When you see someone doing something and it isn’t the way you would have done it, do you criticize or ridicule. Do you demean them or say they do not know what they are doing? I hope not but if this is true, then you are denying God even exists or denying that God is not in control. God created everyone and he designed our minds, etc.

When we do not give others the option to do things their own way we are denying God created us all differently. Thanks goodness He did not make us all the same. This world would be a very boring world for sure, but He added variety by giving different talents, spiritual gifts, skills, and even opinions to us all.

We have to keep in mind that we have to be continually, "seeking first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." Mathew 6:33. Then as we are in God’s will we will know God is in control and He is doing what is best for our lives. He knows our decisions and what we are going to do way before we do them. We have to let God work in the lives of those that we are trying to stay our of their business. We have to trust God knowing He is in control and He knows best.

I have to admit it is hard to stay out of some people’s business that you see are doing things wrong but prayer and standing back and letting them fail or fall is the best way at times. It is not too easy for us to do but it is having faith and getting out of God’s way and letting Him work. Much of the time we get in God’s way and hinder His work because we are trying to do His work for Him. He doesn’t need us to do His work for Him. If He needs us to help Him He will put us in the situations at the right time and we will see an awesome work!

Let’s all try to practice this and stand aside and let God do His Marvelous works in our lives but also in those lives we tend to want to run their business. God is taking care of each one of our lives individually and is taking care of everything else at the same time. So make it our motto to  

“Make it your goal to live a quiet life, minding your own business and working with your hands, just as we instructed you before.” 

I Thessalonians 4:11

Let Go and Love!

“If you cling to your life, you will lose it, and if you let your life go, you will save it.”  

Luke 17:33 

This verse has just taken on new meaning to me after reading a devotional this morning written by Rick Warren. If you cling or hold fast to your life and not share with anyone else, then you will lose your life; but if you ease up on the reins and share your life you will save it. Consider the thought of love. Haven’t you noticed the more you love the more love you have? Think about the more you give in tithes and offerings, the more money you seem to have. The more time you give to God the more time you seem to have. The more talents you use for God the more your talent grows. This is exactly right. The more you give the more you get back in return. You cannot “out-give” God in anything. He is going to bless you abundantly if you are giving and doing with the right heart, a heart of faith and love.

Have you been hurt because you loved someone or hurt from some other risk that you have taken in your life by stepping out of your comfort zone? Well life is full of risks. God tells us in Ecclesiastes 10:8 that “When you work in a quarry, stones might fall and crush you! When you chop wood, there is danger with each stroke of your ax! Such are the risks of life.”It doesn’t matter what you do in life, if you are doing it for God there is risks. Faith in itself is taking risks. Right? You have to step out on faith even though you cannot see what is ahead of you but you have to step out because God has told you to. It is so hard to step out on faith. The not knowing what is ahead is scary and that is where faith comes into play.

“Have Faith in GOD!”  Mark 11:22. 

This verse says it all along with this to follow it up answering what faith really is. “Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.” Hebrews 11:1.

This goes back to being connected to how we think. If we think positive by having the faith and asking for things in God’s will. Remember Matthew 6:33, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.” Also, Psalm 37:4 states, “Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you your heart's desires.” Delight means a feeling of extreme satisfaction.

If you are seeking first God’s righteousness (that which is correct, straight, or in the direct line of truth and goodness) then you are definitely taking delight (extreme satisfaction) in the Lord! Do you see the connection? Once again it goes back to, Philippians 4:8 which says,“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” What are all these things that are “true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent praiseworthy”? Positive things! Are you getting the point? Think on the positive which is what God is teaching us to do in all these So think on these positive things, keep the positive thoughts going, and God will give you the desires of your heart. No, He won’t give us everything we want as some people are thinking right now but the desires of our heart will be God’s desires because we are “seeking His righteousness.”!

So how is faith, love, delight, and seeking righteousness connected? You have to love and delight in the Lord by seeking His righteousness and through the seeking and love for God our faith will grow stronger every single day!

What Are You Sending Out Into This World Today? Part 7

This is the final part of this series because I think this series could continue to go on and on forever.  It is not the last writing about all of this but only the last in this series.


The questions "What are you sending out into this world today?" really does  make me stop and think about how I, myself, can affect this world by my thoughts therefore causing an effect on the surroundings about me in the world.


"The domino effect" just popped into my mind.  Someone is rude to you or just starts the negative talking. It doesn't take long for that attitude to start rubbing on you and then you are in a negative mood.  The next person you talk to, you complain and gripe and guess what? They are into that mood soon.  And it continues to go on and on. Now turn that situation around.  Suppose you met someone in the grocery store and all you did was smile at them.  That could be the only smile they will see today. You have enlightened their day and most likely they will pass that on to the next person because you have made their burdens a tad light.


So this series has had a series lesson it it.  Each one of us Christians should really take this to heart and put it to practice. Philippians 2:14 tells us, Christians, "Do everything without complaining and arguing," then this statement is made in Jude.“...to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds... These are grumblers, complainers, walking according to their own lusts...” (Jude 1:15-16)Did you catch that? "the ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds..."! What are some of the ungodly deeds?These are grumblers, complainers, walking according to their own lusts...”. OUCH! These Scriptures are pointing out that it is understandable how unbelievers can do these things BUT us as Christians should have the faith in God and we should be filled with praises and thanksgiving.

The Bible tells us, "And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise." Philippians 4:8 and

“...for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content” (Phil. 4:11).

What is the definition of complaining? being discontent.
We have to fill our mouths with praise and thanksgiving not giving room for those negative thoughts and words to enter this world. There is way too much bad in this world as it is and why? Because we have sent out so many bad vibes by our negative thoughts and words.  Think about it! You see and hear all the bad on the news in the papers, etc.  What if it all were turned around and good was all you heard and read? Positive vibes were going out everywhere.  Yes, this world would be a better place. Where does it start? with YOU and ME!


Thanks you so much for reading this series. I hope it has touched your life in some special way.

What Are You Sending Out Into This World Today? Part 6

Whatever is in your thoughts is what you put out into the world.  If it is complaining, griping, bitterness, anger, etc.  then that is what will come out of our mouths.  If we have love, happiness, peace, etc. then that is what will flow out into the world.

It is really scary that you can talk to someone and know what their thoughts are - no, you cannot read their minds - but you can tell what kind of thoughts they have.  You know whether they have negative or positive thoughts going through their minds and hearts. It really does show.

If you talk to someone and all they do is complain, gripe, talk someone else down, gossip, whine about something going on in their lives; of course, it is very simple to know they definitely have negative thoughts dwelling in their minds and hearts. On the other hand, if you are talking to someone and they are praising, talking with a spirit of peace, showing love, looking on the brighter side of life, it is very easy to know they are harboring positive thoughts in their minds and hearts.

I am not saying that these with positive thoughts do not have challenges and tests in their lives.  Yes, we all face those but how we face these challenges is the most important thing.  With negative or positive thoughts and actions. That determines how the world is affected. Please commit this verse to your heart.

"Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.  So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing." James 1:2-4

I have read that there is a difference between "act" and "re-act" when it comes to this situation. What is the difference. Let's define these two words from the dictionary first from the online dictionary.

• Act -The process of doing or performing something
• React - To act in response to or under the influence of a stimulus or prompting

Did you get that?  Maybe you want to re-read that.  React comes from our emotions influenced by our physical self (our human self) and those feelings that influence that is jealousy, insecurity, anger, frustration, etc.  Act is the process of doing and comes from our emotions from our soul or spirit and are love, compassion, peace, forgiveness, etc. Are you seeing the difference?  React - negative thoughts. Act - positive thoughts.

Will the world see and fell the negative vibes or will each one see and feel the positive and cherish what you have and desire to have it also? Each one of us have a choice to make so we "Act" or "React" to each situation we encounter through the day? This definitely give us something to think about.

What Are You Sending Out Into This World Today? Part 5

Our lives is like a puzzle.  Each thing that happens is another puzzle piece that God is creating to complete our puzzle.  Of course, our puzzle won't be completed until we see Jesus face to face but that is what our lives are. We are created by God and God is the creator of each piece of puzzle of our lives. Isn't that awesome?

So in order to have the completed puzzle picture of our life, God has to form each puzzle piece in a very special way in order to fit the picture. You might could say that the crooked edges and the indentions on the puzzles pieces are the challenges and blessings that happen in our lives. So picture this, God had this picture of our life before we were even born or thought about and there it is in front of Him.  We are born and our life begins and the pieces of the puzzle ~ or the things that happen in our life ~ form each puzzle piece so that we can complete this beautiful picture that is God's plan for our lives.

So rest assure that God is in control. We just have to have the faith to allow Him to work in our lives and know that  

“...all things work together for good to those who love God,

to those who are the called according to His purpose” 

(Rom. 8:28)  

This verse cannot be emphasized too much.  We have to have faith  and love in God and all the things will work together for our good.

But we have to have the challenges in our lives as well as the blessings or our puzzle pieces would not be able to interlock together to form the beautiful picture that is forming.  Wow! Think about it! Where there is an indention in a piece of puzzle the other interlocking piece is protruding. So where that indention has to be whittled and worked on (which could be the challenges and hardships, sickness, disease, depression, etc.) there is an interlocking piece that does have that much whittling which could be compared to the blessings. So we have a challenge but the opposite of that challenge is the blessing! They interlock and make that beautiful picture that God has drawn out for our lives.

Now, why in the world do we complain, say negative things, get depressed, grow bitter,  get angry, etc? All the situations that are happening that we have the choice of doing any of the above or accepting them as God's way of whittling out each puzzle piece on our life to fit that puzzle picture to a "T". This verse can be even applied to the detail that God has designed our lives. 

"For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law (not even the smallest detail of God's law), till all be fulfilled."

~Matthew 5:18 ~

This is talking about God's law but also we can apply it to our lives. Not one small detail is left out by God. Just as God takes care of the lilies as stated in the Scripture in Matthew 6:28, "And why do you worry about clothes? Look at how the lilies in the field grow. They don't work or make clothes for themselves. " Oh how He wants us to allow Him to work in our lives.

We just have to learn not to stand in His way and leave the  complaining, negative thoughts, depression, bitterness, anger, jealousy, etc. out of our lives. We do not want to hinder God's work in our lives and if we allow these negative things to dwell in our hearts and minds then the room left for God to work is made so much smaller.

Just want to remind you again in this part of the series that God has left nothing to chance.  He has given us the free will of choice but our perfect puzzle picture is there before His eyes and He is completing it one piece at a time as we live our lives.  Let's all remember that God is in control and nothing can happen to us unless He allows it. Live out your days with this verse in song.

This is the day, This is the day,
 That the Lord has made, That the Lord has made
I will rejoice, I will rejoice and be glad in it, and be glad in it.
This is the day that Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it.
This is the day, this is the day that the Lord has made.

(by JOHN W. PETERSON)