The Curse of Mustard Seed Faith
Faith is the force that a believer must use in order to be a world over-comer. However, faith doesn’t just happen. Now I know there are people who believe and teach that once you are born again that you have all the faith you will ever need. This is not so. If you will follow along with what I am telling you, you will develop an understanding about faith and how faith is developed. The Bible bares out everything that I tell you if you will do a honest study of it and see what is being said. According to scripture (Romans 12:3) when a person is born again they are apportioned the measure of faith. Some translations have a measure of faith, but the King James says the measure of faith. The King James has the better translation of that scripture. It implies that each person gets the same measure of faith, to begin building on. This is in keeping with the flow of the scripture that God is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34). God starts us all out on an even playing field. It is what you do with that portion, that makes you a person of great faith, or a person of little faith. Once God gives you the portion, then everything is left entirely up to you. You can become a person with great faith as found in Matthew 8:10, Matthew 15:28, and Luke 7:9. or you can remain a person with little faith as found in Matthew 6:30, Matthew 8:26, Matthew 14:31, Matthew 16:8, Mark 4:40, Luke 8:25, and Luke 12:28. Worth noting, there are three scriptures that mention great faith, and seven that mention little faith or no faith. ( This must have some significance ). Little faith is not something to be desired. Little faith will not sustain you in a walk of faith. If you are going to have world over-coming faith, then you will have to have great faith. You can’t manifest big victories with little faith. This brings me to the idea of mustard seed faith.
The idea of mustard seed faith, has led many ministers to put a premium on little faith. (This is border line heresy). There are five scriptures in the entire Bible concerning mustard seed. Two has to do with faith as a mustard seed and three has to do with what to do with the mustard seed. For those who do not want to take the time to look in your Bible to see what it says, I will write down scriptures so that you can see what is said. I want you to study these out and see for yourself what they say. Remember 1 Cor. 14:38, “ But if any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant.” I do not want you to be ignorant. So let me encourage you to develop all the scripture that pertains to any subject you are studying, so that there will be no contradictions and there is a flowing together of that subject.
Matthew 13:31-32 (King James Version)
31.Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field:
32.Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.
Matthew 17:20 (King James Version)
20.And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.
Mark 4:30-32 (King James Version)
30.And he said, Whereunto shall we liken the kingdom of God? or with what comparison shall we compare it?
31.It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, is less than all the seeds that be in the earth:
32.But when it is sown, it groweth up, and becometh greater than all herbs, and shooteth out great branches; so that the fowls of the air may lodge under the shadow of it.
Luke 13:19 (King James Version)
19.It is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and cast into his garden; and it grew, and waxed a great tree; and the fowls of the air lodged in the branches of it.
Luke 17:6 (King James Version)
6.And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you.
Notice there are two scriptures that say, “ if you had faith as a grain of mustard seed, you would say.” As a mustard seed, not the size of a mustard seed. What do you do with seed? You plant it. What happens when you plant a seed? Jesus says that it will grow. The scripture says in Romans 12:3 the Lord has given you the measure of faith. In other words, He has given you the seed of faith, so you can plant it, and it will grow. You are not going to do any great exploits using the measure of faith. You are operating on the measure of faith when you make Jesus the Lord of your life. Once you make Jesus the Lord of your life, you begin to add to your faith by attending a church that teaches how to live an over-coming life. If you attend a church that preaches salvation all the time, you will become convinced that you are saved, but you want be convinced that you can heal the sick. You will always be operating in little faith.
The Bible says, “ My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” (Hosea 4:6A) What knowledge do they lack? They lack the knowledge that they have a covenant that promises them victory in every area of life. They lack the knowledge that they can have the faith to receive everything that is promised in the Word of God. They lack the knowledge that the more they commit to the Word of God, the greater their faith will become. They lack the knowledge that it does matter what church they go to. They lack the knowledge that faith is the victory that overcomes the world.
I can assure you of this. If you do not go to a church that teaches you faith; how to get it, how to walk in it and how to talk, you are not going to do it.
Romans 10:17 (King James Version)
17.So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Romans 10:17 (Amplified Bible)
17.So faith comes by hearing [what is told], and what is heard comes by the preaching [of the message that came from the lips] of Christ (the Messiah Himself).
Luke 4:18-19 (King James Version)
18.The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
19.To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
Acts 10:37-38 (King James Version)
37.That word, I say, ye know, which was published throughout all Judaea, and began from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached;
38.How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.
Peter is attesting to what Jesus preached. Do you hear what Peter is saying. According to Acts 10:37-38 Jesus preached the same message every-where He went. When you hear messages preached along the lines of what Jesus preached, faith cometh. Do not be trapped by mustard seed faith. God wants you to develop great faith. Do not be deceived by tradition that all you need is faith the size of a mustard seed. You start with mustard seed faith and you plant it in the good ground of your heart then you nurture it with the Word of God and it will become great faith.
(Read the following scriptures carefully).
Matthew 6:30 (King James Version)
30.Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?
Matthew 8:10 (King James Version)
10.When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.
Matthew 8:26 (King James Version)
26.And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.
Matthew 14:31 (King James Version)
31.And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?
Matthew 15:28 (King James Version)
28.Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.
Matthew 16:8 (King James Version)
8.Which when Jesus perceived, he said unto them, O ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves, because ye have brought no bread?
Mark 4:40 (King James Version)
40.And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?
Luke 7:9 (King James Version)
9.When Jesus heard these things, he marvelled at him, and turned him about, and said unto the people that followed him, I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.
Luke 8:25 (King James Version)
25.And he said unto them, Where is your faith? And they being afraid wondered, saying one to another, What manner of man is this! for he commandeth even the winds and water, and they obey him.
Luke 12:28 (King James Version)
28.If then God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and to morrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith?
There is no way one can justify teaching having faith the size of a mustard seed, in view of the above scriptures. You may think that I am splitting hairs but I am not. When you enter by faith, a life or death struggle, you had better have the faith it takes to win. That kind of faith only comes through training and exercise. So I ask this question. Is mustard seed faith, great faith or little faith as Jesus talked about in the above scriptures? If it is little faith then there is danger of doubt and fear. Great faith is non-quitting faith. Great faith shows a confidence in Jesus. An unwillingness to do without the answer. Great things happen to people who operate in great faith.
In today’s church you have plenty of evidence of faith the size of a mustard seed. People are born again but never produce for the Kingdom of God. People come to church sick and leave sick. They come with many various afflictions and leave with their afflictions. There is a reason for that. People haven’t planted their mustard seed faith so that it could grow into a tree of faith. There is a reason that Paul said that faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.(Ro.!0:17)
Proverbs 4:20-22 (King James Version)
20My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings.
21Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart.
22For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.
Joshua 1:8 (King James Version)
8This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
It’s when you attend to the Word of God that the mustard seed begins to germinate into a small plant and eventually a tree. Then is when people come into your presence they will be helped. The sick will be healed and the afflicted will be delivered. We will manifest fruit that only a tree can manifest. Sow your seed, it will grow.
The idea of mustard seed faith, has led many ministers to put a premium on little faith. (This is border line heresy). There are five scriptures in the entire Bible concerning mustard seed. Two has to do with faith as a mustard seed and three has to do with what to do with the mustard seed. For those who do not want to take the time to look in your Bible to see what it says, I will write down scriptures so that you can see what is said. I want you to study these out and see for yourself what they say. Remember 1 Cor. 14:38, “ But if any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant.” I do not want you to be ignorant. So let me encourage you to develop all the scripture that pertains to any subject you are studying, so that there will be no contradictions and there is a flowing together of that subject.
Matthew 13:31-32 (King James Version)
31.Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field:
32.Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.
Matthew 17:20 (King James Version)
20.And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.
Mark 4:30-32 (King James Version)
30.And he said, Whereunto shall we liken the kingdom of God? or with what comparison shall we compare it?
31.It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, is less than all the seeds that be in the earth:
32.But when it is sown, it groweth up, and becometh greater than all herbs, and shooteth out great branches; so that the fowls of the air may lodge under the shadow of it.
Luke 13:19 (King James Version)
19.It is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and cast into his garden; and it grew, and waxed a great tree; and the fowls of the air lodged in the branches of it.
Luke 17:6 (King James Version)
6.And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you.
Notice there are two scriptures that say, “ if you had faith as a grain of mustard seed, you would say.” As a mustard seed, not the size of a mustard seed. What do you do with seed? You plant it. What happens when you plant a seed? Jesus says that it will grow. The scripture says in Romans 12:3 the Lord has given you the measure of faith. In other words, He has given you the seed of faith, so you can plant it, and it will grow. You are not going to do any great exploits using the measure of faith. You are operating on the measure of faith when you make Jesus the Lord of your life. Once you make Jesus the Lord of your life, you begin to add to your faith by attending a church that teaches how to live an over-coming life. If you attend a church that preaches salvation all the time, you will become convinced that you are saved, but you want be convinced that you can heal the sick. You will always be operating in little faith.
The Bible says, “ My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” (Hosea 4:6A) What knowledge do they lack? They lack the knowledge that they have a covenant that promises them victory in every area of life. They lack the knowledge that they can have the faith to receive everything that is promised in the Word of God. They lack the knowledge that the more they commit to the Word of God, the greater their faith will become. They lack the knowledge that it does matter what church they go to. They lack the knowledge that faith is the victory that overcomes the world.
I can assure you of this. If you do not go to a church that teaches you faith; how to get it, how to walk in it and how to talk, you are not going to do it.
Romans 10:17 (King James Version)
17.So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Romans 10:17 (Amplified Bible)
17.So faith comes by hearing [what is told], and what is heard comes by the preaching [of the message that came from the lips] of Christ (the Messiah Himself).
Luke 4:18-19 (King James Version)
18.The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
19.To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
Acts 10:37-38 (King James Version)
37.That word, I say, ye know, which was published throughout all Judaea, and began from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached;
38.How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.
Peter is attesting to what Jesus preached. Do you hear what Peter is saying. According to Acts 10:37-38 Jesus preached the same message every-where He went. When you hear messages preached along the lines of what Jesus preached, faith cometh. Do not be trapped by mustard seed faith. God wants you to develop great faith. Do not be deceived by tradition that all you need is faith the size of a mustard seed. You start with mustard seed faith and you plant it in the good ground of your heart then you nurture it with the Word of God and it will become great faith.
(Read the following scriptures carefully).
Matthew 6:30 (King James Version)
30.Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?
Matthew 8:10 (King James Version)
10.When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.
Matthew 8:26 (King James Version)
26.And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.
Matthew 14:31 (King James Version)
31.And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?
Matthew 15:28 (King James Version)
28.Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.
Matthew 16:8 (King James Version)
8.Which when Jesus perceived, he said unto them, O ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves, because ye have brought no bread?
Mark 4:40 (King James Version)
40.And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?
Luke 7:9 (King James Version)
9.When Jesus heard these things, he marvelled at him, and turned him about, and said unto the people that followed him, I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.
Luke 8:25 (King James Version)
25.And he said unto them, Where is your faith? And they being afraid wondered, saying one to another, What manner of man is this! for he commandeth even the winds and water, and they obey him.
Luke 12:28 (King James Version)
28.If then God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and to morrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith?
There is no way one can justify teaching having faith the size of a mustard seed, in view of the above scriptures. You may think that I am splitting hairs but I am not. When you enter by faith, a life or death struggle, you had better have the faith it takes to win. That kind of faith only comes through training and exercise. So I ask this question. Is mustard seed faith, great faith or little faith as Jesus talked about in the above scriptures? If it is little faith then there is danger of doubt and fear. Great faith is non-quitting faith. Great faith shows a confidence in Jesus. An unwillingness to do without the answer. Great things happen to people who operate in great faith.
In today’s church you have plenty of evidence of faith the size of a mustard seed. People are born again but never produce for the Kingdom of God. People come to church sick and leave sick. They come with many various afflictions and leave with their afflictions. There is a reason for that. People haven’t planted their mustard seed faith so that it could grow into a tree of faith. There is a reason that Paul said that faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.(Ro.!0:17)
Proverbs 4:20-22 (King James Version)
20My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings.
21Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart.
22For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.
Joshua 1:8 (King James Version)
8This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
It’s when you attend to the Word of God that the mustard seed begins to germinate into a small plant and eventually a tree. Then is when people come into your presence they will be helped. The sick will be healed and the afflicted will be delivered. We will manifest fruit that only a tree can manifest. Sow your seed, it will grow.
posted by FAITHMAN at 2:32 PM
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