ON THE SUBJECT OF FAITH

CONSIDER THE SUBJECT OF FAITH, THE SCRIPTURE SAYS, IN MATT 17:20, “ if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you can say to the mountain move and it shall be moved. For nothing shall be impossible unto you.” DOES THAT SEEM STRANGE TO YOU? WHAT IS SO SPECIAL ABOUT A MUSTARD SEED? NOTHING, I SUBMIT. A MUSTARD SEED HAS BUT ONE JOB TO DO. IT IS TO BE PLACED IN THE GROUND, AND WHEN THE CONDITIONS ARE RIGHT, IT PRODUCES A MUSTARD PLANT. NOT A CARROT PLANT, NOT A TOMATO PLANT, BUT, A MUSTARD PLANT. ONE MISSION,  AND, JUST ONE MISSION, THERE IS NOTHING ELSE IT CAN DO. DO YOU SEE THE SINGLENESS OF PURPOSE? I BELIEVE THIS IS THE LESSON JESUS WANTED US TO SEE.  WHEN WE PRAY, WE MUST HAVE A SINGLENESS OF MIND CONCERNING OUR PRAYER. JESUS SAID, JOHN 14:14 “IF YOU ASK ANYTHING IN MY NAME, I WILL DO IT.”  WE MUST HAVE THIS FRAME OF MIND. JESUS COULD NOT TELL A LIE. WHAT HE SAID IS THE TRUTH. IN PSALMS 138:2b. GOD SAYS HIS PROMISES ARE BACKED BY THE HONOR OF HIS NAME. WHAT COULD BE GREATER THAN THAT?

IN THE BOOK OR ROMANS, PAUL TELLS US THAT FAITH COMES BY HEARING AND HEARING BY THE WORD OF GOD. I BELIEVE HE IS SPEAKING OF GOD’S  WORDS  THAT COME TO US EVERY DAY AS WE LISTEN TO HIM. ONE SUCH EXPERIENCE, THAT I RECALL, HAPPENED AT MY DAUGHTER VICCI’S HOUSE IN VICTORVILLE. SHE HAD NOTICED A BIRD IN HER BACK YARD THAT HAD SOME NETTING HANGING FROM ITS NECK. IT WAS THE TYPE LANDSCAPERS USE TO HOLD SOIL FROM EROSION. IT WAS ABOUT 1 FOOT LONG. WHEN WE ARRIVED AT HER HOUSE THAT DAY, SHE TOLD US ABOUT THE BIRD AND ITS PREDICAMENT.  WESTLEY AND I WERE GONE FOR THE DAY. WHEN WE RETURNED, VICCI HAD TWO TRAPS SET UP IN THE BACK YARD. I ASKED ABOUT THEM. SHE SAID SHE WAS GOING TO TRAP THAT BIRD. I THOUGHT TO MYSELF, HOW IN THE WORLD COULD YOU EXPECT TO TRAP THAT BIRD WHEN THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF BIRDS FLYING THROUGH YOUR YARD EACH DAY. I DID NOT EXPRESS MY THOUGHTS.

THE NEXT MORNING I WAS AWAKENED BY VICCI’S WORDS, “ DAD, I CAUGHT THE BIRD.”

I WAS AMAZED, TO SAY THE LEAST. IT TOOK SEVERAL MINUTES TO FREE THE BIRD FROM HIS NETTING. IT WAS SO IMBEDDED INTO HIS SKIN THAT IT WAS DIFFICULT TO GET BELOW IT IN ORDER TO CLIP THE STRAND THAT WAS HOLDING IT. AS WE FREED THE BIRD, THE SPIRIT SAID TO ME, “ THERE IS NOT A SPARROW THAT FALLS THAT GOD IS NOT MINDFUL OF IT. AND YOU ARE MORE VALUABLE TO HIM THAN MANY SPARROWS.

MATT 10:29. I ASKED VICCI WHAT MADE HER THINK SHE WAS GOING TO TRAP THE BIRD AND SHE SAID  SHE HAD PRAYED AND ASKED GOD TO HELP HER.

THAT EXPERIENCE IS ONE OF THOSE TIMES THAT GOD’S WORD CAME TO ME. I KNOW IT WAS FROM GOD. IT IS IRREFUTABLE. NO ONE CAN MAKE ME BELIEVE OTHERWISE. THESE ARE MOMENTS THAT ARE BUILDING BLOCKS FOR OUR FAITH.

I KNOW WE HAVE ALL HAD EXPERIENCES THAT WE KNOW ARE FROM GOD. IT IS MY PRAYER TODAY THAT GOD WILL GIVE US A NEW ONE TODAY THAT WILL BE A BUILDING BLOCK FOR OUR FAITH.    RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED BY BRADLEY GILTON