Growing Your Faith

Good Morning my Beloved Ones,

     I pray that every day you are growing more in grace, love and faith.

    Today I want to talk to you about "Growing your Faith".  Romans 12:3 tells us that God has dealt to every man the measure of faith.  YOU have faith.  I know you do because God says He dealt it to you.  You may not have a lot of faith.  You may have so little at times that you can't even feel it, but you have it and it is enough.  Enough for what?  Enough for God to use to grow more for you.  Little is much in God's hands.  Like He took the 5 small loaves of bread and two small fish and multiplied them to feed thousands with seven baskets of left-overs, God can take your faith and multiply it to meet whatever need you have in your life.  This is how faith the size of a mustard seed can move mountains (Matthew 17:20).

     I was encouraged last year by a faith experiment conducted by a Calvary Tucson associate pastor.  He started with nothing but his faith and went into a Whole Foods store and asked the manager if he'd be willing to give him one mustard seed for an experiment in faith.  The manager gave him what looked like a speck of dust in a tiny plastic bag.  The pastor thanked him and went on.  He next went on to Play it Again Sports (a place that buys, sells, and trades used sports equipment).  He told the manager that he was conducting an experiment to see how faith grows and asked him if he had anything he'd be willing to trade for the one, tiny mustard seed.  The man gave him a set of eco-friendly golf tees valued at $1 + tax.  The pastor thanked him and went on.  His next stop was Old Pueblo Coin where he traded his tees for a proof set of US coins valued at $4.50.  The next store took his proof set and gave hima 90% silver JFK dollar valued at $12.  For the silver dollar he got a $15 guitar tuner which he traded for a pair of headphones valued at $22.  For the headphones, he got a ukelele, brand new in the box priced at $50.  He traded the ukelele for a wireless microphone valued at over $100.  He started with nothing but the faith that God would provide.

     What you've got to keep in mind is that these are not Christian businesses he went into.  These were secular businesses that he was asking to lose money in the name of faith in Jesus Christ.  And God caused their hearts to soften and to offer items of greater value than that which they were receiving.  The pastor never took out his wallet, never asked for anything specific, but simply said that he wanted to trade for something of greater value to show how God grows faith.  As a result, Calvary's worship team now has a new mike that they actually were in need of.  The very thing they needed was offered to them without a mention that the need ever existed!  That's our God!  That's His power!  That's what the tiniest speck of faith can do when placed in God's almighty hands!

     I hope you are as encouraged by this exercise as I was.  I challenge you to try it yourselves - not the bartering, but going to God in prayer and saying, "Here's my faith, Lord.  I know it's small, but I believe you will grow it to meet my need".  Then stand back and be amazed what our God will do for you.

With growing faith, Raelynn