Faith as a Seed (PDF)

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Faith as a Seed

In Luke 17:5-6, the apostles asked the Lord to increase their faith. It seems they wanted Him to solve their problem of having little faith. We see in the Scriptures several times where the Lord said to the disciples, “Oh ye of little faith.” However, this time it was the apostles. You would have thought that they would have known that faith didn’t come by asking, but yet they asked Him to increase their faith. There are many today who seem to have this mindset: “If God would give me faith, then I would have great faith.” Yet it is clear from the answer Jesus gave the apostles that you don’t necessarily have to have great faith in the beginning to get things done. We know that a small seed produces a huge tree. Jesus revealed two important facts concerning faith: 1. faith works like a seed; 2. the way you plant it is by speaking it. 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. (Luke 17:6)

The Wuest and Moffatt translations both state: “If you had faith as a mustard seed you would say...” That is a stronger statement than the King James. The Amplified Bible says, “it would obey you.”

Problems Obey Your Words Jesus didn’t say that the tree would obey God or that it would obey the Holy Spirit. He said that it would obey the apostles’ words. The apostles thought they needed more faith. Allow me to paraphrase Jesus’ answer, Fellows, you don’t need more faith. You need to understand that faith works like a seed, and you plant your faith by speaking it. But it will not produce anything unless you plant it.

The truth is, faith does not come by asking. Faith comes by hearing the spoken Word over and over until it becomes a part of you. When your faith is developed you are fully persuaded the Word is true regardless of what you are facing in life. This doesn’t happen overnight, it is a process that takes time. Faith is not a fad, it is a way of life. We could say it this way: When faith cometh—fear goeth.

Planting the Seed “If you had faith that you were willing to plant... you would say what you want done.” The problem seemed to be that the apostles did not have faith as a seed. It is possible to know about the Word (seed), but yet not plant it or put it to use in your life. The Word of God is the will of God. It is incorruptible seed, but it won’t necessarily happen in your life just because it’s God’s will. Not everyone is healed just because the Bible says, “... by whose (Jesus’) stripes ye were healed.” (I Peter 2:24) Not everyone will become

prosperous just because the Bible says, “... whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.” (Psalms 1:3) The Word must be planted and abide on the inside of you. It must become a part of you. If you take your Bible to the hospital and lay it on the sick, they probably won’t be healed... although, the Bible is full of the healing Word. But if you can get that same Word in them to the point where they are fully persuaded, it will manifest itself in their flesh. How do you get God’s Word in you to the point that you become fully persuaded? Paul gives us the answer in Romans 10:8, “... The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach.” In Romans 12:2, Paul admonishes us, “... be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind...” In other words, don’t be squeezed into the world’s mold, but rather allow God’s Word to change your carnal way of thinking and speaking.

Saying what God said renews your mind, changes your heart. Giving voice to God’s Word, also plants incorruptible seed, and it produces after its kind. We know the Law of Genesis is still in effect... for it is God’s promise to all creation as long as the earth remaineth. (Genesis 8:21-22)

Faith Speaks When Jesus said to the apostles, “If ye had faith... as a... seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree...” Evidently, they were walking down a path, and the tree was an obstacle in their path. Allow me to paraphrase what I believe was the intent of His reply, “Fellows, if you had faith as a seed, you would say to this tree, ‘Be plucked up by the roots, be planted in the sea,’ and it (the tree) would obey you.” Jesus reveals two great faith secrets here: 1. faith works like a seed; 2. you plant it by speaking to

the object problem itself, declaring that the root of the problem will cease to exist in your presence. Jesus was not really talking about uprooting trees, nor was He referring to casting Mount Everest into the sea when He said in Mark 11:23, “... whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea...” He was referring to problem areas in your life, situations that you face, or circumstances which you don’t know how to handle. He tells us by the authority of His Word to say to that situation, Be plucked up, planted in the sea.

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In other words, Problem, you are a thing of the past. You are pulled up by the roots and planted in the sea, and you will never hinder me again.

If the tree is only plucked up and cast into the sea, it will eventually wash right back up on the shore, and you will have to deal with it again. But if it is planted in the sea, and it takes root there, it will never be seen again. In Luke Chapter 6, Jesus in His own words gave us His insight into the effect of both good words and bad words when they are planted in the heart. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh. And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like: He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the

foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock. But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great. Luke 6:45-49

Here is the bottom line: Do what Jesus said to do. Say what Jesus said to say. Regardless of what you are experiencing in life, you can change it by planting God’s Word in your heart on a daily basis. The foundation of success is doing what Jesus said to do on a daily basis. Always remember, the things that happen to you in life don’t change God’s Word. But if you plant God’s Word in your heart, it will eventually change what happens to you.

Charles Capps Ministries P. O. Box 69 England, Arkansas 72046