Most of us are well taught by God's Word that we've received forgiveness for our sins by faith. Even this took a long time in coming for many of us because we didn't fully understand what happened to us when we received Jesus. When the old thoughts and the old habits didn't instantly go away, many of us questioned our experience with Jesus. As we began to attend church and fellowship with other believers, we progressed in our faith and came to grips with the truth of the Word and finally were at peace with our salvation.
We didn't understand Romans 10:17 that told us, "Faith comes by hearing God's Word." The more we heard God's Word on forgiveness, the more we were assured we are really saved. For some, though, even now the past haunts us and makes us feel though salvation didn't do the entire job. We keep searching for ways to make ourselves feel "more saved." We think that if we read more or pray more or do other things, then we'll be more acceptable to the Father. This is misplaced faith. We should read the Word and we should pray, but Jesus is What (Who) has made us acceptable to the Father.
When someone begins teaching about healing or tongues or even about the laying on of hands, we run into the same things we did when we first were saved. Sometimes we try reaching out in our faith to receive something and it eludes us because we were never taught about it. We struggle with our faith in other realms like we did with our forgiveness when we first believed. In Romans 1:17 (Amplified) Paul said, "For in the Gospel a righteousness which God ascribes is revealed, both springing from faith and leading to faith (disclosed through the way of faith that arouses to more faith) as it is written, the man who through faith and upright shall live and shall live by faith."
According to this scripture, faith is a journey and a growing lifestyle. As we walk with the Father through the Word, the Holy Spirit reveals more and more truth to us concerning our salvation. Each and every thing He shows us is a new step into faith. Even when we try walking in faith in certain areas of our lives, the trials of our faith are greater than the faith itself.
In every aspect of our lives, there's a trial the enemy brings to discourage and dismay us so we'll give up before the seed has a chance to grow. Even the devil knows that it's easier to dig up an acorn than an Oak tree. If he can destroy our faith in other areas of the Word before it bears fruit, then we will get discouraged and quit.
The faith Paul spoke of in Romans 1:17 (Amplified) is the same measure of faith that got us saved. This seed of faith in God's Word brought about the miracle of the new birth in us. This faith brought us out of sin and death into life and blessing. This same faith cleansed us from sin, made us righteous in Christ and simultaneously made us children of the Most High God. It's taken many of us years to receive by faith that we really are righteous (in right standing) with God because of Jesus.
This is the growing process of our faith. Jesus said that faith is like a small mustard seed that will produce great things if it's sown in the soil of our hearts. Mark 4:31_32 (Amplified) tells us that, "It is like a grain of mustard seed, which when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all seeds upon the earth." Verse 32 continues, "Yet after it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all garden herbs and puts our large branches, so that the birds of the air are able to make nests and dwell in its shade."
This seed (your faith) will produce your salvation and will put out other branches (or begin to expand our knowledge of Jesus) and begin to encompass other things in our new life that Jesus did in His sacrifice for us. Paul was saying in Romans 1:17 the same thing Jesus said in Mark 4:31-32 (Amplified) that the Gospel or Good News keeps revealing by faith, other things in our covenant until it branches out to become the greatest of all the garden herbs. He said it doesn't take more faith, but simply invest the measure of faith we were given.
In Mark 4 (Amplified) (this should be required reading for every believer every day), a simple example of faith is given by the One Who is faith. If anyone should know how faith works, then it would be Jesus. If any of us have ever planted a garden, then this illustration should be simple. I prepare the soil. I plant the seed. Then, I watched, watered, and waited for the crop to come up. Initially, the seed comes up as a sprout and not the fruit. I care for it, weed it and don't allow the weeds to choke the seed like Mark 4:19 says, "Don't allow the things of the world or discouragement stop your care of this sprout."
When it first comes into our lives, it doesn't look like healing because it's just a sprout. In Mark 4:26-29 (Amplified) Jesus said, "The Kingdom of God is like a man who scatters seed upon the ground." Verse 27-28 says, "Then continues sleeping and rising night and day while the seed sprouts and grows and increases he knows not how the earth produces (acting) by itself-first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear." Verse 29 says, "But when the grain is ripe and permits, immediately he sends forth (the reapers) and puts in the sickle, because the harvest stands ready."
This is a simple illustration of exactly how God's Word works on behalf of those who will receive it in their hearts. We might ask, "How does it work?" The same way a kernel of sweet corn works in your garden. You simply receive the Word in your heart, water is with prayer and then stand in your faith.
Once you planted the sweet corn, you no longer see it, but by faith you believe this one kernel of corn will produce a stalk, ear on the stalk and corn on the ears. All of this is done by faith in the seed or kernel of corn. You still don't understand how one seed can do all of that, but your faith is so simple (because you have exercised our faith in these things) that you fully expect a harvest.
There's no person in his right mind who would pick the sprout and try to eat it because it's still an unfinished harvest. We must be patient and give it time to mature. This is the wisdom of God brought to such simplicity that even a country boy (like me) can understand it. We all understand the seed principle of gardening (whether it's a backyard garden or a couple thousand acres of wheat). The principles is always the same.
No one would expect to sow one seed and have a harvest of only one seed. The reason for planting one seed is to bring increase. This seed of faith Paul spoke of in Romans 1:17 is sown, increases to more faith which increases to more faith in other areas of the covenant and promise of God in His Word. This faith is the key to everything God has promised by the SEED He sowed into the earth when He sent Jesus.
This seed of faith is enough that when sown will bring forth a harvest of healing, peace, joy and whatever the Word has said it will produce. Mark 4:27 (Amplified) says, "He knows now how it will produce." You and I still don't know how a kernel of corn does what it does, but we have faith to believe that it will.
Jesus, Who is called The Word, knows exactly how things work and what it takes to produce. He is the Wisdom of God and created all things. If He wanted to confuse us, then it wouldn't take a whole lot of time to do. When God said, "In the beginning God," I'm confused already. Jesus is the very Wisdom of God and brought this wisdom down to a level we can understand. Don't complicate it with theology and religion. Just sow this faith in His Word (like we did the seed of the Word for our forgiveness) in our hearts and it will do exactly like He said. Give it time to come into maturity and don't keep digging up the seed by unbelief to see if it's growing. If we keep digging it up, then it will never produce. Simply trust the seed to do what it was made to do.
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