Faith like a mustard seed

I love Hebrews 11. This chapter of the Bible has been dubbed the "Faith Chapter" for very obvious reasons. This chapter chronicles various men and women in the Old Testament and some in the New Testament who lived by faith. Some of the people mentioned are Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, etc. However, my favorite part of this chapter comes toward the end.

Hebrews 11:32-38 (NIV):
"And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. Women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated - the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground."

I know that passage is pretty long, but it is so powerful. I love the part of verse 38 that says, "the world was not worthy of them." These men and women - martyrs for Christ - understood the awesome power of faith. They were persecuted and killed, but they never renounced Christ. They had such a deep relationship with God that nothing, not pain or fear, could shake their faith in Him. Wow, wow, wow. I can't wait to have conversations with these people in Heaven someday. I can't wait to hear their stories. I can't wait to worship our Lord and Savior side-by-side with them. 

I would encourage all of your to read Foxe's Book of Martyrs. I am currently reading this book, and it is incredible. It gives in detail the lives of various martyrs throughout church history. They come from different time periods, but they all have one thing in common: they counted their very lives to be less than their faith in Jesus. They suffered excruciating tortures and deaths for the sake of the Almighty. 

We rarely see faith like this anymore in America. We have it so easy in this country. Currently, we are able to worship freely and publicly. Yes, some people are trying to take these rights away, but the fact of the matter is that we can still have public church services on Sundays without fear of being arrested or killed. 

This is not the case in many countries today. Just read some of the Voice of the Martyrs magazines. People around the world are being persecuted and killed for their Christianity. Some watch their families die right before their eyes. Some suffer incredible pain and torment, both physically and emotionally. But they will not renounce Christ. They have the kind of faith that can move mountains. They have the very faith that is lacking in America. 

Jesus says in Luke 17:6 (NIV): "He replied, 'If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, "Be uprooted and planted in the sea," and it will obey you.'"

It doesn't take a lot of faith to do great things. Jesus showed His disciples that even faith as small as a mustard seed (which is TINY) can perform miracles. Yet how many of us lack even that much faith? Sometimes I feel as if I do. 

We need to realize that faith is incredibly powerful because our God is incredibly powerful. If we have faith in Him, we can do anything with His help. We can move mountains. But many of us will never get to that point. We tell ourselves that where we are right presently is good enough. "I don't need any more faith. I've got enough to get my through each day." My friends, this is not enough! 

I want to have the faith of Abel, Enoch, Noah and Abraham. I want the faith of Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Joshua and Rahab. I want to have the faith of the early church who suffered immensely for the sake of the Gospel. I want to show others just how great and mighty Jesus Christ is by having a faith that is mighty. I want to have such a faith that if I am called to be a martyr for the sake of Christ that I will lay down my life for Him without even blinking. 

I want the kind of faith that draws in unbelievers. I want people to look at me and see Jesus. I want to gush the love, mercy and grace of the Heavenly Father. I want more than anything in the world for those around me to see Christ for who He is and accept Him as their Lord and Savior. I want to get to Heaven and see my family, my friends and brothers and sisters in Christ. 

I want to have faith like a mustard seed because even that amount of faith is more powerful than anything we know. I want American Christians to wake up and see that our God is immense and strong and powerful and ferocious and great and loving and zealous and kind! I want a revival to sweep across our nation. I want myself and my fellow Christians to tear down the strongholds of Satan and see lives healed and changed forever. When Jesus returns to take His beloved home, I want to stand proudly, knowing that I did everything I could to further His Gospel on this earth. 

As John writes in the second to last verse of the Bible, Revelation 22:20 (NIV):
"He who testifies to these things says, 'Yes, I am coming soon.

AMEN. COME, LORD JESUS.'"