When they came to the crowd, a man approached Jesus and knelt before him. “Lord, have mercy on my son,” he said. “He has seizures and is suffering greatly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. I brought him to your disciples, but they could not heal him.” 

“You unbelieving and perverse generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me.” Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed at that moment. 

Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?” He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

--Parallel verses:
‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭11‬:‭1‬, 2, & 6 ‭AMP‬‬
Now faith is the assurance (title deed, confirmation) of things hoped for (divinely guaranteed), and the evidence of things not seen [the conviction of their reality—faith comprehends as fact what cannot be experienced by the physical senses]. For by this [kind of] faith the men of old gained [divine] approval.

But without faith it is impossible to [walk with God and] please Him, for whoever comes [near] to God must [necessarily] believe that God exists and that He rewards those who [earnestly and diligently] seek Him.

Faith requires confidence in the one or thing you believe in. You cannot accurately claim to have faith without a demonstration of your trust.

I started a business a year and a half ago. This business needed capital. As a demonstration of my faith in its merits, I cashed out my retirement, took the IRS tax penalty, and funded it.

Others saw this commitment level, my diligence and determination, and also invested in this business alongside me: some with funds, others with time or resources.  God has blessed it.

“So too, faith, if it does not have works [to back it up], is by itself dead [inoperative and ineffective].” (‭‭James‬ ‭2‬:‭17‬ ‭AMP‬‬)

This is what Jesus was chastising the disciples for — an inoperative and ineffective faith. That is why he encourages them to have even faith as small as a mustard seed.

I wonder what Jesus would say of my or your faith? Would he call it “little”?

Faith gains momentum when we act on it. Why? Because God acts with us, and we see his provision and we gain confidence.

So how can we act on our faith?

• Sharing the gospel or good news about Jesus — our testimony.
• Giving to God’s work sacrificially, until it hurts and the future is uncertain. Then trusting God to provide. (This can be financially, in service, or with resources)
• Caring for someone who is hard to love and trusting God to fill us up.
• Following God’s commands and the intent of his commands, even when it means relational suffering.

These are just a few examples of acting on our faith. If we are confident in the faithfulness and goodness of the God we serve, what do we have to lose?

Life becomes less about creating a security bubble around ourselves and more about going on spiritual adventures of goodness with our God.

Lord, thank you for this wonderful challenge to act on my faith. I do not want Jesus to say: “You of little faith” when I meet up with him. Instead I want him to say, “Well done, good and faithful servant (or servant with a big faith)!” Grow my faith and give me more and more confidence to listen for your call and act when your Spirit prompts me.