How to Increase Your Faith
The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” And the Lord said, “If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.
Luke 17:5-6
What does Jesus mean by this verse when he says “faith like a grain of mustard seed,” which is the smallest seed? The key to this verse is that faith is based on our understanding of God. It correlates with the following scripture: Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; (Proverbs 3:5).
Faith increases when we fully trust the Lord with all of our hearts, independent of our own understanding. We trust the Lord with our prayers and with our lives, even if we don’t fully understand his ways or we disagree with his ways. Christians see themselves as the Lord’s servants, and recognize him as God with total authority. We trust his perfect love for us.
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love (1 Corinthians 13:13). Love is the foundation of our faith, because the more love that is in our hearts the closer we are to the Lord, because God is love. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God (1 John 4:7). A heart filled with God’s love means that we know God and we trust him.
The more love we reflect to others the more the Lord fills our hearts with love. Therefore love grows in our hearts and brings us closer to the Lord. Christians know that with God all things are possible, and that God loves us perfectly. Therefore, we can eagerly put everything in his hands. We are his servants, we pray for whatever the Spirit puts in our hearts, and we fully trust the Lord as our loving master and friend. God’s way is always perfect, but it is sometimes beyond our understanding. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts (Isaiah 55:9). Always remember this verse that describes God, and remember that we are his servants.
Today, know that love will increase in your heart as you reflect that love to others, and that your faith will increase as love grows and as you pray for the Lord’s guidance in ministering to others. Remember, as God’s love grows in your heart, the less fear you will have because love drives out fear. See yourself as the Lord’s servant, his ambassador, and know that he is God. He is your perfect Father, and is pleased with a servant who fully trusts him.
Let’s Pray: Lord fill my heart with your love as I minister to the world, and let my faith fully trust you. Please take away any fear from Satan as your love increases in my heart. My heart desires to trust you fully in all things and to live as your faithful servant. In Jesus’ name, Amen