Luke 17:5
5 The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” 6 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.
Have you ever doubted yourself? Did you have to make a decision that you didn’t know the answer or perform a task you have never done before? It is easy to lose faith in your abilities when it is something new. That’s how the disciples felt being around Jesus. He was going around performing miracles, and it had to make them feel inadequate. They asked Him to increase their faith, and you can increase your faith.
Primary Substance
Faith is the primary substance of following Jesus. It takes faith to believe in a God you can’t see. It takes faith to step out and do something new for the Lord. This faith isn’t in yourself but Jesus himself. When we put our trust in Him, we are expressing our faith. When we send up a prayer expecting an answer, our faith is in action. You can’t manufacture your own faith. It is something that has to be given.
Many of the trials and tribulations you go through are there to increase your faith. God is trying to remove those crutches we lean on when times get hard. He wants us leaning on Him instead. Faith is also something that grows over time. It starts as a seed and then expands into all areas of our life. Since it is also one of the fruits of the Spirit, He is the one who brings it about. Give it time to build and ask Jesus to increase your faith.
Increase Your Faith
Why do you need to increase your faith? As you mature as a believer, the challenges will be more significant. Satan expends a lot more time and resources on those with more abundant faith because they are more of a threat. The trials will get harder, but the opportunities will be more prominent as well. If you don’t have the faith to step out and trust the Lord when he opens the door to be used by Him, you will live to regret it. When you trust Him to do a work through you, there is no feeling to explain it. Ask the Lord to increase your faith.
