Dear Friend,

We are currently waiting for a proof copy and as soon as it is approved, this book will be available (we expect no later than 30 Nov. 2008).
   22 chapters teaching how cultivating God's Seeds of Greatness and applying God's seeds of success enables you to become a victor, not a victim.
   196 pages, 6" x 9" paperback, $13.95 (probably discounted online) it will be available to order from Amazon.com, Amazon,ca, and Amazon.co.uk, and BN.com. If you can't wait for our next email, search by the ISBN number 9780909362294 !

In Luke 17:5 the disciples said to Jesus, "Increase our faith!" They obviously felt a need. The interesting thing to me about this verse is that Jesus did not tell them how to increase their faith. What did He say? "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" (verse 6). Does that tell them how to increase their faith? No. Just because the disciples asked the Lord to increase their faith, does not mean that faith can be increased.

Every person, the Bible says, has received a measure of faith (Romans 12:3). And since God is no respecter of persons, then we all have the same amount of faith. Billy Graham, Oral Roberts, Robert Schuller, all have the same amount of faith that you have. What is the difference between you and them? Exactly what Jesus says here, If you used just a little bit of faith, like the very small mustard seed, you could say to that whole tree, "Get up out of there and go and be planted somewhere else", and it would do it!

In a similar passage in Mark chapter 11, the illustration of a mountain is used. "Whoever says to this mountain, 'Be taken up and thrown into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him" (verse 23). But what do most Christians want? They want faith the size of a mountain before they will tackle a mustard-seed challenge!

When Jesus answered the disciples' request in Luke 17, He did not say to them, "This is how you can have more faith and accomplish what you want to do." He said in effect, "Use the faith that you already have. If you would only use a little faith, you could do marvelous, miraculous things."

And then He continued in verse 7, "Will any one of you who has a servant plowing or keeping sheep say to him when he has come in from the field, 'Come at once and recline at table'? Will he not rather say to him, 'Prepare supper for me, and dress properly, and serve me while I eat and drink, and afterward you will eat and drink'? Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded?" (verses 7-9). And the answer is, "I think not!" (KJV). What is Jesus saying here?

Faith is to be our servant, and the reason a person has a servant is that they need someone to serve. A servant is not just for decoration; a servant is there to serve! Since you have faith, you should employ it, keep it busy, like you do a servant. It is there to serve you, whenever you command it to serve. Do not get over-excited because it works, for that is what it is there to do. Do not think a miracle has happened just because you have seen your faith work. God programmed it to work. It would be a miracle if your faith did not work!