True MUSTARD SEED Faith! (Rapidly Growing, Non-Conforming, Life-Producing!)

For those of you, who have not yet joined our Facebook Group, we are on day-4 of an 8-day Fast & Feast. We are fasting (refraining) from meat AND feasting on God's word - more specifically, the book of Matthew!! (To learn more about the details of our Fast & Feast, click here. ) To say I am/have been BLESSED is an understatement. As I was reading in the book of Matthew I came across these verses (Matthew 17: 18-20), and it brought to mind a life-changing revelation I received from my pastor, maybe two years ago. It knocked me off my feet and changed my thought-process and perspective, prayerfully, it has the SAME effect on you!

Let's talk about the mustard seed, shall we?! Oh, I'm sure you've heard of it. So often you/we hear people preach/say, "if you have faith as SMALL as a mustard seed, you can move mountains," or "all you need is faith the size of an itty-bitty tiny mustard seed, to do this or that." This teaching NEVER sat well with me. It seemed to contradict the very essence of Jesus. Would He actually encourage us to have little faith??  WHERE in the bible does God encourage us to have LITTLE or SMALL faith???? ... Nowhere. That's right. Nowhere. In fact, He does the very opposite. He scolds people for having little faith, by saying "oh ye, of little faith" out of frustration. 
Let's look at Matthew 8:25-26 NIV:   The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. (also reference: Matthew 6:30 and 14:31) Throughout the bible, Jesus encourages us to have FAITH, to believe!
    **Now, let's read the mustard seed verses, IN CONTEXT. (Side note: We have to remember to read scripture IN-CONTEXT. When scripture is picked and pulled out of context, the truth and real understanding is lost.) 

Words from My Father... (poetry)

At a time in my life, when my heart was truly broken (after losing my dear mother and my precious little brother), the Lord, my Heavenly Father, spoke these words to me. His presence overwhelmed me and His words comforted my soul. I pray that they bless you, as much as they blessed (and continue to bless) me. These are His words to His daughter(s)...

My little daughter, you are precious to me. 

Though it will not always be easy,

In Me, your life has grand destiny.
I’ve placed stamina in your heart 
to ensure you get 
where I desire you to be. 
 
My little daughter, for you, only My best
Do not ever settle for anything less.
Trials, heartache, pain, and tears - there will be many 
before my promises manifest,
My child, on My word, is how you will stand above the rest.

My little daughter, let go, do not be afraid to cry.
Know that My word is truth, 
in no other place, will you never encounter a lie.
So when you do (cry), cry to Me, that every word I speak will heal your heart.
Do not wander; remain in me. Walk with me; from the comfort of my shadow do not part.

My little daughter, thee, I have equipped.
In you, I have placed many necessary talents 
and strengths.
That the lives you touch, will be blessed, not for a moment, 
but eternally.
In this way, my child, will your life glorify Me.

Men Weigh In!! We asked, "What does it mean or entail to you, to be a man of God?"

Round 2 of our newest MONTHLY feature: 
"Men Weigh In"

The men have spoken (again) - and I believe you will be blessed by their responses (again). *smile* I know I have been! God never ceases to amaze me. The guys that will be weighing in here (and right now there are four of them) are men that I know personally. Men that I have seen walking in Christ - sincerely - for years. Men who not only, talk the talk, but walk the walk - to the BEST of their abilities. They love Christ with all of their hearts, and I value and appreciate their input. These are our brothers in Christ. We are here to grow and evolve; they are doing the same. We will all surely be mutually blessed by the contributions they make and the conversation it provokes. I thought it best that they remain anonymous, so that they could share their responses freely and be completely transparent. So I had to come up with some "aliases" for these guys!! ;-) This way, as we hear from them each month you will be able to recognize which contributor it is you are hearing from. I asked them each to tell me their favorite book of the Bible - and this is how I came up with their SE names. ;-) So we have Brother Proverbs, Brother Ecclesiastes, and Brother Job.

I'm sure we all know men and women can look at something and see things COMPLETELY different. Or maybe that's just my experience... but I doubt it! Lol. With that being said, prayerfully, we will all be blessed, challenged, and encouraged to grow by exchanging perspectives and thought-provoking dialogue with the opposite sex.
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We asked: "What does it mean or entail to you, to be a man of God?" What are your roles and what do you consider to be your responsibilities in these roles?

They answered: