The longer we walk with the Lord and are conformed into His image (Roman 8:29 ) the more God must be able to develop within us an understanding for how He operates and functions. Until this begins to happen we will always see things from an earthly perspective and according to our carnal thoughts.

Our mind and understanding will not be from the mind of Christ. Paul taught, “ Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:” (Philippians 2:5) My friend this is a critical truth God must be able to work in our lives if we are going to be able to move with Him. God must be able to train us to take off thinking and ways of the world and our self so that we can put on God's ways and thinking. Never forget, we must first take off to put on. The more of the world and our self we can take off the more of God we can put on, no more no less. For example, the world thinks it is “the big areas of sin” in our lives where we miss the mark and come short of God's glory that is most important to God. Most when they think about sin they check out the 10 Commandment to see if they have done wrong before God. Well now the 10 Commandments are important and we must keep them, but God does not have His eyes alone on the big areas in our lives. Oh no my friend, God's focus is on sin in our lives and most often it is the small little areas. As a matter of fact the smaller the area or issue in our lives the more God scrutinizes it and us. You see God knows if we are faithful in the least, in the little areas in our lives then we will be faithful in the big areas. “He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.” (Luke 16:10) Our perception of how God functions and operates is skewed and only God through His dealings and judgments, by His Holy Spirit, can redirect and refocus our thinking and perceptions. Another example of this skewed thinking is small words. We go after big words with oceans of meaning and thought, but not true in the Bible. It is the small words that have the greatest impact in our spiritual development and maturity. Take the most important word in the Bible, the word “if.” The word “if” sets the condition for all you shall receive from God . In Isaiah we see this spiritual principle in operation, “ If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: 20 But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it .” (Isaiah 1:19-20) “If” you do this, then you shall receive this. “If you be willing and obedient (condition) ye shall eat the good of the land:” (reward) In all we do for God there is a reward waiting for us at the end of the day. Now remember a reward can either be good or bad and is always something we earn out from our behavior. It may be a good reward like “ ye shall eat the good of the land:” or it may be a bad reward like “ ye shall be devoured with the sword: ,” but at any rate it will be our reward based on our actions and behavior. It is strange we focus on the reward while God focuses on whether or not we have met the condition. Brethren, let us focus on the same thing God focuses on. Let us have the same mind that was in Christ Jesus. Another small word in the Bible that has significant impact in out lives is the word, “as.” The word “as” is a simile, it sets the stage for a comparison to what degree between two things, but not an amount. The word “as” is always measuring and evaluating something in comparison to something else. How we must do this in our lives. We must have within us the ability in God to measure and evaluate things we touch on a day-to-day basis. We must have within us the ability to measure things that are holy compared against those things that are unholy so that we will be able to separate ourselves from the unholy and unrighteous things and flow with the righteous and holy things. John shares in 1 John, “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” (1 John 1:7) Please notice, “if we walk in the light” here again is the “if - then relationship” I discussed earlier now coupled with the “as” comparison, “as he is in the light.” So, “ If we walk in the light” (our choice and condition for Godly fellowship) “as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another” ( reward). Also notice we are to “walk in the light, as he (Christ) is in the light” not as we think we need to walk in the night. Sadly today in the Church many Christians do not walk in the light as Christ walked in the light so too this is why there is not Godly “fellowship one with other.” Godly fellowship and all ministry always comes out of Godly relationships between people that are walking in the light as Christ walked in the light. Let us strive to walk in the light, not as we think we ought to walk, but as Christ walked in the light then and only then will there be Godly, “fellowship one with another.” What a wonderful change we would discover in ourselves and in every relationship we have if we would walk in the light as Christ walked in he light. Another verse (and my favorite that uses “as” to teach us more about Him) is found in Matthew. “And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.” (Matthew 17:20) I do not know how many messages I have heard on this verse and almost all of them makes the comparison of the little mustard seed to the size of faith we need to make mountains, “Remove hence to yonder place;” I will be honest the thought of little faith never really made sense to me. Faith can not be measured in size, but in God's ability and outcome. Faith is not ours it is God's and He must give it to us to be able to function with it in Him. All that we get from God is given to us. We can not work things of God up or claim something of God, oh no my friend they must be given to us or we will never be able to receive them. There is a spiritual principle moving here, we receive from God not take. This is a mind set and a way of life. Everything we get, everything that touches our lives comes from God. If not then He would not be God and another power would have control in our lives in some areas. For God to be able to bring us to victory, we must see God as the only one in absolute control of our lives. Even the birds and the flowers understand this principle (Matthew 6:25 -30) they just joyfully receive whatsoever God gives them. I wonder why man is trying to take and claim things that are owned by God? Since the Book of Genesis man has been trying to claim and take things that are not his and today this thinking continues out from wrong doctrine from the word of faith and prosperity teaching misrepresentation of the truth and twisting the scriptures to their shame.

Brethren let us, “have faith as a grain of mustard seed.” Now when Jesus said this every farmer present in the crowd knew exactly what Jesus was talking about. They knew how that little mustard seed could grow everywhere. Like weeds it is extremely pervasive once planted on the ground it takes off and grows everywhere. Under rocks in the cracks and crevices it over takes whatever is growing. As a matter of fact the mustard seed is hated by farmers, it will take over a field and nothing can stop it. Once the seed takes root, the field is only good for growing mustard plants. Even if you plow under the field, some small seeds always escape and grow next year. Jesus was saying we must receive faith from God and allow it to overtake any problem or situation in our live and then and only then, “ nothing shall be impossible unto you .” Jesus was not talking about the size, but the character of the mustard seed. Jesus was telling the folks that they must believe in God like the pervasiveness (character) of the mustard seed then and only then, “ and nothing shall be impossible unto you .” Brethren please do not miss this critical point, if you do you will be depending on the size of the mustard seed and not the character and ability of God.