Something Jesus said had confused me. I kept trying to understand what He meant when He said: I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you (Mt. 17:20 NIV).
      I had often prayed for more faith to be able to move mountain-sized problems, but realized that I could not move even one grain of sand. But I knew that Jesus intended for His words to, in some way, help my faith grow.
      After years of thinking about this verse, a picture appeared in my mind, when I wasn’t even thinking about a mustard seed. In a garden I saw a tiny, green sprout coming to the surface. I knew it was a mustard seed coming to life. The Holy Spirit had opened my eyes! Jesus was telling me that my tiny amount of faith could grow! And keep on growing. Like a mustard seed it could become stronger, more useful and keep revealing the power that God had given it. All I needed to do was to keep using it. Even when my faith seemed to be buried in the ground and useless, I could believe that in due time it would peek out of the ground where even I could see that it was alive and growing.
      If Jesus had said, “If you have faith as a grain of sand” that would also have represented a small amount of faith. But I suddenly realized that there is a big difference between a grain of sand and a grain of mustard seed! Sand doesn’t grow in size! A mustard seed can grow! Year after year it can increase in size and even become a tree.
      Have you ever felt helpless, or even hopeless, when facing severe problems? You may have felt that you had to find practical ways to solve your problems. But sometimes our own efforts do not accomplish anything. So what do we do? Cry, try harder, scream, get mad or, what? I could help my faith to grow by studying what Jesus did with His faith.

      I could think about the tiny faith His disciples had. They had almost no faith, but they eventually learned to work many miracles.
      How long would it take before I could learn how to let Jesus’ faith work in me? That doesn’t matter. My purpose, and yours, is to learn how to let Jesus’ faith grow in us.
      We face a powerful enemy who fears nothing but our faith in Jesus. Even though He was sinless Jesus had to: Increase in wisdom and stature… (Luke 2:52). So Christ was able to prove that Satan can be defeated.
      You and I take much longer to learn – anything – but we can learn and grow! Our faith can grow and grow if we will permit the Holy Spirit to help us.
      One step – or half a step – at a time. One grain of faith at a time. God’s almighty power and perfect love are watching for opportunities to help us!
      If you ever feel discouraged about a problem, don’t feel that there is no solution, or that you are too unimportant for God to work a miracle for you. We are all helpless! That’s why Jesus came to help us. Even if you are the worst failure you have ever known, God has planted a mustard seed-sized faith in you. Believe that He will help you! Don’t expect instant answers. Just keep believing. Your trust in Him will cause your faith to grow and grow until the miracle of its power will do what you cannot do for yourself. God has proven this to me over and over. I’ve tried the best I know how to explain this in my books, but I keep searching for new ways to help all Christians to grow in faith.

Mary is taking a break from writing so this month we are reprinting her article from January, 2006.

     Every day we make many choices: what we wear, what we eat, what we do. This is also true in our spiritual lives – we choose between our will and God's will.
     Often the Holy Spirit convicts us through the godly example of another Christian. When He does, we make a choice. We can choose to humble ourselves (see I Peter 5:6) and submit to His correction and training, or we can choose to resist the Holy Spirit (see Acts 7:51). When we do resist, we nearly always become angry with the person God is using as an example. Early in my walk with Jesus, I observed this reaction among some Christians. I had a young friend who loved Jesus with all her heart. She was a beautiful example of a godly young
woman, and was an inspiration to me. Yet to my amazement, many of our Christian friends could say
nothing good about her. The kindest critique was, "She is going overboard…she is becoming a fanatic!"

     I wondered then how on earth they could feel this way, but through the years I have gained a little insight. As I now understand it, God used her example of a committed walk with Christ as an instrument
to bring conviction to those of us with whom He desired a closer relationship. We each had a choice to make. We could submit ourselves to the mighty hand of God and let Christ be formed in us (see Galatians 4:19) or we could resist the Holy Spirit. Those who resisted the conviction of the Holy
Spirit, responded by criticizing her. This led me to believe that a critical spirit is often born out of a
heart that is resisting the Holy Spirit. Conviction of sin is one of the primary functions of the Holy Spirit
in the life of every believer (see John 16:8).
     Now when I feel anger or resentment, I check myself to see if the Lord may be trying to say something
to me. Are my words and actions pleasing to Him? What about my attitudes? Jesus, are you
trying to teach me something?
     Let’s ask the Lord to help us grow in having a humble, teachable spirit.

Happy, Happy Birthday to you! Thank you for your faithful devotion to the Lord and His Word all these years. I met you in 1970 at a retreat and am looking forward to meeting you again in Heaven. MARYANN, OH

I have enjoyed listening to your audio messages on Spiritual Warfare and How Not To Be Irritated. I have a ways to go in putting praise into practice. Please pray for me. VICKIE, MN

Thank you for your books. I got Prison to Praise and Power in Praise at a thrift shop. VIRGINIA, VA

Happy Birthday! Praise God for your parents! Thank you for your BIG help in leading people to serving God. Your books have helped me greatly. CLARA, CO

I want to say thank you for sending me Praise News. I truly enjoy reading it and they are a blessing to my life. BERTHA, CA

I want to tell you how meaningful your books and Praise News have been in my life. Your messages come just when they are most needed. Thank you. LINDA, TX

Thank you for the books for the elderly and hospital patients that I minister to. Your book Prison to Praise guided me to become a chaplain and now I visit hospitals and nursing homes. BARBARA, IN

I have enjoyed Praise News for many years. I have made copies and shared them with others. I’m 85 now and my reading is very limited but I just wanted you to know that I have been inspired and encouraged by your ministry. EVA, CO

I am an Officer in the U.S. Army serving in Iraq. Since reading your books I have drawn closer to the Lord. I need prayer to wash away the old habits in my life. I start my day out fine, but then the stress of this place causes me to take my eyes off of Jesus. MICHAEL, E-MAIL

After reading a few of your books I am happy to say that my life is being changed from the inside out in such a powerful way that I would never have guessed possible. I am trying to live a thankful life even in the midst of difficult circumstances. I have lost my selfrighteousness and discovered God’s grace. ALEISHA, E-MAIL

Your books arrived and are being made available to our Marines and Sailors. Thank you. CHAPLAIN, AFGHANISTAN

Your books have inspired so many of my friends. We are Catholic but your work penetrates all faiths because they are of truth and the fruit of love. BERNICE, MI

I am 58 years old and have been a praise partner for over 30 years. Most likely we will never meet but you have been blessing my life more than you will ever know. I wish that I could contribute more to your ministry. The Lord knows I would if I could. May you live a long life, this world needs you! SANDRA, CA

I read your July 2010 article, Redemption Drawing Nearer - it was uplifting and I loved it. I will now meditate on heaven as another way to rejoice in our Lord’s love for us. You are a powerful writer and your words are so easy to read and assimilate into action. GUY, TX

Thanks for the books for the inmates at our Detention Center. They love to read of the hope and power of Jesus Christ. CHAPLAIN HILL, SC

I am 81 and have all your books and many tapes. When I get to “wringing the hands” with worry I always read one of your books until my eyes focus on Jesus and not on my problem. I have learned so much about praising the Lord. I pray that your books will continue blessing thousands even after you have gone home to Heaven. RUBY, TX