Do you want to have faith that moves mountains? If so, there is a foundational principle that Jesus offers to His disciples in answer to that request. Let’s take a look.

The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”And the Lord said, “f you had faith like a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and be planted in the sea’; and it would obey you.”

“Which of you, having a slave plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come immediately and sit down to eat’? “But will he not say to him, ‘Prepare something for me to eat, and properly clothe yourself and serve me while I eat and drink; and afterward you may eat and drink’? “He does not thank the slave because he did the things which were commanded, does he? “So you too, when you do all the things which are commanded you, say, ‘We are unworthy slaves; we have done only that which we ought to have done.’”(Luke 17:5-10, NASB1995)

I call this the Principle of Righteousness. We all want great faith to do mighty things for God, but are we truly trustworthy to be entrusted with such “true riches”? We must discover freedom from our own plans, dreams, hopes, and expectations. We must allow Him to separate us from our entanglement with earthly affairs ( Check out these related verses).

He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much. “Therefore if you have not been faithful in the use of unrighteous wealth, who will entrust the true riches to you? “And if you have not been faithful in the use of that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own? “No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.” (Luke 16:10-13).

You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier. Also if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not win the prize unless he competes according to the rules (2 Timothy 2:1-5).

We can see from these two passages a clear picture of why our faith is weak. It is because we are yet double-minded. As James instructed us, “But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways” (James 1:5-8).

So then you might ask, how do we become clean of such double-mindedness? This is where we really get to the root of the gospel. The gospel is all about being cleansed from the kingdom of self by the Holy Spirit through hoping only in Christ’s death. I have spoken about this repeatedly in my writings so if you wish to know more, check out the other articles in this blog, such as here and here.

Suffice it to say, that finding true liberty from the kingdom of self is the greatest discovery a believer can make. It opens up the heavens for God to pour His blessings and glory upon your life. It is an awesome and ever-increasing wonderment. I couldn’t recommend any other path for the realization of Christ in your life – there really isn’t any other.