Just imagine IF we had Faith as a Grain of Mustard Seed!

During the prayer room at Faith Camp, we started reflecting upon the verse that says:

"If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed you shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you." Matthew 17:20

If we had faith as a grain of mustard seed....

But what is so special about Mustard seed? Why did Jesus use this as an example of what our faith should be? How big is Mustard seed anyway???

So I started doing some more research...in a few minutes, this is what I found.

• The word "Mustard" comes from the Latin word "Mustum ardens" meaning "Burning must."
• Mustard is one of the oldest known spices - dating back over 3,000 years old. 
• It's easy to grow and can produce plants in as little as 60 days
• The mustard plant is often considered to be like a weed as it is hardy and will not go away.
• It grows best in hot climates and doesn't need watering
• The greens of the Mustard plant are edible and the flowers attractive
• The mustard seed oil itself can be used for a variety of ailments including relief from tooth aches, muscular aches, as an emetic, helpful for bruises, stings, bites, respiratory troubles, stimulates circulation.
• The branches of the mustard tree have been used by tribes people as a tooth brush because of it's natural anti-bacteria and anti-plaque properties.
• The mustard tree grows large and outward direction, covering whole acres of land. 

Wow...if only we had faith as a grain of mustard seed...A faith like a weed, that will not let go. A faith that will hold on for healing, for hope, for conquering of land for the Kingdom. A faith that does not need watering, but will hold on because GOD SAID and it MUST BE TRUE!!!!!!

Just imagine what God could do if we had FAITH AS A GRAIN OF MUSTARD SEED??? 


Not a handful of grains (as pictured below) but only ONE GRAIN! Just one....

Angel's in the Prayer Room...

I have about 10 blog entries in the back of my head from the last few weeks just waiting to be written, but I've had no free time to sit down and write. But the blessings of serving the Lord and being busy about HIS business is more than worth it all! I love being in the ARME...God's ARME! ;-)

So I am just bursting at the seams and wanted to share a little report from the front-lines of ARME Prayer Force. Shanter and I just returned from having an amazing experience at Faith Camp being held in Washington, leading an all-day prayer room there. I was very excited when Melissa asked us to go and lead a prayer room as I've heard amazing testimonies from Faith Camp and always wanted to attend. But I have to admit once I got there, I felt very "out of my league" with all these godly people from the front lines that are actually LIVING by Faith alone! (I thought I was living by "faith alone" until I heard these guys talk!) Many of them receive no paycheck or guaranteed income AT ALL....they are out just serving God, building schools, feeding orphans, teaching people about God by their lives, and raising their families in simplicity so that they can give the gospel in action to those in need. (Modern day George Muellers) And yet as the testimonies revealed time and time again over the weekend..... As they keep using what God gives them.... God gives them MORE! Bills are always paid, and impossible advances made!! When they come to a crisis and they don't know how something is going to be taken care of financially, they all PRAY until God provides. And again and again He does!!!! And as they are faithful in what He gives them.... time and time again, our God (the One that holds unlimited resources) keeps proving His faithfulness...by giving more!!! (We can learn something from these testimonies!!!) I was inspired and reminded afresh, we serve a BIG God and an AMAZING GOD! And He is able...

Being around Uncle David and Aunt Becky brought back a lot of special memories too...of when I spent time with them serving in the jungles of South America. Although that time as a student missionary seems eons ago now, the memories and the inspiration I received all those years ago still is strong. I continue to be inspired by their bold faith...

So speaking of Faith...here I find myself at Faith Camp, leading a all-day united prayer room. 

First off, they asked us to start united prayer every morning at 5:45 am! Did you hear that, 5:45 AM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Makes us at ARME look LAZY!) But it was a blessing. God really bound the group together during the hour of United Prayer that we had each day. Then Shanter and I had the prayer room open from 7am until 9pm. During this time, while the prayer room was not packed with dozens of people (like at ARME) there were many people that came through. For me the most amazing thing about this event was the children.... Shanter and I prayed with sooooo many children - children ages 6, 8, 10, 12.....all earnest and pleading for victory in their lives from sin. There's no "trying to be respectable" with kids....they were honest and upfront..."God, I need you to help me stop lying. God I need you to help me be kind. God I need you to help me stop being selfish." They also really prayed for others, the other adults that were in the room, or the speakers who were on stage at that time. It made Shanter and I cry to hear these kids pray!!!! 

The coolest thing though, was when a little 6 year old girl named Sisi (pronounced "Sigh-sigh," her parents are missionaries overseas!) asked Shanter and I if we were married. When we said "No," she looked all perplexed, "Well, how are you going to get any kids???" We just shrugged....."maybe we aren't suppose to have kids." Then little Sisi spoke up again. "We need to pray that you get husbands.....godly husbands!" And these little girls all prayed for Shanter and I to get "husbands." They didn't pray this just once, but every time after that, when they came to the prayer room. I was sooo humored.... but then I told God, "Forgive me if I'm acting like Sara in the Bible! You heard those girls pray....you can answer their prayers IF we NEED godly husbands." :-)

But the blessing didn't stop with the kids.... God answered a lot of prayers during Faith Camp, and He also gave us a glimpse of His VERY REAL and VERY NEAR presence once again. We all know that during the United Prayer rooms throughout Asia, Angels have been seen, heard and felt on several occasions this past year. Well, God did it again....right here in the USA! During one of the sessions that Melissa and Shanter were leading (there were 9 in the room), one woman witnessed guardian angels surrounding each person in the circle. She saw 8 angels.... remember there were 9 in the room, so she did not see her own angel. At the end of the prayer, while there were only 9 in the circle, the singing sounded like it was coming from a much larger group and the music and the harmonies were sooo heavenly, many in the group wondered if the angels were singing. Some had no doubt, and we believe they were. Once again, the angels couldn't help but join their voices with ours! (I'm getting goose-bumps just writing this out for the first time!) Isn't God amazing. Shanter said at the end of the prayer it was soooo obvious that God's presence was there that she just wanted to keep on worshipping...and praying.

During our time in the prayer room over Faith Camp, we saw many answers to prayer. One woman who had hearing aids and always struggled to hear, told our team after the prayer time that it was amazing because she heard EVERY prayer that was said. She had no problems hearing at all during the prayer hour. Others had physical healing or answers to prayer. One missionary girl in Thailand we prayed for. Maria and her adopted baby Jabez had been hospitalized with all sorts of wild diagnoses and dim prospects of a speedy recovery. Later that day, after we prayed, we found out from her family (who was at Faith Camp) that she had been released with little Jabez from the hospital. (Click HERE to read her amazing testimony to God's faithfulness!) God had already answered our prayer even before we asked!!! Another woman had what might have been a cancerous growth on her leg that she was wanting removed. The next day after the united prayer, it fell off while she was still at Faith Camp. She came back to share with Shanter and I, rejoicing. One man who had prayed passionately for his family to attend the meetings was also rejoicing the next day when they DID attend. For others the blessing from the prayer room seemed to be just experiencing the peace and joy that we find in prayer, or receiving confirmation from God on what they should do next.

However, for Shanter and I...I think we received the biggest blessing of all!!!!!! Not just in knowing that the angels were near, not just in being prayed for by "little human angels" .... but in seeing our Faith grow...like a little grain of mustard seed. (And we will save that powerful thought for the next post!) Truly, there is power in prayer. And God is just waiting to pour out Heaven's blessings upon us...if we would only ask, if we would only pray.

IMPORTANT NOTE: FOR AN EVEN MORE AMAZING ANGEL STORY that just happened June 25th, 2011, read the comment on this post by my friend Claudia! It's the e-mail she sent me responding to what I shared above.