Is it Faith or Flesh?

In Luke 17, the apostles asked Jesus to increase their faith and Jesus replied by saying “all you need is faith the size of a mustard seed to uproot the deepest problems” (Luke 17:4 paraphrased). After this statement, Jesus immediately went into the following parable about a man and his servant:
 
“Which one of you, having a slave tending sheep or plowing, will say to him when he comes in from the field, 'Come at once and sit down to eat'? Instead, will he not tell him, 'Prepare something for me to eat, get ready, and serve me while I eat and drink; later you can eat and drink'? Does he thank that slave because he did what was commanded? In the same way, when you have done all that you were commanded, you should say, 'We are good-for-nothing slaves [and unprofitable servants]; we've only done our duty." (Luke 17:7-10 HCSB)

At first glance, this switch from the subject of faith to that of servant-hood seems odd, but Jesus is expounding on the way that faith operates. In the same way the servant was directed by his master to work in the fields, faith is directed by us toward the work God’s given us to do. Faith is our means of carrying out the Master’s assigned work: it’s heaven’s path for accomplishing God’s will. However, we’re not to begin in faith, then become impatient and allow our faith to ‘sit down and eat’ while we get up and complete kingdom tasks in the flesh. The master is served by active faith-the master does not give faith a rest and do the service himself.

As an example, consider Gideon, whom God called to deliver Israel from the terror of the Midianites (Judges 6-7). Gideon started this task in faith, boldly following God’s step by step instructions, but at some point he gave his faith a rest, took over its duties in his flesh and put his trust in the army he’d gathered to fight the Midianites. But before he and his 32,000 followers reached the battlefield, God instructed Gideon to send home all but 300 of his men, saying “You have too many people for Me to hand the Midianites over to you, or else Israel might brag [by saying]: 'I did it myself” (Judges 7:2, HCSB). God then gave Gideon a battle plan (by way of a dream), and the straggly army of 300 men defeated the mighty and terrifying Midianites, giving God the glory!

Had Gideon continued in his flesh instead of trusting God, he would have short circuited the supernatural power and provision of God which came through the dream and the imaginative plan he was given to defeat the Midianites. Here is a lesson for us: don’t get up and start ‘doing’ in the flesh to make up for impatience or fear, and don’t try to make things happen in the way you think they should happen; this will only bring glory to man.

When we use that mustard sized seed of faith, God brings His power and provision (300 men) and He gets the glory. But when we set aside faith and try to do the works of God in the flesh (32,000 men), we are called “unprofitable servants” (Luke 17:10), meaning we have made no impact which bears fruit for the Kingdom of God.

Faith in God opens the door to abilities and wisdom beyond the realm of the flesh; it puts us in heavenly realms where the spiritual tools and provision of God are available to fulfill His will. We are those who live by faith!