In the words of Elvis, “Lord, you gave me a mountain this time.” How many of you have actually walked up to a mountain, and said, “Move from here to there,” and have actually seen the mountain move? Don’t answer too quickly, because I’m betting you have. I know I have!
“For truly I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you shall say to this mountain, ‘move from here to there,’ and it shall move; and nothing shall be impossible to you.” [Matthew 17:20]
How many of you have actually walked up to a mountain, and said, “Move from here to there,” and have actually seen the mountain move? Don’t answer too quickly, because I’m betting you have. I know I have!
That said, my mountains were not literal mountains, but they may as well have been. They were huge, insurmountable obstacles that stood before me, taunting me, and they had to be removed before I could move forward.
Like Elvis, I’ve cried out to God about my mountains. I’ve actually had several mountains that seemed totally unchangeable and impenetrable; through prayer, patience, and faith, these seemingly insurmountable obstacles were indeed moved, torn down, shattered, or resolved to my satisfaction. Some of them stood in my way at the work place. Others erupted at home. Looking back, I’m convinced that without God’s supernatural intervention, passage forward would not have been possible.
“Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, “be taken up and cast into the sea,” and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it shall be granted him. Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them and they shall be granted you. And whenever you stand praying, forgive; if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your transgressions.” [Mark 11:22-25]
Note the italicized text above. We have to say and believe IN ADVANCE of something happening. Notice the words, “going to happen.” This is future, not past, tense. Also, note that we are to believe we’ve received them. The word “received” is also in past tense, yet what we requested hasn’t yet occurred.
It may appear as though I’m dicing words here like a master chef chops garlic, but I’m convinced that God is in the details, and that once we see how Faith works, we will find both rest and peace within the essence of faith.
No longer will our thoughts be tossed to and fro. Doubt will no longer take precedence. For a moment, look at faith from God’s perspective. From His point of view, all things are possible. When He decided to separate the heavens from the land, He simply spoke this into existence. When the ancient world stopped appreciating and observing His signs and wonders, and few gave heed to His voice through miracles, He offered His Son, knowing full well that through Christ’s life, death, burial, and resurrection, His voice would be heard throughout time.
God’s faith in His creation, man, has been demonstrated time and time again since the very beginning. He has never stopped believing in us, or hoping the best for us; He has been faithful and stands ready to help us.
“I tell you that He will bring about justice for them speedily. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?” [Luke 18:8]
Because of God’s actions and through the life of His Son, He DOES find faith on this earth. He sees it in our actions. He hears it in our prayers. He found hope and faith in Noah, and because of Noah’s prayers, God saved Noah’s family, granting us all a second chance. There was faith on the earth when the woman with the hemorrhage reached out and touched the hem of Jesus’ cloak, giving us an example of faith in action.
There was faith in the land when both Caleb and Joshua went into Canaan to spy out the land for Moses and the people of Israel, giving us an example of how to see and report things through the eyes of faith. Faith was found in a young shepherd boy named David, a young boy, not yet a warrior, who slayed Goliath with nothing more than a sling shot; he is an example of knowing without question who we are in Christ and who will win the battle.
Jesus honored the Roman Centurion who approached him on the road and asked that his servant be healed with just a word from Jesus, no house visit required. God found faithfulness in King Ahab’s wicked son, Hezekiah. And today, there is much faith to be found across the globe.
“Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God. And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope.” [Romans 5:1-4]
So, whatever your mountain is today, know this: if you can see the mountain, so does God. Think about that for a minute…let that thought sink in.
You are not alone!
[Like what your reading? There’s more where this came from – deeper studies of scriptural stories in my book, Legacies of Valor – Traits of Character: The Noble & The Notable. Support this blog ministry by ordering a copy of Legacies of Valor today]
Friends, it’s great to get feedback and confirmation that I’m not just writing to a black hole – so please - before you leave – take a moment to “like” and “share” these posts with your social network. Together, we can encourage many – one post at a time.
How many of you have actually walked up to a mountain, and said, “Move from here to there,” and have actually seen the mountain move? Don’t answer too quickly, because I’m betting you have. I know I have!
That said, my mountains were not literal mountains, but they may as well have been. They were huge, insurmountable obstacles that stood before me, taunting me, and they had to be removed before I could move forward.
Like Elvis, I’ve cried out to God about my mountains. I’ve actually had several mountains that seemed totally unchangeable and impenetrable; through prayer, patience, and faith, these seemingly insurmountable obstacles were indeed moved, torn down, shattered, or resolved to my satisfaction. Some of them stood in my way at the work place. Others erupted at home. Looking back, I’m convinced that without God’s supernatural intervention, passage forward would not have been possible.
“Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, “be taken up and cast into the sea,” and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it shall be granted him. Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them and they shall be granted you. And whenever you stand praying, forgive; if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your transgressions.” [Mark 11:22-25]
Note the italicized text above. We have to say and believe IN ADVANCE of something happening. Notice the words, “going to happen.” This is future, not past, tense. Also, note that we are to believe we’ve received them. The word “received” is also in past tense, yet what we requested hasn’t yet occurred.
It may appear as though I’m dicing words here like a master chef chops garlic, but I’m convinced that God is in the details, and that once we see how Faith works, we will find both rest and peace within the essence of faith.
No longer will our thoughts be tossed to and fro. Doubt will no longer take precedence. For a moment, look at faith from God’s perspective. From His point of view, all things are possible. When He decided to separate the heavens from the land, He simply spoke this into existence. When the ancient world stopped appreciating and observing His signs and wonders, and few gave heed to His voice through miracles, He offered His Son, knowing full well that through Christ’s life, death, burial, and resurrection, His voice would be heard throughout time.
God’s faith in His creation, man, has been demonstrated time and time again since the very beginning. He has never stopped believing in us, or hoping the best for us; He has been faithful and stands ready to help us.
“I tell you that He will bring about justice for them speedily. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?” [Luke 18:8]
Because of God’s actions and through the life of His Son, He DOES find faith on this earth. He sees it in our actions. He hears it in our prayers. He found hope and faith in Noah, and because of Noah’s prayers, God saved Noah’s family, granting us all a second chance. There was faith on the earth when the woman with the hemorrhage reached out and touched the hem of Jesus’ cloak, giving us an example of faith in action.
There was faith in the land when both Caleb and Joshua went into Canaan to spy out the land for Moses and the people of Israel, giving us an example of how to see and report things through the eyes of faith. Faith was found in a young shepherd boy named David, a young boy, not yet a warrior, who slayed Goliath with nothing more than a sling shot; he is an example of knowing without question who we are in Christ and who will win the battle.
Jesus honored the Roman Centurion who approached him on the road and asked that his servant be healed with just a word from Jesus, no house visit required. God found faithfulness in King Ahab’s wicked son, Hezekiah. And today, there is much faith to be found across the globe.
“Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God. And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope.” [Romans 5:1-4]
So, whatever your mountain is today, know this: if you can see the mountain, so does God. Think about that for a minute…let that thought sink in.
You are not alone!
[Like what your reading? There’s more where this came from – deeper studies of scriptural stories in my book, Legacies of Valor – Traits of Character: The Noble & The Notable. Support this blog ministry by ordering a copy of Legacies of Valor today]
Friends, it’s great to get feedback and confirmation that I’m not just writing to a black hole – so please - before you leave – take a moment to “like” and “share” these posts with your social network. Together, we can encourage many – one post at a time.
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