Faith that Moves Mountains

"And Jesus answered them, 'Have faith in God. Truly, I say to you,

whoever says to this mountain, "Be taken up and thrown into the sea,"

and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass,

it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer,

believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.'"

Mark 11:22-24 ESV

Last month I watched my bank account go down dangerously close to zero. If you've ever been on one of those theme park rides that drops you straight down and stops just as you feel like you're going to hit the ground--the kind where your stomach ends up in your throat--then you understand the feeling I had when I saw my account as it dropped. With no income to change that direction, I immediately went to prayer, and I think it went something like this: "God, I don't know how You're going to do it, but I know You're going to provide; and so, I thank you in advance for taking care of me and my mortgage." And that was it. The ride pulled back up; my faith rose with it.

To be up front, I didn't come into that kind of faith overnight nor have I always had that kind of faith when I pray. I think it's also important to remember, when we pray, to have the right motives as James 4:3 reminds us: "When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures," so that we keep our hearts in alignment with God's heart.

So, then, how do we get to that kind faith that moves mountains?

1. Begin with a step of obedience. Mountains are climbed with one step at a time; and we grow stronger with each step, so start by obeying God. (See Deuteronomy 11:13-14; Hebrews 11, 1 John 2:3-6.)

2. Trust with all your heart. Surrender yourself to God's ways and lean not on your own ways. (See Proverbs 3:5-6.)

3. Listen to the Spirit. The Holy Spirit was given us as an intercessor, a guide, a revealer, a connector to God, so listen carefully to the Spirit. (See 1 Corinthians 2:9-16.)

4. Believe, don't doubt. (See Mark 11;23.) This is probably the hardest action for us to do because of our humanness, but if we start with believing what God says is true and then rest on what He has told us in His infallible Word, there is no reason to doubt.

5. Remind yourself of God's faithfulness. Whether you're a new Christian or have been a follower of Christ for a while, you have memory of God's faithfulness. And because we all have a track record with God and His faithfulness, we can recall it in times of need. (See Deuteronomy 7:9 and 32:4, Psalm 89:8, Joel 2:23, Lamentations 3:22-25.)

You have the ability to move mountains (praise God!) because not every mountain is meant for you to climb (praise God again!). Therefore, when you pray, do as Jesus said, "Have faith in God," and "believe that you have received it," (Mark 11:22-24) for He means what He says. His Word is true. Nothing is impossible for God and with God, nothing will be impossible for you (see Matthew 17:20).

Faithful God, thank you for hearing my prayers and for answering them according to Your purposes. Increase my faith and remove all doubt from my heart and mind. I trust You, Lord. I believe in You. I receive today all that You have in store for me. Guide me, Holy Spirit, to do Your will. All praise and glory be Yours forever and ever. Amen.