Prayer should be as natural as breathing to the children of God. Answered prayer should be normal for every believer. So why do we often struggle with a powerless or no prayer life when our prayer can and should have the power to move mountains?
Matthew 21:18-22 MSG Early the next morning Jesus was returning to the city. He was hungry. Seeing a lone fig tree alongside the road, he approached it anticipating a breakfast of figs. When he got to the tree, there was nothing but fig leaves. He said, “No more figs from this tree—ever!” The fig tree withered on the spot, a dry stick. The disciples saw it happen. They rubbed their eyes, saying, “Did we really see this? A leafy tree one minute, a dry stick the next?” But Jesus was matter-of-fact: “Yes—and if you embrace this kingdom life and don’t doubt God, you’ll not only do minor feats like I did to the fig tree, but also triumph over huge obstacles. This mountain, for instance, you’ll tell, ‘Go jump in the lake,’ and it will jump. Absolutely everything, ranging from small to large, as you make it a part of your believing prayer, gets included as you lay hold of God.”
Your mountain could be any number of things; sickness, getting over a broken relationship, loss of a job, the grief of losing a loved one, a financial crises, or something else you are going through right now that seems to be getting worse by the second.
The Bible tells us we can be confident that our prayers will be heard and answered. Our prayers are more than wishes and hopes or desires if we pray in faith. When we pray in faith, that prayer really can move mountains.
Hebrews 11:1-2 MSG The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It’s our handle on what we can’t see. The act of faith is what distinguished our ancestors, set them above the crowd.
I want to be clear that when that mountain moves it may not be the way that you want to see it move. There may not be a big explosion that demolishes the mountain in one powerful blast. Your mountain may move by God eroding it over time like a drop of water falling on a rock will eventually destroy the rock and reduce it to nothing. Your mountain may not move physically at all but God may show you the path around the mountain and you move away from it. God may even have you borough through it. That may mean lots of sweat, tears, and work but you get through the mountain and it moves, in a sense, because it is behind you.
The bottom line is that the mountain moves because you prayed in faith and trusted God no matter how long it took, or how hard the work in prayer, and obedience in hearing God and following His will for you.
Genuine faith takes us as far as we can see, and when we get there, faith promises that we'll be able to see farther.
Matthew 21:18-22 MSG Early the next morning Jesus was returning to the city. He was hungry. Seeing a lone fig tree alongside the road, he approached it anticipating a breakfast of figs. When he got to the tree, there was nothing but fig leaves. He said, “No more figs from this tree—ever!” The fig tree withered on the spot, a dry stick. The disciples saw it happen. They rubbed their eyes, saying, “Did we really see this? A leafy tree one minute, a dry stick the next?” But Jesus was matter-of-fact: “Yes—and if you embrace this kingdom life and don’t doubt God, you’ll not only do minor feats like I did to the fig tree, but also triumph over huge obstacles. This mountain, for instance, you’ll tell, ‘Go jump in the lake,’ and it will jump. Absolutely everything, ranging from small to large, as you make it a part of your believing prayer, gets included as you lay hold of God.”
Your mountain could be any number of things; sickness, getting over a broken relationship, loss of a job, the grief of losing a loved one, a financial crises, or something else you are going through right now that seems to be getting worse by the second.
The Bible tells us we can be confident that our prayers will be heard and answered. Our prayers are more than wishes and hopes or desires if we pray in faith. When we pray in faith, that prayer really can move mountains.
Hebrews 11:1-2 MSG The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It’s our handle on what we can’t see. The act of faith is what distinguished our ancestors, set them above the crowd.
I want to be clear that when that mountain moves it may not be the way that you want to see it move. There may not be a big explosion that demolishes the mountain in one powerful blast. Your mountain may move by God eroding it over time like a drop of water falling on a rock will eventually destroy the rock and reduce it to nothing. Your mountain may not move physically at all but God may show you the path around the mountain and you move away from it. God may even have you borough through it. That may mean lots of sweat, tears, and work but you get through the mountain and it moves, in a sense, because it is behind you.
The bottom line is that the mountain moves because you prayed in faith and trusted God no matter how long it took, or how hard the work in prayer, and obedience in hearing God and following His will for you.
Genuine faith takes us as far as we can see, and when we get there, faith promises that we'll be able to see farther.
Mountain Moving Faith believes God is who He says He is.
Hebrews 11:6 NCV Without faith no one can please God. Anyone who comes to God must believe that he is real and that he rewards those who truly want to find him.
Faith is knowing and believing God is who he says he is. The more we know God, the more we understand who he is. Faith is a natural response to the nature and personality of God.
Mountain Moving Faith believes God is able.
Ephesians 3:20 NLT Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.
We must not only believe that God is able in our heads but we must believe it in our hearts. That’s real faith. When our hearts aren't persuaded, we don't pray. We don't believe God can or will do anything about our requests. If you feel that way the mountain will never move it won't even budge.
God has not and will not change. He is as powerful today as He ever was. When the Israelites were between the Red Sea and Egyptian army all of them with the exception of Moses panicked.
Exodus 14:10-14 NLT As Pharaoh approached, the people of Israel looked up and panicked when they saw the Egyptians overtaking them. They cried out to the Lord, and they said to Moses, “Why did you bring us out here to die in the wilderness? Weren’t there enough graves for us in Egypt? What have you done to us? Why did you make us leave Egypt? Didn’t we tell you this would happen while we were still in Egypt? We said, ‘Leave us alone! Let us be slaves to the Egyptians. It’s better to be a slave in Egypt than a corpse in the wilderness!’” But Moses told the people, “Don’t be afraid. Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again. The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.”
Moses had mountain moving faith.
Exodus 14:21-25 NLT Then Moses raised his hand over the sea, and the Lord opened up a path through the water with a strong east wind. The wind blew all that night, turning the seabed into dry land. So the people of Israel walked through the middle of the sea on dry ground, with walls of water on each side! Then the Egyptians—all of Pharaoh’s horses, chariots, and charioteers—chased them into the middle of the sea. But just before dawn the Lord looked down on the Egyptian army from the pillar of fire and cloud, and he threw their forces into total confusion. He twisted their chariot wheels, making their chariots difficult to drive. “Let’s get out of here—away from these Israelites!” the Egyptians shouted. “The Lord is fighting for them against Egypt!”
God has not changed. God was able then, and God is able today.
Hebrews 13:8 NLT Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
Mountain Moving Faith believes God is willing.
Matthew 7:7-11 MSG “Don’t bargain with God. Be direct. Ask for what you need. This isn’t a cat-and-mouse, hide-and-seek game we’re in. If your child asks for bread, do you trick him with sawdust? If he asks for fish, do you scare him with a live snake on his plate? As bad as you are, you wouldn’t think of such a thing. You’re at least decent to your own children. So don’t you think the God who conceived you in love will be even better?
If this is true of earthly parents imagine what our Heavenly Father wants to give us. Nothing in the universe would keep him from giving you his full attention when you pray!
God is ready, willing, and able to answer our prayers. God wants to answer our prayers. Mountain moving faith comes when we believe these truths and step out in obedience. Faith comes as we go!
RSS Feed