What if…. you had faith to move mountains?

Hebrews 11 is resplendent with images of what mountain moving faith looks like. The great faithful are revealed for us to study and learn from: Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, and Moses all moved past the mountains in their way by faith.

• What is faith?

Hebrews 11:1 ~ Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not yet seen.”

• Where do we get faith?

Romans 10:17 – “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.”

• What can faith do?

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

Hebrews 11:6 reminds us of the hindrance a lack of faith brings in the life of a believer.

“But without faith it is impossible to please and be satisfactory to Him. For whoever would come near to God must (necessarily) believe that God exits and that He is the rewarded of those who earnestly and diligently seek Him [out].”

Early on in my Christian walk I encountered this idea of living by faith as I read that the just shall live by faith.  (Romans 1:17)  I was eager to delve into His Word and fill up on every passage of scripture that would strengthen my walk so that I could speak to those mountains and see them removed.  It wasn’t, of course, anything of my own doing when mountains in my life crumbed, that glory belongs to God alone.  It was, however, the continual immersion of my heart basking in His Word that strengthened me and girded me for the road ahead.

And to be honest, the mountains didn’t always move. The mountains were sometimes an actual blessing because I had to go around them a few times to learn the lesson correctly.  I remember that at times I felt like I was kicking at the rocks  trying to push against the stronghold in my life as if I, myself, could remove it from its path on my own.  His Word tells us, “It is not by power or might, but by my Spirit, says the Lord”.  (Zechariah 4:6)

He is the Mountain Mover in our lives!

I was pushing against something I had not been given the ability to move past, just yet,  because my faith had not reached the proportion of the mountain in front of me.  Sometimes, I took a few turns around the path and realized that as I walked the mountain, the steps I took over the top and back down were the same size as the steps that retreated back to the foot in defeat.

Listen, it isn’t just the size of the step you take towards the mountains of trials in your life, it is the mustard seed of faith that is planted into the garden of your heart that makes the difference.

Jesus said that all it takes is faith the size of a mustard seed, but what does that mean if we are believing and seeing no results?

I would scour His word for the answer and seek Him in prayer till I felt that peace.  Over and over I realized that the faith I was looking for was bound up in my ability to be soaked in His Word every single day and speaking that Word into every area of my life.  His Word is alive and powerful and it has a purpose that does not return unto God w/o completion. ( Heb. 4:12, Is 55:11)

What if we had faith enough to move the mountains in our lives?

Would it change how we approached them?

Let’s start with a  few scriptures that spoke to the weariness in my heart as I have travelled this narrow path of life, sometimes missing the boulders and other times running  smack dab into the stony mountain of unbelief.

• Jeremiah 29:11 – “ Know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future.”
• Psalm 46:10 – “ Be still and know that I am God.”
• Hebrews 10:35-36,38 – “Cast not away therefore your confidence which has great recompense of reward. For you have need of patience, that, after you have done the will of God, you might receive the promise. The just shall live by faith.”

Faith is not a magic feeling that we plug into, it is a belief  in the entirety of who He is. It is a consistent trusting that God is working all things out for our good. ( Romans 8:28). It is a tangible hope that produces  desired results… which are always measurable.

Faith trusts, hopes, endures, and believes that God IS.

Perhaps, you are wrestling with the child-like faith that scripture reminds we need to have approaching God. Maybe there is a mountain in your way and you have been hitting the stone foundation repeatedly, and now you are walking away with a sore foot rather than an increased faith.

Let me speak straight to your heart, friend.  God is in the business of answered prayer. Faith is evidence of persistent prayer and consistent trust in His Word.

He is faithful. He is trustworthy. He answers our prayers. He moves our mountains.

The very first scripture that I memorized was Romans 10:17, “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.”  We grow in faith the more time we spend in His Word.  Likewise, as we read, ingest, and absorb His life-giving Word  we get to know the heart of the Father. We see the beauty and glory of the Son who is the Savior of the World. We come to know the power of His Holy Spirit as we are enlightened by His presence.

As our faith grows the mountains have no ability to master our lives, however, we have the ability to cast them quickly and firmly into the sea.

Do you have a mountain standing in your way?

Grow your faith by  His Word.

Pray in faith by His Spirit.

Speak to the mountain.

Believe.

Praying for your faith to increase to mountain moving proportion!

Blessings!

Linking up today with Julie at Christian Mommy Blogger and Fellowship Fridays, Missional Women, and Deidra and The Sunday Community .