MOVING MOUNTAINS
By Pastor Jim May
Do you feel like you have the faith to move a mountain this morning? I have spoken to those who claimed to have that kind of faith. I have also met many who look at this passage of scripture and wonder if they have any faith at all, because they feel like they could never move a mountain.
One fellow that I read about said this, “Lord, I’ve never moved a mountain and I guess I never will. All the faith that I could muster wouldn’t move a small anthill.”
Is that the way you feel sometimes? There is a story of a man whose son was possessed by the devil in Mark chapter 9, and I am convinced that most of us have the same kind of faith that this man had.
Mark 9:17-22, "And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit; And wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not. He answereth him, and saith, O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him unto me. And they brought him unto him: and when he saw him, straightway the spirit tare him; and he fell on the ground, and wallowed foaming. And he asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child. And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us."
Some of us come to church week after week, and we feel like we have been in the sights of the devil’s big guns. It’s like all of the powers of hell have been unleashed with one thing in mind, to take us down.
Mountains come in many fashions and forms in our lives and it seems that there isn’t a day that goes by when a new mountain appears in our path. All of life is a struggle. I thank God for the good days; those days when everything runs smoothly, nothing breaks down, there’s no feuding going on in the family, the church is doing well, the weather is fine, and I fell like I’m sitting on top of the world. But those good days seem to be so few and it doesn’t take long until the world seems to be sitting on top me. How many of you can say AMEN to that!
Job was certainly inspired by the Holy Spirit when he penned the words, "a man’s life is of few days, and full of trouble." (Job 14:1)
How many Christians do you see that act just like that demon possessed son? I know that the devil can’t “possess” a Christian; at least not a true, born again, Holy Ghost filled, tongue talking, Child of God. No sir, that can never be, for either we are a Child of God or a Child of the Devil, not both. But sometimes we feel like we might have been kidnapped by the devil for a while because of the troubles and torments that he brings against us.
I’ve seen some people that I believe are true Christians that seemed to have a dumb spirit. They can’t worship the Lord in freedom. They don’t sing the songs of praise along with the rest of the church. They don’t testify when the opportunities come. That sounds like a dumb spirit to me! Is it because they are possessed or oppressed by the devil, or is it just that they can’t get past the mountain that stands in their path?
I’ve seen some who just let the devil lead them around by the nose, taking them anywhere he wanted to, and then they allow the devil to tear away their love for the church, their love for other Christians and their love for God, while he gives them a love for the things of this world.
Finally, one day those Christians will wake up, by the mercies of God, and realize where they are. Then they will begin to lament their circumstances. They will sit there, with that mountain of faults and failures sitting astride their path back to God, and there they will stay for a while, just pining away, whining and complaining that life just isn’t fair.
Well, whoever said that life was going to be fair in the first place?
It’s not fair – when the mountain that stands before you is a mountain of sickness when you’ve done everything in your power to eat right, exercise and maintain your health.
It’s not fair – when an innocent child has to suffer the loss of parents
It’s not fair – when you work hard for your company and then see them turn against you after many years.
It’s not fair – when that spouse who committed their live and love to you as long as you both shall live, suddenly finds someone else to make their commitment to.
Life isn’t fair – it’s short and full of troubles. That vapor of smoke that only lasts for a moment and then its gone, is your life, and it represents a lot of troubles, trials, tests and hard times. That’s life, so get used to it, but don’t let it overcome you. You still have all the faith it takes to move those mountains and walk on in victory.
Maybe the devil has a part to play in our lack of victory, but more often, it’s not the devil, it’s our own choices that keep us from doing what it takes to have a right relationship with God.
Back in the 1960’s there was a comedian on the TV by name of Flip Wilson. One of his favorite things to say when he did something wrong was, “The devil made me do it.”
The fact is that most of the church world has that same kind of attitude. We love to blame the devil for everything that isn’t right in our walk with the Lord. My friends it isn’t the devil that make us do wrong, its our own choice. We see the mountains of temptation, frustration, anger and the desire for the things of the world ahead of us, and instead of using the faith that God gives to us to move the mountain, we just give up and start whining about it.
Sometimes I feel like the same thing is happening to me that happened to the possessed son. I felt like I was taken out of the frying pan and cast into the fire, or I have been taken out of the pool of tears and cast into a sea of humanity that is filled with despair, and I begin to wonder, when will this pass and when will I rise again?
Then, when I fell like the mountain has been set down right on top of me, I remember the words that Jesus said when the disciples couldn’t cast that devil, “O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? I suddenly come to realize that I’m not what I should be in the Lord. I just keep on failing Him so miserably. God, I need help here – I can’t do this on my own. I feel even more miserable than before when I come to realize just how far I am from having that “mountain moving” kind of faith.
Then I also remember what Jesus told the man to do – go and bring him unto me.
That’s the answer to moving your mountain! That’s what you have to do if you want to see it removed from your life. You have to bring it to Jesus!
Jesus, here is my mountain. I’ve tried to overcome it, but I can’t! I’ve tried to climb over it but it’s too steep and too high. I’ve tried to tunnel through it but it’s just to hard. I’ve tried to push it out of my life, but it’s just too heavy for me to bear. I’ve tried to carry it away but I can’t carry enough of it to make a difference. I’ve tried the best I know how, but the mountain is still there.
That’s when Jesus says in Mark 9:23-24, "… If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.”
And what do we answer; what kind of great faith do we have? For most of us the mountain is so huge, and our faith is so weak that all we can say in reply is what the father said that day, “And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief."
Lord, I know you can deliver me. Lord, I know that you know all things and can do all things. I do not doubt your power. I do not doubt your love, mercy and grace. I do not doubt that you are God, but WILL YOU REALLY DELIVER ME?
Jesus, I’ve been sick a long time – will you really heal me? I know that you can, but do you want to, and will you do it now?
Jesus, I’ve been bound by this bad habit for many years and I’ve tried to break it’s hold on my life so many times – I know that you can deliver me from this habit, but will you?
Jesus, I’ve done some terrible things in my life and committed some horrible crimes against you – I want to be forgiven and I know what your Word says, but will you really forgive me?
Jesus, I’ve failed to pray, to study to your word, and I’ve not been as faithful and committed to you as should have been. I know that you said that I could go back to the Throne Room of Heaven and seek for forgiveness and restoration, but will the Father really accept me again? Will He ever be able to use me again?
Jesus, I’ve begun to desire the things of this world too much. I’ve sought after those things that have become weights that stop me from serving the Lord – how can I break those ties? Lord, I know you can do that for me, but how - but when?
LORD I BELIEVE, HELP MY UNBELIEF! I know you can do all things. I know you see all things and have all power, but will you move my mountain? Will you set me free? I have seen you do it for others, and I can have faith for them, but what about for me? Can it really happen for me?
In the Book of Matthew, chapter 21, Jesus cursed the fig tree because it didn’t bear any fruit. The disciples were amazed at the power that Jesus had over nature. They knew that Jesus was more than just a man, but how could he do such things?
Matthew 21:21-22, "Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done. And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive."
Lord, I know I have faith. Lord I believe that your word is true and that you can do all things, but I just don’t know if you will do it for me, right here and right now!
We like to qualify what the Word says, just in case it doesn’t happen, just so we won’t appear to be a faithless people!
We say things like, “In God’s time it will happen”, or “maybe this is just my cross that I must bear”, or “that’s the way it is”, or “maybe this is my thorn in the flesh like Paul had to remind him of his weakness”.
Certainly there are times when God may allow circumstances to remain to test our faithfulness and teach us some spiritual lessons, but don’t let that be a cop-out for lack of faith in God’s power to heal, set free and deliver.
When we see that mountain of sickness – we need to pray in faith, believing that healing for us right now!
When we see that mountain of troubles – we need to pray in faith, believing that the mountain will be removed!
I’m convinced that the reason most people don’t pray is that they don’t expect God to answer their prayers in the first place. They kneel down, and talk to themselves for a while, not expecting God to speak back because they have never heard Him do it before. They get tired of hearing their own voice, wondering If God is even listening, then get up and go back to doing the same things again. The only thing they really accomplished was to ease their conscience for a while, but they haven’t touched God through faith.
Let me read to you the rest of what the man said in the illustration that I began with.
“Lord, I’ve never moved a mountain and I guess I never will. All the faith that I could muster wouldn’t move a small anthill.”
But I’ll tell you, Lord, I’m grateful for the joy of knowing You, and for all the mountain moving down through life that You’ve done for me.
When I needed some help you lifted me from the depths of great despair. And when burdens, pain and sorrow have been more than I can bear, you have always been my courage to deliver me from life’s troubled sea, and to move those little mountains that have looked so big to me.
Many times when I’ve had problems , so many bills I’ve had to pay. All the worries and the heartaches just kept mounting every day. Jesus I don’t know how you did it. I can’t explain it. All I know is that I’ve seen these mountains turn to blessings in disguise.
No, I’ve never moved a mountain, for my faith is far too small. Yet, I thank you, Lord of Heaven, you have always heard my call. And as long as there are mountains in my life, I’ll have no fear, for the mountain-moving Jesus is my strength and He is always near.
Do you see the faith that this man has? Do you see what just happened?
He didn’t have the faith to move an anthill, but he had trust and faith in the One who could. God still moved the mountain for him – not because he cursed the mountain and cast it aside, but because he brought it to Jesus and then Jesus is the one who cast it aside.
It’s not you and your faith that moves the mountain. It’s not you and your faith that cures the sickness, takes away the habit, or changes your life. It’s your faith in Jesus, to believe that He can and will move the mountain.
Do you believe that Jesus loves you? Do you believe that He cares? Do you believe that He hears your prayers? Do you believe that He has all power to do whatever it takes to answer your prayer? Do you believe that Jesus wants to answer your prayer or deliver you right now? Do you have faith in Him?
Let us answer in faith – yes Lord – I believe. Yes Lord, I know that you will answer my prayer right now. I know that you will take this mountain out of my life and cast it into the sea, and I believe it’s going happen right now.
Is there a mountain in your life that seems too big for you? Is there a need in your life that needs to be met right now? Jesus is your answer. Take to Him in prayer and then expect an answer.
You are God’s child and He wants to give you the answer to your prayer, so pray and believe that the answer is already yours right now!
Luke 12:32 says, "Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom." God wants you to be well. God wants you to be free. God wants you to be delivered. God wants to give you the best that Heaven has to offer. He is just waiting on you to ask, in faith, without wavering.
2 Thessalonians 1:12 says, "That the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and ye in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ."
God will answer your prayer; not only for your sake to make your life better, but also that He may be glorified in you.
Is there something that you have been praying for but the answer hasn’t come? Don’t give up now; the answer is here!
Is there a need in your life that hasn’t been met? Ask in faith and watch the answer come!
Is there a lost loved one that needs salvation? Don’t stop praying for them! God loves to answer that kind of prayer and it is going to come to pass.
Is there a sickness that you have not been able to overcome? Keep praying for healing and believe God. God wants you to be well.
Yes God is glorified in your sickness by your remaining faithful through it all. But how much more glory will God receive when you are completely healed!
