I consider myself to be a person of much faith. I continually read God’s Word and I believe it wholeheartedly. In fact, so much so that in my early years, I took many scriptures literally. For example, Jesus said, “I tell you the truth that if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, move from here to there and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.” (Matthew 17:20) I believed that with a little faith, a literal mountain could move. Unfortunately, in 2,000 years I had not heard of any mountains being relocated. That caused me to question how little was my faith, and how hard is it to acquire enough? Oh, how naive the immature Christian can be without Godly wisdom and understanding. However, Jesus encouraged childlike faith when He said, “Truly I tell you, unless you turn and become like little children, you will never see the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 18:3)
For many little children, parents are heroes, able to provide for their every need. They stretch out their little arms toward mommy or daddy and are picked up into the arms of comfort, safety and provision. That’s the kind of faith our Father in heaven wants us to have in Him. But this faith is only possible when we “turn” to become like little children. It is in the turning away from our sinful, self-reliant life and belief in the power of the cross, that we are born again as a new creation in Christ, like a child in whom God is our Father.
That’s how it was for me. I became like a little child who believed every word Jesus spoke in the Bible. I just needed the wisdom and understanding that eventually came as I matured in my Christian faith. I later came to understand moving mountains as an allegory for problems in our life. When John the Baptist prophesied about Jesus and preached a baptism of repentance, he said every valley will be filled and every mountain made low (Luke 3:5). When one is in the valley, they feel empty and low in need of the satisfaction that only Jesus can give. And the mountains made low are the problems and obstacles in front of you that prevent you from experiencing the abundant life that Jesus offers.
However, I don’t want you to miss the beauty and the power of childlike faith, for with it you learn much and it becomes a foundation that keeps you from sinking when the storms come. My child like faith has helped me get through many storms and trials. They were hills and valleys compared to a bigger problem that has since surfaced in my life and been around for several years now. This problem has become a mountain for me to overcome. In retrospect, the hills and valleys seemed simple enough to overcome with prayer, faith and my choices in handling the situation. With every decision, I believed I was doing God’s will in resolving the issue. As I searched in the valley, like a dog digging for a bone, I would conceive of a solution for each issue. I perceived it to be helping me up the hill. I had a short lived feeling of victory, believing that my faith had served me well. Until it didn’t, and the problem returned, at which point I would resolve to do it all over again. I was only fooling myself, because in my naivety, I had no idea what actual faith was. Little by little the hills got higher and my valleys became lower. Before I knew it, a mountain loomed before me.
Let Go and Let God
Jesus said in this life we will have trials, but take heart, I have overcome the world. God had been faithful to help me to overcome my trials to this point, so why was this mountain getting so much bigger? Why couldn’t my faith seem to move it? Then I had a revelation! I was leaning on my own understanding to figure out a solution, believing it was God telling me it was my next right step. The scriptures say “Trust in the Lord with all of your heart, lean not on your own understanding. In all of your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your path straight.” (Proverbs 3:4-5)
God will move the mountain only when we’re ready to trust Him completely. He will take care of the problem in His own way and time. The “how” and “when” is not ours to decide. Jesus said you can say to this mountain go from here to there. Another way to look at that would be out of your care and into God’s care. Jesus wants to carry our burdens. Sometimes our next right step is doing nothing. God is faithful and will hear our prayer to move our mountain in His own way and time. We will be victorious with tiny, mustard seed size faith when we continue to set our sight on God instead of our problem.
The faith to move the mountain from here to there is believing that the mountain is no longer a problem that we have to be concerned about because God has it. Once we truly give it over to Him, remaining strong and courageous in our faith, regardless of the circumstances, we will see God work a miracle moving that mountain.
In another scripture, Jesus spoke again about having faith to be able to cast mountains into the sea. This scripture implies the complete disappearance of the mountain. This miracle requires unwavering faith without doubt, and forgiving others that you too may be forgiven. (Read the verses in full context Mark 11:22-25) You can’t expect God to forgive you if you’re holding anything against someone else, or if you come to Him with unresolved sin. Great miracle working faith involves overcoming people’s offenses, being totally obedient to God, and not doubting the miracle you are praying for. Many times the extent of this faith comes only after being refined in the fire that purifies you. How God chooses to miraculously move your mountain often is part of the process of making us holy. Often times, God has to deal with our own hearts before he answers our prayers. Most of the time, our mountain is part of that.
Patience Is About Attitude
Waiting on God to move that mountain, to overcome the problem can be the hardest part. Someone once told me never to pray for patience because God will always give you something to be patient about. When I told a friend that I have been very impatient lately, she brought to my attention that patience is more about attitude than waiting. Apparently, I have been having a lousy attitude in waiting and I’m beginning to see wrinkles and frown lines appear because of it. When my eyes are on my mountain, instead of God, I feel defeated. I begin to question the actual magnitude of my faith and allow myself to have an “Oh No” attitude rather than a grateful attitude that says “ohh- eeh”, thank you God!
Remember that ohh-eeh is the isometric facial exercise to help smooth lines around your mouth. Test it out for yourself. Look in the mirror, frowning and say oh no, then raise your eyebrows and say ohh-eeh. The ohh-eeh smile instantly softens those lines and you look prettier. It’s a benefit not only for beauty’s sake, but for faith’s sake too!
Smile at the Enemy
The goal of the enemy (Satan) is to destroy our faith. He does this with fear and lies. Sometimes Satan attacks a loved one to try to cause us to take our eyes off of Jesus and onto our problem. Just when things are going smooth and we have the peace of Jesus, he shoots arrows of fear and lies into our mind. While he cannot hear our thoughts, he can put thoughts in our head. Only God can hear our thoughts, that’s why it’s important to rebuke the enemy out loud. Often, we have to be reminded that the devil is a liar and God’s power is undefeatable! It’s the best way to get the devil to flee. You don’t have to yell at the enemy to leave you alone because you really don’t want to engage in conversation with this clever entity. You can simply smile and thank God that He gave you the power to resist believing the lies and be an overcomer. Speaking that out loud will not only send away the enemy, but increase your faith in the process, as you hear yourself proclaim God’s truth. The devil hears it too and will flee. “Submit yourselves, then to God. Resist the devil and He will flee from you.” (James 4:7)
So, the bottom line is you only need a little childlike faith in God to move mountainous problems. Completely let go and let God handle the problem. With a smile on your face and a patient attitude, your mountain can be miraculously cast away. Don’t forget the importance of reading God’s word. You can’t believe His promises if you don’t know what they are, and God often speaks to you through His Word. Your next right step many times lines up with the scriptures. It’s usually not something you conceive of in your own understanding. After reading the Word, try to quiet your mind to hear how God wants to apply it to your life. The answer will come! And when it does, be obedient to it.
Thank you for reading my blog, may you learn from my mistakes and be encouraged moving forward. Faith is your future, put it in God. May you be blessed, strengthened and courageous in your faith, in Jesus’ name I pray. I’ll be back soon with my fashion ABC’s for spring 2021.
Recent Comments