Faith to Move Mountains
Last month we looked at believing the impossible. This month we want to look at faith that moves mountains. What’s the difference? Well, you must first believe to have faith. If I believe that you are a liar, then no matter what you say I will not believe you. But if I believe that you are an honest person, then if you ask me to lend you something I will have the faith to believe that you will return it. So we see that the two work hand-in-hand. So we want to look at what the Bible says about faith.
We saw last month that faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1). Our convictions must go down deep within us, down to the very core of our being. The deeper our roots go down, the stronger is our faith. The stronger our faith is, it becomes impossible for us to be moved from our beliefs. Our faith will not only be the result of us doing a work for the Kingdom, but we will be getting results in this work. But this only comes from knowing God: not knowing of God, but actually having a personal relationship with Him, where you know His voice and you know His will for your life.
Paul told the Corinthians, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:58). Faith is the key to moving the hand of God, and without it it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). Yeshua (Jesus) tells His followers in Matthew 17:20, “I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you shall say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it shall move; and nothing is impossible to you.'”
So I ask, what is your mountain that you need removed? Yeshua tells us that we can speak to our obstacles, and with even a little bit of faith it will remove itself. The spoken word is a very powerful thing. By the spoken word of God all creation came into existence.
Matthew records a conversation between Yeshua and a centurion who asks Yeshua to heal his servant who was paralyzed. The centurion says in Matthew 8:8, responding to Yeshua after He tells him that He will come, “The Centurion answered and said, ‘Lord, I am not worthy for you to come under my roof, but just say the word, and my servant will be healed.'” This Gentile in the Roman Army must have heard about Yeshua; in fact, he must have known enough about the Hebrew Scriptures that he knew about the creation account to tell Yeshua to just “speak the word” and his servant would be healed. In Biblical times they would have called this man a God-fearer.
Verse 10 gives us Yeshua’s response: “Now when Yeshua heard this He marveled, and said to those who were following Him, ‘Truly I say to you, I have not found such great faith with anyone in Israel.'” The centurion knew without a doubt that Yeshua was a man of His word. Because of his knowledge of Yeshua, he believed in what he had heard about Him, or maybe the miracles he may have seen done by Him caused his faith to have the assurance of what he hoped for, which was the healing of his servant. Yeshua Himself said, “Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me; otherwise believe on account of the works themselves” (John 14:11).
Faith cannot be stagnant, it must be alive and active. James 2:17-18 tells us, “Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself. But someone may well say, ‘You have faith, and I have works;’ show me your faith without works, and I will show you my faith by my works.”‘ But faith cannot be apart from God. Yeshua tells us in John 15:5, “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing.”
We must work with the Holy Spirit in hearing the voice of Shepherd (John 10:27), leading us in our faith, for He is the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2). He has called us to do works of faith (Ephesians 2:10, Galatians 6:9). But you may say, “I have no faith.” But God has given each of us that mustard seed of faith: “But think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith” (Romans 12:3b).
If confessing with your mouth and believing in your heart has the power to bring about salvation, then faith when spoken can move mountains, for Romans 10:8-9 says, “But what does it say? The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that is the word of which we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved.”
What do you have to say today? Speak it in faith and believe in your heart and let God move on your behalf. Paul tells the Ephesians in chapter 6:10-20 to be strong in the strength of the Lord’s might and put on the full armor of God.
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.
Take your stand today and speak to whatever that mountain is that keeps you from going forward in the Lord today.
Tweet this!