Jesus said “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt…you can say to this mountain, ‘Go throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done.” (Matt. 21:21).
We live in a “Fallen World,” and no matter how saved and obedient we are, sooner or later we will confront a “Mountain” we cannot move (see Job 14:1). Of course Jesus used the term “Mountain” to set forth the size and enormity of our problems in the world – incurable disease, serious illness of a child, bankruptcy, emotional dysfunction, and addictions. Then He promises that “If we have faith the size of a mustard seed, do not doubt and He will move your mountain.
The Question: “Just How Do We Activate “Mountain Moving” Faith?
- We Must Look at God, The Mountain Mover, and Not at The Mountain. For God is far more powerful than our highest mountain. When we gaze upon Him, our mountain will begin to shrink as God becomes larger and larger. AW Tozer, “The size of your faith depends upon the size of your God.” Corrie Ten Boom said the same. As we continue to gaze and pray, our faith will continue to rise. Why? Because we know God is willing and able and has promised to remove our mountains – incurable cancer, sick marriages, and internet pornography. As the song say, “Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full into His wonderful face, and the things of this world will grow strangle dim in the light of His glory and grace.”
- We Must Inwardly Trust Jesus to Remove our Particular Mountain. Prov. 3:5-6 commands us, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart…” The Hebrew word “trust” means to “fall on our face at the feet of God, confessing our total helplessness and pleading for His help. Romans 10:7 says, “Faith comes (and increases no doubt) by hearing the Word of God. So let’s hear the Word when it describes five great experiences in the Bible when men got their eyes off their mountain and focused completely and united on God and won the victory:
- Example # 1 – David – 1 Samuel 17. David is confronted by the Mighty Mountain of Goliath, 9 feet + tall, armor which weighed 5000 shekels, “Joe Lewis and Mohammad Ali on steroids,” compared to David, 18 years old, weighed probably 150 pounds, no armor but that of the Lord. But David did not focus on Goliath but on God. Hear the Word of God in 1 Samuel 17:42-50, “And when the Philistine looked about and saw David, he disdained him; for he wasonly a youth, ruddy and good-looking. So the Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. And the Philistine said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!” Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. Then all this assembly shall know that the Lord does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord’s, and He will give you into our hands.” So it was, when the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, that David hurried and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine. Then David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone; and he slung it and struck the Philistine in his forehead, so that the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the earth. So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. But there was no sword in the hand of David.”
- Example #2 – Joshua – Joshua 3 – Israel ready to enter the Promised Land but faced the Mountain of the Raging Jordan River, now flooding and impassible. God could have thrown a bridge across the Jordan or licked up every drop of water. Instead God told Joshua how to exercise “Mountain Moving” faith –
- The priest ordered to take the “Ark of the Covenant” (represents God) and stand in the river.
- The people ordered to keep their eyes on the “Ark” and follow the priests. Hear the Word of God as declared in Joshua 3:15-17, “and as those who bore the ark came to the Jordan, and the feet of the priests who bore the ark dipped in the edge of the water …that the waters which came down from upstream stood still, and rose in a heap very far away at Adam, the city that is beside Zaretan. So the waters that went down into the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, failed, and were cut off; and the people crossed over opposite Jericho. Then the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan; and all Israel crossed over on dry ground, until all the people had crossed completely over the Jordan.”
- Example #3 – King Jehosophat of Judah – 2 Chron. 20- Jehosophat confronted three armies, advancing and converging to capture, and kill him and all the people. Hear the Words of Jehosophat as He kept his eyes on God and marched to victory: “… we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyesare upon You.” … And he said, “Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat! Thus says the Lord to you: ‘Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.’”
- Example #4 – Jesus – John 6:5-13 – Jesus feeding 5000 people with 5 Barley loaves and 2 small sardines.
- Example #5 – Jesus – John 11:38-44 – Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead who had been dead for four days.
THE BIBLICAL RATIONALE FOR FASTING AND AS I SEE IT:
Primary Facts About True Fasting:
- Fasting is optional and yet mandatory at times if we would know God and His will for us.
- Fasting softens our heart and opens us up to hear the voice and do the will of God.
- The religious world would convince us to settle for a religious routine rather than having a vital relationship with Jesus.
- Jesus warns us against the old religious traditions that were replacing the Word of the Old Testament by the rabbinical traditions and stifling the work of God.
- The outcome of true fasting– you will be more open to the voice of God, the Word of God, and the call of God on your life. In a word, your heart will become open, soft, teachable, humble, hungry and flexible. The world is good at pulling us away from God, drowning out His voice, hardening our hearts, and leading us into legalistic, religious hypocrisy.
- The fast allows us to reconnect, soften and open our hearts so God can continue His work in us.