THIS BLOG HAS ITS FOUNDATION IN MATTHEW 17:14 AS WE READ ABOUT THE DISCIPLES TRYING TO HEAL AN EPILEPTIC YOUNG LAD BUT WERE UNSUCCESSFUL. THE FATHER FINALLY TOOK HIS SON TO JESUS WHO CHASTISED THE DISCIPLES BY DECLARING "O FAITHLESS AND PERVERSE GENERATION, HOW LONG SHALL I BEAR WITH YOU? BRING THE HIM HERE TO ME (VERSE 17)
THEN THE DISCIPLES ASKED JESUS WHY THEY COULDN'T CAST OUT THE DEMON HARASSING THE BOY. THIS BRINGS US TO THE VERY CRUX OF THE LESSON JESUS WAS TRYING TO TEACH THEM AND THANKFULLY, US ..... "SO JESUS SAID TO THEM, 'BECAUSE OF YOUR UNBELIEF; FOR ASSUREDLY I SAY TO YOU, IF YOU HAVE THE FAITH AS A MUSTARD SEED, YOU WILL SAY TO THIS MOUNTAIN, 'MOVE FROM HERE TO THERE,' AND IT WILL MOVE' AND NOTHING WILL BE IMPOSSIBLE FOR YOU. (VERSE 20) THE SCRIPTURE DECLARES "AND IT WILL MOVE"... FOR GOD'S WORD DOES NOT RETURN TO HIM VOID...WE CAN STAND ON THIS PROMISE.
"SO SHALL MY WORD BE THAT WHICH GOES FORTH FROM MY MOUTH; IT SHALL NOT RETURN TO ME VOID, BUT IT SHALL ACCOMPLISH WHAT I PLEASE, AND IT SHALL PROSPER IN THE THINGS FOR WHICH I SENT IT." (ISAIAH 55:11)
PLEASE KEEP IN MIND THAT EACH OF US HAS BEEN GIVEN "FAITH AS A MUSTARD SEED"! AND AS WE MATURE AS CHRISTIANS, THANKFULLY OUR FAITH MATURES AS WELL.
MANY YEARS AGO, I HEARD PROCLAIMED, WHICH COULD WELL BE WHERE JESUS CAME UP WITH HIS ANALOGY IN MATTHEW 17, CONCERNING "SPEAKING TO THE MOUNTAIN"....IN THE DAYS OF KING HEROD, IT HAS BEEN TOLD THAT HE WAS OFTEN "MOVING MOUNTAINS" WITH JEWISH SLAVE LABOR IN ORDER TO RAISE, LOWER, OR REMOVE A MOUNTAIN FOR ONE REASON OR ANOTHER! COULD IT BE THAT ONE DAY, JESUS WAS LOOKING OUT OVER THE HORIZON, AND OBSERVED THE JEWISH SLAVES "MOVING" A MOUNTAIN? CONSIDER THIS...IF MAN COULD MOVE A MOUNTAIN, WHY CAN'T OUR POWERFUL HEAVENLY FATHER MOVE WHATEVER MOUNTAIN(S) THAT EXIST IN OUR LIVES? THANKFULLY, HE CAN AND WILL FOR US, HIS CHILDREN, AS WE READ IN MATTHEW 17:20! BUT WE MUST CONSIDER THAT CRITICAL WORD "IF" WE HAVE FAITH AS A MUSTARD SEED AND ACT ON THAT MUSTARD SEED FAITH!
IT MUST BE CONSIDERED AT THIS JUNCTURE THAT "ONE MUST TRULY DESIRE TO SPEAK TO THE MOUNTAIN!!" AND NOT ONLY DESIRE TO SPEAK TO THE MOUNTAIN
BUT AS IS STATED IN MATTHEW 11:12 "....AND THE VIOLENT TAKE IT BY FORCE" MEANING THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN! IN OTHER WORDS, WE MUST BE FORCEFUL AND ADAMANT AS WE SPEAK/DECLARE TO THE MOUNTAIN BELIEVING THAT IT WILL MOVE,
CONSIDER THE MOUNTAIN IMAGE ABOVE.... I CAME ACROSS THE EXCEPTIONAL PHOTO SHOWN ABOVE. IT MUST BE CONSIDERED THAT THERE ARE UNSEEN MOUNTAIN RANGES IN THE BACKGROUND OF THIS PHOTO, THUS THE MESSAGE HERE IS THAT EACH OF US HAS A MOUNTAIN(S) (STRUGGLES/SUFFERINGS) IN OUR LIVES, AND IT IS MOST WISE THAT WE TACKLE ONE MOUNTAIN AT A TIME, IF POSSIBLE! THANKFULLY THE LORD GOD DOESN'T CAUSE, BUT ALLOWS SUCH CHALLENGES (MOUNTAINS) IN OUR LIVES FOR OUR SPIRITUAL BENEFIT/GROWTH, THANKFULLY! I CAN HEAR MANY DECLARING AT THIS POINT "BUT, BUT, BUT...WHY WOULD A LOVING GOD ALLOW SUCH SUFFERINGS/STRUGGLES (MOUNTAINS) TO COME INTO MY LIFE"? KEEP IN MIND THAT OUR SAVIOR AND LORD JESUS SUFFERED/STRUGGLED WHILE ON THIS EARTH! THUS AS HE DID, SO SHALL WE WHO ARE HIS CHILDREN! AND THROUGH ALL THE SUFFERINGS/STRUGGLES WE HAVE AND WILL EXPERIENCE, IT CRUCIAL THAT WE KEEP BEFORE US THE TRUTH "HE HAS GIVEN US HIS VERY GREAT AND PRECIOUS PROMISES"! (2 PETER 1:1-4) AND WE CAN REST ASSURED THAT HE NEVER EVER BREAKS HIS PROMISES, PRAISE GOD "FROM WHOM ALL BLESSINGS FLOW", AMEN?
REMEMBER, SATAN CAN DO NOTHING TO US (KEEPING IN MIND JOB'S CHALLENGES IN JOB1: 6-8) WITHOUT GOD ALLOWING IT, "FOR IT IS GOD WHO WORKS IN YOU BOTH TO WILL AND TO DO FOR HIS GOOD PLEASURE" (PHILIPPIANS 2:13), PERFECTING/MATURING US! REMEMBER THAT THERE ARE NO OOPS IN HIS KINGDOM! AGAIN, IF WE TRIED TO ADDRESS ALL THESE MOUNTAINS AT ONE TIME, WE WOULD BECOME A "BASKET CASE", WOULD WE NOT? JESUS DID NOT TELL US TO SPEAK TO THE "MOUNTAINS BUT TO A PENDING MOUNTAIN", THUS...ONE MOUNTAIN AT A TIME, AGAIN, ONE MOUNTAIN AT A TIME BELIEVING THAT THE MOUNTAIN WILL MOVE FROM HERE TO THERE! THIS IS A PROMISE FROM THE LORD!
IT IS CRUCIAL THAT WE ADDRESS THE ISSUE OF FAITH, FOR THIS CONCEPT IS SO FOUNDATIONAL/CRUCIAL FOR US CHRISTIANS AND FOR UNDERSTANDING WHAT JESUS IS DECLARING IN MATTHEW 17:20. I AM SURE YOU HAVE HEARD MANY PULPIT MESSAGES CONCERNING "FAITH"! KEEP IN MIND WHAT HEBREWS 11:6 DECLARES: "BUT WITHOUT FAITH IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO PLEASE HIM, FOR HE WHO COMES TO GOD MUST BELIEVE THAT HE IS, AND THAT HE IS A REWARDER OF THOSE WHO DILIGENTLY SEEK HIM." OUR LORD GOD ALMIGHTY DEALT TO EACH ONE A MEASURE OF FAITH". (ROMANS 12:3) AGAIN, ANOTHER PROMISE!
LET'S CONSIDER HEBREWS 11 (THE FAITH CHAPTER), WHICH DEALS WITH FAITH TESTIMONIES. VERSE 1 IS ONE OF MY FOUNDATIONAL SCRIPTURES WHICH IS THE SPIRITUAL "PEG ON WHICH I HANG MY HAT " - "NOW FAITH IS THE SUBSTANCE OF THINGS HOPED FOR, THE EVIDENCE OF THINGS NOT SEEN". IF WE LOOK AT THINGS SEEN, WE CAN BE SO DEFEATED IMMEDIATELY AND TRAGICALLY, OUR LOOKING AT THINGS SEEN PLAYS RIGHT INTO SATAN'S HANDS! PRAISE GOD FOR HIS REASSURING INSTRUCTIONAL AND COMFORTING WORDS IN THE SCRIPTURES.
PLEASE KEEP IN MIND, THAT AS WE SPEAK TO OUR MOUNTAIN(S), THEY ARE NOT MOVED IN A DAY! HOW LONG DO YOU THINK IT TOOK THE JEWISH SLAVES TO MOVE A MOUNTAIN AND BY HAND? SUCH AS IT IS WITH OUR MOUNTAIN(S) THAT WE "SPEAK TO"...WE CANNOT AND MUST NOT EXPECT OUR "MOUNTAIN(S)" TO MOVE IMMEDIATELY, ALTHOUGH, ".....NOTHING IS TOO DIFFICULT FOR YOU"(GOD), AS IT IS DECLARED IN JEREMIAH 32:17 AMEN?
WITH ALL THIS BEING SAID, WHAT IS/ARE THE MOUNTAIN(S) (STRUGGLES/SUFFERINGS) IN YOUR LIFE? LET ME RECOMMEND THAT YOU MAKE A LIST EXPECTING BY FAITH, AND CROSS OFF EACH MOUNTAIN AS YOU EXPERIENCE VICTORY! THEN THANK HIM FOR DOING SO... FOR IT IS FOR HIS HONOR, GLORY, AND PRAISE! AMEN?
BE ENCOURAGED, SAINTS AND BE LIKE THE BEREANS "TO FIND OUT WHETHER THESE WERE SO". (ACTS 17:11) KEEPING IN MIND JAMES 1:22-25." BUT BE DOERS OF THE WORD, AND NOT HEARERS ONLY, DECEIVING YOURSELVES...."AMEN?
AS ALWAYS, YOUR COMMENTS ARE VERY MUCH WELCOMED.
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