May 28: Moving mountains

Jesus replied to them, “Have faith in God. I assure you: If anyone says to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, all the things you pray and ask for — believe that you have received them, and you will have them.”  (Mark 11:22-24 — Holman Christian Standard Bible)

There is no more powerful teaching on prayer than this! Here, the Lord Jesus begins by saying we must have faith in God; not an intellectual acknowledgement that He exists, but faith that He answers prayer and helps His people today in miraculous ways. Then He says, “I assure you.” He guarantees that this promise of His is absolutely true and reliable. If we don't believe it, we will lose out. But if we accept His word, nothing will be impossible for us.

Jesus declares that we, His people, can perform great miracles. We can command things to happen in this world — there is no limit to what we can do if we have faith. First there is the command; then there is faith, that does not doubt but believes that what we command will come to pass; and finally there is the answer. Jesus promises that whatever we ask for in prayer will be ours, if we ask and believe that we have already received it! This prayer involves absolute confidence in the Father and asking for things that are according to His will.

If you’ve tried this and it hasn't worked, remember that this is a promise of Jesus Christ Himself. He is not a liar; His promises cannot fail. If it hasn't worked for you yet, it will! Continue to command the mountains in your life to disappear. Ask God to reveal anything that might be blocking your faith. Then bulldoze forward in faith and determination and these verses will come true for you.

When a boss tells his employees to do something, he is certain that they will do it, even when it’s hard and challenging. He knows his employees have to obey him. That’s their job. If they don’t they could be fired. — If I give you $300 cash to spend at the supermarket on groceries, you would walk into the supermarket with the absolute certainty that 30 minutes later you’d be able to walk out with meat, bread, milk, eggs and various other things you needed at home. You know that three $100 bills would make that possible.

And yet when it comes to faith and prayer, we need to have the same certainty. God has much more power and authority than three $100 bills, and so certainty in God’s answer is in fact a very reasonable, smart attitude to have. Sadly, most people have more confidence in $100 bills than they do the One who made the heavens and the earth. — Start to pray this way. Start moving mountains. Remember, God is the one who made this promise.