God’s Word talks a lot about mountains. Some of the most important events in the Bible happened on mountains. We have all heard the phrase, “faith can move mountains.” It comes from the gospel of Matthew.
20 “Because of your little faith,” he told them. “For truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will tell this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” Matthew 17:20
This is quite the shocking pronouncement if you think about it. It brings about a few questions: If I have enough faith, can I do what I want? If we believe enough, can we accomplish miraculous feats?
Many people believe that if they can just believe hard enough, you will get what you want. But we always have to look at the context of the passage of scripture and the Bible as a whole. Jesus was no advocating using faith as some sort of mystical power.
Faith is NOT mustering will power and wielding it.
Faith comes by trusting in God and His Will.
What Jesus is advocating is much more radical.
Matthew 17
Jesus had just come down the mountain from where he was transfigured before James, Peter, and John. Then we read:
14 When they reached the crowd, a man approached and knelt down before him. 15 “Lord,” he said, “have mercy on my son, because he has seizures[a] and suffers terribly. He often falls into the fire and often into the water. 16 I brought him to your disciples, but they couldn’t heal him.”
17 Jesus replied, “You unbelieving and perverse generation, how long will I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring him here to me.” 18 Then Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him, and from that moment the boy was healed. 19 Then the disciples approached Jesus privately and said, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?” 20 “Because of your little faith,” he told them. “For truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will tell this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” Matthew 17:14-20
The problem Jesus was addressing here was that the disciples could not drive out a demon because they had too little faith. Jesus used parables and metaphors in His teachings. Here the “mountain” is being alluded to the demon possessed boy. Jesus was making the point that the smallest, tiniest bit of faith can accomplish great things. Jesus is pointing out the vast size between a mustard seed and a mountain. If the disciples had faith the size of a mustard seed, they could do great, mountain sized, things.
Faith in What?
This brings up a mighty question that I believe we need to ask ourselves: What do we truly have faith in?
Faith in our own abilities?
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not rely on your own understanding;
Proverbs 3:5
4 Such is the confidence we have through Christ before God. 5 It is not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God. 2 Corinthians 3:4-5
These verses send a clear message, faith in our own abilities is a false faith. Our ability comes from God.
Faith in a favorable Outcome?
If we believe hard enough, that thing we want to happen will happen? OUr faith can cause a thing to be? The “believe it to achieve it” slogan sounds good, but is ultimatly foolish.
9 A person’s heart plans his way,
but the Lord determines his steps.
Proverbs 16:9
God controls the outcome, not us.
What do we place our faith in?
12 He made the earth by his power,
established the world by his wisdom,
and spread out the heavens by his understanding.
13 When he thunders,
the waters in the heavens are in turmoil,
and he causes the clouds to rise
from the ends of the earth.
He makes lightning for the rain
and brings the wind from his storehouses.
Jeremiah 10:12-13
Our faith is in GOD ALMIGHTY! He has the power to move mountains. OUr faith is in Him doing so. Nothing is impossible for us (Matthew 17:20) because nothing is impossible for God.
37 For nothing will be impossible with God.” Luke 1:37
We do not need to “summon” up faith to do mighty things for God. It is not about believing hard enough. It is God that performs the mighty deeds through us. We serve an awesome God! He is capable of doing great things. He can move the mountains, or obstacles I like to think of them as, when we put our faith in Him!
It Starts Small 
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