Life Plan Devotional #57 [Mountains, Part II]

Hi, Everyone.
I could hardly sleep last night for excitement over what God's going to do in each of our lives the next few days. I felt overwhelmed, too, because there's SO MUCH in the key verse, connected to the topic, that I just wasn't sure how to go about writing on it. I knew, though, that God would lead, and He is faithfully doing just that. Go with me, on an amazing journey, one that, I pray, will bring about a miracle in your life.

Life Plan Devotion #57 [Mountains, Part II]

     Mountains are meant to be climbed, but some of them are meant to be moved. When the disciples asked Jesus why they couldn't drive out the demon in a boy, He told them, "'Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard see, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you'" (Matthew 17:20, NIV). Jesus would not tell us to move mountains if they couldn't be moved or weren't meant to be moved.
     If you would benefit more by the mountain being moved than climbed, then God wants you to have the faith to move your mountain. Mountains meant to be moved are those where there is nothing more you can do to improve your situation.
     For the next few days, we're going to focus on Matthew 17:20, to see what we need to do (or have) to become mountain movers. For today, I want you to decide which mountain you'd like to have moved in your life. Write it down, and ask the Lord to help you understand, through this devotional, how to move that mountain.

Matthew 17:20
"'...If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.'"

What this has to do with weight loss: When I weighed 400 lbs. but should have weighed 155, I had a 245 lb. mountain in front of me. While I had been able to chip away a few pounds from it, it still loomed very large. One day, when I read Matthew 17:20, I decided that this was the mountain I was meant to move. I wrote it down, and I asked the Lord to help me understand how to move my mountain of excess weight. Whatever your mountain is, on your weight-loss journey, God can help you move it. Just ask Him and then listen for further instructions.

Prayer for Today:
"Heavenly Father, I'll admit that I'm a little skeptical that I can be a mountain mover, but I do have a mountain that needs to be moved rather than climbed. It is the mountain of _________, and today I'm asking You for the wisdom to know and understand how to move it. Thank You, in advance, for helping me become a mountain mover, just like Jesus referred to when He said, 'Nothing will be impossible for you.'  I pray in the Name of Your Mountain-Moving Son, Jesus. Amen."

Go forth today, determined to see your mountain move.

Blessings,
Mary

I like the response of the father of this boy, as told in the version in Mark 9.  Jesus has told him it will be possible to heal his son if he has faith.  The man replies, "Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief."

What made him change his statement mid-course?  Did Jesus give him that look in the eye that says "do you really believe"?  I'm not sure, but I do know that the boy was healed, so the father must have gained the necessary faith.  I know that the Savior will also help us with our unbelief if we open ourselves to allowing him to.

Thank you for the reminder of this powerful story of faith and potential.  I think another key was given in the instruction to his apostles, "this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting".  We do need to make real effort to move our mountains or heal ourselves.

Have a wonderful day,
Vickie

Hey, you're jumping ahead! [I love it!] :)