Faith That Can Move the Mountains

(I found this off the internet, I have no credit for it)

James 1:5-8

 "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways."



Mark 11:22-25

"And Jesus answered them, 'Have faith in God. Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, "Be taken up and thrown into the sea," and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have naything against anyone, so that you Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.' "

Wow. Take a moment to ponder over those passages of Scripture, please.

    While having my morning devotions, reading my Bible and praying, I came across these passages. I've been thinking alot about faith, about prayer, and how sometimes it feels like praying to God and asking for things we need/want doesn't work. Think there might be a reason?

      Let's first look at prayer. Asking God for what we need isn't a bad thing - God wants us to ask Him! However, when we pray, we have to have the right mindset about us. "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith...." Stop.

    Prayer, without faith, is like talking to a wall, asking it to do something but really not expecting anything. "Hey Wall, could you get me a glass of water? Ok, thanks." and just staring at it. Sometimes that's how we pray to our God. "Dear Lord, I pray for peace about my situation, I'm stressed and worried." And yet you just sit there on your knees, waiting for something to happen. We must have faith in our God, we must have faith that he hears our prayers. If we ask for something, and don't believe God can do it, where is our faith? What does that say about us, about God?

   Now let's look at faith. Jesus told his disciples, "Have faith in God, Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be taken up and thrown into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for Him.' " Wow. Can you imagine that? Faith can do incredible things. Faith can move mountains. Faith can heal a broken heart. Faith can allow the peace of God to prevail in your heart and soul. "Whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours."

Let that sink in.

Whatever you ask God, whatever you ask the Lord, believe that He will already bless you. He may not give you exactly what you asked for, but He will give you the blessing that you need.

    Let's also take into consideration the last two verses of the passage from James 1, "For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways." Where does that fit in? Mark says that "Whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." At first glance these lines seem so contradictory - yet if you look at them, they make sense.

  There's a difference between believing God will bless you, and supposing God will give you what you asked for. I believe that's what those last few verses mean; they're outlining the differences between faith that God will provide what you need, and the belief that God will give you what you asked for. Sometimes, what we actually need, is not what we asked Him for.

So let us continue on, believing that our God can move the mountains if we but ask - holding fast to our steadfast faith.

Love,

   Simply Jen

1 Peter 1:8-9