KEEP EXERCISING YOUR FAITH (1) Mathew 17:14-21
14 When they came to the crowd, a man approached Jesus and knelt before him. 15 “Lord, have mercy on my son,” he said. “He has seizures and is suffering greatly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. 16 I brought him to your disciples, but they could not heal him.”
17 “You unbelieving and perverse generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me.” 18 Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed at that moment.
19 Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”
20 He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, 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.” [21] [a]
Paul writes, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for” (Heb 11:1 NKJV). Observe the words “now faith.” Thank God for the faith of our fathers, but to move the mountain that stands in your way, you need “now faith.” Jesus said, “If you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move…and it will move’” (Mt 17:20 NKJV). Your grandmother’s faith may have moved her mountain, but it’s going to take your own faith to move “this mountain.” We all have mountains in our lives, and God is willing to move them. So what’s the problem? Doubt! Other people’s opinions! Failure to understand God’s Word! Even though Jesus gave His disciples power to heal the sick, they were rendered helpless by a demon-possessed boy. “Why could we not cast the spirit out of him?” they asked (See Mt 17:19). Notice what Jesus told them: (1) Be willing to start small. A tiny “mustard seed” can grow into something much bigger. So start where you are and believe God for ordinary, everyday things, and when He honors your faith, thank Him and build on it. (2) Watch what you say. “If you have faith…you will say to this mountain, ‘Move…and it will move.’” Your words release the life-giving force of God’s Word. So line up what comes out of your mouth with what’s written in Scripture. (3) Be willing to do what’s needed. Some mountains need a little extra prayer, or in the case of this demon-possessed boy, the power that comes through fasting.
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The bottom line is this: When you do what God’s Word says, you will see mountains moved in your life.