Moving Mountains

A certain man came to the disciples, bringing his son who was in real trouble. The boy would go into fits and then would try to kill himself by throwing himself into water, fire, or some other thing. The reader should note that the behavior was satanic. A demon within the boy caused it. We will learn later in Jesus’ ministry that Satan comes to kill, steal, and destroy. He does that to you and me. Once saved, Satan cannot have our souls, so he seeks to steal our love, joy, and peace. To clarify, believers can’t be possessed, but they can sure be oppressed. This boy was actually possessed. He had a demon living with him, and the disciples had attempted to cast it out, but they failed.

Jesus explains to them that they were not able to do so because of their unbelief. He includes that all that is required is a tiny amount of true faith. With that amount of faith and the power of God, even mountains can be moved. I interpret that to mean that things we think are impossible can become possible with faith. Yet, they are impossible to overcome with our own power. However, it requires a certain amount of spiritual work alongside that seed of faith to overcome the seemingly insurmountable. It sometimes takes prayer and fasting. We may encounter all kinds of things in our lives that seem overwhelming and destructive. Jesus is there to deliver, but we must first believe that He is able to deliver, and secondly, it will require some brutal in-the-foxhole kind of spiritual warfare. It must be bathed in prayer and involve intense focus, much like fasting does. 

If you’ve encountered a mountain in your life, put on the whole armor of God (see Ephesians 6), and start praying. You might even focus on that mountain through fasting and prayer. Fix your eyes on it, hit it with everything you have physically, then call out the big guns. The “big guns” are the Holy Spirit, and it doesn’t hurt to ask the Lord to send a host of big, bad angels to help. However, God wants to do battle; He can do so. Some obstacles are so significant that they require all of our spiritual attention, and spiritual help on high is available at our bidding. Call on Jesus and fall to your knees. Do this believing with all of your heart that HE is able to deliver and make a path forward. He is faithful. It is He who can move those mountains that come into our lives. Or, alternatively, He can give us the strength to get over that mountain pass and bring us to a gentle place of green pastures and still water. (Psalms 23)