MEMORISE : " What ailed thee, O thou sea, that thou fleddest? thou Jordan, that thou wast driven back? Ye mountains, that ye skipped like rams; and ye little hills, like lambs? " Psalm 114:5-6 (KJV)
READ : Matthew 17:14-20 (KJV)
- And when they were come to the multitude, there came to him a certain man, kneeling down to him, and saying,
- Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatick, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water.
- And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him.
- Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me.
- And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour.
- Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out?
- And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.
MESSAGE :
From our Lord’s message in today’s Bible text, we learn that mountain symbolizes the challenges of life. The good news is that Jesus Christ also assures us in this teaching that we can be mountain movers, even if our faith is as small as a mustard seed. In the story captured in today’s reading, the demons of insanity constituted not only a nuisance to the life of a young man and his father, they were also a source of embarrassment to the disciples of Jesus Christ, as they refused to leave the boy after the disciples had commanded them to. Why were the disciples not able to cast these demons out? Christ explained that it was because their unbelief?
This is food for thought for those of us who call ourselves men and women of faith. Before this event, the disciples might have felt that they had faith, but when their faith was put to test, they failed. One can safely assume that before the disciples embarked on trying to deliver the young man of these demons; they must have believed that God was able to use them to carry out this deed. In the same way, one would assume that before people leave their homes for a church programme, they must possess a level of faith to receive from God. However, experience has shown that such assumptions are not always valid. Many people are very religious but don’t have faith at all.
To be a mover of mountains, you must possess the right kind of faith. Beloved, what kind of faith do you have? Is it living or dead faith? it is not the size of faith that matters; what matters is whether the faith is alive or not. Before confronting a mountain, you need to check if you have the right kind of faith that can move mountains. An example of someone with mountain-moving faith is the Canaanite woman in Matthew 15:22-28. She came to Jesus so that her daughter could be delivered of the evil spirit that troubled her. In spite of all the discouraging obstacles thrown her way, she convinced herself that the only solution to her challenges lay with Jesus Christ, and so she would not let Him go.
The result of her tenacity is clearly seen in Matthew 15:28, Which Says : “ Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour ”.
Some people seem to have alternatives to the miracle-working Christ, and so, after they have tried Him once or twice and things seem not to be working, they go looking for a solution elsewhere. Mountain movers tarry long with the Master until their petition is granted. I join my faith with yours and decree that those intimidating mountains in your life are removed today In Jesus Christ Precious Name.
PRAYER POINT : " Heavenly Father, Please make the mountain of problems confronting me today to become a plain In Christ Jesus Your Only Son Merciful Name, Amen ".
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : Romans 14-16, Isaiah 60:19 - 61:11
AUTHOR : PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE
HYMN 8 : MY FAITH LOOKS UP TO THEE - My faith looks up to Thee,
Thou Lamb of Calvary,
Savior divine!
Now hear me while I pray,
Take all my guilt away,
Oh, let me from this day
Be wholly Thine! - May Thy rich grace impart
Strength to my fainting heart,
My zeal inspire!
As Thou hast died for me,
Oh, may my love to Thee
Pure, warm, and changeless be,
A living fire! - While life’s dark maze I tread,
And griefs around me spread,
Be Thou my guide;
Bid darkness turn to day,
Wipe sorrow’s tears away,
Nor let me ever stray
From Thee aside. - When ends life’s transient dream,
When death’s cold, sullen stream
Shall o’er me roll;
Blest Savior, then in love,
Fear and distrust remove;
Oh, bear me safe above,
A ransomed soul!