“Have faith in God. 23 I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen.”
Jesus Christ| Mark 11:22-23 (NLT)

I’ve climbed a number of mountains over my life. I can tell you there is nothing like being at the top, unobstructed views it every direction. There’s a wild sense of peace and great satisfaction as you look down. I can also tell you that there is nothing quite like standing at the foot of the mountain looking up. The thought of the grueling climb ahead, intimidating. You do all you can to pump yourself up, to get your adrenaline going, to convince yourself that “you can do this!” I’m standing at the foot of a mountain as I write this, not a huge mound of rock and dirt, but I face a challenge. God has asked me to do something I’ve never done before, way outside of my comfort zone and I realize that I am no match for it. No amount of psyching myself up, or positive self-talk will get me over it. In fact, I don’t even know where to start the climb. This is uncharted territory for me. Have you been here before?

Has God asked you to do something outside of your comfort zone and ability?

Not long ago, I was reading this scripture as I had many times before, but the Spirit stopped me, saying “there is another dimension to this.” (I love it when this happens!) I had always envisioned my mountain simply as the worldly problem I was facing. I figured that if I called on God, he would take care of my problem for me. While focusing my mind on it, I would pray and pray to God to make it go away. If the mountain did not move, maybe it was because I didn’t pray hard enough. Or it was because God wanted me to learn something. Sometimes God says “No,” right?

Jesus went on to say, “But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart.” This is when the Spirit caught me. “No doubt.” None, nada…. “You’ve been focused on the wrong mountain.” I realized that my real mountain was not the problem in front of me… It was my unbelief and it needed to be lifted up and thrown into the sea. Doubt was keeping my worldly problem in front of me.

The real mountain was my doubt.

Earlier, Jesus had used a similar illustration, saying to his disciples:

“I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.”
Jesus Christ| Matthew 17:20 (NLT)

It wasn’t a matter of how much faith I had, but how much doubt I was clinging to. You might say it this way: I either have faith or I don’t… 95% faith is not enough. Before healing a demon possessed boy, whose father expressed doubt, Jesus made it clear:

²³ “What do you mean, ‘If I can’?” Jesus asked. “Anything is possible if a person believes.”
²⁴ The father instantly cried out, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!”
Jesus Christ| Mark 9:23-24

The father immediately sees the true mountain, his unbelief, and he asks Jesus to remove it.

Have you prayed for Jesus to remove your unbelief?

Jesus said, the smallest amount of faith with no doubt can move a mountain. Doubt is the fruit of worldly belief and it limits the ability for God to act in our lives. Jesus essentially says, “Fully accept my promise and the mountain will vanish.” What’s amazing is that it can happen in an instant, just like the demon possessed boy was healed. That’s how powerful our Lord is – nothing is impossible for him.

Which promise(s) of God are you doubting as you stare at the mountain in front of you? Moving mountains starts by completely accepting it (100%), not by simply trying to get him to do something for you. Though worldly mountains stand before you, ask God to cast your unbelief into the sea. Then you will find what Jesus said to be true – Anything is possible for him.

Is a mountain of doubt standing in the way of living out the Adventure God Made You For? When God asks you to do something, it will be beyond your ability to do alone, but he promises help you. Do you accept this promise? Our Reach New Peaks Guided Workshop begins by leading you to surrender your doubt so God can cast it into the sea. It will change your life, guaranteed.

Let’s talk.

Go to www.bobblackcoaching.com to schedule a free consultation.