Life Plan Devotion #60 [Mountains, Part V]

We've been looking at how to make Jesus' words from Matthew 17:20 ("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," NIV) come alive for you. You've decided which mountain needs to be moved. You've written it down. You've spoken to your mountain, in Jesus' Name, and you've put pure, potent faith behind your words.
Now, you're ready for the trying of your faith to work some patience (James 1:3). Your mountain might move right away, and how wonderful when that happens. However, if God, who knows you better than you know yourself, sees that you would benefit by a time of testing (what I like to call "faith opportunity"), your mountain will not move right away. It is during that time where you will see if your faith is pure or not, if you'll give in to doubt and unbelief or stand on God's Word. Your spiritual character is tested. If you pass the faith test, your mountain will move, just as Jesus said.
A few years ago, a missionary shared Matthew 21:18-22 with the children of an Asian orphanage. It's the story of when Jesus curses the fig tree, and the disciples are amazed when it withers. Jesus explains that it's having faith, without doubting, that one must have, and speaking to a mountain, that causes it to be thrown into the sea.
The children in the orphanage were astounded by that story, and because they lived in the shadow of a mountain, which meant little sunshine, cold temperatures, and clothes that took forever to dry on the line, they decided to command their mountain to move, in Jesus' Name.
The missionary was horrified. He almost told them that Jesus really didn't mean it literally, but he saw that they were acting in faith, rather than tempting God, so he decided to just see what God would do with the situation. This was the missionary's test of faith, as well as the children's.
The children exhibited childlike faith, and each day, they thanked God that their mountain was moving, in Jesus' Name. Could they see that it was moving? No, but they believed that "faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1, NKJV). They just seemed to know that instead of believing something when you see it, you will see it when you believe it. Until the manifestation of the moved mountain, they'd be patient and trust God and His Word.
It wasn't long before heavy equipment began to roll nearby, bulldozing the mountain in a redevelopment effort. The government knew nothing about the declaration the children had made. The missionary was shocked but realized he shouldn't have been. Others may call it a coincidence, but believers call it a Godincidence.

Matthew 21:22 [NIV]
"If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer."

What this has to do with weight loss: If the mountain you have commanded to move is weight-related, couple your pure faith with faith-filled prayer. If you do that, God will move mountains to move your mountain.

Prayer for Today:
"Heavenly Father, I pray for childlike faith today, the faith that rests in You and takes You at Your Word. Help me to be patient, to rely on Your timing to move my mountain. I believe my mountain has already been moved in Your Kingdom, and I know that if I 'let patience have her perfect work in me' that I will see the mountain be moved in my natural world. I thank You, in advance, for moving my mountain. I pray in the Name of Your Son, Jesus, who calls me to move mountains. Amen. "

Go forth today, patiently watching for your mountain to move.