More Mountain Moving
“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours” –Mark 11:24, NIV.
This verse is Mark’s version of the verses I commented on in yesterday’s post, you know, the one about throwing mountains into the sea? (Matthew 21:18-22).
In Mark’s gospel the verse quote above is followed by another verse that seems totally unrelated to the subject of faith and moving mountains. Verse 25 says: “And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”
Yesterday, I suggested that we don’t do much external mountain moving perhaps because we haven’t allowed the Holy Spirit to remove those internal mountains that keep us from being in as perfect a relationship with God as is possible on this side of heaven.
Today, while doing some research for an upcoming series of studies on The Lord’s Prayer, R. T. Kendall commented on the passage from Mark that may give us another clue as to why we don’t see too many external mountains being moved when we pray.
These comments are from the book by Kendall entitled The Lord’s Prayer. Try them on for size.
“Whether anyone has ever caused a mountain to fall into the sea, one thing is for certain: Jesus is showing we should not even expect to have faith like that unless we have totally forgiven all those who have sinned against us. The prerequisite for having that kind of faith as described in Mark 11:22-25 is total forgiveness, It is the only way forward for a greater anointing. It is probably the most neglected teaching when it comes to the need for power and seeing the miraculous...It is God’s faith we should pray for: to forgive ‘just as in Christ God forgave you’ (Ephesians 4:32, emphasis mine)” The Lord’s Prayer, R. T. Kendall, page 193).
The bitterness of an unforgiving spirit is obviously one of those internal mountains that needs to be dealt with before we can expect to see an external miracle in mountain moving fueled by faith.
As Kendall points out, the fact that Jesus went back to the aspect of forgiveness immediately after he taught His disciples to pray–the only part of The Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-15) that He did refer to the second time–is significant. Forgiveness, both receiving and giving, is just as necessary to answered prayer as it is to having mountain-moving faith.
Letting go of that mountain called "unforgiving" is quite literally a means of letting the Holy Spirit loose to move His.
This verse is Mark’s version of the verses I commented on in yesterday’s post, you know, the one about throwing mountains into the sea? (Matthew 21:18-22).
In Mark’s gospel the verse quote above is followed by another verse that seems totally unrelated to the subject of faith and moving mountains. Verse 25 says: “And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”
Yesterday, I suggested that we don’t do much external mountain moving perhaps because we haven’t allowed the Holy Spirit to remove those internal mountains that keep us from being in as perfect a relationship with God as is possible on this side of heaven.
Today, while doing some research for an upcoming series of studies on The Lord’s Prayer, R. T. Kendall commented on the passage from Mark that may give us another clue as to why we don’t see too many external mountains being moved when we pray.
These comments are from the book by Kendall entitled The Lord’s Prayer. Try them on for size.
“Whether anyone has ever caused a mountain to fall into the sea, one thing is for certain: Jesus is showing we should not even expect to have faith like that unless we have totally forgiven all those who have sinned against us. The prerequisite for having that kind of faith as described in Mark 11:22-25 is total forgiveness, It is the only way forward for a greater anointing. It is probably the most neglected teaching when it comes to the need for power and seeing the miraculous...It is God’s faith we should pray for: to forgive ‘just as in Christ God forgave you’ (Ephesians 4:32, emphasis mine)” The Lord’s Prayer, R. T. Kendall, page 193).
The bitterness of an unforgiving spirit is obviously one of those internal mountains that needs to be dealt with before we can expect to see an external miracle in mountain moving fueled by faith.
As Kendall points out, the fact that Jesus went back to the aspect of forgiveness immediately after he taught His disciples to pray–the only part of The Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-15) that He did refer to the second time–is significant. Forgiveness, both receiving and giving, is just as necessary to answered prayer as it is to having mountain-moving faith.
Letting go of that mountain called "unforgiving" is quite literally a means of letting the Holy Spirit loose to move His.
Excellent words of wisdom.
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