NOTHING will be impossible for you

[RustyAngeL]

So many times we forget just what kind of power is ours in the name of Jesus.  I wonder how many blessings we miss because we lack that knowledge.

[missmuffet]

Question: "Can faith really move mountains?"

Answer: In order to correctly interpret a passage such as Matthew 17:20, we first look at the overall context of the passage. Jesus, along with Peter, James and John, had just come down from the “mount of transfiguration,” and they encounter a man with a demon-possessed child. The man tells Jesus that he brought his son to Jesus’ disciples, but they couldn’t cast the demon out (recall that Jesus earlier, in Matthew 10:1, gave His disciples the authority to cast out evil spirits). Jesus then chastises them for their lack of faith and then casts the demon out of the boy. When His disciples inquire as to why the demon didn’t obey their command, Jesus replies with the statement in Matthew 17:20. Their faith, He says, is small and weak. If it were the size of even the smallest of the seeds, the mustard bush, they would be able to “move mountains.”

The first thing that needs to be considered is the Bible’s use of literary techniques. The Bible is first and foremost God’s revealed Word; we want to be clear on this point (2 Timothy 3:16). While the Bible is God’s revealed Word, it is revealed to us by way of language. God condescended—He lowered Himself—to speak to us in ways in which we would understand. Consider a father trying to communicate with his young child. The father has to condescend in order to be understood by the limited intellect and understanding of the child. This is analogous (though not identical) to the way in which God speaks to us.

The Bible employs many forms, or genres, of literature. There is historical narrative, poetry, prophecy, apocalyptic writing, and epistolary literature (to name a few). Among these various literary genres, several literary techniques are used—metaphor, simile, imagery, parable, allusion, irony, personification, paradox, and hyperbole. As readers of the Bible, we must recognize when these techniques are being used so we can properly interpret the meaning. For example, in John 10:7, Jesus says, “I am the door of the sheep.” How are we to interpret this verse? If we are too literal, we might start looking for a doorknob hidden somewhere on His body. However, if we understand this to be a metaphor, then we can begin to understand His meaning (Jesus is the way of access to eternal life, much like a door is the way of access into a room).

Another thing to consider in biblical interpretation is the context of the passage. More often than not, when we take a single verse out of its native context, we end up misinterpreting the verse. In the context of Matthew 17, Jesus rebukes the disciples for their weak faith and says that even if they had mustard seed-sized faith, they could command the mountain to move. Contextually, the mountain must refer to the demon that was afflicting the man’s son. Jesus tells His disciples that, if their faith was stronger, they could have commanded the demon to leave the boy, and it would be so. This was clearly the case in Matthew 10 when Jesus sent them out to cure diseases, cast out demons, and spread the gospel. Therefore, it is clear from the context that Jesus does not intend to assert that mustard seed-sized faith can literally move mountains. Rather, the expression Jesus uses was a common colloquialism of that day; to a Jew of Jesus’ day, a mountain is a metaphor signifying a seemingly impossible task.

Faith that can move mountains is not meant to imply a faith that can literally move literal mountains. The point Jesus was making is that even a little bit of faith—faith the size of a tiny mustard seed—can overcome mountainous obstacles in our lives.

http://www.gotquestions.org/faith-move-mountains.html

[gdemoss]

On 4/12/2016 at 3:38 PM, spiderman1917 said:

What do you think?

What I think doesn't matter.  Experience, strength and hope is what matters.  My thoughts lie to me.

If you want Mastery so that you can know all Mysteries, then exercise yourself unto godliness and learn in the process.

Jesus said that I needed to remove the beam from my eye so that I can see clearly how to give sight to the blind...

...Christianity is not an intellectual exercise, one learns as they 'do'.

[post]

so we are neither discouraged nor deceived, we must remember also, that it is not our faith that moves the mountain -- 

it is the Lord and His power. 

so no matter how fervently we pray, or how unshakable our faith, if it is not in accord with His will and His name, that mountain will not move a centimeter. 

everything remains by His mercy and by His Spirit, not by might nor power nor will of man, that the glory is His and His alone! 
 

[spiderman1917]

3 hours ago, post said:

so we are neither discouraged nor deceived, we must remember also, that it is not our faith that moves the mountain -- 

it is the Lord and His power. 

so no matter how fervently we pray, or how unshakable our faith, if it is not in accord with His will and His name, that mountain will not move a centimeter. 

everything remains by His mercy and by His Spirit, not by might nor power nor will of man, that the glory is His and His alone! 
 

4 hours ago, gdemoss said:

What I think doesn't matter.  Experience, strength and hope is what matters.  My thoughts lie to me.

If you want Mastery so that you can know all Mysteries, then exercise yourself unto godliness and learn in the process.

Jesus said that I needed to remove the beam from my eye so that I can see clearly how to give sight to the blind...

...Christianity is not an intellectual exercise, one learns as they 'do'.

Apparently God wanted me to hear that.  While praying last night I told him I'm here to move mountains.

was thinking about starting a thread asking this question, and then remembered I already had a thread a while back asking the question but didn't know which subform it was in.

Interesting how God works.

[angels4u]

36 minutes ago, spiderman1917 said:

 

Spiderman,you can move mountains if God let you move mountains,there's nothing we can do without Him!

Zech.4:6: So he said to me, "This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: 'Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the LORD Almighty.

[enoob57]

It is an alignment issue in reality both Spiritual and physical... herein the judgement- who has placed the mountain there to begin with?
Now the alignment: we who, in and of ourselves, cannot see past the moment therefore we are inept to do anything toward what will be
as far as God's Will >this being the reality in humility of truth< have but one effort that is one of prayer to Him Who Can See everything!
Therefore when I begin in prayer it is with knowledge the mountain can be moved if the reason given me is of God (?) The evil one, satan,
has used the instance to point in accusation -not enough faith- if mountain does not move but we the born of Him understand it is good
for the mountain to remain where He has placed it to be originally for all things work together for good... right?...   Love, Steven

[spiderman1917]

6 hours ago, algots said:

Context.

Think about this. If all you live to do is God's will. Everything you ask for will only be to do God's Will. Where does moving a chunk of dirt and rock come into the context of doing God's Will?

These guys brought a possessed boy to Jesus. They weren't able to exercise the boy. They asked Jesus why they couldn't do it. His response was because they lacked faith. He explained it in a way that they could understand. If you have faith the big things are of no problem. Obstacles are non-existent. Even a mountain will be removed.

Context.

It wasn't that they came to Jesus asking why they couldn't remove the demon and then Jesus goes off on some wild, unrelated tangent about large scale earth excavations. That disconnect is what we do, not Jesus.

Jesus wasn't promoting the next episode of "The Last Airbender" where people can disrupt and pick up earth and fling it anywhere they want.

Yes, I knew the context because Nobody has ever moved a mountain cept for maybe God in a huge earthquake from time to time, so obviously if He meant it literally, then there would have been one such person who moved a mountain to glorify that verse and prove it to skeptics.  Obviously God will not do such a thing just because somebody has no doubt it will happen.

The bottom line of what I was asking is what he meant by "nothing will be impossible for you."

Matt 9:29

Then he touched their eyes and said, "According to your faith let it be done to you";

So, it isn't just God willing something.  He will work miracles or give special graces to us "According to our Faith."  repeatedly his words in Scripture encourage people that they can do the impossible with faith, but if their faith waivers, things fall apart.

Matt 14

Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. ³⁰ But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”

³¹ Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”

 

Pete got scared.  Fear made him doubt, doubt made him sink. If we doubt, we will stumble, we will sink. 

James 1

But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.

7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord."

So, doubt can stop us from receiving much in this life.

[gdemoss]

God named all the animals through Adam.  And by Adam he named Eve.  God delivered the Israelites out of Egypt by Moses.  God saved some animals and Noahs family through Noah.  God saved me through Jesus.  If a mountain needs moved God will do it through whomever he chooses so run the race to win that God might work miracles through you as well.

[enoob57]

I think a good shepherd will warn the people of signs and wonders at this point in time rather than lead them to such... Love, Steven