After an amazing Vision Sunday, our hearts have been stirred to trust God for a faith-filled year, a year where the impossible starts to take traction in and through our lives. That has brought us to embrace the succinct yet evocative tag-line of ‘move the mountains’ to remind us of this for 2018.
But the whole concept of moving mountains can be daunting, overwhelming or outright confusing.
Numerous questions may be running through your mind:
- Where do I start?
- How do I do this?
- What are these mountains?
To help answer these questions and to get you started on this journey, here are three helpful steps to get you moving:
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Read
“You don’t have enough faith,” Jesus told them. “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.” – Matthew 17:20
This passage is at the heart of our vision for 2018. The mustard seed produces the largest of herbs.
Situations can be overcome with infinitely little faith as a mustard seed. The theologian Albert Barnes notes, “If you have increasing, expanding, enlarged faith, growing and strengthening from small beginnings, you can perform the most difficult undertaking.” It is pleasing to God and it empowers us when we derive our strength from Him.
Take this passage and read it slowly.
Digest Jesus’ words.
Place it in a personal context.
Picture the mountain you wish to overcome and allow your imagination to play out the scene of it moving in front of you. And as you read, allow the Holy Spirit to personalize this text for you.
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Write
“Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he who reads It may run with it.” – Habakkuk 2:2
Write down the mountains you want to run at and overcome this year, especially if you have received insight from the Holy Spirit. Writing down what God has called you to is not only helpful to remember, but also prepares you to have endurance for the long run.
What is the mountain you want to run at and overcome? Is it:
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Addiction
- Divorce
- Finances
- Getting involved in projects that alleviate poverty and injustice
- Being part of a church plant
While these are only some mountains that we may face, chances are one, or more of them may be relevant to you or someone that you know. Writing down the mountains we wish to overcome helps us to not only focus on the destination but on our provider. And as we run at these mountains we do so not in isolation but in community. We write, so that not only us but anyone who knows of our mountains may run the race.
The stats show that a vision written down is 50% more likely to be accomplished and carried out than one just internalized in our minds
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Act
‘Mountains are moved by taking small steps in the right direction.’
Do something. Running over mountains requires a first step. Writing down the mountains which we wish to overcome is a good start, but this must eventually result in action.
Try some of these helpful habits:
- Join a life-group or serving team.
- Start a bible reading plan.
- Cut up your credit card and get a budgeting plan in place.
- Confess your addiction to a trusted friend.
Whole mountains rarely come down in one fell-swoop. It is a faith-filled step forward in perseverance that releases the power of heaven into our lives.
So what are the mountains you want to overcome? Start your journey with a small step of faith and watch God work through your faithfulness.