Have Faith in God (2)

Mark 11:20-26 (KJV)

20 And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots.

21 And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away.

22 And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.

23 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.

24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.

25 And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.

26 But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.

Faith in God can move a mighty mountain

Faith in God can calm the troubled sea

Faith in God can make the desert like the fountain

Faith will bring the victory

Only God can move mountains, but prayer and faith can move God (Victory Trio)

in The Mystery of ProvidenceJohn Flavel warns: Though God means to give you the comfort or mercy you long for, he usually first exercises your patience by making you wait. He does that for these 3 reasons:

Because this is not the right time for you to receive that mercy. Simply stated, God does not judge time as you do. You are in a hurry, but God is not, and he knows the perfect time to dispense his mercy. “For the LORD is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him” (Isaiah 30:18). Will you wait for his timing? These difficult circumstances have not accomplished in your heart what God means for them to accomplish. Though you may be earnest and impatient in your desire for what you believe are better circumstances, God will wait until the trial has accomplished his purposes. The more you pray and the more you search your heart, the sweeter the relief will be when it comes. God means to overwhelm you with his grace, and it may take fervent prayer and humble patience for you to respond to his mercy in the right way. “It will be said on that day, ‘Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us. This is the LORD; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation’ (Isaiah 25:9 ESV).”

Faith in God doesn't depend on Time

Having Faith in God does not have a time table – Elwood Lucas at 16 turned against everything he’d ever known. Put in reform, and prision. He was in 5 penitentiaries, the last one was a federal his cell mate was Machine Gun Kelly could write his name with a gun better than a pencil. Sister Lucas one day was praying and came out shouting and waving a baby blanket over her head. Husband asked tell me what your shouting about and I’ll shout with you. For 12 and a half years she would set the table and leave a place for Elwood. One Sunday dinnertime they were talking and having a good time when sister Lucas told them to quiet down she heard Elwood at the door. He never got saved and sister Lucas passed away, nine years later Bro. Paul Lucas got a phone call from Elwood who was crying and said, they had rented a hall and wanted him to come for revival. On The second night Elwood got gloriously saved. The third night 5 saloons in the town closed up to see if Elwood Lucas got saved.

But for years there was no results, faith in God doesn’t depend on time.

- The God That Has Not Forgotten

Are your eyes bedimmed with sorrows Many trials you've begotten

Friend don't dare forget God has not forgotten

Do Prayers seem in vain Though they've been prayed so often

Just keep your heart full of faith God has not forgotten

Life's battles may seem mighty rough All too often over burdened

But how could we despair and give up With a God that has not forgotten

You widows and you moms and dads With many a tear fallen

God sees and cares and understands And not one tear has been forgotten

I Am that I Am I change not Yesterday today and forever

Look to me and trust The God that has not forgotten

Oh wanderers on the cliffs of sin So weary heavy laden

Come cast yourself at Jesus feet You poor soul are not forgotten

When I reach my long journeys end Look back on the path trodden

I'll see that my best and dearest Friend Has not once forgotten

And then I'll come to deaths dark door And see the mighty Jordan

I'll hear well done my faithful servant Your Lord has not forgotten

Faith in God doesn't depend on circumstances (or the mountaint)

Hudson Taylor tells the story In the year 1854 a sailing vessel was becalmed in the vicinity of New Guinea. Seeing the distressed look on the captain's face as he peered intently into the sea, a young Englishman inquired as to the cause of his anxiety. This was the reply: "A four-knot current is carrying us swiftly toward some sunken reefs over there. Our fate seems to be sealed." On the shores of the island, cannibals were rushing about and lighting fires in great glee. Presently the captain spoke again: "We have done everything that can be done." "No," responded the young man, "there is one thing we haven't done. Four of us on board are Christians. Let each of us retire to his cabin and in agreed prayer ask the Lord to give us a breeze immediately." This was agreed upon and done. After a few minutes of earnest intercession, the young man came up on deck confident that the petition had been granted. Finding the first officer, a godless man, in charge, he requested him to let down the corners of the mainsail. "What would be the good of that?" he asked. The young man told him that he and three others had been asking God to send a wind, that it was coming immediately and that there was not a minute to lose, since they were so near the reefs. With a look of contempt, the officer replied with an oath: "Nonsense! You can't pray up a wind." Noticing a few moments later that the topmost sail was beginning to tremble, he said: "That is only a cat's-paw — a mere puff of wind." "Never mind what you think," cried the young man. "Let down the mainsail quickly."

This he was not slow to do. Hearing the heavy tread of the men on deck, the captain came up from his cabin and saw that the breeze had indeed come. In a few minutes they were sailing away from the dangerous reefs, much to the disappointment of the native cannibals on the beach. From <http://www.wholesomewords.org/missions/biotaylor3.html>

Hudson Taylor would later write, "There are three stages in every great work of God: first, it is impossible, then it is difficult, then it is done." —Hudson Taylor To trust God in the light is nothing,

but trust him in the dark—

that is faith.

C. H. SPURGEON

OCHALLIES.COM

It's a faith that depends on God

It's a faith that dreams big - A Faith that expects the unexpected A Faith sees the impossible

I don’t remember who said it or where I heard it, but it’s always been one of my favorite definitions of faith: faith is climbing out on a limb, cutting it off, and watching the tree fall. Mark Batterson (2014-09-02T00:00:00+00:00). The Grave Robber: How Jesus Can Make Your Impossible Possible (Kindle Locations 2381-2383). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.