Matthew 17:19,20  Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, "Why couldn't we drive it (a demon) out?"
He replied, "Because you have so little faith.  I tell you the truth, 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. Nothing will be impossible for you."
 
Mark 9:22b-24 "But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us."    " 'If you can?' " said Jesus, "Everything is possible for him who believes."    Immediately the boy's father exclaimed, "I do believe; help my unbelief!"

Some of the mountains in our lives are of our own making. Many times we see challenges or struggles as massive mountains. Jesus has shown us that if we will believe He is able to move these mountains, they will be moved. He has shown us that we can move our own mountains simply by
seeing them as movable. 
   
Bad habits can lead to difficulties. Bad choices can lead us into tough situations. We can remove the obstacles by changing what we do or how we do things. Some mountains in our lives can be shrunk down to small foot hills. Some of the mountains can simply disappear with a lot of prayer and persistence in making corrections in our lifestyles.
  
The toughest mountains are those that hit us with no warning. Lost jobs, illness, accidents that make major changes in our lives. These are the most difficult because we have no responsibility for causing them. They just slam into our lives and we have to figure out how to deal with the results.
  
These are the mountains that test our faith and build our Christian maturity. These are the mountains that can drive us to our knees in prayer or in defeat.  The Lord will help our unbelief when we offer it back to Him. He has walked through
the same struggles and temptations. He was able to be victorious because He went to the Father frequently.
  
When you find a mountain blocking your path, turn to the Father like His Son did and He will help you move it. Seek the guidance of the One who moves mountains and He will show you how to believe enough to move mountains too.

Psalms 9:9-10 The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. Those who know Your name will trust in You, for You, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek You.
 
When we feel persecuted and we feel misunderstood, we can feel as if the Lord has turned His back on us and is looking
the other way. We can feel that the Lord doesn't care.
That is when the Lord is closest. That is when we need to search His Word and wait on His timing. He has promised to
never leave us or forsake us if we continue to seek Him.
   
The Lord wants us to run to Him in our pain and frustration. He wants us to see Him as a source of support and guidance,
not as a Santa Claus for what we want or think we need.
   
The Lord desires us to view Him as an integral part of our lives. He doesn't want to be a Sunday morning visitor. He desires to be considered a confidante and advisor that we automatically seek first, not as a last resort.
  
we have a problem or a decision to make, where do we turn first? We tend to go to our past experiences, a trusted friend,
our spouse. Jesus seems to be the last place we turn to.
   
Put Jesus first and be patient. His timing is perfect even if we don't necessarily feel that way. Trust Him with your life and your problems because as a Christian, we are trusting Him with our eternity.

Whenever we see a 'Wet Paint' sign, why do we need to test to see if the paint is still wet? We see a closed sign and we
peek in the windows to see if anyone is in there. We like to have proof for ourselves that the facts are really facts.
 
John 20:25b "Unless I see the nail marks in His hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe it."
   
Thomas gets a bad rap because he did not believe what the disciples told him.  Let us look at others in the same situation.
  
Mary was not believed when she reported that Jesus was resurrected.  No one would believe Rhoda when Peter was miraculously released from prison. Sarah laughed when
she was told she would bear a son in her old age. All of the apostles had their doubts at one time or another.
   
There is nothing wrong with being slow to believe. It is wise to test the spirits, check the facts. Thomas loved deeply and was willing to go to his death with the Lord. (John 11:16) Thomas would rather die with his Lord than live without Him. John 14:5 tells us that Thomas feared losing the Lord and questioned how to follow Him.
   
I see a deep sorrow and pain in Thomas that said, "Don't torment me with your words.  I hurt too much now." He needed the touch and visual assurance that the Man he had
followed really had risen just as He had promised He would.
   
The next time you hear the words 'doubting Thomas', remind yourself how deeply he loved and how committed he was to his Lord. Maybe his example is one we should follow as well.

John 1:40-42a  Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, was one of the two who heard what John (the Baptist) had said and who had followed Jesus. The first thing Andrew did was find his brother Simon and tell him, "We have found the Messiah" (that is, the Christ). And he brought him  to Jesus.
 
Andrew was less known. He was totally a behind the scenes kind of guy. He had a heart for the unsaved. He lead many to Christ, one heart at a time.  He didn't save thousands as Paul or Peter did but he was responsible for bringing the greatest evangelist of the apostles to Christ.
 
A Sunday school teacher named Edward Kimball made had a huge impact on the evangelical movement in the late 1800's.  He didn't lead large revivals or speak to large congregations. He just followed the Lord's leading and brought a poorly
educated boy to Jesus. This boy quit school in the fifth grade but went on to lead thousands to Christ.  He founded the Moody Bible Institute.
     
D L Moody credited Edward Kimball with leading him to Christ.  Mr Kimball's obedience to Jesus was done with trembling knees and lots of fear of failure.  He faced down the enemy's best shots and the rest is history.
   
Very few of us are called to speak to the multitudes.  Very few are led to be famous evangelists. All of us are called to go into our world and offer salvation to a hurting world, sometimes one heart at a time. Who knows? Maybe that one heart will go on to lead many more to Christ Jesus. We may never know until we get to heaven how many hearts we have influenced.