“Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?” He said to them, Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move, nothing will be impossible for you.”

Matthew 17:19-21

“Nothing will be impossible for you.” I think this might be the first time I have noticed in the Bible where WE are told directly that nothing will be impossible for US. In my mind I always default to Matthew 19:26 when Jesus tells the disciples, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” The “with God” is comforting to me. I prefer to sling the responsibility to do what I can not do back on to God’s shoulders of responsibility. The knowledge that nothing is impossible for God is more comforting to me, than the thought of me having the power to do the impossible.

In fact, these two verses are one in the same. They both have a mandatory prerequisite of faith. When I am living inside of my fullest identity as a child of God, I am in fact, in faith. I am WITH my God who bestows all power, authority, and peace upon me to do whatever it is he is asking me to do and/or simply choose to believe at all times.

Faith is my full body harness, in which I place all my trust, as I leap from obstacle to obstacle over what seems like blazing pits of fire below me. It’s not that the “What if I fail?” or “What if I fall?” doubts don’t come for me. Surely they do. It’s a matter of reminding myself that the harness of my faith is on; it’s locked and secure. As long as I keep doing my daily safety checks (i.e..time with God: letting Him check my equipment of faith, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control) nothing will be impossible for ME.

I believe God has called me to represent a time that wants it ALL; worship of heart, mind, soul, and strength. And trust me, some days it feels like mission impossible.

I believe God is building up his bride, the church, completely and totally.  Because the truth still stands true, sick people have a harder time making healthy choices. Jesus came to heal us of all sicknes. What we eat will affect how we feel and physical movement is a “get to”…just ask a kid.  The choices we make each day either add to our vitality, wellness, and life, or they continue to puncture holes in God’s beauty and design that is totally us. Some will try to throw down the grace card and justify why God doesn’t care about what we eat, saying he only looks at the heart. To which I say, “I agree, and you’re fooling yourself.” It’s true that it’s not what goes into our mouths that makes us unclean, it’s what comes out. The question is, “What’s in our heart?” Our hearts are the well-spring of life. Every choice we make in life is based on a motive. EVERY choice. Food, drink, play, work, and rest. All choices I get to make based on what body of water is turning the wheels of my heart.

I challenge these people to see they are misusing the grace card, because grace is not the permission to live by the flesh but the power to live by the Spirit.

On the other hand, the most tragic thing (in my mind) that could happen, is we, the church, who choose to be filled with a new understanding and infused power of the Spirit, to live completely and holistically as foot-soldiers of God’s kingdom, worshiping Him with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength, would swing to the other side of the street. On this other side of the street we find another ditch where the people of God “flex” their muscles for God. We see it happening all the time throughout God’s word.

• People are a wreck
• They cry out to God
• God saves
• They get strong by the power of His love and their belief in who He is
• They get big heads
• They blow it

If your muscle are big, but your faith is small, you might be able to move weights, but never mountains.

Lord increase my faith over my muscles.

Please.

I know there are mountains headed my way.

To which I must say…In Jesus’ name…MOVE!

His love…

Alisa Keeton