Mark 11:22-26 “Have faith in God, “ Jesus answered, 23 “I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. 24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. 25 And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”

These verses are powerful, exciting in their promise, but what is expected of us? Let’s break down what we just read. First: Jesus tells us that if anyone says, “to this mountain.” This is not some future mountain that we may face; this mountain is the mountain in front of us. This refers to what is happening “right now,” not in the future. But how do we get the today mountain to move? Obviously, we are told to ask, but how are we to ask? We are to ask without doubt, in other words, we need “faith.” Faith is the key to unlocking the power of prayer and answers in our lives. It is what pleases God and causes him to act on our behalf. We also need to examine our motives; are they selfish in nature, or do we truly want God’s will in every situation?   We must realize that when we seek God’s will, which is perfect in every way, things may not turn out just as we had planned or decided they should. God sees and knows what we do not, and His plans and purposes far exceed our human understanding and wants, but they are always for our good and His glory. We can always trust his plan and purpose. There is a saying that goes like this: “I may not be able to trace His hand, but we must learn to trust His heart.” Which is saying this: “Even when we can’t understand God’s actions or the circumstances we find ourselves in, we should still have ‘faith’ in His loving nature and His perfect character.

Then there is the matter of forgiveness. Unforgiveness blocks, hinders, and hurts your prayer life. God “NEVER” gives us permission to be unforgiving. We cannot go to God and ask for mountains to move when we are harboring unforgiveness towards someone.  And the rest of that verse says this: “so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”Wow! These are powerful, Holy words to us. Our unforgiveness not only hurts our prayer life, but it also hurts us. I don’t know about you, but I need forgiveness daily! We need to check our hearts and minds each day before we pray to see if we are harboring any type of unforgiveness towards anyone. It could be something small that we are holding onto, but it matters to God. I want God to not only hear my prayers, but to answer them. I want and need His forgiveness. And unforgiveness does not hurt the person you are being unforgiving towards; it hurts you. It robs you of peace, a productive prayer life, and often even health. 

Examine yourself today and see if you are asking for “this mountain”, “in faith”, for 
“His Will”, and with “forgiveness towards anyone you feel has wronged you.” If all of these criteria have been met, then “BOLDLY” approach the throne of God, ask “BIG” and expect him to hear and answer! Knowing that when he does answer, His perfect will is being done, and we can “ALWAYS” trust Him. 

Blessings to you, my friends. In these days of bad news everywhere, when the world seems to have lost its mind, we need to be able to pray effectively.