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Previous Challenge Entry
Topic: Mountains (09/20/04)
TITLE: YOU SHALL SPEAK TO THE MOUNTAIN AND IT SHALL BE CAST INTO THE SEA
By Carol Shaffron
09/25/04
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What a mouthful! Mountains, mountains everywhere! Mountains of debt. Mountains of misunderstandings. Mountains of sickness and disease. Mountains between brothers and sisters. Mountains between best friends. Mountains in the way of our dreams.

A mountain of debt stood stubbornly in my path. Sadly a mountain of my own making as I gave it more thought than the truth of God's word. And that mountain was taking my ability to breathe away as I magnified its existence. Why do we think we have the ability to solve all of our problems ourselves?

I wanted the car loan to just be paid yesterday. And I wanted someone to bail me out of the hole I'd dug myself into --- ah! That would also make the mountain appear much bigger and more ominous than it truly was....

Somehow just because I knew I would not be able to breathe at all if I gave the mountain one more thought, I turned my back on it and began to meditate on the truths in God's word. "Humble thyself under the mighty hand of God. Casting all your care upon Him for He careth for you." Hummmn, the mountain was getting smaller.

I decided to write all the problems chasing me for attention down very, very tiny on a little piece of paper, cut it up and let the wind take them all away as a symbolic act of faith and trust toward God to show me how I would "cast this mountain into the sea". Then I determined I would magnify the Lord instead of giving thought to any of the problems trying to surround me like those irritating, pesky knats that get into your eyes.

After just a couple of hours of fixing my eyes on Jesus and reminding myself of the Father's love, mercy, long suffering and casting our sins as far as the east is from the west --- I had successfully leveled my mountain. At least it was no longer unconquerable in my sight. I don't know if I cast it into the sea of forgetfullness or if I crossed it, not without some effort in keeping my eyes on the Lord, or if I just plowed right through it to the other side. No matter actually. The mountain no longer stands in my way. And even though bills and debts still need to be paid, the mountain no longer exists.

The more I spoke the truth of God's word to the mountain the smaller it became until it completely disappeared.

Phillipians 4:4 "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me--put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you."

Excerpted from Compton's Interactive Bible NIV Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 SoftKey Multimedia Inc. All Rights Reserved