Micro-Faith and Mountainous Obstacles, Part 3

Today on Insight for living from Chuck Swindoll. Never forget what God shows you an mountaintop moment in this case he can do the impossible start as though you are a victim of the impossible in the Lord. We are more than copper and he has ways through spinal obstacles that are always worth pursuing.

When Jesus healed a boy who was possessed by the disciples looked on with joy and jealousy while pleased with the outcome. They wondered why their attempts to heal this little boy had worked and Jesus responded. If you had faith even a small as a mustard seed, you could move mountains that nothing would be impossible today on Insight for living. Chuck Swindoll expounds on this exchange explains how our smallest expressions of faith can be used by God to accomplish the impossible check title this message micro faith and mountainous obstacles soon as they got the base of the mountain there hit in the face with raw reality.

There is no period of preparation soon as they stepped down onto Flatland made crowd and a father, a large crowd waiting for them. A man came and knelt before Jesus. He falls down on his knees and he pleads for mercy on behalf of his son. He said Lord have mercy on my son. He has seizures and he suffers terribly. He often falls into the fire or into the water to see this in a broader light we need to read Mark's account of the same event or to place look at Mark chapter 9 verse 17 one of them in the crowd spoke up and said teacher.

I brought my son so you could healing. He is possessed by an evil spirit that won't let him talk so long with this Matthew doesn't mention the boy is mute. He's lost his ability to speak and whenever the spirit this spirit seizes him.

Note the word it throws him violently to the ground.

Then he foams at the mouth and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid so I asked your disciples to cast out the evil spirit but but they couldn't do it.

Verse 20, so they brought the boy but when the evil spirit saw Jesus through the child into a violent convulsion. He fell to the ground writhing and foaming at the mouth. I take it back to Matthew Mel when he was thrown into the fire or the water this evil spirit controlling him through him in the direction of open fire and toward a pool that would be deeper than the boy could swim in and there was a life-threatening scene. It was absolutely tragic. Jesus doesn't waste time when he hears this he told the disciples to bring into it and notice at the very and they brought the boy here in the verse 17 Jesus rebuked the demon in the boy and it left was that me. How did this exorcism occur. The details are not spelled out, but you know how much it took from Jesus to release the boy to take the demon out one word out. You know what you need. Jesus tells us what we need.

When the disciples asked in verse 19. Why couldn't we cast out the demon. He said all you need is the size of mustard seed of faith, you're facing a mountainous obstacle word, where to point your lead is not an enormous amount of faith. That's nonsense all you need is an update to point to the one who can handle the situation and leave it with him and I love it when we read from that moment the boy was well the ending of our passage reads nothing would be impossible. What is true when we leave it all with him three thoughts came to my mind when I was preparing what I shared with you and your they are each begins with the word never never forget what the Lord taught you in a mountaintop moment. That's what you want to write it down for you want to memorize what the Lord showed there are certain places in my life where I can go back to and I was up against a mountainous obstacle.

Some of my own making. Often, not of my own making. But they were huge and the Lord broke through and showed me some things in those moments that only he could've shown me and it was a breakthrough in my own life and I've not forgotten is the foundation of much of my ministry is drawing upon the things he is shown me when I've been alone with him, listening to and learning from him. You may have escaped from an almost death deathlike car accident on the opposite side of that as you catch your breath and sit in your home that night and give thanks for the fact that you lived through it at those moments, the Lord is ready to show you what you can learn from that. It's amazing how the changes are perspective or human healed from some kind of disease that someone called terminal and the Lord stepped in. I have a friend who had tall neck cancer, and it was so bad that we were living in New England at the time he called me. I was one of five men he contacted Ms. that I will let you know that I am in Dallas I just been diagnosed with malignancy on my tongue. It looks like it's inoperable. They may have to remove my tongue and he said I just I just need another opinion on going to Mayo's would you pray that if it's the father's will. Just ask him to remove it just taken away.

I I I said to him with a measure reluctance to admit, I will will do as US and I hung up the phone. I remember going down the basement of our little home on Timbers Rd. in Waltham, MA. My got on my knees and I prayed for my friend he was going to leave that evening and was going to be at Mayo's. The next day or two, then he would contact me and tell me what they had done. He took with him his x-rays name autumn date name of the doctor prove that he was Mrs. his film so you met with the physician oncologist and whoever else was there. They said that you have the film yes I do. He pulled it out and showed it to the and they had just x-rayed and they said this is obviously the wrong x-ray because the x-ray.

We took shows no malignancy, not he said no that's my argument was with the x-ray rather than know God. Done the impossible or the miracle was that it was some mistake here because we really don't find anything. And by the way you live many years beyond number with the problem with this time God for other reasons but not that you know what I think III think that's an exception rather than the rule. But I do leave room in my theology for that to occur. I rarely pray in a way that tells God what I think he should do. I often will add and I did. In this prayer I want your will to be done in my friend's life. We would all five of us who love him and know and would love for it to be removed.

We believe that with you if you will remove it will give you all the credit and, indeed, to this day. We do, and I will tell you some when I got the phone call I got a call from a man who really believed the x-rays were opposite for the right reason and he was thrilled and we were to never forget what God shows you in mountaintop moments in this case he can do the impossible start living as though you are a victim of the impossible in the Lord. We are more than conquerors, and he has ways through and in spite of obstacles that are always worth pursuing. The second lesson I learned never allow earthly obstacles to eclipse divine truth. There are principles in the book you will find they are true they are reliable. Never allow any earthly obstacle to eclipse what you read in his word is a little book I've read more than once titled, the obstacle is the way by Ryan holiday and I find these helpful work, not a Christian book, but it's a helpful book on dealing with obstacles, listen to this. What is perception is how we see and understand what occurs around us and what we decide those events will mean our perceptions can be a source of strength or of great weakness, you will come across an obstacle in life fair and unfair obstacles in life that are fair and unfair and you will discover time and time again that what matters most is not what those obstacles are, but how we see them and how we react to them and whether we keep our composure.

You will learn that this reaction determines how successful we will be in overcoming or possibly thriving because of it. I love the way he added that thriving sometime working through an obstacle like that you thrive by printed after going up to Mayo's and learning that there was nothing on the second x-ray that was enough for him. He was a changed man.

He did not allow any earthly obstacle to eclipse the divine truth of what God shown is 1/3 never think previous failures mean it cannot be done. We all look back in a series of things we done wrong or areas where we have failed, which proves nothing except you remember history. I love Winston Churchill's quote success is moving from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm as a grand statement may seem a strange way to put it but the secret of knowing how to keep from quitting is knowing where to point it only takes the size of a mustard seed of faith to point in the right direction.

All so I proceeded to the father is a he's the one was taken to him soon as it did was resolve came across an interesting piece of art. In my study in the Vatican gallery hangs Raphael's last painting which something is his greatest is entitled the Transfiguration.

The uppermost part pictures. The transfigured form of Jesus with Moses on the left and Elijah on his right on the next level down or the three disciples, Peter, James and John recently awakened and shielding their eyes from Jesus, blinding brilliance. Then, on the ground as a poor demon possessed boy. His mouth previously gaping with while ravings and his side is his desperate father surrounding them, or the rest of the disciples, some of whom are pointing upward to the glowing figure of Christ, who will be the boys only answer. Rovio is correctly capturing something overwhelming contrast between the glorious mount of transfiguration in the troubled world below filled with misery heartache demonic conflict in human chaos know these mountaintop moments are not designed to change our place of residence.

You don't need to move up to the side of a mountain you don't need to move to some Christian conference grounds. You don't need to leave where you reside, but your thinking needs to change regarding that situation. If I may of these closing moments. One of your own children who have become impossible for you to have any relationship with and they distance themselves from you as well as from the Lord.

You can work at work, at work, you can you can try all kinds of things to do to fix that adult child you need to point point leave that struggle with the only one who can fix any life like I'm sure the prodigal son's father must've done time and time again when the boy didn't return home and didn't return home that father longing for the sun but not running after him In his mind, pointing toward the one who could bring his son back you the good thing about that when the impossible becomes reality. That is, it becomes possible. God gets all the glory to someone that you pointed to is the one that made it happen. Maybe a situation at work. It could be your marriage. It could be your relationship with a former friend that's broken down over time and now you're at odds with each other. You don't want to be like that but you can't seem to bridge what once was, as opposed to what now is point trust God to deal with what you cannot handle me. I had the last part which is the hardest. Leave it with him leaving with him all illustrated close and then on through. Let's say this Bible represents the burden we come to a place of worship and were hanging onto Marburger were coming hoping will find an answer.

The burden is weighing us down. The more we listen to God's word, the clearer it becomes I need to release this burden. I need to leave it with the one who can handle it. So I leave it there. We finished with our final prayer and we get readily pick up the bird and we walked right out of the room with the bird. What are you doing picking it up. You couldn't handle it when you came in that father came with the son. He couldn't help but he left with a boy that was healed because he was willing to trust. Think of it, against all odds, you would trust the master even though his own disciples couldn't help this equally is where you point I'd like us to bow together and for a few moments just sit quietly before the Lord then will be on our way to sit comfortably right there. How much longer are you going to carry this weight. This obstacle was longer are you going to keep referring to it and calling it names and resenting it and resisting all possible change.

Today's the day to come to terms with that.

Truth be told, you may have come not even knowing the Savior. Talk about an obstacle for life you you don't even have someone to rescue you as the barnacles would tear your skin attempting to take your life. Trust in the Lord Jesus Christ now I want to follow you to your car and begged you to do that once I get to the information is between you and him. My hope is that you will never find a sense of rest and relief until you come to terms with the one who died that you might live. If you're waiting until you understand all of it you're trying to unscrew the inscrutable.

You can't do that. The Lord says whoever comes to me I will never cast out. He who has the son has the life. Whoever does not have the son of God does not have the life. Are you sure you have the sun living with that you if you're not inviting me, and now simple prayer Lord, long distance from you never even been on speaking terms.

But now today I come before you and I trust you to save my soul. Thank you for Christ who died and paid the price for my C. My faith has now found a resting place, and I rest in you. Your father, thank you for coming into my life. Thank you father for the truth that you are able and that we are not helpless to find peace in that and relief so that we might relax and leave it with you. We point to your son who we love and adore to handle whatever need is been brought before you in his name we pray for his glory. Everyone said amen and if you're among the said yes to Jesus today. We want to welcome you into the family of God. This is insight for living and we been listening to a message from our Bible teacher Chuck Swindoll titled micro faith and mountainous obstacles to learn more about this ministry or to see what resources are available for today's topic, please visit us online@insightworld.org whether your brand-new is a believer in Jesus Christ for you been walking with him for a long time.

We can never exhaust the treasures of truth found in God's word. Chuck often reminds us that the Bible is inexhaustible, meaning it contains an endless supply of truth in life. That's one of the reasons were fully engaged in this comprehensive study to the first book in the New Testament. The gospel according to Matthew this is a firsthand account of the life of Jesus and right now to help you dig deeper into the book of Matthew remind you Chuck has written a full-length commentary. And if you're looking to get better acquainted with the real Jesus, the one that writers like Matthew described. Then we highly recommend adding these two volumes to your personal collection. There call swindles living insights on Matthew to purchase this two-volume set, go to insight.org/offer or call us listening in the US dial 1-800-772-8888. Finally, we extend toward a profound thanks for all those who give generously to support insight for living your partnership means more than you know we couldn't supply these daily visits with Chuck without your consistent giving even during a global pandemic, unsettling cultural times are loyal audiences stepped up to support the Bible teaching.

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