Undivided Hearts

Mark 11:22-25

I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, “May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,” and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart. (Mark 11:23)

“AND HAVE NO DOUBT IN YOUR HEART.” That’s the catch for us, isn’t it? We’re thrilled and inspired by extravagant promises about our prayers of faith. They give us visions of mountains that move in response to seed-sized belief. And it’s true; faith really is the currency of God’s Kingdom. That’s how we receive everything he offers, whether it’s salvation, growth, or answers to prayer. But when it comes to the really big-ticket items of our desires, the things we long for deeply and ask God to accomplish, they often don’t come to pass. Something in our hearts questions whether it might be too good to be true or condemns us for asking for more than the bare minimum of what we need. And the more we experience unfulfilled desires, the more we tend to ask tentatively. The more our faith—the currency of the Kingdom—shrinks to less than the size of a mustard seed.

Size is not the issue, of course. Purity is—faith that is undefiled with doubts, fears, and anxieties and that is confident with childlike assertions coming from a normal Christian life. If we are ever going to influence our temporal world with eternal truth and participate in the authentic growth of God’s Kingdom, we will have to know how to exercise faith. When we believe with certainty, something happens in spiritual realms. Our desires and requests that line up with God’s will have extraordinary power to shape the circumstances and situations around us. Undivided hearts move the world.

That’s a huge part of your calling—to live with an undivided heart. When you partner with God to develop a vision for your life and your place in the Kingdom and then move and speak in sync with that vision, things change. Mountains move. Desires are fulfilled. And the blessings of the Kingdom begin to be displayed through you.

{Jesus, may I speak words of faith in alignment with the Father’s will and with the conviction you demonstrated. You have called me to do your works, move mountains, and see your Kingdom grow. Teach me the power of faith. Amen.