Faith to Move Mountains: What does it mean & How to Have it

Can faith move mountains?

Of course, faith can move mountains! Jesus said in multiple places throughout the New Testament that if we have faith in God, without any doubt, we can speak to a mountain (or anything) “move” and it will have to move.

“For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.” (Mark 11:23)

Although I do believe that Jesus was being literal when He mentioned faith being able to move a mountain, I also believe that Jesus was personally trying to find something that would completely shock His disciples so He chose something that was on the extreme side, such as a mountain.

The mountain illustrates everything that is in the way of God’s will. So sickness, disease, death, evil spirits, storms, etc.

Everything that does not produce life and truth within people is to be spoken against and commanded in the name of Jesus Christ to leave.

In short, faith in the name of Jesus Christ can assuredly move mountains. It can heal the sick, it can raise the dead, it can free people from demons, and it can calm any storm. No mountain can stand against a believer who is filled with the Spirit of God and who has faith in the name of Jesus.

What does it mean to have faith that moves mountains?

To have faith that moves mountains means that you have faith in God to such a degree that unbelief is not present when you speak the name of Jesus over a situation.

“For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.” (Mark 11:23)

Jesus revealed in this passage what it means to have faith that moves mountains.

He said that the person who has this faith speaks to the mountain (or the problem) and tells it to move. And when this person speaks it is not some vain thing, but they are believing that what they say will come to pass. In fact, they are believing so much that there is zero doubt in their heart.

Essentially, we can break this down to the person who has faith to move mountains as someone who speaks and believes that what they say will come to pass as long as it is according to God’s will (which is no hard to know by the way).

How to have faith that moves mountains

To have faith that moves mountains you have to (1) receive and understand the word of God, (2) spend much time in prayer, and (3) cast off the cares of this world and seek God’s Kingdom first.

I cover each one of these steps in extreme detail in multiple other articles, you can find them here: What a Mustard Seed of Faith Means (And How to Have it) and How to Get/Receive Faith (Explained).

But right now let’s give an overview of each one of these steps so that you are well-equipped to have mountain-moving faith.

Receive and understand the word of God.

The first step is to receive the word of God, for “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17) so if we don’t ever read the Bible on a consistent basis we’ll never receive the ability to have faith.

Also, Jesus referred to God’s word as a seed that must be planted in our hearts and He mentioned that we do this through understanding what we are reading/hearing (Matthew 13:19). If we don’t do this then the wicked one comes and takes away what we read.

So we can’t just read the word consistently but we also must understand it. [Related article: How to Get/Receive Faith (Explained)].

Spend much time in Prayer

The next step is to spend much time in prayer.

Now many of you may have been expecting this step to be in here, but I’d bet that you are not sure as to why. In other words, you suspect prayer has something to do with building a faith that can move mountains but you’re not exactly sure how it does this.

Well, in the same passage where Jesus referred to the word of God as a seed, He also said that the word of God must take root in our hearts for it to bear fruit. (Matthew 13:20-21)

If this doesn’t take place then the word gets scorched from our lives when we run into trials, such as persecutions and temptations because we have no root in ourselves, therefore we will stumble.

This is important to note because Jesus said that if this happens the word will not bear fruit in our lives, which means that our faith will not grow.

Because remember; the word is an “incorruptible seed” (1 Peter 1:23) and “faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17). So when we hear the word and understand it, we are planting the seed of faith (a.k.a the word of God) into our heart, but if we don’t allow it to grow then no faith grows.

So what does this have to do with prayer?

Everything! Because prayer is the way we deepen the soil in our hearts so that the word of God can begin to take root in us.

How do I know this?

Because right before Jesus was going to be taken to get crucified, He spent the night praying for many hours and He also told His disciples to do the same, but when He left them and then came back He found them sleeping.

“Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “What! Could you not watch with Me one hour? Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Matthew 26:40-41)

Jesus revealed in this passage that the secret to overcoming temptation and trials is prayer. He says, “pray or you’ll enter into temptation”. What He means by “enter into” is you’ll succumb to it.

These disciples were about to be tempted and tried. Death was about to knock on their door and they couldn’t handle it when it did. Every one of them fled from Jesus.

So if Jesus says in Matthew 13 that if we don’t “have root in ourselves” then we’ll fold under trials and persecutions, and then later says in Matthew 26 that to overcome trials, persecutions, and temptations we need to pray, the logical conclusion is that prayer is the key to allowing the word of God to take root in our hearts. (Related article: 7 Tips to Develop and Maintain a Consistent Prayer Life)

Cast off the cares of this world

The third step is to cast off the cares of this world and seek first the kingdom of God.

Another thing that hinders the word of God from growing faith in our lives is the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches.

Jesus said that if the word of God is sown among thorns, the thorns would choke the word and thus the word would become unfruitful.

The thorns in this passage referred to “the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things” (Mark 4:19).

So what do we do to ensure that the “cares of this world” do not choke out the word of God.

In Matthew 6:19-34, Jesus addressed the issue of having the cares of this world. I encourage you to go and read that whole passage when you have the time.

At the end of chapter 6, Jesus comes to a conclusion and He says, “For after all these things (clothing, money, shelter, etc.) the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” (Matthew 6:32-33)

So the antidote to worry, care, and desire for other things is a lack of seeking His Kingdom first. And since this passage was in the context of prayer, fasting, and giving, I believe that these are the main ways we seek Him first in our lives.

I hope you enjoyed this article and that it helped you in your walk with God.

God bless you all!