Today I will tell you a silly illustration about speaking to a mountain:
This story – one that taught me how seriously this scriptural law about speaking is – concerns a barn across the street
from my house. When I would look out my front window, I had a view of mountains and beautiful trees everywhere
except right across the street. The hay barn across the street had seen better days. It was sagging, had mostly fallen
down, and was rusted out with a small leaning grain bin attached. It blocked my view, it was ugly and I wanted it gone.
I had just gotten hyped up on hearing about Mark 11:23. One day I thought, “Since I know the farmer doesn’t use that
barn, I am going to apply this principle” and I spoke to the barn and told it to be removed – go away. Any time I looked
out the window I’d say things like, “Barn, your days are numbered.” I thought maybe the farmer would tear it the rest of
the way down but however it happened, I had this knowing inside that it had to go. I didn’t know when, I just knew that it
would.
I know this sounds ridiculous to some people, but I valued my beautiful view and that ugly barn was right smack dab
across the street, blocking my view. If the farmer used the barn, I wouldn’t (and couldn’t) have said anything, but it was
not in use or usable. It just hadn’t been taken down once it began to deteriorate.
A year or two later, we had a tornado come through town. While we had to deal with some damage, the barn across
the street was blown totally down. The only thing left standing was the small grain silo (and it was taken away last
month). Suddenly, I had my view! While some will say, “Well, that barn would obviously have fallen down anyway,” I beg
to differ with them. That barn had been there for a very, very long time. Nothing had caused it to fall down before, not
even strong straight-line winds that have been known to knock over huge trees in this area.
I did learn a lot through this experience. First was that the barn did not disappear overnight. It required consistent faith
that the barn was going to go. Then there was the fact that I continued to speak to that barn even though I could not
see anything happening. I knew this wasn’t a matter of life and death but whenever I thought of it, I would “speak to the
mountain” and command it to go.
I did have faith that God loved me and wanted me to have the desires of my heart (Psalm 37:4). I also know Him well
enough that if I were “asking amiss” (James 4:3) that He would tell me I was wrong to ask for that barn to get out of my
view.
The funny thing is that today, it is a moot thing. The shrubs and trees have grown up so high they block my view
across the street. I have to go onto the front porch and look to the right for a beautiful view of the mountains. So while
the barn and my “across the street” view is gone, I learned many valuable lessons speaking to that barn! It was a great
thing to practice on, especially since later on, vital and important issues required that same faith – speaking and
receiving. But – that’s another ramble for another day.
Copyright © 2007 Nan C Loyd
Anointed Word Ministries
All rights reserved. Used by permission.
This story – one that taught me how seriously this scriptural law about speaking is – concerns a barn across the street
from my house. When I would look out my front window, I had a view of mountains and beautiful trees everywhere
except right across the street. The hay barn across the street had seen better days. It was sagging, had mostly fallen
down, and was rusted out with a small leaning grain bin attached. It blocked my view, it was ugly and I wanted it gone.
I had just gotten hyped up on hearing about Mark 11:23. One day I thought, “Since I know the farmer doesn’t use that
barn, I am going to apply this principle” and I spoke to the barn and told it to be removed – go away. Any time I looked
out the window I’d say things like, “Barn, your days are numbered.” I thought maybe the farmer would tear it the rest of
the way down but however it happened, I had this knowing inside that it had to go. I didn’t know when, I just knew that it
would.
I know this sounds ridiculous to some people, but I valued my beautiful view and that ugly barn was right smack dab
across the street, blocking my view. If the farmer used the barn, I wouldn’t (and couldn’t) have said anything, but it was
not in use or usable. It just hadn’t been taken down once it began to deteriorate.
A year or two later, we had a tornado come through town. While we had to deal with some damage, the barn across
the street was blown totally down. The only thing left standing was the small grain silo (and it was taken away last
month). Suddenly, I had my view! While some will say, “Well, that barn would obviously have fallen down anyway,” I beg
to differ with them. That barn had been there for a very, very long time. Nothing had caused it to fall down before, not
even strong straight-line winds that have been known to knock over huge trees in this area.
I did learn a lot through this experience. First was that the barn did not disappear overnight. It required consistent faith
that the barn was going to go. Then there was the fact that I continued to speak to that barn even though I could not
see anything happening. I knew this wasn’t a matter of life and death but whenever I thought of it, I would “speak to the
mountain” and command it to go.
I did have faith that God loved me and wanted me to have the desires of my heart (Psalm 37:4). I also know Him well
enough that if I were “asking amiss” (James 4:3) that He would tell me I was wrong to ask for that barn to get out of my
view.
The funny thing is that today, it is a moot thing. The shrubs and trees have grown up so high they block my view
across the street. I have to go onto the front porch and look to the right for a beautiful view of the mountains. So while
the barn and my “across the street” view is gone, I learned many valuable lessons speaking to that barn! It was a great
thing to practice on, especially since later on, vital and important issues required that same faith – speaking and
receiving. But – that’s another ramble for another day.
Copyright © 2007 Nan C Loyd
Anointed Word Ministries
All rights reserved. Used by permission.
| THE BARN |
Mark 11:
22. So Jesus answered and said to them, "Have faith in God.
23. "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 come to pass, he
will have whatever he says.
24. "Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them,
and you will have them.
25. "And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your
Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.
26. "But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.''
22. So Jesus answered and said to them, "Have faith in God.
23. "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 come to pass, he
will have whatever he says.
24. "Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them,
and you will have them.
25. "And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your
Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.
26. "But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.''
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