Luke 1:29 and 38

But she was greatly perplexed at what he said, and kept carefully considering what kind of greeting this was. Then Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.” And the angel left her.

Mary listened to the angel, perplexed at what he spoke, but she didn’t doubt his words. When she did speak, it was with confirmation in the trust of God and obedience to His word. Trust and obedience to the word of God will move mountains. Faith believes and acts on the word of God

Luke 1:19-20

The angel replied and said to him. “I am Gabriel; I stand and minister in the presence of God, and I have been sent (by Him) to speak to you and bring you this good news. Listen carefully, you will be continually silent and unable to speak until the day when these things take place, because you did not believe what I told you; but my words will be fulfilled at their proper time.

When we speak against the promises and word of God given to us in doubt, our prayers go unanswered. Death and life are in the power of our tongue, and we need to place a guard over our mouths. If what we want to say isn’t lovely or true, don’t say it. Speaking faith-filled words is vital for answered prayer. 

James 2:24

You see that a man (believer) is justified by works and not by faith alone (that is, by acts of obedience, a born-again believer reveals his faith).

Work is an action that moves forward with the confidence of faith—knowing that what was promised is, without a doubt, coming and that we are on our way to meet it. We do not stagger under unbelief at the promises of God, but boldly move forward in obedience.

James 2:22

You see that (his) faith was working together with his works, and as a result of the works, his faith was completed (reaching its maturity when he expressed his faith through obedience).

Because Abraham believed God’s promises, he acted on that belief. When we believe in the Word of God, we must act on our faith. No matter how small it may seem, the action is a movement of faith. If we don’t believe something is possible, we will take no action. 

Mark 9:24

Immediately the father of the boy cried out (with desperate, piercing cry), saying, “I do believe; help (me overcome) my unbelief.”

God is sitting in heaven wanting to help us overcome our unbelief. He doesn’t want us sick, sad, broke, angry, or alone. God knows He has the answer, and that answer is in the Word, but unless we work to eradicate our unbelief by letting God teach us through the Word, we will never find our answers. Father, help my unbelief!

John 14:12

I assure you and most solemnly say to you, anyone who believes in Me (as Savior) will also do the things that I do; and he will do even greater things than these (in extent and outreach) because I am going to the Father.

If mountains are not moving when we pray, we may need to meditate on this scripture until we believe in what Jesus says. When we keep the Word before our eyes, our faith will build, and we will be convinced. If we are not convinced, our prayers go unanswered. It comes down to living a defeated Christian life without faith or a powerful force for God. 

Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust in and rely confidently on the Lord with all your heart and do not rely on your own insight or understanding. In all your ways acknowledge and recognize Him, and He will make your paths straight and smooth (removing obstacles that block your path).

If we want to have strong faith and belief in Jesus and His promises, we will have to practice the Word. We can’t just dabble when we need Jesus and then go back to a worldly life; we must be committed. We can’t just rely on others’ faith; we must build on our experiential knowledge of God’s faithfulness. 

Romans 10:17

So faith comes from hearing (what is told), and what is heard comes by the (preaching of the) message concerning Christ.

To move a mountain, we must first be fully convinced that we can do the job. We will never believe anything from the Word of God is true or use our authority if we don’t have full knowledge and belief in the Word. We must have more than surface bible knowledge. Faith comes by hearing and speaking the Word until it sprouts and grows inside us.

Hebrews 11:6

But without faith it is impossible to (walk with God and) please Him, for whoever comes (near) to God must (necessarily) believe that God exists and that He rewards those who (earnestly and diligently) seek Him.

We cannot have faith without belief, because belief is faith in action. We can have belief without faith, and we will not see what we are believing for come to pass. Faith and belief work together and require action. All doubts and fears are overcome by the Word, casting out unbelief that tries to enter the mind. 

Mark 16:17-18

These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents, and if they drink anything deadly, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will get well.

Some may read this and not think that Jesus gave us the authority to do this. It was just for the disciples…. but we are disciples (followers) of Jesus, and He is speaking to us too. When we read the Bible as if it were our reality rather than a story, our view will no longer be passive. An active believer believes what Jesus’ Word says to be true and acts upon it.