THE POWER OF OUR FAITH IN GOD

The power of our faith in God is usually demonstrated in words and implemented with a degree of authoritative impact. When we say, declare or decree God's Word, we stand in Christ's authority to establish the very will and purposes of God in our lives and world.

Reference: Mark 11: 20-22 King James Version (KJV) "And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away. And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God."

A day before, Jesus simply destroyed a fig tree with spoken words. "And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find any thing thereon: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet" (Mark 11:13-14 KJV). He said to the fig tree: No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever and his disciples heard it. Although in the Old Testament, Israel is often compared spiritually to a fig tree in terms of judgement, here Jesus used this particular incident to teach us the power of exercising our faith in God through words.

What got my attention in the above expression is the truth that Jesus only said. He was just passing by when He examined the tree and then said. He didn't pray and fast. He didn't go any extra mile to display His authority over nature. He didn't previously engage in the scientific study of the plant life of that particular region. He only said: No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever. That's all. And the fig tree responded.

When I think of the very words of Jesus within the fig tree setting, what comes to mind is the power of decree. But before we can tap into the power of decree, we must be conscious of who we are and the importance of our words. In Christ Jesus, all authority in heaven and on earth which was bestowed on Him by God belongs to us - as born again Christians. Mark the two realms: In heaven and on earth. This is why Matthew 18:18 (MSG) says, "Take this most seriously: A yes on earth is yes in heaven; a no on earth is no in heaven. What you say to one another is eternal. I mean this." Here Jesus was making reference to us, meaning that our words are not ordinary, so we must take what we say seriously. We can pass a decree on earth and it will reflect in the radar of heaven.

Furthermore, our decrees must be based on Biblical truths in order to set in motion, the system that detects our "sayings" in heaven and causes our circumstances to align with the dictates and become our reality. Our decrees are heartfelt wordings that express our authority in Christ, and get us into agreement with Heaven in order to establish its dictates in the natural realm. Our decrees demonstrate our faith in God and implement our decisions and desires in our favour - by the authority of Christ bequeathed to us. Job 22:28 (WEB) reads, "You shall also decree a thing, and it shall be established to you."

Of a truth, Jesus' disciples didn't quite grasp what He was trying to teach them by cursing the fig tree. By carefully studying the context of the story of the fig tree, we can come to conclusion that the fig tree did nothing wrong. It wasn't barren either. The Bible said that when Jesus came towards it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet (Matthew 11:13 KJV). In other words, the fig tree was fruitful; it wasn't just the right timing to bear its fruits. Therefore, this implies that Jesus was trying to teach them about the power of spoken words, not really to show who He is and what He can do. Jesus must have sensed that once the fig tree withered, it wouldn't happen without being noticed by the disciples.

Our referenced Scripture says, "And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away. And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God." Beloved, the power of our faith in God is mainly demonstrated in words, bearing in mind that if anyone says to this mountain, 'Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,' and has no doubt in his heart but believes that it will happen, it will be done for him (Matthew 11:23). Remember, the keyword is "say". Shalom!

Scripture Reading - Matthew 17:20; Mark 9:23; 2 Corinthians 5:7; James 1:6.

Guided Prayer: Dear heavenly Father, I trust in you and I put my faith in your Word always. Nothing is difficult for you and anything is possible by my decrees based on truths in the pages of the Word. Therefore, I'm fully persuaded that by standing on Christ's authority, whenever I decree a thing, it is established unto me and when I forbid anything, it comes to pass accordingly or withers instantly. Thank you Father for the wisdom of faith-filled declarations and the assurance of their fulfilment in Jesus' Name, Amen!