Mark 11:12-14
12 On the following day, when they came from Bethany, he was hungry. 13 And seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see if he could find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. 14 And he said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard it.
20 As they passed by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots. 21 And Peter remembered and said to him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered.” 22 And Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God.23
Words… have the power to give life or death. When I was new in the faith, I was exposed to biblical teachings about the power of words. In fact, I did not need a lot of Scripture to tell me that truth. Many of the reasons I act a certain way was because of the words that were spoken to me whether positive or negative.
I am an achiever because I grew up with our parents telling us we can do anything with hard work and perseverance. We were verbally praised for doing hard work. At the same time, I had a negative experience with failure because somebody told me I was not good enough.
Words have power. But we also know a lot of new age teachings on the subject. Name it and it will happen. Say it and the universe will align to you. The energies of the world would grant the confession of your mouth. If you look closely at Scripture this was not the teaching Jesus was pertaining to. In fact, it is quite the opposite in spirit and in action.
While the world tells us to name it and we will get it because everybody will adjust to what you confess, Jesus started off by saying, “Have faith in God.”
Having faith in God is a game changer. A Christian who puts his faith in God is no longer looking for things to fill him up. He is already full and content with Christ. Our faith in God does not make us the center of the universe. We adjust to what God wants and not the other way around.
Jesus then proceeds to teach about the power of our words when we put our faith in God.
Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. 24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. 25 And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”
As we align with God, our confession of the Scripture gets aligned with God. When we get the heart of God, we ask what is in His heart. Whatever you ask for in prayer to God, to whom you have put your faith, will be given to you. He then gives an example of the spirit of prayer when He tells us to forgive – something that is hard for everyone to do. That is an example of a mountain Jesus was pertaining to.
Words – like I forgive you, I let go of my bitterness so that I might enjoy God’s grace and forgiveness as well.
Lord, I pray that I might use words to reflect your love and character. I pray that I won’t treat you like a slot machine or an ATM but rather I would align with your will so that I might use my words right and that it will glorify you.