Is It Really that Simple?
“Now in the morning, as He returned to the city, He was hungry. And seeing a fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it but leaves, and said to it, ‘Let no fruit grow on you ever again.’ Immediately the fig tree withered away. And when the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, ‘How did the fig tree wither away so soon?’So Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, “Be removed and be cast into the sea,” it will be done. And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.’”
Matthew 21:18-22 NKJV
Being tired and hungry, Jesus saw this fig tree from afar and approached it because He thought it would be good for food. Fig trees naturally grow fruit before, or at least at the same time, the leaves appear. It was unnatural for this tree to be barren of fruit and because it was out of its purpose, Jesus, who had always used His words to this point to bless, cursed the fig tree. Immediately, the fig tree began to wither away.
If we are disciples of Christ, we must bear fruit. Jesus expects the believer’s faith to produce a harvest in his life. Notice the conditional statement in this passage. A condition is placed on the believer, who must have faith without doubt. The person will not only reproduce the miracles of Jesus but also have the ability to move mountains. No one is expected to go around cursing fig trees, but metaphorically speaking, believers, when utilizing their faith, can command negative situations to cease.
Faith that moves mountains is faith that sees and believes in the impossible, no matter how daunting the situation. Jesus Christ wants us to understand that it takes the same amount of faith to believe for the small things and the big things.
When we face dire circumstances, we are led to believe that we need more faith. Nothing could be further from the truth. We have all the faith we are ever going to get. The Scriptures tell us that mustard-seed faith can move mountains (Matthew 17:20-21).
A popular gospel song encouraged believers to think that they needed “just a little more Jesus.” Although it may have been a catchy tune, it does not align with God’s Word. We, as believers, have all the Jesus we are going to get.
When we decide to give our lives to Christ, we have the person of the Holy Spirit living inside of us. The Holy Spirit is our helper, mentor, teacher, Comforter, and coach. We do not need more faith. What we need is a greater level of obedience to the Word and the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
We have made things complicated, but Jesus tells us that when we pray, we must believe that we receive the thing for which we are asking. What is the point of praying if we do not believe that God hears and answers our prayers? Those answers may not be what we want to hear at the time, and those answers may not be within the time limit we desire, but God does answer prayer. We have to believe in order to receive. It really is that simple!
The scriptures have already given parameters for prayer by telling us that we must pray in faith and according to the will of God. It is our responsibility to know the will and the Word of God. The Word of God has never promised us that we will get everything we want.
The Greek word for “whatever” in this passage is the word otidipote, and it means anything or everything. As American evangelist and author D. L. Moody stated, “He is the God of whatever’s and He can handle whatever comes your way.”
Reflection: Examine your prayer life. Are you making things too hard because of a lack of faith? It may be possible to exercise faith in one area of our lives and not operate in faith in another area of our lives. God wants you to know that the same faith that believes for the small is the same faith that can believe God for the big.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, I confess that I have sometimes put my confidence in my own abilities or another person instead of in the integrity of Your Word. When I pray, I choose to exercise my mustard seed-sized faith. I believe that You have a great plan for my life, and You will bring Your promises to pass in my life. I need only to trust and believe, and then I will see. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.
Upcoming Connect 21 Events
- Saturday Morning Prayer (Jan 20th @ 9 am at The Way Woodstock 109 Towne Lake Pkwy, Woodstock GA)
- Sunday Morning Service (Jan 21st @ 10 am at River Ridge High School)
- Prayer Masterclass (Wednesday, Jan 24th via YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@linkedupnorth)