Have Faith in God

Now the next day, when they had come out from Bethany, He was hungry. And seeing from afar a fig tree having leaves, He went to see if perhaps He would find something on it. When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. In response Jesus said to it, “Let no one eat fruit from you ever again.” And His disciples heard it.

Mark 11:20–24 NKJV

Now in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. And Peter, remembering, said to Him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree which You cursed has withered away.” So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. 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 be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.

Have Faith in God

NOT “Have faith in a Minister” (“Brother So and So Says”)

NOT “Have faith in what you see” (“I will believe it when I see it”)

NOT “Have faith in your faith” (“If I can just have enough faith”

NOT “Have faith in a formula” (“If I will follow certain steps, I will get what I want”)

NOT “Faith in the promise of God”

Faith is only as good as the object of our faith.

Facts change; God never changes. (Malachi 3:6)

Circumstances change; God never changes. (2 Corinthians 4:18)

BUT “Have faith IN GOD” (“I put my faith in God”) and “I believe in the God who promised”)

God is ABLE: All things are possible with God.

Mark 10:27 NKJV

But Jesus looked at them and said, “With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible.”

Luke 1:36–37 NKJV

Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. For with God nothing will be impossible.”

God is FAITHFUL: All things are possible to those who believe or trust in Him.

Hebrews 11:11 NKJV

By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised.

Mark 9:23 NKJV

Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”

Mark 16:17–18 NKJV

And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

Consecrate Your Life to the Will of God

Mark 14:36 NKJV

And He said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will.”

1 John 5:14–15 NKJV

Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.

God’s will is revealed through the two-fold witness of the Word of God and Spirit of God.

Believe in Your Heart

Bible faith originates in the heart

Acts 8:37 NKJV

Then Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” And he answered and said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”

Mark 11:23 NKJV

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 be done, he will have whatever he says.

Speak to Your Mountain

Mountains represent great obstacles that stand in opposition to God’s will. Mountains are humanly impossible to move.

Zechariah 4:6–7 NKJV

So he answered and said to me: “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the Lord of hosts. ‘Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain! And he shall bring forth the capstone With shouts of “Grace, grace to it!” ’ ”

There is power in the spoken word.

Proverbs 18:21 NKJV

Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit.

Jesus cursed a fig tree

Mark 11:14 NKJV

In response Jesus said to it, “Let no one eat fruit from you ever again.” And His disciples heard it.

The fig tree and it dried up from the roots.

The disciples were amazed.

Jesus shared the secret to doing the same.

Faith involves speaking or confessing.

Romans 10:9–10 NKJV

that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Mark 11:23 NKJV

Jesus mentions the heart once and speaking three times.

Receive with Thanksgiving and Praise

Mark 11:24 NKJV

Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.

When we ask, we must believe that we receive.

Receiving involves thanksgiving and praise

Philippians 4:6–7 NKJV

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Romans 4:17–21 NKJV

(as it is written, “I have made you a father of many nations”) in the presence of Him whom he believed—God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did; who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, “So shall your descendants be.” And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform.

Response to the Word

Have faith in God

Consecrate your life to the will of God

Believe in your heart

Speak to your mountain

Receive with thanksgiving and praise

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