Traveling between Jerusalem and Bethany, which was about a mile away from Jerusalem to the east, Jesus saw a fig tree which, although it had leaves, had no figs to eat. As it is written in the Word, evidently the fig tree was speaking against Jesus, denying him its fruit. Jesus replied to the tree, and spoke these words - "No man eat fruit of thee hereafter forever."

Most people reading this passage refer to Jesus' words as "The cursing of the Fig Tree." However, if we meditate on this passage, we can see that rather than simply cursing the fig tree in a fit of temperment, Jesus was using the non-bearing tree as another opportunity to teach his disciples (including you and me) our most valuable lesson on faith.

After Jesus spoke to the tree, he and his disciples continued on into Jerusalem where he dealt with the money changers in the temple. On the way to Bethany again, Peter noticed that same fig tree had withered away. As Jesus had spoken - no man would ever eat fruit of that tree.

The tree had served its purpose as a teaching tool. The disciples had already heard Jesus speak directly to foul spirits to dispel them from within people. They had heard him speak to the dead body of a young girl and bring her back to life. They had heard him speak to the wind and sea and those normally uncontrollable things of nature obeyed him.

Unfortunatly, in spite of all these demonstrations of how to use Faith, Jesus knew the disciples had not yet understood the main principle of receiving by faith. So Jesus taught them (and us) again.

Mark 11: 22-24

Have Faith in God.

For verily I say unto you, that whosoever shall say to this mountain, "Be thou removed and be thou cast into the sea"; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith .

Therefore, I say unto you, what things soever ye desire, when ye pray believe that ye receive them and ye shall have them.

You can see, by the verses quoted above, how often Jesus used the word, " SAY ". In concluding his demonstration of receiving by Faith, Jesus was once again showing his disciples just how Faith works. We must speak .

Look back at Jesus' teachings of his disciples. Time and again he spoke to the mountain, whether that "mountain" was a fig tree, foul spirits, a dead body, or even the wind and sea.

As a disciple of Jesus myself, I can understand how difficult it is for those who have always followed Jesus to obey him by literally speaking out loud to inanimate or invisible things, whether we walked with him 2000 years ago or walk in his footsteps today. We must believe what Jesus taught and we must do those things he tells us to do. We must speak to the mountains in our lives because we believe and have faith in God .

What mountains can we identify that we need to speak to?

• Strife in our homes
• Debt in our finances
• Sickness in our bodies
• Lack in our lives
• Fear in our hearts
• Ignorance in our schools
• Apathy in our churches
• Poverty in our cities
• Sin in our spirits

These are just a few of the many "mountains" which need to be removed from the lives of those who truly seek to follow Jesus. There are no answers for these problems in the "world" (those people who do not know God). We've seen governments and psychiatrists and social activists struggle and fail with these mountains. The only answer they've been able to formulate is to spend more money - all the while knowing that virtual mountains of money have been and are being wasted and these situations not only remain, but grow ever larger.

Jesus taught us to speak to the mountains in our lives. Why don't we just do that? Why don't we simply come into our homes and speak out against the spirit of strife as Jesus taught, by saying , "Spirit of strife, I come against you in the name of Jesus. I say to you that you are gone from this home."

Why don't we say to the sickness in our bodies, "Spirit of sickness, I say to you in Jesus' name that you are gone from my body."

Why don't we say to the debt in our finances, "Debt, I speak and rebuke you in Jesus' name!"

Why don't we do all these things and even more - not only for ourselves but for anyone who needs a mountain removed?

Because we've learned that it's nice to believe in God but not to actually expect any victory in our lives when we act on His Word. Through years of ignoring the presence of God in our lives, the education of Godly ways and expections, in our homes and in our schools, we have come to a place of little or no belief in God's goodness, grace, and mercy toward us.

Paul explained this problem to the Ephesians in Chapter 2 verses 12-13 this way:

At that time (when you were gentiles, without God, in the flesh) ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel (the Kingdom of God), and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the World.

Doesn't that sound like the world today? No Hope. Without the promises of God. Going to church, working at our jobs, doing the best we can on our own with very little, trying to move the mountains out of our lives by any means except the power of Faith in God that Jesus taught us - Speaking to the mountain and telling it to be removed.

Time and again throughout his ministry here on earth, Jesus must have astonished his disciples by actually speaking to things. He didn't waste time explaining and reasoning with people. He didn't whine and cry and beg God to move the mountain. He spoke in faith. Believing in his heart that those things which he had said were based in the promises of God.

Jesus wouldn't have spent so much time teaching this truth - planting it as seed in the hearts of his disciples - if he didn't expect us to listen to and learn by what he spoke in faith, act on it, and receive from it.

Today, the biggest mountain we need to remove is the mountain of unbelief which has grown out of the acceptance of ignorance in God and His Word or dependence in worldly ideas and ways.

Let's make a committment today to be mountain removers. Don't allow the mountains of fear and unbelief in your life and in the lives of others. Go to God's Word, read it and learn to trust in it. Let yourself read His Word and listen with ears of faith , willing to believe , speak and receive simply because Jesus spoke it.

By the power of the Holy Spirit and to the Glory of God

Merrellee Moore 10/3/1999