By Janie Baer
Jesus is your example of how to live by faith with the story of the fig tree in Mark 11:12-14.
Mark 11:12-14,19-22 And on the morrow, when they were come from Bethany, he was hungry: 13 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. 14 And Jesus answered and said unto it (the tree), No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever. And his disciples heard it. 19 And when even was come, he went out of the city. 20 And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. 21 And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away. 22 And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. KJV
When Jesus spoke to the tree He was using the God kind of faith and taking dominion over the tree. Jesus was acting just like Father God did in creation; He believed it in His heart, spoke out of His mouth what He desired and there it was.
Jesus knew when He spoke to the fig tree it was going to obey Him because Jesus had no doubt in His heart. Jesus saw Himself as a ruler instead of being ruled over. When He spoke to that tree, it was going to obey Him.
You also need to see yourself, as Jesus did, ruler under God and part of His royal family with the heavenly right to rule over things in this earth and not be ruled over.
There were no figs on the tree and this was the season for figs. Jesus knew when the figs were to be on the tree but there was none. Jesus spoke to the tree and his disciples didn’t overhear Jesus speak to the tree but they heard him and saw him talk to the tree.
He shows you that it will require speaking to things in order for things to change. It is recorded in the Gospels that Jesus spoke to a tree, a storm, inanimate objects, and dead bodies. Now that takes some faith but you will do greater things than these if you stay in faith. Jesus promised you that. I believe Jesus spoke to things all the time for that is a part of living by faith, and of course we know the writers of the New Testament could not have recorded all the acts of Jesus nor all of His words.
Jesus spoke to the tree so that others could hear His statement of faith. Jesus was putting Himself out there when He spoke and wasn’t trying to hide this in case the tree didn’t die. He was putting it out there and letting it speak for itself, so to speak.
"Have faith in God" means the God kind of faith. It means that you believe something and because you believe it then you will speak it and expect it to happen.
People operating with natural faith have to see it first and then they will believe it; but that is not so when you operate in the Kingdom of God. The God kind of faith operates when you believe it first, you speak it and then you will see it.
Mark 11:23,24 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. 24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. KJV
Jesus said, “Believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass.” You can’t doubt but you have to believe for faith to work.
The tree Jesus cursed dried up from the root. The roots of most trees are normally underground. Being “underground” you could look at it as being in the invisible realm, so you could say the roots to your problems are in the invisible realm.
Sickness and disease manifest themselves in the physical but their roots are in the spirit. If I minister to someone with cancer and I speak to the cancer releasing my faith, the faith goes to the root and the root dries up and dies. If I cut off its root then it has to die; just like when I cut off the roots of a plant and it can’t be fed and so it dies.
When you believe, the God kind of faith acts on what you believe and faith is released to go to work. But you just can’t believe, you have to act on what you believe. If you believe that if you eat food you won’t die yet don’t eat, eventually you will die even though you believed that you could eat and not die. So believing is not enough; you have to act and that is faith.
You can speak things and they will go to the root of a situation. With the God kind of faith released by your words, its all powerful, supernatural force takes control over your situations in the earth.
Many people, even Christians, see words as just sound but they are far more than just sounds. Your words are spirit and the spirit of faith is designed to work for you as you release faith filled words.
Faith is supposed to be the servant of the believer and that means you. Here’s a scripture that will show you faith as your servant.
Luke 17:7-9 But which of you, having a servant plowing or feeding cattle, will say unto him by and by, when he is come from the field, Go and sit down to meat? 8 And will not rather say unto him, Make ready wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, and serve me, till I have eaten and drunken; and afterward thou shalt eat and drink? 9 Doth he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I trow not. KJV
Faith is your servant and faith is supposed work for you until you see the desired results.
When Jesus spoke to the tree there was no physical evidence of any change. Maybe that has happened to you. You spoke to something in faith and there was no change. But the Word of God plainly tells you; you must not look at the things that are seen.
Jesus spoke to the fig tree, went to Jerusalem, came back by the tree on His way to Bethany and the next morning as they traveled back by the tree Peter reminded the Lord that the tree He had cursed the day before had “withered away”. Jesus spoke and it happened but it was not until the next day that it was clearly apparent that the tree was dead. It took some time.
God spoke, “Let there be light,” releasing His faith in what He said, believing there would be light and the Holy Spirit waiting on the word manifested the spoken word in the earth and there was light.
Since you are in the God class, you also are designed to speak and see it happen. You were never designed by God to speak something you didn’t want to come to pass.
Many have been speaking a lot of words they didn’t expect to happen. They had no faith in their words.
You must come back to faith and understand that you are to live by faith just like the Word of God tells you. That means you are going to have to start watching your words. It is key that you understand this.