The Secret Life Of Words – Part 5

Lessons From the Fig Tree

Our focus is on the relationship between words, belief and results.

Mark 11:20–25 (ESV)

Observations

Jesus’ statements begin and end by pointing out that we are accountable to God.

• Key Statements:
  • “Have faith in God”;
  • ”Forgive. . .so that your Father. . .may forgive. . .your trespasses”
• You can’t say and do whatever you want and expect God to endorse it.
  • Many people read this passage and don’t come away with that.
  • Let me tell you why.
• There are two layers of confusion about the application of Jesus ‘statements
  • Language
  • Results

• Confusion about Language: People don’t realize that they are misapplying this Scripture because they confuse the language of the passage with the language of positive thinking and of New Age Spirituality.
  • Faith
  • Mountain
  • Does not doubt
  • It will be done
  • Ask, Believe, Receive
• Confusion about Results:
  • You don’t need God to be successful.
  • You can have God and be a failure.
  • • • • 2 Corinthians 11:12–15 (ESV)
    • The world seeks first the things and then adds God to them.
    • Here’s part of the deception:
      • The enemy promotes you when he is setting you up for a fall.
      • Proverbs 24:1 – 1 Be not envious of evil men, nor desire to be with them,
      • Proverbs 24:19-20 –¹⁹ Fret not yourself because of evildoers, and be not envious of the wicked, 20 for the evil man has no future; the lamp of the wicked will be put out.

These principles apply to everyone, not just the apostles.

• Mark 11:23 (ESV)

Jesus makes comments about two different forms of speaking:

1. Speaking to things (“say to this mountain”)
2. Speaking to God (“ask in prayer)

• Mark 11:23–24 (ESV)

• Speaking to things
  • The Bible says that you can move of mountains, not create mountains.
  • Mountain moving might simply be one of the ways we resist the devil rather than an invitation to speak whatever we want into existence.
    • Satan’s not omnipresent or all powerful, so Satan leverages the fallen state of the world to harass you.
    • The fallen state of the world is not just about morality, but also about the physical conditions of life (which encompass natural disasters and sickness).
    • Jesus not only resisted Satan, but also the works of Satan: Acts 10:38 (ESV)

• Speaking to God (prayer)
  • You receive what you’re asking for twice: once in your heart and secondly in your physical reality.

Prayer requires us to live to desire and die to desire.

• Mark 11:24 (ESV) 
• Jesus did not receive everything He asked for in prayer.
  • Luke 22:41–42 (ESV)

Faith is more about persistence than size

• Luke 17:1–6 (ESV)
• Luke 11:9–10 (ESV) 
• Luke 11:9–10 (AMP) – ⁹ “So I say to you, ask and keep on asking, and it will be given to you; seek and keep on seeking, and you will find; knock and keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. ¹⁰ For everyone who ^[a]keeps on asking [persistently], receives; and he who keeps on seeking [persistently], finds; and to him who keeps on knocking [persistently], the door will be opened.

We need a steady diet of saying, praying and thanking multiple times a day.

Healing Testimonies and Sermons That Describe How These Principles Are Applied

Healing School with Creflo Dollar – April 25, 2019

Wednesday Service – How to Take Possession of Your Healing

What Happens When Fear Becomes Bondage – Sunday Service

My Testimony of Divine Healing from Multiple Sclerosis

Nona Jones: Persistence in Prayer Strengthens Your Faith | FULL EPISODE | Better Together TV

Healing Journeys, Week 1, Day 4 – Healed from Autism -The Gospel Truth

Life After Autism

Hear And Be Healed – Barry Bennett – CDLBS for June 1, 2022

© Joshua D. Smith, Ph.D., 2022