(Mar 11:22-25 NLT) Then Jesus said to the disciples, “Have faith in God. I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart. I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours. But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too.”
This morning we continue our series entitled, “Re-Energizing Your Prayer Life” by continuing the message from yesterday. You know the setting. Jesus spoke to a fig tree, told the tree it would never produce again, walked away like the tree was already dead, 24 hours later Peter realized the tree was actually dead, and Jesus took the opportunity to use what He did as an object lesson on praying in faith.
At the end of every daily message I share with you a Closing Confession. The purpose of this confession is not just so you can read it silently. I want you to actually read it aloud, in faith, from a believing heart, fully believing that what you are saying will come to pass in your life. For some of you I know this may seem uncomfortable and it may not seem like you are praying. While a confession (or declaration) of faith is not a traditional prayer, it is a form of prayer. For example, all Jesus said to the tree was, “May no one ever eat your fruit again.” That does not sound like a traditional prayer. However, when teaching His disciples that they could do what He did, He clearly connected it to prayer. Tomorrow we will look at a similar example with something Elijah said. Elijah made a simple statement of faith and it did not rain for 40 months.
So what does this mean to you today? It means that to do what Jesus did you must:
1. Speak to your mountain (challenge, obstacle) and declare your desired outcome. Jesus said, “You can say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen.” This does not seem natural at first, and honestly, it may even seem foolish, but living by faith will cause you to do things that make no earthly sense at all. However, this is required to live like Jesus lived. Jesus did and said things that made no sense on a daily basis.
2. Speak from a believing heart. Jesus said, “You must really believe it will happen.” When someone says something we have no way of knowing whether or not they truly believed it, but God does. Only words of faith, spoken from a believing heart, will tap into the Kingdom of God. That’s why some have openly confessed Jesus as Lord and have not been Born-Again, because their heart was not in it. You must believe what you are saying/praying.
3. Resist doubt at all costs. Jesus said, “And have no doubt in your heart.” Doubt is the precursor to fear and fear will lead to a faith-failure. If you find yourself doubting your faith, repent and openly declare your faith again.
4. Make it personal. Jesus said, “It will be yours.” My words and my faith (or fear) will dictate what happens in my life. Your words and your faith (or fear) will dictate what happens in your life. I will have what I say and you will have what you say. This is a personal thing.
5. Remain in faith. Jesus was never concerned. He knew in His heart that the tree was dead the moment He spoke it, even though it did not happen immediately. We must be the same way. We must be so convinced that we never speak against what we said/prayed.
Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for this teaching. I am committed to being more and more like Jesus daily. I see the way Jesus lived and I want to be like Him. Jesus taught me to speak to my mountains, in faith, and I declare that I will. I speak the language of faith daily, from a believing heart, resisting doubt, making it personal, and I remain in faith, refusing to speak contrary words, regardless of what I see. I will not allow what I see to change what I say or what I believe. I am a believer, not a doubter, and my words testify of my faith. In Jesus’ name, amen!
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!
