Mark 11:12-14, 20-24, James 1:5-8
There is no point in asking if it is not done in or with Faith.
The emphasis on the story of the fig tree is that Jesus said something should happen and he walked away, he didn’t come back to check whether what he has said has come to pass. It was his disciples that refer back and reminded him about it. He didn’t talk about the tree he shifted their focus from the tree and said “Have faith in God and whatsoever you say, you shall have it”.
Anyone can have testimony or result. You don’t have business praying or asking if you do not ask in or by faith. So we have to learn how to pray in or by faith. We have to trust God that whenever we pray that issue of faith is sorted out.
There are several things that makes a man doubt, that makes a walk in unbelieve:
1) When you have a long time expectations, there is tendency to walk in unbelieve. When answers to prayers are been delayed for so long, when what we are expecting is yet to come to pass.
2) When we feel that what we are asking for is too big and you are wandering how it will happen.
We need to pray that God should help our faith. When God help our faith, is God helping us to lay hold on that which we are trusting him for.
As far as God is concern, he is able. It is left to us to walk in faith. It is left to us to trust God on his ability and capacity. Our faith pattern is not dependent on God, it is dependent on us. God does not need or lose faith. God is able to do.
Our faith does not see how big the mountain is, what our faith sees is how big God is
We need to conquer the spirit of unbelievable and walk by faith not by sight.
Prayer is one of the ways you release the power of God.
James 5:13-18 KJV
[13] Is any among you afflicted? Let him pray. Is any merry? Let him sing psalms.
[14] Is any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:
[15] and the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.
[16] Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
[17] Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.
[18] And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.
It is not about the affliction, it is about you praying. No one gets anything by crying.
God answers prayer of desperation out of mercy not out of principle, the principle is that we pray.
Praying is taking a position with God, in God.
You can not be panicking and praying, just as you can not be praying and panicking.
We are meant to pray a prayer of faith and not a prayer of desperation. God answers prayer of desperation out of mercy and not out of principle.
God does not want me to pray until it becomes a matter of urgency and desperation. He expects us to pray because when we pray things get done.
Praying is taking a position with and in God. We tell the devil this is how far he can go and cannot go further in doing so.
When Herod killed James, and proceeded in taking Peter as well, the church prayed.
Acts 12:1-5 Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church.
And he killed James the brother of John with the sword.
And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also. (Then were the days of unleavened bread.)
And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people.
Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him (KJV).
James in his epistle says, “..Is any afflicted among you? Let him call for the elders of the church…”
James 5:13-15 Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms.
Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:
And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him (KJV).
We have to take either a posture of panicking or the the posture of prayer. We cannot be panicking and we are praying and vice-versa.
There is no middle point. The elders in the aforementioned are not found sympathizing with the sick, but to pray.
We must to come to the point when we settle in our heart that we must pray. There is no point in asking if we do not pray in faith.
The way out in a challenge is that we pray and not to panic.
Mark 11:12-14
What shocked people concerning the aforementioned verse is that tye tree withered. The fig tree is still in water and not in the season of its bearing of fruit. He put their attention away from the tree and He said they have faith in God.
We must not ascribe the praise to the man but to God who we have faith in.
Jesus used two keywords in the verse, and those words are “whosoever” and “whatsoever.” Which means that experience is not limited to anyone and anything. This means “whosoever” can have “whatsoever.”
He pointed out attention away from the fig tree. Jesus’ message to His disciples and to us is believing and having faith in God.
We can have the testimonies that anyone has never had. We can have any testimony. It is not limited to some set of people. So it is whosoever.
This is why we pray that we would walk by faith and not by sight. So this means we can have faith. We can make anything happen. The common fact there is have faith in God.
Some of us believe that some things are meant for some set of people as being special. We can pray for the sick and the sick shall recover. There is no situation we cannot put to an end. We must have faith in God.
What do we think it is not as easy?
Regardless of any dream and aspiration we have that are yet to come to pass, we must have faith in God.
This is why we must not be limited to how much we have in starting something. This is why our first step must be faith. We would not get anything done when we ask too much questions.
We must have faith in God that those things are doable. There are testimonies that can be gotten and that have not for once been gotten in our family or association. They come by believing with our heart.
We can have whatsoever. There is nothing he can not do. There is no doubt in my heart about his ability because I know he is able to do much more beyond my expectations according to his power.
Jesus did not place a limitation on anyone. He demystified the supernatural by removing obstacles to the supernatural.
He made us see that there are no limits to the supernatural.
He said to us that whatsoever! So anyone can have whatsoever.
It is not exclusively preserved to anyone or group.
Some can fast and do not have faith in that prayer but to experience a breakthrough it requires just your faith..
For God is rich towards everyone. We can have whatsoever.
James 1:5
Tells us that he gives to all men liberally when they ask in faith.
God hears prayers.
So we should have faith in God that he is able to do.
He answers prayer.
There are two things about having faith in God
He is powerful and able
He is good and willing.
There is no point of asking if we will not trust him to do.
It is his will that we prosper.
He is eager to bless and show his power and goodness.
God is good and willing to bless. So, when we pray, we do so in assurance.
A person can lack direction, God loves to help. He is willing and able.
He has broken down the mysteries around the supernatural. He rebuked the fig tree and the following day it was dried. All he told his disciples when they called his attention to it is that they should have faith in God.
Whosoever can have whatsoever if he doesn’t have doubt in his heart.