ICS Daily Devotions
Be Bold
There are some passages in the Bible that we might find difficult to believe in and practice in our daily lives. In fact, we might even doubt that it could really happen if we were to put it into practice. We will not witness the power of God’s word in our lives, unless or until we act on what the word of God says.
Mark 11:12-14, 20-21 (NKJV) Now the next day, when they had come out from Bethany, He was hungry. And seeing from afar a fig tree having leaves, He went to see if perhaps He would find something on it. When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. In response Jesus said to it, “Let no one eat fruit from you ever again.” And His disciples heard it.…Now in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. And Peter, remembering, said to Him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree which You cursed has withered away.”
The 12 disciples were very blessed to be in the presence of Jesus because there wasn’t a day when their minds were not amazed by Jesus’ ministry. He is the God of all possibilities. The question is….do you believe that all things are possible with God?
Jesus wasn’t being unreasonable when He cursed the fig tree because when a fig tree has leaves, it is supposed to have figs. That particular tree was an early bloomer full of leaves which signaled that it should have had early figs and Jesus was expecting to eat the figs from it. Jesus wasn’t being unreasonable then because He is the God of creation and knows what to expect. He cursed the tree saying that no one would ever eat any fruit from it again. Nothing happened there and then to the tree when He cursed it. That’s the reason why Peter was so amazed when the same tree that Jesus cursed before had withered away on their return trip! It was unfathomable to Peter that such a thing could happen overnight by simply speaking to it. There is tremendous power in God’s word. God created everything by speaking it into being. The word of God is full of authority because He holds the highest sovereignty in the entire universe. His word carries creative power and absolute dominion.
Mark 11:22-23 (NKJV) So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.
Jesus is not encouraging us to go around speaking against everything. We should rather be able to speak towards something that is rightfully ours as believers of God. There might be insurmountable “mountains” in our lives that are hindering us from fulfilling the calling on our lives or an obstacle that blocks our way when we are in the midst of walking in God’s will. We need to believe in God’s word and be bold and courageous. Get out of your comfort zone and speak to the “mountain” in your life!
Sermon Series: Speak to Your Mountain
