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Fig Tree Faith

CWH fig tree 150

// Craig W. Hagin

Anyone associated with Kenneth Hagin Ministries is familiar with Mark 11:23 and 24. These verses have been keynote scriptures for this ministry since its beginning. We can speak to any mountain and it has to move.

I want to look at this passage from a different angle. Moving a mountain really isn't about the mountain. It's about the fig tree, because "fig tree faith" is what determines if the mountain ever gets moved.

 

Jesus' Encounter With the Fig Tree
Jesus and His disciples were on their way to Jerusalem when Jesus saw a fig tree in the distance. He was hungry, so He and the disciples headed over to the tree to get some figs to eat. But once they got there, they discovered there wasn't any fruit on the tree. (See Mark 11:11–14.)
I'm not a figologist, but I've been told that if a fig tree has leaves, it's supposed to have fruit. When Jesus saw the leaves, He believed He would be able to satisfy His hunger. But after He reached the tree, He was disappointed and still hungry.

Fig Trees Today
How many times have you been disappointed by a fig tree?
In our lives, a fig tree represents false hope. Like Jesus, we may see something in the distance that looks like the answer to our problem. But later we find out it was nothing but an empty promise. And disappointment once again raises its ugly head.

How Do You React?
We need to ask ourselves, "What are we going to do when we encounter a fig tree?" When we experience disappointment, a lot of us begin to cry or complain.

Jesus didn't react that way. He immediately dealt with the situation. He used His authority and said, "Let no man eat figs from this tree ever again" (Mark 11:14).

Now, when Jesus cursed the fig tree, it looked like nothing happened. So when we speak to our mountain and don't see any immediate change, we shouldn't be disappointed.

Sometimes it looks like our mountain is beginning to move and we're sure we have our answer. But then when we reach it, we find that nothing has changed. Our mountain has become a fig tree, and we're left hungry. And when we look around, we don't see any other options.

Some of us go from one fig tree experience to another. It seems like we never obtain what God has promised because all we ever encounter are fig trees. But no matter how many fig trees we come up against, we can't let them move us. We have to learn how to deal with the disappointment that comes with what appears to be unanswered prayer. If we don't, we'll never move the mountains in our lives.

It's Not About You
So often when we face disappointment, we think, "What am I going to do?" or "How am I going to solve this?" In ourselves, we can't move a mountain or curse a fig tree. Jesus took care of our mountains and fig trees when He spoke His last words on the cross: "It is finished."

It's not about us! It's about Christ. It's about knowing who we are in Him. It's about putting our faith in His power, His might, and His ability. It's about opening our mouths and in Jesus' Name cursing the fig tree and commanding the mountain to move.

 

 

Quit Praying!
In Mark chapter 11, we don't see Jesus praying for 40 days and 40 nights asking God to do something about the fig tree. This is where many of us miss it. We need to quit praying and start saying! We're praying about things we already have authority over.

Jesus died on the cross 2,000 years ago. He's done His part. Some people are waiting for Jesus to come down from Heaven, grab hold of their fig tree, and throw it to the ground! And that will never happen.

It's up to us to walk in the authority Jesus has given us. We have to curse the fig tree. Too many people are facing disappointment after disappointment and doing nothing about it. At some point, we have to open our mouths and start speaking.

Have Faith in God
What do we do if, after we curse the fig tree, it's still there? If it hasn't withered after a day? After three days? Or even longer? The answer is simple: we just keep thanking God that the fig tree is gone. That's called faith.

After we get another bad report, our emotions may try to kick in. It's only natural for that to happen. But our faith in God also needs to kick in.

If something is thrown toward our face, we automatically put our hand up to block it. It's a natural reaction that we don't have to think about.

In the same way, when doubt and unbelief come and our emotions start to rise, the hand of faith needs to rise up automatically inside us and stop those doubts. For this to happen, we must know who we are in Christ, the authority He has given us, and what God has promised us. If we don't know these things, then everything God has made available to us to enable us to be overcomers will do us little good.

Watch Where You're Looking
Anytime disappointment pops up in front of us, we can't focus on it. We must focus on God and what we have in Christ. That's when we will begin possessing what we say with our mouths and believe in our hearts.

When we put our faith in God's power, might, and ability, we can confidently open our mouths and curse the fig tree and command any mountain to move.

We may have experienced many disappointments. Fig tree after fig tree may have popped up in our lives. But our faith in God will obliterate all of those trees. As we continue speaking the Word in the Name of Jesus, the fig tree—no matter what it is—can't stay. It has to go!

 

 

 

 

 

Romans 4:20 (NIV) says that Abraham “did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God.” Many years ago my father, Kenneth E. Hagin, wrote in the flyleaf of his Bible, “God said it; I believe it; and that settles it.” Abraham had this same attitude, and we need to grab hold of it too. No matter how bad our situation looks, our victory is found in God’s promises and in never letting go of what our Heavenly Father has said.
Don’t Be Double-Minded
Often today believers affirm their faith publicly, but when they are by themselves, they begin to question God. They wonder if He can really help them. The moment they start doubting, they begin wavering in their faith.
The Bible is very clear about the danger of wavering.
James 1:6–7 (NIV)
6 When you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.
7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.
Faith does not look at circumstances, and it doesn’t regard feelings. It stays completely focused on God’s Word. Unfortunately, some people allow their situations and feelings to “speak” louder than Scripture.
Some people lose their healing because they stop looking at the Word and focus on what’s going on in their body. It’s dangerous to do this, because before long they will start talking wrong. They’ll begin to say things like, “I thought I was healed. I guess I lost my healing.”
When we start talking like that, we throw out our healing and open the door for the devil and all of his junk to come back in. If we would just stand strong on the Word, every symptom would leave.
Look to the Word
Anytime the enemy bombards your mind with his lies, you must counter those lies with the Word of God. When lack rears its ugly head, read what God said about prosperity. When sickness impacts your body, meditate on healing scriptures. When fear invades your life, find peace scriptures to read. When impossibilities stare you in the face, the Word holds your answer.
Reading God’s promises keeps us focused on them instead of on the distractions that are sent to prevent us from receiving what God has for us. When facing the impossible, we can’t afford to look at whatever is coming against us.
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