Matthew 21:21-22
And Jesus answered and said to them, “Truly I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea, ’ it will happen. And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”
The disciples had the great privilege of seeing miracle after miracle. They say the blind see, the lame walk and the demon possessed restored. They even saw things of nature when Christ was in the boat and saw Jesus calm the seas. In the case above they saw Jesus curse a fig tree and cause it to wither away. The real lesson was in the fact that the fig tree did not produce fruit and therefore was destroyed. So, too will be all those who hear the gospel and don't submit in faith thus allowing the Spirit to produce fruit. But, the disciples, like on many occasions didn't see the truth taught but only the miracle accomplished. They wanted to know "how" Jesus did the "trick." Jesus indulges them (like He did on most occasions) and tells them that they too would be able do something on the level of cursing fig trees and, even more. IF they had faith and didn't doubt. He goes even farther and tells them that, with faith, they will be able to ask for anything in prayer and receive it. We read the same thing from the hand of James in his epistle. In James 1:5-8 we read about having faith without wavering. James must have been listening to Jesus as he stood by. Faith must be complete to be faith. Doubt in faith is like water in wine ... not really the same thing. Doubt is the fear we have that God will not answer our prayer, or worse, when we think He can't answer. Faith is the thing that pleases God (Hebrews 11:6). Faith moves mountains.
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