Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it and indulge it will eat its fruit and bear the consequences of their words. (Proverbs 18:21 AMP)
The next day, as he left Bethany, Jesus was feeling hungry. He noticed a leafy fig tree in the distance, so he walked over to see if there was any fruit on it, but there was none—only leaves (for it wasn’t yet the season for bearing figs). Jesus spoke to the fig tree, saying, “No one will ever eat fruit from you again!” And the disciples overheard him…In the morning, they passed by the fig tree that Jesus spoke to and it was completely withered from the roots up. Peter remembered and said to him, “Teacher, look! That’s the fig tree you cursed. It’s now all shriveled up and dead.”
Jesus replied, “Let the faith of God be in you! Listen to the truth I speak to you: Whoever says to this mountain with great faith and does not doubt, ‘Mountain, be lifted up and thrown into the midst of the sea,’ and believes that what he says will happen, it will be done. This is the reason I urge you to boldly believe for whatever you ask for in prayer—be convinced that you have received it and it will be yours. (Mark 11:12-14, 20-24 TPT)
I feel a bit sorry for that fig tree in the Bible. It was a healthy tree until Jesus spoke to it, cursing it and causing it to wither. The Bible even tells us it wasn’t the season for fruit, so why would Jesus curse the tree? Perhaps He needed an object lesson to capture the attention of His disciples.
Jesus challenges His disciples to embrace what we might call a “super-degree of faith.” He teaches them that if they have enough faith and do not doubt, their words have the power to move mountains. He encourages them to “boldly believe” when praying, even urging them to “be convinced that you have received it, and it will be yours.”
Faith comes from our spirit (often referred to in the Bible as our “heart”), but our flesh and, especially, our minds can hinder our ability to have that bold belief and confident faith. For example, consider our 10-year-old rescue dog, “Fido.” Last October, she was diagnosed with inoperable bladder cancer and given only 30-60 days to live. Yet, six months later, she is still as energetic as ever, though she continues to bleed when she urinates.
We’ve been giving her two medications, and I’ve been praying over her. Specifically, I’ve been commanding the cancer cells to turn into healthy cells and declaring healing over her body. This has become a test of my faith: Will I continue praying with confidence, believing that she can be healed, even though I’ve never witnessed such healing before? Will my belief in God’s power to heal her be overshadowed by the reality of the diagnosis? Am I truly convinced that she is receiving healing? I know of many people who have been prayed for with great faith, only to pass away, leaving me to wonder: Would God heal a dog if He didn’t heal the person made in His image?
This prayer of faith is still a work in progress, as she continues to bleed. I keep praying, despite my mind and flesh questioning whether she will be healed or eventually succumb to the disease. But my spirit knows that God hears all prayers and has the power, desire, and ability to heal her. While there may be more urgent prayers I could offer right now, I trust that God hears even the smaller ones.
The writer of Proverbs reminds us that “death and life are in the power of the tongue.” Jesus’s words had the power to wither a fig tree, and our words of anger, criticism, guilt, fear, shame, jealousy, and more can harm a person’s soul. But if our words can move mountains, as Jesus says, then our words of forgiveness, courage, confidence, acceptance, peace, joy, and love can breathe life into others. Today, let’s choose to speak words of faith, hope, and healing into the lives of those around us.
Jesus,
All praise, honor, and glory to the Creator of the Universe and the One who has called us to be disciples. Thank you for challenging us to grow in our faith. Help us to believe in the depths of our beings that you are good and you are our healer-even when our thoughts say otherwise and we do not see it in the natural.
Give us the courage to speak only words of life over each and every situation around us. We pray in the name of Jesus for total and complete healing for all those diagnosed with cancer – both human and animal. We take authority over every cancer cell and command each one to turn back into a healthy cell. We believe in your capacity and power to do this, and we join with you in faith, asking for miracles to be poured out in these situations.
We pray for hope, grace, and peace for those standing in faith on behalf of others in need of healing. And we ask for your supernatural comfort to be upon those whose loved ones have not experienced healing in this life.
Help us choose words that reflect your abundance, love, grace, power, healing, and peace in all situations. Guide us to speak your truth in every circumstance, we ask in Jesus’s name. AMEN.
I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. (Luke 10:19 NIV)
Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness. (Matthew 10:1 NIV)