The Power of True Faith

Friday, May 29th, 2026

9:07 am

Good morning! Today I am in Matthew 21st:18-22 and Mark 11:12-14, 20-25. One morning as Jesus was leaving Bethany and heading back to Jerusalem, Jesus was hungry and saw a fig tree in the distance. He went to the tree to find fruit to eat, but it did not have any. He cursed the fig tree saying, "May you never bear fruit again!" Matthew tells us that the tree immediately dried up, and the disciples were amazed. Mark tells us that the next day when they passed the tree again, they noticed that it had dried up. Peter told Jesus to look, the tree He had cursed had withered up. Jesus tells them that if they have faith and don't doubt in their hearts, then they could do things like this and much more. They could even tell a mountain to be lifted up and thrown into the sea, and it would happen. They could pray for anything, and if they had faith, they would receive it. He tells them to have faith in God. But He tells them that if they are praying and are holding a grudge against someone, they must first forgive the person they have a grudge against, so that their Father will forgive their sins too.

Reading how Jesus cursed the fig tree reminds me of how He tells us in Matthew 7:19, "So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire." Jesus went to the tree expecting there to be fruit on it. My Bible notes that fig trees normally grow fruit as the leaves fill out. The tree looked full of leaves from a distance, so He expected there to be fruit, but there was none. It is the same with us. We are the trees, and we are to be planted in God. The more we get into God's Word and pray, the closer we get to God, and the stronger our roots are. So if we claim to be Christians, claim to be His followers, He expects us to bear good fruit for His Kingdom. But when He doesn't see the good fruit, and we are producing bad fruit, He will cut us off. Just like how the Temple at the time looked fruitful and promising, but when He entered, it was filled with corruption. God looks at us the same way. He looks into our hearts, and searches to see if we are producing good fruit or bad fruit.

When we do have strong roots in God, believing and trusting Him, He tells us that we can ask for anything in His name, and we will have it. But our requests must line up with His will, and we must not doubt. If we are asking for things from selfish motives, then we will not receive. We must check our hearts and make sure they are lining up with God's will. The more we are rooted in God, the more He changes our hearts and minds, to line up with His will. And the more we will want to forgive others. He fixes our hearts. Our faith in God has the power to move mountains, just as Jesus describes. God wants us to have this kind of faith, when we do, we can help many people. That's God's Kingdom in action here on earth. Draw closer to Him, and allow Him to fix your heart and mind so they will align with Him. Align with His will, and be a blessing to not just yourself, but everyone around you, producing good fruit for His Kingdom.