20 And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. 21 And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away. 22 And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. 23 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. 24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. 25 And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. 26 But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses. Mark 11:20-26 KJV.
In this passage of scripture, Jesus reminds us of our ability as believers to believe or “to put (our) trust with” (1) the mind of Christ. We are to have faith or “reliance upon Christ for salvation” (1) in God.
Jesus declared the fig tree who had no fruit to nourish Him to be “cursedst” (v. 21) as an example of the one having no fruit to nourish others who is “to be evil or destestable” (1), and who withers away. So to “Have faith in God” this “faith” produces the fruit of trusting in God when we “believe that…which (we) saith shall come to pass” (v. 23).
Forgiveness or laying aside or letting go (1) a trespass or fault or offence (1) is essential, to be forgiven by God and thus be a partaker of His eternity. What hatred we hold in our hearts when we do not forgive another’s fault or offence is to not be forgiven by God. We must forgive in our praying or supplications or in our “effort to persuade or to overcome resistance” (2) from the offence with wisdom. In this way for believers, our Father helps us to supernaturally turn our offences around and away in our praying or “worship” (1) of and to God.
As believers we are to be righteous or set apart from those who hate and those who do not forgive!
God bless everyone!
(1) The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible by James Strong, LL.D., S.T.D.
(2) Merriam-Webster Dictionary.
Brenda A. McGee has attended New York Theological Seminary in New York, NY, and Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, CA as a Master of Divinity student.