Matthew 21:20 (KJV)
²⁰ And when the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, How soon is the fig tree withered away!

A few days ago I walked up on a conversation that two men in my church were having. Their discussion was on "why" there was so little of the manifestations that the early church demonstrated in comparison to our day. They even pointed out a few of the notable healing ministries out there in the public eye and how that they have even dwindled to an almost non-existent level of having these demonstrations. I must admit that the questions they were posing deserved a qualified answer, and not the usual theological excuses that we often prop up when something isn't working consistently in our life, or others around us. I mostly listened to their questioning and input at the moment, but continued to ponder on this for some time afterwards until I finally brought it before the Lord for His examination. I'm always thankful that in God's Word there is an answer to all of life's questions if one is willing to spend some time there.

Sunday morning I walked up to the pulpit in my church to minister to my congregation and these thoughts poured out of my spirit as God used that conversation to prime me for this much needed teaching on the reliability of God's Word. In my Bible School I stress the importance to all of my students of building on the Word of God if we are to walk effectively as to its privileges given to the believer. I am still amazed after all of these years at just how many catastrophic thoughts still hang out in my head that need to be extracted and renewed in the Word of God. Therefore, I cannot figure out how anyone can conclude that they don't need to stay in the Word to be a solid believer in Christ. When I fail to meditate in God's Word throughout any given day I notice a weakening in my spiritual walk. In essence, it reveals that weakness through my conversations, attitudes, and actions. Therefore, in this devotional we will look at a Biblical truth that responds to this conversation that I had listened in on that day; and whether we like its answer or not, it's still the truth, because God's Word cannot lie!

Our text which is found in the book of Matthew gives us some clarity to these multiple excuses that we often use for our lack of producing what the Bible says we should be walking in each day. In verse 18, it tells us that Jesus woke up hungry as He was returning back to the city from which He came the day before. The Scriptures go on to say that Jesus saw a particular fig tree, and when He came to "it," and found no fruit, but leaves only, that He spoke to "it." Jesus commanded these words to that fig tree, "Let no fruit grow on you forever!" And presently the fig tree withered away that instant. Now the disciples that were with Jesus marveled at how "soon" the fig tree withered away at His command. What I want you to see here is that these disciples with Jesus were not skeptics. They had been around Jesus for sometime and had witnessed countless of miracles and wondrous demonstrations that He had performed among them daily. Yet, in this passage it points out clearly that they marveled at how quickly the fig tree withered away when He spoke to it. God gives all of us the capacity to receive His Word when it is spoken to us if we so choose to let it in. Here is a few examples to prove this.

The disciples had witnessed the centurion's servant that had been healed at just the spoken Word from Jesus. The Scriptures tell us that the servant was healed in that selfsame hour (Matt. 8:13). Then there was the woman with the issue of blood who was restored the same hour that Jesus spoke that her faith had made her whole (Matt. 9:22). Again, the Scriptures teach us that there was a woman of Canaan who was not of the lost sheep of Israel, but a Gentile, and who had no right to the inheritance that belonged to the Jews. Yet, she demonstrated such great faith that it moved Jesus to answer her prayer for her daughter before His availability to the Gentiles; and she was healed the very hour that He had spoke over her (Matt. 15:28). Jesus will never send away real faith empty handed. Jesus commanded a devil out of a man who was epileptic and he was cured that very hour (Matt. 17:18). As you can see from these few examples that we have pointed out that when Jesus spoke to something it manifested rather quickly.

The fig tree therefore, that withered away so sudden, caused the disciples to marvel because they knew naturally that a fig tree took years to develop and grow to full maturity. Yet, here they had just witnessed that within a day it had withered completely at just the spoken Word from Jesus. Now, I realize that most of us think, well, this was Jesus the Son of God; He could do anything because He is God! Whereas that statement is true, Jesus had limited Himself to the boundaries of the flesh that had to rely on the Holy Spirit and obedience to His Father in heaven if He were to do the miraculous, signs, and wonders that followed Him. Therefore, Jesus is our example and if He did these things, then we too can operate in the same. People don't have a problem believing in God's ability, they just have trouble relying on it for themselves. I have learned over the years that God's Word cannot lie even when we aren't experiencing it in our lives. It requires believing in it, in order to receive from it. God's Word is reliable! God's Word cannot fail from doing what it was sent to do! Look at the next passage that validates that God's Word always works.

Matthew 21:21-22 (KJV)
²¹ Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.
²² And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.

I don't know if you see this or not. But, this passage takes away every excuse or argument that we may use to explain away why something is not answered when we pray or ask according to what is written in the Word. The only reason that God's Word is not manifesting in our lives is because of our doubt and unbelief, period! There is no other excuse, or theology, that can be used to support the failure of God's Word in our lives. I know that doesn't sit well with many folks, simply because many will tell you that they do believe, and yet it still didn't work. But let's keep it Scriptural here: "Let man be a liar, for God cannot lie!" People don't build their life genuinely and truthfully around the Word of God as much as they tell you they do. They incorporate the Word as it fits their schedules or events while heeding to other less important things to live their life by. I am not saying these things because I get some kind of morbid glory or joy over the failures of people and their destructions for neglecting the Word of God. I say these things because I care and love the body of Christ and want you to be successful in every way that Christ has given you provision to do so. So, look with me at some more Scriptures that tell us why we are not producing what we have a right to according to God's Word.

James 4:2-3 (KJV)
² Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.
³ Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.

We must affect our character with the Word of God and allow it to lead us through our daily affairs within this life. If we don't, then we will not mature and will surely ask things amiss which will ensure that we will not receive what we are asking. When that happens then we will put less emphasis on the Word of God as being reliable and complete for us to live our life from. I believe this is why we don't see many manifestations of God's power being demonstrated today.

James 1:6-8 (KJV)
⁶ But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
⁷ For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.
⁸ A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

I want to establish this truth throughout this lesson if I may, and that is, our God can never, not be who He is! God's Word was sent to heal every disease and infirmity known unto man. It was sent to deliver us from all our destruction. The Word brought riches within the possession of those who had been poor all their life. There is never a lack of performance of God's Word, for it never comes back void to Him; only the failure to believe in the performance of that Word in your own life will it fail to manifest what it declares is so. Without faith in it, you cannot rejoice in it! Most prayers petitioned today are filled with the content that a beggar would use on a street corner in order to receive a hand out. God's not looking for beggars, but partners!

1 Samuel 2:8 (KJV)
⁸ He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars of the earth are the LORD'S, and he hath set the world upon them.

I believe God's Word works with instant results when it is spoken in faith without doubting. If it is not working or manifesting then it cannot be God that has failed to backup His Word. It is simply that we have an underlying doubt and unbelief that must be eradicated from out of our life. Over in Matthew chapter 17 we find another example of what I am teaching in this week's devotional. In verse 14, we find a father who is kneeling at Jesus' feet begging Him to heal his son who was a lunatic. The father of the boy continued to tell Jesus that he brought his son to His disciples but they could not cure him. Jesus' response was how can you people be so faithless and how long do I have to be with you before you start getting this? Then Jesus commanded that the boy be brought to Him. He rebuked the spirit that was upon the boy and he was cured that hour. The interesting part of this story was the question that the disciples presented to Jesus; "Why could we not cast this devil out?"

Matthew 17:20-21 (KJV)
²⁰ And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.
²¹ Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.

Did you notice that these are the very same disciples that had witnessed many miracles by the hand of Jesus, and who were also sent out by this same Jesus with the power to heal and cast out devils at other times throughout the surrounding cities; yet they could not get things to work at this particular moment. Why? It was because they were busy doing so many other frivolous things that they were not praying and fasting on a consistent basis to maintain their intimacy with God. They didn't even have the faith the size of a mustard seed at this showing, so I would adventure to say that quit probably they didn't possess much belief when they prayed over this man's son. They just did something repetitiously much like religion develops into. You cannot just flippantly and loosely entertain the things of God when you feel like it and then expect to operate in great faith and witness the miraculous. The Bible teaches that faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. My friends, this does not mean one or two times of reading God's Word over the year, or praying about something when you happen to feel spiritual inside. It must become a daily lifestyle. In season and out!

There are preachers in every venue of life, and I don't mean to say or imply that all of these preachers are Christian by any sense of the word. Our television sets within our homes are preaching through the movies we choose, commercials that break in unabated on our private time, and other presentations that this television uses to promote its ideas, morals, and philosophies. Our billboard signs give us repeated visual messages that stick in our minds when we drive down the interstate. The radio selection that we choose to dial in when we commute to our workplaces is also preaching their messages whatsoever they are. The doctors give us their diagnosis in an informed message from their expertise and we believe in it. We are being inundated daily with forceful humanistic values and mindsets that dilute whatever Word of God that you may have been focused on from last week. You cannot afford to live your life as a Christian based on a few days attendance at church and expect to be a terror to the devil. Faith comes by hearing; but just what are we constantly hearing?

I want to close, as I have already gotten lengthy in this lesson for some of you today I'm sure. But, before I do, I want to lay one more example from the Word of God that is sure to help us see the importance of spending quality time with God in His Word while remaining open to His inward voice; if we would expect to see and operate in the power of what the Bible teaches we should be functioning in and receiving in our life. Our last Scripture is found over in the book of John, chapter four. This is probably a familiar story that many of you will recall I'm sure. There was a Samaritan woman who met Jesus at a well within her city. Jesus being thirsty asked of the woman if she would draw Him a drink. Yet, the woman realizing that Jesus was of Jewish decent asked why He would even bother to ask of her since the Jews had nothing to do with the Samaritans. Jesus told her if you knew the gift of God, you would have asked of Him, and He would have given you living water.

Jesus began to converse with the woman and revealed some very detailed things about her past that she was completely amazed, and therefore, called Him a prophet because of the illuminating details He spoke about her life. Have you ever noticed that when Jesus starts talking to those sensitive and hurtful areas of our lives that we have worked hard to keep hidden from everyone including ourselves when we can, and once He points them out we start getting religious like this Samaritan woman did. I want you to really look at this with me and see if you haven't done the very same thing.

John 4:19-24 (KJV)
¹⁹ The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet.
²⁰ Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.
²¹ Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.
²² Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.
²³ But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
²⁴ God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

This woman was trying to deflect the things that Jesus was deeply revealing about her; by getting all religious and throwing her theology around to change the subject. Like this woman, we can be standing right in front of our miracle, our breakthrough, and not even recognize it because of our unwillingness to lay all things bare before Him instead of trying to prop up some weak theology by which we use to satisfy our own doubt and unbelief. When I think about the reasons that so many of us use to explain why God didn't do this, or why He didn't honor His Word there; I recall that its always due to our lack of being intimate with God through His Word. And because we don't know how to open up, we close off ourselves from the life Source that has the ability to produce His miraculous in us. God cannot lie! The Word shall remain when everything else will pass away. God even exalted His Word above His own name!

The Word of God is instant in results without failure to those who intimately live in Him and stay divinely connected through the Holy Spirit. If He is the Vine, and we are His branches, then we must abide on the Vine, if we want to produce the kind of fruit that evolves from Him. Renew your thinking right now; it is crucial that you do! God's Word is a performing Word of power and results; but only to those who believe it fully will see it and experience it. If there is no results to what God has declared to be so in His Word, then doubt and unbelief rests somewhere in our midst! This is the truth and no man made theology can be created from the Scriptures that can explain away the promises of a God who said He heals all our diseases, and answers all prayers that are petitioned with a God kind of faith in Jesus' name, without doubting. The results will be instantaneous and unfailing, Amen!