The First Principle of Faith

Mark 11:12-24. Jesus spoke to the fig tree and cursed it loudly enough His disciples heard it. They remembered what He had said the next day, when Peter noticed it was dead from its roots. Many translations say that we are to have faith in God, but the correct translation is that we are to have the faith of God, or more exactly, faith the way God has faith. God created by speaking words. It was not faith in God that had to do with the fig tree miracle. It does not say, “Believe in God.” It was faith in what He said. Jesus immediately increased the level of what to believe for from a fig tree to a mountain. What are we to believe in? We are to believe that those things that we say shall come to pass. Jesus responded to the fig tree. We are to answer circumstances that “talk” to us by speaking and believing what we speak. Romans 4:16 and 17 are about calling the things that be not as though they were. It is NOT calling things that are as though they are not. That is denial, not faith. Jesus taught by: 1) the examples in His life, 2) examples from circumstances in parable form, and 3) by His teaching. Jesus’ examples are: 1) SPEAK TO THE PROBLEM, even small things. 2) HE SPOKE THE END RESULT, the desired outcome. 3) THE ANSWER BEGINS IN THE UNSEEN REALM, the spiritual realm. Go to the roots. The words that you speak and that you believe in, make things happen, good or bad. 4) NEGATIVE WORDS ARE A CURSE. We do not want to curse ourselves. You have to believe what you say, mean what you say, and say what you mean. Jesus took a circumstance to teach a parable. He went from a fig tree to a mountain. He wanted Peter to see how faith in your words can move mountains. We can apply this principle of faith to our desires. There are no limits to your faith. Use your faith for everything you desire. You can only receive from faith for those things you desire that are scriptural. What you say shall come to pass, the result being either life or death, because both are in the power of your tongue. You will eat the benefit of it. James three calls the tongue a rudder. 5) EXPAND YOUR FAITH TO THE MOUNTAINS. Seven lessons from Jesus’ teachings: 1) WHOSOEVER WILL SAY CAN USE FAITH. 2) SPEAK TO THE PROBLEM. Use your words. Speak to your wallet, or whatever is lacking. 3) SPEAK THE END RESULT. Do not speak denial, but affirm the Word of God so faith can come. Confession unto faith comes before confession of faith. 4) DO NOT WAVER. Stay the course, without doubting. Apostle Dale told of how he used his words when he was poisoned by a chef in Armenia. After being violently sick and getting a terrible rash, he spoke to his body. Shortly afterward he ministered to a Muslim man in Turkey who was burned with boiling water on his chest. Apostle Dale slapped the man so hard he fell to the floor. When he got up, he was totally healed, twelve Muslims were born again, and later Apostle Dale realized that the rash all over his body was gone! 5) BELIEVE IT IN YOUR HEART. Faith is not a product of intellect. Reasoning is not faith because reasoning is not in a person’s heart. It must be heart faith. 6) BELIEVE WHAT YOU SAY WILL COME TO PASS, AND YOU WILL HAVE THEM. 7) DESIRE. When Apostle Dale wrote down his answered prayers, he saw that the common denominator was desire. 8) Recognize that when you pray, BELIEVE THAT YOU HAVE IT NOW, AND YOU WILL HAVE IT. Apostle Dale told of being in bed with severe asthma. He realized that healed people do what healed people do, so he shuffled out of bed and decided to go for a run, since football season was coming. He quoted the Word, gained strength and breath, and ran for eight miles! [He had a word for Kyle.]