Mat 8:13  And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And the servant was healed in that hour

Mar 11:23  Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou taken up and cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that what he saith cometh to pass; he shall have it. 

Mar 11:24  Therefore I say unto you, All things whatsoever ye pray and ask for, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them

These two scripture verses I quoted above are very powerful tools in the toolbox of the believer. It is interesting to note that early Christians were called by the name "believer" and not 'christian'. In Mark 17:17 it is recorded as saying the following:"These signs will follow those who believe..." In our modern day rationalistic society where everything has to be proven according to scientific principles we have lost the simple art of believing. We now have the motto that "Seeing is believing". 

I have often been asked by Christians that don't believe to explain how we can read the verse in Mark 11:23 literally. The bottom line request is "prove it". My answer is always the same. Prove that you have a brain. Have you ever seen your brain? Do you know for sure that you have a brain? You can make some logical deductions to the effect that you must have a brain, but having being in the people business most of my life, I can argue the point that most actions undertaken by rational people defies logic.

A biblical truth is "believing is seeing". Jesus said it on two separate occasions. As you believe so you will see. The world has turned this around to say that seeing is believing.

Ponder this - when you place an order online and pay for it online, you are often forced to wait for a couple of days for delivery. Despite this waiting period, you are totally convinced that you have acquired the new item you ordered.

When Jesus cursed the fig tree, the apostles were surprised the next day when it died. Jesus, was not at all surprised. In fact He was surprised at their reaction. of course the fig tree was dead. it had died the previous day when Jesus spoke to it! The death of the fig tree took place in the unseen realm, at the roots of the fig tree. 

Like modern day Christians, the apostles were expecting an obvious change in the physical realm, something they could see immediately. When this never happened, they walked away not believing. The next day the fig tree was dead...and the apostles were surprised.

Do you pray and believe or are you just making a delightful noise not expecting any answers anyway...Thats probably why we are called Christians and not believers!!

Sharpen your ax

Ecclesiastes 10:10 :"If the ax is dull, and one does not sharpen the edge, then he must use more strength. But wisdom brings success".

Anyone who has ever had the opportunity to chop down a tree, or chop up wood for a fire knows this simple truth. In our modern day times of chain saws, and ready chopped wood we seldom get any opportunity to use an ax. The truth behind this wisdom is awesome and can be applied to so many different situations. A sharp ax cuts easier, requires less work, and you get more done. A blunt ax requires more strength, is less efficient and you work harder, but accomplish less.

In everyday business, if you don't keep up with technology, you will be working harder and accomplishing less. We accept this in everyday work environments, but what about our walk with Christ? In your daily walk, and I use the word "daily", because it is supposed to be a daily walk, not a once a week excursion to Church, if you don't keep your edge, your blade becomes dull. 

How do we keep a sharp edge? Well, its simple really. Prayer keeps your edge sharp. Prayer keeps your focus narrow. In Matthew 6:33 we are instructed to maintain a sharp focus. This is a simple formulae for success. In fact, Jesus was just echoing what Joshua was told in Joshua 1:8. If you keep your focus on God, and HIS WAY OF DOING THINGS, you will make your way prosperous and be successful. Keep your edge sharp. Re focus your vision everyday.

I keep my edge by asking myself the following question every morning.

1. Have I spoken to God this morning?

The word says to seek FIRST the Kingdom of God. In other words, the very first thing I do in the morning is sharpen my ax. The Roman soldiers had a routine. Everyday they would prepare their shields by anointing them with oil, and sharpen their swords. Anointing your shield of faith requires a daily prayer walk, but more importantly, you should start your day with prayer, and end your day in prayer.

I used to ask God to bless my plans. Now I ask God for His plans. I know His plans are blessed automatically, and it saves me time trying to figure out the best way to do something. Why try man's wisdom, when I can go to the source?

Have you sharpened your ax today? Is it not interesting that ax sharpening and wsidom are used in the same verse? 

Talking fig tree...

Mar 11:13  And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find anything thereon: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for it was not the season of figs. 

Mar 11:14  And he answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit from thee henceforward for ever. And his disciples heard it. 

Jesus 'answered' the fig tree!! Wow...you mean to tell me that the Bible records the fig tree as speaking? Well, to be accurate, the bible does not say the fig tree spoke, but it does say that Jesus answered the fig tree. If you answer someone, that means the other person first spoke to you. For Jesus to answer the fig tree, means the fig tree must have first spoke to Him. Now there is no way you can translate/interpret this verse to mean anything other than the fig tree spoke to Christ.

Why would this be hard to believe? In Genesis, a snake spoke to Eve...don't you wish that Eve had done what Christ did to the fig tree? Imagine if Eve had cursed the snake, like Christ cursed the fig tree? For one thing, I wouldn't be writing this blog today.

Back to my blog...the fig tree was deceptive. It had leaves (fig trees only have leaves when they have fruit) but there were no figs! Sounds like many Christians today. There are leaves but no fruit.  Christians attending Church every week, have big branches and loads of leaves, but how many have any fruit?

In Genesis 1:28 God has just finished making man, and He turns to them and says :"This is how you get saved". NO - in fact He does not tell them about salvation at all. Its a no-brainer. Choose heaven or hell? Well, lets see...ahmm...not likely. Its a simply "duh" moment. This is not a deal or no deal situation. 

What does God tell Adam and Eve? Be fruitful! We are expressly told to be fruitful and multiply. Bearing fruit as born again believers is part and parcel of our spiritual DNA. It is what we were created to do.

Have you been fruitful today or are you another one of those nuts? In the Church world we have fruit and nuts. This was never God's intention. He was quite plain when he said -"Be fruitful", not go and be a nut.

John 7:38 says that if you believe in Jesus Christ out of your heart will flow rivers of living water. Living water brings joys to parched land. Rivers of living water, provide sustenance and life to dry places. Are you a joy bringer or a joy stealer? Is your fruit fulfilling and sweet?