This article is the first of the four in this series as we reflect on 4 Biblical words that begin with the letter “F.”

These words are among the most used throughout scripture, which we all need to be aware of since a mastery of these concepts will daily sustain us as Christians.

For the sake of this reflection, we will use Matthew 21:21-2 as our scriptural foundation. 

 

The Story And Its Context

 

Our reflection comes from Matthew 21:21-22, which is our Biblical foundation. But, to make more sense of this, you may need to start with verse 18. 

The story is about Jesus cursing a fig tree. He, and with his disciples, are in Jerusalem following His triumphal entry. 

As they walk, Jesus gets hungry. He sees a fig tree. But, when he gets closer, the tree didn’t have any figs. So, Jesus curses the fig tree. And, right away, the tree withers. 

The disciples are amazed by what they have seen. So, they ask Jesus how the fig tree withered so quickly. 

Jesus’ response to the disciples’ amazement is what we read about in verses 21 and 22, 

Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”

There are several things we can learn from this story. But, for the sake of our reflection, I will focus only on three things today. 

 

 

Have Faith

 

 

When you think of faith, you need to understand that Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith according to Hebrews 12:2. 

In other words, Jesus represents the foundation for our faith (belief system).

[bctt tweet=”Jesus is also our pioneer, which means He has gone through everything you face in life and has conquered any challenges on your behalf. ” username=”emmanuelnaweji”]

He is also our Leader. Since He has gone through our single experience on our behalf, He then knows the way out of whatever we each may be dealing with on a daily basis. 

Jesus is the perfecter of our faith. That implies we will never get it right on our own. Only, Jesus can perfect our faith in God. He makes our faith complete. 

 

 

Do Not Doubt

 

 

Doubts are our human response to anything we don’t understand or cannot control. They sometimes go hand in hand with fear. 

And, remember that you’re human. That’s why we all often go through times of doubts and fears, which means it’s unrealistic to assume we can completely get rid of doubts. 

The problem with doubts is that they can shift our eyes away from Jesus and the cross. 

It’s like the story you read about the Israelites in Numbers 21:4-9. Jesus will allude to it in John 3:1-21.

In the story, the people of Israel are rebelling against God and Moses. So, God sends poisonous snakes and they are like everywhere on the ground. 

The people of Israel ask Moses for help. After Moses has consulted with God, God tells him to build a bronze serpent and lift him on a pod in the air.

Whoever keeps their eyes on the serpent on the pod, even though they get bitten by serpents on the ground, will not die, but live. 

Jesus made the allusion to the story (based on John 3:1-21) because he was talking about his death on the cross. And, whoever keeps their eyes on Jesus will never die, but live. 

That’s the truth about keeping our eyes on Jesus Christ alone. At the same time, the reality is that faith doesn’t eliminate challenges, difficulties, illnesses, and other unwanted circumstances we encounter in life. 

 

 

Pray

 

 

We have no control over what life throws at us. Some things just happen on a daily basis, and they do whether we like it or not. 

Our plans do not always dictate what kind of circumstances we should encounter in life. We can only influence just a bit of our future and prepare for the unknown. 

At the same time, some of what happens to us can be a result of the choices we make on a daily basis.

For example, an unhealthy diet can predispose you to serious health issues in the future. In that case, you and I have some responsibility for why we are in a given situation. That applies to how we handle our finances, relationships, etc. 

The point I want to make here is that there are things in life we can change and others we can’t, even when we try to do so. There are circumstances we can’t avoid, no matter what we do to prevent them from happening.

Therefore, what we go through, whether because of our past poor choices, or coming from what life throws at us, we may find ourselves in times of fear and doubts. 

[bctt tweet=”Every time we are in fear or doubts, that’s the cue for us to pray. It’s the time God says just as He said to the Israelites: “The LORD himself will fight for you. Just stay calm” (Exodus 14:14).” username=”emmanuelnaweji”]

To do so, you’ve got to bring all your burdens and lay them at the feet of Jesus Christ (Matthew 11:28-30). When we surrender to Christ, God will help us find rest for our souls. 

 

 

In conclusion

Faith is the only thing that can make us carry on with life no matter what we face. Even when we struggle with our faith or have doubts, Christ can still help us with that. He helps our unbelief, and through prayer, He helps us shift our eyes back to Him again.