Mark 11:20-33

Jesus and His disciples came upon a withered fig tree that Jesus had cursed the day before. When Peter brought it to His attention, Jesus told His disciples that if they truly believed, whatever they prayed for would be done. He also told them that if they had anything against someone when they prayed, they needed to forgive that person so that they could be forgiven. These are two very important things to remember about prayer: we must believe that God will answer and we must forgive to be forgiven. If your prayer life doesn't have the power you think it could, ask yourself if you really believe what you're asking for and are you forgiving and seeking forgiveness?


The religious leaders came to Jesus asking whose authority He was operating under. Jesus said He would tell them if they told Him whether the baptism of John was from heaven or men. They were afraid to answer the question because of the implications either way, so Jesus didn't answer their question either. It should have been apparent where Jesus' authority came from. The religious leaders didn't want to acknowledge it though. They also couldn't bring themselves to acknowledge where John's authority came from, but they were too scared of what the people would do if they said his authority was not from God because John had a lot of followers. When we recognize the source of Jesus' authority, the only proper reaction is to worship Him. Praise Jesus for who He is every day.