What Do Our Words Have to Do With It?

The Mustard Seed and the Tree
Luke 17:5–6
The apostles said to the Lord:
“Increase our faith.”
Yeshua answered:
“If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you.”
Context
Luke 17 is not random miracle-talk. Yeshua had just spoken about:
• offenses/stumbling blocks,
• rebuking a brother who sins,
• forgiving repeatedly,
• forgiving even seven times in a day.
The disciples hear this and say, “Increase our faith.”
So Yeshua’s answer about the tree is connected to impossible obedience. Forgiveness can feel like a deeply rooted tree. Offense can feel rooted. Bitterness can feel rooted. But Yeshua does not merely say, “Think differently.” He says faith can speak.
What Was Being Spoken To?
In the image, the believer speaks to the sycamine/mulberry tree:
“Be uprooted and planted in the sea.”
The point is not that the tree is only a metaphor. The point is that Yeshua uses a concrete object to teach that faith can address what seems immovable, rooted, and impossible.
Application: roots of offense, unforgiveness, fear, demonic resistance, sickness, circumstances, and anything God wants removed.

The Mountain Parallel
Mark 11:22–25
Yeshua says:
“Have faith in God.”
Then He says:
“Whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart… he shall have whatsoever he saith.”
Then He adds:
“What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them…”
And immediately after that:
“When ye stand praying, forgive…”
Matthew 21:21–22
Yeshua says:
“If ye have faith, and doubt not… if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.”
Then He adds:
“And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.”
Context
In Mark 11 and Matthew 21, Yeshua had cursed the fig tree. The tree withered. The disciples marveled. Yeshua used that moment to teach faith, speech, prayer, and forgiveness.
What Was Being Spoken To?
In the teaching, the believer speaks to the mountain:
“Be removed and cast into the sea.”
The mountain represents something massive, fixed, and naturally impossible to move. But again, Yeshua does not only say, “Ask God about the mountain.” He says, “Say to this mountain.”
Important Balance in Mark 11
Mark 11 contains both:
Speaking to the mountain:
“Say unto this mountain…”
Praying to God:
“What things soever ye desire, when ye pray…”
Forgiving others:
“When ye stand praying, forgive…”
So the teaching is not “only command.”
And it is not “only pray.”
It is faith in God expressed through both prayer and command, with a clean heart.

Yeshua Speaking to the Storm
Mark 4:37–41
A great storm arises. The disciples are afraid. They wake Yeshua and say:
“Master, carest thou not that we perish?”
Yeshua rises and rebukes the wind and says to the sea:
“Peace, be still.”
The wind ceases, and there is a great calm.
Parallel Passages
Matthew 8:23–27
Luke 8:22–25
What Was Being Spoken To?
Yeshua speaks directly to:
• the wind,
• the sea,
• the storm.
He does not pray, “Father, please calm the storm,” in that moment. He speaks with authority:
“Peace, be still.”
Then He says to the disciples:
“Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?”
That means He connects their fear and lack of faith to the moment. The storm was not merely weather in the story. It became a lesson in authority, faith, and fear.

Yeshua Speaking to Sickness, Death, and Demons
Yeshua repeatedly spoke directly to what needed to move.
Fever
Luke 4:39 says Yeshua stood over Peter’s mother-in-law and rebuked the fever, and it left her.
What was spoken to?
The fever.
Demons
Mark 1:25 says Yeshua rebuked the unclean spirit:
“Hold thy peace, and come out of him.”
What was spoken to?
The unclean spirit.
Death
Mark 5:41 says Yeshua took the girl by the hand and said:
“Talitha cumi.”
Meaning:
“Damsel, I say unto thee, arise.”
What was spoken to?
The dead girl/body, under divine authority over death.
Lazarus
John 11:43 says Yeshua cried with a loud voice:
“Lazarus, come forth.”
What was spoken to?
Lazarus in the tomb.
Yeshua prayed to the Father before this, but then He spoke directly to Lazarus. Again, both appear together: prayer to God, then command toward the impossible thing.

Post-Resurrection Examples
After the resurrection, the apostles continued this pattern. They prayed, but they also commanded in the name of Jesus.
Peter and the Lame Man
Acts 3:6:
“In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.”
What was spoken to?
The lame man and his condition.
Peter does not say, “Lord, please heal him,” in that moment. He commands him to rise in the name of Jesus.
Acts 3:16 explains the source:
“His name through faith in his name hath made this man strong.”
So the power was not Peter’s personality. The power was faith in the name of Jesus.
Peter and Aeneas
Acts 9:34:
“Aeneas, Jesus Christ maketh thee whole: arise, and make thy bed.”
What was spoken to?
Aeneas, a paralyzed man.
Peter announces that Jesus heals him, then commands him to arise.
Peter and Tabitha
Acts 9:40:
Peter first kneels and prays. Then he turns to the body and says:
“Tabitha, arise.”
What was spoken to?
The dead woman.
This is one of the clearest examples of balance:
First, Peter prays to God.
Then, Peter commands the impossible situation.
Paul and the Demonized Girl
Acts 16:18:
“I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.”
What was spoken to?
The spirit.
Paul does not merely ask God to remove it. He commands the spirit in Jesus’ name.
Paul and Elymas
Acts 13:9–11:
Paul speaks judgment over Elymas the sorcerer:
“Thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season.”
What was spoken to?
The resisting sorcerer.
This was not healing, but it was still authoritative speech under the Spirit’s power.

Old Testament Examples
The pattern did not begin in Acts. The Old Testament also shows moments where God’s servants speak, command, prophesy, or act toward the thing that must obey.
Moses at the Red Sea
Exodus 14:15–16:
God says to Moses:
“Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward.”
Then God says:
“Lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it.”
What was happening?
Moses was crying out to God, but God told him there was a moment to stop crying and start acting.
What was spoken to?
First, Moses was to speak to the people:
“Go forward.”
Then he was to stretch his rod over the sea.
This is crucial. There is a time to pray, but there is also a time when God says, “Move. Speak. Stretch out your hand.”
Moses and the Rock
Numbers 20:8:
God told Moses:
“Speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water.”
What was to be spoken to?
The rock.
This is powerful because God specifically told Moses to speak to the rock. Moses struck it instead, and God corrected him. That shows that sometimes the issue is not only whether we believe God, but whether we obey the specific method God gave.
Joshua and the Sun
Joshua 10:12:
Joshua speaks:
“Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon.”
What was spoken to?
The sun and moon.
Joshua does not merely pray silently. He speaks a command in the presence of Israel.
Elijah and the Rain
1 Kings 17:1:
Elijah says:
“As the LORD God of Israel liveth… there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.”
What was spoken to?
Elijah speaks prophetically concerning the weather and the land.
Then James 5:17–18 interprets Elijah’s story through prayer:
Elijah prayed earnestly that it might not rain, and it did not rain. Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain.
So Elijah’s example includes both:
• prophetic speech,
• prayer to God.
Elisha and the Waters
2 Kings 2:19–22:
The men of Jericho say the water is bad. Elisha takes salt, casts it into the spring, and says:
“Thus saith the LORD, I have healed these waters.”
What was spoken to?
The waters.
Elisha speaks the Lord’s word over a corrupted natural condition.
Ezekiel and the Dry Bones
Ezekiel 37:4:
God says:
“Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.”
What was spoken to?
The dry bones.
This is one of the strongest Old Testament examples. God does not tell Ezekiel only to pray about the bones. God commands him to prophesy to the bones.
Then Ezekiel speaks again to the breath/wind:
Ezekiel 37:9:
“Prophesy unto the wind…”
What was spoken to?
The wind/breath.
God’s word in the prophet’s mouth addresses dead bones and breath itself.

What This Means About Words
Biblically, words are not magic. Words are vessels.
Words can carry:
• faith,
• unbelief,
• blessing,
• cursing,
• obedience,
• rebellion,
• life,
• death,
• truth,
• deception.
Proverbs 18:21 says:
“Death and life are in the power of the tongue.”
But the power is not independent from God. The power is not because syllables control the universe. The power is because God created by speaking, rules by His word, and gives His servants authority to speak in agreement with Him.
Faith-filled words matter because they are the outward expression of inward trust.
Yeshua said:
Matthew 12:34:
“Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.”
So when faith fills the heart, faith comes out of the mouth.

The Balance: When Do We Pray and When Do We Speak?
Pray to God When:
You need wisdom.
You need mercy.
You need direction.
You need alignment.
You are unsure of God’s will.
You need strength to obey.
You are surrendering your will to the Father.
You are asking for provision, healing, forgiveness, or deliverance.
Examples:
• “Father, Your will be done.”
• “Lord, increase my faith.”
• “Give me wisdom.”
• “Show me what is from You.”
• “Strengthen me to obey.”
Speak to the Thing When:
God’s will is already clear.
The obstacle is opposing God’s command.
The thing is demonic, oppressive, sinful, or destructive.
You are acting in the name of Jesus, not your own name.
Faith has risen and obedience is required.
Examples:
• “In the name of Jesus, fear must leave.”
• “Bitterness, be uprooted.”
• “Unclean spirit, come out.”
• “Body, be healed according to the authority of Jesus.”
• “Mountain, be removed.”
• “Peace, be still.”
When Not Sure:
Pray first.
Then command only according to what agrees with God’s revealed will.
A balanced pattern:
“Father, I submit this to You. Show me what is from You and what is not. Align my heart with Your will. And in the name of Jesus, everything opposing Your will must move.”
This keeps us from two errors:
Error one: passive unbelief.
“I will only pray, but never speak with authority.”
Error two: arrogant presumption.
“I will command whatever I want, whether God said it or not.”
Biblical faith avoids both.

Final Summary
Yeshua did not teach us only to talk to God about mountains. He taught us to speak to mountains.
He did not only calm the disciples emotionally. He spoke to the storm.
He did not only pray about Lazarus. He called Lazarus out.
Peter prayed, then told Tabitha to arise.
Paul did not ask the demon to leave. He commanded it in the name of Jesus.
Moses cried out, but God said, “Tell the people to go forward.”
Ezekiel did not merely pray over dry bones. He prophesied to them.
So the pattern is clear:
Pray to God for relationship, wisdom, surrender, and power.
Speak to the obstacle when God’s authority and will are clear.
When unsure, pray first, then command in agreement with God.
Faith does not replace prayer.
Prayer does not erase authority.
The mature believer learns both.
Speak to God. Then, when He leads, speak to the mountain.
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