Jesus was on his way back to Jerusalem early one morning and he was hungry. He saw a fig tree in the distance and went up to it to get a snack. When he saw the fig tree had no fruit he cursed it. The next day his disciples were amazed that the tree had withered. The tree was not ready to fulfill its purpose in the Lord and was therefore of no value to him. Ouch.

Are you ready for the Lord’s purposes or are you like this fig tree? Don’t answer that. The real question is about readiness. What makes me ready? Is readiness knowing enough verses? Is it Bible training? Is it the number of hours spent praying or fasting or witnessing?

Now what do you think God looks at when he looks for readiness? What part of you is always God’s number one focus? You probably already know.

The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.
1 Samuel 16:7b NIV

So let’s agree together that readiness is all about the heart.

The Holy Spirit and You

The Lord has sent his Holy Spirit to dwell where? What’s important to God? Oh yeah, the heart. Starting from our hearts his goal is to conform us to the image of his son. Why did he start with the heart? We already answered that now didn’t we. So how’s your progress? What are you two (you and the Holy Spirit inside you) working on right now?

(May God) equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Hebrews 13:21 NIV

This little teaching is an encouragement to agree with the Holy Spirit of God to transform your heart. The Lord said he would give us a new heart.

I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.
Ezekiel 36:26 NIV

What is a new heart? One way to think about a new heart is to think about the qualities of a heart without major defects. One way to think about this type of heart is in the title of this little study: Push Your Tree to Fig.

The Holy Spirit does the work. Our job is to cooperate with him and to stay on the same page with him. He’s interested in hearts first and foremost. He was sent to us to transform us, starting with our hearts. If that’s what he wants I say let him. Give him access to all of your heart. He wants to cause the tree of your heart to fig and to be ready for the master’s purpose. The PUSH and the FIG stand for areas the Holy Spirit wants to work on in your heart. This acronym is a cute way to remember it when you pray.

PUSH Your Tree to FIG

P is for Pure

Create in me a pure heart O God and renew a right spirit in me.
Psalm 51:10 NIV

You don’t make your heart pure. Jesus through his blood has made it pure. Receive through the Holy Spirit the purity and the cleansing of his blood in every area of your heart. This may take work for some, but the work on your part is giving access to him and believing what he has done. There is nothing the blood of Jesus cannot clean, nothing at all. Did you want more complicated? Sorry.

U is for Undivided

Teach me your way, O LORD, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.
Psalm 86:11 NIV

I love this. I really want the Lord to unify my heart so there is no part of me that has second thoughts. I want to be undivided in my commitment and love to him. We know that any kingdom divided against itself cannot stand – same thing for the person with a divided heart. I want to serve the Lord with no regrets and no hidden agendas.

S is for Strong

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Isaiah 41:10 NIV

I confess that I am weak and I need the Lord’s strength. I need him to strengthen my heart so that I will not be shaken, so that I will hold fast during trials. I need the strength from the Lord so I will not alter my plans because of fear, so that I will not allow fear to dictate any area of my life. I need strength in my heart so that I will be bold and go forward with whatever the Lord has in store for my life.

H is for Humble

But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."
James 4:6 NIV

I desire a humble heart because I know that everything I have comes from the Lord. Everything I have is because of his grace. To take the credit for what God has done, denies the glory and honor that he deserves. No wonder God opposes the proud. If God has given you certain gifts out of his goodness, how can you be proud? Did you in some way will them into being? Or is it just a matter of his goodness and grace of which we should be thankful.

F is for Free

I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free.
Psalm 119:32 NIV

The ministry of Jesus was about setting the captives and the oppressed free. That’s what he does. That’s who he is. May the Holy Spirit free my heart from everything that constrains me. He does the work. I confess I can’t free myself. I just make my heart available to him. Free me from my past, my guilt, my supposed curses, my weaknesses and my fears. May the Spirit of the Lord within me free me from anything that restricts my expression of love and worship and service to the Lord Jesus Christ. A free heart abounds in hope. Pray for an army of people like this to be unleashed on the earth.

But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall.
Malachi 4:2 NIV

I is for Illuminated

I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.
Ephesians 1:18-19 NIV

In order to know stuff, we must know it in our heart. Our head knowledge gets us nowhere. What we know in our hearts transforms us. An illuminated heart protects us. It secures us in our salvation. Lord we desire a heart full of light and truth. We want to know and understand your will and your purpose for our lives. We don’t want to grope around in darkness and confusion chasing fantasies. May your Spirit bring us clarity.

G is for Gentle

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
Matthew 11:29 NIV

To be gentle in heart is to be like the Lord. May the Spirit cause our hearts to be gentle so that we can care for each other, so we can learn from each other, so we can encourage each other and so we can forgive each other. May our hearts be gentle so we can be teachable and sensitive to the Lord and to each other.

Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.
Ephesians 4:2 NIV

Final Thoughts

Push your tree to fig with the help of the Holy Spirit requires no work on your part, just a bit of thought on what a new heart is. It provides a few things to take with you in prayer before the Lord. Since the Holy Spirit is at work in transforming us, I urge you to give him access to your whole heart and allow him to work in all these areas.

Let me make this clear so this work won’t be distorted. This is not a list of things for you to work on.

This is a call for you to work with him and what he desires to do in your life. It’s not a call for you to start working on these areas for those of you spiritual workaholics (that’s another study). God is interested in the heart. That is where the Holy Spirit is at work right now so:

PUSH your tree to FIG with the help of the Holy Spirit.

Click here to download the pdf version

^ top