Mark 11:12-14 NIV
[12] The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. [13] Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. [14] Then he said to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard him say it.

This encounter between Jesus Christ and the fig tree is an illustration of the curse many carry:

The curse of keeping up appearances.

Certain people, when you see them from afar, appear so wonderful and promising. But when you get closer, all you see is emptiness.

They lure you in with their false appearances, high sounding words and promises. But when you get closer, they fill your life with disappointments and heart ache.

This is nothing short of falsehood and deception.

Someone once told me she’ll do anything to keep her car on the road, even if it means starving herself, or borrowing to do so.

She will do this, she said, so that people will not think that things are no longer going well for her.

Daily, you twist and contort yourself into misery and panic attacks just so other people can see you a certain way and accept you.

People think you’re making it, because of appearances. In reality, however, you’re practically suffering.

O the curse of keeping up appearances!
The torment of maintaining an illusory façade of make believe success.

The fig tree is symbolic of falsehood and deception in your life and in your relationships. It represents fakeness—a lack of authenticity in your life.

It is the spirit of mirage. Success that appears to be but is not.

And it is withering so quickly!

Matthew 21:19-20 NIV
[19] Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” Immediately the tree withered. [20] When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?” they asked.

In a nutshell, the Holy Spirit is uprooting every presence of falsehood and deception in your life, in your relationships, in your affairs.

Henceforth, you will start to experience solid, ever increasing and lasting success. In Jesus name.