Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, "Why could we not drive it out?" And He said to them, "Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you. But this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting."
Matthew 17:19-21
Observation:
The disciples were frustrated at their inefficiency in healing the boy. They were curious to know why they couldn’t bring complete deliverance to him and asked Jesus about it. The Lord’s response was brutally honest, “because of the littleness of your faith.” Then Jesus was certain to affirm that if we have faith we will be able to do the impossible. And to the issue of faith, Jesus added the need to fast and pray.
The Lord Jesus is able to perform all kinds of miracles, but he also suggests that we can do it too. There is no reason for the enemy to have a hold in our lives and in those around us. Maybe what the Lord is implying in this passage is that the best way to grow our faith is by praying and fasting.
Application:
Prayer combined with fasting is one of the many spiritual disciplines that will help us to increase in our faith. The more we pray and fast, our entire being mind, soul and body becomes less dependent in our own abilities and strength and more dependent in God’s power. It makes sense that we practice these two disciplines in a combined effort if we want to se an increase in our faith. We know it, but we don’t do it often.
We all know that regular exercise combined with a balanced diet will increase our health. Nobody denies those facts. But very few people put them into practice. The same is with fasting and prayer. Nobody denies the fact they are beneficial for our spiritual health but very few practice them in a regular basis. Many of us do not need to be convinced of their value, but motivated to put them into consistent practice. If we want to see our faith increasing and the miraculous happening more often, we must pray and fast.
In my personal life I encounter the same struggles and sinful influence in my life. I tried my best in being completely delivered from the same issues. I get frustrated every time I hit the same wall over and over again. I have asked God why I cannot overcome that situation. I must recognize that I have little faith to see the power of God bringing complete deliverance in my life. And the reason why I have little faith is because my spiritual lifestyle is not enhanced with prayer and fast. I starve my spirit when I do not pray and fast. I must recalibrate my daily, weakly and monthly regimen to make prayer and fast a common practice in my life.
Prayer:
Dear Jesus, please forgive me for knowing what will increase my faith and for not practicing it. You do not want hearers but doers of the word. Please make me a doer when it comes to prayer and fasting. Do not let me keep going without recalibrating my regimen. Please grant me diligence and passion to seek your face in such a way that my spirit is strengthened by the way I starve the flesh. Help me to love you to the point of sacrificing time and food in order to increase my spiritual faith. I don’t want to keep the enemy possessing what belongs to your kingdom. You alone are my Lord. Help me to bring all the areas in my life under your submission. AMEN!
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