Mission Communities Network

Prayer and fasting – 2024.11.04

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Mission Communities Network
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Mark 9:17-29 (KJV)
17 And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit;
18 And wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not.
19 He answereth him, and saith, O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him unto me.
20 And they brought him unto him: and when he saw him, straightway the spirit tare him; and he fell on the ground, and wallowed foaming.
21 And he asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child.
22 And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us.
23 Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.
24 And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.
25 When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him.
26 And the spirit cried, and rent him sore, and came out of him: and he was as one dead; insomuch that many said, He is dead.
27 But Jesus took him by the hand, and lifted him up; and he arose.
28 And when he was come into the house, his disciples asked him privately, Why could not we cast him out?
29 And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.
Continuing on about healing from the last five devotions.

Here we see that His disciples could not cast our the mute spirit that tormented the boy.
In verse 29 Jesus Christ explains why the disciples could not cast out the mute spirit and heal the boy. There are times when we need to have prayed and fasted earnestly to be used by GOD’s to bring deliverance and healing. Jesus Christ went regularly to pray in a secluded place. “Mark 1:35 (KJV) And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.” and “Matthew 14:23 (KJV) And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone.”. Also when we look at the parallel scripture in Matthew 17:20-21 (KJV) “And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. [21] Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.” We see that the disciples also had a deficit of faith like the Father (see yesterdays devotion on “Wavering faith – 2024.10.03 referenced above”)
The Baker’s New Testament Commentary describes it very well, stating “Where there is little faith, there is little prayer. Conversely, where there is an abundance of genuine, persevering faith, there is also fervent, unrelenting prayer” and ““This kind” says Jesus, “can come out only by prayer.” He is saying, therefore, that in the world of the demons there are differences: some are more powerful and more malignant than others. The disciples, therefore, should not have allowed their faith to flag, their prayers to take a holiday. Not only does Jesus urge his followers to pray; he also encourages them to persevere in prayer (Mat 7:7; Luk 18:1-8; Luk 21:36). So does Paul (Col 1:9; 1Th 5:17; 2Th 1:11).”
Let us be encouraged to day, knowing that nothing is impossible for the LORD GOD almighty. “Mark 10:27 (KJV) And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.” And therefore let us commit to regular:

  • Listening and studying of the bible “Romans 10:17 (KJV) So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”
  • Fasting with
  • Fervent and persistent prayer, pushing away all doubt fully trusting in Jesus Christ “Hebrews 10:23 (KJV) Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)” and also as it says in James 5:16-18 (KJV) “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. [17] Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. [18] And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.”

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