INCREASE MY FAITH
MATTHEW 17:14-23
MARK 9:14-32
LUKE 9:37-45
We're joining Jesus, Peter, James, and John as they
are reunited with the rest of the disciples the day after the
Transfiguration. When they came down from the mountain, there were a
lot of people gathered around the disciples and the scribes were
asking them questions. When they saw Jesus arriving, they ran to Him
and greeted Him.
A man in the crowd said, Master, I've brought my
son. I beg you please look at him, he's lunatic and he's my only
child. He has a dumb spirit, and it makes him suddenly cry out and
convulse and foam and gnash his teeth, and it grieves him so badly. I
brought him to your disciples and asked them to cast him out and they
couldn't.
Jesus said, O faithless and perverse generation, how
long will I be with you and how long will I put up with you? Bring him
here to me. When they brought him, the spirit inside the boy threw the
boy and he fell on the ground helpless. Jesus asked the boy’s father,
How long ago did this happen to him? The man answered, Since he was a
child. Sometimes he falls in the water or into the fire to destroy
him, but if you can do anything, have pity on us and help us.
Jesus said, If you can believe, all things are
possible to those who believe.
The father of the child cried out and said to Jesus
with tears, Lord, I believe, increase my faith!
This is an amazingly brave thing that this man said.
It must have been a hard thing to admit to the Lord … Golly, I wanna
believe that the faith I have is enough, but can you please give me
more? How many times have you wished you had more faith? Prayer is one
way of obtaining it. Remember what we learned back in
Matthew 7:7, Ask,
Seek, Knock.
The people crowded around and Jesus rebuked the foul
spirit, saying, you dumb and deaf spirit, I order you, come out of
him, and enter him no more. The spirit cried and threw him violently
and came out of him and left him so weak that people thought he was
dead, But Jesus took him by the hand and he stood up, and Jesus gave
the child back to his father. The people were all amazed at the mighty
power of God.
The disciples took Jesus aside into the house and
asked Him in private, Why couldn't we cast him out? Jesus answered
them, Because of your unbelief. I tell you
truly, if you have faith as tiny as a grain of mustard seed, you can
say to this mountain, move over there, and it will move, and nothing
will be impossible for you. However, this kind of spirit only
comes out by prayer and fasting.
Now, here's something you have to consider too.
Doubt can grow, just as faith can. If you have doubt as tiny as a
grain of mustard seed, it can prevent things from being possible, that
would be normally be completely possible if faith was the seed planted
instead.
Jesus and His disciples then left for Galilee and He
told his Apostles ... The Son of man will be turned over to men that
will kill Him and the third day, He will be raised again.
They didn't know what He meant by that, but they
knew it didn't sound good, and they were terribly troubled and sad
about it, but God continued to keep the meaning of it hidden from them
and they were afraid to ask Jesus to explain it.
So, what did we learn? Faith is a powerful thing! It's good to pray
for increased faith. Jesus said, If thou canst
believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.
What
beautiful words those are. Oh, and one more thing, if you pray for God
to increase someone else's faith, you can cause miracles to happen.
Look and see!
II Corinthians 1:11
and
Acts 12:5-11.
CONTINUE
TO NEXT STUDY
FISHES MOUTH
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