PRINCIPLES OF FAITH
Matthew 17:18-21 NKJV
18 And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour.
19 Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, "Why could we not cast it out?"
20 So Jesus said to them, "Because of your [unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. 21 However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting."
As I was going through my devotionals, I realized that I had skipped a chapter. So this will get us caught up and we'll look at Matthew chapter 23 tomorrow.
A man had brought his son to Jesus, a son who was epileptic. The boy would often fall into the water or fire. When Mark recounts this story, the man also declares that a demonic spirit is what causes the boy to be thrown into the fire and the water to destroy him. The disciples tried to work with the boy but were not successful. Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out, and the boy was cured—a big win for Jesus and a bigger win for the man and his son.
The disciples wanted to know why they were not able to deal successfully with the demonic spirit, and Jesus has an answer for them. Jesus told them it was because of their unbelief. Jesus was not trying to hurt His disciples. He loved these guys. At the last supper, John wrote that Jesus loved them to the end. Jesus did nothing outside of love and with the intent to hurt. So why would He tell His most trusted followers that their lack of faith was the reason for their lack of results? Because it was the truth.
When Mark writes about this same account, Jesus had addressed the father of the boy regarding his lack of faith. And the father responded, "Lord, I believe, help my unbelief." Reading both accounts, it becomes clear that what we believe has a huge impact. Then Jesus shares with His disciples a simple principle of faith.
Jesus said if you have faith as a mustard seed, you would say to this mountain, move, and it would move, and nothing would be impossible for you. The faith principle is that we plant seeds of faith with our words, and situations change. This is not a one-off regarding words. Jesus also mentions the same principle in Matthew 21 and Mark 11. Mustard seeds are some of the smallest seeds we know of. But when they are planted, they grow to be huge plants that birds can build nests in. Our words seem very small and insignificant, but words spoken in faith grow to move mountains and make the impossible possible. The ability to choose and form words is something that our Creator gave to mankind, His creation. We are made in His image and are the only ones who have this ability. All through the scriptures, we see that our words matter, and Jesus made this plain to His disciples.
Jesus also shared another principle of faith with His disciples when he told them that the kind of faith that dealt with demons, such as the boy had, was a function of prayer and fasting. Prayer and fasting won't change God, but they do change us. Jesus did not elaborate on this last principle.
APPLICATION
Jesus gave His disciples principles of faith that were applicable then and have not changed today. Spiritual truths do not shift with culture changes or man's educational development. Words of faith are small seeds that produce big results.
Joy and I were blessed to learn early on that our words have seed-like qualities. So there were things we did not say and things we said on purpose. We still have a lot to learn about faith in God, but I believe that Jesus spoke truth and that our words spoken in faith can move mountains. Because He said it, I believe it and will do everything I can to work with the principles of faith. I still have a few mountains that need to move. How about you?
PRAYER
Lord, help me to see even more clearly the power of my words spoken in faith. I plant the seeds You move the mountains.