Mark 9:17-29 (NASB)
Mk 9:17 And one of the crowd answered Him, "Teacher, I brought You my son, possessed with a spirit which makes him mute;
18 and whenever it seizes him, it slams him to the ground and he foams at the mouth, and grinds his teeth and stiffens out. I told Your disciples to cast it out, and they could not do it." (READ THAT AGAIN, AND AGAIN.)
19 And He answered* them and said*, "O unbelieving generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him to Me!" (YESHUA TAKES CHARGE AS ONLY HE CAN)
20 They brought the boy to Him. When he saw Him, immediately the spirit threw him into a convulsion, and falling to the ground, he began rolling around and foaming at the mouth.
21 And He asked his father, "How long has this been happening to him?" And he said, "From childhood.
22 "It has often thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But IF You can do anything, take pity on us and help us!" (NOTE FROM PASTOR SHAWN - READ THAT AGAIN)
23 And Jesus said to him, " 'If You can?' (NOTE FROM PASTOR SHAWN - READ THAT AGAIN) All things are possible to him who believes." (NOTE FROM PASTOR SHAWN - READ THAT AGAIN)
24 Immediately the boy's father cried out and said, "I do believe; help my unbelief." (NOTE FROM PASTOR SHAWN - READ THAT AGAIN)
25 When Jesus saw that a crowd was rapidly gathering, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, "You deaf and mute spirit, I command you, come out of him and do not enter him again."
26 After crying out and throwing him into terrible convulsions, it came out; and the boy became so much like a corpse that most of them said, "He is dead!"
27 But Jesus took him by the hand and raised him; and he got up.
28 When He came into the house, His disciples began questioning Him privately, "Why could we not drive it out?"
29 And He said to them, "This kind cannot come out by anything but prayer." (NOTE FROM PASTOR SHAWN - READ THAT AGAIN)
My child is sick, please help me, IF you can... My job is hopeless for me, please help me, IF you can... My marriage failed, my character failed, my health is failing, my finances are failing, my church is falling apart, my heart is heavy and in pain... I am lonely, please help me, IF you can.
Yeshua (Jesus' real Name) said, "IF You can? All things are possible to him who believes." Read it again, all of you, out loud if you like, read it again.
Much of our problem is that we have an IF in our prayers. Half of the time we don't even actually pray, we simply vex over our problem, which in many cases - if we are honest - we may have at least in part, brought upon ourselves in first place - we don't actually bring to God in prayer what is vexing us. We just vex in the name of prayer. How about next time stopping that unproductive vexation and starting at that moment a conversation with God?
IF you can, you will. Not great faith to say the least, but as it is, it is our condition much of the time - an inherent lack of faith in Yeshua, in God the Father, in the Holy Spirit in Whom we daintily proclaim our (faith?) We cannot be too hard on this man... he was in the trenches with a sick son, not much money, not much hope... Can I get a witness up in here?! He did not have a lifetime of opportunity to read the scriptures about a Jesus Who healed, Who raised from the dead, and then rose Himself from the dead, appearing to over 500 people before ascending to Heaven. We do.
The disciples could not drive the demon out because of the subconscious "IF." That same "if" we insert subconsciously into our prayer, and Yeshua hears and feels it. Our faith is either our mountain to be climbed or to be crushed under, our choice. Don't be too hard on the disciples, they were only with Yeshua for a short time before He started freaking them out with getting baptized by John the Baptist, hearing a voice from Heaven, healing the deaf, blind, lame, and dead. They didn't know what to make of a Man Who could do these things. Neither can we sometimes, right?
Read verse 29 again. Yeshua, Son of the Living God, Creator of all prayed. Who did He pray to? To God the Father, Creator of all. I'm going out on a limb here, but when Jesus Christ prayed for the healing of the child, there was no "if?" in His prayer.
Read verse 24 again. "I do believe, help my unbelief." These the words of a worried father of a boy who for his entire life was the laughing stock, the source of rumor and ridicule and fear... In just moments after a plea for help from the One who truly could help he and his son, help would come in complete and utter healing.
If you have doubts, give them in prayer to God. Ask for His help for your unbelief and silence the "if."
Who Moved My BMF?
15 years ago
