Faith!

For Wednesday, January 31, 2024:

Mark 9:22b NLT, Father of a possessed boy pleading with Jesus: “Have mercy on us and help us, if you can.”

The evil spirit repeatedly threw the young lad to the ground, often into fire or water, trying to kill him. The boy’s father brought him to the disciples, but they were unable to cast out the demon. When Jesus arrived, he shouted, “You faithless people! How long must I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.” He was going to solve the problem!

When the spirit saw Jesus, it threw the boy to the ground. It wasn’t giving up without a fight! Jesus commanded the demon to leave the boy and never return, and the spirit screamed and then left. Interestingly, evil spirits always scream as they’re being cast out. Jesus explained: “This kind (of evil spirit) can be cast out only by prayer.” We need to pray for God’s help in difficult situations.

There are many take-aways from this encounter. The obvious one is the healing power of Jesus. Then there’s the lesson that God can easily do what mankind cannot do. But another lesson is the importance of faith – faith in God, faith in Jesus, in who he is and in what he can do. Faith in Jesus resulted in a healing miracle. And faith in Jesus results in our ultimate salvation. That’s why we’re called “believers!”

O Lord, fill us with faith!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship