Devotionals

A father had brought his son, possessed by an unclean spirit, to the disciples to be healed. Jesus had previously given the disciples the power to cast out spirits in His name, which they had done before. However, this unclean spirit was different, and the disciples were puzzled as to why they could not help this young man. When inquiring Jesus privately as to why they were unable to cast out the spirit, Jesus replies that this kind can come forth by nothing but by prayer and fasting. The reason as to why the disciples could not accomplish the work of the Lord is that there was unbelief in the young man's father (Mark 9:24). For those of us that are the children of God (saved, born again, washed in His blood), He gives us victories in our lives to overcome temptations and sin, but there will be strongholds in our life that we seemingly cannot get the victory over them. We know that God can give us the victory, but sometimes there is a little disbelief planted by satan. There are certain victories in our life that we can only have when we pray and fast. So, if there is an area in your life that you want to see victory in but can't, it might just be that Jesus wants you to spend time praying, fasting, and drawing close to Him.