Read Matthew 17:14-20
This morning we continue our series entitled, “The Year of Supernatural Manifestation”, with our mini-series on “The Miracles of Jesus”. In Matthew 17 Jesus a man approached Jesus and fell on his knees. The man then said, “Lord, have mercy on my son, he has seizures and is suffering greatly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. I brought him to your disciples, but they could not heal him.” Jesus expressed His frustration with the disciples before He dealt with the young man and his issue. He said, “You have no faith. How long must I stay with you? How long must I continue to be patient with you?” Jesus knew His time in the earth was limited and He was doing all He could to prepare His disciples to do what He did. Once He was gone, the ministry would be left in their hands. This is why He was so frustrated with them. He expected them to operate JUST LIKE HIM, especially while He was gone. In Jesus’ mind, this issue should never had made it to His level. It should have been addressed by the disciples while He was away.
After venting, Jesus still had to deal with the issue. So He said, “Bring the boy here.” Jesus immediately perceived the root of the problem. This was no medical issue. It was a spiritual issue. Jesus perceived the cause of the seizures to be a demon. He commanded the demon to come out of the boy. The demon came out and the boy was healed from that moment.
When everything died down the disciples were alone with Jesus, they humbly said, “We tried to force the demon out of the boy, but we could not. Why were we not able to make the demon go out?” Jesus said, “You were not able to make the demon go out, because of your little faith.” The traditional King James Version calls it “unbelief”. Jesus went on to say, “Believe me when I tell you, if your faith is only as big as a mustard seed you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible to you!”
So what does this mean to you today? I could deal with this story for days, but I will attempt to give you a few quick golden nuggets that can apply to your life today.
- Jesus expects us to operate like Him in the earth (John 14:12). As Jesus is, so are we, in this world (1 Jn 4:17).
- The grace to do what Jesus did has already been provided. God did His part. He is now looking for your faith. If you have the faith, you will live like Jesus lived in the earth.
- Jesus was God in the flesh; the incarnation of God. We are called to be the continuation of His incarnation.
- Doubt, fear, and unbelief, put you in a position of powerlessness. Without faith you are resigned to living as a mere human; a life that is completely normal/natural to this world. Jesus did not die so that you could live like the same way you lived without Him in your life. He died so that you could live a supernatural life. He died so that HE COULD LIVE THROUGH YOU! But in order to live the supernatural life Jesus died to give you access to, you must live BY FAITH!
- While a LACK of faith leaves you powerless, a LIFE of faith makes the impossible possible for you!
- God can supernaturally give you the spiritual discernment to see and address the “root issue” in any given situation.
- When you address symptoms, you may get temporary relief, but the root issue is still there. But when you address the “root”, you can experience true freedom and deliverance. This is why God wants you to deal with the “root”.
- There is absolutely nothing that God is incapable of doing and He has anointed you with His supernatural and limitless power. However, you will never experience that power until you release your faith!
Closing Confession: Father, this is a year of Great Victory for me. You gave Kingdom dominion, power and authority to mankind in the earth. Adam lost that authority, but Jesus died to regain it. Jesus restored the Kingdom to mankind and I declare that I walk in Kingdom dominion, power and authority today and every day. I do this by faith. I see myself Just like Jesus on this planet. As Jesus is, so am I, in this world! My faith cancels-out all fear, doubt and unbelief. I speak the language of faith. I speak to every obstacle, in faith, knowing it has to move, by Your power! I speak to every hindrance, in faith, knowing it has to dissipate, because of Your presence on my life. I see no impossibilities. Your spirit enables me to see the invisible and accomplish the impossible! I am a world-changer! Not by my power, but only by Your amazing grace! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
