Faith Vs Unbelief
Faith is the most important and vital aspect of any Christians life because without it you really can’t call yourself a follower of Christ. The Bible says that he that comes to God MUST believe that He is a rewarder of those that diligently seek Him.
The book of Matthew chapter seventeen deals with the subject of unbelief as follows: “And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place, and it shall remove, and nothing shall be impossible unto you”. Matthew 17:20
Jesus Disciples Failed to Cure a Boy Because of Unbelief
The disciples of Jesus had been trying to deliver a young boy from a Lunatic spirit that would cause him to fall into fire and water; the boy’s father was so distressed that he fell on his knees before Jesus begging for help.
After Jesus had learnt that his disciples had tried and failed to heal this young boy He rebuked them, calling them a faithless and a perverse generation. It could actually be argued that Jesus was not just referring to the disciples but they were defiantly included.
Jesus Heals the Boy
Jesus then rebuked the devil and he departed from the boy, it is after this that Jesus spoke the words in our opening verse taken from Matthew 17:20. This is a very well-known verse that is quoted by many Christians.
The first words Jesus spoke in this verse was “Because of your unbelief”, this is a key part of this verse which is normally left out by those that quote it, but even after all that the disciples had witnessed they were still lacking in faith at that time and couldn’t cure the boy.
The Devils Lies
Has God ever told you to pray for someone who is sick? may even terminally, and straight away the devil began to cast doubt in your mind, giving you thoughts like; “you’re going to look so stupid if this person doesn’t recover”, this is a common trick that the devil plays when you decide to step out in faith on the promises of God.
The bible says in the book of James, “But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that waverers is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord”. James 1:6-7
And in the book of Hebrews it says, “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He Is and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him”. Hebrews 11:6
So instead of listening to the lies of the devil, make the following verses, memory verses, and anytime God calls you to step out in faith to pray for the sick or move a mountain that is in your way, tell him “it is written”!
And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. Mark 16:17-18
Laying Hands On the Sick
Remember Jesus rebuked His disciples for unbelief but in contrast, here He tells us that through our belief in Him we will be able to among other things “lay hands on the sick and they will recover”, so the next time the devil lies to you, quote this verse and bring that thought into obedience to Jesus Christ. Remembering that the name of Jesus is above every other name and at the mention of His name every knee shall bow. Call the name of the sickness and declare and decree healing in the name of Jesus
Through Jesus, you are able to do Great and mighty things. Amen
Written By
Pastor Donovan Benjamin
This is a very hard subject for me.
If it is the case of faith then why does it say even faith of a mustard seed will work?
Is it the person who has the illness at fault or is it the person who prays for you?
Why is it that not everyone is healed.
Hi Maria, this is a very good question and to be honest one that is not easy for me to answer without being subjective, but the verse in question, (Mat 17:20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed)clearly shows us that Jesus thought His Disciples should of been able to handle the healing of the boy.
He says “Because of your unbelief, If you have faith as a grain of mustard seed”, so to me that sounds as if the requirements were lowered because of their lack of belief so now it should be even easier for them to heal the sick, but also read 1 Cor 12:1-11 where Paul explains about Spiritual gifts. The gift of faith is different from the average faith that someone without this gift would have.
To answer the question why some are healed and some are not is hard to say but the bible does teach us about the importance of not doubting. If you pray for something and then start worrying about it that doesn’t demonstrate faith, so your fear then becomes a open door in your faith.
Hope this answers your questions
God Bless
Pastor Don
Hi Maria, I think I did answer that question in the last paragraph of my first reply. To add to that I would say faith is the most important element here because without it we can expect to receive nothing.
Jas 1:6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
Jas 1:7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.
Blessings
Pastor Don
Thanks Donavon
I have always wonderd about the mustard seed thing.Well now i know.