Immune to fear
Day 45: Cast the Doubt Out!
I think many of God’s people don’t realize how sinister and dangerous unbelief is. Many pious and self-righteous Christians look down their religious noses at people committing other, more visible sins. They criticize them sharply without realizing that the unbelief they harbor in their hearts, and in some cases enshrine in their doctrines, is more wicked in God’s sight than the sins they are condemning. Jesus rebuked His disciples for unbelief more than any other thing. The reason unbelief is so dangerous is that not only is it a sin in itself, but it also can be a gateway for other sins as well. We know faith is the currency of God’s kingdom, and without faith it is impossible to please God (Heb. 11:6).
However, I think many people have a basic misunderstanding about faith. They pray and seek more and more faith. But what if I told you that you already have plenty of faith? The problem is not that you have too little faith; the problem is that you have too much unbelief!
In Mark 9:24, a man said to Jesus, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” (NIV). Notice that he didn’t ask Jesus to give him more faith. In fact, he said, “I do believe.” This man recognized that the problem was not too little faith but too much unbelief! Faith and unbelief can be present at the same time. Faith has the potential to move mountains, but unbelief will nullify the power of faith.
Let me explain it like this. When my wife was in Bible college, she owned a silver diesel Volkswagen Jetta. One day she lent the car to a friend. On his way to return the car, as a courtesy he decided to refill the fuel he had used. He pulled into the gas station, inserted his credit card, opened the cap of the gas tank, and began to fill it—with gasoline! How he missed the bold red warning on the tank that said to use “DIESEL FUEL ONLY” I will never know. But one thing is certain; his little mistake was costly for us and devastating for the vehicle.
After the gasoline was added, the vehicle would no longer run. It’s not that there was too little diesel in the tank. The problem was the injection of a substance that was incompatible with the vehicle’s design. This is exactly how unbelief works! The devil wants to inject unbelief into our spirits because he knows it will bring us to a screeching halt.
Let us consider the context of the verse where Jesus talked about mountain-moving faith. The story is found in Matthew 17:14–21. A certain man with a demon-possessed son had come to Jesus’s disciples for help, but when they could not cast out the evil spirits, they asked Jesus why they had been so unsuccessful. He said to them, “Because of your unbelief”. This is a very clear and precise explanation that Jesus reiterated by going on to say, “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you.”
So far this seems very straightforward. But the simplicity and clarity of this statement is often overshadowed by confusion over the next words Jesus spoke: “However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.” (v. 21). It almost sounds as if Jesus contradicted Himself. When asked why the disciples had not been able to exorcize the demon, He said it was because of unbelief. But now He seems to be saying that it is because they had not fasted and prayed enough. Which is it? The confusion comes when we fail to realize the moral of the story.
At first glance it may appear that the demon is the focal point of this account, but a closer look will reveal that the real antagonist in this story is not the demon but the spirit of unbelief! The disciples were concerned about the demon inside the boy, but Jesus was concerned about the unbelief inside His disciples. The disciples’ question was about casting out demons, but Jesus’s answer was about casting out doubt. Jesus knew that once unbelief has been cast out, exorcizing demons would be a piece of cake!
Sometimes we have to pray long prayers and fast for many days before we get the victory, but it is not because our appeals coerce God into doing something. And it is not because we have finally earned the answer to our prayers by logging enough credit hours into our spiritual bank account. Much fasting and prayer may be necessary and useful in helping us gain victory over our own stubborn flesh and cast out the spirit of unbelief that blocks God’s power from flowing through us. It is this kind of unbelief that goes out only “by prayer and fasting.” It is also worth mentioning that some manuscripts do not contain the statement about prayer and fasting at all, which is why many Bible translations have left it out completely. Any way you look at it, faith is the key to powerful prayer. This is the point Jesus made in this story.
In Matthew 9:25, when Jairus’s daughter died, Jesus had to send everyone out of the room before He could raise her from the dead. Why didn’t He allow all those scornful skeptics to see the miracle with their own eyes? Because He had to cast the unbelief out. Peter did the same thing in Acts 9:40: “But Peter sent them all out and knelt down and prayed, and turning to the body, he said, ‘Tabitha, arise.’ And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter, she sat up”. Jesus taught His disciples an important lesson: Cast the spirit of unbelief out, and nothing will be able to stand against you. Demons, death, and even the most formidable mountains will obey your command!
Source: (Live Before You Die: Wake up to God's Will for Your Life pg. 141-145.)
A 60-day Bible Study
Immune to fear
Day 1: Getting Stronger!
We are living in a remarkable time. I have never seen the entire world so gripped by fear and uncertainty. The pundits and prophets are all weighing…
Immune to fear
Day 2: “It Is Written!”
Do you ever notice that sometimes it seems as if you’re on a spiritual high? You’re tangibly feeling the presence of God, receiving fresh revelation,…
Immune to fear
Day 3: The Victory that has Overcome the World!
The bible says, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love and of a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7)
This scripture makes it…
Immune to fear
Day 4: The Word is Our Source of Faith!
Jesus specializes in troubleshooting every type of problem known to mankind! He is our Lord and savior, our provider, our healer, our shepherd, our…
Immune to fear
Day 5: Faith Without Questions or Qualifiers!
Fear and unbelief are not intellectual responses, but emotional responses of the heart from a lack of faith in God. Meaning the root of unbelief isn’t…
Immune to fear
Day 6: The Fear of the Lord
In the Bible we learn some fear is good and some is bad. The books of Psalms and Proverbs speak of “the fear of the Lord” as a virtue fourteen times! …
Immune to fear
Day 7: The Name Above all Names!
We believe and proclaim that Jesus is the name above all other names. Therefore, it is important for us to know what is in His name. We begin to find…
Immune to fear
Day 8: A Weapon Against Fear
Purpose is a powerful weapon against fear. What gave thousands of young men the courage to storm the beaches of Normandy on June 6, 1944, also known…
Immune to fear
Day 9: The Remedy!
Evangelist Reinhard Bonnke once shared a story about a man who told him that he also was a “spiritual counselor.” However, the man did not believe…
Immune to fear
Day 10: The Anointing!
The Lord’s anointed ones are full of active faith! They won’t back down to the voice of fear or the appearance of impending destruction.
We read in…
Immune to fear
Day 11: Pick Up Your Weapons!
Where are our weapons? Paul wrote, “Stir up the gift of God which is in you” (2 Tim. 1:6). He instructed, “Stir up.” This word has to do with fire—the…
Immune to fear
Day 12: Fear is a Phantom!
Do you know, with absolute assurance, that you have joined the winning side?
Then you will not be harassed by fear.
There is no way a believer can…
Immune to fear
Day 13: Dressed for Battle
The Bible uses military analogies to describe the way in which followers of Jesus are to prepare for attacks from the devil, whether they come in the…
Immune to fear
Day 14: The Safest Place on Earth – “In Christ”
The opposite of fear is faith. But what is true faith? Wholeheartedly trusting Christ Jesus is real faith. We trust Christ in a way that is deeper…
Immune to fear
Day 15: God’s Plan for Your Health.
We often take good health for granted—until something threatens it! Unfortunately, so many people are experiencing sickness and disease right now,…
Immune to fear
Day 16: The Faith of Abraham
The Bible names Abraham 309 times, but because of his faith, his name is inscribed upon the whole of the Middle East and upon world history to this…
Immune to fear
Day 17: You Are Immune to the Curse!
Fear plays into the hands of the devil. The truth is, he can do no real damage, except to make us fear that he can. The devil is a con artist. Try as…
Immune to fear
Day 18: Stay Focused
Wherever your heart, eyes, and mind are set, is where the rest of you will end up eventually. We become whatever we behold. There was an article in…
Immune to fear
Day 19: You Have the Superior Force!
The man who lives in fear is the devil’s ally—whether he likes it or not. The fearful help Satan accomplish his plans in the earth. Fear is an…
Immune to fear
Day 20: The Ant and the Elephant
God’s children should be bold. Take the parents of Moses for example,
“By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden three months by his parents,…
Immune to fear
Day 21: God is Not in Hiding!
Some people believe that God has distanced Himself from mankind. They view Him as being withdrawn, uninvolved, and even apathetic towards His…
Immune to fear
Day 22: Stand on the Solid Rock
We are commonly told today to keep an open mind about our beliefs and how we interpret the word of God. We are told to never be dogmatic. Some have no…
Immune to fear
Day 23: God’s Promises are Reliable
“Not one of the good promises which the Lord had made to the house of Israel failed; all came to pass.” (Joshua 21:45)
Immune to fear
Day 24: Anchored by Hope
Due to the Coronavirus, in just a short span of time, the entire world has had to adjust to a new lifestyle of being quarantined. Everyone has been…
Immune to fear
Day 25: The Testing of Your Faith
The scripture tells us that the testing and trial of our faith will come, and it also tells us why… 1 Peter 1:7 says, “So that the tested genuineness…
Immune to fear
Day 26: Do Not Be Afraid; Only Believe
The Lord moves in action on our behalf when we pray and believe!
“So, Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to…
Immune to fear
Day 27: I AM with You!
One of the most deeply rooted beliefs (actually, “unbeliefs”) is that God’s presence is greater with some than with others. We make up all kinds of…
Immune to fear
Day 28: Don’t Panic.
It takes more than survival skills to survive a crisis. For example, the ability to survive in a physical wilderness takes more than the skills to…
Immune to fear
Day 29: Who’s Got Your Back?
Ever since the Coronavirus began to spread across the planet, government officials and health care experts have all asked that we practice “social…
Immune to fear
Day 30: The Comforter
Who is a more faithful comrade in hardships than the Holy Spirit? Whose friendship is more valuable during troubled times than the most wonderful,…
