"This Kind Does Not Go Out..."

Angels & Demons
focusedman
Posts: 20
Joined: Tue Jul 02, 2013 2:55 pm

Re: "This Kind Does Not Go Out..."

Post by focusedman » Wed Jul 03, 2013 8:23 am

"But this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting."

I believe Jesus was talking about praying and fasting to deal with the kind of unbelief the disciples were experiencing. For instance, when Jesus' disciples asked to cast a demon out of a boy, the severity of the situation caused their unbelief. The demon was throwing the boy into convulsions, causing him to foam at the mouth, gnash his teeth, and then lie motionless (Mark 9:14-18 AMP). From that fact alone the disciples believed they hadn't healed the boy. They believed what they saw and heard, (sense lead) and came to the conclusions that the demon hadn't left. The kind of unbelief the disciples were experiencing was: being lead by their natural senses instead of what God's word said. This type of unbelief can be overcome through praying and fasting.

Jesus had given the disciples authority to cast out demons and heal the sick and they had done it plenty times before. If they would have kept believing regardless of what they were seeing and hearing they would had come to believe that the demon had to submit to their authority and leave. But because they could still "see" the demon, they went by what they saw and heard and were convinced by their senses.

"When we fast, we deny the senses which teaches us to overcome and not cave in to what our senses are telling us".

Well said. Fasting helps us to deal with our senses, so we can be "faith people" and not "feeling people". The Bible says "The just shall live by faith" not by feeling and seeing.
Last edited by focusedman on Thu Jul 04, 2013 9:50 am, edited 1 time in total.

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steve
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Joined: Thu Aug 21, 2008 9:45 pm

Re: "This Kind Does Not Go Out..."

Post by steve » Wed Jul 03, 2013 11:29 am

My experience with demon possession is limited, but I have found (and have heard of others who have likewise found) that some demons do not come out instantly. This was even true of the case where Jesus commanded Legion to come out of the man. The demons did not instantly go, but continued to negotiate terms (Mark 5:6-13).

Not all demons seem to have the same chutzpah. Though the phrase "prayer and fasting" is not found in all manuscripts, since we are here discussing what the phrase means in case it is genuine, I would suggest that it may mean that there is sometimes a protracted ordeal in dealing with demons (as with Daniel 10). "Prayer and fasting" would then speak of continued concentration on the problem for a longer period than a few minutes.

Alternatively, it may be that, though Christians possess the authority of Christ, our subjective awareness of that fact fluctuates with our spiritual condition. It may take some reconditioning of our hearts and minds, though prayer (and fasting) to equip us for certain spiritual conflicts.

focusedman
Posts: 20
Joined: Tue Jul 02, 2013 2:55 pm

Re: "This Kind Does Not Go Out..."

Post by focusedman » Thu Jul 04, 2013 8:47 am

Three ways by which unbelief shows up in our lives:

1.Ignorance: Our unbelief can be the result of having no knowledge of the word concerning a certain situation.
Solution: Proverbs 4:7 Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all your getting get understanding.
(When we are taught the word our ignorance is eliminated).

2.Disobedience: Our unbelief can also come as a result of disobedience, giving in to temptation.
Solution: James 1:22 But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
(We overcome disobedience by choosing to obey the word instead of being swayed by our emotions and feelings).

3.Natural unbelief: This type of unbelief comes as a result of allowing our senses to lead us.
Solution: Matthew 17:21 But this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.
(Natural unbelief comes through our senses. It comes when what we see, hear, and feel influences us more than the word of God. We fast and pray to deal with our natural unbelief. When we fast and pray we become more in tune with our spirits and the Holy Spirit dwelling within us. Fasting attacks our carnality, and causes our souls to line up with our spirits. When we are dominated by the word, we are spiritual. When we are dominated by our senses we are carnal).

Conclusion: Unbelief will cause believers to have a hardened heart as a result from not considering and disregarding God's word.

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