Text: Matthew 17:14-20
Memory verse:
”So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.“ ‭‭(Matt‬ ‭17‬:‭20).

To have faith and unbelief is like having two teams of horses hooked up to a chariot and pulling in different directions. The chariot will go nowhere, as one team of horses will negate the other. The power of faith is negated whenever faith is mixed with doubt or unbelief.
In this account, the father of the boy brought his demon-afflicted son to the disciples because he believed they could deliver him. Remember that they were seasoned ministers and not novices ‭‭(Mark‬ ‭6‬:‭12‬-‭13‬). Their successes in previous evangelistic outreaches made them wonder, as they privately asked their Master and said, “Why could we not cast it out?”“ ‭‭(Matt‬ ‭17‬:‭19‬).
Jesus’ answer to their question on the cause of their failure was not about the size of their faith. They obviously had faith to heal and cast out demons. Their previous experiences of healing couldn’t have been done without faith. Rather, the problem here was their unbelief, of which He rebuked them for. Jesus was straightforward in His answer,
“Because of your unbelief…” (Matt 17:20). However, He went forward and said, ”… if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.“ ‭‭(Matt‬ ‭17‬:‭20‬). He was saying, that their faith wasn’t the issue, for a mustard-size faith would have cast out the devil from the boy but their faith was undermined by their unbelief. This unbelief would have crept in when they saw the strange and intense affliction. It wasn’t just an epilepsy but the boy was afflicted with a demon that threw him into convulsions and made him scream and foam at the mouth (Luke 9:39).
Friends, Jesus’ answer to His disciples is also the primary reason why many believers are not healed today. No matter your level of faith, unbelief will nullify it, if you permit it. Faith and unbelief will even make your mountain stronger. For example, if you believe God’s word that you are healed but still dwell on what you read on the internet or what the doctors said, that your condition has no remedy, then you are merely cancelling your faith. Therefore, guard your heart from unbelief and you will move that health, financial or marital mountain. Nothing will be impossible for you! Hallelujah!

Prayer points
1. Father, please, forgive me and purge my heart from all forms of unbelief, in Jesus’ name.
2. I guard my heart from all forms of unbelief and I refuse to allow it to stop my miracle, in Jesus’ name.

Today’s declarations
1. It doesn’t matter the contrary report, if God said it, I believe it and that settles it.
2. My mustard-size faith will move any mountain-size problem, as long as I don’t permit unbelief.