Mark 9:19-29

"When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it: “Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of....."

"When Jesus saw that the crowd of onlookers was growing, he rebuked the evil spirit. "Listen, you spirit that makes this boy unable to hear and speak,"..."

"So they brought the boy. But when the evil spirit saw Jesus, it threw the child into a violent convulsion, and he fell to the ground, writhing and..."

"Afterward, when Jesus was alone in the house with his disciples, they asked him, "Why couldn't we cast out that evil spirit?" Jesus replied, "This....."

Unlike the father of the boy with the tormenting spirit, we don’t confess our unbelief and then ask for help in believing more is possible. Phil Ware continues his series of posts from the discipleship section of Mark chapters 8-10, this time focusing on the boy the disciples of Jesus could not heal.

""What do you mean, 'If I can'?" Jesus asked. "Anything is possible if a person believes.""

"When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it: "Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of....."

"The father instantly cried out, "I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!""

"Afterward, when Jesus was alone in the house with his disciples, they asked him, "Why couldn't we cast out that evil spirit?""

""If you can?" said Jesus. "Everything is possible for him who believes.""

""'If you can'?" said Jesus. "Everything is possible for one who believes.""

"Despairingly the poor disappointed father turned away from the disciples to their Master. His son was in the worst possible condition, and all means....."

"Many professed Christians are always doubting and fearing, and they forlornly think that this is the necessary state of believers. This is a mistake,...."

"A certain man had a demoniac son, who was afflicted with a dumb spirit. The father, having seen the futility of the endeavours of the disciples to..."

Inspirational illustration of Mark 9:23 -- ““ ‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.”” (Mark 9:23 NIV11)

Inspirational illustration of Mark 9:23 -- "'If you can'?" said Jesus. "Everything is possible for him who believes."

"[A man in the crowd said to Jesus,] "... I asked your disciples to cast out the evil spirit, but they couldn't do it." Jesus said to them, "You..."

Dear God in heaven, we’d sure like to have a little bit of power to alter our irrelevance, lighten the burdens of others, and heal the wounds of the broken and despairing. Phil Ware writes out of the context of recent disasters and the loss of a mother and child to remind us that being a servant, offering ourselves in sacrificial love, is never a waste!

I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief! James Nored and Phil Ware look at C.S. Lewis and his struggle to find faith and our own challenges in believing.

Would you let go? Can you let go of what appears to help hold you but you know is ultimately going to do you in?

"Dear Disciple, The promise of today's verses focuses on your answer to one question: Do you believe? Do you believe that I AM the Father's Son and....."

So where is your faith growing? Russ Lawson reminds us that our faith needs to keep growing and going in the direction of faith, believe but help my unbelief.

Let's pray for our leaders! Bob Sjogren reminds us the importance of fasting and praying for the president.

Can we grow the gift of faith? Tammy Marcelain writes about believing, trust, and God using our struggles, weaknesses, and trials to make us people of faith.

Believing in God's faithfulness can be hard in difficult seasons and during those times, we need to look to Jesus for help and say, 'Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.' Demetrius Collins & Phil Ware lead through worship in song, the Lord's Supper, a powerful message from God's word about committing to believe even when our challenges are difficult and life is hard, along with a closing blessing for worship from home with