Faith simply is trusting something or someone. We often hear the word faith used casually. Someone may say, "I have faith that he or she will do what they said." Faith in the Scripture is more than a casual word. Faith is vital for a healthy relationship with God. "Without faith it is impossible to please God, for he that comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him." (Hebrews 11:6) So without faith a person cannot please God. Without believing that God is and that diligently seeking HIM is top priority, one cannot please HIM.
Jesus encouraged and instructed his disciples to have faith in God. There are several occasions when He directly dealt with His disciples about their lack of faith. He addressed them sternly when a father brought a son to them for healing from a controlling evil spirit and they did not have the faith to see the boy healed. He addressed them in another Scripture about having faith to remove a mountain. He used mountain to compare with something else that oftentimes seems insurmountable in a person's life.
First, lets look at his encounter with the disciples after they did not have faith for a lad to be delivered from an evil spirit. They had seen many miracles previous to this encounter but when the father brought his son for prayer and deliverance they found themselves lacking in faith to see the boy healed. The father brought the boy to Christ and told the plight of his son. He clearly told Jesus that he brought the child to the disciples for deliverance and they could not help him. Jesus then says, "O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him unto me." (Mark 9:19) Jesus gave the disciples a clear rebuke for their lack of faith. The boy was then brought to Jesus but the evil spirit acted out throwing the boy on the ground foaming at the mouth. Jesus then asked the father how long ago since the boy was first attacked by the evil spirit. The father told him since he was a child and that the spirit sometimes threw him into the fire and sometime in the water. He then asked for compassion to heal the boy. Jesus then says, "If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth." (Mark 9:23) The father then cried out with tears, "Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief." The man humbly confesses and cries out for help for the unbelief in his life. Jesus then rebuked the foul spirit when he saw the multitude running together towards them. The evil spirit convulsed the boy and threw him to the ground foaming at the mouth.
The one emphasis in the passage is clear - Jesus was emphatic to the disciples and the father about the need of believing or having faith in God. When the boy was on the ground silent and still, like he was dead after the evil spirit was cast out, Jesus reached down and lifted the boy up delivered, healed and whole. When Jesus went into the house his disciples asked why they could not cast the evil spirit out. He told 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) Here we see Jesus clearly and pointedly telling the disciples that they could not cast out the evil spirit because of their lack of faith. It is not coincidental that He uses the analogy of faith to remove a mountain. He is driving home the necessity of faith in God. In the next verse he tells them that prayer and fasting brings about faith in God which brings God's healing and intervention. The fasting and prayer deals with the fleshly me and I type of faith and focuses on faith in God.
There is another mountainous analogy that we find our Lord speaking to the disciples about in dealing with faith. It is on the occasion of Christ driving money changers out of the temple and saying my house shall be called a house of prayer. He also had passed by a fig tree and cursed it because there was no fruit on it to eat. The next day when He and the disciples passed by the fig tree it was withered away. Peter acknowledged the dried up fig tree and Jesus used the opportunity to teach about faith saying, "Have faith in God. For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed and cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass, he shall have whatsoever he saith. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them, AND when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also in heaven may forgive your trespasses. But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven for your trespasses." (Mark 11:22-26) Notice here in the Scripture that the conjunction AND continues the thought Jesus is teaching His disciples on faith moving the mountain and casting it into the sea. Is the mountain that Jesus is speaking of unforgiveness? Isn't it clear that faith in God is contingent upon forgiveness? Isn't it true that one cannot pray the prayer of faith and cannot receive the forgiveness of God when there is reluctant or rebellious unforgivenness in a person's life? One cannot have faith in God when praying with unforgiveness his/her heart. Jesus continues his statement with reference to forgiveness when we pray, "AND when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any.." If there is a reluctant or rebellious lack of forgiveness in the praying person would it not delay, diminish or even delete faith unless or until forgiveness is given? Faith and forgiveness are inseparable.
Is it not amazing and that Jesus seizes this opportunity to teach the disciples a lesson on faith and forgiveness? There are people in ministry that emphasize faith yet have rebellious unforgiveness in their lives and hearts. There are ministers who preach a faith word ministry but hardly deal with issues of offenses and forgiveness. When forgiveness is exercised in a person's life faith is increased. When faith is exercised forgiveness becomes the focus. Faith and forgiveness are inseparable and dynamically congruent. When prayer to God and forgiveness to others and ourselves are offered and given faith is the fruit. Forgiveness is the catalyst for faith in God when forgiveness is needed in the praying person. The mountain of loss, hurt and anger are cast into the sea of healing by the prayer of forgiveness-faith. Loss will come in life. Hurt will come in life. Anger will come at times but does not have to be acted out as sin when forgiveness is chosen. The prayer of forgiveness-faith in the faithful God of faith and forgiveness will bring the victory through the Supreme Forgiver - Jesus Christ. Those who pray to God with loss, hurt and anger simply ask the Holy Spirit to help them focus on the Supreme Forgiver and pray the prayer of forgiveness-faith. The prayer can simply be, "Father of all forgiveness and faith, I come to you through your Son who hung on the cross and cried, 'Father forgive them for they know not what they do,' and now I forgive and pray in faith, believing that my prayer will be heard and answered. I ask forgiveness for the anger that I have allowed myself to be captured in, I forgive that person who caused loss and hurt in my life and I thank you for the forgiving spirit that you have given me to forgive the loss and hurt that I have experienced. Now, O Mighty God of faithfulness and forgiveness, this mountain is removed and cast into the sea of healing grace." AMEN! AMEN! and AMEN!
