The biggest struggle of people of faith will always be unbelief. We are ever seeking God and yet head knowledge of God's power, with the lack of ability to accept the reality of truth of His ability to grant our prayer. Faith is a strange thing when it comes to the opposition of unbelief. We can hope we can dream, but unbelief remains in the believers heart. How many of us have parents or spouses that check behind us to make sure we did exactly what we said we did around the house. For example, ask my husband to take his socks in the living room to the laundry because they not my socks. Yet a day later where do the same socks lay right on the footstool or floor. Did he do his chore, or did he know the next day i probably pick them and take them to the laundry room. It the constant going behind someone that will drive a person insane to see if they did what you requested or if they ignore the whole thing. Better example would be, to expect a job to be completed because a person said they could do it and the process take three more days because the person could not handle the responsibility of the job. To have to check behind someone despite the person may or may not have the ability is only proof our faith in a person is not without unbelief. When we ask God for something do we have to go and see if God did it, or content knowing God did what he was going to do in the first place. God is not someone that first takes orders from man, he takes request. Second a lack of faith of God's ability is us checking every five minutes to see if there a change in the situation, and third unbelief is also our thought of can God really handle this situation we see before us.

Jesus see the disciples lack of faith when they began to wonder why could they not rebuke the devil from this child rolling in the fire. Why did the father need to go to Jesus. Why is faith as small of mustard seed only needed and they seem to not even have that. I can remember watching a class of karate students stand over cinder blocks and split a piece of wood or even the cider block. It takes the right amount of force but it takes a belief when you hit it, it will break to break the wood. It also proves how fragile things that seem tough really are. But it proves to the student his ability to do what seems impossible with a strike and force of his one hand.

Our faith is fragile as the piece of wood sitting on cider block, and our faith is as strong at times at the strike to the piece of wood, our faith can be as strong as simple words of Lord heal this person in Jesus name, or failure to see the will of God in this situation or belief that God can perform this for this person. The faith that allows are petitions to not only be heard because is because of unbelief in God's ability, but the knowledge God's responds to our petitions. When we fast for something our request is made known to God and our seriousness about the situation is shown by our willness to suffer, to sacrifice for the need of someone. A demonstration of faith. A demonstration of belief, if we pray and fast God will hear us and healing our disease and diseases of others. It is a point of getting real with God in the situation.

What does it mean to get real, it means to get serious about faith and the petition we are asking for, knowing God is not only able but willing to perform our request because we asked with faith. Why did these disciples have not enough faith. Had their faith not been stretched with praying for the sick. Were they fearful of the situation. All scripture indicates is Jesus said it was because of lack of faith and these types of situation are only delivered with prayers and fasting. Can we accept there are situations in our life and life of others we might need to make the sacrifice of fasting and prayer to see true deliverance? It maybe the disciples struggled with their ability and power of God in their life as well. The struggle of seeing God do miracles by our own hand or answer to prayers can give a person idea he personally had something to do with it and the only thing he or she did was pray. The unbelief comes in regards to whose power to heal and deliver. The need for self exalting, we see that alot still with television ministers, and so you hear of fake healings only to realize either what they do is false or they dealt with a person who deceived them that they fell prey to the deception. Our part is only make the request and need known to God with faith and sometimes even fasting. That all our part is. God does the miracle in the person's life. Jesus delivers child from the fire. but he also teaches the need to always come to him for healing.

Dear Heavenly Father help us to have faith to believe in your power to do the impossible, to make all petitions known to you with faith and even fasting, knowing you hear us. In Jesus precious name, Amen.

Continual Scripture Study: 1 John 5:14-15 KJV
14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:
15 And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.