Mustard Seed Faith and Deliverance
Mark 9:14-21
14 And when He came to the disciples, He saw a great multitude around them, and scribes disputing with them. 15 Immediately, when they saw Him, all the people were greatly amazed, and running to Him, greeted Him. 16 And He asked the scribes, “What are you discussing with them?”
17 Then one of the crowd answered and said, “Teacher, I brought You my son, who has a mute spirit. 18 And wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid. So I spoke to Your disciples, that they should cast it out, but they could not.”
19 He answered him and said, “O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him to Me.” 20 Then they brought him to Him. And when he saw Him, immediately the spirit convulsed him, and he fell on the ground and wallowed, foaming at the mouth.
21 So He asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?”
And he said, “From childhood. 22 And often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.”
23 Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”
24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”
25 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 him and enter him no more!” 26 Then the spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly, and came out of him. And he became as one dead, so that many said, “He is dead.” 27 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose.
28 And when He had come into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?”
29 So He said to them, “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting.”
Church, picture this with me.
A desperate father runs out of the crowd, drops to his knees before Jesus, and cries, “Lord, have mercy on my son!” His boy is tormented—thrown into the fire, cast into the water, bound by something no man can explain. He says, “I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not cure him.”
The disciples had tried. They had authority. They had cast out demons before. But this time, nothing worked. The father is broken, the boy is bound, the disciples are embarrassed.
Then Jesus steps in. With one rebuke, the demon leaves, and the boy is free. And later, in private, the disciples ask, “Why could we not cast it out?”
And Jesus answers, “Because of your unbelief. For if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move,’ and it will move. And nothing will be impossible for you. However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.”
Mark gives the fullest description:
- The Boy’s Condition (Mark 9:17–22)
- The boy was mute—he could not speak (Mark 9:17).
- He was seized by a spirit that threw him into violent convulsions.
- He foamed at the mouth, gnashed his teeth, and became rigid.
- The father says this had happened “from childhood” (Mark 9:21).
- The spirit often tried to throw him into fire or water to destroy him.
- This paints a picture of lifelong bondage. The boy grew up with this affliction, robbed of a normal childhood. It also shows the cruel nature of demonic spirits: they seek to isolate, silence, and then destroy them.
Satan Targets Destiny
Mark’s Gospel tells us this started from childhood. That’s important, because the enemy always tries to strike early. Pharaoh killed Hebrew babies. Herod killed infants in Bethlehem. Why? Because Satan always goes after the next generation—the ones who carry promise.
This present generation is carrying Promise. God said he will pour out his Spirit out on you. when God makes a promise, its already yours!
Parents, can I tell you something? The devil still wants your children. He still wants to bind them, confuse them, drown them in addiction, or burn them with shame. But the good news is this: if you bring them to Jesus, He has the power to set them free.
The father said, “I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not cure him.” Maybe some of you have been disappointed by people. Maybe leaders, maybe even churches, couldn’t help. But hear me—when people fail, Jesus never fails.
The Disciples’ Failure: The Root Was Unbelief
The disciples were powerless at this moment. They had authority, but not the connection.
Jesus said, “O faithless and perverse generation.”
“Faithless” means disconnected from God.
“Perverse” means twisted, leaning in the wrong direction.
That’s what unbelief does, it disconnects us from the Source.
Let me make this plain: Doubt is not the same as unbelief.
Doubt asks questions—and questions can lead to revelation.
But unbelief refuses to trust—it slams the door shut on God’s power.
Church, failure is not final. Failure is a classroom where Jesus teaches us dependence. The disciples learned that day it’s not about trying harder, it’s about leaning deeper.
The Deliverance Jesus “Rebukes the Spirit”
Matthew 17:18 says: And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him, and the child was cured from that very hour.
Notice the simplicity. No show, no shouting contest. Just authority. When Jesus speaks, demons have no option but to obey.
That’s what the church needs today—not more noise, not more hype, but true authority that comes from walking with God. Authority that speaks heaven’s word and hell trembles.
Then He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no more!” (Mark 9:25)
So when Jesus rebuked, it was direct, authoritative, and final. No bargaining, no long ritual, no formulas. Just the voice of the I AM.
What It Sounded Like When “The I AM” Spoke
The Voice of Authority
Remember Exodus 3:14, “I AM WHO I AM.”
The same voice that spoke from the burning bush now spoke to the demon. When the I AM speaks, creation and hell alike must obey.
It wasn’t loudness that carried authority—it was the eternal weight of God’s Word.
The Voice of Command
Jesus didn’t ask. He didn’t plead. He commanded.
“Come out of him, and enter him no more.” That phrase is final. The spirit could never return. When the I AM declares, it seals the matter.
The Voice of Deliverance
To the crowd, it may have sounded like a simple sentence.
But in the unseen realm, it thundered. Demons heard the same voice that said, “Let there be light.” The same Word that flung galaxies into orbit was now aimed at them.
- It was not the voice of a man; it was the voice of eternity breaking into time.
- It was the roar of the Lion of Judah, wrapped in human breath.
- To the boy, it sounded like freedom.
- To the father, it sounded like hope.
- To the demon, it sounded like the final judgment.
Imagine thunder rolling across the sky. Imagine a general’s command in battle. Imagine the blast of a trumpet that cuts through every other sound. Multiply that by eternity, and you get a glimpse of what it was like when Jesus rebuked the spirit.
When the I AM speaks, hell is silenced, chains are broken, and the impossible bows its knee.
The Secret of Breakthrough: Prayer and Fasting
Then Jesus reveals the key “This kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.”
Some spirits, some strongholds, some generational curses don’t break with casual Christianity. They break when a believer has been in the secret place.
Prayer connects you to heaven. Fasting disconnects you from the flesh. Together, they sharpen your spirit for the battle.
A soldier doesn’t sharpen his sword in the middle of the fight. He sharpens it before he ever steps into battle. Prayer and fasting prepare us for the moment when confrontation comes.
The Mustard-Seed Principle “Living Faith Moves Mountains”
Jesus said it’s not about the size of your faith. You don’t need giant faith you need living faith.
A mustard seed is tiny, but it is alive. And when it is planted, it grows.
Faith works the same way. It may look small in your hand, but once planted in obedience, God multiplies it. Jesus said, “You will say to this mountain, ‘Move,’ and it will move.” Mountains represent obstacles, kingdoms, even generational strongholds. And living faith can move what looks immovable.
Unbelief will always lead to failure. But with mustard-seed faith—even the smallest spark can move mountains. Some battles require more than words; they require lives that have been saturated in prayer and fasting.
Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the [evidence of things not seen.
Hear me Dads and Mommas bring your child to Jesus. Don’t let the enemy write their story Jesus has the final word.
Believers, press deeper in prayer and fasting. The power you need tomorrow must be prepared for today.
Church, plant the seed of faith you have right now. Don’t wait until your faith feels big. Plant it, and God will give the increase.
A mustard seed in your hand looks like nothing. But when it’s planted, something that multiplies beyond imagination.
That’s faith. Small in your hand. Impossible in God’s soil.
Paul said in Romans 8:26, “The Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.” That’s the weight you’re feeling—it’s the Spirit of Christ in you, groaning for deliverance, for children, for legacy, for a generation under attack.
I have been in the secret place, I’m not only preaching about mustard-seed faith I’ve planted in prayer, watered it with intercession, and watching God move mountains.