That sort of powerful spirit can only be conquered with much prayer and fasting.
Jesus then said, “‘You mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him, and enter him no more'” (Mark 9:25b). The spirit shrieked and caused the boy to thrash about; then it came out of the boy and left him lying as still as death. Many of those in the crowd whispered that he was dead. But Jesus took the boy by the hand and lifted him to his feet.
He began speaking to me about the little boy whom the disciples could not set free.
Later the disciples asked Jesus why they couldn’t cast out the unclean spirit. Jesus said, “This kind cannot come out except by prayer and fasting.” I love this story because it gives me great hope. It says to me that there is an intimacy through fasting and prayer that crushes disease and breaks chains. Yes! But Jesus flipped my lid today. He began speaking to me about the little boy whom the disciples could not set free.
All of a sudden, I began to see that Holy Spirit was challenging me to think of this story on an entirely different level. He said to me, “That boy is a city.” I wept. Our cities have often been thrown in the fire, in the water, grinding their teeth and moaning for relief. If some only come out by prayer and fasting at that level, then the same will be true at every level above it. What is true about bringing freedom to that boy is also true in bring freedom to a city.
