A Life Focused on God

Jesus knew that He had power over every demonic force. He could conquer any disease and face any challenge. When Jesus confronted a problem, He did not need to stop and pray. He already had prayed before He encountered this situation. His life was spent being prepared. He constantly was devoted to prayer. He always was ready.

His lifestyle continually brought Him into the presence of the Father and prepared Him for every challenge. Thus in every situation, He already was prepared and equipped. As a result, He had no problems casting the demon out from the young boy.

In contrast, the disciples could not cast out the demon. Jesus explained that they were not ready. They might have considered themselves men of prayer, but Jesus indicated that they needed a deeper, more intense commitment.

Did they learn the lessons Jesus was trying to teach them? As we look at their actions after He departed into Heaven, they seemed to remember what He taught them and sought to apply these principles. Facing massive problems, they turned to prayer. “With one mind [they] were continually devoting themselves to prayer” (Acts 1:14).

We, too, must learn the same lessons. We may think that we are people of prayer, but Jesus challenges us to go deeper. If we want spiritual authority and power, we need to have a lifestyle in which we seek God continually to be spiritually armed and ready.