Be persistent in your faith. If God did not answer your prayer the first time, do not stop praying. God is not ignoring your prayers. He is testing your determination, so stand your ground and dare to believe Him for a miracle.
In the book of Mark, chapter seven, we are encouraged by a powerful testimony of persistence. Jesus had just entered a house in the region of Tyre, and although He “would have no man know it,” He could not keep His presence a secret (Mark 7:24). Jesus was at the height of His ministry. Everywhere He went, miracles happened, so many people flocked to Him.
A certain woman, whose young daughter had an unclean spirit, heard of Jesus and came and fell at His feet. This woman was desperate. A devil had possessed her daughter, and she knew there was only one Person who could give her a breakthrough. Casting herself down at Jesus’s feet, she pleaded with Him to deliver her child (Mark 7:26).
FAITH OVER FEELINGS
Jesus put her persistence to the test. He said to her, “Let the children first be filled for it is not meet to take the children’s bread and to cast it to dogs” (Mark 7:27). The woman was a Gentile, and the Jews referred to the Gentiles as dogs. Jesus was not trying to insult the woman. He was probing her because He wanted to know how badly she wanted a miracle.
The woman was too desperate to be offended. When you are desperate, you do not have time to be offended. There are too many weak Christians in the church today. They get offended at the slightest rebuke. Come on, saints! Be mature in your faith. Get past your feelings and go after God in faith until He gives you your heart’s desire.
MUSTARD-SEED FAITH
The woman answered Jesus, saying, “Yes Lord. But even the dogs under the table eat of the children’s crumbs” (Mark 7:28). This woman was aggressive. She was telling Jesus, “If there is power in the loaf, there is power in the crumbs!” If there is healing in the loaf, there is healing in the crumbs. If there is deliverance in the loaf, there is deliverance in the crumbs. Just give me a crumb because Satan is no match for even a crumb of the power of God.
All I need is a crumb. All I need is a mustard seed of faith. Jesus said, “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). Praise God!
AGGRESSIVE FAITH
The Syrophoenician had Jesus’s attention. She refused to take “no” for an answer. The Lord could not resist her faith. “And He said unto her, For this saying go thy way; the devil is gone out of thy daughter” (Mark 7:29).
God is setting some of your children free right now. I pray over your children. I join my faith with every parent that is believing God for their kids. I pray that God would get their attention, save them, and set them free. God is answering your prayers right now. He has seen every tear and heard every prayer. He took notice when you were interceding for them late in the midnight hour, and he is delivering them from the grip of the enemy. The devil is turning them loose. He cannot have your children; they belong to God.
STAND YOUR GROUND
When the Syrophoenician woman returned to her house, “she found the devil gone out, and her daughter laid upon the bed” (Mark 7:30). The Lord rewarded her persistence. She was determined to receive an answer to her prayer, and because of her aggression, Jesus granted her request.
Do not give up on your children. Do not give up on your prayers. When you believe God for a miracle, you will be tested. Your faith will be tried, but you have to hang in there. Get on your knees and fight. Put on the armor of God and fight against doubt, disbelief, and the temptation to give up. Fight until that devil is completely gone out of your children, your spouse, or your health. Fight the good fight of faith. God is on your side, and He will give you the victory. Refuse to take no for an answer.
SOMEONE’S CHILDREN NEED JESUS
When we minister, we can’t help but wonder how often we are the answer to the prayers of a praying mother or father or family member. As they cry out in faith for God to send someone who can reach their lost loved ones, are we the ones God has chosen to honor that prayer? Have you been chosen to be a light in the darkness for someone’s lost loved one in your community? What a thought!
Sometimes we don’t know why we’re sent where we’re sent or why we meet someone that we meet, but God does. He desires that no one “should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). Keep your heart open and speak to whom God calls you to speak. You just might be the one God sent as an answer to prayer, and He will use you to fulfill His plans and purposes in that person’s life!
We know that God has commissioned us to reach the lost children of McKinney, Texas. With our church launch service just one month away, we want to invite you again to join us and partner with us in filling the auditorium of Cockrill Middle School with those in need of Jesus. We’re doing all we can to reach the community and invite them in.
Your regular gifts of $75 have gone so far in helping us. Keep up the good work! We will reap a harvest if we faint not (Galatians 6:9). If you’d like to give today to help us reach someone’s child in McKinney, you can choose to give in one of the ways listed below. Thank you for caring about souls, and thank you for extending yourself. We know – and God knows – it costs you something, but you can never outgive God. We remain confident that when His children support His agenda on the earth, He will take care of every need, whether it be financial, health, spiritual, or relational.
Or mail your donation to:
Sean Pinder Ministries
P.O. Box 2726
McKinney, TX 75070
God Bless,
Pastors Sean & Aimee Pinder
