Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?”  He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.”

The demons which constantly harass and afflict us in our lives try to convince us that there is no use in fighting them; that it is pointless.  They tell us that trying to overcome certain weaknesses or temptations is akin to moving mountains.  “How can I possibly move this mountain out of my life?” we ask yet that is precisely the power accorded to the human will by God through faith.

Casting aside these mountains is not a luxury but a commandment.  It assures the continued presence of Christ in our midst, who constantly beckons us to the struggle.  Otherwise “how much longer can he put up with us?  How much longer must he be with us?” (v 17).  So much so do we sadden the Spirit when we feel we are powerless to utterly root out vice from our lives.

We are commanded elsewhere to remove these mountains of vice from our lives.  “First take the log out of your own eye” (Matthew 7.5).  This shows us that vice in our lives can blind us.  But again we are not powerless, for whether it be a mountain or a log in our eye the true power and the upper hand in the struggle is ours through faith.

Help us, Lord Jesus, to move mountains out of our lives and cast logs out of our eyes this day.