Mark 9: 22-24 (KJV), 22 And many times he throws it into the fire and into the water, to kill it; But if you can do something, have mercy on us and help us. 23 Jesus said to him: If you can believe, to him who believes, everything is possible. 24 And immediately the boy's father shouted and said: I believe; Help my disbelief.

Friend reader, in this biblical text, Jesus tells us that the condition for the healing prayer answered is "believe." The demon boy's father responded with tears in his eyes: "I think," and then added, "help my disbelief."

Since faith is a gift, we can pray and ask for it as this father did. Notice how quickly God's grace responded. But here is another lesson: in an environment where believing is difficult, we should look for a different one. Even Jesus' ability to perform miracles was reduced where disbelief prevailed (Mt 13:58).

Prayer and praise provide an atmosphere of faith in God. However, in this text Jesus explains another obstacle to the victory of the faith, which makes the prayers fruitless: "This genre with nothing can come out, but with prayer and fasting (Mk 9:29). His explanation teaches: 1 ) some afflictions (not all) are imposed by the devil; and 2) some types of demonic possession do not respond to exorcism; only fervent prayer can produce liberation. Perseverance in prayer, accompanied by praise and fasting, provides a Climate for Faith, which brings liberation.