Getting rid of unbelief

Matthew 17:19-21

19 Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out? 20And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, 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. 21Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.

To what was Jesus referring when he said, "this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting". Heretofore, I had just assumed that He was referring to the demon. Like, man, this kind of devil is super tough. You want to cast him out? Put on your hard hat. Well, maybe not so much. 

Jesus tells them, "on account of your unbelief" they were not able to cast out the devil. The power of God in them is ALWAYS able to kick demons to the curb. There are no super demons that somehow avoid getting canned unless the right conditions are met. No. When Jesus tells them to go, they must scatter away like the rats that they are. 

So "this kind" is referring to the unbelief in the disciples' hearts, not the kind of devil they were dealing with. Get rid of an evil heart of unbelief, guys, and you will move mountains! This is a very personal word for me. So often, God tells me something, and my spirit resonates with it and bears witness. However, when I run it by my heart, there is doubt and unbelief. Why?

Dean Sherman, the YWAM teacher, once told me, "Start doubting your doubts". In other words, my doubts are not even my doubts, but arise from a stronghold of unbelief. When Jesus saved me, he saved every part of me. If there is unbelief, therefore, it is an imposter, a stronghold that stands up against belief and trust (2 Corinthians 10:4-5). What to do, then? Well, maybe fasting and prayer is a good idea? Methinks so.