PROBLEMS IN PRAYER

Several Reasons our Prayers are not answered are because of…

1. UNBELIEF. 

“But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does” (James 1:6-7).

“Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what He says is going to happen, it will be granted him.“-{Mark 11:23}

When we come to Him in prayer, doubting Him,His character, His purposes, His promises, we are insulting Him! It is to say He cannot be trusted, He is not reliable! “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.” – (Hebrews 11:6)- Ask in faith, believing Him, His character, Promises.

2. UN- FORGIVENESS. 

“Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, SO THAT your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions. “- {Mark 11:25}.

Un-forgiveness is a deliberate refusal to forgive, to release someone from the offense they have committed against us and send it away, never to be held against them again!  Nowhere in Scripture does forgetting mean to forgive!

Un-forgiveness is to say “NO” to God! A Willful rebellion to do what God says! Un-forgiveness is a lack of repentance. When you or I choose not to forgive it is our refusal to obey God and we need to repent, of our un-forgiveness. It is to bear a grudge and hold onto hurts, it is often accompanied by resentment, bitterness, deep-seated anger. It is a lack of love – “…it keeps no record of wrongs…  “-{1 Cor 13:5}

Forgiveness is a promise, “…Forgive Just as God in Christ has forgiven you.” -{Eph 4:32}

3. MARITAL STRIFE.

“You husbands in the same way, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with someone weaker, since she is a woman; and show her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life, SO THAT your prayers will not be hindered. ” – {1 Pet 3:7}

”  Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the LordFor the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.”-{Eph 5:22-24}

4. UN-CONFESSED AND UNFORSAKEN SIN.

“If I regard wickedness in my heart, The Lord will not hear; “- {Ps 66:18}

5. ASKING WITH WRONG MOTIVES.

“You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.” – {James 4:2-3}

Just as dirty spark plugs hinder the power of a car working. So un-dealt with sin inhibits our prayers being answered and God being Glorified. Are you aware of any of the above sins in your life at the moment?

6. IT’S NOT HIS WILL; GOD HAS A DIFFERENT ANSWER.

“…to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh,..Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.”-{2 Cor 12:7-10}.

A “Thorn” was given to him. The word speaks of a wooden pale that was used to torment or impale someone. Paul three times asked the LORD to remove it, But God said, “He has said,” the way it’s written grammatically is, “He says, is saying and will always say the same thing! No amount of pleading, or praying  will change His answer, “But God…” gives him something namely “Sufficient grace.” The word “sufficient” means “enough,” with the implication it “satisfies!”  God has the right to say no to us as He has something else for us in our difficulties. Sometimes God delivers us FROM  difficulties other times He Sustains us IN…. with sufficient grace!

 “David pleaded with God for the child. He fasted and spent the nights lying in sackcloth on the ground.  The elders of his household stood beside him to get him up from the ground, but he refused,and he would not eat any food with them.

 On the seventh day, the child died. David’s attendants were afraid to tell him that the child was dead, for they thought, “While the child was still living, he wouldn’t listen to us when we spoke to him. How can we now tell him the child is dead? He may do something desperate.”

 David noticed that his attendants were whispering among themselves, and he realized the child was dead. “Is the child dead?” he asked.

“Yes,” they replied, “he is dead.”

Then David got up from the ground. After he had washed, put on lotions, and changed his clothes, he went into the house of the Lord and worshiped. Then he went to his own house, and at his request, they served him food, and he ate.

His attendants asked him, “Why are you acting this way? While the child was alive, you fasted and wept, but now that the child is dead, you get up and eat!”

He answered, “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept. I thought, ‘Who knows? The Lord may be gracious to me and let the child live.’ But now that he is dead, why should I go on fasting? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me.”-{2 Samuel 12:16-23}

David prayed, and fasted, “But God…” chose not to answer Him His way, because it was not His will! God has the right to say “No!”

Psalm 135:6 is an encouragement to me when I have prayed over the years and tried to teach my children and others, the principle, it reads, “The LORD does WHATEVER PLEASES HIM, in the heavens and on the earth, in the seas and all their depths.”

A good way to pray is to submit and ask Him. “LORD, if it would please You…” and bring your request, and if it Pleases Him, He will do it and if not then you fall back on the fact your goal, desire was what would PLEASE Him! His Pleasure is the goal in the matter. It is as Matthew 6:9 shows the priority of prayer is HIS FAME, HIS GLORY, HIS KINGDOM COMING in the matter!

 

7. UNLOVING

” …it keeps no record of wrongs…  “-{1 Cor 13:5}

Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant,  does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered,  does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.  “-{1 Cor 13:4-8}

Consider the Words of Jesus, ” If therefore you are presenting your offering at the alter, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the alter and GO your way; FIRST be reconciled to your brother, and then COME and present your offering.”- {Matt 5:23}

God wants right relationships if there is to be Right and acceptable worship.” Anyone whom you have sinned against, with your lips or deeds, and they KNOW about it? Then dear friend it is time to stop and be reconciled Immediately. Public sin, public confession to the one you have sinned against. In other words if they know you have sinned against them then Go to them and humble yourself and ask forgiveness. Private sin, private confession. In other words if you have had an unloving attitude towards someone and they do not know it. Privately confess to God and choose to love the other person God has commanded us to Love.

LOVE ONE ANOTHER – John 13:34-“A New Commandment I give you LOVE ONE ANOTHER as I HAVE LOVED YOU, So you MUST Love one another”

LOVE YOUR ENEMIES – Luke 6: 27- 31 “LOVE your enemies, DO GOOD to those who hate you, BLESS those who curse you, PRAY for those who mistreat you….DO TO OTHERS as you would have them do to you”

The Lord Jesus shows us how to CHOOSE to Love others…by DOING GOOD…BLESS them PRAY FOR THEM…

SIN IS A LACK OF LOVE – IT IS LOVELESS-NESS IN ACTION!

So, Let us examine our hearts and make sure as much as is in us we are at peace with all men. Let us Ponder the Ability – the Power of God- who created the world from nothing…- {Gen 1:1} and Who presently upholds it all effortlessly-{Heb 1:3.}

  • All these prayer hindrances can be death with at once by coming to God in confession and repentance. He gives us this assurance and promise,in that “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” – {1 John 1:9}. This is His promise to us!

Let us remember the PURPOSE OF PRAYER- HIS GLORY…and Let us deal with any and all PROBLEMS that would hinder our prayers from achieving such….

Go ahead dear followers of the LORD JESUS CHRIST- YOUR PRAYERS ARE BEING HEARD – {1 PETER 3:12}…before the Throne of God-  {Heb 4:16}…

Keep Praying…With Confidence…

“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.” -(1 John 5:14-15).