HINDRANCE TO PRAYER
We have many hindrances to our prayer life according to the Word of God.
When we have hindrances in our prayer lives it will hinder us. We do not always realize these hindrances are there, this is why we must check our lives to see if it is aligning up with the Word of God.
There are several Scriptures that I would like to share with you today.
I believe that prayer is the most important thing in a Christian life,
and the devil would like no more than to hinder our prayer life.
Hindrances can come in many different forms, and in many different ways in our lives.
One of the ways that our prayers can be hindered is by unconfessed sin .
Here are five Scriptures that deal with unconfessed sin.
Psalms 66: 18 And it says if I regard or cherish the iniquity in my heart the Lord will not hear .
If there is sin in our lives and we try to hide it, or or we don't regard it as sin or in other words deny that there is sin,
I want you to know that just because we deny something it does not mean that is not there. We must confess all of our sins so God can begin to hear our prayers once again.
If we look in the book of Proverbs 15:29 it says the Lord is far from the wicked.
Your walk with God and your prayer life with God depends on your lifestyle.
The Bible says: "you cannot have two masters, for you will love the one and hate the other".
If we try to live in two worlds or serve two God's it affects our prayer life.
When you serve God you are a saint of God, but when you allow Sin to come into your life you transform your life from a saint to sinner and Proverbs says "the Lord is far from the wicked".
In the book of John 9:31 it says this "now we know that God does not hear sinners;but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will he hears him ".
I would like you to notice a couple of things in this verse in the first part of it says God does not hear sinners.
Sin will stop God from hearing your prayers but it also says: "but if anyone is a worshiper of God he will hear them".
We must realize how important it is to keep our lives right with God.
Because the devil wants to hinder your prayer life.
We asked Christians to understand the devil is not afraid of us but he becomes afraid of us when we have a solid prayer life with God.
The second thing that can hinder your prayer life is this:
Insincerity : insincerity is like a hypocrite.
God will never honor their prayers
Look in Matthew chapter 6 verse 5 and it says this : "And when you pray,you shall not be like the hypocrites.( or the ones that are insincere )for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the street, that they may be seen by man Assuredly,I say to you they have their reward".
We cannot allow ourselves to fall into this category of being a hypocrite when we pray.
The Bible says also which one you will reap, "if you sow to the flesh you'll reap of the flesh.If you sow to the Spirit you'll reap of the Spirit,"
If we pray so man can see us we will get the reward that man can give us which usually is a good pat on the back and that's all.
But if we do as the Bible says in Matthew chapter 6 verse 6 it says this: "But you when you pray ,go into your room, and when you have shut, the door, pray to your father who is in the secret place; and your father who sees in secret will reward you openly.
The question that we have to ask ourselves is this , do you want man's reward when you pray or Gods rewards?
We must be careful that we do not let our flesh to dictate the motives of our prayers.
One of the other reasons our prayers are hindered is Carnal motives.
In the book of James 4: 3 its says you ask and do not receive,because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.
There are 3 things in this verse you need to see:
1. " you ask and do not
2. the reason that we do not receive is because of the second thing I wanted you to see it says that you ask Amiss.
( The word Amiss means : out of place or in error ) in other words we are asking in the wrong way or for the wrong reasons.
3. that we may spend it on our own pleasures.
When we began to understand that God gives so that we can give to others and then and only then will God be able to answer our prayers.
We can look at the Bible for examples;
Solomon when God gave him a dream he asked him this question. What is it that he wanted ?
Solomon told him he wanted wisdom so he could help others.
God answered his request for wisdom but he also made him a wealthy man. And the reason was because when he spoke to God, he put others people's problems before his own.
If God asked you the same question and gave you the same choices of riches or wisdom which one would you take?
If you answer riches you'd be wrong, but if you are like Solomon and says wisdom to help others then you would end up with both, wisdom and riches. This is why we have to ask ourselves or we asking with Carnal motives?
Unbelief is another reason we do not get our prayers answered.
If we look in the book of James 1: 6-7 it says : but let him ask in faith, with no doubting , for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind , for let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord.
Unbelief will stop us from receiving from God. We must stand in faith and not allow anything to change our minds because the Bible does say that we will not receive anything of God if we don't have faith.
Pride will hinder your prayers.
In the book of Luks 18 : 10 - 14 It speaks of a parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector. You see in this parable that the Pharisee had a lot of pride and lifted himself up and the works that he did to God in his prayers.
If we look at the tax collector he confessed and humble themselves before God and the Bible says that the tax collector was more justified before God even more than the Pharisee.
The Bible also teaches that pride goes before the fall.
We cannot go before God with pride, we must humble ourselves before God and then he will hear our prayer just like the tax collector.
Robbing God
If you read the book of Malachi 3: 8 - 10 it asks this question; " will a man Rob God? you have robbed me. but you say in what way have we robbed you in tithes and offerings".
When we do not pay our tithes and offerings to God it hinders our prayers.
Why should God listened to us when we pray if we are not willing to obey God in the first place.
God will give only after you give first.
Tithes and offerings to God will open up the doorway to receive your blessings.
But if God cannot trust us with just a tenth of his money how can we expect him to trust us with any more?
You have robbed God and God is not going to listen to a robber , stealing in the natural is wrong isn't it?
and there are penalties for it correct? When you rob from God there are penalties for that.
and that penalty is a separation between you and God.
Something else that will hinder your prayers is if we are not submitting ourselves to viable teachings.
In the book of Proverbs 28:9 it says this: " one who turns away his ears from hearing the law,even his prayers is an abomination" and the book of Zechariah 7:11-14 In both of these books we can see by refusing to follow God's laws in other words ignoring what the word of God says our prayers can become an abomination to God.
You may ask this question what does it mean abomination in this verse it means unpure or detestable.
Can you imagine that just because you don't agree with something in the word of God that it can stop God from hearing your prayers. We cannot afford to do like the people in the book of Zechariah did.
They tried to plug up their ears so that they would not hear the truth but we know the Bible says:
"that it's the truth that will set is free.
Another hindrance a lot of people have in their prayer lives is unforgiveness.
let's take a look at Matthew 6: 12 and 14 - 15 and it says this: " and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtor's. ( 14) for if we forgive man there trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
(15 ) but if you forgive Not man there trespasses, neither will your father forgive your trespasses.
If we harbor unforgiveness in our hearts it will stop our prayers.
Jesus left us one of the greatest example of forgiveness that I can think of in the Bible and that is Calvary.
Is holding on to unforgiveness in your heart worth losing your relationship with God.
And I know a lot of people have done a lot of bad things to you in your life which you have to let it go.
It's not worth it no matter what it was that they did.
It's not worth losing out on the blessings of the kingdom of God.
Refusing to help the needy will hinder your prayers to God.
1 John 3:17 The Bible makes this statements: "whoever has this world's goods, and sees his brother in need, and shipped up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him"?
We, alot of times want God to help us when we are in need, but he see our work that we do down here
and if we are not helping our brothers that are in need do you really think that God should help us when we are in need?
But if we shut our bowels of compassion in other words we hold back , God will do the same to you. You want God to bless your life you have to help or bless others first.
I bet you never thought there were so many things that can hinder your prayers, did you?
We are not quite done yet there's a few more we need to take a look at, that is if you want true victory in your prayer life and I know you do.
Not all hindrances are caused by you there are other hindrances they can stop your prayers from getting answered
Let's take a look at the book of Daniel 10: 10 - 13 we can see in the story of Daniel that he'd prayed for three full weeks before he got his answer to his prayers.
The reason for this was because a devil hinder the angel of God from getting the answer to Daniel.
Sometimes we need to learn just to be patient and wait on God.
We have to remember that in the book of 1John 5: 14 , 15 it tells us God not only hears our prayers
but he answers you don't have to take my word for it, look in your Bible and read it..
One other thing that can hinder your prayers is this.
And this is a word to wives you need to go and get your husband and let him read this.
If he has hindrances and is not getting his prayers answered. Remember this: "the truth will set him free.
1Peter 3 : 7 it says this : "Husband's, likewise,dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered.
Husbands we can argue with the Word of God.
Brothers, if we don't want our prayers hindered we must listen to what God tells us to do.
We must be understanding to our wives and give honor to our wives if we want God to hear our prayers. You can tell me brother , you don't know my wife. and you're right I don't but I do know God.
In the same way when you get a little out of hand with the things of God.
Would you want God to be understanding, or not understanding. Would you want God to treat you with honor or disrespect you?
The same way that you measure your wife is the same way God is a measuring you.
Brother and Sisters, without prayer in your life you have no victory.
But the Bible says with God all things are possible. The book of Romans 8 : 31 says this: "If God be for us, who can be against us? It also says in the book of Romans 8: 37 " Yet in all these things we are more than conquers through him who loves us".
You can take all of the Scriptures into your prayer closet
and you apply them to your life.
Your prayers will not be hindered anymore. Amen.
By Rev. Bruce L. Miller
Pastor of Revival Faith Center
