The promises and possibilities of prayer for the child
of God are absolutely “off the charts”! God wants to show us “great and mighty things, which thou knowest
not of”. But while there are things that may merely hinder or weaken the
effectiveness of prayer, I believe there are seven elements that will
absolutely block or bring our prayer lives to a disabling halt. With this in
mind, consider:
1.
HARBORED SIN.
Psalms 66:18 says "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:" It’s not that God cannot hear us, but He will
not hear us. This “harbored” sin grieves and quenches the Holy Spirit,
which is the very vehicle of prayer.
2.
FORSAKING GOD’S WORD.
"If ye abide in me, and my words abide in
you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you." No relationship is effective when it is
one-sided. While we must talk with God, He must have a way to speak to us. God
alone is the one that can really teach us to pray.
3.
UNBELIEF.
The
Bible says in Matthew 21:22 "And all
things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive." If we do not believe that He will do it, then
why are we asking for it? I’m not trying to insult anyone’s intelligence, but
this becomes the vehicle of our desire. What a promise!
4.
SELF-WILLED.
And
this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according
to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask,
we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him. We must ask in His will not our will. Humility comes into play here, and without
humility we don’t even have an audience with God
5.
SELFISHNESS.
James
4:3 "Ye ask, and receive not,
because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts." God
will not get glory from such an attitude of prayer.
6.
NOT ASKING.
"Ye have not, because ye ask not." This sounds like a moot point and so
elementary, but it easily becomes true when worry overrides our focus on the
Lord. If he is willing to answer, why
are we not willing to ask for it?
7.
UNPASSIONATE PRAYING.
This
becomes more than a hindrance, that is, if you and I want a prayer life that avails
much. Effectual praying is “hard work”. It will take something out of us. Prayer
is not for God’s sake; rather, to keep us focused on our dependence on and
faith in God! God knows our
desires and needs before we pray, but our faith must be fervently centered on
Him.
For me, GOD is my Equalizer in life! Everything in life
trumps my abilities to handle them,
but God trumps everything that comes
my way. My prayer life is what “taps” into my Equalizer, God! When I’m
backed to the wall with nowhere to turn; when all other effort is exhausted;
when no one else understands; when I don’t understand; when all others have
forsaken me; when I’m about to LOSE IT, I, have an Equalizer!
Maybe you need a “Red Sea” or “Jordan
River” parting, but don’t forget the “little” things God wants to answer in
prayer. No prayer is insignificant! The song says,
Prayer is just as big as God is big,
Prayer is just as strong as God is
strong
Prayer can reach as far as God can
reach,
Don’t ever give up, JUST PRAY!
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