Hindrances to Prayer
We have been in a study of How to get prayers answered. We have looked at several things about prayer that all must be taken together for the proper results.
If we had preached them all together we would have been here a long time and that is why we are on the sixth study.
Just as a cake must be put together in proper sequence so must prayer be done properly to know for SURE that your prayers will be answered.
We have looked at the reason of prayer and found it is:
#1 The Purpose of Prayer is Fellowship and Relationship.
#2 The Way to Receive from God
#3 The way God’s Kingdom is established in the earth is prayer.
We have found that we are to Pray in the authority of Jesus or in the name of Jesus.
We have also learned to NOT GIVE UP in prayer or be persistence in prayer.
There are Different Kind of Prayers just as there are different kinds of sports, and must be prayed and played under the proper rules.
One evening we talked about how to pray the will of God and not to pray “IF it be thy Will”, and To PRAY TO OUR HEVENLY, HOLY, AWSOME,
POWERFUL, and ALL KNOWING FATHER.
Looking into the Word of God we have discovered that there may be delays in answered prayer and the reasons for that delay
Last week we found that the Prayer of Faith was the way to get things, also that only the person desiring those things can pray the Prayer of Faith.
The Prayer of Faith must be based upon the Word of God and believe that we RECEIVE BEFORE WE SEE.
Tonight we will see the Reasons for Hindrances of Prayer.
Mt 7: 7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
9 Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?
10 Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?
11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?
This should be an exciting set of scriptures to everyone here.
It says 8. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
This is saying EVERYONE not just the perfect or the righteous but to EVERYONE that asks will receive.
I could go on preaching for hours about the surety of answered prayer but we live in a REAL WORLD and we know that there are times that prayers are sometimes not answered that easily.
THERE ARE HINDRANCES TO PRAYER.
I will talk about six of the hindrances.
1. Fainting.
Prayer Answers always takes time. Many FAINT before the ANSWER gets there. Many times our prayer are delayed maybe because Demons have delayed your answer. While we are waiting we get discouraged and give up.
Jesus said DON’T GIVE UP.
Lu. 18 1 And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;
When we pray it reaches though a world of Spirits and the Devil is ready to stop any good thing from getting through.
God Answers immediately when we pray but it may take time for the answer to reach to the seen world.
Daniel prayed for an answer and it took 21 days before he got it.
Da 10: 12 Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard and I am come for thy words.13 But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia.
GOD HEARD THE DAY HE PRAYED, it just took a while for the answer to show up.
Daniel received the answer the day he prayed. It just was not seen.
We are to “Walk by Faith and not by Sight”. We have been praying for our children, kinfolk and it seems that God is not answering but HE HEARD YOU AND ANSWERED THE DAY YOU PRAYED IT JUST MAY TAKE SOME TIME TO SEE THE ANSWER.
Start thanking God now, DON’T GIVE UP, DON’T GIVE OUT, DON’T GIVE IN.
The biggest hindrance to prayer is people FAINTING.
2. Demon Assault. Not understanding the Warfare
2Co 2:11 Lest Satan should get an advantage of us for we are not ignorant of his devices.
We are living a BLESSED, HOLY, Life but the Devil does not want you to have that Abundant Life that Jesus come to give us.
That is why Paul told us about the Armor of God and started by saying
Eph.6:11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
He went on to say Pray.
James4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
We don’t have to see a demon under every bush but neither are we to be unaware that the Devil is a Deceiver and if we are not aware of his devices we will be taken advantage of.
We have the victory over Satan and we have the power to BIND ands LOOSE when prayer is hindered.
3. Unforgiveness.
Mr 11: 24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire when ye pray believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.25 And when ye stand praying forgive if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.
Harboring UNFORGIVENESS in you heart will hinder your prayers.
Unforgiveness holds you captive.
TURN IT LOOSE, LET IT GO, YOU HAVE DONE DUMB THINGS TOO.
You may not realize that you are holding UNFORGIVENESS in your heart.
That is why we sometimes fast and pray. Answers are slow or maybe NOT coming, that is reason to Fast and Pray.
Fasting brings focus on God and off the circumstances. Fasting disciplines your flesh to FOCUS ON GOD.
That is when He can speak to you and show you where you are with Him.
If you are holding things in your heart you are hurting yourself.
DON’T LET SOMEONE ELSE STOP YOUR PRAYERS FROM BEING ANSWERED.
LET IT GO, STOP IT, TURN IT LOOSE IT IS STOPPING YOUR PRAYERS.
4. Wavering
James 1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.
This is where many lose the answer to their prayers.
I pray and 5 minuets later I hear in my head “YOU DON’T DESERVE THAT” and I tend to agree with that voice if I am not careful.
That is why we must keep on praying so that we can stay focused and not wavering about what it is that we are praying.
I can rest assured that God is good, He loves me, He is always with me, He is kind and wants good things for me. That is why I KNOW GOD WANTS THAT FOR ME. I REBUKE MY DUMB HEAD AND STAND UPON THE WORD OF GOD.
That is why we need to SAY in agreement to what I PRAY.
I have to be careful not to KILL MY PRAYER WITH MY MOUTH.
5. Selfish Motives.
James 4:1 From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?
2 Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.
3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.
Here is a scripture that tells us that we desire to have things but we are not willing to get it Gods way.
We may want other people’s jobs, money, relationship with God, or other things.
We do not physically kill people but we do KILL REPUTATIONS.
The scripture tells us that we never think to pray about it.
THERE IS NO MAGIC FORMULA OF PRAYER
When we think to pray our motives are not pure.
God Will Bless You To Be A Blessing.
Our FLESH wants to CONSUME THINGS and makes us feel good.
God wants to Bless you but God wants your motives to be pure.
A good TEST is do you have THINGS OR DOES THINGS HAVE YOU.
Can you give up anything that you have right now that God would ask you to do?
Abraham was asked to give up his promised son and he was willing to do it. That is why Abraham was so blessed in every area of Life.
God can ADJUST YOU.
6. Strife.
1 Peter 3:77 Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.
8 Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous:
9 Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing.
10 For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile:
FUSSING AND FIGHTING WILL STOP YOUR PRAYERS FROM BEING ANSWERED.
Fussing and fighting with your spouse will hinder your prayers.
Talking discourteous to you spouse will also cause problems with getting prayers answered.
James 3:16 16 For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.
Where that kind of stuff is there will be confusion and all kind of evil work.
No wonder there are so many Churches that only make prayer a formality.
They are too many people fussing and fighting and finding fault with others and that will cause confusion. Where Confusion is God is not.
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We are trying to Minister here in Mt. Vernon and we have to get together and get along. Love and pray for each other and see souls come into the Kingdom.
Put aside all the petty disagreements and keep confusion away because we want God to REIGN SUPREME IN THIS PLACE
