OBSTACLES TO EFFECTIVE PRAYER
By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
Matthew. 21:13 - God wants His House called a House of Prayer!
INTRODUCTION:
WHAT IS PRAYER?
I gave paper out to friends and asked them to write PRAYER IS: and then finish that line. Here are some of the answers they gave.
*talking with God, asking or praising
*is coming near to God
*is recognizing we stand on holy ground
*provides the correct answers
*prayer is connecting our lives with our Creator
*speaking to the Father about needs
*coming into God’s presence
*an intimate conversation with my best friend
*talking to the Father about small and large needs
*a lifeline to walk with God
*a way to stay sane in an insane world
*communication with God
*a way to open doors
*a sharing of our concerns
*a privileged opportunity, a blessing
powerful
*is bringing all our questions to the Throne of God
*is reaching out to our redeemer, He paid a price He did not owe
*the only way to a successful future, an escape
*a way to honor God
*is bringing our hurts, pains, disappointments to the caring Father
*fellowship with God
*a release of faith
*a chance to be with God one on one
*prayer is listening as well as talking
*laying down your petitions on the King’s desk!
There are many road blocks to effective prayer.
Anything that impedes progress, stops achievement, hinders prayer must be corrected.
James 5:16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous
man availeth much.
Effectual - produce or able to produce a desired effect. Impressive, ready for action or service.
We need to evaluate our prayer system.
Examine to improve -- Alignment
Are all prayers answered?
1. Yes
2. Wait - delayed
3. No
4. Different from what you asked? But with His will.
I. Failure of past effects prayer today
Judges 16:28 And Samson called unto the Lord, and said, O Lord God, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O God that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes.
Matthew 26:40-41 And He cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour? 41: Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit
indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
II. One absolute obstacle to answered prayer is not praying
John 16:24 Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.
James 4:2 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.
Ask out of God’s will
Luke 11:2 And He said unto them, when ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.
III. Obstacle: Lack of Forgiveness
Matthew 5:22,24 But I say unto you, whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but
whosoever shall say, thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. 24: Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way, first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.
Matthew 5:44 But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.
IV. Obstacle of Lack of Unity
1 Peter 3:7 Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honor unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life: that your prayers be not hindered.
The prayer of the chicken hawk does not get him the chicken.
V. Obstacle: Show off prayers -- to be seen or heard of man
Matthew 6:4-5 That thine alms may be in secret: and Thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly. 5: And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners
of the streets, that they may be seen of men.
Verily I say unto you, they have their reward.
To Pray is to work, to work is to pray.
Work like you have 100 years, pray like you are dying tomorrow.
Pray, forgive, forget, wait, trust
Some pray well for others, but never pray for themselves
Two go to pray, one to be heard and brag and the other to submit to God.
VI. OBSTACLE OF FORGETTING TO PRAY IN THE
NAME OF JESUS.
VII. Obstacle: Many words - Repetitions
Matthew 6:7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetition, as the heathen do, for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.
He who rises from prayer, rises a better man.
Obstacle: Public not Private
Matthew 6:6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret: and Thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
More things are wrought by prayer than by the world of dreams.
VIII. Doubt & Unbelief are common Obstacles
James 1:6 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. 8: A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.
It is not the song, nor the situation, it is the prayer from the heart, that is why caged birds sing.
IX. Willful sin is a huge obstacle to effective prayer!
Isa. 59:1-2 Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, neither His ear heavy, that it cannot hear: 2: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you, that He will not hear.
Psa. 66:18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.
X. Obstacle of self-centered
James 4:3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.
XI. Obstacle of lack of practice
1 Thessalonians 5:17 Pray without ceasing.
Often times when all is said and done about prayer, more is said than done.
XII. PRAYER SUSTAINS THROUGH HARD, BAD TIMES.
Maybe you know Joseph Scriven but many of us don’t know him. But we all here know of his work, WHAT A FRIEND WE HAVE IN JESUS.
Joseph fell in love with a pretty girl and they were engaged to marry.
Tradegy happened the day before Joseph was to be married. His girlfriend fell into a pond and there she drowned. Joseph never seemed to get over this loss of his beloved.
One day several years later, Joseph penned the words to What a Friend.
"What a Friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and grief’s to bear!
What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer!
Oh, what peace we often forfeit, oh, what needless pain we bear, All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer."
His servant, Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
You can help me if you would by passing this on to others.My hands are so
short you can enlarge them.
