Lifelines! Imagine a patient lying in a hospital
bed connected to an oxygen line. He relies on that line to live. Now
imagine that patient purposefully reaching out and turning off the
machine supplying that oxygen. We would think he either wanted to die or
was crazy.
For the Christian, prayer is our lifeline.
Without it, we die. So we should do all in our power to ensure that
lifeline is kept open so that our prayers are not hindered in any way.
1.
Relations With our Spouse
7 Husbands, likewise, dwell with
them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker
vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life that your
prayers may not be hindered. (1 Peter
3:7)
Husband and wife should
be in peace and harmony. No strife or discord. Otherwise, your prayers
may be hindered, obstructed, cut into, interrupted. Husbands and wives
must treat each other with honor and respect, or their prayers will be
stopped short.
2.
Doubt
5 If any of
you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and
without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 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. 7 For let
not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;
8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
(James 1:5-8)
·
Describes an individual who trusts in God one moment and
the next moment doesn’t. You must have confidence in the Father as the
source.
17 Every good gift and every
perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights,
with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.
(James 1:17)
God’s nature is unchanging, and His
promises are trustworthy.
·
Faith must be present
before prayer begins.
6 But without faith it is
impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He
is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
(Hebrews 11:6)
You need to possess an
authentic trust in His promises. Never pray in faith for something you
don’t truly want to receive.
3.
Selfishness
3 You ask and do not receive,
because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.
(James 4:3)
·
If you are praying for something out of greed, your prayer
is for naught. If for purely selfish gratification, God considers it
waste. “Pleasures”—fleshly, sensual nature.
·
He’s not saying don’t pray for material things, but if it
is just to satisfy your worldly desires, you are praying with the wrong
motives. It is certainly okay to pray for prosperity.
2 Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all
things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.
(3 John 2)
But we must examine our
motives carefully. Why do we want this prosperity? Use it to the glory
of God? To help others?
3 Let nothing
be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind
let each esteem others better than himself. 4 Let each
of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the
interests of others. (Philippians 2:3-4)
4.
An Unforgiving Spirit
12
And
forgive us our debts,
As we forgive our debtors.
(Matthew 6:12
14
“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your
heavenly Father will also forgive you.
15 But
if you do not forgive men their trespasses,
neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
(Matthew 6:14-15)
If we want our sins to
be forgiven, we must also be willing to forgive others. Regardless of
how many times they sin against us.
3 Take
heed to yourselves. If
your brother sins [a]against
you, rebuke him; and
if he repents, forgive him. 4 And
if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day
returns [b]to
you, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him.”
(Luke 17:3-4)
Repentance is essential
for us and them. We should not hold it against them in the future.
5.
Disobedience
22 And whatever we ask we receive
from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are
pleasing in His sight. (1 John 3:22
All verbs are in the
present tense. We must continue to obey. Our lives must be in subjection
to God’s Word.
9 One who
turns away his ear from hearing the law,
Even his prayer is an abomination.
(Proverbs 28:9)
When we strive to live
a righteous life, He hears us.
15 The eyes of
the Lord are
on the righteous,
And His ears are open to their cry.
(Psalm 34:15)
6.
Wrong Motives
5
“And when you pray, you shall not be like the
hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in
the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen
by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.
6 But you, when you pray,
go into your room, and when you have shut your
door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father
who sees in secret will reward you
openly. (Matthew
6:5-6)
To be perceived by men
as being “very religious.” Pretentious. For appearance sake.
38 Then He
said to them in His teaching, “Beware of the
scribes, who desire to go around in long robes,
love greetings in the marketplaces,
39 the
best seats in the synagogues, and the best
places at feasts, 40
who devour widows’ houses, and
for a pretense make long prayers. These will
receive greater condemnation.” (Mark
12:38-40)
7. A
Sinful Heart
18 If I regard iniquity in my
heart,
The Lord will not hear.
(Psalm 66:18)
·
We must have a good heart before God will hear. Sin builds
a barrier to prayer.
1 Behold, the
Lord’s hand is
not shortened,
That it cannot save;
Nor His ear heavy,
That it cannot hear.
2 But your iniquities have
separated you from your God;
And your sins have hidden His face from you,
So that He will not hear.
(Isaiah 59:1-2)
·
The Good News
19 But
certainly God has heard me;
He has attended to the voice of my prayer.
20 Blessed be
God,
Who has not turned away my prayer,
Nor His mercy from me!
(Psalm 66:19-20)
If your prayers have been going no higher than
the roof of your house, your prayers may have been hindered in one of
the seven ways we have just discussed. If so, it is time to examine
yourself and repent.
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