Why Isn’t God Answering Me?
Part 2
Prayer is a powerful tool given to us by the Father. And He is willing to not only hear us, but He is ready to act on behalf of the petitions we ask of Him. But it takes more than just us asking. As believers, we must make sure that we aren’t blocking God. We need to take time to address things in our lives that may be hindering our prayers. Last week we talked about how important faith is in our prayer life. When doubt and unbelief creep in, it creates a disconnect between us and the Lord. There are other aspects of life that can be the cause of our prayers going unanswered. One such thing is unresolved sin or iniquity in our hearts. When we are living in sin and letting our flesh make choices for us, it causes a huge chasm between us and the Father. “But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.” Isaiah 59:2
God can’t hear you when you have unresolved sin inside your heart. When you hold on to unrepented sin and you choose to not make a change, this creates a block. It is not the actual sin that makes this so, it is the unwillingness to turn away from those choices. We all fall short and make mistakes. God is a loving God, and He provides grace and mercy for our mistakes. Unfortunately, when we make the decision to ignore God and live in sin, He will not hear us. “ If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me” Psalm 66:18 I say this to you not out of condemnation, but because I want you to be free to see God move in your life. I want you to be empowered to know that you can make a difference and see Him bless you and continue to answer your prayers. Sin separates us from the Lord and disrupts our relationship with Him.
Ignoring God’s word is also a stumbling block in our prayer life. This ties in very closely to hiding our sin. When we disregard The Word, it stops God from moving in our lives. The bible says in Proverbs 28:9 that “He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination.” These words are strong and may seem harsh, but they are true and powerful. We have to take all of what is written and embrace it. God’s word is filled with over 1000 promises. We can not choose what we believe. We can not decide to only trust in the promises and blessings, and not listen to the harder parts. We have to abide in all of it if we want to see the blessings. “ If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you” John 15:7 . We must be abiding in Him and in His Word. When we do this, it means we are acting on the Word, we are living in it and taking it to heart. It is then that we open up the way for God to bless us. This is how we keep our relationship with Him strong.
Our relationships can also affect our prayers. It is important to have a strong solid relationship with our heavenly Father. However, the cross is horizontal as well as vertical. God also cares about our relationship with others. Unforgiveness, bitterness and a critical attitude towards people can cause serious harm to our personal walk with Christ “ For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight. And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.” 1 John 3:20-23
In order to keep our confidence in Him, we must keep our hearts right with others in our lives. Release all bitterness and judgment and hand it over to God, and be free from it all. If you continue in anger and resentment it will only harm you. It will affect your joy, your peace, and eventually your faith.
I pray that over the past two weeks you have been encouraged to work on your faith and do everything you can to abide in His Word.
Until Next Time Remember
Stay Calm and Be Empowered.
