Reasons Prayer is not Answered

This month's devotional comes from Bro Luke Tullock from Heritage Baptist Church in Palmyra, N.Y.

1. Prayers aren’t answered because of unconfessed sin.

Proverbs 66:18 “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.”

• Regard meaning to recognize.

• When we allow sin to reside in our hearts, we are creating a barrier

between us and God.

• God cannot work on our behalf when we have sin in our lives that is

unconfessed. (Isaiah 59:1-4)

• Do you have unconfessed sin in your life?

• Are you hiding something?

• Proverbs 28:13 “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper but whoso

confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.”

• Unconfessed sins prevent answers to prayer.

2. Prayers aren’t answered because of unbelief.

Hebrews 11:6 “But without faith it is impossible to please him...”

2 Corinthians 5:7 “For we walk by faith, not by sight...”

• Christianity is based on faith in God.

• So then, why is it so hard for us to have faith?

• Why are we “surprised” when God answers our prayers?

• Often, we are “too smart” for our own good. Sometimes the “smarter” we

are the harder it is to have faith.

• Proverbs 3:5 “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto

thine own understanding.”

• Having faith will often defy logic and reason which is why our mindset

need to be to “walk by faith, not by sight.”

• It doesn’t have to “make sense” if God tells us to do it!

• Mark 11:24 “...believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.”

• “Most peoples prayers are like window shopping – they don’t expect to get

anything.”

• “The doubtful petitioner does not offer God a steady hand in which to

deposit his gift.”

• Matthew 13:58 “And he did not many mighty works there because of their

unbelief.”

• One of the saddest verses you will ever read.

• Would that statement be true of our church or our home?

• I wonder how many “mighty works” we have personally missed seeing God

do because of our unbelief...

• I wonder how many big answers to prayer we have missed because of our

unbelief...

3. Prayers aren’t answered because of unholy requests.

James 4:3 “Ye ask and receive not because ye ask amiss...”

• Unholy requests are motivated by a desire to gratify the flesh.

• Failure to pray in Gods will is an unholy request.

• If our fellowship with God is right, we can come to Him in boldness to ask

that His will be done.

• Failure to pray for his glory is an unholy request.

• Every prayer that we pray should be for the glory of God.

• Unholy requests prevent answered prayer.

4. Prayers aren’t answered because of an unforgiving spirit.

Mark 11:25-26

• We must forgive each other before we can be forgiven.

• Ephesians 4:31-32 “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamour,

and evil speaking, be put away from you with all malice: and be ye kind

one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for

Christs sake hath forgiven you.”

• It is crucial that we put away our bitterness and anger; we must forgive

those who have wronged us.

• “Forgiveness must be a daily attitude, not an occasional one.”

• Your prayer life could be suffering because of your inability to forgive.

5. Prayers aren’t answered because of lack of concern.

Mark 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.”

• Half hearted prayer is as effective as no prayer at all.

• We shouldn’t pray just because we are supposed to, we should be praying

because we WANT to...and even more importantly...because we NEED to!

• Halfhearted prayers don’t typically result in answered prayer.

• Jeremiah 29:13 “And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search

for me with all your heart.”

• When is the last time you sought God with ALL your heart?

• “Prayer without desire is prayerless praying”

• James 5:16 “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth

much.”

• Effectual: Producing an effect, having adequate power or force to produce

the effect.

• Fervent: Hot, boiling, earnest, excited, animated, glowing.

• Could any of these words be used to describe our prayer life?

6. Prayers aren’t answered because of unfinished prayers.

• Have you ever given up too soon on a prayer?

• Another word for giving up is quitting.

• Have you quit on prayer in your life?

• Luke 18:1-7 – this woman showed persistence.

• Are you persistent in your prayer life or do you tend to give up easily?

• “Pray without ceasing” is referring to being in a constant spirit of prayer.

• Why should we? Because we constantly need God in every situation!

• D.L Moody said this; “Most people pray like little boys who knock on

people’s doors and run.” (too often, we don’t wait around long enough for

an answer)

• Your prayers might be someone’s only chance!

• Don’t give up in prayer!

7. Final Thoughts.

• We must all examine our own lives and ask ourselves if there is

something hindering our prayer lives.

• Be sure you have a personal relationship with God Himself (Make sure

you are saved)

• Whatever it is that you find out is hindering your prayer life...it can be

fixed!

• Ask God for help.

• No Prayer – No Power

Little Prayer – Little Power

Much Prayer – Much Power