WHY SOME PRAYERS GO UNANSWERED (3)

>>> SECRETS OF EFFECTIVE PRAYING

TEXT: James 4:3

Look around, you will see many prayer houses in addition to several churches holding prayer sessions and night vigils. Interestingly, the devil is the subject of many prayer sessions where the people bind and cast satan out every minute. In a nutshell, so numerous being prayers are offered but so little impact coming forth. The reality is that there are prayers which do not get to God (John 9:31a), and there are several unanswered prayers. These issues have been the focus on SPIRIT SWORD over the last two (2) days and we continue on that today – why some prayers go unanswered.

(1) UNFORGIVENESS AND BITTERNESS

It takes love for faith to work (Galatians 5:6b). Unforgiveness and bitterness are expressions of absence of love. Where there is no love, there cannot be answers. To be bitter, envious and harbouring malice in your heart is to close down the Heavens over your life. If you pray till tomorrow, it amounts to wastage of time.

There are people who are unhappy about what God is doing is other people’s lives (e.g. childbirth, miracle, ministry, etc) but the same people will be praying to God to do the same things in their own lives. This is impossicant. You cannot attract to your life what you hate in another person’s life. So, many times the problem is not satan hindering people, but people hindering themselves and satan only takes advantage of their bitterness to deny them betterment in life (2 Corinthians 2:11).

(2) MURMURING AND COMPLAINING (Numbers 14:27)

There are times people knee down in the name of praying but all they spend minutes and hours doing is complaining and murmuring. God hates murmuring; avoid it!

(3) WHEN IT IS NOT YET TIME (Eccl. 3:1)

If a child of six prays to God that he wants to go to the university at that age just because his/her siblings are in the university; what do you think? At that age and time what he needs isn’t university but to do his/her school homework and pass the term exams. If he does well, later in life, at the right time, he would go to the university. This is how it is regarding prayers, answers and God’s timing. There are things that, though meant for you, would not be released to you until the time appointed of the Father (Galatians 4:1-2). If you pray till tomorrow, God would hear, but the answers would come at His time. We are therefore to be spiritual sensitive to spiritual times and seasons of our lives.

These are issues of note. Things are taking shape in your life! Your week is blessed.