HINDRANCES TO RECEIVING ANSWERS TO YOUR PRAYERS (1)

Read: JAMES 4:1-6

Meditation verse:

“You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures” (James 4:3).

A hindrance is a thing that provides resistance, delay or obstruction to something or someone. There are many things that hinder us from receiving the answers we desire when we pray.

1. WRONG MOTIVES OR PRAYING AMISS. 1 John 5:14 says “now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us”. James 4:3 says, “You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures”. God will not answer your prayers if your motives are outside His will. And how can you tell if your motives are right? Let the word of God and your conscience be your mirror. Psalm 119:105 says, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path”. 1 John 3:20 says, “for if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things”.
2. LACK OF FAITH: “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1) Mark 11:24 says “whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours”. Hebrews 11:6 says “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. Doubt is the opposite of faith and here’s what the bible says about it, “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. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways” (James 1:6-8).
3. RELYING ON THE ARM OF FLESH: Psalm 147:10 says, “God does not delight in the strength of the horse. He takes no pleasure in the legs of a man”. Psalm 20:7-9 says, “some trust in chariots and some in horses; but we will remember the name of the Lord our God. They have bowed down and fallen; but we have risen and stand upright. Trusting man to the exclusion of God is a losing strategy for success. The arm of flesh will always fail you.

IN HIS PRESENCE is written by Oke Chinye.
Have you asked Jesus Christ to come into your heart?

He says in Mathew 11:28, “come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” He longs to give you rest."

Would you like to do so now? Here’s a prayer you can say:
Dear Jesus, I believe that You died to save me from all my sins. Today, I invite you into my heart and I accept you as my Lord and Saviour. Please forgive all my sins and help me to live my life for You.

If you prayed this prayer, send me an email at rockteachingministry@gmail.com

I would love to pray with you personally and send you a copy of my book; ‘Living the Life’ to encourage you as you begin your new life in Christ.