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The joy of carrying out an exercise is getting tangible results out of it. No one would be willing to continously do something he/she is not deriving any benefit or gain from. Humans would naturally not be coerced into doing something if they have produced results from it.
Prayer like every art of human endeavour is believed to produce results. As a matter of fact it is subnormal not to get verifiable results from prayer exercises. Prayer truly produces results. So when you pray and you don't get answers to your prayers or you can not see a result from your prayer spree then some investigations should be done.
Jesus said "If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it." (John 14:14). This implies that when ever you pray there must be a tangible performance of that which you prayed for.
Unfortunately, many of us offer prayers and don't get answers and responses. We have applied all the prayer principles in our possession yet there's no answer. I discovered that when answers to prayers are delayed believers reduce their attendance to the secret place. They start to lose the prayer fire. It is my desire to show you one of the major hindrances to the answers to prayers. There are many hindrances to why we don't get answers when we pray but this articles discusses just one.
The major hindrance to the answers and the performance of our prayers is SIN.
Sin robs any man off the result-producing power of prayers. Sin stops and refuses the answer to your prayers. How?
The prayer of a sinner is an abomination to God. God considers the prayers of a sinner as completely unacceptable. Can such a prayer be answered?
The prayers of a sinner can not as much as get to God let alone receive response from heaven.
David gave voice to the fact that sin stands as a major hindrance to prayers when he said;
If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me – Psalms 66:18
He understood that God is a prayer-answering God and He is ever-ready to respond to his prayers. He also understood that in as much as God is all He is if he (David) has sin figured in his heart, God will not even hear him let alone answer.
See what Isaiah says;
Behold, the LORD'S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear:
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 59:1-2
It is very true that God is ever interested in having you talk to Him in prayers and Him answering you, it is also true that He can't the prayers of a sinner.
God cannot answer the prayers of a sinner not because He has stopped being a prayer-answering God but because He is too holy to behold sin and this placing a restriction on a sinner's prayer.
Our God is a holy God and any man who intends to do business with Him would have to be holy. Apostle Paul told Timothy;
Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity. – 2 Timothy 2:19
In sin you can never get your prayers answered because in that state your voice can not be heard in heaven. Your prayers would become more and more effective and trap response from God always if you live above sin and pursue holiness. A life of holiness is an access key to commanding answers to prayers.
Do all you can to maintain a holy lifestyle and you would never struggle to get God to answer your prayers. Maranatha!
I'd love to hear from you. Tell me how this blog has blessed you and assisted your Christian journey. Get in touch with me via mail on Gospelcaster@gmail.com. I look forward to hearing from you.
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