UNANSWERED PRAYERS: SIN

MEMORISE: ‘Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to that power the worketh in us (Eph 3:20)
READ: Isaiah 59:1-8

God is the one who has commanded you to ask that you might receive, so that your joy may be full (John 16:24). He does not make empty promises. The Scriptures say His promises are ‘Yes’ and Amen’ in Christ (2 Cor 1:20). It is written that His word is forever settled in heaven. He cannot lie to you because with Him is no variableness, neither shadow of turning (Jas 1:17). Anything God has promised, He is able and willing to do. All your requests are far below God’s ability. ‘Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us’ (Eph 3:20).

On His side there is no problem. But usually the hindrances come from our side. One such hindrance is sin. ‘But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you, that He will not hear’ (Isa 59:2). From our reading, sin in your life erects an invisible wall of partition. It forms a thick cloud between you and God so that you cannot access Him. Sin is terrible!

When you are seeking God’s face, it is not a time to live in open or secret sin. A woman who is trusting God for the fruit of the womb and is praying and fasting, will stand a chance of being heard only if she is not harbouring hatred, enmity and malice against others. If you are trusting God for financial prosperity, then avoid any financial fraud or the like, which is capable of canceling your prayer.

There are some people who, whenever they are fasting and praying, fit into the common maxim ‘a hungry man is an angry man.’ Their rage over little things at such times is unbecoming. The house will be dangerous: the children will avoid them for fear. Their piety does not check but rather proliferates their evil deeds, hence no answers (Isa 58:3-5). The man who is living in sin will give the adversary the legal right to accuse him before God. He will not qualify for a financial breakthrough because he spent some of his tithes. And God is bound to uphold his Word and not break it (Rev 12:10). If you resolve to make your prayers effective from now on, ensure you live in inward and outward holiness until your prayer is answered. The prayer of the sinner is an abomination to God

ACTION POINT
Ask yourself what the sins in your life are that can cancel your desires
and petitions and ask the Lord to help you to deal with them.