by Joyce Meyer
First John 3:17–18 says, “But if anyone has this world’s goods (resources for sustaining life) and sees his brother and fellow believer in need, yet closes his heart of compassion against him, how can the love of God live and remain in him? Little children, let us not love [merely] in theory or in speech but in deed and in truth (in practice and sincerity).” We close our hearts or stop our ears when we hear about people who are needy, for several reasons. First, we may think someone else should take care of them. I want to tell you that someone else should not take care of them; the Church of Jesus Christ is called and commissioned by God to care for the poor and needy. The government is not called and commissioned, the government is not anointed by God—but His people are. Second, we may be afraid to get involved because we think someone will take advantage of us. Well, we need to refuse to let that happen. We need to be led by the Holy Spirit, do what we know is right, and serve others well without allowing ourselves to be exploited. Third, we may be just plain lazy. Laziness is not a good reason to ignore the commands of Christ, so we need to get up and do something about the needs around us.
We may be aware of so many needs that we feel overwhelmed, or even worse, we may become hardened to hearing about them simply because we hear of so many. Today, tragedy and disaster fill the newspapers and television broadcasts. We continually hear about terrible diseases, accidents, earthquakes, tsunamis, fires, floods, landslides, tornados, hurricanes, and other disasters.
God has equipped us with compassionate hearts and we are told in 1 John 3:17 not to close our hearts of compassion when we see needs. Satan would like for our love to grow cold. As a matter of fact, Matthew tells us that love grown cold will be a sign of the Last Days. Matthew 24:12 says that “the love of the great body of people will grow cold because of the multiplied lawlessness” and wickedness in the land. The best way to combat hardness of heart and a stronghold of cold love is to stay active helping those who are less fortunate than you are. Don’t ignore the needs you hear about by closing your heart or letting your love grow cold. Instead, respond to them.
Don’t ignore the needs you hear about by closing your heart or letting your love grow cold.
The Book of James reveals the secret to having pure religion before God which is to “visit orphans and widows in their trouble. . .#8221; (James 1: 27, NKJV). Those two categories of people (orphans and widows) are very important to God and they are mentioned often in the Bible, but I believe the phrase “orphans and widows” is also a way to describe anyone who is hurting, lonely, oppressed, or in need of anything. When we do not extend the love of God to people like this, our prayers will be hindered. We need to be a blessing to people, but especially to the poor and needy and to the orphans and widows. If we will do that, we will be expressing the love of God and He will answer our prayers.
I have referenced Isaiah 58:6–9 before in this book, but I want you to see it in the context of the current chapter. “[Rather] is not this the fast that I have chosen: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the bands of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every [enslaving] yoke? Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house—when you see the naked, that you cover him, and that you hide not yourself from [the needs of] your own flesh and blood? Then shall your light break forth like the morning, and your healing (your restoration and the power of a new life) shall spring forth speedily; your righteousness (your rightness, your justice, and your right relationship with God) shall go before you [conducting you to peace and prosperity], and the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry, and He will say, Here I am.. . .#8221;
12. REBELLION
Being rebellious toward authority will keep our prayers from being answered. As you read earlier in this book, a submitted heart, which is the opposite of a rebellious heart, is tender toward God and eager to obey Him. A rebellious person, on the other hand, will intentionally disobey—and God does not bless disobedience as we’ve already discussed.
I am so convinced that rebellion hinders my prayer and my relationship with God that I would be afraid to ever walk onto a platform and begin to teach God’s Word if I had been knowingly rebellious toward my husband and had not apologized to him and to God. I would not do that because I would be in sin and the enemy would be able to devour me. I have to stay under the covering God has given me; we all need to stay under the authority He has put in our lives so that our hearts will be right toward Him and our prayers will be answered.
13. UNFORGIVENESS
You already know that I believe walking in love, which includes forgiving people, is the most important condition for effective prayer. In the same vein, I also believe that unforgiveness is probably the number one reason prayers are not answered. I would venture to say that more ground is given up in a believer’s life through unforgiveness than through anything else. God’s Word contains many Scriptures that emphasize the importance of forgiveness, which is nothing more than treating others the way God treats us. I do not think we can find any clearer biblical command to forgive than Ephesians 4:32, which says that we are to forgive “one another [readily and freely], as God in Christ forgave you.”
I also believe that unforgiveness is probably the number one reason prayers are not answered.
Because we live in a fallen world full of people who are as imperfect as we are, we cannot avoid being hurt, offended, victimized, or betrayed. We will have reasons to be angry, but unresolved anger turns to bitterness and unforgiveness—and that will hinder our prayers. In fact, Ephesians 4:26 says, “When angry, do not sin; do not ever let your wrath (your exasperation, your fury or indignation) last until the sun goes down.” We simply cannot hold on to anger and harbor unforgiveness in our hearts if we want God to answer our prayers.
Jesus makes this point plain in Mark 11:25, when He says, “And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him and let it drop (leave it, let it go), in order that your Father Who is in heaven may also forgive you your [own] failings and shortcomings and let them drop.” In other words, whatever we have against anyone must be forgiven. No matter how major or how minor an issue seems, we have to let it go. We do not wait until we feel like forgiving; we forgive by making an intentional choice, a willful decision to let a matter drop. When we do, we make a way for our prayers to be answered.
14. PRIDE
First Peter 5:5 says that “‘God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble’” (NKJV). We can see from that verse that pride is certainly a hindrance to answered prayer! When we pray and ask for God’s grace in a situation, pride will block it, but humility will pave the way for it. When we’re proud, we don’t think we need God or anyone else. We feel self-sufficient; we are self-reliant. We think we are better than other people. Pride is very serious to God. The Bible contains many Scriptures that affirm this, but one of the strongest is Proverbs 16:5, which says: “Everyone proud and arrogant in heart is disgusting, hateful, and exceedingly offensive to the Lord; be assured [I pledge it] they will not go unpunished.”
Pride will keep our prayers from being answered and we must deal with our pride if we want God to hear and respond to us when we pray. We need to ask Him to show us areas in our hearts where we are proud and we need to repent. The best way to turn from a particular sin or stop an old attitude or thought pattern is to ask God’s forgiveness for it and to choose to develop the opposite attitude or behavior instead. So, when overcoming the sin of pride, we need to ask God to help us develop humility and do everything we can to cultivate humility in our hearts. We need to be humble not only before God, but also in our relationships with other people.
One of the best ways to practice humility is through confession. The first sentence of James 5:16 says: “Confess to one another therefore your faults (your slips, your false steps, your offenses, your sins) and pray [also] for one another, that you may be healed and restored
[to a spiritual tone of mind and heart].” If the power to be healed and restored can come through confession and prayer, then we need to know how to confess and how to pray.
Confessing our faults to someone and asking for prayer requires first of all that we find someone we truly trust and secondly that we are willing to put aside our pride and humbly share our struggles. If you find that challenging, ask God to help you grow in humility because the results are amazing if you find a friend you can trust, and you share with that person, “I’m struggling in this area and I don’t want to, but I’m hurting and I need you to pray for me.”
Confessing our faults to someone and asking for prayer requires first of all that we find someone we truly trust and secondly that we are willing to put aside our pride and humbly share our struggles.
Once I was really struggling with jealousy toward a friend who had received something I had asked God for, but had not received yet. I did not want to feel the way I did and I knew it was wrong, but I could not seem to break free from resenting her blessing and wishing it were mine. The jealousy was even causing me to be cold in my attitude toward her. As I read James 5:16 one day, I decided I needed to humble myself and ask someone to pray for me. I did not mind talking to God about my problem, but I certainly was not looking forward to telling anyone else (that was pride!). I went to my husband and told him I was feeling jealous of my friend. I confessed it as sin and asked him to pray for me. Sharing my feelings was embarrassing for me, but it also set me free.
I can assure you, just from these experiences and many others I have had, that when we are really struggling with something, if we will go humbly to a trusted person who really knows how to pray—someone who will not gossip or broadcast our concerns to others—and simply share our challenges with that person and ask for prayer, the results can be tremendous.
There is no need to be ashamed to tell a true, praying confidant what our difficulties are. This is one way we keep pride out of our lives and exercise humility. In fact, someone I know and respect once came to me and said, “You know, I just need to share this with somebody and I’m hoping if I just get it out, maybe it will break the power of Satan.” This man traveled alone often, and went on to say: “I am really being tempted to think about other women when I’m away from my wife for a long period of time.” He said: “I’ll see a woman in the airport or something, and my mind just goes off in a wrong direction. I don’t want to do that, but I cannot seem to control it.”
I prayed with him and he later said: “Sharing my struggle brought a breakthrough.” I would imagine that simply sharing your struggles will bring a breakthrough also. You see, Satan likes to keep things hidden. He is pleased when we try to handle situations ourselves, even when we know we cannot, because that is pride. When we ask others to help us, we are being humble. That pleases God and He releases power to help us overcome.
We all need help. We all struggle and your challenges probably are no worse than anyone else’s. God has designed His family to need one another. Sometimes we simply cannot carry the loads of our lives alone and sometimes we are too stubborn or too proud to ask for the help we need. Remember, God will resist those who have pride in their hearts and their pride will hinder their prayers. But God hears the prayers of humble hearts and sends His grace in response.
SUMMARY
There are a number of hindrances to answered prayer and I hope learning about them will help you avoid them. I want to encourage you to do everything you can to maintain a vibrant, effective prayer life and to deal with every issue in your life that would cause your prayers to go unanswered.
Prayer Points
• Just as we need to know the keys to effective prayer, we also need to know the hindrances to answered prayer.
• God cannot answer our prayers if we do not pray.
• Lack of boldness will cause our prayers to go unanswered. Because we stand in Jesus’ righteousness, we can approach God boldly and pray with confidence.
• We need to deal with sin—even unintentional sin—because it blocks the communication we can enjoy with God through prayer.
• If we want our prayers to be answered, we need to be sure what we are praying for is consistent with God’s Word and His nature.
• Praying with wrong motives will not result in answered prayer. Our hearts need to be pure and our motives right.
• Doubt and unbelief are hindrances to answered prayer. We need to pray in faith and not allow the enemy to cause us to doubt.
• Worry keeps our prayers from being answered because it robs us of our trust in God and causes us to take our problems back.
• A lack of gratitude indicates that something is not right in a person’s heart, and a thankful heart is necessary for answered prayer.
• Our words reveal what is in our hearts, and when we make negative confessions, our prayers may go unanswered.
• Failure to focus can hinder our prayers. When we are distracted and divided in our prayers and in our lives, we should not expect to receive anything from God.
• God’s people are called and commissioned to care for the poor and needy. If we neglect them, God will not hear our cries or answer our prayers.
• Rebellion will lead to unanswered prayer. God cannot bless us if we have rebellious attitudes toward authority.
• Unforgiveness is probably the biggest hindrance to prayer. We simply must treat others as God treats us and extend forgiveness to everyone who offends us.
• Pride will cause prayers to go unanswered, but humility attracts God’s grace.
13
Sure Victory in Prayer
Do you know that you have an enemy? He is invisible, but he is real, as we read in Ephesians 6:12: “For we are not wrestling with flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the despotisms, against the powers, against [the master spirits who are] the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spirit forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) sphere.”
Your enemy’s name is Satan; he is a spiritual being; he commands the forces of the kingdom of darkness; and he is determined to destroy God’s people. He hates God; he hates everyone who believes in God; he has a plan for your personal destruction, for the destruction of your marriage and your family, for the destruction of your health, your finances, your emotions, and every other area of your life. But there is good news: you can halt his plans—and you do that through the power of prayer. Satan is a violent enemy; he launches violent assaults against believers, but all the violence in hell is no match for the mighty power of simple, believing prayer. I like what Watchman Nee wrote on this topic: “As God hears our prayer, Satan’s plan is definitely defeated. In answering our prayer, God thwarts the evil will of Satan, and consequently, the latter is not able to ill-treat us according to this scheme. Whatever we gain in prayer is the enemy’s loss.”1
THE WEAPONS OF OUR WARFARE
Ephesians 6:13 instructs us to stand our ground “on the evil day.” What is the evil day? I believe “the evil day” refers to any time in our lives when Satan attacks us. The attack could be physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual. So how do we fight back? We fight with spiritual weapons because the warfare we fight is in the spiritual realm. 2 Corinthians 10:4 says: “For the weapons of our warfare are not physical [weapons of flesh and blood], but they are mighty before God for the overthrow and destruction of strongholds.” Let’s look at three of the most powerful spiritual weapons we need to have in our arsenal: the Word of God, the name of Jesus, and the blood of Jesus.
Weapon #1: The Word of God
The Word of God is a powerful weapon. Andrew Murray writes that “. . .when God, the infinite Being, in whom everything is life and power, spirit and truth, in the very deepest meaning of the words—when God speaks forth Himself in His words, He does indeed give Himself, His love and His life, His will and His power, to those who receive these words.. . .#8221;2 We find God’s love, life, will, and power both reveale
d to us and made available to us through His Word; it is indeed a mighty force.
We must learn how to speak the Word to the devil if we are going to live in victory.
Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (NKJV). Just think about that: a sword with razor-sharp edges on both sides can do serious damage! When we know the Word, believe its truth, submit to its authority, and use it against the enemy, he ends up defeated! We must learn how to speak the Word to the devil if we are going to live in victory. The devil talks to us by putting wrong thoughts into our minds, and we can and should talk back to him by speaking God’s Word out loud. Jeremiah 23:28 says, “. . .he who has My word, let him speak My word faithfully.. . .#8221; The Word of God is a two-edged sword and we must wield it, not merely have it (see Hebrews 4:12). We wield the sword by speaking the Word. Ephesians 6:17 specifically talks about “the sword that the Spirit wields, which is the Word of God.” In my book, The Word, the Name, the Blood, I write about this “sword that the Spirit wields” and what that phrase practically means in our everyday lives: “I believe it means that the Holy Spirit in the believer knows exactly what Scripture to use in every situation. He knows precisely what kind of attack the believer is encountering.. . .#8221;3 As we commune with Him in prayer, we are able to hear His voice whispering instructions to us. For example, if we are in a threatening situation, we might hear Him say, “Don’t be afraid. Remember that My Word says to fear not.”