What’s Wrong?
Have you ever felt like your prayers were going nowhere? Sometimes things just don’t pan out the way we had hoped they would and prayers seem to go unanswered.
Why does this happen? Is God ignoring us? Are we doing something wrong? Scripture has a lot to say about why some prayers go unanswered. Here are 10 reasons your prayers might be going answered:
- Sin
“Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, He hears him.”
John 9:31 NKJV
Sin is a barrier that will silence your prayers in the presence of God. Repent, cry out for mercy, and move forward in righteousness.
2. Doubt
“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.”
James 1:6-7 NKJV
When prayer is laced with doubt, your prayers become defective! Destroy doubt or doubt will destroy you!
When prayer is laced with doubt, your prayers become defective! Share on X
3. The will of God
“Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.”
1 John 5:14-15 NKJV
God is a good Father and as a good Father, He wants the best for us. A child may strongly desire to get behind the wheel of a vehicle but a good parent is going to make sure that doesn’t happen! When our prayers don’t line up with God’s will, because He is good, He will keep you from “getting behind the wheel.”
4. Dishonor
“Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered.”
1 Peter 3:7 NKJV
While this verse most specifically deals with husbands, the principle reaches much further.Anyone who approaches the God of honor with dishonor in their heart, toward Him or anyone else, will have no power in their prayer life. The Kingdom of God operates on honor.
5. Unforgiveness
“And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.”
Mark 11:25-26 NKJV
Unforgiveness is certainly one of the greatest thieves of effective praying. Don’t let this grave issue hinder your prayer life! Ask God to help you forgive those who have hurt you so that unforgiveness loses the ability to hinder your prayer life.
6. Wrong motives
“And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure.”
James 4:3 NLT
The issue here is not that we would ask God for something that would advance our good. The problem is “you want only what will give you pleasure.” If the only reason you are seeking the Lord is for your good, you’ve missed the point of seeking the Lord. If your life is the only life that would improve if your prayers were answered it means you are praying the wrong way.
7. Ignoring the needy
“Those who shut their ears to the cries of the poor will be ignored in their own time of need.”
Proverbs 21:13 NLT
If you have it in your power to help others but choose not to, why should God choose to help you? If you are asking for breakthrough in your life then be a vessel of breakthrough in someone else’s life.
8. Pride
“There they cry out, but He does not answer, because of the pride of evil men.”
Job 35:12 NKJV
Jesus told a parable in Luke 18 to some who were “trusting in themselves”. He spoke of two men – one who put his trust in God and one who put his trust in self. Guess who God moved for? The one who trusted in God! God will not answer your prayers because of how well you have it all together. Prayer is only effective when our confidence is solely found in Christ.
9. Empty prayers
“Surely God will not listen to empty talk, nor will the Almighty regard it.”
Job 35:13 NKJV
If your prayers don’t move you, they will not move God either. I don’t mean that your prayers have to be a vast emotional experience. I simply mean that half-hearted prayers do not move the heart of God.
10. We give up
“And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.”
Galatians 6:9 NKJV
The only way your prayers will ultimately go unanswered is if you forfeit. Have patience and trust in God! He is who He said He is, and He will do what He said He will do!
Evict The Enemy
We are called to demonstrate the power of God on the earth. Prayer is essential to this becoming our reality. So how is your prayer life in these ten areas? If you’ve allowed any of these issues to take residence in your life, evict them and press on! It’s time to become powerful in the place of prayer!
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Caleb and Ali live in East Tennessee where they serve at The Lift Church. With boldness and conviction, their deepest desire is to see the church revived and the world awakened. Learn more about The Lift by visiting theliftchurch.tv.
