HINDRANCES TO ANSWERED PRAYERS (3)

Psalm 19:12-13

Who can discern his lapses and errors? Clear me from hidden [and unconscious] faults.

13 Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me! Then shall I be blameless, and I shall be innocent and clear of great transgression.

Dear people of God, we have in the last two posts on this topic looked at some uncommon hindrances to answered prayers.

Today’s Bible text calls them hidden and unconscious faults, or presumptuous sins and indeed these can hinder one’s prayers from Divine response.

We will now look at another set of such hindrances:

Unknown covenants with the devil – there are some families whose ancestors knowingly or unknowingly entered into covenants with the devil, for instance, when people offer animal sacrifices to ward off so called evil spirits or mermaid spirits in riverine areas.

Such covenants with the devil are usually to be renewed on a yearly basis and so the innocent and ignorant offsprings of such people who know nothing about this are linked by lineage.

I have heard of one such covenant entered into by a father and the covenant was that all first female children would never get married but would have kids out of wedlock!!

Unless and until these covenants are broken by the unstoppable power of God in prayer and deliverance sessions, these offsprings will continue to wallow and struggle in life.

Generational curses – I have once heard of a family whose patriarch deceived a friend who was illiterate, prepared legal documents and took over his landed property. This friend then placed a curse that any member of his betrayer’s family that ate rice would die.

This was how they started dying until one of the children gave his life to Jesus Christ and it was revealed to him that his father created the problem and so after investigations, the problem was discovered and the father was made to return the land and the curse was broken.

Dear friend, now that you know this, please take time to study your ancestral lineage, ask questions of your fathers, mothers and elders, then get a genuine man of God to pray and break all curses or covenants with the devil so you can see the blessings of God in your life.

Selective obedience to God’s commands – Luke 10:27; John 14:15 – There are people who have chosen to obey God’s commands that pleases them while they argue and deliberately disobey the ones that seem to inconvenience them.

Typical example is women and wearing of trousers – Deuteronomy 22:5. Another is payment of tithes and contributions to works of the Gospel – Malachi 3:8-9.

A common one is taking of alcohol by Christians – Proverbs 20:1; 23:29-35. Yet another sad one is divorce by so called Christians – Malachi 2:15-16.

Dear friend, take note that not only does one hinder his or her prayers through selective obedience of God’s Word in the Holy Bible but such persons will end up in HELL forever unless they repent!!

If you truly love God with all your soul, heart, spirit, body and mind, you will obey all His commands and ask for His grace to live a righteous life – Matthew 5:48; Leviticus 19:2; 1 Peter 1:15-16.

Ingratitude to God for answered prayers – Deuteronomy 28:47-48 – Dear friend, many of us are guilty of ingratitude to God for answered prayers. We are so quick to forget that God has answered our prayer and so we should spend time praising and worshiping Him.

Instead, we rush to the very next request and begin to get anxious and even complain.

If this is your case, you must repent today and ask for forgiveness. God’s love is immense and He is ever willing to grant our requests if we are sincere enough to acknowledge Him in all our ways and give Him alone the glory for answered prayers.

May the good Lord bless you as you heed His Word today, act on it and share with others in Jesus’ Most Merciful Name, Amen.

......................to be continued.