Prayer + Faith = Miracles

Is prayer important?

Prayer is VERY important – It is the primary way to communicate with God.

    *Jesus prayed often & we are to be like Him.

Things that can hinder our prayers.

1.  Not Asking - Our motives may be all wrong. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. James 4:3 says “You ask and do not receive because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend it on your pleasures”.

2.  Unconfessed Sin - Psalms 66:18 says “If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened”. We know that sin, especially deliberate sin, creates a barrier between us and our Holy God.

3.  Unforgiveness - Hanging on to resentments and refusing to forgive also blocks God’s forgiveness. Mark 11:25 says “And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”

4.  Ignoring the Needy - Can affect your prayers. We should be helping the poor. be generous. Proverbs 21:13 says “whoever shuts their ears to the cry of the poor will also cry out and not be answered.”

5.  Relationships - Guys, we have to treat our wives right. 1 Peter 3:7 says “Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect…so that nothing will hinder your prayers.”

6.  Disregard for God’s Word - When you deliberately ignore or turn a deaf ear to God’s word (knowing something is outside of God’s will or flat out wrong and doing it anyway) Proverbs 28:9 says “If anyone turns their ear to my instruction, even their prayers are detestable.”

7.  Doubt and Unbelief - When you don’t fully trust God, when you are lacking faith, we give it to God but then take it back. James 1:6 says “But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt.” We have to have Faith.