Hindrances to Prayer: Reasons God May Not Answer Your PrayersSample

Disobedience

James 4:17 - Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.

John 9:31 - We know that God doesn’t listen to sinners, but he is ready to hear those who worship him and do his will.

Psalm 32:1-5 - Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight! Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of guilt, whose lives are lived in complete honesty! When I refused to confess my sin, my body wasted away, and I groaned all day long. Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me. My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat. Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, “I will confess my rebellion to the Lord. And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone.

1 John 3:21-22 - Dear friends, if we don’t feel guilty, we can come to God with bold confidence. And we will receive from him whatever we ask because we obey him and do the things that please him.

1 John 2:3-6 - And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.

James 1:22-25 - But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.

Reflect: What effect does disobedience have on us? What do we need to do to get rid of our guilt? Who are we rejecting when we refuse to live holy lives?

1 Thessalonians 4:7-8 - God has called us to live holy lives, not impure lives. Therefore, anyone who refuses to live by these rules is not disobeying human teaching but is rejecting God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.

Reflect: Praise the Lord now for His Holy Spirit whom He gave us to teach us and remind us of how to live for Him. Learn to acknowledge disobedient habits that you might have, and replace those with new habits of obedience as the Holy Spirit makes you more and more to be Christ-like. You are His ambassador to the world, He is faithful and He will fill you with joy as you walk more closely with Him, listening to His whispers and taking steps of obedience.