2021-01-08
John 15:7 NIV
The fourth obstacle to prayer is unscriptural prayers. Jesus said, “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.”
Those who live by the principles of God’s Word don’t pray to win the lottery, or for their horse to finish first in the Kentucky Derby. They know that those are unscriptural prayers God won’t honor. When you pray, your request must line up with His will.
After leading the children of Israel for forty years in the wilderness Moses naturally longed to enter the Promised Land and celebrate victory with them; to “go over and see the good land beyond the Jordan – that fine hill country and Lebanon” (Deuteronomy 3:25 NIV). But in spite of his prayers it didn’t happen. Why? “Because…the Lord was angry…and would not listen…’That is enough,’ the Lord said. ‘Do not speak to me anymore about this matter. Go up to the top of Pisgah and look west and north and south and east. Look at the land with your own eyes, since you are not going to cross this Jordan'” (vv. 26-27 NIV).
Prayer isn’t some kind of talisman, or lucky charm, or religious formula you repeat to get the results you want. When your prayers line up with the Scriptures and are in harmony with God’s will, then will He answer them. This truth may not be palatable or popular in today’s “feel good” generation where everybody wants all the benefits of God’s kingdom on their own terms. If you’re serious about getting your prayers answered – read the fine print!
Soul food: Exo 16-18; Matt 5:27-37; Ps 42:6-11; Prov 1:28-31
John 15:7 NIV
The fourth thing that can prevent our prayers being answered is when we’re praying unscriptural prayers. Jesus said, ‘If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.’ People who live by the principles of God’s Word don’t pray to win the lottery, or for bad things to happen to others. They know that those are unscriptural prayers that God won’t honour.
When we pray, our requests must line up with His will. After leading the children of Israel for forty years in the wilderness, Moses naturally longed to enter the Promised Land and celebrate victory with them; to ‘go over and see the good land beyond the Jordan – that fine hill country and Lebanon’ (Deuteronomy 3:25 NIV). But in spite of his prayers, it didn’t happen. Why? ‘Because…the LORD was angry…and would not listen…”That is enough,” the LORD said. “Do not speak to me anymore about this matter. Go up to the top of Pisgah and look west and north and south and east. Look at the land with your own eyes, since you are not going to cross this Jordan”‘ (v.26-27 NIV).
We can sometimes fall into the trap of wanting all the benefits of God’s kingdom, but on our own terms. Prayer isn’t a lucky charm or a religious formula we repeat until we get the results we want. When our prayers line up with the Scriptures and are in harmony with God’s will, He’ll answer them.
Exo 16-18; Matt 5:27-37; Ps 42:6-11; Prov 1:28-31
Johannes 15:7 NLV
Die vierde struikelblok tot gebed is onskriftuurlike gebede. Jesus het gesê: ‘As julle aan My verbind bly en my woorde ‘n stewige vastrapplek in julle gekry het, vra dan net wat julle wil hê, en julle sal dit kry.’ Diegene wat volgens die beginsels van God se Woord lewe, bid nie om die lotery te wen of vir hulle perd om eerste in die Kentucky Derby te eindig nie. Hulle weet dat dit onskriftuurlike gebede is wat God nie sal eer nie. Wanneer jy bid, moet jou versoek in lyn met sy wil wees.
Nadat hy vir veertig jaar lank die kinders van Israel in die woestyn gelei het, het Moses uiteraard daarna gesmag om die Beloofde Land binne te gaan en dit saam met hulle te vier; om ‘…die wonderlike land aan die oorkant te sien, die mooi bergwêreld en die Libanonberg’ (Deuteronomium 3:25 NLV). Ten spyte van sy gebede het dit egter nie gebeur nie. Hoekom? “Maar die Here was kwaad… en wou nie na my luister nie. ‘Dit is genoeg!’ het Hy beveel. ‘Moenie weer met My hieroor praat nie. Jy kan na die piek van die Pisgaberg gaan en die land daar vanuit elke windrigting bekyk, maar jy mag nie die Jordaanrivier oorsteek nie'” (verse 26-27 NLV).
Gebed is nie ‘n talisman of gelukbringer of godsdienstige formule wat jy kan herhaal om die resultate wat jy wil hê, te kry nie. Wanneer jou gebede in lyn met die Skrif en in harmonie met God se wil is, sal Hy hulle beantwoord. Hierdie waarheid mag dalk nie populêr in vandag se ‘goedvoel’ generasie wees waar almal die voordele van God se koninkryk op hulle eie voorwaardes wil hê nie. As jy egter ernstig daaroor is dat jou gebede beantwoord moet word – lees die fynskrif!
Sielskos: Eks 16-18; Matt 5:27-37; Ps 42:6-11; Spr 1:28-31
2021-01-07
1 John 3:21 NIV
The third obstacle to answered prayer is unconfessed sin. After conquering Jericho, the strongest city in the Promised Land, the Israelites were defeated by a handful of soldiers in a small village called Ai. Joshua was devastated! He “tore his clothes and fell facedown to the ground before the ark of the Lord” (Joshua 7:6 NIV). Listen to his prayer: “The other people of the country will hear about this and they will surround us and wipe out our name from the earth. What then will you do for your own great name?” (v. 9 NIV).
How did God respond? You might be surprised. “The Lord said to Joshua, ‘Stand up! What are you doing down on your face? Israel has sinned'” (vv.10-11 NIV). What had happened? Achan, an Israeli soldier, had stolen some of the spoils of battle which belonged to God. Jericho was the first city in the Promised Land to be conquered, and God said the “firstfruits” of all we have must be given to Him (See Proverbs 3:9). The treasures from the next nine battles belonged to the people, but the treasures of Jericho belonged to God.
There’s a time to pray, and a time to stop praying, so you can deal with the sin in your life. You can’t pray, “Lord, what do You want to do?” when you already know what to do but aren’t willing to do it. Is God speaking to you through today’s reading? “If our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we keep his commands and do what pleases him” (1 John 3:21-22 NIV).
Soul food: Exo 13-15; Matt 5:13-26; Ps 42:1-5; Prov 1:20-27
1 John 3:21 NIV
The third obstacle to answered prayer is unconfessed sin. After conquering Jericho, the strongest city in the Promised Land, the Israelites were defeated by a handful of soldiers in a small village called Ai. Joshua was devastated by this. He ‘tore his clothes and fell face down to the ground before the ark of the LORD’ (Joshua 7:6 NIVUK). This was his prayer: ‘The other people of the country will hear about this and they will surround us and wipe out our name from the earth. What then will you do for your own great name?’ (v.9 NIV).
And here’s God’s response: ‘Stand up! What are you doing down on your face? Israel has sinned…That is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies’ (v.10-12 NIV). Before going into battle, Joshua had warned the Israelites that anything they took from Jericho that was ‘made from silver, gold, bronze, or iron is sacred to the LORD and must be brought into his treasury’ (Joshua 6:19 NLT). But it turned out that Achan, an Israelite soldier, had stolen some of the silver and gold which belonged to God. Until Achan’s sin was revealed, Israel couldn’t win a battle and faced destruction.
If we find our prayers aren’t being answered, we need to seriously think if there are any sins we’re hiding. If there are, we need to take some time to confess them to God and bring them into the open before we start to pray and ask for things. ‘If our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we keep his commands and do what pleases him’ (1 John 3:21-22 NIV).
Exo 13-15; Matt 5:13-26; Ps 42:1-5; Prov 1:20-27
