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 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
2021-01-06
James 4:3 NLT
Another obstacle to answered prayer is selfishness. Ever noticed that the Lord’s Prayer doesn’t use ‘I’, or ‘me’, or ‘my’, or ‘mine’? Instead it says: ‘Give us today our daily bread’; ‘forgive us our debts’; ‘lead us not into temptation’; ‘deliver us from the evil one’ (Matthew 6:11-13 NIV). Jesus said, ‘Whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them’ (Mark11:24 NKJV). But that doesn’t give us permission to be self-centred in our prayers. God’s answer to selfish prayers is always no.
James wrote, ‘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). We can get confused because the Bible also says ‘Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you your heart’s desires’ (Psalm 37:4 NLT). But our desires must be in harmony with God’s will, which they will be if we truly delight in serving Him and allowing Him to be the ruler of our hearts.
God blessed Abraham so that he could become a blessing to others (take a look at Genesis 12:2-3). God knows what we want, and He also knows why we want it. We need to be truthful about our own motives – are the things we want only for our own comfort and convenience, or also to fulfil His purposes? When we’ve answered that question honestly, we can pray with confidence. If we only look after our own interests, our answer will be ‘no’. But when our motive is to bless others too, God goes to work and answers our prayers in ways we never imagined.
Exo 10-12; Matt 5:1-12; Ps 10:12-18; Prov 1:17-19
2021-01-05
Jeremiah 33:3 NIV
We know that God loves to answer our prayers, but there can be obstacles that get in the way of our prayers being answered. For the next few days, let’s take a look at some of those obstacles and how to overcome them.
First: ungodly powers. For three weeks Daniel prayed and got no answer, because an evil force in the spiritual realm, ‘the Prince of Persia’, blocked it (see Daniel 10:13). So God assigned Michael, one of the archangels, to do battle with him. Twenty-one days later the struggle ended, and Daniel got his answer.
Paul says, ‘We are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world…against evil spirits in the heavenly places’ (Ephesians 6:12 NLT). The devil is powerful enough to deceive us (see 2 Corinthians 4:4), to bring sickness (see Job 2:7), to oppose the righteous (see Zechariah 3:1), and to destroy us (see1 Peter 5:8).
So how can we overcome him? After telling us we’re fighting against the forces of the unseen world, Paul says, ‘Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers’ (Ephesians 6:18 NLT). Christ within us is stronger than any enemy we face. Jesus said, ‘When a strong man is fully armed and guards his palace, his possessions are safe – until someone even stronger attacks and overpowers him’ (Luke11:21-22 NLT). Satan is strong, but Jesus is ‘even stronger’. ‘The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work’ (1 John 3:8 NIV). We need to keep focused on Christ, pray faithfully and persistently, and refuse to give up even if the answer is a long time in coming.
Exo 7-9; Matt 4:12-25; Ps 10:1-11; Prov 1:10-16
2021-01-04
Deuteronomy 11:12 NKJV
This year God will take care of us. Like a good parent taking care of beloved children, God will watch over us, and pay attention to us. And He’ll do it ‘from the beginning of the year to the very end’. Nobody else can make this promise to us and keep it. Most people will make time for us if they’re not too busy with other things that have a higher priority in their lives than us. And even the best earthly parents can’t give their full attention every single moment of the day – they might have to go to work, go shopping, have household jobs to do or other children to look after. But God, with His infinite power, can keep a constant watch over each one of us.
But we have a part to play as well: ‘If you earnestly obey My commandments which I command you today, to love the LORD your God and serve Him with all your heart and…soul…I will give you the rain for your land in its season, the early rain and the latter rain, that you may gather in your grain, your new wine, and your oil. And I will send grass in your fields for your livestock, that you may eat and be filled’ (v.13-15 NKJV).
In other words, if we do what God asks and live His way, we can be confident that He’ll meet all our needs, fill us with His peace and joy, bless us, and help us be successful in the things we do for His kingdom. So this year, let’s walk with God and honour Him in everything that we do and with everything that we have.
Exo 4-6; Matt 4:1-11; Ps 90:7-17; Prov 1:5-9
2021-01-03
Deuteronomy 11:11 NKJV
This year, let’s look to God for our needs: ‘The land which you cross over to possess…drinks water from the rain of heaven.’ No matter what’s going on in the world, who holds the political power, or what the economic situation is, we can believe and trust God to supply everything we need. Jesus said, ‘Give, and you will receive. You will be given much. Pressed down, shaken together, and running over, it will spill into your lap. The way you give to others is the way God will give to you’ (Luke 6:38 NCV).God uses us to bless others, and He’ll use other people to bless us, but He is the source.
When we look inside ourselves, we become aware of our own inadequacy. When we look around us, we become aware that others are fighting the same battles as we are. But when we look to God, we discover He is ‘able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20 NIV). Psalm 118 says ‘It is better to trust the LORD than to trust people’ (v.8 NCV).
Sometimes God will let us reach our limit, so we’ve nothing left but Him, to show us that He’s all we need. Have a think about the phrase ‘the rain of heaven’ in Deuteronomy 11:11. It sounds like another promise God made: ‘I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test!’ (Malachi 3:10 NLT). This year, let’s obey God, and look out for His blessings.
Ps 23; John 10:7-18
2021-01-02
Deuteronomy 11:11 NKJV
As we go through this year, we’ll face some mountains and go through some valleys. We need both. The strength we gain from climbing and conquering the mountains is what helps us get through the valleys. And we need to face the valleys because they’re where the sweetest fruit grows as they’re watered by streams that flow from the mountains. Jesus said, ‘You should produce much fruit and show that you are my followers, which brings glory to my Father’ (John 15:8 NCV).
This year Jesus wants us to be more fruitful in His service. ‘Remain in me, and I will remain in you. A branch cannot produce fruit alone but must remain in the vine. In the same way, you cannot produce fruit alone but must remain in me. I am the vine, and you are the branches. If any remain in me and I remain in them, they produce fruit. But without me they can do nothing’ (John 15:4-5 NCV).
God is looking for us to be fruitful in the things we do for His kingdom. The Message paraphrases Paul’s words: ‘When we live God’s way…He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard – things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely’ (Galatians 5:22-23 MSG). So this year, when we face a mountain or go through a valley, let’s remember that God is with us every step of the way.
Exo 1-3; Matt 3:11-17; Ps 90:1-6; Prov 1:1-4
