Reasons for Ineffective Prayer, Doctrine of Prayer Part 6

/6. The reasons for ineffective prayer.\

 

/a. The most fundamental reason for ineffective or unanswered prayer is that the believer is carnal, out of fellowship, residing in the cosmic system.\

 

The believer cannot approach the throne of grace while living in the status quo of carnality. If there is unconfessed sin in the believer’s life he must confess it to the Father first.

 

/Ps 66:18

If I regard wickedness in my heart,

The Lord will not hear; \

 

/In carnality the believer grieves (EPH 6:18) and quenches the Spirit (1 Thes 5:19) and your prayers cannot be heard because there is no power behind them. \

 

The only prayer which can be heard is rebound, which is the private confession of your sins to God; in that sense, it is a prayer.

 

/b. Rejection of the metabolization of doctrine on a daily basis - ignorance of protocol of prayer and will of God.\

 

This includes apathy or indifference to doctrine. Without the inculcation of doctrine there will be no understanding of the person of God, and therefore no love for the person of God, and therefore no confidence in the person of God.

 

The plan of God has been designed and graciously given to you so that in it you will become and invisible hero; an functioning adult son of God and not one in position but a baby in thinking.

 

/Rejection of that plan results in an ineffective prayer life and therefore no impact on human history or in the angelic conflict.\

 

Nothing of your life will be recorded in the historical record section of heaven [New Jerusalem Museum of History] because you had no impact through your spiritual life or your prayer life, which really go hand in hand.

 

REV 3:12

'He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore; and I will write upon him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My new name.

 

/[slide: engraved pillar]\

 

The pillars of the temples that were in ancient cities had engraved upon them the history of the city including the names of its heroes and kings and their victories.

 

 

You may not know in time what impact you had in your prayer life, but in every instance where your prayers were answered, meaning that God altered, however slightly, the divine decree, this will be recorded on your pillar in the great history museum in New Jerusalem.

 

There is no temple in the NJ, so this refers to a museum of the righteous acts of the saints, the RFOG.

 

/One great example of a prayer in great ignorance of the will of God mixed with a lot of sincerity is in Acts 1. \

 

To preface this, this is after the ascension of Christ but before Pentecost, so the HS has not yet been given to the Church. Therefore, the following decision is made minus the power of the filling of the Spirit. So although it is very sincere, it is sincerely human viewpoint. This shows us how ridiculous our conclusions about the plan of God can be when we are not plugged into the power source of the Spirit. Doctrine will be quoted, but it will not be understood because without the Spirit we simply cannot understand it.

 

Acts 1:14 These all with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer, along with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.

 

Acts 1:15 And at this time Peter stood up in the midst of the brethren (a gathering of about one hundred and twenty persons was there together), and said,

 

Acts 1:16 "Brethren, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit foretold by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus.

 

Acts 1:17 "For he was counted among us, and received his portion in this ministry." [Judas performed the miracles that the other 11 did when they were sent out to the lost sheep of the house of Israel by the Lord even though Judas was an unbeliever]

 

/Matt 10:1

And having summoned His twelve disciples, He gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every kind of disease and every kind of sickness.\

 

Acts 1:18 (Now this man acquired a field with the price of his wickedness; and falling headlong, he burst open in the middle and all his bowels gushed out.

 

Acts 1:19 And it became known to all who were living in Jerusalem; so that in their own language that field was called Hakeldama, that is, Field of Blood.)

 

 

 

Acts 1:20 "For it is written in the book of Psalms,

'Let his homestead be made desolate,

And let no man dwell in it';

and,

'His office let another man take.'

 

Acts 1:21 "It is therefore necessary that of the men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us — 

 

Acts 1:22 beginning with the baptism of John, until the day that He was taken up from us —  one of these should become a witness with us of His resurrection."

 

Peter assumes that the 12^th should have been with them from the baptism of John through the entire ministry of Christ, and two of the men qualify. However, what Peter forgets is that he was invited or called to an audience with Christ directly after John’s baptism and that Peter later desired to quit on Christ, thinking himself too much of a sinner. Peter’s calling and spiritual gift were wrought by God and not by men. He fails to see this because he is out of fellowship. His sincerity continues to be way off.

 

To his credit, his turn around after he receives the filling of the Spirit at Pentecost is one of the most dramatic changes in human history.

 

Acts 1:23 And they put forward two men, Joseph called Barsabbas (who was also called Justus), and Matthias.

 

Acts 1:24 And they prayed, and said, "Thou, Lord, who knowest the hearts of all men, show which one of these two Thou hast chosen

 

I still have no clue as to why the writers of the NASB keep King James English in certain verses.

 

Peter graciously gives God two choices; if Peter has his way the choice of Paul, the writer of over half of the NT, is not an option to God.

 

Acts 1:25 to occupy this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place."

 

Acts 1:26 And they drew lots for them, and the lot fell to Matthias [winner winner chicken dinner]; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.

 

Heck, why don’t we play Bingo for spiritual gifts?

 

Were any of the apostles chosen by lottery? Peter should have known this more than anyone.

 

 

Few know the story of how Peter came to be an apostle.

 

Peter’s brother came to him a few days after Christ’s baptism by John and told him that they had found the Messiah. Peter interviewed with Jesus that night, stayed and talked with Him, and decided to travel with Him and the other early disciples to Galilee, where Peter and his brother were going anyway since they lived there. After attending a wedding with the Lord and witnessing His first miracle, turning water into 180 gallons of the best wine anyone had ever tasted, Peter and his brother Andrew went back to work as fishermen. Soon after the Lord came to them on the sea, after they had just came in from an entire night of fishing with no catch and asked them to take the boat out again. Tired and irritated, but yet impressed by this Rabbi, Peter acquiesced, and they caught so many fish that another boat had to take part of the load to avoid capsizing and it was there and then that Peter fell on his face and told the Lord he was a sinner and shouldn’t be in the same boat with such a great Rabbi, to which Jesus replied, “I will make you a fisher of men, come and follow Me full time.”

 

Peter’s calling was as God always works; dramatically, creatively, uniquely, and sovereignly and now Peter figures that they should pick straws over two men of their own choosing. We never hear of Matthias again since is was Saul of Tarsus [a man no one would have picked to be in any lottery] the greatest persecutor the church has ever seen, who was to be chosen to fill the twelfth spot. 

 

 

/c. Lack of faith in the answer to prayer, MAT 21:22.

d. Wrong motivation in prayer, James 4:3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures. \

 

/e. Failure in marriage produces ineffective prayer, 1 Pe 3:7.\

 

1 Peter 3:1 In the same way, you wives, be submissive to your own husbands so that even if any of them are disobedient to the word, they may be won without a word by the behavior of their wives,

 

1 Peter 3:2 as they observe your chaste and respectful behavior.

 

1 Peter 3:3 And let not your adornment be merely external —  braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses; 1 Peter 3:4 but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God.

 

This applies to the prayer life of the wife because this attitude towards her husband is the will of God and pleasing in the sight of God.

 

/1 John 3:22

and whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight. \

 

1 Peter 3:5 For in this way in former times the holy women also, who hoped in God, used to adorn themselves, being submissive to their own husbands.

 

1 Peter 3:6 Thus Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, and you have become her children if you do what is right without being frightened by any fear.

 

1 Peter 3:7 You husbands likewise, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with a weaker vessel [responder], since she is a woman; and grant her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life [EP/EO], so that your prayers may not be hindered.

 

Husbands have a trend towards bitterness when they do not apply impersonal unconditional love to the responding wife.

 

/COL 3:19

Husbands, love your wives, and do not be embittered against them.\

 

This makes them carnal and the lack the power from the Spirit to pray. Since prayer is a part of your divine good production and it is a part of your secondary invisible assets, and it will change history and as such be recorded forever in the history museum of heaven; do you really think it’s worth it to be bitter towards your wife?

 

/f. Lack of impersonal love means you only pray for those you like or love and therefore prayer becomes selfish, Matt 5:44.\

 

Matt 5:43 "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor, and hate your enemy.'  

 

Matt 5:44 "But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you

 

Matt 5:45 in order that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

 

Matt 5:46 "For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax-gatherers do the same?

 

Matt 5:47 "And if you greet your brothers only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?

 

Matt 5:48 "Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

 

/g. All categories of sin hinder prayer, but arrogance is often the source, therefore a lack of humility in understanding your helplessness before God hinders prayer, JOB 35:12-13.\

 

JOB 35:12 There they cry out, but He does not answer

Because of the pride of evil men.

 

JOB 35:13 "Surely God will not listen to an empty cry,

Nor will the Almighty regard it.

 

/h. Lack of concentration in prayer makes it ineffective, PSA 55:2\

 

Ps 55:1 Give ear to my prayer, O God;

And do not hide Thyself from my supplication.

 

Ps 55:2 Give heed to me, and answer me;

I am restless in my complaint and am surely distracted,

 

Ps 55:3 Because of the voice of the enemy,

Because of the pressure of the wicked;

For they bring down trouble upon me,

And in anger they bear a grudge against me.

 

Concentration in prayer is increase as you continue to concentrate in doctrine class. However, if your top priority in life is the details that our earthly life consists of then you will fail the test of occupation with God during prayer.

 

/Luke 10:40

But Martha was distracted with all her preparations; and she came up to Him, and said, "Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me." \

 

Prayer is an index to your spiritual life. Prayer is something that all believers are commanded to do. If you’re not praying correctly or fail in prayer for any reason, that means there’s some problem in your spiritual life; there’s some kink, some syndrome, some arrogance, some problem. The problem will overflow to every aspect of your life.