30 for 30 RESET – Day 16
I teach a lot about not getting stuck in the land of “why?” When tragedy strikes, or something you have prayed for does not happen, especially if it involves the loss of a loved one, the question “Why God?” will camp on your front doorstep.
Moving past the “why” to the question of “what” is how you will move forward. “What do you want me to do now, God?” This is the best question to ask. Especially since the “why” question usually does not get answered.
But in some cases, it is very difficult to move forward, so maybe if we could have a reason why things didn’t work out, it might help. Well, at least we think it would. So, over the next three days, I am going to give three of the reasons some prayers don’t get answered. These answers are not for the faint of heart. They are for true disciples. They may not be answers you will want to hear, but they may be answers you need to hear, and hopefully, they will bring some clarity, and maybe motivate you to take any necessary action to see more of your prayers answered.
#1 Sin
In the Book of Malachi, the people were railing against God because of the troubles they were having in their lives. They even said that it is “useless” to serve God and to walk in His ways. (Malachi 4:13-15)
Have you ever felt that way? I’m sure you have. We all have. But the truth is that in their case their sin was what was causing their problems, not God. What were they doing?
For starters, they were being unfaithful in their marriages, (easy divorce was rampant), unfaithful with their money (tithing), unrighteous in their dealings with others, and they were worshipping idols.
Here are just a couple of passages from that book:
“Here is another thing you do. You cover the Lord’s altar with tears, weeping, and groaning because he pays no attention to your offerings and doesn’t accept them with pleasure. You cry out, ‘Why doesn’t the Lord accept my worship?’ I’ll tell you why! Because the Lord witnessed the vows you and your wife made when you were young. But you have been unfaithful to her, though she remained your faithful partner, the wife of your marriage vows.”
Peter reiterates this in the New Testament:
“In the same way, you husbands must give honor to your wives. Treat your wife with understanding as you live together. She may be weaker than you are, but she is your equal partner in God’s gift of new life. Treat her as you should so your prayers will not be hindered.”1 Pet 3:7 NLT
This applies to the wife as well as Peter opens the chapter telling the wives to show respect to their husbands.
Here is another passage from Malachi:
“Ever since the days of your ancestors, you have scorned my decrees and failed to obey them. Now return to me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. “But you ask, ‘How can we return when we have never gone away?’ “Should people cheat God? Yet you have cheated me! “But you ask, ‘What do you mean? When did we ever cheat you?’ “You have cheated me of the tithes and offerings due to me.” Malachi 3:7-8 NLT
Then in the Book of 1 Corinthians Paul says that some of the church members were, “Weak, sick, and some have died” due to classism and racism in the church!
“That is why many of you are weak and sick and some have even died. But if we would examine ourselves, we would not be judged by God in this way.” 1 Corinthians 11:30-31 NLT
And finally, Jesus says in Revelation 2:12-29 NLT, to the churches in Pergamos and Thyatira, that because of their sexual sins, which He gave them time to repent of…
“Repent of your sin, (sexual immorality) or I will come to you suddenly and fight against them with the sword of my mouth.” Revelation 2:16 NLT
And,
“Therefore, I will throw her on a bed of suffering, and those who commit adultery with her will suffer greatly unless they repent and turn away from her evil deeds.” Revelation 2:22 NLT
We cannot escape these truths. I told you that you wouldn’t like it, but what if habitual sin in your life is the cause of your unanswered prayers, and not God? If this is the case, this is good news because Jesus gives you a way out! “Repent of your sin.” That is what He said in that passage. This means you can do something about it!
What does repent mean? To change your mind about what you are allowing yourself to do. To turn around. To head in the opposite direction.
There are other Scriptures that confirm these truths, and the hyper-grace teaching that has swept through the body of Christ is seriously damaging to Jesus’ followers, thinking that God is soft on sin. He is not soft; He is patient. But He loves you too much to let you go on forever without trying to get your attention because He wants to bless you.
We need the fear of the Lord in our lives to live right. I pray you will take sin seriously and watch God bless you for it.
“True humility and fear of the Lord lead to riches, honor, and long life.” Proverbs 22:4 NLT
With much love,
John
QUICK TIP ON HOW TO SPEND 30 MINUTES WITH GOD (REMEMBER: This 30 for 30 is a tool to help you, not a rule to shame you. Just do your best and let God do the rest.)
“Upward, Inward, and Outward”
- Upward: Get quiet. Settle down. Begin to thank God for Who He is – patient, kind, merciful. A God Who forgives sins – Who has forgiven your sins. A God Who cares, Who listens to your prayers, a miracle-working God. (There are many other attributes you can thank Him for. Go HERE for a prayer guide as well as a list of God’s names that will help you thank Him for Who He is)
- Inward: Read a chapter in the Bible. I would suggest one Psalm per day. Start with Psalm 1 and go from there. Or read one chapter of Proverbs per day. Start with Proverbs 1 and go from there. And as you read, stop, and think about what it is saying. Take your time (even if you do not get through an entire chapter – it is okay!). Ask God to speak to you through it.
A deeper dive: For those of you who would like to read the Bible in a year, here is a fantastic way to do it. It will take more than 30 minutes per day, but it will be well worth it. It not only gives you a reading plan but each day there is a short, very well-produced video explaining what you are about to read. Go HERE for your one year through the Bible reading plan.
- Outward: Ask God to show you how He can use you to reach those around you. Then begin to pray specifically for individuals. Pray for your family members, your boss, co-workers, classmates, friends, your church, its members, its mission, and its leadership. Pray for our city and our nation – that God would rule and reign in every mountain of influence, raising up leaders who fear Him: Church, Family, Government, Education, Media, Entertainment/Arts, and Business. You will not be able to get to everything in 30 minutes, but that is okay, just pick an area or two per day.
PRAYER POINTS
Personal:
- Closeness with God
- Deeper devotion to Christ
- Renewed vision
- Renewed passion
- Strength
- Joy
- A profound commitment to act as Jesus would during this election year.
Church:
- And increase of God’s manifest presence.
- To see more CHANGED LIVES!
- An increase in Miracles
- Salvation for those far from God (make a list and pray for them every day)
- More young people joining the vision at GPC.
- New building for GPC
World:
- A mighty harvest in our city and nation.
- That godly men and women will fill the seats of government at local, city, state, and national levels.
- For our missionaries (Use the bookmark handed out at church, or go to our website and check out our Missions page HERE)