The Power of Prayer - Removing the Roadblocks to Answered Prayer, Part 1

Roadblocks they stop you from getting where you want to go that we usually think about roadblocks on city streets.

But did you ever ponder it's possible to have roadblocks in your prayer life to see there are things that get in the way of our prayers getting through us experiencing God's answers today will talk about the first three roadblocks to keep our prayers from God's statement welcome to this Edition of Living on the Edge with shipping Living on the Edges of international discipleship ministry featuring the Bible to vapor in a miniature continues a series called the power prayer by talking about behaviors that get in the way of God answering our prayers you want help identifying and breaking through those very chips message removing the roadblocks to answer the question want to ask and answer today. Why is it so often times when you pray, and when I pray God doesn't answer. Okay why is it if you list it all down every prayer that you really prayed and you met and then you somehow could come up on a computer screen. All the ones it really got answered. Why is it so often a lot of them don't getting now want you to hold that question in the back of your mind, and I want to share a little parable a modern-day metaphor if you will, and this is about the power of prayer and I'll let you sort of fill in the pieces as I tell it, but picture number one comes right out of your home. If you're lighting there's chances. You've got the garden hose and wrap the hose around this part of the house and then you been around the barrel over here in your ear watering the flowers of the grass or something. You're feeling good. You do still like these flowers which way this water tastes so good and you're enjoying it and doing it. If your guy you may be doing the same thing. Or maybe washing the car and as you're doing this you know the water is coming out and all the sudden feeling that hose I mean this is nothing know what I mean maybe just a little trick and so you do it very intelligent people do you walk over and you check the faucet, thinking maybe one of the kids or the dog or someone turned it off and it's on, there's no problem with the power, there's all the water that you need.

But then you go back and you look at the hose and there's nothing not as an adult you know what's going on but imagine if you were a kid and this is the first time it happens and you discovered what we all now know, is the great principle of the kink in the hose right in the amazing washing the car and a new look and it looks fine and I'm in the third tire there can be just one little band camp there one little band and the water pressure is almost gone. Call today little bit about some kinks and hoses.

I call those roadblocks.

This morning we want to talk about removing roadblocks to answered prayer. You need to hear the spirit of this because some of you have grown up and I don't know where we got this but a lot of people at least in my generation and older grew up with this view of God is always pulling his finger these guys hands on his hips and just wait for to mess up. You know another place that things get clogged during people's arteries, don't they know those blood clots in.

I want you to think of God as a super natural cardiologist who loves you and sees there's a clogging in the artery and because he cares about your life and he wants the life-giving oxygen and nutrients in that blood to get your entire body. He comes by and very lovingly, although painfully may take a scalpel and make a major incision in your heart and open it up and do whatever is necessary to remove that blood clot.

Seek God is here this morning, not down on anybody. The fact that you're here says that your heart is tender and opening you want to hear from God.

But when he points out the roadblocks. Sometimes it makes us a little uncomfortable, so you need to hear his purpose for removing the roadblocks is not to make you and I feel guilty.

That's the enemy shop Institute restore to convict, not to condemn. I've written here roadblocks are anything notice, known or unknown, that hinder our prayers from being answer and you know just like in a hose. It doesn't take a big kink sometime does doesn't take a big wire just takes a little something that can cut off the power roadblocks number one, you find James chapter 4 verse two he says you want something but you don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and you fight did you notice all those verbs kill cut the coral fight the words of human activity of energy there's there's a desire and there's energy going into reach the desire and then he explains why this goal is being blocked. You do not have because you do not ask simple as roadblocks number one is prayerless.

This we simply failed to ask God really wants longs to give you to show his evidence in his power and his love, but many times the kink in the hose is we don't even ask. And I know some of us grew up. All this is too small. I can ask God about this.

I mean this is to personal innocent was grown up thinking that the only prayers God really wants to hear is our major crises, such Rudolph.

He longs to answer. He wants to answer down to the minutest details of your life.

God wants to take the little kinks out of the hose and block number one is often we don't have, simply because we don't roadblocks number two comes right out of this passage its first three.

Some people problem is it that they don't ask if they do ask what you can find that they asked for the wrong reason.

Verse three of James chapter 4 says when you ask, you do not receive because you ask with wrong motives. The King James.

If you have it says on this. The word means with an evil desire that you may spend what you get on your pleasures back roadblocks number two is wrong motives. We ask selfishly, we can actually I learned we can actually pray for the will of God, pray something like we talked about aligned with God's word and can really be. Even his will. We can pray for God's will and pray for the wrong motives, and for the wrong reason. Gotta say no most vivid example is a bit embarrassing, but it just so makes the point I was a Christian Hall. Not much of about six or eight months, but I I would never say this now because I was so selfish and so self oriented back when, but I was naïve and unsophisticated and so I just let it show. Now, I'm still very selfish but I'm very sophisticated. I know all the words to covered up and make me sound spiritual a lot like a lot of you and so not knowing any better. I took masking tape zealous new Christian, I took masking tape and into the high I put on my dorm room wall to the glory of God spelled out the letters of masking tape so when you came in my room or you knew where this guy stood and I got on my knees every night and I said oh God my dreams to play college basketball and you let me come here Lord I don't want to be a starter. I not only freshman but I don't want to be a starter on be a star and I want to score 25 points a game and then I had this picture when the wheeling register interviews me for the sports page and says will how the world is a young freshman. Did you come here in averaged 25 points a game of you say to God be the glory, you can kinda see through this we can shift. I pray that prayer for about three and half years to hamstring pulls a pulled quad a stress fracture by different coaches. A drug bust on the team.

I was tackling practice once a guy who is on some illicit drugs.

My college career I spent hours upon hours on the bench never scored 25 points about the last third of my senior year I remember getting very real and very honest with God is in God I love this game. If I never ever get to play this game again.

It's yours. See, God knew that if he gave me the desires of my heart. He would have such a egomaniac on his hands. He can never use me for anything and he just allowed adversity adversity adversity adversity instead of giving me my dream what he started doing was building my character and my dependency by the last third of my senior year. God begin to open some doors and after a very unsuccessful frustrating quote college career, I got a note mail from a person I never heard of in my life that ended me up playing the basketball team to travel all over South America. When I got on the team. I was shocked because the other guys are from UCLA and USC and Oregon, New Mexico State in Reno 71 and 611 and six and on think and what am I doing on this team and I did the same thing the next summer and in the following winter all throughout the Orient, Philippines see God longs to give you the desires of your heart.

I get the play gives Olympic teams all over the world and share Christ. But until the motives got right, God was not going to allow me to have the desires of my heart to think about what your print application time when you praying for me, even good things like that your mate will grow closer to Christ. Why are you praying it even good things like that. Your kids will do well in the business will go well and finances. Oh, and you have an impact why are you praying it could say this isn't the first time I've dealt with this and is not the last probably not either.

In John 14 Jesus teaches us how to pray with the right motives. John 1413 Jesus prays and he says I will do whatever you ask in my name and then get this so that the sun may bring glory to the father, Jesus, motivation, and prayer was not self-fulfillment a better self-image, a happier life, a bigger home a nicer business in a connected family.

It was the glory of God.

If you get any of those things. God bless you. That is not God's primary desire for your life. Those are all byproducts. The word glory in Hebrew means a great way a massive wave of magnitude. The best way I can describe it is wanting God's glory is to enhance his reputation. Jesus prayed my life, my heart, my prayers are so that when you answer them.

People will think what a neat person I am, but they'll see who you really are. Your greatness in your power and your love and your mercy. If that's your motive your own printer you can pray a lot of biblical things and honestly praying for selfish reasons and you can have a kink in your bones. The greatest example Scripture to me is Moses Exodus 32 through 34. Gotta read it.

Sometimes a great and Moses is you have taken these people out of Egypt and they are rebellious stiffnecked and I mean they have just pushed God to the limit and God's is Moses step aside and start over to clean this place out. I'm sick of these people all start a new nation just with you not about you at six. Sounds good. I did make greatness, get rid of them Latino.

You will Moses said what Lord, what about your name. One of the Egyptians get to say that you continue to say that God had the power to take them out of Egypt. But the God of the universe didn't have enough power to lead into the wilderness all know know and and Moses literally stands in the gap before God. He says for your namesake for your reputation safe for your glory and reputation among all he said if you get a blog about you need to know I'm gonna step right in with them and you block me out to unselfish key covenant God's glory to come in Christ reputation. That's what God wants for us.

Roadblock number three is sin in the heart for the life the context of this passage. Isaiah 59 verses one through three is that the nation of Israel was very religious, very religious, going to the temple doing all the right stuff, offering the sacrifices and but they were get answers to the prayers as I come to Isaiah, and they say, you know, maybe gods, winding down.

Maybe he's tired maybe have a bad day. Maybe just not up to the job anymore. As we pray. It's obvious that were good and righteous people just can't come through.

Maybe he's just maybe just have what it takes anymore and so Isaiah responds to that in verse one of Isaiah 59, he says, surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to say, nor his ear to the altar here. You can almost hear Isaiah since they look Buster there's a problem here, but it ain't with God.

Trust me, gives Armstrong to do whatever his ears are here in your prayers. It's not because he has a hearing problem in verse two he says you want to know the problem is he says but your iniquities have separated you from your God and your says have hidden his face from you so that he will not hear and then he didn't leave it vague. Verse three begins in four examples. He says for your hands are stained with blood. Your fingers with guilt, your lips have spoken lies in your tongue mutters wicked things. The scriptures teach that when there is sin in my life when their sin and my heart doesn't reference to you know having a few ups and downs, and struggles and failing here and there. What I mean we all have that were talking about God revealing this is wrong in your heart and your life and you say tough on the change in this one. It's him showing you that your softly sure there's an attitude toward another person or an unforgiving spirit or a moral issue and use it. I'm not changing affect the principle here is in verse 18 of Psalm 66 is as if I regard wickedness in my heart. The Lord will not hear.

You might ask why, why, you know, God's first and primary goal in your life on this whole planet is not to make you happy or successful or have a connected family or boost your self-esteem's primary purpose on your journey through this planet is to make you like his son. As a byproduct of your relationship with him. Your self-esteem will grow.

There will be blessing you have joy that's incredible, but his number one agenda for your life is to make you just like Jesus loving, holy sure compassionate, honest man or woman of integrity and so when you have an issue in your life that's unresolved and you pray for these things.

God doesn't answer because what he wants to allow us some frustration to occur, so that as you pray, your prayers will shift from the outward focus to asking the question first. Is this God's will and you check the Scriptures say yes to are you and I would start asking Lord, is there a kink in my hose anywhere is shortened and the wiring is there something you wanted to in my life that unaware unaware of Portwood's message removing the roadblocks to answer prayer will be right back with his application of this teaching series, the power of prayer, whether you're a new Christian or a seasoned follower of Christ.

Prayer is absolutely essential to our relationship with God is how we communicate with him as his children, we are given free access anytime, anywhere. But how does that actually work in this series, you'll discover the steps to developing a dynamic prayer life.

How to remove common roadblocks to answer prayer and what it means to pray with confidence for limited time the resources for the power of prayer are discarded and the MP3s are always free for additional ordering and pricing details, visit LivingontheEdge.org or give us a call at 8883336003 Apple listeners top special offers will chip you into today's message urging believers to become more like Jesus and stop focusing on successor what makes us feel good, you unfortunately your many Christian organizations need to hear this lesson to. So often we are stories of ministries using funds they receive in ways that were intended. How do we communicate with our listeners about what we do and where their gifts go will Dave unfortunately that is a reality. I mean from New Testament times for the last 2000 years.

There's always been people in the name of Jesus that basically use and abuse.

People touch on their heartstrings and the money doesn't go where they say it's going to go so we want to be transparent. We don't do an annual report we actually do two reports a year and we ask people for very specific things and then we give a very specific report about this is what you gave. This is what we did. These were the results and what I want to remind you as many of you read that report and that you gave to Living on the Edge, especially in the last six months you can us see numbers that are astounding.

I mean they are humbling and astounding to us, but it's not what I did. It is not what Living on the Edge did. It's what we did together. I me.

We responded globally and we responded directly in American you can us see these astronomical responses in the midst of the Cova 19@that is what we got to do together. That's how the body works and so right now if you have any one of those people thinking you know this teaching seems to be helpful and I had no idea about what they're doing globally and resources they make. I'd really like to check Living on the Edge out before I make a decision to give. Let me encourage you to go to LivingontheEdge.org one long word LivingontheEdge.org/ministry update and I think you'll see exactly what we do what our goals were the numbers are there. We want you to know what we do and why we do it and then I would ask you to pray and I don't know what God wants you to do, but I would ask you to read that and then say Lord, do you want me to be a part of this ministry and then sit quietly and listen for his voice and then whatever he tells you to do you do that and if you do that.

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However, he leads Mel here.

Strip with his final thoughts about today's message as we close today's program.

I want you to know that if you're feeling overwhelmingly guilty of welcome to sort of the NFL of the Christian life. I don't know that there's any topic that when we really dig down deep into it that we don't feel more guilty and more inadequate than the area. Prayer and I think sometimes we have some real misguided thinking about prayer. Thinking that you know, the longer you pray, the better you pray again, and yet I think if were honest all of the struggle in this area because it is a challenge. It is a battleground.

I mean the enemy doesn't want us to pray.

So let's get to the solution side. We know that number one the reason we don't get answers or roadblock is prayerless in this. We just don't pray but what if it wasn't about trying harder. What if it was a warped view of God.

I want to say to you, I think the biggest breakthrough in my life and prayer was not me trying harder, setting the clock.

I'm going to pray longer, harder, somehow I'm really going to do at this time, but it has been to see God as my father to see these approachable to see that he loves me to believe that he's not down on me to just literally study the attributes and the characteristics of God and the book in the series that we have here Living on the Edge called the real God is probably the journey that's help me pray more than anything else, because what I realize it's just keeping company with God. And yes I have seasons of prayer in the morning, but I talk with him all day and that's what he wants for you. He's not down on you. The second is praying with selfish or wrong motives, and I think here we have some misconceptions about what the whole purpose of prayer is and so I think you pray with the wrong motives.

When you fail to see that the goal of prayer is for God's will to get accomplished for God's name to be glorified know we all struggle with that Morgan struggled until the day we die, but I think when you can be open and honest and in your at a roadblock in your praying in your praying and you know something, there's not an answer, ask yourself you right now listen to my voice. Ask yourself is my motive for me or is my motive really for God.

Do I want this relationship to work out. Do I want her to like me. Do I want this new job. Do I want my son to get into the school or make the traveling team will be first-team or get the house remodeled. Is this really about honoring God or is this this unconscious.

Oh God, you're the genie in the bottle.

You're supposed to make my life work out.

That's a hard one to face but it's transformational when you do, and then third is there sin in your life and I think that's pretty self-explanatory, but I will end with this because working to develop this more in our next broadcast sin is deceitful. This is the kind of thing that when I am not living the way I know I should. It just makes me not want to get around God because I know the white hot light is going to expose my darkness and that's uncomfortable.

You know, if you haven't downloaded the message notes. Let me encourage you to do that we want to help you learn to really pray you find the message notes trip just mentioned a couple places go to LivingontheEdge.org and click the broadcasts tab Apple listeners to fill in the notes just before we close only give you a quick reminder about our midyear match.

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