Breaking the Cycle of Prayerlessness
Over the past year, I have been doing a lot of soul-searching and research about prayer. I’ve been reading books, learning what the Bible says about prayer, I made a prayer closet (underneath my stairs), I’m involved with the prayer team and pray with prayer partners. In all my research and time in prayer, I’ve discovered Satan desires our mouths to be kept shut and our voices to be silent to keep us in states of prayerlessness.
WHY?
Because nothing defeats the enemy more than when we are prayerful!
So How Do We Break the Cycle of Prayerlessness in Our Lives?
In the book by Beth Moore, “Breaking Free,” she states, “What victory the enemy has in winning us over to prayerlessness!” The enemy knows prayerful lives are powerful lives and prayerless lives are powerless lives. We can identify what is keeping us from prayer, by asking ourselves these tough questions.
- Do we depend on God for our needs? Prayer is our lifeline to God. No prayer, no relationship. Maybe you’ve been praying a prayer for a long time and wondered is God listening or even care? How long have you prayed for your request? Do you pray for your request regularly, over a period of time? Our prayers don’t change God’s heart, they change our hearts. We don’t know when God will answer our prayers but don’t give up, that’s exactly what the enemy wants us to do. Keep Praying!
- Do You Allow the Enemy to Keep You Silent? The enemy would like nothing more than for us to stop praying. When we stop praying we are fulfilling the enemy’s plan. Satan wants to fill our minds with his lies of doubt, worry, and defeat. These are the tactics he uses to keep us silent. Don’t let him. Instead of worrying, pray about it. Give it to God.
- God’s will or my will? When we pray, ask God is this your will or my will? We have to ask ourselves, is the request we’re praying appropriate or selfish? Am I praying with the right attitude and motive? Is the timing right? Just because we don’t hear God’s answer right away, God might be saying not yet. We must be patient for HIS perfect timing. In our patience, God grows the greatest blessings.
- Are there Prayer Obstacles in Your Life? In the book Too Busy Not To Pray, Billy Hybels, talks about prayer blockers in our lives. He challenges us to look within and ask ourselves are there problems in my life? If the answer is yes, chances are there is a prayer obstacle present. Maybe we don’t see God answering our prayers because he is trying to illuminate hidden areas of our hearts that are getting in the way of HIM.
- Is there un-forgiveness or unconfessed sins in your life? Isaiah 59:2, Micah 6:8. Unforgiveness and unconfessed sins contaminate our hearts and prayers. When un-forgiveness resides in our hearts and lives we will never reach the full potential of what God desires for us. We must forgive and receive God’s forgiveness for our hearts to be clean and hear HIS voice.
- Are we being selfish or prideful? James 4:3. Are we asking God with the wrong motives for personal gain? Are our prayers making God famous or ourselves? Pride will be the death of us. It will keep us from crying out for help from our Savior. Pride keeps us blind to God’s presence and deaf to HIS voice. Is there pride in your life?
- Do we have inadequate faith? James 1:5-8. Do we believe in our own abilities or God’s? Do we look for more evidence for him to prove to us the power HE already has? Do we believe we are praying to a God who is able to do anything?
- What is the attitude of our hearts? Proverbs 21:13. Do we have an uncaring attitude? God cares about the condition of our hearts and what they are filled with. He cares about developing our character which reflects HIM. What is the attitude of your heart when you pray?
- Are there broken relationships in your life? Matthew 5:23-24, John 2:9. Is there any unresolved conflict in your life? Satan desires to cause division among us, fight with one another and take us away from God’s plan for unity. Satan knows we are weaker when we are alone. We are stronger together in numbers. God desires us to live in community and harmony with one another, not alone and isolated.
Ephesians 4:31
Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.Click To TweetPride, anger, malice, deceit, unforgiveness, and selfishness will always get in the way of our prayers and God’s plan for us. Don’t allow the enemy to use his tactics against you. Don’t let him win the victory in our prayerlessness.
Is there Prayerlessness in your life?
Are there prayer obstacles in your life?
Get rid of the prayer obstacles by identifying what they are. Break the cycle of prayerlessness by asking yourself these tough questions above. Prayer is a way to search and soften our hearts, get rid of sin, grow, reconcile relationships, change our attitude and get out of the ugly cycle of prayerlessness.
Once prayer obstacles are out of the way, it clears the way for God to answer our prayers in the way He desires and breaks the cycle of prayerlessness.
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