UNANSWERED PRAYERS
9/24/17
Speaker: Pastor Sparks
Text: Various
-What happens when it feels like The Lord is sending you to voicemail?
-It just may be God is telling you to “wait”; reason-being is because He’s trying to get you to a place where once you get the blessing, you don’t ruin it
Reasons why you might not be getting an answer to your prayers:
1. Unoffered Prayers (Matthew 7:7)
* The Lord won’t typically answer a prayer that you don’t even pray!
* How can you EXPECT Him to answer something you don’t even ask Him?
* Just talk to The Lord! No matter how long it’s been since you last did, He’s always ready to talk to you!
2. Unconfessed Sin (Psalms 66:18, Prv. 15:29)
* Don’t ask Him for a blessing if you haven’t asked Him for forgiveness
* You gotta clean out the pantry! If you’re trying to lose weight, you can’t put weight watchers next to Lay’s! You gotta be willing to get the crap out to receive the good!
3. Unbelief in Your Mind (James 1:6-8)
* Why take time to pray, if you don’t believe it’s going to happen?
* “If you need The Lord to make it rain, then make sure you leave the house with an umbrella!”
* If you’re asking him for a golden blessing, don’t come to Him with aluminum foil faith!
4. Unspiritual Motives (James 4:3)
* If you get “x”, will God get the glory?
* Don’t want it just for show! Want it so you can point to how good God is to you!
5. Unresolved Conflicts (Matthew 5:23-24)
* Do your part to get rid of the issues you got with other people, THEN bring your request to God!
* ***Romans 12:18***
6. Uncompassionate Heart (Prv. 21:18)
* You can’t ask God anything for yourself if you can’t stand other people
* YOU MUST HAVE A HEART FOR OTHERS!
* What God ALLOWS you to get, 100% of it is not for you!…you’re required to help somebody with what you’ve blessed with! Not just money, time too!
* The most compassionate thing you can do for somebody is to treat them with dignity—speak to them, listen to them, embrace them, & make them feel like they matter, because they do!!!
7. Unresponsive Husbands (1 Peter 3:7)
* Wives should obey husbands…in The Lord! When husbands aren’t obeying The Lord & leading his family in the way of God, then his prayers are not heard
* Wives are to be submissive to husbands who are submissive!
* You lose NOTHING when you sacrifice for your family!
Sermon Notes courtesy of Deacon Anthony Sparks