Unanswered Prayers Due To Sin.

[sC0rCh3d 0]

lets say someone is not receiving answers to their prayers because of a habitual sin,
HOW MANY TIMES must this person resist temptation in order for God to decide to answer their prayers?

[daphanie02 0]

Resolution sometimes it takes time. Sometimes God answers my prayer imediately, sometimes not. THe bible mentions an angel who was trying to get a message to a well known prophet. He apologized for the delay of the answer but his excuse was that he was fighting in the heavenly realms to get the message to him. There is a war going on spiritually. '

Also, sometimes God waits for the right time to answer a prayer. Sometimes he answers us when He knows we are more likely to recieve it.

blessings,
Daph

[Desiree (Starpop) 1]

sometimes God waits for the right time to answer a prayer. Sometimes he answers us when He knows we are more likely to recieve it.

so true DAPH! SO VERY TRUE!! GOD KNOWS OUR HEARTS SO EVEN THOUGH WE THINK WE MAY BE READY, MANY TIMES GOD IS SAYING, "uh, unh...not yet missy!!!"
smooches
desiree

[Cholette 0]

I can attest to that Miss Desiree...especially the "uh, uh...not yet missy!!" :blushing: That's EXACTLY how God speaks to me...LOL!!

[Desiree (Starpop) 1]

lol!! Our daddy is so funny at times!!! I'm like, "oh man...why??"lol...he always has to say, "what did I just tell you?" (its an ongoing dialogue!!!Lol)
smooches
desiree

[daphanie02 0]

[RnestseekR 0]

This comes from the book THE PRAYER MATRIX written by David Jeremiah. If you are unfamiliar with this pastor's teachings, he is on many christian radio stations with a program called Turning Point.

If you are wrong, God says no.
If the timing is wrong, God says, go slow.
If the motive is wrong, God says grow.
If you are right, the timing is right and the motive is right, God says GO!

Meaning somtimes we ask for things that are not good for us, so God says NO. Sometimes, we want something right now, (the example the book uses is the 15 y/o who prays for a motorcycle), but we aren't ready to handle what we've asked for, so He says to wait. Sometimes we want something - maybe vengence on our enemies, or to not have to be patient for something, or to win the lottery, when what Christ wants is our heart focused on the kingdom. So we have to grow in Christ (meaning, get-to-know Him through the bible, learning to pray, praticing spritual disciplines, etc.) so we get our priorities the same as Christ. If all these things fall into alignment, God says GO!
Allow me to suggest one other thing: fasting. Purely for spiritual reasons, not cosmetic. There are times when God does not answer a prayer because He simply wants to search our hearts out before responding. Fasting is also good for repenting of sins and humbling ourselves before our God. It should not be done, though, to force God's hand to move. It isn't a hunger strike. You still may get a NO from God, at which point, no matter how hard is to accept, you have to trust his wisdom and answer. I have googled "biblical fasting" and found some great websites on it, if you are curious. Also, fasting is a great way to draw close to God. There are lots of examples in the bible and many reasons for each of those fasts. Also, Tony Evans, another Dallas-based pastor who's on the radio under the praogram called The Alternative or The Urban Alternative, has a book out by fasting that I have found in the library. Just some thoughts!

[Dove-Solutions 0]

Amen RnestseekR!

God bless,

Connie :cute:

[sC0rCh3d 0]

i'm talking about our own sin though, our own sin that keeps our prayers from being answered.


how many times must one resist temptation?

[daphanie02 0]

the bible doesnt give a set amount of times of resisting temptation before God answers a prayer

[RnestseekR 0]

Resolution,
I was talking about our own personal sin too. I am sorry this no magic number. Keeping pressing. Don't give up. I have also found in my own personal prayer life that sometimes the unanswered prayers are about God building my faith. Do I REALLY trust Him to make good on all that He says He will in the bible. Am I willing to invest the time to seek out the answers in the bible to see what God's mind is on the matter.
Keep searching! Keep grasping for God! Keep asking. Remember Matthew: Ask, Seek, Knock. You've definitely done the asking. What about the seeking and knocking? And I can tell you that I have definitely done all 3 and STILL not had an answer to my prayer. After waiting and waiting, I finally got an answer and it was NO. I was devastated. It finally came down to a matter of trusting God to be the Director of my life, believing that He knows better than me. Sometimes, I still fall prey to the idea that I know better than He does.
How else can we encourage you? I can feel your desperation. So how can we help share the love of Christ with you and impart his peace to you? I have paused here a minute to pray for you just now. What else can we do to encourage you to continue to run the race?

[sC0rCh3d 0]

What if you prayed for 'The Baptism Of The Holy Spirit' and God still did not answer?


That's not asking for anything material.

[RnestseekR 0]

I've got to admit I've been grappling with that very question in the last month. When I came to this website, I was exposed to some very charsimatic christians. In my readings, I have also come across statements like, "You haven't received the baptism of the Holy Spirit if you don't speak in tongues." I have taken it back to the Father many times over - I do not speak in tongues. Here's where I've come and what I beleive God is speaking to me. 1.) I KNOW that I KNOW that I KNOW that I am saved. 2.) I have a growing relationship with Chirst. 2.) I have a vibrant and active prayer life, in which I both speak to the father and He speaks to me. 3.) I have come to know when the Holy Spirit is giving me an impression, when He is speaking to me (not out loud, but when suddenly I am being given one of "His thoughts").
Here's what I am learning in regards to using the Power of the Spirit to help in my daily battles against the flesh. 1.) I need to work more on memorizing not just the scripture, but where it is found so that when I am in times of temptation, ministry, etc., The Holy Spirit can bring those verses to mind more readily. (I really stink at memorizing WHERE the scriptures are found. I can quote them, but not their references). This way I am using the sword of truth when it comes to the armor of God. 2.) The bible is God's Holy Word, and I beleive it is infalliable. BUT, when Jesus left the earth, He didn't say He was sending us the bible, He said He was sending us the Spirit. I believe that once we are saved, the Holy Spirit enters our hearts and minds. It is our job to open our hearts and mind to Him - for me, that happens when I read the bible and I align my life with the way God has outlined in the bible. When I find differences, I ask God to change me, mold me, make me new. These are functions of the Holy Spirit. Over time, I can see new fruits of the spirit in my life (gentleness, patience, kindness, love, joy, peace, etc.) I know that I am connected to the vine because if I were not, I would not be bearing these fruits of the spirit.
The one fruit of the spirit that is coming into blossom for me, but is still quite immature in certain areas of my life (namely, me eating habits) is the spirit of self-control. And it's quite a paradox. I give God my control so that I can be given back His spirit of self-control.
So all that said, how do you know you do not have the baptsim of the Holy Spirit? And, conversely, how do you know that you have had the Baptism of the Holy Spirit? Jesus says in the gospel of John 15:5, " I am the vine, you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." To ME, that says that I need to be reflecting his likeness. I cannot do that on my own. I've got to stay plugged in to Jesus. I do that through reading the bible every day, changing my habits and lifestyle so that my thoughts are pointed back to him (christian radio station, christian books - both fiction and non-fiction, etc.), prayer, and plugging in to my christian community through church and small group, but not isolating myself from the world. I still do "worldly activites" like PTA, Girlscouts. But when I do those things I am more focused on being salt and spreading God's love. In other words, I am trying to be an influence on them, not them an influence on me.
Sorry - I got winded. Reflect on what I've said. Ask the Spirit for discernment and guidance in what it is that you feel that you are missing in your life and what it is the He would like to fill you up with.

[Dove-Solutions 0]

I can't speak for others here but only for myself. When I gave my life to Christ, I did not ask for the Holy Spirit to baptize me. He came on His own. He is a promised gift from Jesus in John 16. I recommend you read the whole chapter. The Lord promises the Holy Spirit to us to guide us into all truth. He is our seal to the family/kingdom of Jesus. The baptism of the Holy Spirit is different. The baptism of the Holy Spirit is given to us for empowerment to enable us to do the work He has called us to do. This is talked about in Acts 2:1-4 during the Pentecost. There is much to learn, but be assured that we all have the Holy Spirit as a gift from Christ, but may not all have the baptism of the Holy Spirit which is used for empowerment of Ministry.
It does take time to understand that but ask the Holy Spirit to give you understanding while you read about it in the word and He will open your understanding according to the measure that you can receive it.

God bless and I hope this helps,

Connie

[RnestseekR 0]

Thanks for your input Connie. I think that it stands to repeat that some of this questioning of what the baptism of the Holy Spirit means is something the denominations cannot agree on. THAT'S OK. The apostle Paul addressed the same issue and finally said, The one thing that unites us all is that we are all baptized in the same spirit. At the end of this post, I have copied from another website, a more eloquent take on the two sides of the issues. Connie is not wrong for her understanding of the baptism of the Holy Spirit. I am not wrong either. We are united by our belief in the saem Chirst, the same Father and the same holy Spirit. Her counsel is godly also. SO, where does that leave you? I would strongly suggest you get with the Pastor of your church. I sense strongly that there is a reason you want the baptism of the Holy Spirit and it isn't because you are worried about your salvation. I know that you have given me via MP your profession of faith. I think your pastor or a counselor, someone face-to-face, could very much so help you figure out what it is that you feel you are missing. This is likely a nudging of the Holy Spirit, so don't ignore it. Keep pressing on!

The following is authored by Dr. John Bechtel and is excerpted from the website: www.christiananswers.net
"It's ironic that Christians have argued so much about the baptism of the Spirit, when the apostle Paul used it as one of his main arguments to prove that we are all united in Christ!

Some churches believe that the baptism of the Spirit is an experience different than initial salvation. They see it as a second experience that gives a person much greater spiritual power and boldness, and the ability to live a more victorious Christian life. Some groups teach that the baptism is accompanied by such signs as speaking in tongues.

The Bible does not actually use the term "baptism of the Spirit" very often. John the Baptist predicted that Jesus would come and baptize with the Spirit and with fire (Matthew 3:11; Mark 1:8; Luke 3:16; John 1:33). In Acts 1:5, Jesus recalled John's words, and told His followers that they would be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from then. The spectacular events of the day of Pentecost ten days later seem to be the obvious fulfillment of His words (see Acts 2). The only other mention in Acts (11:16) refers back to Pentecost, explaining that Cornelius, the first Gentile convert, had an experience very similar to the Pentecost manifestations.

While these passages make it clear that the believers in Acts 2 experienced a baptism of the Spirit, we do not find a clear explanation of what that baptism means. Nor do we know whether there were other works of the Spirit that were happening at the same time.

The clearest explanation of the baptism appears in I Corinthians 12:13. Paul is dealing with a situation where the Corinthian church was splitting into factions over the issue of spiritual gifts. Overemphasis on certain spectacular gifts had led to the attitude that some people had the most desirable gifts, while others were deficient. In response, Paul exclaims, "We're all one! Don't divide up into cliques!" And to prove his point, he explains, "For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit" (I Corinthians 12:13).

His main point? All believers share the reality of being baptized by the Spirit.

What does it do? It makes us part of the body of Christ, the Church.

When did it happen? If every believer has been baptized in the Spirit, then it must happen at the moment you accept Christ and become a Christian.

Great Christians down through the years have often experienced dramatic encounters with God after salvation. There is no reason to deny that this is a genuine way that God works with His people. It is also true that equally devout, effective Christians have gone through life without such a "second work" of grace.

We may use whatever words we want to describe our experiences with God. But it is most accurate to say that the Bible uses "baptism of the Spirit" to refer to one of the wonderful things that God does for us the instant we trust Christ and enter His family!"

Author: Dr. John Bechtle.

[Linda Irish 0]

I do know personally that there is one thing that can get in the way of God hearing our prayer. If we have ought against our brother we are to make it right with our brother first and then come to God in prayer. I went through many old wounds and forgave many long lost foes....who may not have even been aware of the pain that I experienced. I forgave them and asked God to forgive me for my judgement of them.. I was baptistised in the Holy Spirit before i even heard of such a thing....but my walk in Christ demonstrates that Our Father uses us in whatever spiritual gift He chooses...in His perfect timing.....I would ask that you walk in that peace. I pray that God will give you the desire of your heart.