Hindrances to Prayer

Prayer is one of the Christian's most powerful spiritual assets, yet some are missing out on its effectiveness. No, I am not merely speaking of some clever tactic of the Devil that prevents our prayers from reaching God.

There is a "prayer killer" on the loose, and we are the ones primarily responsible. For some of the things that we do—or fail to do—can stop our prayers cold in their tracks.

In studying how Jesus taught us to pray in Matthew 6:5-13, we have seen that our prayers should include: primarily, a holy reverence as we approach a perfect God; secondly, an appeal for God to extend His Kingdom in our lives as well as in the lives of others, and for His will to overrule our requests if they are out of line with His purposes; thirdly, a request for His daily provision in our lives; finally, a request for forgiveness of the sins we have committed, as well as the recognition of our obligation to forgive those who wrong us. Now Jesus brings us to some potential hindrances to prayer in the final petitions of this model prayer in Matthew.

Asking God to Help You Stay Clear of Temptation

"Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil . . . " (Matthew 6:13).

"Lead us not into temptation " does not mean that God tempts His children, for it is not part of His character. James 1:13-14 says, "When tempted, no one should say, 'God is tempting me.' For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed." In this petition, we are asking God to guide us so that we will not get out of His will and place ourselves in the way of temptation. In essence, we're saying, "Lord, don't let me be tempted above my capacity to resist."

The problem with temptation is that we often fail to see it for what it is. We try to rationalize it. Other people's temptations look so ugly and foolish, while ours look so enticing and innocent. Then one day our little house-of-cards collapses, and we see our sin for what it is.

A Litmus Test for Temptation.

Here is a little litmus test to apply when you are not sure if something is an enticement to evil:

#1) Pray about it and bring it into the clear light of the presence of God.

Should you allow yourself to be in this potentially vulnerable situation? Jesus said, "Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak" (Matthew 26:41).

#2) Ask yourself the question, "How would this look if some other Christian gave into it?

If you saw your Christian friend doing what you are contemplating doing, how would you react?

"The hidden danger of temptation can be best illustrated by the method Eskimos use to kill wolves. They first take a knife and coat its blade with blood, then they let the blood freeze. After the blood is frozen, they coat the knife with another layer of blood, then they freeze it again. They repeat the process until the knife blade is hidden deep within a substantial thickness of frozen blood. Then they bury the knife—blade up—in the frozen ice. The wolf catches the scent of the fresh blood and begins to lick it. He licks more and more feverishly until the blade is bare. The wolf keeps licking harder and harder, and because of the cold, he never notices the pain of the blade. He finally bleeds to death, swallowing his own life." That is the way temptation works on us. We get our taste of sin, and the devil knows we will want more. Then we lose control. The next thing we know, we are in too deep to stop.

Six Hindrances to Prayer

Why would Jesus place such an emphasis upon temptation? Because He understood that sin can hinder our prayers, making them fruitless and ineffective. That is why we need to recognize our sinful vulnerabilities and ask Him to keep us from the power of sin. We need God's help to make the right choices and to avoid those things or activities that could pull us away from Him.

Aa author and pastor John MacArthur notes in The MacArthur New Testament Commentary, this part of the Lord's prayer is "an appeal to God to place a watch over our eyes, our ears, our mouth, our feet, and our hands—that in whatever we see, hear, or say, and in any place we go and in anything we do, He will protect us from sin." It is laying claim to the promise that "God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it" (1 Corinthians 10:13b).

The Bible gives us six specific sins that can hinder and devastate our prayer life:

1. Selfishness

"When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures" (James 4:3).

When we pray for God to use us, is it for His glory or your own? Whenever we pray with some hidden motive (i.e. praying for someone's salvation so that you can date that person), your prayer is canceled out, so to speak.

2. Having Idols in Our Lives

"Son of man, these men have set up idols in their hearts and put wicked stumbling blocks before their faces. Should I let them inquire of me at all?" (Ezekiel 14:3).

An idol is anything or anyone that takes the place of God in our lives. It is any object, idea, philosophy, habit, occupation, sport or loyalty that to any degree decreases one's trust and loyalty to God. British preacher Alan Redpath said, "Our God is the person we think most precious, for whom we would make the greatest sacrifice, and who moves our hearts with the warmest love. He (or it) is the person who, if we lost him, would leave us desolate." If God is not Lord of your life, your communication with Him will be less than it should be.

3. Unforgiveness

"And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins" (Mark ll:25).

Forgiven people should be forgiving people. An unforgiving attitude is one of the most common hindrances to prayer.

4. Unconfessed Sin 

"If I regard [hold on to, cling to] iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear" (Psalm 66:18, emphasis added).

"Your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you" (Isaiah 59:2).

God cannot forgive the sin you will not confess. Perhaps you have some sin in your past that has remained unjudged and unconfessed. You may even be committing a sin right now that you do not think is a sin. We need to pray as the Psalmist prayed, "Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting" (Psalm 139:23-24).

5. An Improper Relationship Between a Husband and a Wife

"Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered" (1 Peter 3:7).

Three principles stand out in this verse:

a) This is uniquely addressed to husbands.

Men need to recognize their God-given responsibilities in the home. In far too many homes, the wife is the spiritual leader and initiator. Men need to be in that position.

b) Men are to dwell with wives with understanding.

To "dwell" means "to be aligned to." It means more than just simply living together.

c) Men are to give honor to their wives.

To "honor" means "to give maintenance to." Just as a car needs regular maintenance, and the wheels can get out of alignment, so a marriage needs to be constantly fine-tuned spiritually. Husbands need to make sure that they are meeting the needs of their wives. They need to continue to cleave to them (see Matthew 19:5). The man's full commitment must be to his wife (and vice versa). He should also see his wife as a companion (see Malachi 2:14). A companion is a person whom you are united with in thoughts, goals, plans and efforts.

When these three areas of marriage are properly maintained, your prayer life will be effective and unhindered.

6. A Lack of Faith

"If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways." (James 1:5-8).

There is no question that faith is a key element in effective prayer. On one occasion we are told, "Jesus could do no mighty work there because of the unbelief of the people"(Mark 6:5). Some have taken this to extremes, suggesting that an affirmative answer to prayer somehow depends upon our personal faith. Yet, how much faith did Lazarus have when Jesus raised him from the dead? How much faith did the early Church show when Peter showed up at their door
(Acts l2)? They didn't believe it could be true at first!

Yes, we need faith and should pray with as much faith as we have. Yet, God can do a lot with a little—especially when we acknowledge our weaknesses. Remember the story of the man with the demon possessed son (see Mark 9: l4-29). He approached Jesus, asking Him to save his son by casting out the evil spirit. Jesus said to him,"'If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.' Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, 'Lord, I believe; help my unbelief'" (Mark 9:23-24). Jesus then answered that man's honest plea. God wants no less from us when we pray.

Don't allow yourself to be lured into the temptation of sin. If you want your prayers to be powerful and effective, steer clear of the six hindrances that can destroy your prayer life. Then you will see that "the effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much" (James 5:16b).