There are so many things that can hinder our prayers such as a husband not treating his wife (1 Peter 3:7), leaders disrespecting their office by dishonouring genuine men of God (Numbers 16), not giving our best to God (Genesis 4: 3 – 5), etc. We shall look into some so as to avoid the pitfalls as we journey in our Christian faith. 

Unconfessed Sins – Psalm 66:18: As a child of God when we refuse to confess our sins it haunts us continuously and separates us from God. Unconfessed sins is like a brick wall that we build around us that stops us from accessing God. If we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then let us confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness (1 John 1:9). 

Lack of Faith – Mark 6: 1 – 6: Unbelief strangles our hope in getting anything from God. A person with divided loyalty (lack of faith) is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do (James 1: 5 – 7). As the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.” Doubt is a lack of confidence or assurance that God will keep His promises. Faith is active confidence that God’s promises are always true.

Unforgiveness – Matthew 6: 14 – 15: We find it difficult to forgive those we love or those who are very close to us. To err is human, to forgive is divine. We should beer in mind that unforgiveness eats up the soul just like the way cancer eats up the body. The story in Matthew 18 : 23 – 35 illustrates what happens when we chose not to forgive. Whenever the thought of not forgiving a person comes remember that unforgiveness is like choosing to stay trapped in a jail cell of bitterness, serving time for someone else’s crime.

Many of us have allowed pride, stubbornness to keep our prayers hindered and have made some of us stunted in spiritual growth all because we chose to be living a life of secret sin such as seen above. 

Prayer: Father help us to repent of our egos and stubbornness that causes us to refuse to forgive and to still want to have our way instead of yours each time Your word comes to us. Empower us O Lord to submit to Your word so we can make a true confession that brings forgiveness and deliverance from You in Jesus name…Amen!!!

I am writing this to every child God, wherever you are now. Life is not about trial and error. We are not created to direct ourselves in life because we lack the capacity that’s why we need divine direction. It becomes necessary to seek divine direction from the Holy Spirit who is our Helper for He knows all things and can do all things (John 14:26). For us to live right, operate well, be profitable and be free from the trap of the wicked here on earth we need divine direction. Many become victims in the journey of faith because they refuse to seek divine direction from God or because they simply rejected it. 

Our Lord Jesus is perfect in knowledge and infinite in understanding (Isaiah 11:2). He knows problems that will come out next 10 years and how to proper solutions. The global pandemic ravaging the world today has shown that humans are limited and the need to put their trust and depend on godly wisdom is imperative. It is an exclusive privilege for every child of God to enjoy divine direction. It is so sad to see those who are God’s own special possession suffering out of ignorance. In life there are times and seasons, and the key to success is not just to have believe in God alone, you must learn to walk with Him in His own time and His paths. Choosing our time to obey and paths to follow will not only put us in harm’s way, but it will also stagnate our spiritual growth and eventually end in getting frustrated.