I remember growing up, we lived in the city of Toronto ON, and we had neighbours. Lots of them, and all within a very close proximity. It was something that I was always used to and to this day, we still have neighbours. To some people, this may also be a normal thing but to others they may not have neighbours or they may be quite far from them. Today, we are going to focus on a verse in the Bible where Jesus mentions neighbours.
 “The most important one,’ answered Jesus, ‘is this: “Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one.
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” The second is this: “Love your neighbour as yourself.” There is no commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:29-31
 
Who is my Neighbour?
Just before this, one of the scribes had asked Jesus which commandment of all of them was most important (Mark 12:28). The answer that Jesus gives allows us to have a great understanding of how we should treat others. One thing to also note is that when Jesus is talking about a neighbour, it does not mean it’s only a neighbour that lives next door to you. It also does not mean that if you don’t have any neighbours, you are excluded. A neighbour can be anyone that we come into contact with, someone across the globe, someone we have never met before. We have to love our neighbours as ourselves.

In the book of Luke, a lawyer tested Jesus and asked Him about inheriting eternal life and Jesus replied with the questions: “What is written in the law? What is your reading of it? The man replied with, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbour as yourself.” Do these words sound familiar?

The man goes on to ask Jesus who his neighbour is (Luke 10:29) and Jesus replies with the Parable of the Good Samaritan. In this story, there is a man who gets very badly beaten up by some thieves and this unfortunately leaves him almost dead. A priest and a Levite both avoided the man and kept going their way, despite knowing that this man really needed some help. A Samaritan man who had compassion on the man not only helped the man, but also took care of him and provided a place for him to stay and be well taken care of. The next day, the Samaritan man goes back to the place where the man was staying to pay and offer to pay any additional costs that may be incurred.
 
What does this mean for Me?
Jesus is teaching us and reminding us that we need to treat others as we would want to be treated and to love others. You may not be able to help every person in the world, but if you can help those that Jesus places in your life, and use opportunities that He gives you, that makes all the difference. Jesus sees our hearts and our intentions and that is what is most important.
Our world so desperately needs Jesus today. If you go online or turn on the news, after a few minutes you will hear about so many tragedies that are happening as we speak. While we cannot help everyone, let us instead ask ourselves what we can do. It will make a difference.
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At OMS Canada, every Tuesday morning and Thursday evening we pray together. Would you consider helping in this way? We would love to have you pray with us. Contact us for the zoom links and we would be happy to provide them to you.

OMS is also affiliated with the 4VEH radio station in Haiti where they have recently been affected again by an earthquake. This is a great opportunity to help in whatever way you can. Please pray for Haiti and for everyone that has been affected in one way or another. If you would like to give financially to help bring relief and Gospel hope to these people, you can do that here.
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Be encouraged today because whatever you do to help is making a difference. Let us remember others as we go about our days and may God continue to bless and equip us and we use opportunities to love our neighbours as ourselves.

Hello, and welcome back to our series on Spiritual Warfare and Missions (SWAM). If you missed the first couple of posts you really should click here to read them first. And be reminded that this series is based on the book by Jerry Rankin and Ed Stetzer called Spiritual Warfare and Missions.
 
Last week we talked about how Satan is trying to keep nations closed to the gospel and how God is bypassing those geo-political barriers to the good news and redeeming people. God is also using the situations caused by these barriers to create a hunger in lost people for the kind of peace that only the Prince of Peace can provide.
 
This week we are going to look at how Satan tries to keep the unreached people groups from our view. The old saying, “out of sight, out of mind” is true and the enemy is working hard to keep these people groups out of sight.
 
Some background...
 
Missiologist Donald McGavran, with the School of World Missions at Fuller Theological Seminary in California, began to draw attention to the nature of the Great Commission in the context of sociological groups of ethnic peoples. In his landmark book, Bridges of God (1955), he highlighted the fact that evangelistic movements in India followed ethnicity. The gospel spread, often to the fringes of people of similar language and caste but did not bridge into other peoples, even though they might be intertwined geographically in the same area.
 
Ethnicity is what makes a distinction between “us” and “them”. If you are part of a homogeneous people who have the same language, culture, and ethnic origin, you would relate as “we” in contrast to others who have a different language and culture. Ethnicity often determines unspoken norms of marriage and communal relationship; it is also a factor in discrimination and strained relationships with other races and cultures. People groups tend to reside in common geographic areas, but even if they are widespread, their ethnicity represents stronger ties than relationships with other near neighbours. Even in large cities, which become a mashup of multiple people groups, those with similar backgrounds and kinship tend to live in ghettos and communities with their own kind of people.
 
Not surprisingly, the gospel tends to follow the lines of these relationships as well. In fact, the gospel may find a receptivity and permeate an entire people group and not even touch another ethnic or linguistic group living and interacting in the same vicinity. Though tens of thousands of people in India were coming to Christ, McGavran pointed out that it was exclusively among the Telugu. This is what has happened in other historic mission fields like Nigeria as the gospel spread among the Yoruba and in Indonesia as it spread among the Javanese. Missions strategists have simplified the definition in reference to our task of global evangelism by saying, “People groups are those of common ethnic identity and relationships through which the gospel can spread without encountering a barrier.” If a Christian witness must bridge to another language or cross from “us” to “them”, it normally distinguishes separate people groups.
 
The instruction of Jesus to His followers in Matthew 28:19 was to make disciples - to win to faith, bring into the kingdom, and teach to become obedient followers of Jesus - the panta ta ethne -  of all the “ethnos” or peoples of distinct ethnic languages and cultures in the entire world. It is the same terminology used by Jesus in Matthew 24:14 when he spoke of the future reality of the gospel being proclaimed to all nations, literally “panta ta ethne” (all peoples). And it is the same terminology used to portray the ultimate fulfillment when “a vast multitude from every nation, tribe, people, and language, which no one could number” (Revelation 7:9) would be represented around the throne worshipping the Lamb of God.
 
Given this ‘people group’ thinking, it helps to think of the world as a waffle, and not a pancake. When you pour syrup onto a pancake it is reasonable to expect the syrup to flow all over the smooth round surface. Not so with the waffle. A waffle has a multitude of small squares separated by ridges. If you want your syrup to cover the whole waffle, you must be deliberate in the pouring of syrup into each square. The world is not made up of homogenous people who are alike and all speak the same language. The world is a vast matrix of more than eleven thousand distinct languages and cultures, separated by ethnic identity. If each one is to hear the gospel, mission efforts must be deliberate to pour the syrup of the gospel into each one in a culturally appropriate way and in a language people can understand.
 
Rankin reports it once was thought that sending a missionary to Yugoslavia was evangelizing the country of Yugoslavia. But with the fall of Communist control of eastern Europe and the splintering of the Soviet Union, it was discovered that there really wasn’t a Yugoslavia. That country, like so many others, was an artificial alignment of political borders.  It had been made up of Serbs, Bosnians, Slovenian, Macedonian, Croats, and Kosovars, and it was evident all those peoples - some Catholic, some Orthodox, and others Muslim - did not like one another. There was ancestral enmity between them that went back for centuries. Evangelizing one of them did not facilitate the gospel spreading to other peoples with a different language and culture and antagonistic attitudes toward each other. Bosnians had no respect for Serbs and would not listen to them. Kosovars would have been unresponsive to efforts of Croats to influence them to consider the Gospel.
 
It is this blindness to people groups and the Biblical definition of nations that resulted in Ralph Winter characterizing the malady as people-blindness, blindness to the existence of separate peoples within countries. This prevents us from noticing the sub-groups within a country which are significant to the development of an effective evangelistic Strategy. Until we recover from this kind of blindness we may confuse the legitimate desire for church or national unity with the illegitimate goal of uniformity.
 
Did this just happen, or did the deceiver of the nations distort the thinking and perception of well-intended mission strategists? Could it be possible that the one who has the capacity to blind the hearts of the unbelieving lest they be saved could also blind our eyes to the nature of the task?

​The authors state that a major aspect of Satan’s strategy is to convince us that the task of missions is to win as many souls to Christ as possible. Certainly God is not willing that any should perish but desires that all men come to repentance and the knowledge of the truth.

​God has called us to the task of evangelism - proclaiming the gospel through any and every means; we are to be His witnesses to the ends of the earth. And He is pleased and rejoices over every soul that repents and receives the salvation He provided on the cross. But populating heaven with as many believers as possible and snatching them from an eternity of torment in hell is not fulfilling God’s mission to reach the nations.
 
So, evangelism and missions are not the same tasks. Stetzer states that he fears what often drives churches to a singular focus on evangelism is an unawareness of God’s greater mission that reaches beyond our local community.
 
The knowledge of people group thinking and unreached people groups is available. Don’t let the enemy keep you blind. Let me encourage you to adopt an unreached people group, intercede on their behalf, and pray that the Lord of the harvest would send labourers to engage them with the gospel. For a listing of people groups and the levels of reachedness, go to www.joshuaproject.com and discover the truth.

Hello, and welcome back to our series on Spiritual Warfare and Missions (SWAM). If you missed the first couple of posts you really should click here to read them first. And be reminded that this series is based on the book by Jerry Rankin and Ed Stetzer called Spiritual Warfare and Missions.
 
In this chapter, the authors reference those nations which are ‘closed’ to the gospel as a strategy of Satan to rob God of His glory. They state, “It doesn’t matter who presumes to be in charge of nations and states or how restrictive government structures are; God is the ultimate authority, and His purpose will be fulfilled in His timing.”
 
This is very hard for us to grasp from a human perspective, especially when we know of all the people groups being held captive and without access to the gospel. So many places officially prohibit expressions of Christian witness. At the time this book was written (2010), researchers stated that in the first ten years of the twenty-first century, an average of three countries per year close their doors to missionary presence.
 
Satan is using the adversarial inclination of communist and totalitarian governments or those dominated by Islamic or Hindu worldviews to prohibit an open Christian witness. Paul’s accusation of the sorcerer, Elymas, on Cyprus, is descriptive of these nations historically. He described him as, “You son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy, will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord?”  But in the next chapter, Paul puts the opposition and resistance of nations in the perspective of God’s providence: “we bring you good news...a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them. In past generations he allowed all the nations to walk in their own ways. Yet he did not leave Himself without a witness” (Acts 14:15-17).
 
We need to be settled in our confidence in the providence of God. This word comes from two latin words, video meaning “to see,” and pro meaning “beforehand.” God is able to see beforehand all that happens in our lives and in the world, and He is able to establish a plan of how it can be used for his purpose and His glory. We are assured, “All the nations you have made shall come and worship before you, O Lord, and shall glorify your name,”(Psalm 86:9). We are also told, “I will shake all nations...I am about to overthrow the throne of kingdoms. I am about to destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the nations,” (Haggai 2:7,22). God is fulfilling that word of prophecy as He is shaking the nations and overthrowing powers of governments that have long stood in the way of His kingdom.
 
Can you picture Satan’s reaction to Jesus’ confident affirmation of victory for His coming kingdom and the fact that the gospel would be proclaimed in the whole world as a testimony to all nations? He is absolutely resolved to do everything in his power to inhibit such a worldwide witness from becoming a reality. That confident declaration in Matthew 24:14 continues to incite Satan to do all he can to keep nations closed to a Christian witness, to delay the inevitable final judgement and the potential of people from every nation and people being represented around the throne of God.

​Globalization and technology are making it increasingly difficult for Satan to keep people groups hidden. Although there are massive population segments that have yet to be touched with the gospel and significant numbers of unreached people groups, there is no country that has not been penetrated with a Christian witness. The artificial boundaries of geographic, political entities cannot be fortified against emerging technology producing diverse and accessible tools of communication.
 
The Jesus Film is an example that was developed by Bill Bright, founder and past president of Campus Crusade for Christ. With a script based on the actual text of the Gospel of Luke, the film portrays the life of Christ in a dramatic and universally cultural presentation. Using technology, the film has been translated into more than 1,600 languages and is being spread throughout the world using each new technological advancement that is developed.
 
Satan can poison the minds of men and influence power-hungry, self-serving rulers, but his strategies to keep nations closed to the good news of the kingdom seems to be vulnerable to modern technology.
 
Globalization has also opened previously isolated peoples in closed nations to new ideas and concepts beyond their protected local worldviews. Travel and immigration have exposed the world to Western cultures and with it a Christian message. It would be difficult to find any people group not represented by a diaspora community in Canadian cities or on Canadian university campuses. Those who hear and respond to the gospel - and whose lives are changed by discovering a personal redemptive relationship with Christ - invariably carry the good news back to the network of family and friends in their place of cultural origin. In spite of government restrictions, legal barriers, and the lack of a missionary presence, God’s Word is reaching the nations in this globalized world.
 
Suffering and human need also open the door to the gospel witness. In so many of the nations where missionary work is not permitted, the people live under such oppression and social suppression. And when people, impoverished economically without anything to hope for in this life, hear about the hope and assurance that can be found in Jesus Christ, it readily overcomes religious and cultural barriers in which Satan has held the people in bondage for generations.
 
Satan’s strategy to use totalitarian governments and ideologies to keep countries closed to the gospel is not working. Government restrictions and persecution cannot prevent the advance of the gospel when, in God’s providence and timing, He determines to advance His kingdom among the nations.
 
Even natural disasters are being used to plant the gospel in countries and areas traditionally closed and hostile to the gospel. Many will remember in December 2005, one of the most destructive natural disasters in modern times occurred. An earthquake-spawned tsunami devastated the coastlines of eight Asian nations. The tidal wave was generated off the Indonesian island of Sumatra and killed up to 230 thousand people. Many of these were in the province of Aceh, a fanatical Islamic region of the country, relatively autonomous and restricted to foreigners. Historical efforts to penetrate this area with the gospel had proven futile.
 
However, in the aftermath of the tsunami, it was not Muslim communities from abroad that responded to provide relief and development but Christian organizations and churches. They did not sweep into the area in a desire to capitalize on this tragedy, take advantage of traumatized people, and proselytize them to the Christian faith.
 
No, compelled by the love of Christ, they reached out to comfort and minister to those in need. But, those selfless acts of sacrifice stirred the hearts of people. They wanted to know why they would come, freely disperse millions of dollars in relief supplies, and help them rebuild their homes and their lives. It opened the door to explain the love of God and the way to have a relationship with Him.
 
Sure, Satan tries to keep people groups hidden by closing borders to the gospel. But he also tries to do so by distracting churches from their Great Commission responsibilities for the nations. Many churches are so caught up in their neighbourhoods that they fail to see the nations, whether abroad or in their own cities. This is what we’ll look at next time.
 
Let’s not fall into the trap of the enemy and fail to see the nations, the unreached people groups that still have no access to the gospel. Jesus said in Matthew 24:14 that the gospel would be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations. What is your part in fulfilling this promise?
 
Can you think of other creative ways to get the gospel to the nations that are closed to the message of Christ? Do you know of anyone who is working in such a place? How can you support the work they are doing?
 
Leave your comments below. We love to hear from you.
 
 

​Hello, and welcome back to our series on Spiritual Warfare and Missions (SWAM). If you missed the first couple of posts you really should click here to read them first. And be reminded that this series is based on the book by Jerry Rankin and Ed Stetzer called Spiritual Warfare and Missions.
 
The authors begin this chapter of their book by stating that Satan is described in Scripture as a thief, ruler of the world, god of this world, beast, prince of the power of the air, spirit of disobedience, and evil one, but he exists as an adversary of God and His purposes. The word devil comes from the Greek diabolos, which means to oppose. Devil is one of the twenty-two different names used to describe Satan in the Bible and is used thirty-five times in the New Testament. The devil is opposed to the extension of God’s kingdom on the earth and is actively seeking to deprive God of being glorified among the nations through the proclamation of the gospel as well as in one’s life personally. No doubt his mission is clear: to keep lost people lost.
 
Among the sequence of events that characterize the end-times and the return of Christ is the fact that Satan will be thrown into the abyss, “so that he would no longer deceive the nations” (Revelation 20:3). Meanwhile, he appears to have free reign in the world today, continuing to deceive the nations.
 
1 John 5:19 says, “We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.” God has claimed for Himself a people to serve Him. We are His possession and called to proclaim “the praises of the One who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9). But where Christ is not known - where the gospel has not yet penetrated and transformed society to acknowledge the lordship of God - the nations, cultures, and peoples of the world are still in darkness under the dominion of Satan.
 
Rankin describes his experience going to Indonesia as a new missionary after years of preparation and anticipation. He was convinced that the gospel was the power of God for salvation to draw people to Christ. He was confident that he would arrive in Indonesia to join other missionaries and, as in the book of Acts, multitudes would come to faith and be saved each day.
 
However, instead of the massive response, he encountered indifference and antagonism, despite open opportunities to witness. He realized that to expect a Muslim to respond to the gospel was not unlike expecting a blind man to read a newspaper, and the Bible explains: “In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (2 Cor. 4:4). There is nothing deficient about the power of the gospel message. The Holy Spirit still actively convicts of sin, truth, and righteousness. But we need to recognize that we have an enemy, the god of this age, who can blind the eyes of the unbelieving to the truth of the gospel. He works his deception with apparent impunity to lead the nations astray from knowing God.

​Even when the gospel can be freely shared, the enemy is actively distorting the message and filtering it through contrary traditions and worldviews to keep the seed from taking root in the human heart.

​The parable of the sower in Luke 8 tells us the reality of the world we are responsible for evangelizing. The analogy of the various kinds of soil represents various responses to the gospel. Some will welcome the good news but it will not profit them because they continue to be consumed by the cares of the world. The message does not take root in the lives of others because of barriers to understanding and belief represented by the rocky soil. Occasionally one’s witness will encounter fertile soil in which it is received, grows, and multiplies. But some of the seed falls on the hardened pathway as reflected in many cultures. Jesus explained that, rather than taking root, the seed remains exposed on the surface where birds come, take it away and devour it.
 
In explaining the parable, Jesus says that the birds are the devil - “...then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved (Luke 8:12). Remember, Satan is identified as a deceiver and a liar. When Paul expressed concern that the believers in Corinth were being led astray from purity of doctrine and the simplicity of faith in Christ, he concluded, “And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds” (2 Cor. 11:14-15).
 
Let’s not forget that Satan’s purpose is to deprive God of the praise and glory that are due to Him. When Satan tempts a Christian to sin, it is to deprive God of His praise and glory in that person’s life. When he leads us to embrace the carnal and self-serving values of the world, he is merely thumbing his nose at God. When we indulge in lustful gratification rather than walking in holiness and obedience to God, it gives Satan the glory instead of God.
 
Throughout Scripture, we are told that faith is the victory. “For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith” (1 John 5:4). “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world” (1 Peter 5:8-9). “In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one (Ephesians 6:16).
 
Because believing God and accepting the truth of what He has said as reality is the victory, one of Satan’s favourite tools is doubt. Just as he implanted doubt in the mind of Eve when he said, “Did God really say…?” (Genesis 3:1), he continues to plant doubts in our minds to reject the truth of God’s Word and the victory over sin that we have been given in Christ.
 
The result is living for self instead of a cross-centred, Spirit-filled life. Abandoning His promises of peace, joy, power, holiness, and blessing, we strike out on our own and forfeit the power available for our witness that would bring glory to God. Satan robs us of peace and leaves us with anxiety and worry; he destroys our joy, leaving us struggling with despair and depression. We often attribute personal discomfort or pain to satanic intent. But our downfall and failure is not all about us! Satan has a much greater purpose in orchestrating our defeat. He deprives God of the glory He desires and has provided in our life in order that the world will not see a living example of the gospel. Satan’s strategy is to replace glory to God with what brings glory to us.
 
We have been given victory over all the schemes and strategies of Satan. With the death of Christ on the cross, the power of sin was conquered not just theoretically but as a daily practical reality for those who choose to walk in the Spirit that indwells every believer. “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8). Paul explains what happened in the atoning sacrifice of Christ in which He took on His sinless body the sins of the world: “He cancelled the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him” (Colossians 2:14-15).
 
Satan and his minions are defeated. A Christian is a partaker in the divine nature of Christ. When we are in Christ, a continual carnal lifestyle is antithetical to our true nature. But it is Satan’s only hope of stemming the tide of God’s work on the earth. The enemy’s deception and lies rob God of His glory in our life. But because of the victory secured in Christ, the ultimate triumph belongs to God, and He will be exalted among the nations and to the ends of the earth.
 
So what about you? What worldviews are dominant in your community? What are the unique ways that Satan is keeping lost people lost?
 
What issues in your life are depriving God of His glory? How might you address them now?
 
What issues in your local church might be depriving God of His glory? How can you join with church leaders to address them now?
 
Let us know what you think in the comments below and share this post with your friends.

​Welcome back to this series on prayer. If you have missed any previous posts you can click here to catch up. But in this post, we are focusing on the problem of prayer.
Have you ever felt discouraged in your prayer life? Does it feel as though God is not answering your prayers? Maybe it feels like you can’t connect with God like you used to, or like your prayers stop at your ceiling and do not reach God. Maybe you lack a desire to pray and wonder what the big deal is?
The truth is, if you have felt this way, you need to examine your life and see what may be killing your ability or desire to pray. Use this post as a tool to diagnose what may hinder the effective prayer life that God desires.

1. Unconfessed Sin
Unconfessed sin is probably the most common prayer killer. Psalm 66:18 says, “If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.” When the Scripture talks about wickedness, it’s referring to unconfessed sin. God is perfect and can’t abide sin in us. If we knowingly tolerate sin in our lives, it pushes God away from us. As a result, it makes our prayers powerless.
The good news is that when we confess sin, God forgives it, and it’s gone. The slate is clean and we are no longer held accountable. Jeremiah 31:34 says, “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” Not only are we forgiven, but God chooses to truly forget our sins of the past. At that point, our relationship is restored, and our prayers regain their power. Our past actions may still have consequences, but the sin itself is forgiven.

2. Lack of Faith
Lack of faith has an incredibly negative impact on a Christian’s life. Without faith, prayer has no power. Even Jesus was powerless to perform miracles in Nazareth because of the people’s lack of faith (Mark 6:1-6)… James calls one who doubts “like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does” (James 1:6-8)
The word double-minded speaks of a condition where a person is emotionally divided, almost as if he had two souls. That condition makes a person unstable and incapable of hearing from God or receiving His gifts.

3. Disobedience
If we are to grow in our relationship with God and become strong people of prayer, we must learn to obey. Keeping free from sin is not enough. Neither is faith. If our mouths say that we believe, but our actions don’t back up that belief with a strong display of obedience, it shows the weakness of our belief. Obedience should be a natural outgrowth of faith in God. He that obeys God, trusts Him; he that trusts Him, obeys Him. John 9:31 says “We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will (is obedient), God listens to him.” (italics mine)   

4. Lack of transparency with God and with others
James 5:16 says, “Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed.” James is sharing a true thing about God: When we confess our sins to one another, which requires us to be transparent, God can heal and cleanse us. We experience spiritual, physical, and emotional restoration. In addition, our transparency helps others, because it shows them that they are not alone in their difficulties.

5. Unforgiveness
...Why is forgiveness so important? The answer is found in Matthew 6:14-15, “For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”
Forgiving and being forgiven are inseparable twins. When a person refuses to forgive another, he is hurting himself, because his lack of forgiveness can take hold of him and make him bitter. And a person cannot enter prayer with bitterness and come out with blessings. Forgiveness allows your heart to be made not only right but light.

6. Wrong motives
When our motives are not right in prayer, our prayers have no power. James 4:3 says, “When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives.”
Sometimes even just knowing our motives can be difficult. In my experience, I’ve observed two things that quickly expose wrong motives: (1) a project greater than ourselves and (2) prayer.

7. Idols in our lives
Ezekiel 14:3 clearly shows the negative effect of anything that comes between a person and God. It says, “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?” God does not even want an idol worshiper to talk to Him. On the other hand, when we remove idols from our lives, we become ripe for a personal revival.
One way to know that something in your life is an idol is to ask yourself, “Would I be willing to give this thing up if God asked me to?” Look honestly at your career, possessions, and family. If there are things you wouldn’t release to God, then they’re blocking access to Him.
 
8. Disregard for others
Scripture is full of verses supporting God’s desire for unity among all believers–between Christian brothers and sisters, husbands and wives, laypeople and pastors. For example, in John 13:34, Jesus said, “A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”…
The Apostle Peter made special mention of the relationship of a husband to his wife and the importance of living with her in an understanding way lest his prayers be hindered. “Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honour to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered” (1 Peter 3:7).

9. Disregard for God’s Sovereignty
When Jesus showed the disciples how to pray, the first thing He did was teach them to honour God for who He is, “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:9-10). That is a clear acknowledgement that God is in charge, that He is sovereign. And it establishes our relationship to Him: that of a child under the authority of his Father. Anytime we disregard the divine order of things, we’re out of bounds, and we hinder our relationship with our heavenly Father.

10. Unsurrendered will
…A person whose will is surrendered to God has a relationship with Him similar to the one described in the parable of the vine and the branches. It says, “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you” (John 15:7). The branch depends on the vine and lives in one accord with it. In return, the vine provides it with everything it needs, and the result is great fruitfulness.
There are great benefits of surrendering your will to God. One is that God promises to answer your prayers and grant your requests. Another is that we get to receive the power of Christ through the Holy Spirit. Just as with the vine and the branches, He flows through us, gives us power, and produces fruit.
What about you? Is there one of these hinderances to which you are especially prone? Do you have another hindrance not listed? What do you to correct the situation when you become aware that there is a hindrance?

We would love to pray with you. Leave us a comment below or give our office a call at 800-784-7077.