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The Power Of Continuous Prayer Part 3
Contributed by Ed Pruitt on May 5, 2007 (message contributor)
Summary: This third and final part deals with some of the major hindrances to our prayers
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Pastor Ed Pruitt
The Power of Continuous Prayer
Part 3
Sunday May 06 2007
As we start this third and final part of our prayer series.
We find that there are seven reasons God doesn’t answer prayer.
I am sure that their more than seven, but we are going to deal with what I would call the seven basic or major reasons.
There is a right and wrong way to pray.
There is not a Baptist way and a Pentecostal way and a Methodist way.
There is only the right way and a wrong way.
The disciples came to Christ and said Lord, teach us to pray.
This very statement means that there is a right way and a wrong way to pray.
Let’s look at the first or what we will call the first hindrance to our prayers.
First of all, we do not ask!
Jesus clearly said, ask and you shall receive Matthew the 21st chapter, the 22nd verse.
In any form of life, if you don’t, ask a terrible thing happens.
Nothing!
Ask, do not attempt to solve your problem without God’s guidance.
Ask, do not visualize the answer.
Visualizing the answer in your mind is mind control.
Ask, do not stare into a crystal ball, that’s idolatry.
Speak your request and believe that God will answer.
Jesus said, For assuredly, I say to you, whoever, does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.
First we have to ask and then we have to believe if we ever expect to see results in our prayers.
Let’s go ahead and read the rest of that read Mark 11:22 again. But let’s read Mark 11:22 through 25.
That scripture will give us the entire picture of what Jesus was saying about prayer.
In this chapter.
22 Then Jesus said to the disciples, “Have faith in God.
23 I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart.
24 I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours.
25 But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too.
So we can see that there is more to prayer than just asking we have to believe that we’re going to get it.
But first of all we need to also forgive anyone that we might be holding a grudge against.
Otherwise our father in heaven will not forgive us.
Faith and Forgiveness go together like a horse and carriage.
You can’t have one without the other.
This is the trouble that a lot of Christians have today.
They fail to ask God for their needs.
They might think that they ask but they are just assuming and that gets us in trouble every time.
Get into earnest prayer with God, let Him know the requests that you have.
Second, We find that we do not pray in Jesus name.
John 14:13-14 says, And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it
