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The Word of God says:

Isaiah 59:1-2 (AMP) ¹ BEHOLD, THE Lord’s hand is not shortened at all, that it cannot save, nor His ear dull with deafness, that it cannot hear.² But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear.

Luke 12:19 (NASB) ¹⁹ ‘And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry.”‘

My reflections on the Word of God:

Today’s focal verses reveal two reasons why God does not answer prayer in the way that we might expect Him to.

The passage from Isaiah is a reminder to us that God looks at the heart of the person who comes to Him in prayer. The condition of our heart matters to God. When we come to a God who is holy, we need to come to Him with clean hands and a pure heart. The God who does not like ugliness by the world could never tolerate it from His born again children.

Isaiah 13:11 (NASB) ¹¹ Thus I will punish the world for its evil And the wicked for their iniquity; I will also put an end to the arrogance of the proud And abase the haughtiness of the ruthless.

The verse from Luke in our focal passage reminds us that putting our hopes in the things of this world is a hindrance to answered prayer. Arrogance can grow up in our heart if we come to the place of thinking that we can make it in this world without God. Money and material things can only go so far. It cannot purchase eternal life.

Matthew 16:26 (NASB) ²⁶ “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?

My prayer in response to the Word of God:

Our Father in heaven, my dear Father, I pray that I will learn how to guard my heart, and not trust in the things of the world.

Father, help me to never forget that I am not self-made. Rather, help me to know that I am God made, and for that, I am forever grateful.

Forever by Michael W. Smith (Click on link below to watch video):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lPdtqgouCc&feature=related

The Word of God says:

Isaiah 59:2 (AMP) ² But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear. “

My reflections on the Word of God:

Today we begin a new topic, “Hindrances to Answered Prayer”.  The above verse is the theme verse for this five-session topic. Dr. Woodrow Kroll, of the Back to the Bible radio ministry has said the following about this topic:

“The greatest hindrance to answered prayer is personal, unconfessed sin … The most certain way to make God unavailable to us when we seek Him is for us to harbor iniquity in our hearts.”

Psalm 66:18 (NASB) ¹⁸ If I regard wickedness in my heart, The Lord will not hear;

Proverbs 28:9 (NASB) ⁹ He who turns away his ear from listening to the law, Even his prayer is an abomination.

Psalm 119:11 (NASB) ¹¹ Your word I have treasured in my heart, That I may not sin against You.

My prayer in response to the Word of God:

Our Father in heaven, my dear Father, I confess that I am the revolter and that You are the rebuker. I pray that You would search my heart with Your eyes, and purify me of anything that You find in me that is not pleasing to You.

Give Us Clean Hands (Click on the link below to watch video of this song):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onGbkeWkA64&feature=related

The Word of God says:

Zechariah 12:10 (NASB) ¹⁰ “I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication …

My reflections on the Word of God:

Today we conclude our reflections on the topic, “Revival: The Fruit of Prayer”. One thing I know is that God is not lacking when it concerns His desire to open the windows of heaven, and shower His people with blessings.

His desire is that His people would hunger and thirst for righteousness. This is the thought revealed in this Word of the Lord from the prophet to the nation of Israel.

My prayer in response to the Word of God:

Our Father in heaven, I pray that You will teach us that all heaven sent revivals are the fruit of God’s people uniting and continuing in effective and fervent prayer.

Father God, I pray for an extraordinary outpouring of the Spirit of grace and supplication upon the Body of Christ that will know no borders that separate nations.

The Word of God says:

Luke 22:44 (NASB) ⁴⁴ And being in agony He was praying very fervently; and His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground.

Luke 22:44 (AMP) ⁴⁴ And being in an agony [of mind], He prayed [all the] more earnestly and intently, and His sweat became like great clots of blood dropping down upon the ground.

My reflections on the Word of God:

This scene from the Garden looks on the surface as being a terrible time in the life and ministry of Jesus. It has the signs of defeat. The disciples of Jesus were not standing with Him, but He was not alone.

It was the practice of Jesus to stay in touch with His Father through prayer. This was not something that Jesus did just when He was in trouble. The time He spent with the Father in prayer was as natural and regular as breathing.

Mark 1:35 (NASB) ³⁵ In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there.

Jesus in His ministry and in His time of deepest testing by Satan shows us the way to overcome, and faithfully fulfill our calling by God.

Luke 22:45-46 (NASB) ⁴⁵ When He rose from prayer, He came to the disciples and found them sleeping from sorrow,⁴⁶ and said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray that you may not enter into temptation.”

My prayer in response to the Word of God:

Our Father in heaven, I pray that prayer will become as natural and regular for me as it was in the life and ministry of Jesus.

Father God I thank You for the trials and tribulations in our lives that show us our weakness, and I praise and thank You for prayer that opens the door for us to receive the strength that we need to go through our troubles.

Father God, I thank You that we are never alone when we pray. We have a Father who welcomes our prayers. We have the Holy Spirit who helps us in our prayers. We have Jesus who makes access to God in prayer possible.

Sweet Hour of Prayer by George Beverly Shea (Click on link below):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQE98DDO6e0

The Word of God says:

Galatians 2:20 (NASB) ²⁰ “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

Galatians 2:20 (AMP) ²⁰ I have been crucified with Christ [in Him I have shared His crucifixion]; it is no longer I who live, but Christ (the Messiah) lives in me; and the life I now live in the body I live by faith in (by adherence to and reliance on and complete trust in) the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

My reflections on the Word of God:

Two things in our focal passage speak into my heart this morning. The first is how wonderful it is that Christ lives in me. The second is that to appropriate the power of Christ in me, I must live each day by faith in the Son of God.

How wonderful it is to know that I am never alone in this world. Everywhere I go, Christ goes with me. Everything I do, it is Christ doing it through me. I am weak and sometimes I get weary, but I can take comfort that it is not about me, but about Christ who lives in me.

How can all of this happen in my life and in your life? The answer is in the text, which says, “I live by faith in the Son of God”. Therefore, it is my faith in Christ that unlocks the power of Christ in my life.

My prayer in response to the Word of God:

Our Father in heaven, I pray that You will continue to stretch and strengthen my faith in Christ. Father God, it is so wonderful to know how much You love me, and how much You care for me, and all of Your believing and faithful children.

It is wonderful to know that the one who loved me enough to die for me also loves me enough to live His live through me. I am so grateful to Him, “who loved me and gave Himself up for me”.

Father God, I pray that, by faith in Christ, the prayers that come from our hearts to Your heart would be the prayers of Christ in us. Father, make us more and more like Jesus, our Savior.

He’s a Wonderful Savior to Me (Click on link below for lyrics and midi):

http://www.my.homewithgod.com/heavenlymidis2/wonderfulsavior.html

The Word of God says:

1 Kings 18:36-38 (NASB) ³⁶ At the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, Elijah the prophet came near and said, “O Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, today let it be known that You are God in Israel and that I am Your servant and I have done all these things at Your word.³⁷ “Answer me, O Lord, answer me, that this people may know that You, O Lord, are God, and that You have turned their heart back again.”³⁸ Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.

My reflections on the Word of God:

Some people then and some people today ask, “Where is God?” The prophet knew God, he knew God’s power, he did everything according to God’s Word, and he was a man who was faithful in prayer. Moreover, because he was faithful and persistent in prayer, God answered his prayer.

The God that Elijah prayed to in his day is still on His throne today. The question is not, “Where is God”? A better question is “Where are the Elijah’s?

1 Kings 18:37 (NASB) ³⁷ “Answer me, O Lord, answer me, that this people may know that You, O Lord, are God, and that You have turned their heart back again.”

The God who heard and answered Elijah’s prayer in His day will also hear and answer the prayers of His children today. God is still able to turn the hearts of His people back to Him.

My prayer in response to the Word of God:

Our Father in heaven, I pray that we will learn to do something more than just complain about the problems in the church and the problems in the world.

Father God, I pray that we will see our problems as raw material for You to perform a miracle in our hearts, in our churches, in our nation, and in the world.

We read and say we believe in the Bible. The Bible says that with God, nothing is impossible. Yet, we look at our world and we act as if the problems we face are impossible to solve

Lord, move in our hearts to turns us from complainers to people who believe in the sovereign God who can do the impossible, and who are faithful and persistent in prayer.

Only Believe, All Things Are Possible (Click on link below to watch video of this hymn):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wk0ofm4Hs7E

The Word of God says:

Zechariah 12:10 (NASB) ¹⁰ “I will pour out … on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication…

Isaiah 64:7 (AMP) ⁷ And no one calls on Your name and awakens and bestirs himself to take and keep hold of You; for You have hidden Your face from us and have delivered us into the [consuming] power of our iniquities.

My reflections on the Word of God:

Today we begin a new topic, “Revival: The Fruit of Prayer”, with our theme verse being the portion of the first verse listed above.

The prayer guide that I am using has the following quote by noted writer and prayer warrior Andrew Murray:

“An extraordinary spirit of prayer … will be one of the surest signs of approaching showers and floods of blessing… Every revival comes, as Pentecost came, as the fruit of united, continued prayer”.

Our focal verse for today’s reflection is the second verse listed above. I have heard many people talk about revival for many years. However, I have not seen in my lifetime but brief glimpses of a church wide or citywide evidence of showers and floods of blessings.

The question that I must confront is whether we, the people of God, have met the conditions for revival. Is the root of our problem prayerlessness and neglect of prayer? Have we met God’s conditional promise for revival?

2 Chronicles 7:14 (AMP) ¹⁴ If My people, who are called by My name, shall humble themselves, pray, seek, crave, and require of necessity My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.

My prayer in response to the Word of God:

Father God, our dear Father in heaven, I come with a bowed down head, and an open heart pleading that for Your glory that  You would send an extraordinary outpouring of the Spirit of prayer upon us who are called by the name “Christians”.

Lord God Almighty, will You send a revival, and let it begin in me. Lord, may we be willing to meet Your conditions for revival, unite in prayer, and continue in prayer until we see the evidence of a heaven sent Holy Spirit revival flood our churches and communities.

There Shall Be Showers of Blessings (Click on link below for lyrics and midi):

http://nethymnal.org/htm/t/h/thershow.htm

The Word of God says:

Matthew 11:29 (NASB) ²⁹ “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and You will find rest for your souls.

Matthew 11:29 (AMP) ²⁹ Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me, for I am gentle (meek) and humble (lowly) in heart, and you will find rest (relief and ease and refreshment and recreation and blessed quiet) for your souls.

My reflections on the Word of God:

Today we conclude our reflection on the topic “Seeking Meekness”. Jesus offers to His followers a way of life that it quite different then the religious people of that day offered to people. In the previous verse, Jesus offer is to “come to me”. The religious people said to the people “do”.

In our focal verse for today, Jesus said to the people, “Take My yoke”. The noted preacher and writer Warren Wiersbe says the following about this invitation of Jesus.

“When we come to Christ by faith, He gives us rest. When we take His yoke and learn, we find rest, that deeper rest of surrender and obedience.”

Romans 5:1 (NASB) ¹ Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,

Philippians 4:6-8 (NASB) ⁶ Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.⁷ And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.⁸ Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.

Our focus today is on the latter blessing of having the peace of God that comes from accepting the invitation of Jesus to “take My yoke”. To take the yoke of Christ is to become His disciple. To be a disciple of Christ means being a believer in Christ, and a follower of Christ. The faith in Christ that is genuine will also be obedient to Christ.

Zephaniah 2:3 (KJV) ^{3 …} seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the LORD’S anger.

My prayer in response to the Word of God:

Our Father in heaven, I pray that nothing that we face in this world would keep Your believing children from experiencing the peace of God in our lives.

Father God, I pray that we will find that in seeking to be gentle and meek is not weakness, but strength, and that it is not a burden, but a blessing.

Blessed Quietness (Click on link below for the lyrics and midi for this hymn):

http://library.timelesstruths.org/music/Blessed_Quietness/hifi/

The Word of God says:

Ephesians 4:1-3 (NASB) ¹ Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called,² with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love,³ being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

My reflections on the Word of God:

The above passage marks a transition by the Apostle Paul from doctrine to application. In the previous three chapters, Paul wrote about doctrine. The therefore, in chapter four verse one is there for pointing the readers back to what he has written about doctrine. This shows that what we believe matters. What you believe determines how you will walk (live) your life.

Our focus today is upon one of the three virtues that Paul mentions in this passage. We started last week reflecting upon the topic, “Seeking Meekness”. The virtue of meekness is one the three virtues that Paul implored the Body of Christ to have in their lives.

Ephesians 4:2 (AMP) ² Living as becomes you] with complete lowliness of mind (humility) and meekness (unselfishness, gentleness, mildness), with patience, bearing with one another and making allowances because you love one another.

To have unity in the church we need to have this virtue in our life. It is the middle ground between apathy and anger. Jesus had this virtue of meekness and gentleness. It is not a sign of weakness. Rather, it is a sign of power under control.

The scriptures describe and proscribe this virtue. Notice what the following scriptures say about meekness.

Galatians 5:23 (AMP) ²³ Gentleness (meekness, humility), self-control (self-restraint, continence). Against such things there is no law [that can bring a charge].

Galatians 6:1 (NIV) ¹ Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted.

2 Timothy 2:25 (NIV) ²⁵ Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth,

Colossians 3:12 (NIV) ¹² Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

My prayer in response to the Word of God:

Our Father in heaven, I pray that You will give this virtue of meekness to Your people. Father God, we know that if we are to be imitators of Jesus, we must learn to be meek and gentle like our Savior was.

Father, give us the strength to be able to be forbearing in dealing with people. Help us to learn to speak the truth in love to friends and foes alike without becoming irritated or angered. Help us live out the covenant that says, “to be slow to take offense, but always ready for reconciliation”.

Love Like No Other (Click on link below for the lyrics and the MP 3):

http://songsofpraise.org/song.php?songid=394

The Word of God says:

Philippians 4:5 (NASB) ⁵ Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near.

2 Timothy 2:25 (NASB) ²⁵ with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth,

My reflections on the Word of God:

In the world we will encounter people that we disagree with, this even happens in the church among believers. A gentle spirit will enable you to have unity in spite of your differences.

God’s amazing grace is sufficient to enable you to worship, and serve with people in the church. However, it extends further. A gentle spirit will enable you to deal with problem people in the church or outside the church.

To live and work among people you need patience and a strong heart because people are not perfect. However, you can depend upon the Lord to supply every need you have by His grace and mercy.

James 5:8 (NASB) ⁸ You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near.

My prayer in response to the Word of God:

Our Father in heaven, I pray that You will give to Your people an abundant supply of Your sufficient and sustaining grace to enable us to be gentle in all of our relationships.

Father God, help and enable us by Your almighty power to be patient with people because there is none among us that is perfect.

Give us strength where we are weak, and build us up where life has beaten us down. Lord, just give us more grace so that we might finish the race of life strong.

Center of My Heart (Click on link below to listen to this song):

http://songsofpraise.org/song.php?songid=393