18 Reasons For Unanswered Prayer

Eternity Online: John Edmiston (Editor)

Eternity-Inspiration for Friday  7th November 1997

(James 1:5-8 NKJV) 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. {6} 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. {7} For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; {8} he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

1.  Spiritual sins - doubt, hypocrisy, pride, flippancy etc
2.  Poor relationships -rudeness, unforgiveness, malice, anger,
    wrath, divisiveness.
3.  Major sin - things categorised as "doing evil" (1 Cor 6:9,10) 
4.  Praying amiss- lack of persistence, not fasting, not using Jesus'
    name etc. 

These form the basis for the following 18 reasons. You will generally 
find the solutions close by! Use it as your Bible study today.

James 1:5-8  Doubting God
                                                        
James 4:2  Not asking God in the first place but trying to           
obtain it by quarreling.                                          
               
James 4:3  Asking wrongly e.g for worldly pleasures.
                                                          
1 Peter 3:7 Treating your wife in an inconsiderate manner.                                                          

1 Peter 3:12   Doing evil
                                                          
1 Peter 4:7  A flippant attitude to holy things.
                                                         
Matthew  6:5,6    Hypocritical attention-seeking.
                                                        
Matthew 6:5  Using vain repetition (e.g. like Buddhist 
prayer  wheels etc).
                                                         
Matthew 18:19  Lack of unity.                       

Mark 9:29  Some situations need fasting as well.
                                                        
Mark  11:25,26   Unforgiveness
                                                        
Luke 18:1ff   Lack of persistence
                                                         
Luke 18:10 ff   Spiritual pride
                                                        
1 Timothy  2:8  Wrath/anger

1 John 5:14   Not according to God's will (God's broad moral         
will is meant here)                                             
           
John 15:7   An erratic life that seldom "abides" in God.             
                                          
John  14:13,14    Not asking "in Jesus name" i.e asking 
in the will and clear purposes of Jesus and with His designated 
authority.                                                          

John  16:26,27    Not believing in Jesus.  

Lord we are so weak in many ways. Forgive us our sins and clear us of guilt in our praying. If it was not for Jesus we would not be heard at all. Teach us to pray in ways that are good and acceptable so that we may be heard before Your throne and be answered swiftly. Amen.