Prayer Killers
Monday, April 27th, 2009For me, prayer is hard work! Yeah, I’m a pastor and I know some think that pastors have this spirituality thing all together. It’s just not true. We struggle like everyone else. Some of the struggles you have staying connected to God through prayer, pastors have them too. Can I be honest with you? You know, sometimes my prayer life sucks! It’s not God’s fault; it’s mine. Sometimes, my prayer life is not as effective as it should be or can be because prayer killers are living large in my life, snuffing out, drowning, and suffocating, picking off my pleas and cries to my heavenly Father. The following list identifies the most common prayer killers in a believer’s life.
1. Unconfessed sins (Psalm 66:18) – So confess
2. Lack of faith (Mark 6:1-6) – So trust
3. Disobedience (1 John 3:21-22) – So obey
4. Lack of transparency with others (James 5:16) – So risk
5. Failure to forgive (Matthew 18:21-22) – So forgive
6. Failure to pray (James 4:2-3) - So pray
7. Selfish motives when we pray (James 4:3) - So scrutinize
8. Setting up Idols in our lives (Ezekiel 14:3) – So destroy
9. Unresolved conflict (1 Peter 3:7) - So get it straight
10. Ignoring God’s complete control (Jeremiah 1:5) - So rest
11. Stubborn will (Psalm 139:22-24) - So surrender
My prayers tend to be picked off by the snipers and assassins of lack of faith, prayerlessness, wrong/selfish motives, and a stubborn will. Now, it’s your turn. Look over the list again. Which ones tend to cause problems in your prayer life most frequently? What things have you done to prevent your prayer life from falling prey to prayer killers?
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