School of Prayer 7 – Hindrances in Prayer

[00:00:00] We have been, as you know, having a school of prayer this last week, and there were one or two matters that we were unable to touch upon. And there is one particular matter that I would like this morning to take up. It is the matter of hindrances in prayer. Hindrances in prayer. [00:00:24] I think it's something that we need to look at and look at squarely as to why so often our prayer is hindered when we meet together as the people of God. [00:00:40] And you must remember that doesnt necessarily mean, when we say prayer is hindered, that there is not much petition and many words in a time of prayer. But there really nothing happens. [00:00:55] The laodicean church undoubtedly rumbled on after our Lord's word to it. I expect they had their Bible studies and their outreach and their times around the Lord's table and their prayer meetings and their Bible teaching and all the rest of it. It would have only been those who were very alive to the Lord and sensitive to the spirit of God who would have seen that the lampstand had gone. [00:01:22] The thing just went on outwardly, as it always had done, but the anointing had departed, and with it had gone the testimony of Jesus. Now, the first thing we just say about this matter of prayer, of course, for those of you who have not been in the school of prayer, I can only suggest you listen to the tapes. [00:01:44] The first thing I just want to mention is found in Colossians two and verse 19. And it is just the basic principles. Not holding fast the head, from whom all the body being supplied and knit together through the joints and bands, increaseth in the increase of God. Now, of course, this is a general principle of the church. This isn't just to do with prayer at all. It is to do with our standing in Christ, that as we hold fast the head, then we discover the body. You never discover the body by trying to hold fast the body. If you try to hold fast the body, the whole matter of the church, its nature, the teaching concerning it, the truth thats contained in it, and so on, we will all go off the rails. And it is very, very interesting that every single movement of the spirit of God which has gone off the rails has in fact, adopted this principle whereby we all sort of hold to one another. We hold to a teaching. Instead of holding fast ahead, when every member holds fast the head, then we discover the body holding fast the head, from whom all the body being supplied and knit together through the joints and bands, increases with the increase of God. [00:03:10] I believe that corporate prayer illustrates perhaps more than any other aspect of the life of God's people. This principle, for you can tell in the time of prayer just how healthy the body is. In other words, if it is functioning, if there really is direction, if there really is an anointing, if there really is harmony, if there really is cohesion, if there really is, as it were, from the head direction going out to the body and through the body for the increase of the whole. You see it more clearly in prayer than in any other time. [00:03:58] Because in prayer, really, the whole principle of corporate prayer is mutuality or togetherness. We belong, we are one body in Christ. We belong to Christ and to one another. And therefore our times of corporate prayer are to be the expression of the burden, the mind, the will, and the design of the head. [00:04:21] Now, we've seen that, I believe in some little way, at least in this time of prayer, in this school of prayer, that really what the Lord is seeking to teach us is that a prayer time is not just a time where we come with our own little burdens and our own little petitions, and we all sort of do our own little bit. And having done our duty, we feel relieved. [00:04:47] A time of prayer is really an expression of the one spirit indwelling all the members of the body and transmitting to all the members of the body the burden and the will of the head. [00:05:06] Thats what it means in those verses that weve quoted again and again in Matthew 1819 and 20 again I say unto you, if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them. Of my father who is in heaven. What a promise. It would almost seem that we can just decide what we will ask. And the idea is, if we agree to agree and then we ask, we'll get it. And many tragedies come along that way, because people don't get what they ask. They have agreed to agree, and then they ask and they don't get. So they begin to wonder what's wrong with the scripture, what's wrong with God, wonder what's wrong with us. [00:05:50] But in actual fact, it doesn't say that. Listen, again, I say unto you, that if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my father who is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together into my name, there am I in the midst. In other words, this agreement, it comes out of the risen Lord in the midst, transmitting by his spirit his burden, transmitting his mind, transmitting his will, to the members of his body, because we're gathered into his name, we are in his body, and as we agree, are agreed, as it were, by the spirit, then those burdens which are really our risen heads, burdens come out through our lips, and when they come out through our lips, and there is that witness in the mouth of more than two, then heaven moves. Now I say that prayer becomes a thrilling thing when it's like that. And that's why I read this scripture, holding fast the head, from whom all the body being supplied and knit together through that which every band, what is it? Through the joints and bands, increaseth with the increase of God. There is a supply. There's no need to be afraid in a time of prayer when the enemy is sitting on us, when, as I said, we wrestle not against flesh and blood sitting on top of us, or twisting our corporate arm, as it were, up our back, or nearly pulling our leg out of joint. The fact of the matter is that if we hold fast ahead, there is a supply, there's equipment, there are gifts, there is a manifestation of the spirit which can be given to us, which can keep us on course, keep us specific, keep us absolutely the edge of our prayer sharp. [00:07:44] Whereas so often one feels in our prayer times, much as we've learned through prayer, through the years and the triumphs we've seen of the grace of God in answer to prayer, we must still say that sometimes, oh, the edge is so blunted. We go rumbling on and on and on and on, because we don't see that we are a body. [00:08:07] We're not just so many individuals there, just sort of uttering our own thing, but we're under the direction of the spirit of God, so that the risen head can make known his mind. Now, what are some of the hindrances that we find in this matter of prayer? Because if you see that it is a matter of being one body in Christ and the expression of our risen head through the spirit, then the whole object of Satan is to paralyze the effectiveness of that prayer time by destroying our connection with the Lord and with one another. [00:08:57] Well, there's one or two things that I think we could just touch on, and we can only touch on them very briefly. But if you've got a pencil or a pen and you want to put these down, put them down. The first thing I want to say is unforgiveness. [00:09:10] Now, let me be quite clear on this matter. If any believer, whoever he is or whoever she is, has or whatever background they have, however wonderfully they've been saved however marvelously they've been anointed with the spirit of God, if they have unforgiveness in their heart, their prayer doesn't mean a single thing. [00:09:34] It goes not beyond the ceiling. [00:09:38] Listen to the words of our Lord Jesus Christ in Matthew six. This is what he says. Matthew six, verse 14 and 15. If ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly father will also forgive you. But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your father forgive you. [00:10:01] In other words, there is a blockage God holds back. Now, don't try to tell me that. Oh, no, no, surely not. God said this. [00:10:11] Do you know that in every time we have the record of the pattern prayer given, the Lord Jesus never emphasized some of the tremendous matters in that prayer, like thy kingdom come, thy will be done as in heaven, so on earth, or even give us this day our daily bread. [00:10:28] This is the thing he took. He said, for if ye forgive not men their testimony, neither will your father forgive you. Will you notice? He says men, he includes the whole world? Now please get this clear. It's not a question of being believers. He didn't just say, if you do not forgive your brothers and sisters, neither will your heavenly father forgive you. [00:10:52] He said, if you forgive men now, that means the world. Now there may be someone that we cannot forgive or will not forgive. [00:11:02] If there is someone we cannot forgive or will not forgive, our prayer life is destroyed. [00:11:09] There is a shadow on it from the very beginning. Some people have parents who they feel did them injury, and they have such bitterness towards their parents and it hinders prayer and it hinders corporate prayer life. [00:11:23] You notice how our lord puts it first in the positive, then in the negative. For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly father will also forgive you. But if ye forgive nothing, men, not their trespasses, neither will your heavenly Father forgive you. Could the Lord make it more clear? [00:11:39] Now, here we have three realms. Then we have the world, the church and the family. [00:11:46] In other words, if there is someone in the world, we are not forgiving our prayer. Our prayer life is going to be hindered. And since we are members of one body of Christ, we hinder the whole. [00:12:00] There may be people in the church. You see, people sort of think, I'm going to leave such and such a group. I can't bear them. [00:12:07] And then they come here or somewhere else and they say, well, I feel so happy here. It's not long, by the way, when you've had trouble somewhere else, before long, you'll have troubles. Here you carry your problems with you, like Jacob, ran away to Laban, and then he got Laban for 21 years. Never mind. The fact of the matter is that you never ever lose your problems. You carry them with you for essentially they're inside. Now, you may say, ah, but there's not a person in this room that I have any problem with. Yes, but are there other members of Christ's body that you have problems with? [00:12:48] Now there I realize this. [00:12:51] There may be people who have problems with you, and you have done every single thing to be right with them. I understand that entirely. There comes a point when you can do no more but walk before God. [00:13:07] But it takes two to make division. [00:13:12] It takes two to make division. And our Lord Jesus said, how, when Peter said, how many times shall I forgive? [00:13:20] 70 times multiplied by seven, thats how much you shall forgive. Our Lord said, now you remember that. [00:13:31] And perhaps some of you feel youve already done that lot. [00:13:36] And I will remind you that when our Lord said that, he meant infinite fullness of forgiveness. He took the figure seven and multiplied it and said, infinite forgiveness. No end to it. No end to it. Oh, dear, dear child of God, I can't stay long on this point and we won't get to the others. But the fact of the matter is that, you see, unforgiveness and unforgiving spirit in any single member of the body of Christ will paralyze the effectiveness of our corporate prayer. [00:14:09] Not only the church and the world, but the family. Ah, there are many, many problems in families, too. People don't just live together. Even people who love each other, they can't just live together all that easy. What a lot of forgiveness there has to be. What a lot of understanding there has to be. Remember, an unforgiving spirit destroys anything. But a forgiving spirit brings you into a deeper union with your lord. Every time you forgive, you are just like your lord. It's as if you and he get together more closely than ever. He says, this is me in you. [00:14:48] Every time you lay down your rights and you just surrender everything and go through, you find that you've got more of the Lord. For if ye forgive men, there it is. So also will your father forgive you. Right now here comes a second thing, and that is the matter of unconfessed sin. I will only touch on this, but it's a very real thing. Psalm 66, psalm 66, and verse 18, psalm 60 618. [00:15:21] If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear unconfessed sin. Oh, how wonderful it is that we have such a salvation that all our sin can be forgiven. [00:15:38] But unconfessed sin is not cleared. [00:15:44] David who knew very much about the forgiveness of God says in one place, whilst I hid it in my heart, my bones burned. [00:15:56] Unconfessed sin. You know, we've only got to bring it out into the open and get rid of it. [00:16:03] But where there is sin in the camp it is like the things that Achan buried under his tent. [00:16:10] Only God sees it. But it brings about the defeat of the whole people of God. [00:16:17] The whole nation is defeated because of unconfessed sin. So here is another thing that we have to say about corporate prayer. Unconfessed, unrenounced sin. Its not only got to be confessed, it has to be renounced. And when its confessed and renounced, then theres a clear way with the Lord. Here is a third thing that we want to mention and that is unbelief and disbelief. Hebrews chapter four puts it like this, verse two. For indeed we've had good tidings preached unto us even as also they. But the word of hearing did not profit them because it was not united by faith with them that heard. Now here's a rather interesting point that you see there can come a point where we just disbelieve. Now I believe this happens again and again in prayer. You know, when we're facing some problem, sometimes we just disbelieve. [00:17:29] Our hearts just don't rise to it. We just can't accept it. We're praying for some big thing. [00:17:36] No, never be, never be. [00:17:42] You know, we're praying for some healing and just because we've had one or two problems with healing perhaps, or have been in touch with one or two, we sort of begin to get a kind of almost cynical approach. [00:17:56] Or perhaps there's some other line we can almost. It's an evil heart of unbelief. [00:18:08] Well, we can spend an hour with lots and lots of words packed into the hour. But if there's an evil heart of unbelief, the time is effectively paralyzed. [00:18:23] That's where we need this manifestation of the spirit in the gift of faith. [00:18:29] What a wonderful thing it is when we're praying and we all feel a bit heavy and there's obviously heart of unbelief. And by the way, let me say this straight away against myself, that so often this evil heart of unbelief is in the leadership. [00:18:47] The enemy knows exactly where to get. We who know most can often be the most cynical because we are always having the problems brought to us from all over the place. [00:18:59] And after a while we begin to wonder, does anything ever happen? [00:19:04] And then, thank God, it does happen. [00:19:07] Let me remind you, dear children of God, that when the church prayed, Peter was released by the ministry of an angel and James went out to have his head chopped off. [00:19:19] Now, is anyone going to tell me that there were no angels with James? [00:19:24] I think James had a thousand angels. Peter only had one. [00:19:29] But Peter's one angel was obviously visible. [00:19:33] James thousand were invisible. But they supported him right through his martyrdom and brought him with an abundant entrance into the kingdom of God. [00:19:46] The fact of the matter is this, that we might say what went wrong with our faith. There we all were in the upper room praying, our knees off, taking hold of the lawn. And then Peter got out and James got beheaded. How come an angel went and got and got Peter out and not James? Isn't this true? Again and again and again some people come out with the most marvelous stories, like Geoffrey Bull and brother von Brunt and many others. They come out with amazing stories and others have been martyred. [00:20:24] One day when the whole story is told, those who went through their martyrdom or apparently never knew an answer to their appeal to God will have had as great a story of the triumph of faith as those who apparently saw a tremendous miracle. [00:20:45] Now, we have to say this. You see that on the one hand we see these things, but, you know, it can come to us in an evil heart of our believe. What a wonderful thing it is when we're in a time of prayer and suddenly some little member of the family, not perhaps very significant or sort of very well read, suddenly comes in with faith. [00:21:05] Well, I find my heart lifted up as soon as it's not just sentiment but really as the spirit of God, I find something in me says, yes, that's right, and immediately I'm out of my own unbelief. [00:21:16] That's why we need each other. You see, we've all got the idea that if God's going to do anything, he'll only do it through leadership. You know, the more responsible you are, then the more God will do it. Believe me, sometimes we responsible people are the heaviest weight of all in any time. And have you noticed that the Lord sometimes manifests himself almost with humor in the most unusual sources we've had, that I could keep you here for an hour or two talking about times in the past where people have come to us and said, do you know, while we were praying, I thought they'd hit a nail right on the head. [00:21:53] Never been to university, never been to college. [00:21:56] Very simple. But they've got hold of something. They had a word of wisdom or a word of knowledge. They've actually got the key to the whole situation. You wonder, well, what were we all doing? [00:22:06] And then you suddenly remember that the Lord has tempered the body so that those parts that seem to be more important are in fact absolutely dependent upon those parts of the body which don't seem to be very important. [00:22:21] So remember that anyway, it can be an evil heart of unbelief. We listen to things and in our heart we say, never, never, never. No, never. It will never happen. [00:22:33] That's another thing that can stop prayer. Hinder prayer. And then here's another. Husband and wife relationships. [00:22:46] If you turn to one, Peter, chapter three and verse seven, there is a very interesting word here. And I think it's interesting that the word of God should centre upon husband and wife relationships. Well, I suppose it's because really, so often it is just in really having to live together, so many of our problems come. Here it is, ye husbands, in like manner dwell with your wives according to knowledge, giving honour unto the woman as unto the weaker vessel, as being also jointly heirs of the grace of life. To the end that your prayers be not hindered. [00:23:22] Now, is that not a most remarkable verse? To the end that your prayers be not hindered. [00:23:31] And what does it say, ye husbands, in like manner dwell with your wives according to knowledge. What does it mean according to knowledge? [00:23:39] Knowledge is the fact. [00:23:41] Well, then, what does it mean? Dwell with your wives according to the facts. [00:23:47] I suppose it means that there must be times when you've got to show a lot of understanding. Your wife's a volatile person. That's one of the facts. [00:23:56] Dwell with her according to that fact. [00:23:59] If your wife happens to be more phlegmatic, well, accept that fact. [00:24:06] There are that according to knowledge, according to understanding her position in the Lord, the Lord has received her, so you must receive her. And then will you also notice here that it says, giving honour as unto the weaker vessel. No women's lib here. [00:24:23] Unto the woman as unto the weaker vessel. Now, don't argue with me. This is the scripture. [00:24:30] I have my own problems on this matter. [00:24:35] I have to say that as in all things, one has to take it by faith. Because some ladies appear to me to be anything but the weaker vessel. [00:24:46] Physically, mentally, spiritually. They appear to me to be extremely strong, some of them. [00:24:53] But the word of God says, as unto the weaker vessel. [00:24:59] And it really simply means that the lady is built on a different principle to the man. Whatever all this new teaching says, the fact of the matter is that men and women, though equal in the sight of God and of equal value and equal in the ministry, that each performs complementary to each other, yet are entirely different in the principles upon which they are built, mentally as well as physically. After all, up to now, no man has ever given birth to a child. [00:25:41] The fact of the matter is that women are different. [00:25:44] And you can go on yapping about unisex till you're blue in the face, and I'll believe it when a man gives birth to a child. [00:25:54] When that happens, you have converted me, so come to me on that occasion. [00:26:02] The fact of the matter is that whilst the scripture is very clear about the place of women and their function as ruling the household, ruling the household? Men should not put their nose in the matter of ruling the household. The scripture says, good wife should rule a household. It says in proverbs 31 about the blessed wife. How marvelous she is. She buys and sells a field. Some husbands wouldn't hear of it, but she buys and sells a field. She spins, goes down and sells it. Gets in a bit of cash on the side, carpets, the whole house. I mean. I mean, no wonder many wives feel like dying when they see this ideal in proverbs 31. But believe me, if believers had only taught what the scripture has to say about the function of the wife, there would be no problem. Its because of this awful, twisted, evil thing thats come in that makes a woman some kind of chattel. There is no such thing in the scripture as a woman being a chattel. [00:27:13] Male and female created he them in the image of God. That is the first word on this matter in the Bible. Male and female created them. Now, theyre still coming back to the point. [00:27:25] There still is fact that the woman is the weaker vessel, and the man is to honor her as the weaker vessel, being joint heirs of the grace. So no man can say, look here, I'm the one who gives life. I'm the one who is, as it were, the source of life. It's his joint heirs. After all, any woman ought with sense, can come back on that and say, you wouldn't be here but for a woman. [00:27:57] The fact of the matter is, we are joint heirs of life. Now then comes this last little statement which is so important that your prayers be not hindered. [00:28:14] I believe in these days in which we're living, in which family life is being subjected to such an onslaught from every angle. [00:28:25] We need, above everything else, to cover all those families in our midst, every husband every wife ought to get together before the Lord every day. [00:28:41] There ought to be somewhere, some family altar where both of you worship the Lord. And where there are problems, they can be sorted out. That your prayers be not hindered. [00:28:54] It always takes two to create a problem when it hinders prayer. [00:29:04] Well, then, lastly, the only other thing I have to say is the last thing that hinders a corporate prayer is disharmony. [00:29:16] And I suppose were all subject to that. It says in Philippians chapter one and verse 27, only, let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, that whether I come and see you or be absent, I may hear of your state that ye stand fast in one spirit with one soul striving for the faith of the gospel. Now, this is interesting. It not only says one spirit, but one soul. Now, if it is difficult for us to take the position that we are one spirit, and that is our position in the Lord, we are one body in Christ, one spirit. [00:29:57] By the one spirit, weve all been baptized into the one body. How much more difficult is it for us to be of one soul? Its there that all the disharmonies come. Its there that all the cross currents begin. Sometimes I feel, you know, whenever we have one of these schools of prayer in different places, I'm not always, because I don't know the company so in, on the cross currents, but, oh, every time there are all these things that start to come up within that will effectively destroy any real prayer. [00:30:35] And, you know, for the most part, they are the silliest little things you can ever imagine. [00:30:43] People start to get irritated with one another and old wounds get opened up, and then something else is done, something else is said, and before you know where you are, there you are all seeking the Lord about some important matter. And there are so many cross currents that the holy Spirit has to spend three quarters of the time trying to sort out the cross currents. [00:31:10] We do need very, very much to take our position in the Lord. Hold fast the head. We cant hold fast the head and not really get into a right relationship with one another, can we? [00:31:25] May the Lord help us in these things? [00:31:28] Because prayer is not a devotional exercise. [00:31:35] Prayer is a strategic, a strategic and vital ministry of the church of God. And if the enemy can come in and by one means or another undermine the effectiveness of that ministry, he has, in fact, wonderful the major battle for the life of that church. [00:32:05] Before long, that whole company of God's children will come into more and more and more serious problem, because the evil one has paralyzed the effectiveness of corporate prayer. May the Lord teach us very simply these lessons, and may we know something of what it is to really hold fast the head from whom the whole body is joined. [00:32:47] Now, Lord, we pray together that thou wilt thyself. Write something of this on our hearts. [00:32:54] Lord, we pray that those who do not need any particular aspect of this will not stick with it in a wrong way. Thou knowest the work of the enemy in this matter. But, Lord, we pray that every one of us, where there is some part of what has been said this morning from thy word is applicable. Lord, we pray that thou wilt thyself. [00:33:18] See to it, Lord, that that thing becomes flesh and blood in us. [00:33:23] We want to be a people where all the weights have been laid aside so that we can run the race that is set before us. We want to be a people, Lord, who can really fulfill this ministry in prayer that will touch the things unseen. And therefore, in the end, everything that is seen, Lord, help us. We pray, as we now commit ourselves to thee in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.