As we continue our discussion on unanswered prayer we recognize that unconfessed sin puts a barrier between us and God. This may be the most difficult reason that I do not want to hear. We worship a God of grace, but we should not expect him to bless and encourage our rebellion.
You ask for God's blessings in the area of your finances and yet you don't bring the tithe to the storehouse, your spending is out of control, you are racking up large amounts of consumer debt. How can God bless that which you are not honoring him with?
You ask for God's help in a difficult relationship. Yet, you don't extend forgiveness to the other person. You insist on winning every argument with them. You are waiting for them to bend to your wishes and desires. You want them to make the first move towards reconciliation. You have not extended to them the same grace that God extends you. How can God bless areas of our lives where we have ignored his instruction?
You want God to bless your work. Yet, you do as little as is acceptable by the boss and seek to get away with what you can get away with. You do not work as if you are working for the Lord, but you are working for the weekend, for money, or for the promotion. What is worse is that we would compromise our Christian values and ethics to get the sale or seal the deal. For us workaholic types, we might tend to neglect the Sabbath. How can we expect God to bless our work or our business when we compromise the standards he sets for us?
Yes, sometimes God's answer is for us to confess our sins (admit to God we are wrong) and repent of our sin (turn the other direction). God's slowness in responding is not as much about God being slow as much as it is in our slowness to deal with the sin that is in our lives and live in faithful obedience.
God's answer to our prayers comes as we live in faith. We trust his Word for what it has to say about every area of life, whether it is stewardship, relationships, work, or whatever. Living in faith is not about doing the easy thing. Often times it is about doing the difficult thing, the counter-cultural thing that is the right thing. Sometimes it is saying no to worldly gain and success for eternal treasure.
Have a great week. Readings next week:
| 02 | Ezekiel 3:16-6:14 Hebrews 4:1-16 Psalm 104:24-35 Proverbs 26:27 | |||
| 03 | Ezekiel 7:1-9:11 Hebrews 5:1-14 Psalm 105:1-15 Proverbs 26:28 | 04 | Ezekiel 10:1-11:25 Hebrews 6:1-20 Psalm 105:16-36 Proverbs 27:1-2 | |
| 05 | Ezekiel 12:1-14:11 Hebrews 7:1-17 Psalm 105:37-45 Proverbs 27:3 | 06 | Ezekiel 14:12-16:41 Hebrews 7:18-28 Psalm 106:1-12 Proverbs 27:4-6 | |
| 07 | Ezekiel 16:42-17:24 Hebrews 8:1-13 Psalm 106:13-31 Proverbs 27:7-9 | 08 | Ezekiel 18:1-19:14 Hebrews 9:1-10 Psalm 106:32-48 Proverbs 27:10 |
No comments:
Post a Comment