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In John Maxwell's book "Partners in Prayer," he describes 10 common hindrances (obstacles) to prayer.
 Unconfessed Sin
| | When we confess sin God forgives it ... For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more. If you have confessed and surrendered a sin to God and continue to sense accusation toward yourself for that sin, it is not God’s voice you are hearing. It is Satan, the accuser, attacking you (Jeremiah 34:34). Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness. Make sure you are not in the darkness (1 John 1:9).
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Lack of Faith | | If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double minded man, unstable in all he does. Faith is really and issue of trust (James 1:5-8). |
Disobedience | | If we are to grow in our relationship with God, we must learn to obey. | Lack of Transparency with God and with Others | | Need to confess our sins. Our transparency helps others, because it shows them that they are not alone in their difficulties. | Unforgiveness | | Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, ‘Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?’ Jesus answered, ‘I tell you not seven times, but seventy-seven times. The Holy Spirit who empowers us to forgive (Matthew 18:21-22). For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins (Matthew 6:14-15). | Wrong Motives | | Two things that quickly expose wrong motives:
- A project greater than ourselves.
- Prayer - God shows us when we pray what our motives are, we must listen
| Idols in Our Lives | | An idol is any thing in our life that comes between us and God. Would we be willing to give this up if God asked us to? | Disregard for Others | | A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another (John 13:34). | Disregard for God's Sovereignty Unsurrendered Will | | We must surrender our will to God’s will. |
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