I. Introduction

A. Illustration – Have you ever wondered why God doesn’t answer some prayers but others He moves powerfully on? It sometimes seems like God plays favorites, doesn’t it? In reality He doesn’t play favorites, but we still struggle with seeming contradictions in what the Bible says about God answering prayer.

B. Psalm 106:23 says, So he declared he would destroy them. But Moses, his chosen one, stepped between the Lord and the people. He begged him to turn from his anger and not destroy them.

C. Matthew 7:7-11 – “Keep on asking, and you will be given what you ask for. Keep on looking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened. 8 For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And the door is opened to everyone who knocks. 9 You parents-if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? 10 Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! 11 If you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him.”

D. On the other hand, we have Psalm 18:41 – They called for help, but no one came to rescue them. They cried to the Lord, but he refused to answer them. And Ezekiel 8:18 – Therefore I will deal with them in fury. I will neither pity nor spare them. And those they scream for mercy, I will not listen. So what is it that causes some prayers to be answered and some to be ignored by God? Here are twelve things, a dirty dozen that Dee Duke taught me about, that can stand in the way of your prayers being answered.

II. The Dirty Dozen

A. First, Jesus is not Lord of your life. John 14:13-14 – “You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, because the work of the Son brings glory to the Father. 14 Yes, ask anything in my name, and I will do it!” As we’ve learned before, asking in Jesus’ name is the same thing as asking according to His character, and we can’t ask according to His character unless we are submitted to Him as Lord. John 6:38 – “For I have come down from heaven to do the will of God who sent me, not to do what I want.” When we are submitted to Jesus as the Lord of our life, then in all of our prayers we will ask for God’s will to be done. But you have to be submitted to Him as Lord of your life. In Luke 6:46-49, Jesus says, “So why do you call me ‘Lord,’ when you won’t obey me? 47 I will show you what it’s like when someone comes to me, listens to my teaching, and then obeys me. 48 It is like a person who builds a house on a strong foundation laid upon the underlying rock. When the floodwaters rise and break against the house, it stands firm because it is well built. 49 But anyone who listens and doesn’t obey is like a person who builds a house without a foundation. When the floods sweep down against that house, it will crumble into a heap of ruins.” And in Luke 9:23, Jesus said, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross daily, and follow me.” Your prayers will not be answered if Jesus is not Lord of your life.

B. Second, you have not confessed the sin that is in your life. Isaiah 59:1-2 – Listen! The Lord is not too weak to save you, and he is not becoming deaf. He can hear you when you call. 2 But there is a problem – your sins have cut you off from God. Because of your sin, he has turned away and will not listen anymore. Proverbs 15:29 – The Lord is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayers of the righteous. Micah 3:4 – Then you beg the Lord for help in times of trouble! Do you really expect him to listen? After all the evil you have done, he won’t even look at you! Sin always separates us from God. Sin is the only thing that can separate us from God, and since God can’t sin we’ve got to take care of ours. But if we do, He will forgive us and answer our prayers. 1 John 1:9 – But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong. When your sins aren’t forgiven, God absolutely will not answer your prayers, and the only way they can’t be forgiven is if you haven’t confessed them and repented of them. Your prayers will not be answered if you have not confessed the sin that is in your life.

C. Third, you are not forgiving others of their offenses against you. Matthew 6:14-15 – “If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. 15 But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.” Sounds harsh! But if we don’t forgive others we’re being harsh to them! Mark 11:25-26 – “But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too. 26 But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your sins.” If you are not forgiving others of their offenses against you, your prayers will not be answered.

D. Fourth, you are not reading the Bible enough. John 15:7 – “But if you stay joined to me and my words remain in you, you may ask any request you like, and it will be granted!” Jesus, in plain terms, is telling us that our prayers will not be answered if we are not spending enough time in God’s Word that it constantly remains in us and on our minds. Colossians 3:16 – Let the words of Christ, in all their richness, live in your hearts and make you wise. Proverbs 28:9 – The prayers of a person who ignores the law are despised. Now the author isn’t talking about the legal system – he’s talking about God’s laws, which are contained in the Bible. Zechariah 7:11-13 carries a stern warning about those who don’t spend enough time in God’s Word. “Your ancestors would not listen to this message. They turned stubbornly away and put their fingers in their ears to keep them from hearing. 12 They made their hearts as heart as stone, so they could not hear the law or the messages that the Lord Almighty had sent them by his Spirit through the earlier prophets. That is why the Lord Almighty was so angry with them. 13 Since they refused to listen when I called to them, I would not listen when they called to me, says the Lord Almighty.” We know God and His will in large part through spending time reading and studying His Word, the Bible. As Zechariah warned us, your prayers will not be answered if you are not reading the Bible enough.

E.Fifth, you are not being a good husband or wife. 1 Peter 3:7 says, In the same way, you husbands must give honor to your wives. Treat her with understanding as you live together. She may be weaker than you are, but she is your equal partner in God’s gift of new life. If you don’t treat her as you should, your prayers will not be heard. Now I don’t know about you, but when Kim and I aren’t getting along I don’t really want to pray. But I also know that my attitude about prayer as a whole is much different when my attitude toward Kim is good than when it isn’t. The same thing is true for her. God requires us to live in mutual submission, and when we’re not doing that, He’s not too interested in what we have to say. Your prayers will not be answered if you’re not being a good husband or wife.

F. Sixth, you are not praying enough. Luke 18:1-7 – One day Jesus told his disciples a story to illustrate their need for constant prayer and to show them that they must never give up. 2 “There was a certain judge in a certain city,” he said, “who was a godless man with great contempt for everyone. 3 A widow of that city came to him repeatedly, appealing for justice against someone who had harmed her. 4 The judge ignored her for a while, but eventually she wore him out. ‘I fear neither God nor man,’ he said to himself, 5 ‘but this woman is driving me crazy. I’m going to see that she gets justice, because she is wearing me out with her constant requests!’” 6 Then the Lord said, “Learn a lesson from this evil judge. 7 Even he rendered a just decision in the end, so don’t you think God will surely give justice to his chosen people who plead with him day and night? Will he keep putting them off?” The answer, of course, is that yes, He will answer persistent prayer. So often we pray for a short time, and then we give up. Jesus is saying that we’ve got to keep at it, not because God doesn’t hear, but because He needs to change us through the process of our praying to Him. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 says, Keep on praying. In other translations, it reads for us to pray without ceasing. God wants to teach us through our persistence in prayer, and He can’t do it if we don’t pray enough. Your prayers will not be answered if you are not praying enough.

G. Seventh, you are not grateful for what God has already given you. And that, folks, is a problem of epidemic proportions in American Christianity and in our church. Colossians 4:2 – Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart. Philippians 4:6 – Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Ephesians 5:20 – And you will always give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 – No matter what happens, always be thankful, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. Psalm 34:1-4 – I will praise the Lord at all times. I will constantly speak his praises. 2 I will boast only in the Lord; let all who are discouraged take heart. 3 Come, let us tell of the Lord’s greatness; let us exalt his name together. 4 I prayed to the Lord, and he answered me, freeing me from all my fears. There is a direct correlation between our thankfulness and God answering our prayers. If you aren’t grateful for what God has already given you, God isn’t going to trust you enough with more in answer to your prayers.

H. Eighth, you don’t have enough faith. Matthew 21:21-22 – Then Jesus told them, “I assure you, if you have enough faith and don’t doubt, you can do things like this and much more. You can even say to this mountain, ‘May God lift you up and throw you into the sea,’ and it will happen. 22 If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” James 1:6-7 – But when you ask him, be sure that you really expect him to answer, for a doubtful mind is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7 People like that should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Matthew 9:29 – Then he touched their eyes and said, “Because of your faith, it will happen.” Matthew 15:28 – “Woman,” Jesus said, “your faith is great. Your request is granted.” And her daughter was instantly healed. James 2:22 – You see, he was trusting God so much that he was willing to do whatever God told him to do. His faith was made complete by what he did – by his actions. What is it that makes faith “enough faith”? It’s enough when we believe God enough that we act on what He tells us and we trust Him completely to do what He said. When we believe God will answer, He will. Your prayers will not be answered if you don’t have enough faith.

I. Ninth, you are too much in love with the world and are stingy. James 4:3-4 – And even when you do ask, you don’t get what it because your whole motive is wrong – you want only what will give you pleasure. 4 You adulterers! Don’t you realize that friendship with this world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again, that if your aim is to enjoy this world, you can’t be a friend of God. Isaiah 58:7-10 – “I want you to share your food with the hungry and to welcome poor wanderers into your homes. Give clothes to those who need them, and do not hide from relatives who need your help. 8 If you do these things, your salvation will come like the dawn. Yes, your healing will come quickly. Your godliness will lead you forward, and the glory of the Lord will protect you from behind. 9 Then when you call, the Lord will answer. ‘Yes, I am here,’ he will quickly reply. ‘Stop oppressing the helpless and stop making false accusations and spreading vicious rumors! 10 Feed the hungry and help those in trouble. Then your light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around you will be as bright as day.” Proverbs 21:13 – Those who shut their ears to the cries of the poor will be ignored in their own time of need. When we don’t love the Lord more than the world, and that is demonstrated by our refusal to share our worldly wealth with those around us, God isn’t going to answer our prayers. One phrase I hear fairly regularly about giving to church projects is something like, “I just want to make sure my money is going to something worthwhile.” And while that sounds noble enough, the problem is that it isn’t our money. It’s all God’s. So when we refuse to tithe and give offerings above the tithe, and we refuse to help the poor and needy of our world, we’re being stingy with God’s money. We’re showing how much in love with the world we are because we want to spend God’s money on ourselves. Your prayers will not be answered if you are too much in love with the world and are stingy.

J. Tenth, you don’t want what you are asking for enough. James 5:16-18 – The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and wonderful results. 17 Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for the next three and a half years! 18 Then he prayed for rain, and down it poured. The grass turned green, and the crops began to grow again. Jonah 3:8, and this is the pagan king of Nineveh speaking – “Everyone is required to wear sackcloth and pray earnestly to God. Everyone must turn from their evil ways and stop all their violence.” Luke 18:35-39 – As they approached Jericho, a blind beggar was sitting beside the road. 36 When he heard the noise of a crowd going past, he asked what was happening. 37 They told him that Jesus of Nazareth was going by. 38 So he began shouting, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 39 The crowds ahead of Jesus tried to hush the man, but he only shouted louder, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” All these folks wanted God to answer their prayers so badly that they laid it all on the line. They didn’t hold anything back. Elijah put so much into his praying for rain that it exhausted him physically, spiritually, mentally and emotionally. The king of Nineveh called and made for such radical changes that it’s a wonder he wasn’t assassinated. The blind man pushed through opposition and ridicule in order to be healed. Your prayers will not be answered if you don’t want what you’re asking for enough.

K. Eleventh, you are not putting enough emphasis in your life on corporate prayer. Matthew 18:19-20 – “I also tell you this: If two of you agree down here on earth concerning anything you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you. 20 For where two or three gather together because they are mine, I am there among them.” 2 Corinthians 1:11 – He will rescue us because you are helping by praying for us. As a result, many will give thanks to God because so many people’s prayers for our safety have been answered. Acts 12:5 – But while Peter was in prison, the church prayed very earnestly for him. Acts 12:12 – After a little thought, he went to the home of Mary, the mother of John Mark, where many were gathered for prayer. The pattern throughout the book of Acts is clear: The church prayed together corporately, and God moved. This is the most neglected part of American Christianity. I can guarantee you that anywhere God is pouring out His Spirit in our country, there is a great deal of corporate prayer. Salem Evangelical’s growth has exploded over the past several years, and many people are coming to Christ, and it’s because of corporate prayer. Jim Cymbala’s church, Brooklyn Tabernacle, went from seventeen to over ten thousand because of corporate prayer, and they regularly see people miraculously rescued from destructive lifestyles because of corporate prayer. Some folks in our church believe that, if we just go back to the old ways, or if we just play it safe, or if we just keep doing what we’re doing, our church will grow and our area will be transformed. Not true! God answers prayer when we pray together that He won’t answer otherwise. And, although I know everyone is busy, that doesn’t change the fact that by choosing not to involve yourself in weekly or at least biweekly corporate prayer meetings, you are saying that you don’t want our church to grow and that you don’t want people to come to Christ. I know that sounds harsh, but it’s true. Your prayers will not be answered if you are not putting enough emphasis in your life on corporate prayer.

L. Twelfth, the glory of God is not your motive. 1 Kings 18:36-39 – At the customary time for the evening sacrifice, Elijah the prophet walked up to the altar and prayed, “O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, prove today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant. Prove that I have done all this at your command. 37 O Lord, answer me! Answer me so these people will know that you, O Lord, are God and that you have brought them back to yourself.” 38 Immediately the fire of the Lord flashed down from heaven and burned up the young bull, the wood, the stones, and the dust. It even licked up all the water in the ditch! 39 And when the people saw it, they fell on their faces and cried out, “The Lord is God! The Lord is God!” 2 Kings 19:15-19 – And Hezekiah prayed this prayer before the Lord: “O Lord, God of Israel, you are enthroned between the mighty cherubim! You alone are God of all the kingdoms of the earth. You alone created the heavens and the earth. 16 Listen to me, O Lord, and hear! Open your eyes, O Lord, and see! Listen to Sennacherib’s words of defiance against the living God. 17 It is true, Lord that the kings of Assyria have destroyed all these nations, just as the message says. 18 And they have thrown the gods of these nations into the fire and burned them. But of course the Assyrians could not destroy them! They were not gods at all – only idols of wood and stone shaped by human hands. 19 Now, O Lord, rescue us from his power; then all the kingdoms of the earth will know that you alone, O Lord, are God.” 1 Samuel 17:45-47 – David shouted in reply, “You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord Almighty – the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 Today the Lord will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your head. And then I will give the dead bodies of your men to the birds and wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel! 47 And everyone will know that the Lord does not need weapons to rescue his people. It is his battle, not ours. The Lord will give you to us!” God is not interested in selfish, self-serving prayers. God created us that we might bring glory to His name. That is our purpose in life – bringing glory to Him. And that will be our purpose for all eternity in heaven with Him. Your prayers will not be answered if the glory of God is not your motive.

III. Conclusion

A. Please bow your heads and close your eyes out of respect for each other’s privacy. I know this is a lot to get a handle on, and that’s why I asked you to take notes on the insert. Please spend some quality time regularly reviewing them and reviewing your own heart and how you pray. But for right now, is there one area that we’ve touched on this morning where you feel God’s Spirit telling you that this is a problem for you? Let’s spend a few quiet moments listening to what the Spirit is saying to us.

B. Again, what area of these twelve are you struggling with in your prayer life? Take a moment and surrender to God’s calling for change in that area of your prayer life. Let’s pray.