HINDRANCES TO ANSWERED PRAYER

Psalm 118:5 says,

"I called on the Lord in dis- tress; The Lord answered me

and set me in a broad place". It is always on our side, but we have to find out what the problem is, it could be doubt/ unbelief."

Lets read Matthew 14: 22-33; "Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away. And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was about there. But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary. Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out for fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.”And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord alone , save me!” And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, “Truly You are the Son of God.”

Now Jesus told them to get into the boat and meet him on the other side of the of the sea, and the disciples got into the boat to go to the other side but there was a storm and the wind was tossing them all over the sea and they were struggling to get to the other side. Jesus had finished praying and on the fourth watch of the night he went walking on the sea; and his disciples saw him and did not know that it was him but they thought it was a ghost and cried out for fear, but Jesus told them it was him. Peter, who was in the boat with the other disciples, said Lord if it is you command me to come to you on the water. Jesus said come, and Peter got out of the boat and was walking on the sea, but when he looked at how hard the wind was blowing and how high the waves were tossing all around him, he was afraid and began to sink and he cried out to Jesus. Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him and said to Peter, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?". You see Peter was walking on the water but he came to himself and must have said in his mind, a man cannot walk on water. Peter took his eyes off Jesus and began to look at what was going on around him, and how impossible it seemed. Doubt came in his heart and he forgot that Jesus was walking on the water, he began to look at the impossibility of the situation and to believe in that more than he trusted the words of Jesus and he began to sink.

Let's get back into meditating on God's word because that is what it is going to take to transform your thinking, because that is where doubt and unbelief starts. Meditating is thinking on God's word not just memorizing scripture. Psalm 1-3 tells us; "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree Planted by the, rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper." You see in Psalm 1 the word law can be replace with His word; so it can be read like this, and in His word he meditates day and night. Give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; For they are life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh. Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life." ...