“If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me: but verily God hath heard me; he hath attended to the voice of my prayer.” Psalm 66:18-19
Does God hear your prayers?
God hearing you has nothing to do with volume. I have witnessed many people pray loudly with no results. God hearing you has everything to do with the condition of your heart. If you employ all the pieces we’ve talked about over the past few days and still lack answers to prayer; the hindrance may be tied to your heart. Psalm 66:18 reveals that iniquity in your heart sets up a barrier between you and God. The presence of iniquity means there will be no answer to the prayer.
Iniquity is a word that many seem to use without any real regard to its power. Iniquity is inward rebellion. It is a heart issue. It goes beyond outward appearance. Its presence is lethal because it separates you from the Lord. God requires that our hearts be clean and surrendered to him. What this means on a practical level is that your heart must not contain rebellion. It should confirm what you confess with your mouth. There should be agreement between heart, mind, and action. For example, to know that God wants you to pray for your those who despitefully use you is good. To confess that truth to others is good. Sadly, if you go through the motions of praying for them without love as the motivation iniquity is present. The rebellion doesn’t happen openly, but it is in your heart. If you confess that something is a sin and still have a tie to it in your heart, this is iniquity. Iniquity closes heaven. God will not hear you.
In order to ensure that your heart is free from iniquity you must be relentlessly obedient to the word. You must despise sin as God does. When you confess sin, forsake it and allow God to create a clean heart in you. You will find that when you are free from iniquity, have faith, ask specifically, and persevere; your prayer life will continue to go to new levels.
Blessings to you,
MC