The Father's Menu

The Father's Menu

Apostle Dr. Richard Udoh

Sunday, March 24, 2019

OBSTACLES TO PRAYER

A brother in our church happened to be a victim of the 1997 communal war in Ife. He lost his properties to the arsonists, while some of them (the arsonists) happened to be his good friends but for relating to the opposing village, they burnt down his house. Later while on the university campus in the same Ife going for Christian’s prayer fellowship, he met one of the guys that burnt his house and of course resentment and bitterness welled up and he remembered the loss. It was very difficult for him to forget and forgive the man, Everyone has been hurt, offended, betrayed, and mistreated at some points in time. Sometimes those wounds are small and easy to move past, but other times they are deep and take time to heal. The important thing is that we choose to forgive and forget so that we can open the door to God’s forgiveness in our own lives, too. And eventually, that’s what the brother did. Today God has fully compensated him. Forgiveness is such a powerful tool. Forgiveness sets you free and draws you closer to God. One other thing to consider when you pray is your state of mind-avoid strife, malice, anger etc. Strife is a force of obstruction to prayer from being answered. Strife is a very destructive force. It can creep into relationships by starting small, maybe through a comment or a wrong look from someone, and can then escalate into something much bigger. But when you choose to ignore strife and overlook an offense, you are acting honorably. Whenever you pray, invite the Lord to search your heart. Choose to forgive anyone that has hurt you so that the devil will have nothing to count against you.

Prayer: God hear my prayer today when I call on You

Further Reading: Mark 11: 20-25 (AMP)

Read through the Bible: Exodus 35 & John 14