Unaswered Prayers

Ps 66:18-20 If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened; 19 but God has surely listened and heard my voice in prayer. 20 Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me! (NIV)

Watch carefully what David is saying. "If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened". In the next two versee David is rejoicing because the Lord heard his prayer.

If your prayer life is hendered, ask the Lord to check your heart for unconfessed sin. Many people are not getting their prayers answered due to sin. Sin is more than stealing, killing committing adultery worshipping idols or anyone of the big ten, it could be bitterness to someone or unforgiveness.

Defeating The Giants

The Spies

Num 13:25 And they returned from spying out the land after forty days. 30 Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, "Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it."31But the men who had gone up with him said, "We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we." 32 And they gave the children of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, "The land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature. 33 "There we saw the giants (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight."(NKJ))

Ten of the spies saw themselves as grasshoppers in comparison to the giants. But Joshua and Caleb had a different vision. They saw the Lord, their helper. And when they saw Him the giants looked like grasshoppers in comparison to the Lord. If the Lord is your strength then your problems and challenges look like grasshoppers.

Giants stood for great difficulties just like the challenges we face today. They are giants or challenges in our families, in our churches, in our finances our jobs our health and in our own hearts. But do we see them as giants or as grasshoppers.

Ten of the spies did not trust the Lord, but Joshua and Caleb, the men of faith, said “They are bread for us, we will eat them up.” The ten must have been part of the group that murmured and complained while they were in the wilderness.

The fact is, unless we have overcoming faith we will be eaten up, consumed by the giants in our path. We our faith is in the Lord, the giants in our lives will begin to look like grasshoppers.

Some believe that the power of God in our lives will lift us above all trials and conflicts. The fact is, the power of God always brings a conflict and a struggle. The big difference in a Christian is. The Lord is on our side. And “If God be for us, who can be against us.”

Paul

Paul faced many giants in his life. 2 Cor 4:7-11 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. 8 We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed—10 always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. 11 For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus' sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. 18 while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. (NKJ)

Rom 8:35-39 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (KJV)

2 Cor 12:10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong. (KJV)

David

1 Sam 17:42-50 And when the Philistine looked about, and saw David, he disdain him: for he was but a youth, and ruddy, and of a fair countenance. 43 And the Philistine said unto David, Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with staves? And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. 44 And the Philistine said to David, Come to me, and I will give thy flesh unto the fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the field. 45 Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. 46 This day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. 47 And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD's, and he will give you into our hands. 48 And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and came and drew nigh to meet David, that David hasted, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine. 49 And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that the stone sunk into his forehead; and he fell upon his face to the earth. 50 So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him; but there was no sword in the hand of David. (KJV)

In your life, do you see giants, or do you see the One who is more powerful. Do you see the one with whom there are no limitations, no giants bigger than He. No problems that He cannot handle. No sickness that He can’t cure. No financial problems bigger than he.

Sermon In A Nutshell

"Be on your guard. stand firm in the faith, live like men, be strong! Let everything that you do be done in love".
1 Cor. 16:13-14 J.B Phillips

All Things All The Time

Text: Rom 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

Life offers us many challenges. There is not a person here today over thirty years old that has not faced many challenges. The key is, how do you handle these challenges. Some of you have faced major challenges, you have taken a licking and you kept on still ticking.

The Lord gave me this message in 2000. At that time I was facing one of those dreadful challenges. I told the Lord that I could not preach this message, because it sure did not seem that things were working out for my good. He responded, “do you obey when things are going the way you want them to go, or are you trusting Me to work everything out in your life” I repented and declared the Scripture is not only true, but true in my life and so I am preaching truth and the truth is “All things work for the good of those who love the Lord.”

In 2004 I faced another one of those challenges when my job played out. In the past I would have been worried sick over that, and Arleen would be even more worried. But we have learned that He is in control.

Last year I left Atlanta one Friday about 6:00 pm headed home. A few miles down the road I came across an accident. The traffic was stopped for about 45 minutes. As soon as the accident was cleared enough to get moving the truck I was driving sprang a leak in the radiator. I pulled over on I75 and started walking up the highway with a water cooler declaring “All things work together for the good of those who love the Lord.” Folks I declare to you that circumstances cannot change the Word of God. I am learning to stay cool and trust the Lord to work everything for my good. When I got to the top of the next ramp a young man by the name of John, stopped to help me. He carried me to get some water then carried me back to the truck. Before he left I asked him the question. “How are things between you and God.” He dropped his head and said; “to be honest we have not talked in a long time.” I asked if I could pray for him and I prayed for his salvation.

Now I am not sure all this happened for John, but the Lord loves John enough to cause me to have to stop and tell him about Jesus. I lost three hours of time but it was well worth every minute to tell a young man about Christ.

Prov 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.

Regardless to what happens in your life, if you are trusting Him with all your strength, He is directing your steps Notice the writer of Proverbs said, “lean not to your understanding”. Many times we don’t understand what is happening. The Bible does not say we will understand. The whole idea of faith is trusting, whether or not you understand. God is in control of the believer’s life. He only wants us to trust.

Many of us are guilty of following the flesh. The flesh says, you must keep me comfortable, so we develop that comfort zone and do everything in our power to stay there. We think if it is not comfortable to us it must not be the Lords will. He never said: “it will be comfortable.” Where did we get this idea that if things are not going good we must be out of the will of the Lord.

If that were so, then Jesus was certainly out of the will of the Father, because when he was on the cross, things did not seem to be going His way. When those you have loved the most turn their backs on you, when your best friend denies with cursing that he even knows you, when they spit on you and beat you. In the natural that is a good sign that things are not going your way. Remember His prayer. “Father, let this cup pass from me, nevertheless, not my will but your will be done.” Jesus did not want to go through the suffering, but the will of the Father was more important to Him than His comfort zone. I wonder how many of us would be willing to pray that pray. “Nevertheless now my will but Your will be done.”

As Christians we are supposed to believe that He is in control regardless of how it may look or feel. He is working everything for your good, and for His will. Paul said: 2 Cor 5:7 For we walk by faith, not by sigh.

Joseph: Gen 50:20 "But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive". When Joseph’s own brothers threw him into a pit it sure did not seem things were working for his good. When he was sold as a slave it did not look good. When he was seduced by Potiphers wife and placed back in prison, it sure did not seem that things were working for his good, but God had a plan. You can be sure the Lord will take everything Satan does and turn it around for His good, because He has a plan not only for Joseph, but for you as well.

Prov 16:9 A man's heart plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps. I get into trouble when I try to chart my course. I suppose it is a male thing, we men think we have to be in control. I am trying to learn to set back and let the Lord work His will in my life. I once had a member who kept telling me: “Pastor, if you fail this test you will have to take it over.” Trust me friends, I have taken my share of test over, and over and over. I have come to the place in life that I am ready to go on with life and quit taking those test over and over.

Please hear what I am about to say here. Things do not always go according to the way we want them to go, in fact the Lord did not say, “things would go according to your pleasing”. He said: “all things work together for your good”, not for your pleasure. My Mother and Dad spanked me when I was a child. They did it for my good. I remember Mother saying; “Son this hurts me more than it hurts you”. I certainly did not understand that then. I was thinking, if it hurts you more, then if you do not spank me we will both be feel better.

There are times when it seems that God is a million miles away. At times it seems that we cannot get a prayer to reach the ceilings, much less get to heaven. At times it may seem that God has forsaken us, but He has sent me here today to tell you that He is working everything in your life for your good.

Do you remember the song that the children sing. He’s still working on me to make me what I ought to be. It took him just a week to make the moon and stars, the sun and earth and Jupiter and Mars. How loving and patient He must be, He’s still working on me.

Some of us don’t give Him much to work with, so it takes Him longer with some than others. We have to keep taking the test over and over and over and over. Some of us are too independent, He wants us to be totally dependent on Him.

A few years ago I was going through one of the biggest challenges of my life. I had recently resigned from pastoring after 25 consecutive years. We moved back to Moultrie with very little income. I was trying to make a living for my little family, I could not find a job so I was selling ice cream in neighborhoods. I came home one day to find that my dog had eaten the vynal siding off around the door of the house we were renting. A bad storm came up and she was paranoid of bad weather and was trying to get inside. I looked at that mess with a sick feeling in my stomach and said: “all things work together for the good of those who love the Lord”. A few days later my truck broke down. I said “all things work together for my good”. One day my grandson, Bubba rode with me and when we stopped in my son’s yard I was talking to Bubba on the truck I smelled smoke. I turned around to see smoke coming from under the hood of my truck. Something caught fire around the engine and the truck was destroyed. I stood there looking at the truck and said; “All things work for my good”. I did not understand what was happening to me, but there was one thing that I did know. I knew He was in charge. Did you get that. He is in charge.

At that time it seemed that I could do nothing right. Everything that I tried to do went wrong. I felt like the man on the old TV show He Haw, “pain despair and agony on me, if it were not for bad luck, I would have no luck at all.”

We continued to trust the Lord and He worked it all out for our good and He is still working things for our good.

Ps 37:23-24 The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, and He delights in his way. 24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the LORD upholds him with His hand. Did you hear that, my steps are ordered of the Lord. I have no need to worry of fear. When Satan tries to attack me with worry or fear I say, “Why worry if you pray, and why pray if you worry.” I don’t remember where I got this quote but I sure like to remind the enemy that I do not have to worry because the Lord is in control.

Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down.” There are times we fall. There are times we blow it big time There are times we have trouble trusting. But thank God He said: he shall not be utterly cast down.”

Ps 127:1 Unless the LORD builds the house, they labor in vain who build it; unless the LORD guards the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. Oh, how many times I have tried to build on my own. I have tried to work MY plan to do things my way. And every time I do this, I fall miserably on my face. Then I have to get up dust myself and bandaging my wounds and start praying for His will.

Jer 29:11-13 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13 And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. Have you ever thought about that? The Lord is thinking about you, and his thoughts are to give you peace, to give you a future, and to give you hope. He said when we pray, He will listen. When you seek Him you will find Him, if you search with all your heart.

He has a plan for Arleen and I. At this moment, I don’t know just what that plan is but I do know He is in charge. And He will cause everything to work for my good. It may not be my choice, but ultimately it will be for my good.

Yes, He has a plan for me It is my responsibility to stay close enough to Him to hear His voice. To build according to His will, to follow His plans to allow Him to be the architect. He keeps reminding me that I am the servant and He is the master. I am guilty of trying to be the master of my house or of the direction that I am to take in life. He orders my steps. If I acknowledge him in every way, he will guide. And friends that is very comforting. He is the leader, my job is to follow.

Isa 48:17 Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: "I am the LORD your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you by the way you should go. If I profit, it will be because I trusted in Him, not because I am so smart. If I take the right road, it is because I have allowed Him to be my navigator. If I try to make my own way, He will let me do just that. But if I trust Him, He will lead. I believe this is the key. We get into all this trouble on our own when we try to chart our own course. Once again our responsibility is to follow. He will do the leading.

Jer 10:23 O LORD, I know the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man who walks to direct his own steps.

I would like to leave you with a challenge today. Stop trying to figure everything out on you own. Listen to what Paul said in 1 Cor 6:19-20 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's. You are God’s property, He is in charge of you destiny. Give Him complete control. He is able lead, guide and direct every step we take.