When God Listens
When people yell, “Help!” they may be in sin, but God hears their cries and listens.
Pray so that God hears you
Prayer is conversation. Sin breaks the communication line. The sooner we confess sin, the sooner we are back in fellowship with God, where the Holy Spirit is leading us in our heart, mind, and actions. We are told to guard our mouth and tongue as the rudder of the soul that blesses or curses others. “Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death” (James 1:15).
Matthew 6, “The Lord’s Prayer,” is the framework Jesus taught. Jesus taught to start in this order:
Adoration of Authority: (v. 9) Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name.
Surrender: (v. 10) Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.
Dependence: (v. 11) Give us this day our daily bread.
Forgiveness: (v. 12) And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.
Guidance: (v. 13) And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
Consequences: (v.14) We will not be forgiven by God unless we forgive others.
https://www.forthegospel.org/read/8-reasons-god-doesnt-hear-your-prayers
https://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/do-my-sins-hinder-my-prayers
And what else?
Christians are often not taught how to resist the devil. James 4:7 says, first, “Submit to God.” Then, “resist the devil and he will flee from you.” When negative thoughts or ideas invade our minds and hearts, surrender to God is first, and then we tell the devil to shut up.
1 John 1:9 (ESV)
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Proverbs 28:13 (NIV)
“Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.”
James 5:16 (NIV)
“Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”
Psalm 32:5 (NIV)
“Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.’ And you forgave the guilt of my sin.”
When God does not listen
These verses speak to the spiritual barrier sin creates in our relationship with God, especially when it is unconfessed or deliberately hidden:
Psalm 66:18 (NIV)
“If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened;”
Isaiah 59:1–2 (NIV)
“Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.”
Proverbs 1:28–29 (NIV)
“Then they will call to me but I will not answer; they will look for me but will not find me, since they hated knowledge and did not choose to fear the Lord.”
Micah 3:4 (NIV)
“Then they will cry out to the Lord, but he will not answer them. At that time he will hide his face from them because of the evil they have done.”
John 9:31 (ESV)
“We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him.”
Walking by the Spirit
- Confession restores fellowship and brings forgiveness.
- Unconfessed or willful sin creates a barrier between you and God.
- God is merciful and quick to forgive when we humble ourselves and turn back to Him.
“Walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh (Galatians 5:16).
“Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God” (Romans 8:5–9).
Living by the power of the Holy Spirit means being attuned and attentive to love Jesus. “If you love Me, obey” (John 14:15). When we love someone, we do not want to hurt them by sinning and want to make amends as quickly as possible to restore the relationship.
When people yell, “Help!” they may be in sin, but God hears their cries and listens.
FAQs
I also realized an important definition of the word confess means “to name or agree with God” and repent, which means “turn away 180° and go to the opposite direction.”
Some people who are gifted and anointed can still operate through their gift without being filled with the Spirit.
The same goes for any of us operating from our personality instead of by being led by the Holy Spirit. Unity comes from the surrender to God in us — His will, and returning to His path as soon as possible after sin.
That is the difference between sin and a lifestyle of sin.
No, the two are mutually exclusive. Take for example, a gift of hospitality that can be a ministry, but done in the power of the flesh and is burned up at the judgment seat of Christ. Divine good is based upon the filling of the spirit and is what the Bible talks about being gold, silver, and precious stones that lasts. In other words, people can do the exact same thing and one can be human good and the other divine. They look the same, but God sees the heart, the motivation behind the action.
Sanctification defined
On the journey, what makes a difference is the motive behind the action.
Bev Garcia
Bev Garcia