Bible Questions Answered:
How is it God answers seems to answer than not?
Kari/ Oslo, Norway
Bible Answers:
Although there are spiritual forces that may hinder our prayers...
Daniel 10:5,6;12,13 KJV
5 Then I lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a certain man clothed in linen, whose loins were girded with fine gold of Uphaz:
6 His body also was like the beryl, and his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as lamps of fire, and his arms and his feet like in color to polished brass, and the voice of his words like the voice of a multitude.
12 Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words.
13 But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia.
Being that as it may, the thing that most hinders our prayers is, sin.
Sin that has “not,” be confessed and forsaken.
Psalm 66:18 KJV
If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:
Isaiah 59:1,2 KJV
1 Behold, the LORD's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither His ear heavy, that it cannot hear:
2 But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you, that He will not hear.
Disregard for the Word of the Lord.
Proverbs 1:22-30 KJV
22 How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge?
23 Turn you at My reproof: behold, I will pour out My Spirit unto you, I will make known My words unto you.
24 Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out My hand, and no man regarded;
25 But ye have set at nought all My counsel, and would none of My reproof:
26 I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh;
27 When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you.
28 Then shall they call upon Me, but I will not answer; they shall seek Me early, but they shall not find Me:
29 For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD:
30 They would none of My counsel: they despised all My reproof.
Proverbs 28:9 KJV
He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination.
Zechariah 7:11-14 KJV
11 But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they should not hear.
12 Yea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone, lest they should hear the law, and the words which the LORD of Hosts hath sent in His Spirit by the former prophets: therefore came a great wrath from the LORD of Hosts.
13 Therefore it is come to pass, that as He cried, and they would not hear; so they cried, and I would not hear, saith the LORD of Hosts:
14 But I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations whom they knew not. Thus the land was desolate after them, that no man passed through nor returned: for they laid the pleasant land desolate.
A heart of stone, towards those in need.
Proverbs 21:2-4,13 KJV
2 Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the LORD pondereth the hearts.
3 To do justice and judgment is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.
4 An high look, and a proud heart, and the plowing of the wicked, is sin.
13 Whoso stoppeth his ears at the cry of the poor, he also shall cry himself, but shall not be heard.
I John 3:16-24 NLT
16 We know what real love is because Jesus gave up His life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters.
17 If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion—how can God’s love be in that person?
18 Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions.
19 Our actions will show that we belong to the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before God.
20 Even if we feel guilty, God is greater than our feelings, and He knows everything.
21 Dear friends, if we don’t feel guilty, we can come to God with bold confidence.
22 And we will receive from Him whatever we ask because we obey Him and do the things that please Him.
23 And this is His commandment: We must believe in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us.
24 Those who obey God’s commandments remain in fellowship with Him, and He with them. And we know He lives in us because the Spirit He gave us lives in us.
Unfaithfulness in paying tithes.
Leviticus 27:30 KJV
And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the LORD's: it is holy unto the LORD.
Malachi 3:8-11 KJV
8 Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed Me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.
9 Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed Me, even this whole nation.
10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove Me now herewith, saith the LORD of Hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.
11 And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts.
Galatians 6:6 KJV
Those who are taught the word of God should provide for their teachers, sharing all good things with them.
Unforgiveness.
Matthew 5:23,24 KJV
23 Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee;
24 Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.
Matthew 6:12-15 KJV
12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:
15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Prayers of hypocrisy.
Matthew 6:1-6 KJV
1 Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.
2 Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
3 But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:
4 That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret Himself shall reward thee openly.
5 And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
Matthew 23:14;27,28 KJV
14 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.
27 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.
28 Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
Prayers of arrogance.
Luke 18:10-14 KJV
10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.
11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.
12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.
13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.
14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
A heart of unbelief.
James 1:5-8 KJV
5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.
8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.
Fleshly desires.
Isaiah 59:2 KJV
But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you, that He will not hear.
I Corinthians 6:9,10 NLT
9 Don’t you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don’t fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality,
10 or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people—none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God.
James 4:3 KJV
Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.
Matrimonial relations.
I Peter 3:1-7 NLT
1 In the same way, you wives must accept the authority of your husbands. Then, even if some refuse to obey the Good News, your godly lives will speak to them without any words. They will be won over
2 by observing your pure and reverent lives.
3 Don’t be concerned about the outward beauty of fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes.
4 You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God.
5 This is how the holy women of old made themselves beautiful. They trusted God and accepted the authority of their husbands.
6 For instance, Sarah obeyed her husband, Abraham, and called him her master. You are her daughters when you do what is right without fear of what your husbands might do.
7 In the same way, you husbands must give honor to your wives. Treat your wife with understanding as you live together. She may be weaker than you are, but she is your equal partner in God’s gift of new life. Treat her as you should so your prayers will not be hindered.
Those who shed innocent blood.
Isaiah 1:15 KJV
When you lift up your hands in prayer, I will not look. Though you offer many prayers, I will not listen, for your hands are covered with the blood of innocent victims.
