BBD 08.08.17 Locked Up (Classic)

#1 · August 8, 2017, 8:46 am

Quote from Forum Archives on August 8, 2017, 8:46 am
Posted by: theburningbushdevotional <theburningbushdevotional@...>

Classic from 2010

Burning Bush Devotional

08 August 2017

Locked
Up

Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased,
that one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also
taught his disciples.” - Luke 11:1 NKJV.

Firefighters in Belfair, Washington are making sure they carry a new tool with
them when they answer a fire call. That tool is the boltcutter, which is now
necessary, because the Belfair Water District has placed padlocks on all the
fire hydrants to try to reduce the theft of water. Even the fire hydrant in
front of the fire station has a padlock on it! The Belfair Water District,
however, is concerned about the loss of water, which means loss of money and
wants the Fire Department to pay for part of the lost revenue. Belfair Fire Chief Beau Bakken says, “And we're
going to come across these and have an issue with one of these hydrant locks,
and have a terrible disastrous event on our hands.”

We are given a wonderful promise in 1 John
5:14-15, “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask
anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us,
whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.”
However, sometimes it may seem as though the
answers to our prayers are locked up. We pray and we pray, but in our hearts we
know that there is something wrong, which is preventing God from giving us what
we are praying for.

There are several possible explanations for God being unwilling to immediately
answer our prayers. It may be that God is simply saying “No” or He may
be saying “Wait”. Let us look at some of the hindrances to prayer that
lock up the answers that we seek. 1 John 5:14-15
immediately gives us a reason some prayers
are not answered in the way that we want. If we are asking for something that
is not God's will, the answer will always be “No”. The apostle Peter
gives us another reason prayers may be hindered in 1 Peter 3:7, “Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding,
giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together
of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered.” If you are not treating your wife with honor, treasuring
her, loving her, and protecting her, you will find your prayers are going
nowhere. If you are angry with your wife, you have an ongoing conflict with her
about anything; again your prayers will be ineffective.

There are other things that can lock up your prayer life. A lack of faith
according to Hebrews 11:6 can result in the answers to your prayers being locked
up. The writer of Hebrews says, “But without
faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that
He is….” How do you have more faith? Romans 1:17 says, “…faith
comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” If you have unconfessed sin in your life the answers to
your prayers will be locked up (1 Peter 3:12). The apostle James indicates that if the motive behind
the request is wrong you will not receive what you have requested (James 4:3). To have your prayer life unlocked you need
to be seeking what God wants, obeying His commands (1 John 3:22).

Most of the locks on effective prayer have obvious keys, but some are not so obvious.
When you are unsure of what is hindering your prayers, the best thing to do is
to ask God what is wrong. A closer relationship with your Lord will always
improve your prayer life and will help you to avoid many of the problems that
hinder prayers. As Jesus says in John 15:7, “If
you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and
it shall be done for you.”

Copyright © 2010 - 2017. Ed
Wrather. The Burning Bush website has been online since January 31, 1998. On
June 8, 1998 the email version of the Burning Bush Devotional was first sent.
Ed Wrather began writing devotionals in the early 1990s. The distribution of those
first devotionals was primarily through the Burning Bush Newsletter sent to
prison facilities throughout the United States and Canada.

Visit the
Burning Bush websites:

www.theburningbush.net

www.theburningbush.org

The Burning Bush websites are celebrating
19 years online since January 31, 1998. Since June 8, 1998 the Burning Bush
Devotional has been spreading the truth of God's Word to more than 12,000
subscribers across the world.

The Addictions Kit - Biblical Help for Addictions by Ed Wrather is now
available for download from Amazon. The Addictions Kit provides practical Biblical steps to defeat
your addiction that actually work.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00VIYLNLM

The New Pastor's Training Manual is available for download on Amazon. Here is the link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PJ8UTGS If you prefer a paper copy of the book you can order it from
the Burning Bush website at http://bit.ly/1uXDBnk

Books now available at the Burning Bush website:

New Pastor's
Training Manual

Biblical Help for
Overcoming Substance Abuse

Biblical Help
for Overcoming Sexual Addictions In Times of
Trouble - Devotionals to Encourage and Strengthen You (Also available for
download on Amazon.)

You can leave comments/feedback
about the devotionals at www.theburningbush.net.

There is a translation tool on
theburningbush.net website in the top right hand corner of all of the pages.

Check out the Scripture Index being constructed for the
Devotionals at the Burning Bush website. The Links are in about the middle of
the home page. Topics for each devotional are now being added to the Index.

Please continue to pray for
healing for Pastor Shane Hall, Michelle Abetz, Wesley Lewis, Brandy, Brad,
Damon D. & wife, Beverly (Jeanie’s sister), Brent Baker, Lexi McCalip (her
last scan was clear!), Gary Kirk, and Jeanie.

Please also pray for Aleesha
McMillan.

Please pray for an end to the
racial hatred in the USA and that it will be replaced with peace and love. Many
prayer needs are posted at the Burning Bush website on the Prayer Request page.
You can also post your prayer requests there (Of course, I am always in need of prayer - please pray for me. My
prayer focus is now that God will give me opportunities to preach. As the
apostle Paul says, “…woe is me if I do not preach the gospel!”).

You can contact Ed Wrather at
theburningbushdevotional@gmail.com View LinkedIn profile with
endorsements at http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=92988105

If you enjoy the devotional
please recommend it to your friends. They may subscribe by sending a blank
email to burningbushdevo-join@welovegod.org

There is a complete devotional
archive at the old Burning Bush website. Here is the URL: http://www.theburningbush.org/DevotionalArchive.html.

You can help support this
ministry by using this link: www.paypal.me/EdWrather

Devotion vs Devotional: We do our
devotions, we read devotionals.

You can unsubscribe to the burningbushdevo devotional group by
sending a blank email to burningbushdevo-leave@welovegod.org and then respond
to the confirmation email.

You may subscribe to the html text group (Because of time
constraints the devotional is only being sent now in html format) by sending a
blank email to burningbushhtml-join@welovegod.org and you may unsubscribe by
sending a blank email to burningbushhtml-leave@welovegod.org and then respond
to the confirmation email. If the link does not work, copy and paste the link.

--

To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: burningbushdevo-leave@welovegod.org

Posted by: theburningbushdevotional <theburningbushdevotional@...>

Classic from 2010

Burning Bush Devotional

08 August 2017

Locked
Up

Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased,
that one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also
taught his disciples.” - Luke 11:1 NKJV.

Firefighters in Belfair, Washington are making sure they carry a new tool with
them when they answer a fire call. That tool is the boltcutter, which is now
necessary, because the Belfair Water District has placed padlocks on all the
fire hydrants to try to reduce the theft of water. Even the fire hydrant in
front of the fire station has a padlock on it! The Belfair Water District,
however, is concerned about the loss of water, which means loss of money and
wants the Fire Department to pay for part of the lost revenue. Belfair Fire Chief Beau Bakken says, “And we're
going to come across these and have an issue with one of these hydrant locks,
and have a terrible disastrous event on our hands.”

We are given a wonderful promise in 1 John
5:14-15, “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask
anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us,
whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.”
However, sometimes it may seem as though the
answers to our prayers are locked up. We pray and we pray, but in our hearts we
know that there is something wrong, which is preventing God from giving us what
we are praying for.

There are several possible explanations for God being unwilling to immediately
answer our prayers. It may be that God is simply saying “No” or He may
be saying “Wait”. Let us look at some of the hindrances to prayer that
lock up the answers that we seek. 1 John 5:14-15
immediately gives us a reason some prayers
are not answered in the way that we want. If we are asking for something that
is not God's will, the answer will always be “No”. The apostle Peter
gives us another reason prayers may be hindered in 1 Peter 3:7, “Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding,
giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together
of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered.” If you are not treating your wife with honor, treasuring
her, loving her, and protecting her, you will find your prayers are going
nowhere. If you are angry with your wife, you have an ongoing conflict with her
about anything; again your prayers will be ineffective.

There are other things that can lock up your prayer life. A lack of faith
according to Hebrews 11:6 can result in the answers to your prayers being locked
up. The writer of Hebrews says, “But without
faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that
He is….” How do you have more faith? Romans 1:17 says, “…faith
comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” If you have unconfessed sin in your life the answers to
your prayers will be locked up (1 Peter 3:12). The apostle James indicates that if the motive behind
the request is wrong you will not receive what you have requested (James 4:3). To have your prayer life unlocked you need
to be seeking what God wants, obeying His commands (1 John 3:22).

Most of the locks on effective prayer have obvious keys, but some are not so obvious.
When you are unsure of what is hindering your prayers, the best thing to do is
to ask God what is wrong. A closer relationship with your Lord will always
improve your prayer life and will help you to avoid many of the problems that
hinder prayers. As Jesus says in John 15:7, “If
you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and
it shall be done for you.”

Copyright © 2010 - 2017. Ed
Wrather. The Burning Bush website has been online since January 31, 1998. On
June 8, 1998 the email version of the Burning Bush Devotional was first sent.
Ed Wrather began writing devotionals in the early 1990s. The distribution of those
first devotionals was primarily through the Burning Bush Newsletter sent to
prison facilities throughout the United States and Canada.

Visit the
Burning Bush websites:

http://www.theburningbush.net

http://www.theburningbush.org

The Burning Bush websites are celebrating
19 years online since January 31, 1998. Since June 8, 1998 the Burning Bush
Devotional has been spreading the truth of God's Word to more than 12,000
subscribers across the world.

The Addictions Kit - Biblical Help for Addictions by Ed Wrather is now
available for download from Amazon. The Addictions Kit provides practical Biblical steps to defeat
your addiction that actually work.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00VIYLNLM

The New Pastor's Training Manual is available for download on Amazon. Here is the link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PJ8UTGS If you prefer a paper copy of the book you can order it from
the Burning Bush website at http://bit.ly/1uXDBnk

Books now available at the Burning Bush website:

New Pastor's
Training Manual

Biblical Help for
Overcoming Substance Abuse

Biblical Help
for Overcoming Sexual Addictions In Times of
Trouble - Devotionals to Encourage and Strengthen You (Also available for
download on Amazon.)

You can leave comments/feedback
about the devotionals at http://www.theburningbush.net.

There is a translation tool on
theburningbush.net website in the top right hand corner of all of the pages.

Check out the Scripture Index being constructed for the
Devotionals at the Burning Bush website. The Links are in about the middle of
the home page. Topics for each devotional are now being added to the Index.

Please continue to pray for
healing for Pastor Shane Hall, Michelle Abetz, Wesley Lewis, Brandy, Brad,
Damon D. & wife, Beverly (Jeanie’s sister), Brent Baker, Lexi McCalip (her
last scan was clear!), Gary Kirk, and Jeanie.

Please also pray for Aleesha
McMillan.

Please pray for an end to the
racial hatred in the USA and that it will be replaced with peace and love. Many
prayer needs are posted at the Burning Bush website on the Prayer Request page.
You can also post your prayer requests there (Of course, I am always in need of prayer - please pray for me. My
prayer focus is now that God will give me opportunities to preach. As the
apostle Paul says, “…woe is me if I do not preach the gospel!”).

You can contact Ed Wrather at
theburningbushdevotional@gmail.com View LinkedIn profile with
endorsements at http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=92988105

If you enjoy the devotional
please recommend it to your friends. They may subscribe by sending a blank
email to burningbushdevo-join@welovegod.org

There is a complete devotional
archive at the old Burning Bush website. Here is the URL: http://www.theburningbush.org/DevotionalArchive.html.

You can help support this
ministry by using this link: http://www.paypal.me/EdWrather

Devotion vs Devotional: We do our
devotions, we read devotionals.

You can unsubscribe to the burningbushdevo devotional group by
sending a blank email to burningbushdevo-leave@welovegod.org and then respond
to the confirmation email.

You may subscribe to the html text group (Because of time
constraints the devotional is only being sent now in html format) by sending a
blank email to burningbushhtml-join@welovegod.org and you may unsubscribe by
sending a blank email to burningbushhtml-leave@welovegod.org and then respond
to the confirmation email. If the link does not work, copy and paste the link.

To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: burningbushdevo-leave@welovegod.org