Another hindrance to prayer is found in Mark 11:25-26. It
says, “And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have aught
against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive
you your trespasses. But if ye do not forgive, neither will
your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.” This is
vital. Prayer will not work without forgiveness. I cannot overemphasize
its importance. Jesus prayed, “Our Father which art
in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will
be done, as in heaven, so in earth. Give us day by day our daily
bread. And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that
is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver
us from evil” (Luke 11:2-4). Spiritual principles are involved
here. You can keep these hindrances from stopping the results
of your prayers. Harmony makes the prayer system work.
This attitude of forgiveness begins at home. Jesus said if
any two of you will agree on earth, He will be in your midst.
A man and his wife should be the strongest agreement force
there is. Satan goes to great lengths to separate a man from
his wife and family. He wants them out of agreement.
First Peter 3:7 says, “Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them
[your wives] according to knowledge [according to the Word of
God], giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel,
and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers
be not hindered.” If a husband is not honoring his wife as he
should, his prayers are hindered. The burden of harmony is not
on the wife. The husband is the authority in his household. The
power of God is available to the man and wife who purpose to
stay in harmony.
As you come against unforgiveness and reach for harmony,
you will experience Jesus in your midst! He said, “If a man
love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him,
and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him”
(John 14:23).
You cannot say you are pleasing God and hold something
against someone. First John 4:20 says, “If a man say, I love
God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not
his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom
he hath not seen?” This includes family members as well.
Strife and unforgiveness hinder your prayer life. Strife
is merely acting on unforgiveness. James 3:16 says, “For
where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil
work.” When you take confusion and add it to Satan’s work,
problems arise. You will have a disaster in the making. Jesus
is not in the midst of that. Determine you are not going to
respond in strife. The next time someone says something
rude, unmannerly or unkind to you, or about someone else,
make the decision not to join in. Don’t carry strife any further.
Second Timothy 2:24-26 says that because of strife, Satan can
capture Christians at his will. Jesus said the thief comes to steal,
kill and destroy (John 10:10). That is the only reason he gets
involved in your life. The believer belongs to God and has every
right to walk free, but wholeness—spirit, soul, body, financially
and socially—is only achieved through peace and harmony.
The absence of strife is the key to getting rid of confusion
and evil. It is the predominant, primary prerequisite for
answered prayer. Stop Satan from working in your life. You
do not want him in your home or your prayer life. So the first
thing to do is begin to forgive. Get strife out of your life. Jesus
said to ask and you will receive, that your joy may be made
full. Your joy will be strong.
Matthew 18:19-20 will not work just because two people
say the same thing. The prayer of agreement is effective
because of its motivating force—love!
As you read this, take the opportunity right now to rid
yourself of strife, disharmony or unforgiveness. Confess
it. Jesus is faithful to forgive you (1 John 1:9). Give God the
opportunity to create a system of harmony around you and
your prayer life will begin to work.
