Recently the Lord began to speak to me concerning the issue of unanswered prayer. Why are there times we don't see our prayers answered? When we learn why this occurs, we will be on the way to learning how to have our prayers answered.

There are so many promises telling us that our prayers will be answered. Among them Matthew 7:7 ...ask, seek, knock...; John 14:14 ...If you ask anything in my name, I will do it; John 15:7 ...If you abide in me ...you will ask what you desire...

What I can tell from the verses that I read: God is a good God and loving father and will withhold no good thing from his children. Why then do we often not see the answers? The following are the top five reasons why I perceive we don't receive.(In Letterman order, ending with the number one reason.)

Reasons our Prayers Go Unanswered

#5 reason - We don't realize that God wants to use the members of the body as his channels of provision and supply. When we allow disunity and division, we cut off part of our own supply and provision. When we don't equip & activate all the members, we miss the part they should be supplying. Eph. 4:16

#4 reason - Unforgiveness robs us of our ability to receive. Mark 11:24 & 25

#3 reason - We ask amiss. We don't allow the Holy Spirit to gives us the wisdom from above concerning those things we ask for. James 4:3

#2 reason - We don't understand God's priorities. Our eternal life is of more value than our temporal life. Jesus taught on this when he said if your eye, hands, or feet cause us to sin then cut them off... it is better to enter Life disfigured than to be cast into hell whole. Mark 9:43, 45, 47 God has provided for our body, soul and spirit, but he has established his priorities. When you don't see immediate answers, take comfort as you remember the whole creation (including your own natural body) shall come into the glorious liberty of the sons of God. Until then, don't stop seeking all that God has for now. Rom. 8:21-23

#1 reason - our prayers go unanswered - We misunderstand God's usual means of supply! God's usual means of supply is by giving instructions to his people, and when you do on earth what he initiates in heaven, the life of heaven comes to earth. We often approach God with wrong assumptions: when we ask God for something, we tend to assume that he will provide...some other time...in some mysterious way... using someone else. This is not a Biblical model! The Bible way is that when someone cried out to God, He answered by giving instructions. When they obeyed, provision came, and their prayer was answered. It is the mustard seed principle in operation. When you are crying out for a need to be met, you don't need faith for the provision, just for the hearing and obeying. Naaman didn't need "leprosy healing faith" just the small faith to do what God spoke through Elisha, no matter how foolish it seemed. You are God's means of supply! It is you and it is NOW. Start looking and listening for his instructions. John 5:19