I Heard Him Whisper

It happened once again; while I was cleaning my outside flesh in the shower, He whispered something in my heart. This time it was in the form of a question. The Lord asks me things about half the time and then the other half of the time He just lets me know in no uncertain terms what He wants to tell me. Usually it's that I'm … wrong.

Well, this time He whispered so softly that I had to listen very attentively to His Words. I think He was testing me, letting me know that He is paying attention to me whether or not I pay attention to Him. He knows that sometimes we hear but we aren’t really listening; that's why Jesus said more than once … "He that hath an ear let him hear." Most of us have physical ears; but the noise of the world stops us from hearing with our spiritual ears. Our spiritual ears are attached to our hearts.

His question to me was … "Do you know what happens when there is sin in your life?" He continued … "I'm not talking about your salvation in any way; I've already taken care of that, you need not worry."

Then He went on … "I'm trying to make you aware that the things you do or the things you say, the little things I've been talking to you about; things you know I'm not pleased with that you don't want to put down, they have consequences in the spirit realm."

Now He's really got my attention. It started getting uncomfortable for me when He said with a soft whisper … "It hinders your prayers. It causes a little distance to be placed between us. I can't be as close to you as I want to be."

I was thinking … "I'm never going to be perfect, but have I quit trying to please Him?" I don't think I have; I don't intend to.

He continued … "Do you remember … ' whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.' "

In my heart I thought … "Does that mean we have to qualify or reach a certain standard to receive an answer to prayer?"

The Lord didn't respond. Instead He just started showing me just how important it is to do whatever it takes to make sure our prayers are not hindered.

What might be some of the consequences of not being willing to allow God to empty you of all the little things He wants out of your life; things only you know about; things that won't keep you out of Heaven; small things that you have turned a deaf ear to when He speaks to you about them.

Some of the consequences might include things like … being unable to enter into spiritual warfare on behalf of your children when they ask you to stand with them in prayer. You don't want to be hindered with a need like that.

I started to think about my grandchildren. What if they are going through an attack from the enemy of their souls; and then the Lord asked me …

"How are you going to pray effectively for them if your prayers are hindered? The consequences will fall not on you but upon those you are praying for because your prayers are hindered, making them ineffective, inadequate and lacking in power."

After I got out of the shower I went to the Word and found this example …

1st Peter 3:7 … "you married men should live considerately with your wives, with an intelligent recognition of the marriage relation, honoring the woman as physically the weaker, but realizing that you are joint heirs of the grace of life, in order … that your prayers may not be hindered and cut off. Otherwise you cannot pray effectively." Amp.

"… husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honor unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that … your prayers be not hindered." K.J.V.

God is telling me with this example found in marriage, that there are small but important things we must do, otherwise … "we cannot pray effectively."

What does it mean … "your prayers are hindered?" I can easily see from the Amplified version that it could mean, "we can't pray effectively" as we should because of anything displeasing to the Lord that is still in our lives. Things we try to push aside or try to hurdle when we pray; perhaps even a little left over conviction from the last time God spoke to us about … "whatever."

But what I really don't want one of the consequences to be is this … that God Himself would somehow be … "hindered" … either in hearing our prayer or His willingness to give us the answer to our prayer.

This is what He whispered to my heart … "It hinders your prayers."



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