Living Truth Ministries's Podcast

The Bible is specific about the words that hinder your destiny. Lying is one of the deadliest sins of the tongue against which you must set a guard. Among the things that God especially hates is a lying tongue: There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers. (Proverbs 6:16-19, NIV)

Jesus had compassion on the four thousand. He knew that they were there because they were hungry spiritually. Jesus also knew that if he were to send them away without feeding them physically, some would not make it home without fainting, for they had been with him for three days with no food. He not only fed them Spiritually and Physically, but he healed their bodies. The blind could see, the lame could walk, the deaf could hear, and the dumb could talk.

The Bible records the specific words that kept Israel out of their Promised Land: And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night. And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron: and the whole congregation said unto them, Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would God we had died in this wilderness! And wherefore hath the Lord brought us unto this land, to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children should be a prey? were it not better for us to return into Egypt? And they said one to another, Let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt. (Numbers 14:1-4) Did you see it? The people "murmured against Moses and Aaron." Murmuring is an outward expression of unbelief. When you murmur against your circumstances or against your spiritual leaders, you are actually murmuring against God. It reveals a lack of trust in God's goodness, His love, His provision, and the leadership He has set over your life.

Join Paul as he continues WHAT NOT TO SPEAK.

The early Church viewed their spiritual experience in terms of warfare. Military terminology is used throughout the New Testament. Protection was seen in the armor of God. The Word of God was compared to a sword. Satan's attacks were called fiery darts. Faith was the "good fight" and believers were told to "war a good warfare.” The early Church knew they were engaged in intense spiritual struggle. The Bible states that God's people are destroyed because of lack of knowledge (Hosea 4:6). One of the areas in which believers are defeated due to lack of knowledge is in this invisible warfare. There is a great war being waged in the world today. It is not a conflict between nations, tribes, or government leaders. It is not a rebellion or coup. It is an important invisible battle in the spirit world.

For the next few days, we will meditate on the types of speech that the Bible warns against.

It is one thing to fall into a trap set by Satan--as he has many devious methods to trap you. It is quite another to snare yourself by your own mouth! Learn what you can do to keep from doing self-destructive damage to yourself and others. Join Paul as He Teaches on Snaring Yourself.

You can change the entire course of your life by bringing your tongue under the control of the Holy Spirit. If you are living in discouragement, failure, or defeat in any area of your life, you can change this by correcting your speech--by restraining your tongue from negative words and by speaking words of life, blessing, and faith. God requires you to discipline your tongue and bring it under the control of the Holy Spirit. This does not happen automatically. You are commanded: “Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit” (Psalm 34:13, AMP). King Solomon warned: “Do not allow your mouth to cause your body to sin” (Ecclesiastes 5:6, AMP).

JAMES 4:3 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. We must search our hearts and motives when we ask God for something. Remember, God searches our hearts and minds. He knows why we are asking and what we will do with it if we receive what we ask for. We may be asking God for something with a very selfish motive, and if we ask for selfish reasons, God will not answer. We may ask God for something we want to show off, whether material or spiritual. When our motives are where we want people to look at and praise us, saying, "Well, look at so and so; how God has blessed that person with a great gift?" You get the glory, and God is left out. We have robbed God, and He will not answer our prayers.

The heart and mind are intricately related, and that is why the Bible says what is in a man's heart determines his actions and the words coming out of his mouth. If an individual's heart is filled with negative thoughts--hatred, anger, jealousy, fear, worry, pride, bitterness, and strife--that is exactly what will come out of his mouth. If his mind and heart are continually filled with carnal thoughts and lusts of the flesh, it will be manifested in his speech.

Although the tongue is a little member of your body, it is very powerful: My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation. For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body. Behold, we put bits in the horses' mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body. Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth. Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell. For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind: But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. (James 3:1-8)

Prayer Stopper #III. OUR PRAYERS ARE NOT ANSWERED BECAUSE OF UNBELIEVING MINDS. JAMES 1:6-8 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

Your words determine your destiny! You are either speaking forth… -Blessing or cursing. -Power or weakness. -Faith or unbelief. -Victory or defeat. -Abundance or lack. -Life or death. -Words that will advance or hinder your destiny. If you continually speak negative words of defeat and discouragement, you are setting the course of your life to live in defeat and discouragement. If you constantly talk about your problems, the words coming out of your mouth will hinder you from taking possession of God’s promises and fulfilling your divine destiny.

If we say we have no sin, we just sinned and became liars. Jesus told his disciples when they asked him to teach them how to pray in Matthew chapter 6. verse 12 of the Lord's Prayer,

If you are struggling to get your prayers answered or wondering if God is even near you to hear them, I invite you to listen to today's message and see if something in it will help you grow in Christ and get your prayers answered. Join me as we dig into "Seven Reasons Our Prayers Are Not Answered."

Israel failed to enter into the rest God had secured for them. Paul warned the believers, "Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience" (Hebrews 4:11, NIV). The only way to fulfill the destiny God has planned for you is by obedience. You must shut out every voice that would tempt you to disobey God. You must set your heart and mind to obey Him, regardless of the cost.

Just as Satan spoke through the spies to keep Israel from their divine destiny, he will speak to you through other people–perhaps even your closest friends and loved ones–to attempt to discourage you from fulfilling your vision. They may say things like… -It can’t be done. -Are you sure God told you to do that? -This situation is hopeless. -You might as well give up.

Israel was defeated because they rejected the voice of God and followed their own carnal thinking. Instead of going forward to take possession of the land as God had commanded, they listened to negative reports, which created doubt and resulted in disobedience. They chose their will above God's will. They rejected Him as the supreme authority of their lives. They actually wanted to return to slavery in Egypt rather than obey God and advance at His command. Moses and Aaron recognized the ramifications of their rebellion and fell on their faces in fear before God. Joshua and Caleb, in great anguish, tore their clothes and pleaded with them not to rebel. But the children of Israel refused to listen. Once they made the choice to go their own way, nothing anyone could say or do could alter their decision. Listen to Paul to find out what we should do when God commands us to do something.

Moses sent twelve men, one from each of the tribes of Israel, to spy out the Promised Land. After exploring for forty days, the men returned. The entire congregation was anxiously waiting to hear what these twelve leaders had to say. The spies told Moses, "We came to the land to which you sent us; surely it flows with milk and honey; this is its fruit" (Numbers 13:27, AMP). Can you imagine the excitement among the congregation as these twelve men showed them the fruit they had brought from the land? Just as God promised, the soil was rich and fertile. They brought back pomegranates, figs, and a single cluster of grapes that was so large it took two men to carry it on a pole between them. At long last, their waiting was over. Soon, they would be enjoying the fruit of the land and the blessings God had promised them!

Is there a secret to getting our prayers answered? Are there some types of rituals I must perform to get God to answer my prayers? This was the question I have often asked myself, and others, and I even asked God. The answer to that question is: NO. There are however laws to prayer like there are laws to everything else. I am not talking about man-made laws which are far from being flawless, but laws that God has put in place which is perfect. There are laws of nature that God put in place to keep things in balance. Even in space, there are laws in place otherwise the planet Mars may be knocking at your front door. Our bodies are held together, because of the laws God put in place. Getting saved; a law was put in place for you to be saved. Praying, and your prayer life also has laws, and God enforces these laws. When you were a child, if you ran up to your dad or mom and asked them for a new sports car knowing that you were neither old enough nor have a driver's license; makes it a very foolish request on your part. We also make foolish requests from God and this we will get into later in this message.

Not knowing how to pray will affect your prayer life, and you will become discouraged, and you will stop praying altogether, this will hinder God's answers, but don’t feel ashamed because even Jesus's disciples did not know how to pray. The Bible says the disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray. In Matthew chapter 6, Jesus Talks about prayer and our prayer life. Verses 1-8 Jesus is preparing us for the Lord's Prayer. He begins by telling his disciples not to do alms before men; in other words what you give to God or what you do to help someone, you are not to go out and blow your own horn about it. People will see what you do, and if they don’t, the Bible says what you do in secret God will reward you openly. Do not let anyone know what you are doing or what you did. It may hinder your prayer from being answered by God.

It is very important that we learn how to apply the Lord’s prayer to our prayer life. Jesus taught his disciples how to pray, and in what fashion we should pray. There are certain principles in the Lord's prayer that Jesus was teaching us, and not following those principles could hinder our prayers. Why would it hinder our prayer or stop God from answering? We will get into this as we now go to the Lord's Prayer. In part two of this message: “There are Laws for Prayer” we received a warning from Jesus that we are not to do our alms before men, and we are not to pray as the hypocrites do. In Jesus's time, the hypocrites were the Pharisees the religious leaders of that time the spiritual leaders. Today he is calling many of our churches, spiritual leaders, and religious leaders hypocrites. Sad to say but seems every church has a few. Just because your church may have a few hypocrites does not mean that you should stop going or that you should run them off.

He stated again we must love one another read John 15:1-27 and he said it again in I John 3:23 to love one another. Husbands just as Jesus commanded you to love your wives, he also commanded you to love everyone. Wives just as Jesus commanded your husband to love you, he also commanded you to love him and everyone else. This is a commandment Jesus gave to every man, woman, and child, to love one another. If you noticed Jesus did not stop there with just loving one another, but to love one another as he loved us. Jesus never ran anyone down, gossiped, or called anyone hurtful names, He never said to one person: don’t bother me I am tired. Jesus never judged anyone, because of their personal sins. Jesus never cursed anyone.

James 4:1-3 KJV V1. “From Whence come wars and fighting among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?” V2 “ Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.” V3. “Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask a miss, that ye may consume it upon your own lust.” Lust, our own lust, and the lust of the world will stop your prayers from being answered. Christians who become self-righteous or disagree with a church a pastor or a group of people will often set out to prove they are right and do so to bring the spotlight to themselves, and not to God. We are seeing this more and more today; so many churches like organizations have started up today, because of a disagreement they are having. They are in a battle to prove that they are right and that the other person, church, or group is wrong. They have declared war on that person or group. I am not saying that the person or group is wrong by separating themselves from a church or group or even a person who may now have false teachings, but all too often the problem is we do it not to bring God back to the center stage, we put our selves in the spotlight. This will hinder your prayers from being answered.

This Verse 1 of Hebrews chapter 11 is a very powerful verse. Paul explains to the Hebrews in chapter 11 how we are to act, and how when you act by faith that it shows that our heavenly Father is real, and that he indeed answers the prayers of his children who do not doubt. Verse 6 he said: “But with out faith it is impossible to please him…” Impossible to please who? With out faith it is impossible to please God. If you do not believe that God will give what you ask for; then why even, ask? Because unless you believe, and I mean truly believe; then your prayer will not be heard by God. “… for he that cometh to God must believe that he is…” That he is… We must believe that he is the holy God; He is of the Trinity which is: Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. That he is a just God, and that his justice is true and holy. That he is the holy creator of all things. That he is a merciful God, and has shown his mercy, and grace through his Son Jesus Christ, and who has given us power through the Holy Ghost to live a Christian life. Without this kind of faith your prayers will go unanswered. He is our Holy God, our Holy heavenly Father. “…and the he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” You come before God full of faith and you believe that he is God, and you know who he is and what he is and you reverence his holy Name. You seek him with great passion, and love for him as your heavenly Father, and you seek his righteousness, and his will, and wisdom, he will reward you. Your prayers will be answered. He will shower you with blessings.

God may not answer our prayer instantly, and his timing is not our timing. His ways are not our ways. When you ask in faith your faith better be as strong or stronger tomorrow, or next week, or next year, as it was the day you asked God for something. We often say one day that God will answer, and then the next hour, or the next day we will say I don’t know if he will answer. This kind of light switch faith will stop your prayers as James stated in verse 7. “For let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord.” Either we believe that God will answer our prayers, or we don’t believe God will answer our prayers. People who base their faith on feelings will fall because faith is not a feeling. Faith is knowing. Remember God is not our personal Genie, He is God, He is our heavenly Father, he’s our creator, and for us to believe that God is our personal genie is foolishness on our part. He is not someone you keep in a bottle and on a shelf or on the coffee table, and we bring him out when we need something. He is to live in our hearts, and we are the ones to be subjected unto him and not him unto us. Wavering Faith will stop all prayers from being answered.

One of our problems with getting prayers answered is we do nothing. We go to God in prayer as a spoiled child expecting God to do it all and we sit on our hands waiting for it to pop in our laps. We most of the time must work for what we are wanting, but we are not only talking about working for our physical needs, but we must also work for our spiritual needs as well. Let me explain. II Thessalonians 3:10 “For even when we were with you, this we command you , if any would not work, neither should he eat.” When we read this verse, we automatically think of our physical world and yes this does hold true to that, but here he is also speaking and mainly speaking of our spiritual being. Many of us have a secret sin that we have not repented of, or we may have repented of it only to find ourselves right back to committing that sin again.

How many times have you asked God for something, and when he answers your prayer, you are amazed or surprised God even answered? I have prayed with people, and I have seen God answer their prayers and when he did there was a joy, but also a bewildered look on their faces. I would say to them; you look surprised. Why? They would say: I was not expecting it. I thought that God would probably not answer. I would say: Why? Did we not pray, and ask God for it? We seem to have the mentality that when we need something we are supposed to ask God for it, but when we do, we look at it as maybe he will answer, or maybe he won’t answer, because most of the time he won’t. Am I right? Is this how you felt when you prayed? I know I have. I have prayed and asked God to meet my needs or to help me with a bill or there may be a problem in my life, or my family, and then get up and say: “well that was a waste of my breath because I know God won’t answer my prayer, he hasn’t in a very long time; why should he start now?” And with that type of mentality, I was right one hundred percent of the time. God never did answer my prayers. Why?

You should be proud of your marriage and proud of your wife or husband, and that is a good thing. To many times couples lose that pride in each other, and when you do; I suggest you get on your knees, and get back into your prayer closets, and find out what is wrong with you. Notice I did not say with him or with her, but with you. Why? Because most of the time the problem lies with in you, and not that other person. And when you start to talk about that other person to other people or complain about that person to God it becomes sin and God is displeased. Well, I thought we are to pray for one another and we are to tell God what is bothering us, and I thought, I am suppose to take my spouse to God in prayer? Yes you are right, but, too often we tell God what we see as the problem, and we tell God how he is to handle it, and we allow anger to builds up inside of us so therefore we want God to bring them to deaths door, or beat them over the head until he or she listens to you, and bring them to you a perfect husband or wife. Now I am here to tell you God can do that, but the problem is if he did you would soon hate that person, because you will see all of your imperfections, and it will make you even angrier. Most of the time the problem is with you, more than with your spouse, but we have this bad pride in us and it blinds us.

We are to humble ourselves before the Lord. Some people like to call themselves upstanding Christians, and they believe that when God calls us home they will be the first in line to receive their rewards. Maybe you are one of those people who feel this way. Many people have so much pride they feel they are above bowing their heads not to mention getting on their knees, and bow before God our heavenly Father. How many times do you bow your head at the dinner table to give God thanks for the food you are about to eat? Well, I worked for that food, and it was my sweat that put the food on the table. You may be right, but here is my question to you. Who gave you the strength to go out, and by your sweat put food on the table? Who was the one who sent the wind, sun, and rain so that the food you are about to put in your mouth could grow? Who was the one who created the seed that was planted? Who created Heaven and the Earth, the sun, the water? Was it you? If not, then you had better give thanks to the one who did. That kind of pride you have will stop your prayers from being answered.

Approximately sixteen months after God delivered Israel out of Egyptian bondage, He brought them to the border of the Promised Land. From where they were camped, the Israelites could see the beautiful hills, fields, and pastures of the land that God had promised them as an inheritance. Can you imagine the excitement that filled the hearts and minds of the people of Israel as they gazed toward the land of Canaan? Behind them were the years of slavery in Egypt–the pain and sorrow, the cruel taskmasters, the bondage, anguish, discouragement, and defeat. Their difficult desert journey was over.

The Great I Am–God Almighty–had manifested Himself on Mount Sinai in flaming fire and billowing smoke. They heard the trumpet of God blasting across the plains, summoning them to meet with Him. They saw His glory. They heard Him speak in an audible voice. There on Mount Sinai, God joined Himself together with them in a blood-covenant relationship. God pledged Himself to be their God, to protect them, to prosper them, and to set them apart from the nations of the earth. Their enemies were His enemies, and all that He had belonged to them.

What is faith? Hebrews 11:1 1. Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Dr. A. T. Robertson translates substance as "title deed." What is the title deed? What is the substance? It is the Word of God. If your faith does not rest upon the Word of God, it is not biblical faith at all. It has to rest upon what God says. Actually, it means to believe God. Faith is knowing God will do what he said he would do.

Israel encountered many challenges on the road to their destiny. Most of their problems came from their lack of faith in the Lord. Despite the miracles God had done in Egypt, the parting of the Red Sea, and the miraculous provision along the way, they repeatedly doubted, murmured, and complained. If you keep your eyes on negative circumstances, you too, will murmur, complain, and fail God. You will be tempted to turn back to the old life. What you must do--and what Israel should have done--is get your eyes off of the visible and focus on the invisible. Only when you do this will you dare to do the impossible.