Is Your Pipe Clogged? Three Tools To Help

I don't consider myself to be a plumber by any means, but at times I've had to act like one.  I recently noticed that the water wasn't draining properly in one of my sinks; so out came the gloves, the bucket, and the tools.  I went under the sink, turned off the water lines, and unclogged the pipes.  Boy was it yucky!  I couldn't believe all the gunk I found hidden inside those pipes.  But once everything was cleared out, the water flowed through beautifully again.

At times our prayer lives get clogged up just like the pipes underneath a sink.  We can spend time in prayer, and yet nothing moves in our lives, and it leaves us wondering why.  The heart, or spirit of a man is like a spiritual pipeline to God.  It has to be kept clean and clear in order for our prayers to be heard and answered.  If we allow things like unforgiveness, bitterness, or resentment to enter in, it blocks the flow of our prayers.  This is why we must guard our hearts with all diligence, because out of it flow the issues of life (see Proverbs 4:23).

God has dealt with me about issues of the heart a lot over the years, because I often cried out to Him about why my prayers weren't being answered.  He would always cause me to look internally; and until I dealt with what He showed, nothing changed.  As a matter of fact, the last chapter of my book Pray-ers Bear Fruit is titled, How is Your Heart?  Many readers have shared that it is their favorite section in the book because it forced them to really take a good look at their heart.  God's word is very clear about sin in the heart.  He doesn't put up with it.

If you regard iniquity in your heart the Lord will not hear. Psalm 66:18

There is no doubt about whether or not God wants to hear and answer our prayers, because He is a kind and loving Father.   He wants to meet our every need, and give us the desires of our hearts.  This is why the heart must be guarded, to keep it from getting clogged up and stopping the flow of our prayers.  Here are three simple steps we can take to unclog our pipes and keep our prayers flowing smoothly.

Three Tools To Unclog Our Pipes

• We must humble ourselves before God and ask Him to reveal the hidden things that are keeping us from receiving answers to our prayers.

• We must repent for the things God reveals to us, and be willing and obedient to do whatever He tells us concerning those matters. 

• We must ask God to create in us a clean heart, and renew a right spirit within us.

Has a heart issue ever hindered your prayer life?  How did you resolve it?  

Blessings!

Kathy