Unbelief & Unforgiveness in Prayer

“Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. “Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.  And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” Mark 11:26

UNBELIEF

How many times in prayer are we saying words with our mouth, but not completely believing them in our heart?

I know when I discussed safe prayers and faith prayers, I mentioned that in praying a specific prayer that God placed in my heart, I’ve been struggling with unbelief.

It’s one thing to pray for a miracle and it’s another thing to believe that it will (not can, but WILL) happen.

complete healing

release from bondage

restoring a broken marriage or relationship

Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. Mark 11:24

Not only are we called to pray in confidence, but we are to pray as if it has already been given. Praying with authority and power will allow us to ASK IT. BELIEVE IT. RECEIVE IT.

It is important to remember that just because we ask (even nicely) and believe doesn’t mean that we will see immediate results.

Asking with authority in prayer doesn’t mean we will get our answer sooner, but it does mean that we will see God’s power unfold.

Praying and believing what you are praying will come to pass, is just one piece of the puzzle, the other is forgiveness.

UNFORGIVENESS

And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins. Mark 11:25

It is not a coincidence that these verses are next to each other. There are a few other verses in the bible that echo the importance of forgiveness.

“Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift. Matthew 5:23-24

Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. Colossians 3:13

It seems as though harboring bitterness and unforgiveness has a way of “muffling” our prayers, like if you were to talk into a cup, others around you would have a hard time hearing and understanding you.

Could it be that unforgiveness and bitterness in our hearts act as a muffler to our prayers?

The verse today is particularly eye-opening for me because I am personally struggling with unforgiveness that has blistered into bitterness towards that person. Honestly I am just now getting to the point where I want to work it out of my heart, and today’s verses just encourage me to continue to work out my forgiveness of this person not only for my sake but for the sake of others that I pray for!

Focus Challenge:

Is there someone in your life that you haven’t completely forgiven? Maybe you see it as you are bitter towards that person for a reason, but I challenge you to ask God to show you any unforgiveness you are still holding onto. Don’t feel discouraged if it feels hard to admit the “ill will” you feel towards that person, that is how much God loves you, that he desires for you to “unjunk your heart” so you can be free and your prayers can be more effective.