Here’s the
final part of our spiritual wellness checklist. It’s a good thing to check it
often and keep yourself in check.
June’s Awakening, Day 3
Spiritual
Wellness Checklist—Prayer Hinderers (Continued):
7. Neglect of Others. [Ignoring the needs and
well-being of others, especially when you have the ability to help them in
tangible ways.]
Whoever shuts their ears to the cry of
the poor will also cry out and not be answered. Proverbs 21:13 NIV
For I was hungry and you gave me
nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a
stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe
me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’ “They also will
answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing
clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell
you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for
me.’ Matthew 25:42–45 NIV
8. Disregard for God’s Word or Sovereignty. [A
prideful attitude putting your knowledge and self-appraisal equal to that of
God.]
If anyone turns a deaf ear to my
instruction, even their prayers are detestable. Whoever leads the upright along
an evil path will fall into their own trap, Proverbs 28:9–10a NIV
Woe to those who are wise in their own
eyes and clever in their own sight. Isaiah 5:21
NIV
those who are pure in their own eyes
and yet are not cleansed of their filth; those whose eyes are ever so haughty,
whose glances are so disdainful; Proverbs
30:12–13 NIV
9. Unsurrendered Will/Stubbornness. [Knowing but
resisting, or an unwillingness to change or do the right things that you know
you should do.]
“But
they refused to pay attention; stubbornly they turned their backs and covered
their ears. They made their hearts as hard as flint and would not listen to the
law or to the words that the Lord Almighty had sent by his Spirit through the
earlier prophets. So the Lord Almighty was very angry. “‘When I called, they
did not listen; so when they called, I would not listen,’ says the Lord
Almighty. Zechariah 7:11–13 NIV
Search
me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there
is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. Psalm
139:23–24 NIV
10. Not
Honoring One Another. [Our interpersonal relationships are important to God—how
we relate to Him, those closest to us, and all humanity.]
Rather,
it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet
spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. For this is the way the holy
women of the past who put their hope in God used to adorn themselves. They
submitted themselves to their own husbands, Husbands, in the same way be
considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the
weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing
will hinder your prayers. Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic,
love one another, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or
insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this
you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. For the eyes of the Lord
are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face
of the Lord is against those who do evil.” 1 Peter 3:4–5, 7–9, 12
NIV
11.
Indifference. [A flippant, uncaring, nonchalant attitude gets you precisely
what you give.]
But
since you refuse to listen when I call and no one pays attention when I stretch
out my hand, since you disregard all my advice and do not accept my rebuke, I
in turn will laugh when disaster strikes you; I will mock when calamity
overtakes you—when calamity overtakes you like a storm, when disaster sweeps
over you like a whirlwind, when distress and trouble overwhelm you. “Then they
will call to me but I will not answer; they will look for me but will not find
me, since they hated knowledge and did not choose to fear the Lord. Since they
would not accept my advice and spurned my rebuke, they will eat the fruit of
their ways and be filled with the fruit of their schemes. For the waywardness
of the simple will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them; Proverbs
1:24–32 NIV
12.
Impatience. [We are called to patient perseverance and to wait on His
timing—God is never late or wrong.]
Be
still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people
succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. Psalm 37:7
NIV
Since
ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God
besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him. Isaiah 64:4
NIV
But
if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. Romans
8:25 NIV
We ourselves, are the greatest
obstacle to what God has for us and in hearing His voice clearly. We need to do
a spiritual checkup often and objectively—our connection with Him and
experiencing the fullness of what He has for us demands it.
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