“What hindrances can influence one’s prayer life?”……The most obvious hindrance to a potent prayer life is the presence of unconfessed sins in the heart of the one who is praying. …Because our God is holy, there is a barrier that exists between Him and us when we come to Him with unconfessed sin in our lives. …Isaiah 59:2…2 It’s your sins that have cut you off from God. Because of your sins, he has turned away and will not listen anymore.…David concurred, knowing from experience that God is far from those who try to hide their sin.…Psalm 66:18…18 If I had not confessed the sin in my heart,the Lord would not have listened.…The Bible refers to several areas of sin that are hindrances to effective prayer. …First, when we are living according to the flesh, rather than in the Spirit, our desire to pray and our ability to effectively communicate with God are hindered. …Although we receive a new nature when we are born again, that new nature still resides in our old flesh, and that old “tent” is corrupt and sinful. The flesh can gain control of our actions, attitudes, and motives unless we are diligent to…Romans 8:13… “13 …….put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live.and be led by the Spirit in a right relationship with God. …Only then will we be able to pray in close communion with Him.……Another hindrance to effective prayer is selfishness as a result of living in the flesh selfishness manifests itself in one’s life.…When our prayers are selfishly motivated, when we ask God for what we want rather than for what He wants, our motives hinder our prayers. …1 John 5:14…“14 And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him.”.…Asking according to God’s will is the same as asking in submission to whatever His will may be, whether or not we know what that will is. As in all things, Jesus is to be our example in prayer. He always prayed in the will of His Father: …Luke 22:42…“……….Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”…Selfish prayers are always those that are intended to gratify our own selfish desires, and we should not expect God to respond to such prayers.…James 4:3…3 And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure.…Living according to selfish, fleshly desires will also hinder our prayers because it produces a hardness of heart toward others. …If we are indifferent to the needs of others, we can expect God to be indifferent to our needs. …When we go to God in prayer, our first concern should be His will. The second should be the needs of others. …This stems from the understanding that we are to consider others better than ourselves and be concerned about their interests over and above our own …Philippians 2:3-4… 3 Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. 4 Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too…A major hindrance to effective prayer is a spirit of unforgivenesstoward others. …When we refuse to forgive others, a root of bitterness grows up in our hearts and chokes our prayers. …How can we expect God to pour out His blessings upon us undeserving sinners if we harbor hatred and bitterness toward others? …This principle is beautifully illustrated in the parable of the unforgiving servant in Matthew 18:23-35. …This story teaches that God has forgiven us a debt that is beyond measure (our sin), and He expects us to forgive others as we have been forgiven. So if we refuse to do so, will hinder our prayers.……Another major hindrance to effective prayer is unbelief and doubt. This does not mean, as some suggest, that because we come to God convinced that He will grant our requests, He is somehow obligated to do so. …Praying without doubt means praying in the secure belief and understanding of God’s character, nature, and motives. …Hebrews 11:6…“6 And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.”…When we come to God in prayer, doubting His character, purpose, and promises, we insult Him terribly. …Our confidence must be in His ability to grant any request that is in accordance with His will and purpose for our lives. …We must pray with the understanding that whatever He purpose is the best possible scenario. …James 1:6-7…“6 But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. 7 Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.” …Finally, conflict in the home is a definite obstacle to prayer. …Peter specifically mentions this as a hindrance to the prayers of a husband whose attitude toward his wife is less than godly. …1 Peter 3:7…“7 In the same way, you husbands must give honor to your wives. Treat your wife with understanding as you live together. She may be weaker than you are, but she is your equal partner in God’s gift of new life. Treat her as you should so your prayers will not be hindered.”……Where there is a serious conflict in family relationships and the head of the household is not demonstrating the attitudes Peter mentions, the husband’s prayer communication with God is hindered. …Likewise, wives are to follow the biblical principles of submission to their husbands’ headship if their own prayers are not to be hindered Ephesians 5:22-24…22 For wives, this means submit to your husbands as to the Lord. 23 For a husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Savior of his body, the church.24 As the church submits to Christ, so you wives should submit to your husbands in everything.…Fortunately, all these prayer hindrances can be dealt with at once by coming to God in prayers of confession and repentance. …We are assured in 1 John 1:9 that …“9 But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.”…Once we have done that, we enjoy a clear and open channel of communication with God, and our prayers will not only be heard and answered, but we will also be filled with a deep sense of joy.