DCLM Daily Manna Sunday 11 September 2022
TOPIC: Sin Hinders Prayers
Text: Ezekiel 20:27-38
27 Therefore, son of man, speak unto the house of Israel, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Yet in this your fathers have blasphemed me, in that they have committed a trespass against me.
28 For when I had brought them into the land, for the which I lifted up mine hand to give it to them, then they saw every high hill, and all the thick trees, and they offered there their sacrifices, and there they presented the provocation of their offering: there also they made their sweet savour, and poured out there their drink offerings.
29 Then I said unto them, What is the high place whereunto ye go? And the name whereof is called Bamah unto this day.
30 Wherefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord God; Are ye polluted after the manner of your fathers? and commit ye whoredom after their abominations?
31 For when ye offer your gifts, when ye make your sons to pass through the fire, ye pollute yourselves with all your idols, even unto this day: and shall I be enquired of by you, O house of Israel? As I live, saith the Lord God, I will not be enquired of by you.
32 And that which cometh into your mind shall not be at all, that ye say, We will be as the heathen, as the families of the countries, to serve wood and stone.
33 As I live, saith the Lord God, surely with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out, will I rule over you:
34 And I will bring you out from the people, and will gather you out of the countries wherein ye are scattered, with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out.
35 And I will bring you into the wilderness of the people, and there will I plead with you face to face.
36 Like as I pleaded with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so will I plead with you, saith the Lord God.
37 And I will cause you to pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant:
38 And I will purge out from among you the rebels, and them that transgress against me: I will bring them forth out of the country where they sojourn, and they shall not enter into the land of Israel: and ye shall know that I am the Lord.
KEY VERSE
“For when ye offer your gifts, when ye make your sons to pass through the fire, ye pollute yourselves with all your idols, even unto this day: and shall I be inquired of by you, O house of Israel? As I live, saith the Lord God, I will not be inquired of by you.”.
Ezekiel 20:31
DCLM Daily Manna Sunday 11 September 2022 OUTLINE
Prayer is a great gift from God, which many saints of old have made effective use of, to rewrite destinies, restructure situations and turn around negative circumstances.
In our text, Israel had gone into idolatry and built high places where they go to worship idols and make their sons to pass through the fire. They forgot the mighty deliverance from Egypt and the disobedience of their fathers which led to their destruction in the wilderness. Whenever they were oppressed by other nations, they would remember God and seek Him temporarily. The Lord, in His wrath, pronounced judgment on the rebels and refused to be enquired of by them.
Truly, sin is the greatest hindrance to prayers and a greater enemy of the soul than the devil himself. It is the root cause of sicknesses and afflictions. It exposes the sinner to satanic manipulations and demonic influences. God told the children of Israel, “Your iniquities have turned away these things, and your sins have withholden good things from you” (Jeremiah 5:25). Sin will block the way to progress and promotion for anyone who indulges in it. Little wonder many prayers are not answered today.
The quickest way to get out of satanic bondage and affliction is to come out of sin. Salvation is strictly a personal experience. It is not transferable or obtained by the proxy. The sinner must confess his sins and forsake them. Those who have the right standing with God do not need intermediaries to talk with Him; all they need is simple faith. By so doing, their prayers will be steadily answered and situations changed.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
The greatest hindrance to prayers is sin; not Satan.
THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Numbers 5-7
