Failure in prayer I think is mainly due to our failure in getting to prayer—because of our laziness and lack of discipline. But there can also be a failure in prayer even when we are disciplined to pray—because we just don’t know how to pray effectively. In the next four blogs (parts) I will bring to you 26 ideas (in alphabetical order) on why prayers fail (fail to receive answers). Today it will be A through F.

 Authority – Prayers fail when we don’t pray with authority.  If you have gone to prayer, and your prayers have not been answered, it may be because you are not abiding in Christ, nor are you executing the authority He has given you in Him.  Do these things and you will be able to resist the devil in faith as you use the Word of God with power in all your praying.

Burden – Prayers fail when we don’t allow ourselves to be burdened with prayer needs.  The main problem here is that of abiding in Christ.  For the one who does not abide in Christ is not willing to share God’s holy yearnings for others.  Furthermore, he does not have the sacrificial Spirit of Christ that is willing to lay down his life for his friends.  If you have this problem of not being burdened for others, which causes you to fail miserably in prayer, I urge you to take the following necessary steps in order to bring your heart in line with God’s heart: (1) Go regularly to quiet places to pray; (2) as you pray, meditate on the Word of God and confess your sins; (3) discipline your prayers with fasting; (4) expose yourself to the needs of others; and (5) be obedient to love and serve others whenever the opportunity presents itself.

Confidence – Prayers fail when we don’t have confidence in God.  If we have failed in prayer it is not from a lack of self-confidence but from a lack of confidence in God.  And that lack of confidence in Him results from our not having trusted in Him and in His shed blood for our sins.  My suggestion is that you prayerfully meditate on God’s word every day.  This will help you get to know Him and thereby have more confidence in Him.

 Desire – We don’t desire Him.  If anyone, man or woman, doesn’t desire God, they won’t desire to pray either.  And if they do pray, their prayers will be useless.  For desire is the basis of prayer.  It is the spark and the fire of prayer.  I urge you to pray for desire.

Perhaps you have unconfessed sins in your life.  Ask God to show it to you.  Perhaps you need to seek God with more earnestness.  Perhaps you have too many distractions in your life so that you aren’t able to hear God’s voice.  Take time today to seek hard after God.  And as you seek Him, meditate on the word and confess your sins.  Then when He shows you His will, pray according to His will.  Soon, as you get connected with God’s heart, you will grow to desire Him and your prayers will also burn with desire.

 Earnestness – We don’t pray with earnestness.  Earnestness means to be sincere, serious, determined, and fervent.  It is a term used in the Bible to describe how we are to love one another.  In 1 Peter 1:22 it says, “Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently [earnestly] with a pure heart.”  Thus we could say that earnestness in prayer has its root in love—love for God and a God-like, pure love for people. Pray and ask God now to give you this fervent love so your prayers will not fail.

Fasting – We refuse to fast.  Fasting helps us to be sensitive to the things of God and to gain a deep hunger and love for God. Moreover, fasting helps us to fix your eyes on heaven. Those who listen to the voice that calls them to fast will receive a great reward, but those who refuse to fast prove that they love the world (especially food) more than they love God—and so their prayers will fail.