A question about prayer?

Question

Someone told me that God does not hear the prayers of a Christian that has sin in their life. How can this be? The Bible clearly states that no man is perfect and that we're all sinners and if we ask God to forgive us of our sins He will. I take this person's comment as: since we sin, God turns his back on his and refuses to hear and answer our prayers. This person said there is a scripture in the Bible that says this but failed to give the scripture.
Serious replies only please!

I meant to write, God turns his back on us then?

Answer 1

When God forgives us, He forgives us and that is that. But we sin again, we need to repent again. I can't say for sure the point your friend was making, but the thing is, sin separates us from the love of God. It's not His desire, but our choice. He wants to bring us back, so His ears are open to hear that.

Answer 2

The Holy Spirit moves in a believing Christian's heart, convicting him of sin. This being the case, where sin is a barrier to being able to communicate properly with God, then the Spirit will gently nudge the person concerned towards repentance, in order to make him see the need to remove the cause of the sin. This isn't a case of God not hearing prayers, it's more a matter of God reminding the praying believer that he hasn't come before him in a proper frame of mind, rather like a human father telling a child who appears at the dinner table with dirty hands that he should go off and wash them before sitting down! Remember that Jesus tells those who are making a gift at the altar and have an unsettled dispute with a fellow human being that they should go and make peace with that human being before they come before God (Mt 5:23). One prayer which will always have a positive answer if it comes from the heart is a prayer for forgiveness. Remember the parable of the Pharisee and the publican. The former thought that he was a good man, but in fact his heart was hardened by pride in his own supposed virtue. The publican knew very well that he was a sinner -- and God heard his anguished prayer for forgiveness.

Answer 3

Jesus died on the cross for our sins so what they said can't be true, the person that said that obviously didn't know what they are talking about. Also if God doesn't answer prayers to sinners then how do we ask for for forgiveness, that doesn't make since not unless God wants us sinners to be crucifyied.

Answer 4

I once struggled with the same question, because ppl loved to say that, but if that's true-- then no one would be Christian or get miracles or prayers answered, because everyone has sinned, and therefore no one would be able to get through!

I don't believe God ever turns His back on us. The image of that seems problematic to me. Sin seperates us from God-- and that's what we experience. We choose to believe in our fear, instead of in God's love. When we prayer, it's necessary to prayer with an open heart and sincerity, because God judges our hearts, and if He finds that we have less-than-honest motives, than He will not help us-- because we're not asking for what we really want, we're trying to "manipulate" God.

Prayer is an assertion that we are not perfect, or that in this situation, we are not seeing things in the right way, and we ask God to come in to help us because without Him, we won't be able to see our way through it. Prayer acknowledges that we need God. And, we do.

Sin seperates us, and makes us believe that we don't need God, or that we can do it on our own. The first sin of disobedience comes down to that. Basically, Adam and Eve had a good desire to be like God, but the problem came when they believed that they knew more than God (who had told them not to eat from that tree) and that's the genesis of our dilemmas-- we think we know more than God, and so we don't invite Him into our lives. Ultimately, God comes and finds us (it happens to us all, we're all taught about God from others, maybe Sunday School, maybe from a friend), and wants to help us, desperately. He's not turned His back on us, He's trying to find us. We are seperated in our sin, but when we call out to Him (through prayer, for example), we admit that we're ashamed of our actions, and that we need Him. It's all pretty profound, but simple. And this is the way I understand it. Hope that helps!

Answer 5

God does not hear the prayers of the unrepentant. If you are knowingly practicing sin and ot taken it to God with genuine repentance ... asking for forgiveness and the strenght to overcome that sin, then you prayers are't making it out of the room that you are in. This is spoken of many time in both the old and the new testaments.

Answer 6

We are speaking of willful unrepentant sin in the heart. If I am a Christian, then hopefully I know to keep short accounts with God. But if I walk around saying I am a Christian, and I am willfully sinning, God will not regard my Prayers !

Answer 7

God is who you believe he is. If you believe god wishes to hear your prayers, then that is the case. If you wish to be influenced by mean christians who say god has turned his back on you (preposterous by any standards) then you will feel alone and godless.
Choose which is best for you
Maybe celebrating your faith in your own way is more effective than looking to a man-written 2000 year old text for the answers.
(Remember, in those days the world was flat and the sea was full of sea serpents too!)

Answer 8

We are all sinners..we're human and God knows that. His love is unconditional and if you pray with faith and believe, He will listen to your prayers and answer them. There is no such thing as a human without sin and God created us as His children. Jesus paid the ultimate price to save us from past, present and future sins. Keep praying and He will answer you in His time.

Answer 9

Isayah 59:1-2

1. Behold, Yahweh’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save nor His ear heavy, that it cannot hear.
2. But your own iniquities have separated you from your Father and your own sins have caused Him to hide His face from you, so He will not listen.



Go to the below website and read the article "Why aren't your prayers answered today" and you will come to learn the truth about praying according to the scriptures.

http://www.yahweh.com/booklets/Prayers/prayers.htm

Answer 10

All that is necessary is to think about an infinite Mind that wanted to create. It is complete, and whole unto Itself. It created the truth of you through a magnificent act upon Itself, thus created you out of Itself.

Not apart from Itself, for there is nothing apart from God. "No man is perfect" means we have placed ourselves in this physical plane of existence...we form the physical, that is why it seems so fragile, and certain things make no sense, such as the appendix.
But the truth of us is indeed perfect, whole, and complete. Stop believing in the interpretations of ancient words, and go inside the quiet of your mind, and ask there.