Not Getting an Answer?

There are times when we're desperate for God’s intervention, help, and deliverance, but He doesn't seem to show up. When you turn something over to God and don't feel like you're getting a working response from Him, there could be other factors holding things up.

You may think you're turning something over to Him and surrendering the situation with all you've got, but you may not be surrendering as deeply as you think...or as you'd like God to think. We're pretty good at fooling ourselves, even about the depth of our own spirituality. But we’re never good at fooling God.

We desperately need His help to surrender deeper. Go ahead, ask Him for that help. What you consider wholehearted surrender may not be as wholehearted as He'd like. That's where His grace and mercy come in.

We’re SO dependent upon His grace, always and all the time. Absolutely dependent! Thank you for your grace and mercy, Lord!

Are you asking according to Scripture? In the NIV, 1 John 5:14 says “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.”

Effective asking must stay within Scriptural bounds and promises, so knowing Scripture is vital. Get your nose in the Bible. Read it. Study it. Worship with it. Pray with it. Ask Him to speak to your heart. The Holy Spirit will always speak within Scriptural boundaries.

Check your motives. From The Voice translation, James 4:3 says “And when you do ask, you still do not get what you want because your motives are all wrong...”

Asking and praying for something that's already in His heart is a must. I'm not praying to twist His arm or change His mind; my goal is to pray in agreement with what He already has in mind. There are lots of good books and messages on this topic. I’m only scratching the surface. 

Next, if you really want His answer, you must be fully open to whatever His answer is, no strings attached. He may be holding back because His answer doesn't fit within the box you see as "comfortable". You must be open to Him answering however He chooses, knowing that He will never contradict what He's revealed in Scripture. 

His answer may be a bit scary because you may not like the answer He has in mind. His answer may be way out of your comfort zone...and sometimes it is. You must trust Him and accept whatever answer He has, however He chooses to deliver it.

So ask yourself: Can you trust His heart? Yes! Really, trusting His heart is ALWAYS the right choice. It's the only good choice there is.

Finally, make sure you're not holding onto unforgiveness in any in any of its many hiding places. Getting rid of unforgiveness is a must, an absolute must. Unforgiveness opens the door for Satan's attacks and stops up the flow of God in your life. 

Now, you may have been so wronged that you feel thoroughly justified in hanging onto pain, blame, and unforgiveness. But no matter how justified you feel, you MUST let it go. Hanging onto unforgiveness even after you've been deeply wronged is like rubbing filth into a bad wound and then wondering why there's no healing.

There may be subtle, camouflaged unforgiveness hiding in you. Ask Him to reveal what's there because it may be in a blind spot, hiding in your soul in any number of dark, easily rationalized corners. No matter how hidden or subtle or seemingly justifiable, unforgiveness has to go.

Remember that a blind spot is a blind spot until it's not. God is the great blind spot revealer and remover. He wants to shine light into your blind spots because they are hurting you and hindering His move in your life.

Remember that God is the Judge, not you. If He has forgiven someone, your unforgiveness doesn't change that. It's only His forgiveness that matters. 

Finally, your rough-patch may be so deep and knotted that you need a wise, Holy Spirit-filled counselor to help you. Ask God to show you the right Believer to walk through this with you.

The issues I've outlined here aren't the only possibilities, but I think they're often at the root when we're not getting answers. If you need deliverance from demonic pressure, taking the steps I've outlined in this Episode will go a long way towards removing the Welcome mat that invites them to attack you.