Does God Hear Our Prayers After We've Sinned?

Last month I shared a post that had seven misconceptions that we tend to believe about prayer. I gathered pretty quickly that number 3 “If I Have Unconfessed Sin, He Won’t Hear My Prayers” really hit home with a lot of you, so I decided to go a little deeper with that particular lie in a newsletter that I sent out to my VIP’s. 

Again the feedback was pretty substantial and mostly positive. Today I want to share that newsletter with you guys in hopes that if this is a lie you struggle with or even who heartedly believe you can find some comfort or maybe just be challenged a little. 

I am well acquainted with this lie. It is one that I still have to fight through. It seems so hard for us to consistently believe that God really really loves and not only that! He likes us. He enjoys our company even when we have been imperfect. He’s not tired of fixing our messes or helping us through our struggles and strongholds. 

We have to renounce partnership with this lie because it keeps us from reaching out and growing in intimacy with our Father. You need to know first and foremost that God’s position and fondness for you never changes. Any perceived distance or silence generally means that you have allowed imaginary walls to go up, but before we get into that let's look at where this lie comes from.

Origins

Disclaimer: I know there are also Old Testament verses that speak on this matter. The Old Testament occurs before the atonement of Jesus Christ. Because of His life, death, and resurrection, we have been redeemed from the curse of sin and it’s power to separate us from our Father. The veil of separation was literally torn in two right down the middle. Because of the cross of Christ, there is no separation between us and God.

This misunderstanding in part comes from 1 Peter 3:7 which basically tells husbands to be kind to their wives so that they're, “prayers may not be hindered.” There is a difference between unheard and hindered.

You Are Never Unheard

You are never unheard because you can’t help but be heard by someone who is continuously closer than your skin. Romans 8:38-39 says that nothing can separate you from the love of God and that includes your sins. His Spirit dwells within you. (1 Corinthians 6:19) He hears the cries of your heart that you don't even consider prayers. 

Your prayers being hindered is a positional problem and not a "God problem” which is good news. Because you can’t be separated, you don’t have to move or motivate God or win His favor back because He never changes. He is always close, and He is continuously loving and listening. A hindered prayer life is a positional problem.

Hinderance = Fake Walls and Barriers

When we allow sin to remain in our lives, it creates fake walls and barriers between God and us. Walls of shame, fear, self-hatred and a lack of trust distract us from the fact that God’s position, closeness, and love never moves, weakens or wavers. You then pray from the other side of those walls that only you believe are there and your prayers may be hindered. 

The hindrance may be a lack of confidence in God’s unconditional love and acceptance due to those fake lying walls. The lack of confidence and trust causes you not to be able to endure when your answer takes a minute. You give up and decide God really must not be for you when in reality God is warring for you, and you need only stand firm and wait. (Daniel 10:12-13)

Another hindrance could be the isolating effects of sin. It separates us from our brothers and sisters in Christ, the word of God and prayer in general. Sometimes your answer is going to come through a fellow Christian, and you have to be willing to allow someone close enough to you and your life to be able to look in and know how you are doing. 

Scripture tells us that there is safety in an abundance of wise consolers (Proverbs 11:14) and that it is a good thing to have close friends because when one is weak, then the other will be strong and when one falls the other can lift them back up. (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12)

Sometimes answers will come through scripture and you have to read the Word regularly to get those answers. Sometimes it will come straight from God, and you have to have developed a prayer life where you pray knowing that God loves you, is for you and is always speaking to you so that you can learn to hear back from Him.

The Answer Is Yes

Regardless of the hinderance know that the answer is yes. God will hear your prayers even when you are struggling with sin. God’s not the type to get fed up or leave you hanging when things get a little messy. He’s not intimidated by those sorts of things. 

Your sin is not more significant than the cross. Jesus made way for you to have access to your Father for eternity. So press through those fake walls and come to your Dad who loves you no matter what and allow Him to cleanse and heal you yet again.

Therefore let us [with privilege] approach the throne of grace [that is, the throne of God’s gracious favor] with confidence and without fear, so that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find [His amazing] grace to help in time of need [an appropriate blessing, coming just at the right moment]. Hebrews 4:16 AMP

If you need help developing a stronger and more consistent prayer life, I understand where you are. I found myself fed up with being in that place two years ago, and that is when I started prayer journaling, and it changed everything. I turned that journal into a super effective system and then months later I created one for you. 

Our new prayer journals are available now. This journal is going to change the way you pray. I encourage you to grab a copy for yourself and maybe even one for a friend.

If you found this helpful or you think your friends or followers would enjoy it, would you consider sharing this out? It really helps us to spread our message of hope and love further. There are share buttons on the screen to make it super quick and easy.  

Lastly, are you in the Living For Love VIP Club? This is a perfect example of what you can expect as a member. The community is the best way for us to stay connected with you so we can keep you encouraged throughout your week plus you gain instant access to our free Ebook - Overcome as well as prayer cards and other goodies. 

As always I am truly thankful for you. I know time is valuable and that there are thousands of blogs out there, so I am grateful you gave some of your time to ours and I pray it encouraged you and brightened your day.

Remember you are wildly loved,