When the scripture spoke about laying up our treasures in heaven where they won’t be corrupt, many believers today do not yet understand the full concept and reason behind it. This is because earthly treasures will fade with time and their value will depreciate. As the preacher, king Solomon said, they will all be left behind for someone else who has not laboured for it. He said that if such is a fool, he will waste them (Ecclesiastes 2:18-19).

We are not saying that believers should not leave an inheritance for their children. Even the Bible says that a good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, But the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous.

Though it is good to leave a material inheritance for them, it is best if they are given spiritual inheritance in Christ Jesus. It is best to train them in the fear of God and bring them up gracefully in knowing God.

Until a man sees the invisible riches of Christ, He will not leave the treasures of Egypt. It is my greatest prayer that the Lord will open your eyes of understanding to see the rich and incorruptible inheritance which Christ has kept for you in Jesus’ Name.

That was what Moses saw that made him forsake Egypt. He took a proper estimation and realised that riches, treasures, and even the throne of Egypt is not worth what God is offering Him. He would not trade the eternal riches of God reserved for him for the ephemeral treasures of this world. (Hebrews 11:24-27).

Many people complain of not having answers to their prayers and they are looking for the possible reasons why this is so. They are sure that they have prayed in strong faith yet they do not receive what they have asked for.

Our God is infinitely wise, He will not give us what will harm us. Think about our earthly parents, even when we asked for something we think we need, they apply their discretion to give us what they are certain that we need and not what we want. The Lord instructed that no earthly father will ever give a serpent, stone, or scorpion to any of his children who have asked for good things; and that God is far better and will give us much better things as long as it is to His glory (Matthew 7:9:11).

You must settle this in your mind, God will not give you everything you ever ask for. This is because He is the alpha and omega who knows the end from the beginning. If that thing you have asked for will later become a snare to you, He will not give you.

Remember Samson, he asked his parent to marry a strange woman for him. They warned him but he went on anyway and later burnt his fingers. Likewise, God will not allow us to have some things if it is sure to land us in trouble.

One primary reason why many people pray and never receive is that they never have faith that they will have what they have prayed for. By doing this, they displease God.

But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

The Lord Jesus says that we would have whatever we asked in faith. God want us to come as His children asking Him with full confidence and assurance that He will hear us. Unbelief is one major reason for unanswered prayer, and it grieves God when His children don’t trust Him to be faithful and committed to His promises.

Although our human minds may not be able to comprehend how God will answer certain prayers, still we must believe or we don’t pray for such things at all. This is because at the end of the day we may not get it and we start accusing God of not answering our prayers.

God has given us an open check to ask of Him anything, this includes wisdom. The Bible says that God gives liberally and upbraids not. However, the word of God told us that the condition to receive is based on faith. Here is how Scripture puts it:

But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

Today we will continue with the hindrances or what makes prayer so difficult many times. In our previous lesson, we noted emphatically that a sinning man will find prayer difficult and ineffective. But what about the things that the devil does to hinder us from praying?

The enemy knows that prayer is a weapon that believers have to counter-attack. He knows that the effectual prayer of the righteous man avails much, so he tries every means to get us far away from prayer.

Today we will look at a few ways the devil tries to keep believers away from praying.

The first is distraction: have you noticed that it is the very time you begin to pray that your phone rings or someone starts knocking at your door? It is not by accident, and the person is not the problem, but your enemy using such to divert your attention.

The enemy also distracts us by placing vanities in front of us so that we will lose focus on what we are praying about. Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.

How often should Christians pray? Is there any specific number of times to pray? Are there special hours on the clock to pray? These are a few of the most likely questions people ask in connection to the regularity of prayer.

The answer to these questions is found in our text of the day. Jesus said that it is expedient for us to pray always. He was not giving us a bogus rule of number-based times of prayer. Jesus, Himself was always praying. This does not mean that we have to maintain a specific prayer posture and be in one place always.

“Always” includes praying over the meal, praying when stepping out, praying when starting off at work, praying before sleeping, praying while taking a walk, and praying everywhere as the opportunity presents itself.

Some have limited prayer to the place of worship, a once-in-a-week ritual, and rarely engage this great power. Some have limited prayer to the time when they have needs. Some Christians only pray when they get into trouble. Rather than pray proactively, they pray reactively.

Prayer is more than receiving from God, it is the best way to get intimate with Him. When we read God’s word, we must pray to understand and apply it to our daily lives. If you want to know God intimately, then you must spend quality time in prayer always.

Some great minds like Daniel who mastered prayer prayed three times a day. Nehemiah was a man who had the attitude of praying always and on every occasion. The king said to me, “What do you request?” So I prayed to the God of heaven.

There is no greater need in our time and age than more prayer. With the world economy failing, sin thriving, and people dying; Christians must pray or many more would be lost eternally.

It is however unfortunate that only a few believers know how to pray effectively. What we see in the church is even more discouraging, prayer is fast losing its place and relevance in most churches. We are fast becoming more sophisticated in terms of equipment and gadget. Truly in these last days, the love of many for prayer and the things of God has waxed cold (Matthew 24:12).

The reason why there is much sins in our camp today is that there is lesser prayer. A praying people will stop sinning and sinning people will stop praying. For our nations to change, then we must ask God to teach us to pray. Oh, that we would all enrol into this school of prayer.

Prayer is the engine room of any life or ministry. When you see a man of great spiritual stature, such is connected to prayer. The two secrete to spiritual power are prayer and holiness, and Jesus excelled in both. For you to share in His power you must also live the life He lived.

Are you amazed that the disciples didn’t ask Jesus to teach them how to preach or cast our devils? It was because they saw that prayer was the secret power of Jesus’ ministry. They needed that power too, so one of them asked Jesus, Lord teach us to pray. If you truly want to do greater works as Jesus promised, then you must learn to pray (John 14:12). There is no secret to becoming a prayerful person other than praying.

Since a sinner’s prayer is an abomination to God, what prayer then does God hear from a sinner? Does it mean that God does not listen to any prayer of a person who is unrepentant? The way God treat the prayer of His children who falls into sin will show you the seriousness of the matter.

David said, if I regard sin in my heart, God will not hear me (Psalms 66:18). What does that mean? If a child of God falls into sin, until such repents, God will listen to none of his prayers. No wonder the Bible says that if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

How then does God treat the prayer of those who continually live in sins? He will close his ears and push all their requests away, but for one prayer. That sinner’s prayer that will be answered is the one we read about in our text of the day. The humble repentant prayer of a sinner asking for mercy.

It is not a mere lips service or utterance that many people make today when they go to the altar. It is a prayer said from a broken and contrite heart that the Lord will not reject (Psalms 51:17). This requires godly sorrow, a sorrow for sin leading to repentance. When a sinner cries to God for mercy, He will answer and receive him as His child.