If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened; but God has surely listened and heard my voice in prayer.  Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld His love from me!
(Psalm 66:18-20)

Sin blocks communion with God. I don’t think this passage from Psalm 66 is saying God refuses to listen to me unless I am perfect. It speaks of sin cherished in the heart, sin I regard with favor. The Amplified Bible explains it as sin I know is there but about which I do nothing.   
 
God is not looking for reasons to close His ears; He loves to hear from His children. But He will not overlook the elephant in the room. If I have sin in my life that I am not willing to lay down before Him, sin I am not willing to part with, then He will not listen to my prayers on other subjects. “Let’s deal with the elephant first,” I think He is saying to us. 

If you have an elephant in the room, you know it. Make it your first priority in prayer, asking the Lord to help you stop cherishing that sin and cooperate with Him in eradicating it from your life.

Here are other suggested topics of conversation with our Father this week:
 

Fall FunFest is this Saturday. Ask the Lord to be with those who are managing final details. Pray that many unchurched families from our neighborhood will attend and enjoy the event. Pray that every volunteer working at FunFest will exude the love and grace of Jesus.
 
One year for Halloween, I taped a little strip of paper to every piece of candy I gave out that said, “God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all.  (1 John 1:5)”  In recent years, Halloween has become such a dark time, full of horror and gore. Pray for protection for children and teenagers from that darkness.
 
Female readers of the blog will recall the Women’s Ministry event last April that featured Naji Hendrix speaking about outreach to Muslims in Iran via satellite TV.  Several of us from Calvary were privileged to visit Naji and the set of Mohabat TV in south Orange County last week. She asks all of us to join in praying for the underground house churches of Iran – for protection, spiritual growth, and multiplication.
 
The Chicago Cubs have won the National League Championship and are headed for the World Series this week. I’m not sure if that means the curse of the goat has been broken!  But I amsure that sin’s curse has lost its grip on me, as we sang yesterday.  Praise God that the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ have broken the curse that sin brought to the world and our lives.
 
Your contribution here.  Please send me your thoughts and questions about prayer, a Scripture passage, a prayer request, or a praise report. The more voices and viewpoints reflected in the blog, the better it will be. I appreciate your contributions! 

In Christ,
Carol Gilbert
Calvary Community Church of Brea

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