HINDRANCES TO PRAYER
Disobedience is the mother of carnal nature.
Carnality is the child of disobedience.
Carnality is our enemy.
Carnality is killing the church, is envious, and brings distress.
Some of its carnal characteristics are:
- Upheavals
- Complaining - faultfinding
- Worries
- Murmurs
- Covetous
- Angry
- Hostile
- Creates uproar
- Impatient
- Wants a lot of blessing
- Wants it easy
- Dishonest
- Succumbs to temptation.
- Causes all divorces
- Is nasty
- Carnality asks why
- Always figuring.
- Talks about the preacher
- Stubborn
- Judges
- Sees faults and weaknesses
- Excuses
- Easily discouraged
- Easily offended
- Has no compassion
- Loves to argue.
- Never satisfied with the best
- Harsh
- Disobedient
- Carnality put Jesus on the cross
- Carnality appears beautiful.
- Resentful
- Rebellious
- Joking jesting
- Gets upset with most everything
- Quick to give counsel.
- Will not submit
- Deceit
- Wickedness
- Knows a lot
- Must dominate
- Murder
- Tease
- Frivolous
- Suspicious
- Unpredictable
- Is jumpy flighty
- Wants everything
- Grieves God.
- Never gives in
- Always draws back
Paul said: "And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. For ye are yet carnal..." (1 Corinthians 3:1,3)
In the book A Voice in the Wilderness it says:
In waiting upon God we first experience spiritual observation. We observe the Person of God: we observe His Word, we look to the Son of God; we look to the Holy Spirit. Then the searchlight of His love starts in the inner man. We begin to observe what we are, who we are, how small we are and how limited we truly are. In waiting, we learn spiritual observation. We become dimly aware of the things, which God wants to do through us, if only He can remove from us the carnal traits in our natures, which hinder others.
At a place of prayer, God meets us; and in His presence we become aware that it is expedient for us to be crucified. With great agony of soul we acknowledge that all carnal traits must be removed, obliterated, and cleansed out of our heart and mind by the blood of Jesus.
We are not able to do this ourselves. We cannot arrange this or accomplish this on our own. God can only perform this through individuals who are willing to remain in His hand, willing to wait in His purpose until He is able to cleanse from them these weaknesses; until He is able to take from them all things that mar, deter, hurt, crush, an cause the Holy Spirit to be grieved with us. (pg.231-232) A Voice in the Wilderness
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