Why Hasn't God Answered My Prayer?

Countless believers are patiently waiting for their breakthrough. They have prayed, fasted, and wept before
God, sought the prayers of others, and faithfully trusted Him for a major turnaround in their lives. Yet many continue to ask the same question:

"Why hasn't God answered my prayer?"

What if the answer is not that God has ignored your request? What if He has already answered it, but you rejected His provision because it did not come packaged the way you expected? This possibility deserves serious consideration.

God's Word Is His Law

The Bible reveals that God governs His Kingdom by spiritual laws and principles. His promises are certain, but they are often realized as we cooperate with the instructions He has given.

Whenever we ask God for something, He frequently responds by leading us to participate in one of His divine principles. When we reject His instruction, we may unknowingly reject the very pathway God has established to answer our prayer. That is why Solomon wrote:

"Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go: keep her; for she is thy life." (Proverbs 4:13)

Notice the strength of this command. We are not merely told to hear instruction; we are commanded to hold tightly to it, guard it, and treasure it. Why? Because instruction is life. Every instruction that God gives is designed to preserve us, guide us, and lead us into His blessings. His instructions are never random; they are the protocols that govern His promises.

The Consequences of Rejecting Instruction

If treasuring God's instruction brings life, what happens when we reject it? The answer is equally clear:

"Poverty and shame shall be to him that refuseth instruction: but he that regardeth reproof shall be honoured." (Proverbs 13:18)

This verse should cause every believer to pause. Notice that Solomon does not attribute poverty and shame solely to a lack of prayer. Instead, he identifies refusing instruction as a cause. Conversely, those who receive correction, embrace God's wisdom, and obey His instructions position themselves for honor. This is an important biblical principle. Many people pray for God's promises while simultaneously resisting God's instructions. Yet throughout Scripture, God's blessings are consistently connected to obedience.

God's Instructions Are Often the Answer to Our Prayers

Consider two familiar passages:

"There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth." (Proverbs 11:24)

"Give, and it shall be given unto you..." (Luke 6:38)

These verses are much more than inspirational sayings. They reveal spiritual laws God established.

Now consider this scenario. You have been crying out to God for financial breakthrough. Bills are piling up. Your mortgage is behind. You desperately ask God to rescue you and provide more than enough to meet your needs.

Only hours later, a homeless person asks you for assistance. You ignore him.

The following day, while scrolling through social media, you discover that a friend has created a GoFundMe campaign because they are about to lose their home and have exhausted every available resource. You scroll past it without giving it another thought.

Later that evening, you pray once again: "Lord, why haven't You answered me?"

But what if He already had? What if those opportunities to help someone in genuine need were not interruptions, but invitations? What if they were God's way of inviting you to participate in the very spiritual law connected to the breakthrough you have been praying for?

Prayer Does Not Replace Obedience

Please understand. Prayer is essential. Fasting has its place. Corporate prayer is valuable. Agreement with other believers is biblical. However, none of these practices were ever intended to replace obedience.

Too often we want God to fulfill His promises while ignoring the principles He established to release them. God frequently answers prayer by allowing us to obey. Sometimes His answer does not arrive as money in our bank account. Sometimes it arrives disguised as a person in need.

Faith Requires Action

Scripture reminds us:

"So faith without works is dead also." (James 2:26)

Faith is not merely believing God can do something. Faith responds when God provides an opportunity to obey. Perhaps your breakthrough has not been delayed because God is unwilling. Perhaps it has been delayed because the instruction connected to your breakthrough has repeatedly been overlooked.

A Question Worth Asking

Before asking God why your breakthrough has not yet come, perhaps ask yourself another question: have I treasured God's instructions enough to obey them? Have I embraced His principles? Have I acted upon the opportunities He has placed before me? Or have I prayed for provision while refusing the protocol that governs it?

The Pathway to Breakthrough

God's promises never fail. But we often experience His promises through obedience to His instructions.

Treasure His Word.
Receive His correction.
Practice His principles.
Walk in obedience.

Then trust God to fulfill His promises in His perfect way and in His perfect timing. Your breakthrough may not be waiting on another prayer. It may be waiting on your next act of obedience.

"Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go: keep her; for she is thy life." (Proverbs 4:13)

"Poverty and shame shall be to him that refuseth instruction: but he that regardeth reproof shall be honoured." (Proverbs 13:18)

The choice is ours. Spiritual protocol will always require us to treasure God's instructions, obey His principles, and trust Him to bring the breakthrough only He can provide.

Pastor Kevin L. A. Ewing
www.kevinlaewing.com
www.kevinlaewing.blogspot.com
ewinglakevin@icloud.com

There are Spiritual Protocols To Breakthrough

It is common for individuals to desire a meaningful breakthrough in their lives and to turn to prayer in pursuit of such a goal. However, one may question whether prayer alone suffices for God to grant their request.

The word of God serves as His rules and principles for humanity. If we ask anything of God, He will always guide us, either directly or indirectly, to follow His set rules and principles to fulfill our requests. Dismissing His rules and principles, which enable us to receive His provision, would be seen as, "I want Your provisions, but I want You to do it my way."

Psalm 41:1-3, Proverbs 11:24, Luke 6:38, Proverbs 19:17, Proverbs 28:27, Proverbs 22:9, along with many others that emphasize that giving is indeed the Biblical principle and formula for receiving. These biblical teachings highlight the principle that generosity results in blessings. In other words, praying alone and doing nothing else but waiting for the breakthrough is not Biblically supported. In fact, it leans more toward a fantasy-like behavior. The scriptures mentioned above always demand action, and I promise you that whatever you are requesting from God will need Biblically based action on your part.

Based on what we've discussed, let's say you need a financial breakthrough. Is it just a coincidence that right after you prayed, someone contacts you for help in a specific area? Likely an area that needs finances. What is even more interesting is your disregard for those in need, while you repeatedly ask God to meet your own needs. Consider the friend you saw on social media with a "GoFundMe" account seeking help for medical expenses, yet you scroll past without offering assistance. Don't you realize that these are opportunities for you to activate God's principles to bring about your financial breakthrough? This is why Scripture emphasizes that we must not only hear the word but also act on it if we want to see God's promises come to pass in our lives, as stated in James 1:22-25. 

The lesson that can be gleaned from this understanding is that while it is acceptable to pray to God for a financial breakthrough, it is equally important to submit to his rules and principles that will bring about the breakthrough that you seek. Many religious institutions encourage their members to participate in fruitless rituals, such as "name it and claim it," doctrine, or the "giving monies to God (seed) and that seed will produce a harvest of breakthroughs, etc. These rituals will inevitably be ineffective because they are part of a larger framework. If you're aiming for a financial breakthrough, the 'name it and claim it' doctrine should come after helping those in need, in line with principles from Psalm 41:1-3, Proverbs 11:24, Luke 6:38, Proverbs 19:17, Proverbs 28:27, and Proverbs 22:9. Essentially, we shouldn't be claiming anything if we haven't done anything according to Scripture's guidelines. The same criticism applies to the idea of giving God money, often called the sowing seed doctrine, to get Him to fulfill our desires. This doctrine is, at best, deceitful because it subtly encourages people to bypass or ignore Biblical principles and procedures that dictate how we receive from God. It promotes the notion of taking shortcuts by paying God to act on our behalf or perform miracles. This approach eliminates the need to adhere to and trust scriptural protocols. Instead, it relies on the belief that God has been paid, and we simply wait expectantly for the breakthrough. So, one's faith has been misplaced in believing in the seed sown, rather than faith in the word of God to manifest His promises.

I'm not here to discourage prayer at all. What I really want to emphasize, which often gets overlooked by many religious leaders, is the importance of acting on what God has told you during your prayers, and I can assure you it will be in alignment with His word. Here is why you should be equally excited to receive God's instructions from His word as you make your request to Him. Scripture states, " POVERTY and SHAME shall be to him that refuseth instruction: but he that regardeth reproof shall be honoured" Proverbs 13:18. 

 If you ask God for financial help, you may receive a call or request from someone in need. This isn't a coincidence; it's the same God you've been asking for assistance. He heard you the first time you made your request and sent your answer packaged as someone asking for help. If you had assisted them, it would have initiated the protocol to your financial breakthrough. Instead, you ignored the answer, which led to poverty and shame becoming your lot in life.

Your progress has been hindered because, whether consciously or unconsciously, you have ignored Biblical rules and protocols. Remember, faith without works is dead. After praying, fasting, and joining hands in agreement with others, it's now time to actively practice God's laws, which will ultimately unlock His promises. In summary, life is governed by laws, rules, and principles established by God. With that in mind, whatever we do or say either activates or deactivates laws that will work for us or against us.

Kevin L A Ewing

ewinglakevin@icloud.com

kevinlaewing.blogspot.com

www.kevinlaewing.com

Breakthrough is Here, Now What!

  

"Glory to God! Hallelujah! Thank you, Jesus! Finally, it's my season! God is good all the time; all the time, God is good." These are just a few phrases people might say when they've experienced a breakthrough.

Just imagine, for a brief moment—years—you've waited patiently for a turn in your marriage, finances, family, or job promotion. During this time, you've experienced shame, embarrassment, pain, tears, and, not to mention, being the subject of many conversations about whether you've missed God's plan, if there's sin in your life, or if you're simply cursed.

Before we go any further, let's define the term breakthrough so we're all on the same page and don't assume its meaning. Breakthrough is defined as breaking down invisible walls and cages of delay, hindrances, denials, repeated missed opportunities, and disappointments.

To better understand a true breakthrough, let's temporarily set aside religious mindsets and focus on what a genuine, successful breakthrough actually involves. I chose this approach because some religious individuals tend to interpret "breakthrough" as requiring no effort on their part. They believe that simply waiting for their breakthrough means they can continue as they are, trusting that at God's designated time, everything will shift—resolving the current issues or at least their visible symptoms.

Conversely, my friends, a real breakthrough requires a substantial effort on your part. Many religious leaders have misled their congregations into believing that those awaiting their breakthrough have no role beyond simply waiting on God or sowing a seed for God to work faster, in some cases. This is, at best, false teaching, setting those people up for major disappointment.

To demonstrate that this kind of instruction is wrong and risky, I ask you, my readers: what are you doing differently before your breakthrough to make sure you'll never face your unwanted situations again?

If you've never had a plan before your breakthrough, chances are you'll return to your present condition sooner or later. Your current circumstances ought to make you despise what has caused you to be in this disliked position in the first place. That can only happen if you plan to never pass this way again before your breakthrough.

 Some people won the lottery, gaining millions of dollars. After a few years, they find themselves back where they started, in debt. I am sure this was not part of their plan after receiving such a large sum of money. So, what does this tell us about those waiting for their breakthrough? Well, it shows that if we fail to plan, then we are, in fact, planning to fail.  People who plan have decided not to repeat cycles of dislike anymore. In fact, their goal is to avoid that path altogether. Again, what are you doing now that will make your future different from your present?

Is money the area of breakthrough that you're waiting on? Well, if you didn't have a plan before your breakthrough, money will only accelerate what you have always done before your breakthrough. "A breakthrough does not make you more intelligent than you were before it occurred.". IT IS THE PLANS/CHANGES THAT YOU HAD IN PLACE Before THAT BREAKTHROUGH THAT WILL SUSTAIN AND MAINTAIN THAT BREAKTHROUGH.

News flash: breakthroughs DO NOT ADD WISDOM TO YOU. IT IS WHAT YOU'RE LEARNING NOW IN YOUR SEASON OF DELAYS, HINDRANCES, DENIALS, AND DISAPPOINTMENTS THAT OUGHT TO BE PREPARING YOU FOR THE BREAKTHROUGH. AGAIN, YOUR SITUATION SHOULD BE EDUCATING AND PREPARING YOU FOR YOUR FUTURE BREAKTHROUGH.

So, STOP COMPLAINING AND MURMURING ABOUT YOUR NOW AND GLEAN FROM IT WHAT IS NECESSARY SO YOU WON'T REPEAT IT DURING YOUR TIME OF BREAKTHROUGH!

When Moses brought the children of Israel out of Egyptian bondage (Ex 14:10-15), they began to complain and murmur. Why, you may ask, shouldn't it be a time of rejoicing and excitement? Well, the truth is, they never mentally prepared to be freed. So, amazingly, during their breakthrough, they did what they always do: complain and murmur, even while they were smack dab in the middle of it.

Could your constant complaining be preventing you from recognizing your breakthrough?

The children of Israel could not comprehend the term "GO FORWARD" because I am sure they spoke of freedom daily and complained to one another about being held captive against their will. They became pretty comfortable being slaves to their Egyptian masters for four hundred years. You see, even though they spoke freely, they never took freedom seriously mentally, thus mentally accepting their way of life, even though they complained verbally.

Take note of what they said after being freed from their masters, and the Egyptian army pursued them. "And they said unto Moses because there were no graves in Egypt, thou hast taken us away to die in the wilderness? Wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us out of Egypt" (Ex. 14:11).

As you have read, those who were unprepared for their breakthroughs often reverted to their previous habits and returned to where they initially began. This time, however, they have the resources to do it faster. These people were physically freed, but mentally, they were still enslaved, always willing and able to be ruled by their oppressors, the very people they complained about.

Many of you reading this article can relate to this. God has already set you free, and you are actually experiencing your breakthrough. However, your mindset may not have caught up with what God has already accomplished. This is simply because you may not have prepared yourself mentally for what you had been praying to see physically.

You've been blessed with a spouse you've prayed for, but here you are cheating on them. You've been granted that promotion you've prayed and worked so hard for, yet you oppress your colleagues the way you were once oppressed. You've finally got the vehicle you've prayed for, but you now ignore your neighbor walking on the same road you once did, hoping for a ride. These are all clear examples of when a "MINDSET" refuses to merge with the individual season of breakthrough.

Let's try self-introspection. Have you dealt with hate, bitterness, and your inability to forgive others? Do you think your breakthrough will change all of that? No! It won't; you have perfected what you have practiced while waiting. "May I suggest that the worst kind of blindness is not physical, but rather being blinded by hate, bitterness, and an inability to forgive others? This behavior can lead people to repeat the same mistakes and return to where they started despite their efforts to move forward. It's important to mentally prepare ourselves to accommodate the changes we seek, rather than just focusing on the physical aspects of the situation."

I am told that insanity is doing the same thing the same way all the time and expecting a different result. In some of our local churches, we believe that change comes when a breakthrough occurs. I beg to differ; change should have been the prerequisite to change. So, please stop deceiving yourself by telling friends, family, co-workers, and others what you'll do when you achieve your million-dollar goal, get married, or buy a new car. The reality is that you are not making the necessary changes now to meet your expectations for a breakthrough.

Heavenly Father, I am convinced that those reading this article have been positioned to be a partaker of your truth. Your word is the truth. This read would have provoked change. May you give them the spirit of wisdom and revelation in your knowledge so that the eyes of their understanding will be enlightened to recognize and prepare well in advance of their breakthroughs in Jesus' name. Amen!

Kevin L A Ewing

ewinglakevin@icloud.com

kevinlaewing.blogspot.com

www.kevinlaewing.com