======================================================================== WHAT KEEPS GOD FROM ANSWERING OUR PRAYER FOR REVIVAL by Edgar Reich ======================================================================== Summary: This sermon emphasizes the need for repentance and turning away from sin, both individually and collectively as a church and nation. It highlights the importance of fasting, weeping, and mourning as acts of humility and seeking God's forgiveness. The message calls for a revival in the house of God, urging leaders to weep and repent, acknowledging the sins of pride, prayerlessness, and disobedience to God's word. The sermon also addresses the need for salvation and the power of God to bring about transformation and revival. Duration: 1:21:16 Topics: "Repentance", "Revival" Scripture References: 2 Chronicles 7:14, Psalms 66:18, Joel 2:12, Revelation 3:3, John 3:36, Psalms 69:5, 1 John 5:4, James 4:6, Revelation 12:11, 2 Chronicles 7:14 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ DESCRIPTION ------------------------------------------------------------------------ This sermon emphasizes the need for repentance and turning away from sin, both individually and collectively as a church and nation. It highlights the importance of fasting, weeping, and mourning as acts of humility and seeking God's forgiveness. The message calls for a revival in the house of God, urging leaders to weep and repent, acknowledging the sins of pride, prayerlessness, and disobedience to God's word. The sermon also addresses the need for salvation and the power of God to bring about transformation and revival. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ CONTENT ------------------------------------------------------------------------ And greetings to you all, thank you for joining. The question that the Lord has put on my heart is what stops him hearing our prayers? What stops him hearing our prayers? First to lead us into this thought, the Lord has shown us that we live in the end times shortly before the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. God is starting to judge us and Romans chapter one is very clear on this. It shows us that he has lifted his hand of America. You say, how can you say that? Well, there are reprobate minds everywhere up to the highest levels of government and society. Many minds have become unprincipled and are unable to think straight. Minds without decency, minds that have been turned upside down where evil has become good and good has become evil. The Bible says, this know also that in the last days perilous times shall come for men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous bolsters, proud blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, truth breakers, false accusers, incontinent fears, despise us of those that are good. So we see this evil in the world now and it is happening likewise in the house of God in many churches and denominations. Evil is rampant. The pulpits, some of the pulpits are filled with those that have erred greatly and are going directly against God. God said in the Bible, judgment will begin at the house of God. If judgment begins at the house of God, beloved, what will the end be of those that do not obey the gospel of God? Millions upon millions are headed for an eternal hell. And unfortunately, 95% of the Western Christians do not do what the Bible says. Is there still good soil with Christians? Aren't we supposed to have fruit 30-fold, 60-fold, and 100-fold? Do we have any mercy left for the lost? Do we have any tears left? Jesus said to the church, which is us, I know your words that you're neither cold nor hot. I wish you were cold or hot. So then because you're lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, I will spit you out of my mouth. I'm sorry it's a hard word. I do love you and I know myself, I belong to this Western Christian crowd. I love it. I know myself and how easy it is not to follow the word of God. Dan Beiser wrote, the sins and iniquities of our nation's churches, homes, and our own hearts have long been allowed and done without much conviction. Humbleness or fear of the Lord is gone. And now almost like overnight, the reels of the chariots are coming off. God has sent a plague worldwide. The enemy is using it to attack and silence churches. Death and destruction are on the streets and in our homes. Addictions and gross sins all along have increased and become a norm for the masses. Yet we knew that God is our answer. Why has it been so long since we ran to him and wrestled with him as Jacob to prevail? We have been asked as Christians to participate in this solemn assembly to pray without ceasing. The passage that was given to us comes from the prophet Joel in the Bible. Now, if God gives us this passage to turn around the house of God and the nation, does God not expect us? Sorry, I didn't make that noise. Does God not expect us to act in obedience to that passage? If we're disobedient and if we don't do what God says to do, will God answer our prayers or are we in sin? Is sin not occurring when we don't do what God says to do? If it is sin and we're disobedient, will God answer our prayers? The call for a solemn assembly comes from the Bible, the book of Joel. Here, God had pronounced judgment over the nation of Israel, but God gave a way out. He showed them the way out. This scripture also applies to us as a way out from judgment because all scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. And so I'm referring to the book of Joel in the Bible, chapter 2, verses 11 to 18. Joel chapter 2, 11 to 18. In verse 11, 11, God talks about his judgment. And the Lord shall utter his voice before his army, for his camp is very great, for he is strong that executeth his word. For the day of the Lord is great and very terrible, and who can abide it? So in verse 11, God says judgment is on the way, his patience has run out, his judgments are terrible. And the next verse, verse 12, therefore also now saith the Lord, turn you even to me with all your heart and with fasting and with weeping and with mourning. Now God says, I'll give you a way out. I have mercy, I will reverse my judgment if you turn to me from all of your sins, turn to me with all of your heart, fast, weep, and mourn. May I ask how many of you are fasting? How many of you are weeping? How many of you are mourning? Should we turn around from where we are at as Christians? God says, turn to me with all of your heart. All throughout the Bible, God has had mercy to reverse judgments announced when people repented of their sins. Praise God, there's hope such a turnaround can start and must start with the house of God. Now in verse 13, it says, and rend your heart and not your garments and turn unto the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness, and it repents him of the evil. In the days of old, Jewish faithful would rip their clothes and put ashes on their head when repenting of sins. Here God says, rip your stony heart and not your clothes and turn to me, then I will want to be gracious and merciful to you. God wants to turn from the evil that is coming towards us. He says, this is your part, rip your stony heart, rip it. Have mercy for the millions that are dying and going to hell. Have mercy for the lost, have mercy in your heart, have mercy for your lost family members, have mercy for your neighbors. Have mercy, because God have mercy on you. And then fast, weep, and mourn. In verse 14, Prophet Joel goes on in chapter 2 to say, who knows if he will return and repent and leave a blessing behind him, even a meat offering and a drink offering unto the Lord your God. So in verse 14, the Prophet Joel says, who knows if God won't turn around from his judgment that he has announced, if we turn from our sins. He may even leave a blessing for us and enough food. Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly, said God through the Prophet. And that's in verse 15. And here in verse 15, in the language that we're used to, God says the way forward to appear to my heart is make the nation come and sanctify a fast. Make the nation turn to me, make a nationwide announcement, make a loud, a loud announcement, like blowing a trumpet. Scream, scream, scream. It's time, beloved. It's very, very serious. I think one of my brothers told you before, and I believe it was Bob Dysart who said, we could have in America civil war in the late fall, beloved. Don't you think it's time to wake up, to even speak up a little louder than we used to? And now verse 16, gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children and those that suck the breasts. Let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber and the bride out of her closet. So here God says, get together all the people, set apart the congregation of God and include the elders and include the children, include the women with their babies and stop any weddings. You don't have time. It's urgent. It's serious. Listen to me, says God, this is so, so serious. And then verse 17, beloved, and this is especially for Christian leaders. It is for pastors. It is for those that are in the position of guiding churches, elders, and deacons. And here it says in verse 17, what are we supposed to do? Do you know verse 17? Do you agree with that? Let the priest, the ministers of the Lord, weep between the porch and the altar and let them say, spare the people, O Lord, and gave not your heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over our people. Wherefore, should they say among the people, where is their God? And now the pastors and the ministers of the Lord are to weep, the leaders are to weep. Is your heart broken? Is your spirit broken for what is happening in our world? Is it broken for what is happening in our churches? Where are your heart? Where are your tears? So we're supposed to be, beloved, for Christian leaders to weep. Why? Why? Because billions are on the way to hell. Because the house of the Lord is in disarray. Because God will bring judgment to America. He has started it. We can see it everywhere. There's so many things happening. And it started with this reprobate mind, with these minds that can no longer think straight. And now it starts with us, with the ones who call themselves Christians and leaders. Let us repent and pray and weep. Spare your people, O Lord. Don't give your possessions, your Christian people, over to reproach, to disapproval and allowing unbelievers to rule over us and to control us. And where unbelievers say to you and to me, where's your God? There is no God. The will, in verse 18 of this chapter two of Joel, if we do that, if we cry out to God, if we show compassion, if we shed tears, if we fast, if we weep, if we pray, then will the Lord be jealous for his land and pity his people. Then will the Lord be again jealous for us and for his land. If he sees we weep and we truly repent, he will have mercy on us. God will have feelings of sorrow and compassion for us if we do what he asks. Weep, fast, pray. Perhaps you might answer me. I'm a good Christian leader. What are you talking about? I'm a pretty good Christian. I lead a large church. Throughout the Bible we see very godly people repenting before God. And if the pastors, bishops and leaders in America are not willing to repent, pray, fast and weep, I fear God may not answer this solemn assembly, beloved. Can we not see what God will do? Again, Pastor Dan Beisel said, can one look at the headlines and see that we're not in the last days but the last hours of our nation? On present course, we will not survive. The full wrath of God is coming against our wicked, heathen, rotten nation filled with abominations. God speaks in Joel that when you see such things, we mourn and call for solemn assembly. So will our prayers be heard if we commit sin in our hearts? If we live not the word of God, why has revival not come? What stops God hearing our prayers? The Bible says in Psalm 66 verse 18, if I, if I Edgar, regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear. Now I might ask for forgiveness, but that is not enough. God will forgive, but if I do not repent, I will do it again and again and again. In order to remove iniquity from my heart, I must repent, which includes turning from such sin, making a U-turn with the help of God and he will help you. He's gracious and just to forgive you your sins and cleanse you from all unrighteousness. And then he will help you with the way forward to turn from that sin, no longer to make a provision for that sin. As we come as Christians before God in a sacred assembly, we must repent before our prayers are heard. And so God all throughout scripture holds up a mirror for us in the Bible for us to see ourselves. He tells us what will happen. He tells us what needs adjusting. And first just in case you believe that that God will not carry through on what he's doing. Let me share with you from the prophet Jeremiah. The prophet Jeremiah recounted his horror when God carried out what he had said would happen to the city of Jerusalem. And he said there, see you Lord and consider to whom you have done this. Should the women eat their offspring, the children they have cuddled? Should the priest and prophet be slain in the sanctuary of the Lord? You see the city of Jerusalem was overthrown for 70 years, a remnant, just a few people left over because thousands upon thousands were killed. And the hunger was so great that they ate their own children. I love it. I love it. We have a wonderful, kind, loving God. But when we give up on him, we may give up. So after this horror, the nation of Israel became slaves and were ruled by a tyrant for 70 years. William Penn said those people who are not ruled by God will be ruled by tyrants. In America, we will either have revival and turn to God or we will be ruled by tyrants. The prophet Jeremiah confessed four times himself. He was a wonderful great prophet, but he himself said he needed to repent. And we read this in Lamentations chapter one, verse 14. And there he spoke of the yoke of my transgressions was bound. They were woven together by his hands and thrust upon my neck. He made my strength fail. The Lord delivered me into the hands of those whom I'm not able to withstand. And then again, in Lamentations 1, 18, the prophet Jeremiah said, I rebelled against his commandment. In Lamentations 1, verse 20, he said, I have been very rebellious. In Lamentations 1, verse 22, he said to God, you have done to me for all my transgressions. The prophet Isaiah repented in the Bible also in Isaiah chapter six, verse five. And he said, woe is unto me for I am undone because I am a man of unclean lips. Perhaps good pastors, good leaders, good Christian men, good Christian women need to also go before God and say, Lord, there is something in my life that has always troubled me. I need to deal with it. Will you help me to repent of it? It has occurred time and again. I don't want it anymore. I want to be free from it. I repent of it. I turn around from it. And I will rely on you because you said in your word, whom Christ sets free is free indeed. You see, the prophet Daniel also repented in Daniel chapter nine, verses four and five. The Lord my God, and I pray to the Lord my God and made confession. And then in verse five, he said, we have sinned and committed iniquity. In the New Testament, John the Baptist taught repentance and asked people to show the fruits of repentance, where they make things right in what they did wrong. Repentance was preached by Jesus. Repentance was preached by the apostles. Jesus repeated this requirement in Revelation chapter two and three, five churches needed to repent. Some of you pastors and leaders may say, well, I don't think I need to repent. I can't see anything that I'm doing wrong. Yet God gave the instructions through the prophet of Joel. And he said, let the leaders weep and give an example to all the flock. Let the leaders weep. You see there are 300,000 pastors in America. Suppose they wept before God and let their churches in prayer and repentance, they would have the greatest revival the world has ever seen. Leaders in the Bible wept too. The prophet Jeremiah wept. And in Lamentations 1 verse 16, it says, for these things, I weep, my eye overflows with water. The prophet Ezra wept and was a great example in Ezra chapter 10 verse one. And there it says, now while Ezra was praying and while he was confessing, weeping and bowing down before the house of God, a very large assembly of men, women, and children gathered to him from Israel for the people wept very bitterly. Even the son of God wept, didn't he? He wept in Luke chapter 19 verse 41. Now, as he drew near, he saw the city of Jerusalem and he wept over them. And he said, if you had known, even you especially, in this your day, the things that make for your peace. But now they are hidden from your eyes. You see, they rejected Christ. They remained in their sins. Seventy years later, it happened what Jesus saw. And the historian Josephus says, over a million were killed during the siege of Jerusalem. Again, a massacre. Will God make an exception for America? Will we be ruled by tyrants? Will we face hunger? Now you might decide not to do anyhow what I said. So, may I share with you what happened during the Second World War? There were 14,000 evangelical pastors in Germany. They were directed by Hitler to put the swastika into their churches. 13,200 pastors compromised. 800 went to jail, to concentration camps, and some to their death. After the Second World War, there was a great Stuttgart Confession of Christians in Germany. It was a confession of guilt and they said, but we accuse ourselves for not standing to our beliefs more courageously, for not praying more faithfully, for not believing more joyously, and for not loving more ardently. The breakdown of the church in Germany committed great, great evil to rise, beloved. What will happen in the churches in America? What will happen to the beloved nation of America? If sin is allowed to continue with no repentance in Christians that are praying, will God answer those prayers or do we need to repent? Repentance by the church is the foundation for prayers to be heard, a solemn assembly in America with the principles given us by God in Joel 2, and us leaders weeping before God would resolve in the greatest end-time revival the world has ever seen. You see what stops God hearing our prayers and bringing us revival? Number one are the sins in the house of God not repented of, not confessed, and not turned from. Psalm 66,18 says, if I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear. It starts with the house of God. God held up mirrors all throughout the Bible. He wants us to see ourselves, beloved, and God will hold up a mirror for you and for me again and again through his precious word. May I ask you to take a piece of paper and write down from the mirror that I will share perhaps one or two things that you want to deal with in the month ahead that you will repent of, that you will overcome with the help of Jesus. If I may, I will start with churches and Christian leaders and some pastors. God wants the Christian leaders to weep and shed tears. Jeremiah wept, could not you and I weep a little for all of the wonderful people that God created that won't make it? You see there's a loss of first love for Jesus in our churches. We're not really loving our neighbors. The Mexican family lived next to a Baptist church in the United States and in 20 years not a single church member called on that family to invite them to church. Some churches appear to be alive but they're dead. There are no more people saved and no baptisms. Many churches allow sexual sins and sexual perversions right in their church. Should we not weep? Should we not speak up? Some churches allow false teaching. Open sin in many churches is not opposed by the pastors and the elders. There's a form of godliness in the western church but without the power of God. The original purpose seems to be lost. Jesus came to seek and save the lost then he left it with us. What are we doing? Should we weep? Should we repent? Should we weep? Should we not say, God why are you withholding the power of your Holy Spirit from us? What is it in me? Am I filled too much with sports? With the latest baseball game? With the latest football game? With money? With the pool? With golf? With whatever happens in the world? With news? I can't stop watching news? Are you filled with all of these things? Where is there room for the power of the Holy Spirit? Did Jesus not say in John chapter 14 verse 12, most assuredly I say to you, he who believes in me the works that I do he will do also and greater works than these he will do because I go to my father. False gods are now invited into Christian churches. The churches look warm. Many in the church are proud and judgmental opposite of humility. Unity is missing. In most churches in North America, Jesus Christ is not the head of the church. The pastor is. Yet in Revelation chapter 1, Christ is the head of the church. The pastors are under shepherds. The pastor was asked, why don't you preach about sin or God's judgment or the death penalty for sin or God's wrath to come or the book of Revelation? Or why will people hate and persecute us Christians if we live godly? Or how do we prepare for the persecution Jesus said will come? The response from the pastor, if I do that, I'll only have very few people left. Hear more sins, sins of Christians. It includes the sin of not esteeming others better than ourselves. A brother of mine, Silas Titus, called me and he said, we're doing three- month witnessing in the city of New York. Will you come? I said, I'm called for revival by the will of God and I don't really have time, but I will pray about it. To my surprise, God said, you must go. And I went. During the introductory session, Silas said, now all of you who consider themselves better than the persons you will meet on the streets, go home. I don't want you. Your witness is buoyant. And I know he was speaking to me. And I went and I realized that the people we will contact, if we have that superior attitude, they will reject our witness. Yes, we are safe, but it is all by the mercy of God. The people we witness to must feel God's love flowing through us for them and that there is a future and a hope. We don't agree with their sins, but we do love the persons and we try and win them for Christ. Number three, the sin of prayerlessness. May I ask you to compare the time you take for recreation, for television, for the internet, for the news, and compare that to how much time you spend in prayer. Number four, the sin of not reading God's word daily. God directs us in our daily lives through his word, the Bible. We learn to understand God, his son, and the Holy Spirit through his word. He tells us about himself. According to a recent Barna survey in February 2020, only 9% of Christians in the United States now read the word of God daily. In the prior year, in 2019, it was 14%. And yet with COVID-19, God has given all of us extra time to draw near to him to read his word. What stops God hearing our prayers and bringing us revival? Number one are the sins in the house of God not repented of, not confessed, and not turned from. Psalm 66, 18, if I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear. It starts with the house of God. We sin when we don't draw near to God to see God's face. Your face, O Lord, I shall seek, it says in the Bible. In Psalm 91, in the first couple of verses, we benefit if we dwell in the secret place of the Most High and abide in what? We abide where? In the shadow of the Almighty. To be close to a person, you need to be in their shadow to be near that person. Repent and be near to God. Number six, there is a sin of rebellion. And what is that? Well, we don't really realize it is rebellion, but every day we choose what we will do, and then we will choose what we will do from the Bible or what we will not do from the Bible. Examples are not loving Jesus with our first love, not sharing our faith, not giving, not loving enemies, not loving neighbors. It is disobedience. Jeremiah repented of rebellion. This is a hard message also for me because you see, God speaks to the writer first. And so all I'm sharing with you has touched my heart. I can't stop reading. You see, we live our lives so often without the higher help from God. God said to be filled with His Spirit, not by might nor by power, but by my spirit, says the Lord of hosts. We fail time and time again when we try to do things ourselves without the help of the Lord. May I ask you, are you walking in the Spirit of God as not to fulfill the lusts of your flesh? Are you doing that? If not, will you repent? Will you change that? Number eight, the sin of living according to our own will. Ephesians chapter 2, verse 10 says, for we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. We were all given a purpose for our lives. Start with what the Bible says to do. Then the Lord will show you further steps and do what the Bible says. Number nine, the sin of wrong thoughts from our own evil heart. In Matthew 15, verse 19, it says, every Christian leader still has that old flesh, that old body which must die daily. Out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. They are imaginations we allow that take us away from the Word of God. Wandering thoughts come, unclean thoughts, imaginations for false things, imaginations to fulfill our lusts, imaginations for desire of things, new cars, new homes, money, a bank account, a pool, a golf course. Plans for the future come to our mind apart from God. Plans for worldly things, perhaps even plans supporting evil causes. You see, judgment starts at the house of God when you and I repent. Number 10, repentance from wrong thoughts from the devil, which is affecting our minds, includes resisting the devil. We got to resist the devil. What happened to the apostle Peter who took Jesus aside and said to him, Jesus, how can you say you're going to Jerusalem to die? We need you. Don't talk like this. And in Matthew chapter 16, verse 23, Jesus turned and said to Peter, get behind me, Satan. You are an offense to me for you're not mindful of the things of God, but the minds, but the things of men. Jesus was not speaking to Peter, but to the person that had given the thought to Peter. Likewise, we can be affected by wrong thoughts. We must always compare to scripture those thoughts and then reject Satan after submitting to God. The devil today says all religions are okay. Jesus is not the only way to God. Jesus is not God. Jesus did not rise from the dead. He's just a good prophet. The devil gives suicidal thoughts. He makes people cut themselves. They're false voices from Satan, false visions and false prophecies. I could give you many examples of that, but the Lord has put on my heart to continue to hold up that mirror. That mirror is so heavy. So heavy. Repentance from thoughts of the world. Number 11, we are told political correctness. Don't share your faith with other faith. Be respectful. Don't do that. It's okay to go against God. The times have changed. Kill the unborn. Take prayer out of school. Take the Bible out of school. Marriage is not a man with a woman. Sexual perversions are okay. Mutilating our children for transgenderism is a must. Are those thoughts from God? What stops God hearing our prayers and bringing us revival? Number one are the sins in the house of God. Not repented of, not confessed, and not turned from. Psalm 66, 18 says, if I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear. It starts with the house of God. Number 12, they're spiritual sins. They ask you, are you persecuted? And if not, do you live godly? And I asked that question myself as well, because there was no persecution. So the question for me was, do I live godly? What is it that I'm not doing in my life? You see, if you follow Christ Jesus, and if you share your faith, some of this will happen. A survey in mid-2019 showed that while many say that they are Christians, only 20% attended church in the United States before COVID-19. That included all Catholics and all Mormons. If this is correct, it seems to indicate that a maximum of 60 million people are saved. And I don't know this number, only God knows. But just to judge by what people do and what they don't do, because our life is supposed to show that we are saved. Is it possible that over 260 million people in the United States are on their way to hell? Is it possible? Do you have any tears left for them? Are you filled by the Holy Spirit and is there evidence of power in your life? Do you have unbelief, doubt, fears of man and the world? Will God require the blood of those that die and go to hell from your hands if you don't share it, at least with your family? Do you pray for the persecuted? Now, there might be some unbelievers watching this, and thank you so much for listening in, and I'm so glad you do. But may I also tell you that if you reject the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, God will hold you accountable. He will not let you into heaven. Worshiping other gods as Christians is forbidden by God. Worshiping Antichrist and taking his mark is an unpardonable sin. Are you affected by unbelief that God will do what he says in the book of Revelation? The sin of unbelief was a greater sin than Sodom, said Jesus in Matthew chapter 11, verse 23 and 24. And there he said, And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, may be brought down to Hades. For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and the day of judgment than for you. The sins of the flesh, adultery, killing, stealing, lying, lust of the flesh, gambling, drinking, drugs, pornography, lust of the eye, pride of life, the love of money, the love of possessions, sexual sins and witchcraft. Do I need to repent of any of these? Number 14, the sins of the tongue, such as gossip and hurting others with our speech. The saying sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me is not true. The godly sister called me up and said, Our pastor is sleeping with another woman, not his wife. I said, How do you know? She said, Well, they're two very reliable persons he told me. I said, Have they seen him do it? Well, no, they have not. But they know very well because they were told by someone. I said to her, Okay, let's go and confront the pastor right now because this is not right. And she said, Oh, no, no, no, we don't do that. We don't confront him. So I said, May I pray for you? Because you're gossiping. How do you know it's true? In the Bible, it says that there are to be two or three literal witnesses before you accuse the servant of God. Do you have those witnesses? No, I don't. I said, Let me pray for you. Later on, we found out that this was a pastor in the United States. He counseled a young woman and because he did not want to be with her alone in the counseling, he counseled her in a restaurant. And because she had to go to work every day and had a child to take care of afterward, she wanted to have the counseling in the morning before work. So he counseled her from 6.30 or 7.30, something like this. And people saw them and that's how the gossip started. Killing, killing others through gossip. Is that what you do? Will you repent of it? And then there should be repentance of sins from the body. Our body belongs to Christ. He has bought our body with a price. And now God wants to use us for his service. So sins that affect the body and shorten our lifespan are wrong eating, overeating, gluttony, eating too many snacks, too much sleeping, not enough sleep, overworking, laziness, not taking a day of rest per week. Sins inherited from the families include character falls. I thought I could deal with people the way that I was taught by my family. And I was very, very proud and judgmental. For 52 years, I didn't know that I could do differently. I just followed what my family taught me. Our parents mean well. They want to be godly, but sometimes they teach us things that are not in the Bible. So let me ask you, what stops God hearing our prayers and bringing us revival? Number one are the sins in the house of God, not repented of, not confessed, and not turned from. Psalm 66, 18 says, if I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear. It starts with the house of God. Beloved, bear with me for just another minute or so. I got to continue to hold up the mirror just for a few more things, if you don't mind. The sin of not forgiving. Matthew 18 says that you need to forgive and God will send you the torture if you don't. If you're full of bitterness, if you're full of wrath, if you're full of anger, maybe you haven't forgiven. And those are the outcrops of the torture. It cost me 52 years of my life because I was sexually misused as a 10 year old, but I had to forgive. So I know that some of you have great, great burdens to forgive. Number 18, the sin of disunity and not asking others for forgiveness if we hurt them. If I divide my family, I hurt someone. I hurt my spouse. If I divide the church, I hurt the family of God. Do I need to repent? Here repentance also requires showing the fruit of repentance and asking for forgiveness. Number 19, failure to render to God what belongs to Him. We owe Jesus and God our first love. We are to love Him more than any family members. We are to love Him more than our life. He has bought our body with a price. Do we let God rule our bodies? And are we a living sacrifice to Him? Do we give Him our will, our future, our thoughts? We are to take up our cross and follow Jesus. And we are to forsake all, Luke chapter 14. God speaks about being robbed of tithe and offerings. Do you rob God? Most Christians do, by the way. Most Christians do. Number 20, the sin of omission. Again, 95% of Christians in the Western world won't lead a person to Christ, won't share their faith. We're supposed to see fruit in our lives, 30-fold, 60-fold, or 100-fold. Another area is the sin of silence. We don't stand up for the truth of the Bible in love. Isaiah 59, verse 4 asks, no one calls for justice, nor does any plead for truth. The sin of silence. We can't speak up in love. Then there's the sin of loving, not your spouse or your children or your enemies. With enemies, we're supposed to love, forgive, pray, bless, and do good to them. Will you start with your spouse today? Will you? Will you cry out to God, forgive me, I repent, I will turn from this, but help me. I can't do it on my own. The sin of not wanting to repent. There is an evil teaching that we do not need to repent, but Christ taught repentance to the churches in the book of Revelation. Five churches had to repent, and so we still need to repent. Then there's the sin that so easily besets us. And beloved, this is our number one secret sin that generally nobody knows, but God knows. God knows. Let me answer your and my prayers. What stops God hearing our prayers and bringing us revival? Number one are the sins in the house of God, not repented of, not confessed, and not turned from. Psalm 66, 18, if I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear. It starts with the house of God. Beloved, God put up a mirror for you and for me to see ourselves. And he's willing to forgive. He said, if we confess our sins, he's faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. And then with his help, we cry out, especially today, Lord, grant us repentance, because we don't want for these things to occur. We want to walk away from them. We want to make a U-turn. Help us, Lord. Now, I could start praying for everyone else in our prayer time. I could cry out for the unbelieving, but I must start with the house of God. And in the house of God, I must start with myself. It is I who stands in the need of prayer. It is mercy that I need. Then I can pray for you and for others, my church, my town, and my country. And God will help you to overcome, because he said, you can overcome the world by faith in 1 John 5 verse 4. He said, you can overcome the flesh by flight. Flee youthful lusts in 2 Timothy 2 verse 22. You can overcome the devil by fight. With Jesus' help, you can resist in James chapter 4 verses 6 to 10. Now, for us all Christians, if our country does not repent, where God decree more destruction, I think he will. I think it's certain. I think it's absolute, because his word says so. That's what he does. That's what he did with the nation of Israel time and again. So, let us repent before destruction is decreed. God said, I will forgive your sins and heal your land if you will humble yourself, pray, draw near to me, and give up all wicked ways. Perhaps you have a little slip of paper with one or two things you want to work on. Perhaps you don't have a little slip. But God, during this message, wrote some things on your heart. Will you pray to him? Will you confess to him? Revelation 12 verse 11 says, and they overcame him by the blood of the lamb and the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. Thank you for listening to this message, dear sisters and brothers, perhaps also unbelievers. I have several friends here, and two of them would like to say a prayer into this message. They will pray as led by the Lord. One is my friend, Robin O'Donnell, and the other friend is this dear wife, Eva O'Donnell. They will now pray some things into the message, and then after their prayers, I will come back and just give a brief closing. Thank you for watching. Will you pray with us now? And brother Robin O'Donnell, please come. Good afternoon, all. Praise the Lord that we can come together to pray because our countries are in desperate need of prayer. In 2 Chronicles 7, 14, it says, if my people who are called by my name 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. Father, I come before you today because of what the Lord Jesus did for us at Calvary. Because of him, we have the privilege of coming before your throne of grace. I come in humility asking forgiveness for my own sins and the sins of our countries. Lord, we don't have to tell you. You know all things. Our land desperately needs to be healed. We continue to sin against you both here and in the United States and around the world. There is corruption in our governments. They show no regard for your laws. Leviticus 20, 13 says, if a man lies with a male as he lies with a woman, they both have committed abomination. They shall surely be put to death. Our governments are permitting same-sex marriage. They have no regard for your law. In Leviticus 18, 21, God forbade the Jews to let their descendants pass through the fire to Molech. Our governments allow the murder of our children in the womb. We pray that abortion will cease. Judgment is coming. We pray for our governments. We pray for repentance. We pray that they will turn to you for forgiveness, Father. I pray for revival for all our churches. I pray for all pastors and church leaders. I pray that they will preach the word, all of the word, not pick and choose what sounds good to some, not what tickles the ear. Sin is in the camp. We must repent. Revelation 3, 3 says, remember, therefore, how you have received and heard. Hold fast and repent. Revelation 3, 16 says, so then, because you are lukewarm and neither hot nor cold, I will vomit you out of my mouth. Father, we pray that our churches will stand up. Many churches have become lukewarm. They have forgotten their first love. Have we forgotten our first love? Father, help us. The Lord Jesus, he is the one who gave his all for us. He is our first love, and we should remember him. Forgive us, Lord. Have mercy on us. Lord, I pray that we will be obedient to your word. Forgive us for not seeking higher help, for not sharing our faith with the lost as we should. And we ask for boldness, Lord, to speak your truth. Forgive us for not praying enough and not loving our enemies. Forgive us, Lord, for not reading and studying your word as we should. We ask for your forgiveness. Lord, help me to love with all my strength, to love you with all my strength, all my soul, and all my mind as you said in your scripture that we should. Lord, have mercy upon me according to your loving kindness. Your mercy endures forever. Lord, blot out all of my transgressions and wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from all my sin. Lord, I acknowledge my transgressions and my sin is always before me. Lord, I have sinned against you only. My heart is deceitful and desperately wicked. Create in me a clean heart, O Lord, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from your presence. Fill us with your Holy Spirit that we will be able to follow your laws and to do your will. Father, we pray for all the persecuted churches around the world. We ask that you will protect them and provide their every need. And Father, we thank you for men like our brother Edgar who spoke just a little while ago. We thank you, Lord, that he's not afraid of telling it like it is. We ask that you continue to fill him with your Holy Spirit and that he will continue to speak your word, speak your truth, all of your truth. Give him the power from on high. We can do nothing without your help through your Spirit. Father, we pray this evening that the ears that your words fell on earlier today, that they will all repent and turn from their wicked ways. For myself especially, I pray. We thank you for the gift of salvation through the precious blood of the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world, the Lord Jesus Christ. We worship him today and forever. And we ask, Lord, that you continue to bless our brother and we praise you and bless all pastors who are on this call today. We praise you and honor you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. I will turn it back over to our brother. Thank you, Brother Robin, for that prayer. And now we welcome Sister Eva O'Donnell, and she will also pray into the message. Thank you, Sister Eva, for coming. Good evening, everyone. We come together today from the different parts of the world, the earth which you created, Lord. We want to worship you and acknowledge that you are Almighty God. We know that the Lord is God. We enter your gates with thanksgiving and your courts with praise. We want to give thanks to you and we want to bless your holy name. For you are holy and we recognize that. Lord, we know from Psalm 45 your throne of God endures forever and ever and you rule with the scepter of justice. Revelation 16, 7 says, yes, O Lord God, the Almighty, your judgments are true and just. And Psalm 67, verse 2 says, may your ways be known throughout the earth, your saving power among people everywhere. Lord, we know that the heavens are yours and the earth is yours. You created it all. Our Father, we also remember our humble state. We know that we are sinners and we know that if I have confessed not my sins and I have them in my heart, you will not hear, you will not listen. That's what our brothers emphasize before me. Lord, I want to confess all my sins to you because we are all sinners and we done wrong. We have rebelled against you and scorn your commandments and regulations. Psalm 69, 5 says, O God, you know my foolishness and my sins are not hidden from you. We are all unworthy of your kindness, Lord, and faithfulness. I mean, sorry, we are all unworthy of your kindness, but your faithfulness shown to servant of yours is from Genesis 30 to 10. Lord, we come to you with prayers today, prayers of repentance. I will pray part of the prayer of Daniel. O Lord, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, we have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules. We have no reason to your servants, the prophets who spoke in your name to our kings, our princesses, and our father, and to all the people of the land. To you, O Lord, belongs righteousness, but to us, open shame. Lord, we recognize our state, but your word says also, if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and see my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and I will forgive their sins and I will heal their land. It is from 2 Chronicles 7, 14. We recognize, Lord, that we have to come all together from all parts of the earth and call to you to forgive us our sins, Lord, which is many. We repent today from the sins of pride, as our brother taught us a few minutes ago, that we many times think that we are better than somebody else. We repent from the sin of pride, Lord. We repent also from the sin of prayerlessness. So many times we forgot who is in control, who is on the throne, and who is sovereign. Lord, forgive us for this trespassing. We don't read your word, which you gave it to us. You gave it as a manual for the daily life, Lord, and you want to direct us, and we just don't read your word, precious and great, which was teaching many generations how to live the lives Lord, forgive us for that. Lord, we come to you and we repent from the not putting our Lord Jesus Christ on the first place. We're not sharing our faith, we're not giving, we're not loving our neighbors, and we're not following all your commandments. Lord, forgive us for that. We repent today from wrong thoughts, from our own hearts coming all these people, Lord. We know that our heart is wicked, desperately wicked, as the Bible says. We repent today, Lord, from rebellion against you. As you said that from our heart, your word says that from our heart comes all different things, evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, false witness, and slander. Lord, forgive us for these things. Lord, please give us strength and wisdom to turn from our wicked ways. In the precious name of our Savior, Redeemer, King, and Lord, Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen. Amen, amen, and thank you for that prayer, Sister Eva. And the question is, is it possible to live a more dedicated life to God? Here is a saying from the persecuted church, from a video Sheep Among Wolves. A former Muslim believer who became a wonderful Christian said this, persecution is part of the Christian life. It is my honor if I can experience this part of the Christian life. The Lord raises up weak and broken individuals that are willing to say yes, willing to go where he leads them. He, Jesus, then uses them and does the work through them by the power of the Holy Spirit, because all glory belongs to him. A woman Muslim, she believed, of course, in Muhammad, and then saw that there is a true God and believed in Christ, and she became a vibrant Christian believer. She was asked what she would do if the man would come and gang rape her. What will you think about that at that moment? And she answered, I have given up my rights to Jesus. I have given up my position to Jesus. I have given up my desires to Jesus. I have given up my future to Jesus. I have given up everything to Jesus. At that moment, when they come to rape me, I will close my eyes and say, now I offer my body as a living sacrifice to you, Lord Jesus. I will be a living sacrifice where we pray, where we rise up, we can, with the power of God. Won't you pray? The Lord said, turn to me with all of your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning. Then rip your stony heart. I will help you if you fast, weep, and mourn. The Lord says to all pastors and leaders, let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep, because judgment starts at the house of God. Now, beloved for unbelievers, if you're here and never have made a decision to accept the gift of salvation from God, you can do so today. God is not willing that any should perish. He's not willing that you should perish, but that all come to repentance. He will wash you whiter than snow if you're willing. He will wash you whiter than wool if you're willing. John 3, verse 36, gives a warning to you. He who believes in the Son has everlasting life, and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him. You give your life to the Lord Jesus Christ. He is a great God. He will give you hope. He will give you purpose. Yes, there might be some persecution as well, but you have a destiny, sure, and beautiful and incredible, and he will be with you and never leave you nor forsake you. So now let us have our closing prayer. Father and Lord Jesus and Holy Spirit, we give you praise, glory, and honor. You are that great God, and our brother who was before me, Bob Adake, explained this beautiful scene in heaven where millions of angels worship you, where the persecuted, where the martyrs worship you, where the elders, the 24 elders worship you, where the living beings worship you and say, holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty. And Father, we come and we thank you so much for this convocation where we could come together, Lord, and reflect on what you told us in Joel chapter 2. And so Lord, we repent of any wicked ways. We repent of lack of humility, of lack of not fasting enough, lack of holiness, lack of depending upon you in our daily lives. We repent of being powerless. We repent of being filled with things of the world so that we can't be filled by the Holy Spirit. Lord, we repent of not walking in the Spirit. We repent of not doing your will. We repent of sins of our families. We repent of sins of our churches. We repent of sins of our nation. Lord, the sins of the house of God and North American nations, they convict us. Have mercy, Lord, help us, help us to turn from these sins. And then Father, we want to remind you, Lord, if if there are perhaps five or maybe 10 or maybe 15 or maybe 20 who would be willing to live in this Western world, even as was shown to us by the persecuted church. Lord, will you rend the heavens? Will you come in revival? You promised, Lord. Raise up the remnant in this country of America, which has served you so faithfully, that has sent so many missionaries overseas. Lord, rend the heavens and come down to us, because it is your will to do so. You want revival more than we do, Lord. And so I pray that you would raise up those that would follow you in spirit and in truth, and that you can rend those heavens, Lord, and that you will heal our land. So we praise you, because you promised to do what you said to do in your word. And then Father, we pray for the unsaved, for anyone that is on the call. And Lord, when I explained salvation, that they would repent of their sins, that they would give their life to Christ, and that you would save them gloriously, forgive them all of their sins, and give them a new and wonderful purpose in their life. And now, Father, be with all, with everyone that listens to these sermons. Restore them, lift them up high, Lord. Raise up your remnant in this last hour, Lord. Do a mighty and wonderful things, and we pray all of these things in Jesus' name. Amen. And beloved, I do have a Monday night revival prayer call. I know there are many revival prayer calls, and in case you have a pencil ready, the revival prayer call number is 17127704160. Sorry, you don't need the one in America. So, you dial just 7127704160. And the access code is 603053Pound. Again, 603053Pound. I have prayed for revival personally for 15 years now. We have prayed with the group for 12 years, but we are certain that we believe that God will bring a mighty revival in the days to come. My daughters prayed for me for 18 years that I would be saved. So, don't give up praying, because after 18 years, God intervened, and I bowed my knees, I bowed my heart before God that he would save me. And so, he will do the same with your family members. He will do that which he has promised in your wonderful word. Thank you for listening, and I now turn it over to Brother Dan Beiser. And thank you so much to your brother for your leadership, for your kindness in arranging this, for reaching out to the masses. ======================================================================== Video: https://sermonindex2.b-cdn.net/CJr2-PLy_FQ.mp4 Source: https://sermonindex.net/speakers/edgar-reich/what-keeps-god-from-answering-our-prayer-for-revival/ ========================================================================