This sermon emphasizes the importance of praying with a right relationship to God, highlighting the hindrance of unforgiveness and the need to address any iniquity in our hearts before God. It stresses the significance of forgiveness, reconciliation with others, and the impact of an unforgiving spirit on our prayers. The speaker shares powerful testimonies of individuals finding freedom and breakthrough through forgiveness and reconciliation, illustrating the transformative power of prayer rooted in right relationships.

Now, right relationship to praying. I had a church bulletin blooper. Remember a few of them last night? Well, listen to this one. The secretary made a mistake and didn't get all the letters printed in right, and the secretary wrote, this evening at 7 p.m. there will be a hymn sing in the park across the street from the church. Bring a blanket and come prepared to sin. Bring a blanket and come prepared to sin. Blooper, isn't it, huh? You know, but I don't know about that being such a blooper, because somehow we Christians today have been deluded into thinking, men and women, that as long as we pray and we go through the form of prayer that we used to, and the form of worship that God has a right, God's going to answer whatever we ask for. God must, He must hear. Somehow we're deluded to think that. But you know, we get past the verse, and we don't think about a verse in Psalm 66 verse 18, where it says words like this, if I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me. You know, when I give a verse like that, I've got to figure out one or two of the important words in the verse to really get it. And the important word in that is, if I regard iniquity in my heart, God will not hear me. And so I had to find out, I had to find out what that word regard was all about. And I found out, it basically has the context, if I conceal iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me. It has the meaning, if I look with complacency on the iniquity of my heart, the Lord will not hear me. I'm just casual about it, it doesn't bother me much. It means if I have compassion on it, the iniquity of my heart, the Lord will not hear me. It means if I compromise with it in my heart, the Lord will not hear me. If it means, even in the very word regard, if I regard, you know the word regard has a nice tone to it, I regard something. And you know what it means? It means we've learned to live with it, we've brought it into our life as a part of our lifestyle, we've built a lifestyle surrounding it. That's regarding it. We know it's there, but we don't do anything about it. We sort of say, well, you know, everybody has something every day, and we build a lifestyle. But yet God says, if I regard it in my heart, I know it's there, I'm casual about it, I make room for it, I have compassion on it, I give it room to operate, God will not hear me. Tremendous verse. You know, in Detroit everyone is preaching there. One man, at the end of the crusade, on the last night he said, what have you learned in these days? You know what man got up and said? God showed me in these days that I've been making my sin look like strawberry shortcake. Hmm, that's regarding it, I mean. Doesn't it say in 1 Timothy 2.8, I will therefore, we saw it on the video on Sunday night, I will therefore that men pray everywhere, okay, first of all prayer priority, I pray everywhere. And then it says, pray lifting up holy hands. And then it tells us what's going to be the characteristic of holy hands. Without wrath, see? No wrathful spirit, no angry spirit in it. And when we lift up holy hands without wrath, we're not angry at anybody, in any situation, we're at peace. And then it says, without doubting. And men and women, the tragedy with most of our praying is, we're doubting that God's going to hear our prayers, because we're not lifting up the holy hands. There's anger and there's wrath and there's something in our spirit. And therefore there's doubting when we pray. Interesting indeed. Listen to this verse, Psalm 80 verse 4. It says, O Lord God of hosts, how long wilt thou be angry against the prayers of thy people? How long wilt thou be angry against the prayers of thy people? God angry against his people praying? What a tremendous truth. Angry against the prayers of his people. And then it says in Proverbs 29, 28, 9, He that turns away his ear from hearing the law. That means I know what to do and I know what God says and I turn my ear away from hearing. Even his prayers are an abomination to God. Amazing verses, aren't they folks? And we're so casual about it. And so this is the heart of all we've talked about, everything we've learned about what praying is all about. This is the bottom line. Where do we stand? What's our relationship with God? Now, I want you to turn your Bibles to Isaiah 59, the tremendous verses. Look at this. Isaiah 59 verse 1, 1 and 2. Isaiah 59 verses 1 and 2. Here's what it is. God is telling Isaiah to tell the people something because they were saying God has forgotten us. God's not meeting our needs. It seems like God is unconcerned about us, his children. That was the attitude coming into Isaiah 59 verse 1. And Isaiah gives them the message. Listen. Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened that it cannot save. There's nothing wrong with God's hand. He can save. Nothing wrong there. And then neither is his ear heavy that it cannot hear. And God doesn't have any wax in his ears. No problem with God's hearing. Like some of us seniors, right? No wax in God's ears. No problem with his hand he can save. No problem with his ears he can hear. But what's the problem? Verse 2. Your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, listen, that he will not hear. He chooses not to hear. Amazing. Wow. Having said that, do you know what happened? I like the response of the people of God in this chapter. Do you know what? They are identified with what the word of God was to them. And in verse 12 it says, they identify very specifically and they are naming now their sin to God. Look at it. Verse 12. For our transgressions are multiplied before thee, and our sins testify against us. For our transgressions are with us, and as for our iniquities, we know them. We know them. And most of us in this meeting know them. We know what that thing is that we have made room for and we've had compassion on and we've had respect for. They say we know them. And then they named it. In transgressing, multiplied, in verse 13. In transgressing and lying against the Lord, in departing away from our God, in speaking oppression and revolt, in conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood, and judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off, truth is formed in the street, and equity cannot enter, yea, truth faileth, and he that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey. And the Lord saw it, and it displeased the Lord, and it displeased him that there was no judgment. I'm just reading those verses. That might not be our sin, but I like what I'm reading because what it is, Roy Hesschen says these words. He says, the more specific the confession, the more genuine the repentance, and the more genuine the revival. And when God spoke through the prophet Isaiah to the people of God, what the problem was, nothing wrong with God, that he could hear, and that he had arm that he could save, but of their iniquities, that he would not hear, they said, Lord we hear you, we're going to name them. And they named them, very specifically indeed. O men and women, I suggest to you that perhaps God needs to speak to us about what are the sins in our hearts and lives? What are the things that we've changed from sin and we call it a mistake? What are the things that are basically sin, and we know they're sin, but we've given the word that it's a personality trait. You know, I've looked all through the Bible, I've never found personality trait there. Have you? Oh, how good we are to name it less than what it is. That's regarding a new thing in your heart. Giving it less of a name than what it is. What are they? Well, there could be so many. Selfishness. And I think that came in so forcibly last night in relation to our kind of praying. It's wrapped up in the truth of selfishness. And self-will. What about pride? We heard about it from these dear young people. What about the spirit of criticism? What about backbiting? What about deceitfulness and jealousy? Anger, anger, anger. Do you know what? I heard on the public broadcasting system in my country just a few months ago, they said these words. They said, 30 seconds of anger could produce a stroke or a heart attack. 30 seconds of anger could produce a stroke or a heart attack. What about the angry spirit? What about strife one with another? Dissension, dishonesty, bitterness, bitterness, and disobedience. Bitterness, what a painful one that is. I remember when we had this crusade here, here in Regina way back in 71. I remember one night when we said, anybody having a testimony? And one of the deacons of this church, elders, deacons, what do you have brother? Corey Elders, deacons? All right. And I remember when we had testimony, one brother came and he said, I praise the Lord that this church had more than one door for people to go out in. As of last night, they could lock up two of the doors and me and my brother, who's on the board together or elder together, we both, as of last night, we both can go out the central door together. Oh, praise the Lord for that kind of situation because there was something between them. Now, what is it there? Is it all clear between you and another? What about it in your heart and in your spirit? Well, there's so much we could talk about those things, but what about physical things? Way back there when we were here, very much so. Henry Tycob, you know the name, Henry Tycob. You remember how God laid his hand on him right here in this building and in this church, what a part he was. He played in those days of revival. And you remember that he was the vice principal of the high school here in Regina. And God did such a deep work in his heart and life that in the middle of the year, in the middle of March, he resigned from that vice principalship and joined us and traveled with us for two or three years and worked in our prayer room and counseled and prayed with hundreds and thousands perhaps in those years. And what a voice of revival God made in him. But what was the situation? Remember, he had to go back to the university where he got his degree, his diploma, his certificate, diploma as a graduate from the university over here. And God showed him that when he was required to turn in a term paper, what he did instead of creating a brand new one, he took an old one that he had already turned in and he just changed a few words and a few situations here and there and there, and he submitted that in the place of a brand new one. And the Holy Spirit of God said to Henry in those days of revival, go back there. How can you be right with me and you have that sin in your heart? And you know God gave him the courage to go back and take his diploma back to the university right here and say, I give my diploma in and you take it back from me because I sinned against you and against God. And you know that the university came to terms with Henry and whatever it was, they settled it and Henry was set free from that shackle. But what a thing there was like that. There was one lady in one of our meetings, God dealt with her about the fact that she had taken stuff out of the place that she worked and she had taken some stainless steel out of the place that she worked. And God said to her, you've been praying for your grandson who is in trouble with the law and you're praying for your grandson, so you go back and turn that stainless steel back in the place there. Then you can come back and pray for your grandson. Now I just give those two illustrations quickly. There are physical things that we don't talk about them in the terms of reconciliation, we talk about them in the terms of restitution. But now we talk about terms of reconciliation and that's between people, reconciled between people. What about that situation where we need to be reconciled between one another? You know, if you go to the Bill Gothard Basic Youth Seminar in the United States, Bill Gothard administers a 500,000 people every year, sometimes personally there on the spot and sometimes through the video and so forth, but about 500,000 every year. And it started out as a youth seminar in Chicago and people were saying, listen, this is much more than a youth seminar, adults need the same thing. It's wonderful for young people to learn it right then, but we adults need the same thing and so it became the thing that has gone out around the world. You know what Bill Gothard says? He says that in this meeting here tonight, every shackle, every bondage, every situation that is represented in this meeting that is a shackle between you and God can be identified in three basic areas. Three basic areas. What are they? One is the spirit of greed, the spirit of materialism. That's what our brother even shared, how God had to deal with him even on that one. The spirit of materialism, greed. The second is the spirit of immorality or the spirit of lust. Immorality or the spirit of lust. And the third one is the spirit of bitterness. Bitterness. And that is wrapped up in the spirit of pride and unforgiveness. And that's why the bitterness is all wrapped up and we will not forgive because the pride involved in the situation. You know, tragic, isn't it? What is it in your life? Can you identify it? And we could take time and call off many under each of these, but those are the three basic general basis of all of our sins. The spirit of greed, materialism. Somebody said, does your pocket book say amen when you talk about revival? Does God own all of that you have or is it just the 10% you give him? Or does he have a right to any more than the 10% and you are just a steward of what you have beyond the 10% at his dictate you use and serve it to him as he gives you the direction? Materialism. And then there is the spirit of immorality. Lust and then bitterness. Now you know this thing of bitterness, pride and so forth. You know bitterness first of all could be unforgiveness. An unforgiving spirit is basically a bitter spirit. You know it could be bitterness and I never used to use this but God just impressed me that I need to talk about this. It could be a bitterness against God himself. I am finding that some people have an unforgiving spirit or a bitter spirit against God himself. A legal gripe against God? Do you think you have one? I know a lot of people think they have a legal gripe. They have a right to be bitter and have that bitter spirit against God. Well I have here a list in these two sheets. I have a list of 12. Without taking time away I am just showing you the sheets. I have a list of 12 situations of people who had a bitter gripe against God for situations in their life and circumstances that took place. That is why I am telling you about that CD that I have back there when falsely accused and unjustly used. How do you relate? And I have got here 12 situations that if I could take the time would break your heart and you and I would say they have a legal right to be bitter against God. In our humanness we would say that but I am happy to tell you I am talking about two sheets of 12 people who have been totally set free of the bitterness against God that they had in their situation. Now I married a wife. That is what you marry don't you? And I married a wife who basically I married her because you know what? She went through a situation that was so painful but I married her because she got better instead of bitter. I would rather marry one who got better instead of bitter than marry one who got bitter instead of better. Amen? You say why do you say that? Well I was about 34 and a half years old when there was a preacher Ralph and I were Holy Mies in the state of Massachusetts and the pastor there he felt so sorry for me because I seemed to need some help to find a wife. 34 and a half and I still wasn't there. Now my brother was 6 or 7 years above me. And so this preacher knew of a widow. Who lost her husband when she and her husband were planning to go to Vietnam under the alliance to be missionaries in Vietnam. And while they were in Bible school they felt instead of when they got done instead of going immediately to the mission field they felt held back to take one year in a little church and see how God would then lead. And in that one year at the time of Christmas he went out hunting with the men of the church to try to reach some of them for the Lord and they thought he just came home caught a cold or something you know flew a cold or something and you know what he came back home and it didn't get better and by the month of February he was in the hospital and a week before he went to be with the Lord they finally realized he had passed away with cancer of the lymph nodes in the days when they didn't know much about cancer years ago. And they weren't planning to go to the mission field all trained Bible school training ready to go. God what are you doing? All this investment and all of this. You know what happened? That preacher that preacher had a sister-in-law his wife's sister who also was in school together with my wife and her husband and she was married and you know what her husband passed away about the same time when my wife's husband passed away and instead of her getting better she got bitter and that's why the man didn't even talk to me about his sister-in-law because she got bitter but he talked to me about the one that got better wasn't that nice of him? And my wife had the privilege at the funeral of her husband to then because it was an extension work for the alliance and they didn't have a building it was just a basement situation and it had that black tarpaulin black tar stuff on there and they walked downstairs there and she stood in the place where her husband was preaching and stood right there right after his funeral in the days that followed and she stood and opened the word of God to those there and had the privilege of leading some of those men to the Lord that he was trying to reach because of the glory of God and the victory that God gave her instead of getting bitter against God she got better. Why? Why? Because young in her life she said I hear missionaries would come to our church and they would get up and say or people get up and say I would to God I had given God my life much sooner than what I did how many years I wasted and I wish I had done it sooner and she said whenever I heard that I said oh God oh God never let me say that. Let me do it right the first time that I never have to look back and say I wish I had done it differently and you know what for the whole year before her husband passed away while they were in that in working at that work it seemed like everywhere they went the word of God was jumping out at them at Romans 8 28 and we know that all things work together for good to them that love the Lord to them that are called according to his purpose that they should be conformed to the image of his son everywhere they went and that verse it was almost like God was saying I'm preparing you she should have gotten bitter all the money she spent and her parents and the sacrifice and so forth and this is what happens she would have been over in Vietnam when the Tet Offensive took place when five or seven I forget how many alliance missionaries were slaughtered by the Viet Cong she would have been right there she knew all of them God spared her in that context but she got better instead of bitter now what is there in your life what there could be is there a sense of bitterness tonight toward God no wonder your prayers are not going through whatever the situation is could it be any worse than what I described to you she had an 18 month old child and five thousand dollars to start out in life until I came along seven years later and it wasn't the fall that hurt her it was a sudden stop but anyway you know what God does he's so good at it her first husband was a preacher what do you think I am I hope you think so and secondly her husband was an Italian what do you think I am I'm not a Frenchman and her first husband had an Uncle Joe and an Aunt Anna and on and on I have an Uncle Joe and Aunt Anna and her first husband was my exact age and on and on and her husband's parents took me in just like their son almost you see why I couldn't get married any sooner right had to wait for the situation oh what a wonderful thing God gave me a wife I got better instead of bitter against God where so many folks fall into that trap oh but what about it praying demands right relationship toward God we have to make sure that's clear but then secondly it has to be right relationship let's start where God starts toward our spouse what about our spouse right there people closest to us seem to be the ones we tend to hurt the most and the quickest our spouse oh men and women that God would show us about that situation I saw an email that came in to me listen to this one God noticed that Adam was lonely he said to him Adam I'm going to give you a perfect companion she'll cook and she'll clean and she'll listen she's perfect Adam replied what will she cost me God said an arm and a leg was shocked at that Adam said well what can you do forget what can I get for a rib amazing huh we got that but listen this one a man was dying a man was dying I'm talking about marriage situation a man was dying and you want he's lying on a deathbed in his bedroom he smells something in the kitchen you know what oh downstairs he smells a little chocolate chip cooking cookies being made down there oh and he thought to himself thinking my wife wants to make me die a happy man right she wants me to die a happy man and as he wheeled himself he got down there to where those cookies were he reached for those cookies and guess what a spatula hit his fingers and he was shocked and she hollers stay out of those they're for your funeral ah marriage relationships you know what I got a book one time somebody gave me a book and I think every man in this meeting needs one and the title of the book was what men know about women and you know what it was about an inch thick about an inch thick one of those real thick ones thick in the book that I showed you my wife made that about an inch thick what men know about women and I was excited about opening it and when I opened it there wasn't one single thing in the whole book nothing and then you and I and we men we go back to the Bible and the Bible gives us a verse like this 1st Peter 3 7 likewise ye husbands here we are dwell with them according to knowledge wow I got a man who was dying a man was dying on a book like that and I'm supposed to dwell with my wife according to knowledge huh giving honor unto the wife as the weaker vessel and as being heirs together of the grace of life why that your prayers be not hindered so we can't talk about revival we can't talk about praying going anywhere if it doesn't start first of all that the walls are down between me and my wife and they're down between you and your wife this might be painful but I'll tell you it's been a joy to see some husbands and wives praying together for the first time in years and years and years because God Almighty opened their eyes to the truth that their prayers were going nowhere and they didn't want to live any longer that way and God brought broke their hearts one with another was a great blessed experience when a man humbled himself and a wife they humbled themselves together and they met at the foot of the cross and the heavens got opened and the prayers were able to get through to Almighty God husbands it says in Colossians 3 Colossians 3 19 I said Colossians 3 19 but maybe it's that too maybe it's that too Colossians 3 19 husbands love your wives and and the very word listen and be not bitter against them those very words so men men must start there. Does it need to start there? I hope God gives you the grace. You say oh I've been wanting to pray like I've been hearing about I hope God gives you the grace if that situation needs to be dealt with we'll have the grace to deal with it humble ourselves before God and deal with it and then effective praying demands then right relationship with other people right relationship with other people I got an interesting email a teacher was giving a lesson on the circulation of the blood that's been health class got it trying to make the matter clearer to the children about the circulation of blood in the body right she said now class she said if I stood on my head the blood as you know would run into it right and I would turn red in the face and then she said and the class said yes okay then she said then why is it that while I'm standing upright here I am in the ordinary position I'm standing the blood doesn't run into my feet well a little fellow shouted I know why teacher cause your feet ain't empty human relations right listen to this one a Sunday school teacher was discussing the Ten Commandments with her five and six year olds see what we can learn from these children right listen after explaining the commandment to honor thy father and thy mother she asked is there a commandment that teaches us how to treat our brothers and sisters without missing a beat one little boy the oldest son and the oldest boy in the family answered yes ma'am the commandment says thou shalt not kill human relations human relations one with another listen brothers and sisters listen to what it says in Matthew Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount on the Sermon on the Mount he said in Matthew 5 23 he says when you come to offer your gift to the Lord now that statement really means when you come to bring your offering to the Lord I believe it means much more than that when it comes to give your service to the Lord all kind of means goes into that when you come to offer your gift your life to the Lord and you come to do something for God and there God says when you're ready to do it and you remember God gives you a good memory and you remember that your brother there's a brother out there has something against you didn't even say you had against him he says you remember your brother has something against you God says leave your gift right there I don't want it leave it there first first first I challenge you preachers to look on the Bible and preach a sermon on all the firsts of the Bible interesting indeed here's one of them first of all go be reconciled to that brother and then come back and offer your gift first of all hmm ah I think that's God breaking up a prayer meeting isn't he we're going to offer our prayers we're going to the altar good place present our gift the altar maybe God says I'll break that prayer meeting up go first of all is there something like that maybe there's some situation in your life even right now you know there's a brother out there that has something against you and you've been sitting back and waiting say when is he going to come to me well you know he should be coming to you if he reads Mark chapter 11 he should be coming to you but he's not and God's now asking you if he's not coming to you God says and you come to the altar and offer your gift and you remember he's got it against you leave your gift there and first be reconciled to your brother I'm going to ask you my brother sister do you have a situation like that how quickly are you going to leave this meeting tonight and obey that scripture how quickly tonight you deal with it before God here in the house of God and then you say I'm not even going to go home until I deal with that I want to obey God you know God calls for God calls for obedience and there is a command in the sermon on the mount this is not a casual thing men and women because we've come and spent these three nights talking about powerful praying how does it relate to us I'll tell you how it relates to us it relates every way to us 1st John 3 21 and 2 23 just listen beloved if your heart condemn you not then you have confidence toward God you see now you will pray with confidence it won't be doubting and whatsoever you ask see we're praying you'll receive of him why because you're keeping his commandment you're obeying what he commanded you in Matthew 5 23 and you're doing those things it says that are pleasing in his sight and that's why he says you can ask and he'll answer you and so on you tell me that I'm obeying your commandment Lord what do you mean what commandment am I obeying he says I'm not going to leave you on the dark I'll explain it and he does and this is the commandment he says that we should believe in his name the son of God we do and love one another as he gave us commandment love one another and see as long as that situation is you and that brother there's not much love going between him and the devil the Lord does not want you to take time and you wait for that brother to come to you because he knows how human you are and if you're not that human I am right and if that situation doesn't get settled how our mind plays tricks on us and we start to imagine the worst and God says I don't even want you to take a chance go it's a priority go well now I preach a message I give you five reasons why God tells you about that and I'm not going to preach to you tonight that's a whole other message that strange thing when he should be coming to me God says you go to him but in Mark chapter 11 25 and 26 right after we read those tremendous verses last night about a Monday night about believing praying that you can say to the mountain be thou removed in the sea and whatever he asks God will give it to you right about that the very next thing it says the next verse says and when you stand praying you see first of all talked about being a believing prayer we talked about that all right Lord I've got some believing prayers here tonight and it says and when you stand praying forgive very first thing there's the same thing Matthew 5 Mark 11 all wrapped up in believing praying all wrapped up in praying with confidence things have to be right between me and another isn't that amazing the first thing he talks about I believe it's clear that Jesus considers a lack of forgiveness as a major hindrance to prayer major one lady had hard feelings against her sister-in-law in our meetings and she heard that we were coming to the meetings and she said she said I better get this thing settled before the twins are coming and she called up her sister-in-law and said I am so tired I have been praying around this situation I've been praying around it the feeling between you and me and I've been praying around it I know it's there and I've been praying around it and she said I realize I've been praying around it and it does not work it does not work it really has hindered my prayers and that was settled I want to ask you a question tonight what is the situation in your life that you're praying around we want our prayers to go somewhere we can't be praying around something and just automatically expect well we pray and God will answer praying around it no such thing you know why because if you will not forgive and there's an unforgiving situation a spirit between you and another do you know what men and women you can understand that when you know what forgiveness is and unforgiveness is you can't live praying around this situation why because forgiveness I have in the situation what forgiveness is you know what forgiveness is when you get out you're going to have a list we've got nine things on what forgiveness is we need to know what forgiveness is but I'm not going to preach the nine points because we'd have to let men go home and shave and come back again we go there but I just want to talk about point number nine what is forgiveness you'll get it on your sheet you'll get all nine but what is the ninth point here's what it says in point number nine it says that it is forgiveness is releasing a prisoner and recognizing that the prisoner is you you're the prisoner you are being held in captivity to that situation and that person that situation that you will not forgive Ralph and I were preaching near Kitchener near Kingston Ontario a number of years ago and there was a lady in that church she had heart for God but there was something holding this lady back and I noticed from the other ladies of the church I picked up what they were feeling saying and they say I wonder if you could find out what is holding Vera back there's something we can only get so close to her and there's just like a wall that stops right there we can't get any further what's holding her back and about five years ago we were in Belleville Ontario not too far from Kingston and I looked out and there she was and she came and said Lou and Ralph can I talk with you after the meeting have a few minutes to talk to you yeah alright she said I need to tell you something and she told me the story she said I had to drive 500 miles to walk into an office to a man who sexually abused me when I was a boarding student living there in a Christian boarding school 500 miles away and that man had like a Jim Jones power over me and I found out through the years that he had it over two or three other girls in the school at the same time in a Christian boarding school the headmaster and there was that sexual sin going on and he had this girl in captivity and she said a young man came along and he wanted to date me and we started dating and in the dating one thing led to another where he said you know I'm falling in love with you but I want to be a missionary and I would love to marry you and would you marry a missionary sounds familiar huh would you be willing to marry a missionary and she said no no how could I ever I felt so filthy inside how could I ever he didn't know what was going on how could I ever even think to marry a missionary be a missionary's wife and she said no to him and went out in life and married an agnostic and an alcoholic and a tobacco fiend a man who will not allow her to say the name of Jesus in the house he allowed her to go to church but nothing Christian can go on in church and I want to tell you that was going on in that lady's life you know how many years I'll tell you how old she was she was as old I mean exactly as old as my twin brother and that ain't no spring chicken she was born on the very day he was born and years of this bondage and she said I had to drive those miles and walk into a man's office and I had to say would you forgive me for the bitterness I have had against you for what you did in my life I want to tell you something she was a bird out of a cage she's become like the pastors right hand man as it were gifts and abilities musical abilities artistic abilities you name it all of this but for 45 years in a box because of an unforgiving wouldn't get that thing settled from the bitter spirit that she carried in that situation and you know what many women what did she say this is what it taught me and that's why this is why I've told you the story this is what it taught me she said she taught me that if you cannot forgive the past if you cannot forgive the past you are paralyzed in terms of the future and that's where I was and then she said I learned that forgiveness was damage control and that's where I was in control what it gave me control over what that situation had done to my life when there was forgiveness so I say men and women no wonder God puts and Jesus puts such a priority on immediately when he talks about praying the question immediately comes is there any unforgiveness in your heart that's got to be cleared so you can pray with confidence but you know what men and women there's a consequence to unforgiving spirit there's terrible consequences you say how long have you held this unforgiving spirit how long have you held this spirit of bitterness how long I'll tell you there I have a list of nine consequences when you say if you say to me tonight I just can't forgive I just can't forgive if you only knew the situation if you knew it you'd understand why I can't forgive probably you know what if we could have a kind of meeting like this if we could have a meeting that would be if only you knew kind of meeting wouldn't that be interesting huh wow we'd all go home so depressed and we'd have empathy for that one oh wow now I can understand why I can't forgive look at that wow humanly speaking but I want to tell you something if you say I just can't forgive do you know what you're doing to yourself you're carrying the potential of nine other spirits and in the packet that you're going to get tonight it'll have them there for you to study but I just want to touch number nine first of all I'll put in a general statement I'll suggest to you that there'll be physical consequences there are emotional consequences there are social consequences mental consequences and spiritual consequences you know what Ralph and I had the privilege of preaching in International Falls Minnesota a number of years ago and that's right across from Fort Francis Ontario and you know right there the last place in the United States across the river there you're Fort Francis and we were preaching there and then the Lord gave us the prayer we and I preached on that unforgiving spirit I think it might be that tape that we have out there that CD I preached on the tale of the ten or twelve aspects of an unforgiving spirit which I which I list there for you and I described them it took a whole hour of preaching on it and the Lord led me and St. Paul Bible College the Crown College down in St. Paul to seven hundred students I went to chapel and the Lord seemed to impress me preach that same message to these students well you know there at International Falls when I gave that message there were a lot of adults that really needed it right because we've had a lot of years to get all situations to build up amen but the Lord said give it to the students I said oh Lord are you sure about this what do they have to be bitter about they haven't lived long enough to be bitter about toward anybody oh God are you sure you sure you're speaking right and I was fighting with God about that until God won and I preached it to those seven hundred students against my will but it was his will that I give that same message that I said young people don't have anything to be bitter about they haven't lived long enough to get bitter and you know what it was at the chapel service and the students went from the chapel right to classes so we couldn't give an invitation and I told students when I got done if God has spoken to your heart go out on sometime maybe sometime in this day find a spot on the campus and get right with God what the Lord has told you to do and confess and so I gave instruction but at night we had morning service at chapel service and then we'd have a service at seven o'clock at night we could go for however long we wanted to go you know what happened then women ten minutes before we had the evening service one of the students came up to me and he said to me he said you know what I was so bitter against my mother that when God spoke to me today I went home and asked I went out on the woods and I asked God to forgive me and the Lord said now you've got to give your mother a phone call and you've got to ask her for forgiveness you know what he said I called my mother this morning and what a load went off of me she was bitter against her he was bitter against the mother because of the divorce and the house and the family being broken up and here he was an 18 year old student in first year Bible college bitter against the parents and bitter as can be he asked his mother for forgiveness in that situation he said do you know what ten minutes before I came to the meeting tonight I got a phone call back from my mother and she said son I want to thank you for your phone call today I came into the kingdom of God today his mother got saved that day oh men and women because of his obedience to almighty God what a tremendous truth oh what are the consequences what are the consequences of unforgiving spirit so many of them so many of them and as you get the number twelve consequence is a prayer to spirit we can't pray unforgiveness breaks the wings of faith we talked about believing and praying unforgiveness will break the wings of faith and it will break the cry of real prayer before almighty God now you know folks when we were here we had uncle Bill Orr and you remember uncle Bill Orr uncle Bill Orr had the children's meetings when he would come and lead singing in the meetings and then he would sing a song solo and then when it came offering he would play my instrument and then he would go downstairs when I preached he would have a children's meeting but what made this man such a powerful man there's a book out about him the fellowship I had one of them I saw one I don't know if it's out of print or not but one of them the book the title of the book is called the uncle with 45,000 nieces and nephews and those are the 45,000 children that he led to the Lord in his correspondence as a result of them ministering to them tremendous situation but why how come I'll tell you what he's the man that I told you about that people said I wonder if I had ever seen a man who loved my children more than I do uncle Bill do you know what when he was raised when he was born his mother did not want to raise him and he got so bitter against his mother he said I went in front of the judge and down came the hammers were the gavel came down you're no more William Orr you're you're now no more William Berkner you're now William Orr I was no more being going to be raised by my mother and I was being raised by my godly grandfather grandmother and grandfather and all through those young years I got so bitter against my mother why didn't she want to raise me what did I do were my feet too large or were my ears too long or what why didn't she want to raise me bitter bitter all through the years he led music for youth for Christ in St. Louis Missouri and he said I had ability to sing and I would sing and then they would send me out to speak at other school out of the places and he said people would get saved and give their hearts to the Lord but yet I felt like when I sing it would bounce off the wall and come back at me and it seemed like when I prayed it would bounce off the wall and come back at me and I said oh god oh god what is it and God said your mother Bill it's your mother Bill oh god you can talk to me about anything else but not my mother after God don't you love children and Lord she she didn't want to raise me oh god anything else but my mother your mother Bill he said I drive right through the town she lived in never stopped my children never met her grand their grandmother they never knew a grandmother but there I was singing and I play my instrument for the Lord but something was missing something was missing and he said I I work for the post office in St. Louis and there was a man in New York City at the Alliance Church in New York City pastor said he knew me he said Uncle Bill you come to New York many times for the post office he said we got we got an evangelist coming by the name of Bill McCloud from Western Canada and he's going to have a series of meetings in our church he said I need somebody to lead the music would you do it he said well I can arrange for the post office to do my work there and pay the way so I could come and he said there I was leading the music and Uncle Bill and Bill McCloud started preaching and night after night Galatians 220 I am crucified with Christ nevertheless I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me crucified with Christ night after night Uncle Bill kept pouring that verse at me until in the middle of the week in the Holy Spirit of God got a hold of me and when I kept saying my mother and God said your mother Bill your mother Bill your mother not that Lord he said in the middle of the week I couldn't take it any longer and I was leading music and I had to go right from the platform right down on my knees in front there and ask God for his forgiveness for the bitterness I had for all of those years that I wouldn't even call her recognize her as my mother and God forgave me and I said God said now you've got to go to her and be reconciled and she lived in Richmond Virginia with her third or fourth husband and there she was in an army camp and in a little trailer in an army camp and you know he was in New York City and he said to get a plane ticket that you get overnight from New York to Richmond Virginia it ain't cheap folks when you do it overnight but he said I've got to do it whatever the price he said I got that plane ticket and I landed in Richmond Virginia and then I had to get a taxi cab and go 35 miles from that from the airport to where my mother lived in that little trailer in that army base and he said I was in the war and I used to get behind the enemy and I used to help direct the American airplanes onto the spot of the enemy and I was in such dangerous places there and I was in such precarious places there but he said there was nothing any more worse than those 35 miles that I was driving in that taxi cab when the devil was saying Bill you're making a fool of yourself it's all your mother's fault she should have done it and all the way there the devil fought me until I finally arrived and walked up on the steps and knocked on the door and there was my mother and she opened the door and I said Marge, name was Marjorie, Marge I've come a long way after many many years to come and ask you to forgive me for the bitterness I have held against you for all of these years would you please forgive me? She threw her arms around Bill Oar and she whispered in his ear Bill those are the most beautiful words I have ever heard in my life. Bill invited her to move to St. Louis and he said she's the biggest most wonderful story teller that you'd ever want to know and owe what love until she passed away but Bill Oar Bill McLeod asked me said Bill I'm going to Pittsburgh Pennsylvania to preach next can you come and join me there and sing there and he said I'll do it I can do it and he said I got to Pittsburgh and he said when I sang it no longer bounced off of the wall and when I prayed it no longer bounced off the wall it went through to almighty God and God gave that man a ministry where the book entitled 45,000 nieces and nephews of the children that he had the privilege of having a correspondence course in our meetings and then when he went overseas to Africa and place after place to lead to Jesus Christ and men and women I had the privilege our whole team had the privilege to fly to his memorial service there and there at the casket we just barely got there in time for the funeral and the casket was closed and they opened up for us to see him just before they wheeled it away because we couldn't get there any sooner in a religious situation and you know what right next to his casket was an end table just a little table here and they had something that was opened up on that table and if Bill Oar was alive he would have never allowed it but you know what was on that table they had he had what you have on an adding machine the paper that thick that thin you know and he had typewritten the names the names of his prayer list of the people that he prayed for every single day and men and women that piece of paper opened up 12 feet long I wish we could have been at that memorial service the funeral parlor director was so impressed said we've never seen anything like this and they sent our team over a hundred dollars just as a tribute to have the privilege of have a funeral of a man like this 12 feet long the names of the people he prayed for every day and he was still meeting his prayer partners until a week before he passed away and we looked at that prayer list and would you know my brother Ralph looked at it and he looked at it and right where he looked at the 12 feet guess what name he found Ralph Sutera not Lou my brother really needs it you know but he found it he found it there it is and I want to tell you what a blessing that man has been to thousands and thousands and thousands but it started when he took the step and the heavens were open to this man he prayed like very few people I know and the stories of the answers to prayer that man has had but he had to take that step to get on praying terms with God and pleading terms with God instead of spanking terms with almighty God oh I suggest to you powerful praying that we've been talking about of necessity begins with us praying with Job 1323 how many are mine iniquities oh Lord and my sins make me to know my transgressions and my sins and to pray with what our brothers would say Psalm 139 search me oh God and know my heart and try me and know my thoughts and see if there be any wicked way in me anyone and leave me in the path of everlasting and I think it was I forget now what man went over to Sweden and you know what he said I found out what it means search me over there they don't call it search me they use the word in the Swedish language it means ransack me oh God ransack me ever ransacked anything a room that needed to be ransacked I'm wondering if God is bringing a people of God in this community ready to be ransacked tonight to be on praying terms and pleading terms with almighty God that almighty God can do his work in our hearts and lives I don't know what the Holy Spirit of God has said to you but oh believing praying fervent praying specific praying right motive praying the bottom line is it's got to be right relationship praying or all the rest will be spinning our wheels and going nowhere thank you dear Father for my dear brothers and sisters here tonight and I pray in the name of Jesus that you will just give us judgment day honesty tonight Lord God I see these dear young people and Lord this all we as the older generation we owe it to these dear young people we owe it to them to pay whatever price necessary so we can be on praying ground and pleading terms that the heavens can be open once again that God by your Holy Spirit they can feel something and sense something and see something that will get in their bones that will never leave their clothes from thereafter my God I pray in the name of Jesus I pray in the name of Jesus give us that honesty before you tonight do that work Lord whatever it is in this meeting whatever it is in my heart whatever it is in my brothers and sisters heart oh Lord let us pray truly search me oh God whether we're a preacher whether we're a Sunday school teacher a deacon elder whatever our situation I pray God let us say we've heard your voice and we say Lord we need forgiveness we're going to go to the cross Lord cleanse us even this night do it oh father do your work in our hearts