Prayer Busters

There are two main things that keep us from access to God through prayer.  One is barriers and the other is busyness.

First the barriers.  This list was taken from a series of messages by Andy Stanley, how do you beat that?  Here are four barriers and the four spiritual practices that you can use to counteract them.
1. Guilt --> Confess
    Our guilt keeps us from God because we feel that he couldn't or shouldn't love us.  So confess to another person.  Not just to God, but to a real, live person.
2. Anger --> Forgive
    Our Anger blocks communication whether it is directed toward God or not.  So you have to forgive.  If you can't forgive the person you are angry at for practical reasons, set out a chair, imagine they are there and tell your imaginary foe that you forgive them.
3. Greed --> Generosity
    When we desire something more than God we can't hear what God wants to tell us.  When greed takes over you have to give generously.
4. Jealousy --> Praise Publicly
    When we feel that another person got what we should have gotten, we get mad that God hasn't given us what we wanted.  Praise that other person publicly to destroy jealousy before it takes over.

The second big obstacle to prayer is busyness.  So try this.  Instead of aiming for balance, which conjures up images of a waiter struggling under the weight of six plates which are ready to topple at any moment, try aiming for rhythm in your life.  Rhythm is what God built into our week through the Sabbath. Rhythm is what God built into your week through night time.  You know that while you are asleep and while you are on Sabbath that God still keeps the world going without you?  Yeah, it actually still runs without you. So try a new rhythm and build rest into your life.