PSALM 66:18–20 “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me: But verily God hath heard me; he hath attended to the voice of my prayer. Blessed be God, which hath not turned away my prayer, nor his mercy from me.”

KEYWORD: When iniquity is entertained, it becomes an enemy to your prayers.

At the outset of the year, when the Lord begins to draw your attention to what you must do and what you must not do, you must be sensitive enough to align yourself with His instructions. You must sit up and pay close heed to what He is saying. This is especially important when the message sounds familiar. When it feels like something you have heard repeatedly and nothing new to you.
As believers, we must never become so familiar with God’s Word that we downplay its importance in any season of our lives. Repeated warnings are never empty. They often signal that something significant is ahead, something that could easily be missed if we are not spiritually alert. God repeats Himself not because He lacks words, but because He desires your preparedness.
You may read the opening Scripture and think it is something David wrote that you have encountered many times before. Yet the Spirit is calling your attention to it again. What is that wrong act you have continued in knowingly, despite God’s warnings and the grace He has extended to you repeatedly? What is that subtle compromise that is gradually taking root because you have given it room?

Do you realise that the enemy does not always need to attack you from the outside to bring destruction? He can work from within when he succeeds in corrupting the heart and allowing iniquity to take residence. When iniquity is entertained, it becomes an enemy to your prayers. It disrupts the steady flow of fellowship between you and God and dulls your spiritual sensitivity.
This is a year to hate evil, to hate sin, and even every appearance of it. Do not allow it to flourish in you or around you. Do not compromise God’s standards, assuming you have unlimited time to repent and turn a new leaf. Many times, the opportunity to repent passes, not because God did not present it, but because we were too insensitive to recognize it when it came.
Iniquity weakens that consistent connection that keeps you spiritually alert and responsive. Therefore, examine yourself before the Lord. Commune with Him sincerely and allow Him to restore you to purity and holiness. When your heart is clean before Him, your prayers ascend without hindrance. Shalom.

PRAYER:
Heavenly Lord, I return to You today and renounce every practice of iniquity I have engaged in. Search my heart and purge me of every impure thought and ungodly desire, in the name of Jesus. I receive grace to walk in holiness and righteousness before You at all times. Amen.

FURTHER STUDY:
PSALM 4:4 “Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah.”
ROMANS 12:9 “Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.”