Today I’m going to give you a very abbreviated teaching about something that took Jesus many hours to teach. I’m going to tell you about the ministry of the Holy Spirit.

Separate Events or the Same?

Some people think that John 17 was an isolated event where Jesus prayed for the unity of the Church. People also read John 15, where Jesus taught the disciples how to abide in Him, as if it was its own separate teaching. However, a closer reading reveals that both of these events occurred on the same night. In fact, John chapters 13, 14, 15, 16, and 17 all occurred at one time, in one place.

In John chapter 13, Jesus and His disciples are in the Upper Room. In that room, Jesus washes their feet and serves them Communion. Then, as a continuation of that moment, He began teaching them about the Holy Spirit. Jesus went on to teach the disciples how He is the Vine and those who follow Him are the branches. Finally, He returned again to the subject of the Holy Spirit, whom He continued teaching about until He stopped to pray for the disciples in John chapter 17.

At the beginning of chapter 18, Jesus and the disciples leave the Upper Room. John 18:1 tells us, “When Jesus had spoken these words, He went forth with His disciples over the brook Cedron, where was a garden, into the which he entered, and His disciples.” Jesus spent one very long night teaching His disciples everything we find in John chapters 13 through 17. It all happened on the same night, in the same place — the Upper Room.

I don’t know about you, but when I read these chapters in the Gospel of John, I count these as some of the most important chapters in this Gospel.

Jesus Had to Leave

So what is the ministry of the Holy Spirit? What did Jesus teach His disciples that night?

First, Jesus told the disciples He was leaving. Jesus had told them this many times, but sometimes you don’t hear things correctly the first time. He wanted them to realize it was really happening, so He told them again.

It couldn’t have been easy for the disciples to imagine life without Jesus. For three and a half years, they had walked with Jesus, heard His voice, looked into His eyes, and felt His touch. They knew Jesus. He had been their Teacher and their Coach — He taught them how to pack their suitcases and how much money to take with them when they traveled. He told them how to be thankful for food when they ate in somebody else’s house and how to treat a city if a city did not receive them. The disciples held onto every word He said. And after all that time together, Jesus told them He was going to leave.

Then Jesus said, “Let not your heart be troubled…” (John 14:1).

But the disciples were troubled. Jesus had just told them, “I’m leaving you.” In fact, He was leaving them that night.

Our Comforter

In John chapter 14, Jesus begins telling the disciples about the ministry of the Holy Spirit, saying, “And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you for ever” (John 14:16).

The word “Comforter” is the Greek word parakletos, a compound of two Greek words, para and kaleo. The first word, para, means to be alongside. It depicts two things so close that they’re almost inseparable. In fact, it’s also the root for the word “parasite.” You can’t be much closer than a parasite! So, the word para really means to be stuck to each other. This verse tells us that the Holy Spirit sticks alongside us, closer than anyone else in our lives.

The second part of this word, kaleo, tells us that the Holy Spirit is actually called to do this. In Greek, kaleo means to call someone to do something specific. It describes a calling. For example, I am called to be a minister and an author. By using this word, Jesus is telling us that the Holy Spirit has a calling. He is called to remain alongside us as we live our lives.

Just like I’m called, and just like you are called, the Holy Spirit is called. He’s not just a free agent doing whatever He wants in the earth. The Holy Spirit has a very specific call. His whole purpose is to be alongside us. And He will answer to the Godhead for the way that He comes alongside us — and, of course, we know that He will answer well because He is flawless in His mission.

One of the Same Kind

When you put these two Greek words together, they describe several things. Parakletos depicts a “trainer” who comes alongside his students as he teaches, corrects, and instructs them. It also describes an “advocate” — someone who comes alongside his clients, defending and helping them. And it can also be translated as the word “helper.”

Now, each of these is very important because Jesus also said, “And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter…” (John 14:16). There were two Greek words that could have been used here. The first word is heteros, meaning one of a different kind. It’s where we get the word for “heterosexual.” But Jesus did not use this word. He used the word allos, which means one of the very same kind. In fact, it could almost be translated as identical.

For three and a half years, Jesus had been the disciples’ Teacher, Trainer, Advocate, and Helper. He was with them all the time — nearly inseparable from them. And then Jesus tells them, Now you’re going to have another Comforter. I’m going to ask the Father to send Him to you. And when He comes, He’ll be just like Me.

“And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you for ever” (John 14:16).

In fact, Jesus went on to say, It’s really better for you that I go — if I don’t leave, the Holy Spirit will not come, but if I leave, I will send Him to you (John 16:7).

Why was it better? Because when Jesus was here, He was only in one place at a time. But the ministry of the Holy Spirit would allow Him to be in multiple places at once. The Holy Spirit coming to earth multiplied the presence of Christ. So now, through the ministry of the Holy Spirit, Jesus is everywhere. And that’s why Jesus said this would be better.

The Spirit of Truth

Then Jesus said, “Howbeit when He, the Spirit of Truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth…” (John 16:13). In these chapters, Jesus calls the Holy Spirit “the Spirit of Truth” three separate times (see John 14:17; 15:26; and 16:13).

Why was this important? Because the disciples were stepping into a new kind of a relationship with the Holy Spirit. They knew Jesus and had a relationship with Him. But now, they were going to be in a relationship with the Holy Spirit, but they didn’t know Him yet.

Because Jesus was leaving that night, He told the disciples, Guys, listen to Me. When the Holy Spirit comes, He will be truthful. He’ll never mislead you. He will never misguide you. He is the Spirit of Truth. He is the Spirit of Truth. Are you really hearing what I’m saying? Jesus wanted the disciples to know they could depend on the Holy Spirit just like He had.

Our Guide

Look again at what Jesus said, “Howbeit when He, the Spirit of Truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak: and He will shew you things to come.” (John 16:13). Jesus told the disciples the Holy Spirit would be their Guide.

When you’re led by the Holy Spirit, it’s not always in a straight line. That’s because the Holy Spirit can see things you don’t see. And when He sees that there’s a problem, like a traffic jam ahead of you, He may lead you in a different direction. It might be a way you wouldn’t normally expect to go, but in the end, He’ll get you where you’re supposed to go. And He’ll get you there safer and faster than if you tried to get there on your own. Not usually — always.

When the Holy Spirit leads us, we simply need to trust Him. Trusting the Holy Spirit allows you to receive the beautiful things God wants to bring into your life. And as we follow Him, our lives will never be the same.

Today I’m going to talk to you about prayer, specifically seven factors that could be hindering answers to your prayers. This is important to me because I want you to see your prayers answered. And if there was something hindering an answer to your prayers, wouldn’t you want to know?

Let’s begin with number one: having a sinful imagination. We find this in Psalm 66:18, where the Bible says, “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.”

This is a very important verse. It doesn’t matter how loud you scream or how much you fast — if you regard iniquity in your heart, the Lord will not hear you.

What does that mean, “…regard iniquity in my heart…”? The Hebrew literally means, If I have conceived sin in my heart, if I have indulged in the imagination of sin, if I deliberately purpose to commit sin again and again…. In other words, if you have some sin that you’re not willing to abandon — unforgiveness, hatred, or a temptation you’re meditating on again and again — and you hold it in your heart and choose not to do anything about it — God will not hear your prayers.

This verse clearly teaches that if a person deliberately imagines, considers, or plans sin, it shuts the ears of God to him or her. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want the ears of God to be shut to my prayers.

Maybe you’re in this place right now. If this describes you, what can you do to reopen the ears of God to your prayers? God’s ears are reopened when you pray a prayer of repentance.

That’s why I recommend that you begin every morning by getting quiet before the Lord. Find some place that is quiet and ask the Holy Spirit, “Is there anything in me that I need to repent of?” And if the Holy Spirit reveals something to you that you need to change, then obey First John 1:9, which says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

According to this verse, our confession of sin causes us to be forgiven. God releases us from it. He cleanses us from it. And this prayer of repentance reopens the ears of God.

The number-two factor that can hinder prayer is praying incorrectly. Many people pray very sincerely, but they do not pray correctly. But biblically, there’s a right way to pray and a wrong way to pray. And it is essential that you pray correctly. Praying correctly is when you pray scripturally and in agreement with the Word of God.

First John 5:14 says, “And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask any thing according to His will, He heareth us.” This is a guarantee — if we ask anything according to Scripture, God will hear us.

When we pray, God is not just listening for our ideas — He is listening for His Word.

For example, if Denise was sick, I could pray and say, “Oh, God, I just hate to see Denise feel so bad. Would You please make her feel better?” There is no Word of God in that prayer. But if I prayed, “Lord, according to Your Word, You took those stripes on Your back for Denise’s healing. And according to the promise of Your Word, I ask You to heal her body,” the Lord will hear His Word and respond.

God is listening for His Word. And if we’ll get in line with God in what we say, our answers will come to us much quicker.

How do you do this? Whether you need healing, a job, forgiveness, or a relationship restored, get into the Bible and find what the Bible says about your need. After you’ve done this, pray according to the promise of the Bible for that need. If you pray according to the promise of the Bible, you are praying according to the will of God and doing that guarantees God hears you.

The third thing that can hinder your prayers is a lack of faith. Mark 9:23 says, “Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.”

If you turn this principle around, it also says, “If you don’t believe, nothing will be possible to you.” Friend, the issue of what you believe is very important.

I’ll give you an example from my own life. When God gives me a new direction for our ministry, I know that I can do it because if God tells me I can do something I can do it — and if God tells you to do something, you can do it too. But I don’t usually tell anyone else right away, because when God gives you a new direction or vision, it might seem bigger than your faith at first.

My spirit knows that I can do whatever God tells me to do, but my mind may need some help believing I can do what He has asked me to do. I need time to work on my faith and to work on my mind so that I can adjust my thinking. I have to think what God thinks and begin to say what God says. And by doing this, I’ve learned that if I can get my faith up to the level it needs to be, there is absolutely nothing impossible for me.

So make sure you’re believing and thinking correctly because what you believe is exactly what you’re going to receive. If you believe wrongly, it will affect your ability to receive the answer to your prayer.

The number-four factor that can hinder prayer is a negative confession. What do I mean by that? If you pray one way and then talk another way, it will cancel your prayer. I’m going to say that again: If you pray one way — in faith — and then talk another way — in doubt and unbelief — it will cancel your prayer.

Let’s say you pray in faith for finances to come. You prayed and thanked God, and you continue to rehearse His Word in your heart and to praise Him for His faithfulness. But then you say to your friend or your spouse, “Oh, I’m just so worried that we won’t have enough finances this month.” You have just canceled your prayer. Your words nullified the effects of the prayer you prayed. Thank God, you can turn from your negative, unbelieving confession and pick up where you left off in your prayer of faith — but your mouth and your heart must agree and “say” the same thing in order for your prayer to be answered.

Look at the powerful words of Jesus in Matthew 12:37. “For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.” Your words will either justify you or your words will condemn you. You need to be very careful with your words.

Proverbs 18:21 tells us, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue….” That is how powerful the words we speak are. If you want your life to be blessed — if you want your life to be filled with good things — you’ve got to get your mouth into agreement with your prayers.

If you pray for blessings, don’t start speaking curses — speak blessings. If you pray for healing, speak healing. If you pray for finances, then speak increase over your finances. Your mouth and your heart have to be in agreement to obtain answers to prayer.

Saying the right things when you leave prayer are just as important as what you say when you pray. If you pray one thing, but then say another, your own words may be the thing that’s stopping you from receiving your answer from Heaven.

The number-five factor that can hinder prayer is bad, or troubled, relationships. In Matthew 5:23-24, Jesus said, “Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.”

It is very important to keep your relationships right if you want your prayers to be answered. Jesus taught us that if you’re praying or worshiping or you’re in the presence of God and suddenly somebody comes to your mind against whom you have a grudge or who has a grudge against you for some wrong you committed, the Holy Spirit is alerting you that this may be blocking your prayers. So to the best of your ability, go to that person and reconcile the offense between the two of you.

Maybe the person has moved to another city or state or isn’t accessible to you for some reason. In that case, forgive him or her in your heart. But if the person is near enough that you can go to that individual, it’s important that you do it and simply say, “I’m sorry for my attitude toward you. I’m sorry if I’ve caused you to have an attitude toward me. Please forgive me.” Ignoring this may affect your ability to receive your answer from Heaven.

The sixth thing that can hinder answers to prayer is spiritual opposition. We find this truth in Ephesians 6:12, “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”

There are spiritual powers that are against us and that try to oppose us. They may even stand for a time between you and your answer from Heaven.

We see an example of this in Daniel 10. Daniel prayed and angels began to fight in the heavens — archangels and wicked principalities. Those wicked principalities had stood against Daniel’s prayer, and for Daniel to get his answer from Heaven, he had to press hard into the realm of the spirit, even with fasting.

I have experienced spiritual opposition many times in my life. To break through that spiritual opposition, I had to be committed, and you will need to be committed to your answer too. You may need other people to stand with you and fight as well. With God’s help, you can do it. You simply have to break the power of that opposition, and it often takes time — but you can do it!

This happens to everyone at times, so don’t feel discouraged. The truth is, if the devil is opposing you, you’re probably headed in the right direction. He’s trying to stop you because you’re headed to victory.

The seventh thing that can hinder answered prayer is failing to understand timing. As human beings, we love for everything to happen instantly. We don’t like waiting for anything. But often, there is a period of waiting involved in receiving the answer to our prayers.

For example, when a farmer plants a seed, he plants it with the expectation of increase, but he doesn’t expect to see his increase the next morning. Imagine a farmer who says, “I planted those seeds two days ago, and I still don’t see anything. I’m tired of waiting for my seeds to grow.” That would be very foolish because farmers know it takes time for seeds to grow. When they plant them, it takes time for the seeds to mature and start bearing fruit.

Timing is a key factor in receiving any kind of harvest, and learning to wait patiently and in faith is an important lesson to learn in life.

Sometimes we pray the right thing, our hearts are right, and we have no hindrances between us and God, but we still don’t receive an answer to our prayer right away. There is a “waiting period” that’s taking place. And it’s not God just waiting — it’s God waiting for us to be ready to receive the answer. We are sometimes not mature enough yet to receive what we prayed for.

When I was a young man, I knew I was called into the ministry. I was 17 years old, and I was so convinced God was going to use me that I printed posters about myself that said, “Rick Renner — man of God. Come and hear.” And nobody came. I was so disappointed. My prayer was right. My desire was right. But being 17 years old, I was not prepared for what I had prayed. I had to mature and grow in my personal life. God had to see that He could trust me with my ministry.

Timing is very important. And I know that at times it can feel like it is taking “forever” for our prayers to be answered. But Galatians 6:9 says, “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” If you stay in faith, and if you don’t give up, you will reap the things you’ve been praying for. Sometimes it’s just a matter of time.

If you find that your prayers are not being answered, pray and ask the Holy Spirit what may be hindering you.

Ask the Lord to reveal the next step of obedience for you to take and watch Him open Heaven to you. Don’t be afraid to ask Him what may be hindering your prayers today. We serve a God who wants to hear us and who is faithful to meet our needs!