Many Christians underrate the importance of the words they speak in prayer, even though New Age practitioners are more circumspect in this regard. Spiritual laws work, regardless of our ignorance of them and the words we speak, either embolden or neutralize our delegated authority in Christ. The words we speak in unbelief are especially crippling when it comes to receiving from God and Jesus’ excursion to his hometown of Nazareth is a prime example. In this broadcast, Carl shares hindrances to prayer that cannot be overlooked. Join Carl now…
Here is a complete transcript of the broadcast (below)…
Friend today, we’re gonna talk about the mystery that is a pure conscience spoken of in 1st Timothy 3:9. This is part 3 of keys to answered prayer. You must believe when you pray we’ve talked about that We’re gonna talk about unbelief today unbelief is a sin. It is a thief. It will rob from us. We must not get into fear either and only believe fear is having faith in what the devil can do in our lives It’s an act of faith, but in reverse we want to get out of that We want to fear not and only believe and then finally I’m gonna give you eight Restrictions to answered prayer. I’m gonna name them specifically with Scripture chapter and verse Friend check your heart while you’re going through this broadcast and now join us live in session Fail to answer prayer when unwavering faith is exercised a double-minded man is unstable in all his ways Think not that he will receive anything Ouch, I don’t want that to be in the Bible Okay So I’m sharing some truths tonight that are salty and prickly and it’s gone really quiet in here I understand that but we’re presenting the truth, right? So we have to ask ourselves that when we pray we’re coming on his terms not our own And so once we have this understanding we can then pray with confidence 1st Timothy 3:9 says, “holding the mystery of faith in a pure conscience.” friends This is the mystery of faith.
It goes back to condemnation again If you have a pure conscience, you will benefit greatly and you’ll sleep like a baby, right? You’ll be up every two hours crying But seriously The pure conscience is something that’s a mystery as Paul said and that is really the mystery of faith If you have a pure conscience your ability to receive from God is so much higher. Amen So this is going back to the point I made earlier. You must believe when you pray Mark 11:24. Now remember the prior verse in Mark 11:23 is speaking to the mountain the obstacle, right? Then he says therefore I say unto you What things soever you desire when you pray believe that you receive them Brittany Believe that you receive them Haley You’ve got to believe right and you shall have them when when shall you have them you have them when you pray you must believe When you pray you see the manifestation of the later date your prayer is answered when you prayed Your prayer is not answered when you get it.
We know that the father hears us instantaneously; he is outside of time. The father is not living in the time realm So when we pray we must believe I don’t believe pastor go into the word Find the stuff that is according to his will build your faith in that area of healing build your faith in that area of Finances build your faith in that area of deliverance build your faith in that area Once you’ve done that then pray write it down Write the date when you prayed write the time next to it and say I believe I receive at that point in time Your prayer was answered right then but I don’t have it yet. I understand that but it goes back to the dress analogy Can I have a dress? Yes, you’ve got to wait till Saturday. That’s four days from now I’ve answered your prayer now, but it won’t manifest until four days time. That’s when the dress will be in your hand, right? I can’t make it any plainer than that. You’re like, yeah, I got this like three sides ago, dude.
Okay Friend there are a lot of use in this verse aren’t there how many five a lot of our prayer is up to us Jesus said if you can believe all things are possible to him that believes So the onus of the person’s belief system comes into play, right? So we pray within God’s boundaries, right? Which means we don’t act like a jerk. We don’t go around, you know, tell them people what’s what we don’t you know Convict our heart condemn our heart upset the brethren. Okay act like a punk These things are not gonna help our prayers I’ve tried it Okay, 16 years later, it’s true it’s true The sin of unbelief, okay now you’d say God can do anything Well, we’ve already learned that 17 things he can’t do possibly 30 Well, if he’s in there and Jesus is in town and he has all the anointing and all the power everybody’s gonna get healed, right? No, they’re not mark chapter 6, verses 2 through 6 and when the Sabbath day came he began to teach in the synagogue What’s the first thing you do you start teaching the word because people’s faith rises, right? Jesus went around preaching teaching and healing in that order preaching teaching healing in that order Hearing him they were astonished from whence have this man these things and what wisdom is this which is given unto him that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands is not this the carpenter the son of Mary the brother of James and Joseph and of Judah and Simon are not his sisters here with us. See what they did is they made Jesus familiar familiarity brings contempt as the saying goes but Familiarity can withhold you from receiving if my family were here. They go. Hey, I know this guy.
I grew up with him wink-wink Okay, we don’t necessarily, you know, I know brother Carl. I’ve seen him in his pajamas Amen, so that familiarity is not then gonna make you think man. This guy can actually preach a little bit maybe Okay, the familiarity, you know what I’m talking about, right? You’ve got family members. You’re like, yeah, we know about that Jesus stuff Right. We grew up with you and we know what you we know what you did ten years ago Amen is Jesus forgotten that right? Jesus said unto them a prophet is not without honor but in his own country and among his own kin and in his own house And he could do no mighty works Save that he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them. He could do no mighty works there Because unbelief prevented him that’s powerful friends. That means that it’s not that he wouldn’t it’s that he couldn’t and there’s a difference He wanted to but unbelief prevented them This is powerful because the onus again comes back to the person’s belief system All things are possible to him that believes right? That means that some things are restricted to the person who doesn’t believe That’s the law of inference when we’re interpreting that scripture now. I’m saying all of this stuff to encourage you Okay, right now you’re on slide 12 going man this prayer stuff. We’re never gonna get any prayers answered at this rate.
I mean there’s something like a new this is not happening. I’m never gonna pray again after that. No chill out relax Fear not only believe okay Luke 8:50, “But when Jesus heard it he answered and said fear not believe only and she shall be made whole” talking about Jairus, his daughter right? He was on the way to get Jesus to heal him the woman with the issue of blood intervened She touched the hem of his garment the power left him and healed her and Jairus is thinking Oh, no, the power has just left Jesus and my daughter’s sick. She is you know, she’s dead No, he said fear not believe only but why did he say fear not? Because fear can actually affect us from receiving from God, right? Otherwise, he wouldn’t have said it. He didn’t say Believe only he said fear not believe only and there’s a difference fear not is mentioned 70 times in the Bible I thought it was 365 times of one for every day of the year. I looked it up.
It wasn’t it was 70 Now this is a very powerful verse right here. Now if you don’t get anything else tonight friends, this is released me recently Okay, this is the amplified version do not fret or have any anxiety about anything But in every circumstance and in everything by prayer and petition with thanksgiving Continue to make your wants known to God and God’s peace which transcends all understanding Shall garrison and mount guard over your heart and mind in Christ Jesus But notice the beginning it says don’t don’t worry. Don’t have anxiety Does that mean we can pray and worry at the same time it sure does that’s what it means And if we pray and worry at the same time the net sum of our prayer and worries is zero Prayer worry prayer worry. Are you getting anywhere? No double-minded man believe don’t believe believe Don’t believe so what the Lord corrected me recently was you’re praying and worrying at the same time And I when I cast my care There was a release Amen, and then it’s easier to believe God when you do that now, you’ll say I’ve worried for 30 years. It’s my pastime It’s my hobby. I understand that but you know what it’s time to give it up And if it comes back every day, you’ve got to speak to that every day and say I am NOT taking that junk anymore I cast my care.
The Lord has taken care of me because I am a child in his sight a four-year-old I’m a king and priest. Amen. That’s who I am. I’m seated in heavenly places. I haven’t got a care in the world So amen, some people are getting this if you worry and pray it can cancel things out, but this is so important Why do we have Thanksgiving? Well, we have Thanksgiving because we know our prayer was answered when we prayed, right? That’s why we’re thanking him, but I haven’t got the dress yet pastor No You got to wait till Saturday the time when it arrives a bad analogy for a man The time when the dress arrives is not up to you It’s up to him Acts 1:7 says “it’s not for you to know the times and the seasons that the father is put in place.” Whoa, okay, so When you ask for something now, certainly if it’s time sensitive, you’re gonna believe that God’s gonna pay for it by that time Okay, we use common sense here. But if you’re praying for a spouse or something, you can’t say I want my wife next Wednesday by FedEx I tried that but USPS, but the point the point is you gotta wait Sometime because God’s doing some stuff in you to get that character sorted out. Amen Isn’t see though when you don’t get a manifestation I didn’t say answer when you don’t get a manifestation. It does not mean it’s not on the way That’s a trick of the enemy, right? You’ve prayed five years ago for something and you’re still holding out for that thing stand and above all stand don’t quit Right, don’t get into unbelief saying oh, I don’t believe that anymore.
That’s just nonsense I don’t I mean, I can’t even remember praying for that. Don’t go there. Thank the father Amen, everybody in this room is believing for something and there’s some things that have never manifested and you’re thinking well I think God’s forgotten. He hasn’t forgotten. All right, how many believe he hasn’t forgotten about three people Okay, this is not difficult the mind struggles to understand but the heart knows the heart in the spirit man deep down inside That will lead you. Okay, the peace in your heart the number of times in life where my head is freaking out Okay, but my heart’s going no problem no problem that’s happened to me recently quite a bit my head’s freaking out My heart’s like it’s no big deal, dude. Just chill. Okay, so this I think is the final slide every said Restrictions to answer prayer. Okay restrictions to prayer unbelief is knowing the truth and choosing not to believe it. I’ll say that again Unbelief is knowing the truth but choosing not to believe it. Remember the people in Nazareth. This man has done mighty works He is he’s raising people from the dead in Jerusalem, dude. Oh, but no, he’s the Carpenter’s son, so I’m choosing not to believe right. Mm-hmm. Doubt is not knowing will Jesus heal me I’m just not sure I’m just and that’s fair That’s a fair statement If you’re not sure go in the word and find out and your doubt will dissipate pretty quickly doubt is actually a pretty easy one to dispel Because you have the truth, right? The hard part for people though is believing that Jesus will do it for them.
That’s the hard part Oh, yeah, he did it for that guy in Nazareth. I mean, come on, whatever. What about me? He’s gonna pay my rent right? It’s personal now, right again. The solution is the word that that’s the solution I don’t have any other solution for you. I’d give it to you offense, not treating your spouse with love read 1st Peter 3:7. You can hinder your prayers Your prayers can be hindered if you don’t walk in love with your spouse Amen So it’s okay to you know, la la la have an argument with my wife and I get off I’m gonna pray the Heavens down tonight man. It’s gonna be like dude. It’s time to get right with your wife. Oh, no, Lord I want to pray in the spirit for six hours straight and pray for that missionary. No, it’s time to get right with you God is patient with us. Why? because we’re one body me and my wife were one body. We’re one So what is the point in having an argument with your leg? Listen, man? What is your problem? This leg is just really taking me off I’m using an extreme example Friend tomorrow is our fourth and final session.
https://carljosephministries.com/podcast/9-common-hindrances-to-answered-prayer/
https://www.baptistpress.com/resource-library/news/call-to-prayer-7-keys-to-effective-prayer/
Title: Keys to Answered Prayer: Part 3 (LIVE)
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Six Frequently Asked Questions:
1. What is the main focus of “Keys to Answered Prayer: Part 3”?
This session explores the connection between faith, unbelief, and the words we speak in prayer. Pastor Carl emphasizes that many believers unintentionally weaken their prayers through negative or unbelieving speech. The key theme is that spiritual laws operate consistently, and our words either empower or hinder our authority in Christ.
2. Why are the words we speak during prayer so important?
According to Pastor Carl, words are containers of faith or unbelief. What we say reveals what we believe, and unbelieving words can neutralize our prayers. Just as Jesus taught in Mark 11:23–24, speaking faith-filled words is part of the process of receiving from God—believing you receive when you pray, not when the answer appears.
3. How does unbelief hinder answered prayer?
Unbelief is described as knowing the truth but choosing not to believe it. In the broadcast, Carl refers to Mark 6:2–6, where Jesus could do no mighty works in Nazareth because of the people’s unbelief. This shows that unbelief doesn’t stop God’s power from existing—it prevents it from operating in our lives.
4. What role does fear play in blocking prayers?
Fear is portrayed as faith in reverse—believing in what the enemy can do instead of what God has promised. Jesus’ command in Luke 8:50 to “fear not, believe only” is highlighted to show that fear and faith cannot operate together. When we pray and worry simultaneously, Pastor Carl says the “net sum” of our prayer and worry is zero.
5. What does it mean to have a “pure conscience” in prayer?
Drawing from 1 Timothy 3:9, Pastor Carl explains that a pure conscience—free from condemnation and guilt—enables stronger faith. When believers know they are forgiven and right before God, they can approach Him with confidence, unhindered by self-doubt or shame.
6. What are some common restrictions or hindrances to answered prayer mentioned in the session?
Carl outlines several key hindrances, including:
Disharmony in marriage – referencing 1 Peter 3:7, where failing to walk in love with one’s spouse can hinder prayer. He encourages listeners to examine their hearts and remove these barriers to experience more consistent answers to prayer.
Unbelief – refusing to trust God’s Word despite knowing the truth.
Doubt – uncertainty about God’s willingness to act.
Fear and worry – which cancel out faith-filled prayer.
Offense – harboring unforgiveness or resentment.
Carl is an authority. He is a biblical scholar, minister, author, husband, father, and life coach. In his mid-twenties he had a powerful encounter with God and saw miraculous healings as a result. Carl is a unique researcher who investigates current affairs, societal trends, prophecy, technology, cults, and end time events, all through a biblical lens.
Carl holds a Doctorate in Theology (Th D). His Alma Mata includes: Salford University, Manchester, UK, Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, London, UK, Rhema Bible Training College (Tulsa), and Southwestern Christian University (Oklahoma City).
Carl Joseph Ministries empowers believers in Christ to fulfill their God given potential. Join Carl every other Monday on the Lions Unchained Podcast, available on Spotify, iTunes and other mainstream platforms.
He currently resides in Colorado, with his lovely wife Amy, and their three children.
