ICS Daily Devotions
Are you Praying Amiss?
James 4:1-5 (NKJV) Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures. Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, “The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously”?
John 15:7-8 (NKJV) If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.
There are pre-requisites to an answered prayer. God is holy, just and righteous. Therefore, God will not answer anything that is contrary to His nature and His Word. However, the Christian walk with God is a very personal one. So, no one really knows the cause of an unanswered prayer except the individuals themselves.
The attitude of a mature believer is to seek God’s kingdom, His calling and His plans as top priorities, followed by family and career. When we pray, do we consider the need of the kingdom of God rather than solely for own pleasures? We should bear in mind that we are stewards of everything God has given us, and we should be ready to part with some of it when He calls for it. Godliness with contentment is great gain.
James 4:3,5 (NKJV) You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures……Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, “The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously”?
James in this passage was encouraging the church to remember the poor and the orphans and not to show partiality to the rich. He asked the church to practice pure and undefiled religion. Therefore, we are not to hoard wealth for personal pleasures but to administer the blessings to look after the less fortunate ones.
There is a danger in the present-day church to pray selfish prayers so that we look good before our peers and friends. The problem comes when we have our identity and security not rooted in Christ but instead in our personal achievements, our calling cards, our standing in society and our overall net assets.
God wants to bless us holistically and His aim is to prosper us spiritually in our walk with Him. He wants us to have good inter-personal relationships with our loved ones and friends so that our souls will prosper. He wants us to stay healthy so we can worship, serve and fulfill our calling. He does not mind us enjoying life including the finer things in life. However, if we allow money, the pleasures of life and the things in this world to lure us away from God and destroy our testimonies and our health, then God will surely not answer our prayers to have these things because we are asking amiss for selfish reasons rather than for God’s kingdom.
Sermon Series: Help! My Prayers Are Not Answered!
