Read James 4:1–6
You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. James 4:2–3

The essence of sin is selfishness. Selfish desires are dangerous things. They lead to wrong actions, and they even lead to wrong praying. When our praying is wrong, our whole Christian life is wrong. It has well been
said that the purpose of prayer is not to get our will done in heaven, but to get God’s will done on earth.

Sometimes we use prayer as a cloak to hide our true desires. “But I prayed about it!” can be one of the biggest excuses we use. Instead of seeking
God’s will, we tell God what He is supposed to do, and we get angry with Him if He does not obey. This anger at God eventually spills over, and we get angry with God’s people. More than one church split has been caused by saints who take out their frustrations with God on the members of the
church. Many a church or family problem would be solved if people would only look into their own hearts and see the battle raging there.

Something to Ponder
Can you think of any times when you may have prayed with improper motives? What led you to eventually discover your selfish motives?