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?