Day 14
"1 Where do wars and fightings among you come from? Don't they come from your pleasures that war in your members? 2 You lust, and don't have. You murder and covet, and can't obtain. You fight and make war. You don't have, because you don't ask. 3 You ask, and don't receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.
"
James 4:1-3
My Prayer
Yahweh, my Heavenly Father, thank You for this scripture.Y I praise You for the power that is in it. I thank You for what You will do through it (Isaiah 55:11). Please reveal its meaning to our minds (Psalm 119:18). For all who read here, please lead them to pray this page with me...
My Father, here You have said in James 4:1-3 above that we don't receive because we don't ask. You have also said that our requests are not granted when the design of our request is to fulfill our own lusts and passions.
Instead of praying for our pleasure, Your word says that we are to do all things for Your glory (1 Corinthians 10:31). As I pursue Your glory, I am one with You. And my pursuit of Your glory determines the content of my prayers.
So, I see my Lord, I am not to ask for wealth or prestige. But what should I ask for?
Praise to Your name! You have told us what to pray in Your word!
The prayers of Your Son, the apostles and prophets answer this question. They are the Endorsed Prayers.4.1 These are prayers for spiritual needs like greater faith, love and obedience.4.3 There are also prayers of spiritual communication: requests for knowledge of Your will, enlightened eyesight, revelation, wisdom and words for witnessing.4.2 There are prayers for physical needs, praise and making disciples.4.4
You said in the passage above from James:
- "You don't have, because you don't ask" (James 4:2).
So, we may have week faith and love because we don't ask for stronger faith and love. We may be disobedient because we don't ask for obedience.4.3f We may lack knowledge of Your will, wisdom and words for witnessing... all because we refuse to ask for them. We may lack understanding of scripture because we don't ask for revelation.4.2d
The very fact that Christ, the apostles and prophets asked for these things means that we need to ask for them. James 4:2 says, "You don't have, because you don't ask." Forgive us when we try to understand scripture using only our minds. If the apostles needed to ask for understanding, so do we.
Your Son said "apart from me you can do nothing" (John 15:5).
It is by prayer that we receive greater faith, love, obedience, knowledge of Your will and words for witnessing. These and other prayers for the spiritual graces enable us to glorify You.
As we receive these things from You, we can walk by the Spirit. It is only by Your power, that we glorify You.
All praise to Your name!
Amen.
In this passage, James 4:2, You have revealed the secret to the victorious Christian life... You have revealed that we don't have because we don't ask! Thank you for revealing this in Your word! For, how can we walk by the Spirit, if we don't pray... How can we pray if we don't know what to pray?
Heavenly Father, teach us the prayers that scripture has taught us to pray. By Your Spirit, lead Your children to click this link: "How to Pray: Introduction to the Endorsed Prayers".
You deserve all praise!
Amen.
Additional Information
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About this Devotional
You are reading the Walk by the Spirit Daily Devotional Series, which is subchapter 3.7 of the free, online book Fellowship with God in the Sixth Path. In the Walk by the Spirit Daily Devotional, readers learn how to how to walk by the Spirit. Walking by the Spirit is one way the New Testament describes fellowship with God, the subject of this online book.
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