James 4:2-3

Most Christians feel they fall short in their prayer lives most of the time! And the truth is, there are some important warnings in Scripture about wrong ways of praying. One sure fire failure in prayer is simply not to take the time in our lives to pray at all. Prayer does not just happen. Prayer is a spiritual discipline and it takes intentional effort. Spiritual laziness can be fatal to the vibrant Christian life. A second warning has to do with the motive and focus of our prayers when we do pray. When we pray out of the flesh our focus is on getting things from God, things to satisfy our worldly desires. But God is not a cosmic Santa Claus. God designed prayer to be a time for His children to worship Him, express love to Him, exercise faith in Him, and draw near to Him. The goal of prayer is not to align God with our will, but to align ourselves with His will!

PASSAGE: James 4:2-3 - You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.

PAUSE: Jesus’s brother James taught us that when it comes to prayer we often struggle with life because of two cardinal sins. First, we stress and manipulate rather than pray. Second, we ask with selfish motives. Spend a few moments reflecting on the words of James. How might proper prayer change your life?

PRAYER: Father, forgive me for not praying and for praying selfish prayers. Help me to seek you daily and for the right reasons.