Tuesday, February 12, 2019: James 4:3

“You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.“

In this series on prayer, we’ve spent some time learning about prayer as dependence. When we are devoted to praying without ceasing, it reveals an understanding of our needs for God. The problem is that many Christians live in such a way that they don’t need God. When our focus is on ourselves and our behavior prioritizes worldly desires, there’s not a felt need to pray to God without ceasing because we’re not doing anything that requires His power. You don’t have to pray without ceasing every night if your only aim is a Netflix binge.

James followed up verse 3 by explaining that friendship with the world is enmity with God. We should understand the two verses together in this way—If your focus is on yourself or on worldly things, you’re not likely to pray without ceasing; when you do get around to praying, you’re more likely to ask for self-centered things rather than God’s will. When we ask for self-centered things, our prayers will feel empty because they are.

God-centered living is a prerequisite for a vibrant, healthy prayer life. That doesn’t mean you have to have everything right when you come to God in prayer, but it does mean that being Jesus’ disciple should be the primary aim of your heart. He wants you to come to Him in prayer, as fruit of your love Him, desire to follow Jesus, and your need for Him.

• What can you ask God for that doesn’t serve you personally, but would serve and help you live out His kingdom purposes?

• Pray: Confess to God your tendency to live self-centeredly, without a recognized need for His power to carry out His call on your life. Ask Him to show you how to better live out His kingdom purposes.