February 3, 2020
Adrian Rogers
Scripture Passage: James 4:1-2
James 4:2 says, “Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not because ye ask not.”
God wants to bless us, and He does so through prayer. He wants to give us what we need, but sometimes we are too proud to ask for it. We are stuck on being self-sufficient, going about life in our own strength. So when we are weighed down by burdens and problems, we strive, cry, fight and say, “I’m doing everything I know to do.” But have you asked your Father for help? Could the reason that God is not blessing you be as simple as: You have not because you ask not?
We are to pray at all times, without ceasing. Prayerlessness is sin; there is no substitution for it, no excuse not to do it. It is a command from Scripture. God desires a relationship with us; that relationship is sustained through prayer.
Sometimes the problem is not that we don’t offer our prayers—it is that God will not accept them. What makes them unacceptable? They are prayed with the wrong motivation. They are not asked for the glory of God. The motivation behind unacceptable prayers is selfishness and sinfulness. God will not subsidize our sin. He will not underwrite our selfishness.
We can pray for personal needs but we cannot pray for sinful and selfish desires and expect to have our prayers answered. So how can we pray so that our prayers will not be denied?
We must be sensitive to the Spirit. We must submit our lives to the Father, and we must stand against the devil. We are to separate ourselves from the world, and are to be sober in our purpose.
Our prayers must be fervent. It is time that we prayed with urgency. Only then will we see a victorious prayer life.
Do you pray with fervency and intensity? Do you see victory in your spiritual walk with Christ? Do you see questions answered? Do you see God making ways where there were none? Perhaps today is a good day to get serious about your time with the Lord.
