Asking, But Ask Amiss

James 4:2 You are jealous and covet [what others have] and your desires go unfulfilled; [so] you become murderers. [To hate is to murder as far as your hearts are concerned.] You burn with envy and anger and are not able to obtain [the gratification, the contentment, and the happiness that you seek], so you fight and war. You do not have, because you do not ask. 3 [Or] you do ask [God for them] and yet fail to receive, because you ask with wrong purpose and evil, selfish motives. Your intention is [when you get what you desire] to spend it in sensual pleasures. AMPC

God is always anxious for us to know Him and really, it is simple to know Him when we look at scripture. When we look at scripture we are looking at His opinion, how God thinks, how His Kingdom operates, and we are given His wisdom as how to live in His Kingdom.

God wants to give to us we can see that here in James, but He is teaching by His Word here that one, we don’t ask but instead we fight to get what we want and two, when we do ask we ask amiss —and that is why we don’t receive all He has to give us.

First when we don’t ask and fight for what we want, we become jealous of others and even end up as God states —murders. God calls hate murder (James 4:2), so if you hate someone, God refers to you as murderer! Bet you didn’t know that when you hate someone God refers to you as a murderer. Then it would be obvious one who hates wouldn’t have the confidence to ask God for something and expect it. Or even if one did, don’t expect even that God would hear that one.

Psalm 66:18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me; AMPC

What God is saying is; just ask Me, come to Me to find your happiness, to find true happiness, stop striving to get it without Me. Stop hating, don’t separate yourself from Me, your Creator, the One who loves you.

He is also saying don’t just seek My hand, but learn of My Love, live in My Kingdom where My Love abounds, where there is no envy or strife. You know when we have love and when we give love, everything else will fall into place. When we’re not selfish, when we can let go of wrongs and stop taking each other to court to get things, or to get revenge, money— when we stop hating each other, then we will stop asking amiss.

Have you been praying and asking God for things, for healing, or for salvation for your loved ones? Does God hear you? Are you a murderer asking for God’s favor? I know this is convicting, but, it is time we grew up and loved one another. If we don’t, we are not a witness for God even though we may call ourselves a Christian. Because we call ourselves a Christian it doesn’t mean we are one. If we hate we are opposed to God and are doing the opposite of witnessing, which is leading our loved ones down a wide path that leads to damnation.

The only way we can ask God, without asking amiss is to live according to His will— in love. Then as we are agreement with Him, we can ask what we will and because it will be in line with His will, (it will be good and selfless)— it will be granted to us. And it will glorify the Father!

John 15:7 If you live in Me [abide vitally united to Me] and My words remain in you and continue to live in your hearts, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you. 8 When you bear (produce) much fruit, My Father is honored and glorified, and you show and prove yourselves to be true followers of Mine.