Saturday 26 Jan 2013

Saturday Reading: James 4:1-3

Key Verse: James 4:3
3  Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.

Devotion:
Our desires will lead us into all manner of places that we don’t want to be and should not be! When we allow our worldly passion and lust take over or take control in our lives we are letting a side of us come to life that we don’t really want in control because that is the side of us that can lead us into wars. If we have a look throughout history we find many wars are started just because on government got upset with another because one wanted more than they should. These human feelings burn inside of us and very quickly spill out for all to see as they take control.

Those human feelings lead to so many deep seated problems from a simple argument or fight to murder and wars. They are the product of those feelings becoming out of control. They are a part of us all so we cannot say that we will not be affected by them; but we can depend on Christ to guide us through our problems and to not lead us into the tempting situations.

And then we have the cheek to turn round to God and complain because He is not answering our prayers on time – we have demanded so much because of those lusts and prideful feelings that we lose track on what we need and go for what we desire instead. And even if we recognise that we have these issues we then stop asking God because we feel guilty that we should ask Him for anything because of the way we are acting. God reminds us that when we need something, we have to ask for it – but we have to ask in the right way!

How can there be a right way? Well, let’s start by looking at how we ask others for things – we will ask in a way in which we are most likely to get a good response. We ask kindly and we ask with a heart that is willing to accept. If we approach God in a similar way, with an open and willing heart, then He is going to be more likely to answer our requests. Then we look at what we ask for. If we ask for the impossible from friends, it’s not likely to get much response from them. But with God, anything is possible so we need to aim a lot higher! Then we need to think about whether we are demanding or asking. Depending something is not asking, it is allowing your lustful and prideful ways to take control of your requests – again not something God is going to look kindly upon!

Points to Ponder:
What do you expect when you ask God for something?

Do you actually expect Him to answer?