The reasons why you don’t have it!

“You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it.  And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure.” James 4:2-3

Remember Jesus told us the Father in heaven wants to give good gifts to those who ask Him. Keep in mind God is a loving God who wants to give good and perfect gifts to us more than a loving human parent would give to their children. Listen to what Jesus said, “If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” (Matthew 7:11).  In this understanding, let us think about today’s insight.

Our daily insight today is like a sandwich. A sandwich is two buns and a slice of meat and pickles inside. Let us discuss these three sections.

Number one we badly want we don’t have. Instead of praying for it, we scheme, quarrel, and even use force to get it. We take action with our own hands without seeking the loving God in prayer. We are determined to get it by force and smartness. The reason is we are jealous that others have but we cannot have what they have. We are not happy that they have what we do not have.

Then it says one of the reasons why we do not have. It says “you do not have what you want because you do not ask God for it”. You see we never prayed to God certain things and that is the reason why we do not have it. Is this not a solemn thought? We have time for fighting, envy and schemes and hatred, and so forth. But did we take to the Lord in prayer? Then we complain to God by saying, God, you did not give me. Then Lord asks – did you ask me for it? Bible says in certain cases, we do not have it because we never asked for it. We tried with your force and will, but we never leaned on the Lord in prayer.

You see, the Bible says certain things we do not have simply because we did not pray for it. When a child of God prays in the name of Jesus Christ, that prayer gets the supernatural attention of heaven. I imagine this way – the doorbell in heaven rings loud and loud and there is an announcement in heaven “a prayer request came in.” There are many things we do not have because we never prayed for them. Moreover, it does not mean all of our prayers will be answered either. Jesus gave us a promise, “And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” He says He will do whatever we ask in the name of Jesus Christ, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 1 John 5:14 says, “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.”

Beloved, three conditions emerge from these verses. We can pray for whatever in the name of Jesus Christ and if it brings glory to Christ and secondly if it is according to His will, and thirdly if we pray in the name of Jesus Christ, God will answer that prayer. Heaven’s doorbell rings loud and loud when you pray in the name of Jesus Christ. No other name would ring the doorbell of heaven. Only the name of Jesus Christ! Now the question is how do we know if it is God’s will or not?  Now the more we know God personally, the more we know how to pray according to His will. Then we also know better how to pray so that His Son would get glory through it. This knowledge of God can be obtained by the study of the Bible and with the help of the Holy Spirit’s guidance in our lives.

It is like children asking their parents. I have small children and so I know this very well. If they do not ask,  what is the chance they will get from me? Even if they ask, they may not get all their requests. If that is the case, what is the chance to get if they do not ask? Very slim or no chance. But when they come and ask, parents grants the requests, provided it is good for them and it brings joy to our heart, right? The same is with the heavenly Father. He wants to give good and perfects gifts to His children more than we give to our children. God is a loving Father. He hears when you pray in the name of Jesus Christ, and when the matter brings glory to His Son and meets His will. Then you got an answer to your prayers.

The third point in today’s insight is sometimes we ask, but we do not get it because our motives are wrong. If our motive is just to indulge in pleasure, then we do not get it. Check what is the motive in our prayer requests. Is it to indulge in pleasures? The Lord looks to our hearts and he can see the motives of our hearts.

Questions that help: 1. Did I pray to God what I want instead of being envious and quarreling? 2. Is my prayer matter brings glory to His Son? 3. Is it according to His will? 4. Did I pray in the name of Jesus Christ? 5. Is my prayer matter is to indulge in my pleasures?

Beloved, Got a moment for today’s prayer? Are you a child of God yet? You can become a child of God now. Then you can pray in the name of Jesus Christ. God wants to meet all your needs by providing for you every day. He will provide and guide you every day and will take you to His heaven the day you die here.  Pray with me:

“Father in heaven, I come to your holy presence in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ, who died and rose again for my sins. I believe Jesus Christ is my savior who will save me from all my sins. I accept Him as my savior and Lord. I pray to meet my wants and needs according to your riches in glory. (you can pray your specific prayer request now). Thank you for hearing me. I pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.”