What does the Scripture mean you have not because you ask not?
0:331:42You Have Not Because You Ask Not | Joyce Meyer Ministries - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipAnd the simple. Answer is you have not because you ask. Nothing. If there's anything you want youMoreAnd the simple. Answer is you have not because you ask. Nothing. If there's anything you want you ask God for it.
What is the meaning of James chapter 4?
In this section, James says his readers are guilty of behaving from fundamentally wrong motives. They are acting toward each other in bad faith. He says they seek both to fulfill their evil desires and to have friendship with the world, thereby rejecting their spiritual yearning for God.
What is the meaning of Ask and it shall be given?
This passage suggests that God will give whatever is needed to those who have the faith to ask for it.
What do you have that you did not receive meaning?
It's easy to take pride in what we have earned or the talents we possess. We naturally take ownership of our accomplishments. But, the reality is God is our Creator and provides us with life and the tools to succeed.
Who was James addressing in James 4?
James the Apostle, abbreviation James, New Testament writing addressed to the early Christian churches (“to the twelve tribes in the dispersion”) and attributed to James, a Christian Jew, whose identity is disputed.
What does being double-minded mean?
Definition of double-minded 1 : wavering in mind : undecided, vacillating a double-minded man unstable in all his ways — James 1:8 (Revised Standard Version) 2 : marked by hypocrisy : insincere.
How do you ask God for something specific?
To ask God for something, first praise Him and thank Him for all the good things in your life to show your gratitude. Then, be honest about what you want and why you want it. For example, say something like, “Lord, I've been selfish recently and it's affecting my family.
How do I ask and receive from God?
Keep on asking God for anything and everything until He gives you an answer. Don't give up! We need to get back our joy and strength, and the sweetness of being a Christian when our prayers are answered. Be importunate in prayer and unrelenting in your faith and you shall receive answers to your prayers.
What ever you ask in prayer believe and you will receive?
The scripture verse on this Bible is "Whatever you ask for in prayer believe that you have received it, and it will be yours, Mark 11:24.
How do I give God my finances?
"Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops."- Proverbs 3:9, NIV. We are to give God the best and first of everything that we give Him, but specifically with our finances and all that we earn. We can honor God by paying the first ten percent of our income to Him through our local church.
What has God not given us?
2 Timothy 1:7 - For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind - Scripture Frame - Bible Verse.
What do you have that you did not receive from God?
What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not? Already you have all you want!
What does 4:1-10 mean?
4:1-10 Since all wars and fightings come from the corruptions of our own hearts, it is right to mortify those lusts that war in the members. Wordly and fleshly lusts are distempers, which will not allow content or satisfaction. Sinful desires and affections stop prayer, and the working of our desires toward God.
Why was their attempt to convert the Gentiles to Judaism commendable?
So far their attempt was commendable, because, by converting the Gentiles to Judaism, they prepared them for receiving the gospel; and if for this they had asked the blessing of God sincerely, they might have been successful in their purpose.”. Ye ask, &c.
What is the climax of the Bible?
There is a climax: "Ye desire," the individual lust for an object; "ye kill and envy," the feeling and action of individuals against individuals; "ye fight and war," the action of many against many. ye have not, because ye ask not—God promises to those who pray, not to those who fight.
What does Matthew Henry mean by "prayed for success in converting the heathen"?
His meaning, in my opinion, is, that they prayed for success in converting the heathen, not from any regard to the glory of God and the salvation of the heathen, but from a desire to draw money from them whom they converted, to spend on their own lusts.”. Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary.
Where is the germ found in the Bible?
The germ is found in desire for what we have not, as e. g. in the sins of David (2 Samuel 11:1) and Ahab (1 Kings 21:2-4) . That desire becomes the master-passion of a man’s soul, and hurries him on to crimes from which he would, at first, have shrunk. ye kill, and desire to have…]
What happens if we yield to temptation?
If we yield to temptations, the devil will continually follow us; but if we put on the whole armour of God, and stand out against him, he will leave us. Let sinners then submit to God, and seek his grace and favour; resisting the devil. All sin must be wept over; here, in godly sorrow, or, hereafter, in eternal misery.
Verse Thoughts
So much in Scripture points to right thinking. We are to take every thought captive to Christ. We are to let His mind dwell in us richly. We are to have this same attitude in ourselves that was in Christ Jesus. We are to look to the Lord Jesus as our example in selfless humility.
My Prayer
Loving Father I do want to pray aright and to pray into Your perfect will.
Adam Clarke Commentary
Verse James 4:2. Ye lust, and have not — Ye are ever covetous, and ever poor.
Bridgeway Bible Commentary
Continuing his teaching on the evil results of worldly attitudes, James explains why fights and quarrels occur. Selfish ambition fights against the more spiritual motives. Some Christians are constantly looking for more power, increased possessions and higher status. Because they want the wrong things, they do not pray.
Coffman Commentaries on the Bible
Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and covet, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war; ye have not, because ye ask not.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible
Ye lust, and have not - That is, you wish to have something which you do not now possess, and to which you have no just claim, and this prompts to the effort to obtain it by force. You desire extension of territory, fame, booty, the means of luxurious indulgence, or of magnificence and grandeur, and this leads to contest and bloodshed.
Calvin's Commentary on the Bible
2 Ye lust, or covet, and have not. He seems to intimate that the soul of man is insatiable, when he indulges wicked lusts; and truly it is so; for he who suffers his sinful propensities to rule uncontrolled, will know no end to his lust. Were even the world given to him, he would wish other worlds to be created for him.
Chuck Smith Bible Commentary
Chapter 4 This chapter could be entitled how to win friends and influence people. Guard your tongue, bring your tongue under control, use it for good, use it to encourage to build up, don't use it to tear down, to destroy, to cut, to hurt.
Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable
"James 4 continues the same topic of strife, and addresses now not only the teachers of James 3:14 but also the rest of the brotherhood who are in similar sin: strife springs from within (James 4:1-3) and is fostered by worldliness; love of the world and love of God cannot coexist (James 4:4-6); Christians must resist the devil and draw near to God (James 4:7-10)." [Note: Adamson, p.
What is the burning desire that drives all the others?
James identifies some of these wrong motives, but the ultimate desire that drives all the others is the burning desire to get something you do not have. This is known as coveting. To covet is to be jealous of something that someone else has, or to possess a strong eagerness to get something that does not belong to you.
What is the problem with misplaced desires?
Another problem here is the object of the desires, or the things that bring you pleasure. It would be one thing if you were desiring to be more like Christ or to be filled with more of the Holy Spirit, those desires are not only beneficial to you but also to others.
Why do I not have because I do not ask God?
You ask [God for something] and do not receive it, because you ask with wrong motives [out of selfishness or with an unrighteous agenda], so that [when you get what you want] you may spend it on your [hedonistic] desires.
What does it mean when God doesn't answer you?
He is God, after all, and he does have a plan for your life. It does mean that if you don’t receive the answer you want, it’s not because you didn’t ask or because you asked with wrong motives. It simply means God has something different in mind for you.
Is God blind to motives?
Motives are so important, and sometimes we can be blinded and not see them in our own heart. Thankfully, God is not blind, and he is willing to expose motives if you ask him. So today, before you pray or do anything, let’s pray what David prayed:
What does James 4 say about asking God for something?
James 4 does not really address those larger issues. It simply says that, if there is something we want, we need to ask God for it, instead of resorting to ungodly means. It stands to reason that there are some things that we will not get unless we ask for them, but, if we ask, we will receive them. So, if there is something that we want, we need ...
What does James write about?
James wrote to believers who seemed to have quite a few problems with their behavior. The one he addresses at the beginning of chapter 4 has to do with their desire to get things.
Why do I not have because I do not ask God?
You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.”. 1. The people wanted a lot, and this was causing them to fight and quarrel among themselves.
Why does God say "no"?
There are some times when God may say “no” because we ask with the wrong motives , and there may be some times that He says “yes” because He wants us to have what we ask for. (His “yes” does not mean that the object of our desire will necessarily arrive “on a silver platter” from heaven.
Why do Christians lash out at each other?
There are Christians who are out to further their own agenda to get what they want by any means possible. When they are frustrated in their aims, they lash out at each other. James says there is a better way. Instead of coveting, quarrelling, fighting, and even killing, Christians need to simply ask God for what they want.
Why did people fight and quarrel?
1. The people wanted a lot, and this was causing them to fight and quarrel among themselves. Presumably, they were frustrated with each other as they could not get what they wanted. 2. The inability to get what they wanted had driven some of them to “kill.”.
When you ask God for something, do you receive?
Likewise, when we ask God for something, He reserves the right to do what is best for us. James 4:3 brings up another situation where God may not grant our requests: “When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.”. So, while it is better to ask God for things ...
What does James seem to be bothered by?
i. “James seems to be bothered more by the selfish spirit and bitterness of the quarrels than by the rights and wrongs of the various viewpoints.” (Moo) ii. Almost all who have such a critical and contentious attitude claim they are prompted and supported by the Spirit of God.
What does James ask us to consider?
It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away: James asked us to consider the fragility of human life, and the fact that we live and move only at the permission of God. James does not discourage us from planning and doing, only from planning and doing apart from reliance on God. i.
What is the source of wars and fights among Christians?
The source of wars and fights among Christians is always the same. There is some root of carnality, an internal war within the believer regarding the lusts of the flesh. No two believers who are both walking in the Spirit of God towards each other can live with wars and fights among themselves. i.
What does it mean to submit to God?
This means to order yourself under God, to surrender to Him as a conquering King, and start receiving the benefits of His reign. i.
What does "such friendship with the world" mean?
i. “Such friendship with the world means that one is on a footing of hostility towards God, for it defies His will and despises His purpose; disguise it as one may, it is an implicit challenge to God.” (Moffatt) ii. The strong statements James made here remind us that all was not beautiful in the early church.
What does the Bible say about uncertainty?
The uncertainty of life should make us ready to recognize what is good and then do it. “This uncertainty of life is not a cause either for fear or inaction. It is always a reason for realizing our complete dependence on God.” (Moffatt) b. To him it is sin: Jesus told a story with much the same point in Luke 12:41-48.
Who said God resists the proud?
i. James used a powerful word in the phrase, resists the proud: “Sets himself in battle array against him.” (Clarke) “God resisteth the proud, ‘setteth himself in battle-array against such,’ above all other sorts of sinner, as invaders of his territories, and foragers or plunderers of his chief treasures.” (Trapp) c.
What does James seem to be bothered by?
i. “James seems to be bothered more by the selfish spirit and bitterness of the quarrels than by the rights and wrongs of the various viewpoints.” (Moo) ii. Almost all who have such a critical and contentious attitude claim they are prompted and supported by the Spirit of God.
What does James ask us to consider?
It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away: James asked us to consider the fragility of human life, and the fact that we live and move only at the permission of God. James does not discourage us from planning and doing, only from planning and doing apart from reliance on God. i.
What is the source of wars and fights among Christians?
The source of wars and fights among Christians is always the same. There is some root of carnality, an internal war within the believer regarding the lusts of the flesh. No two believers who are both walking in the Spirit of God towards each other can live with wars and fights among themselves. i.
What does James say about uncertainty of life?
ii. Yet we also see that the uncertainty of life, to which James referred to in the previous passage, should not create fear that makes one passive or inactive. The uncertainty of life should make us ready to recognize what is good and then do it. “This uncertainty of life is not a cause either for fear or inaction.
What does "humble dependence" mean?
A humble dependence on God. 1. ( Jam 4:13-16) A caution against an attitude of independence from God. Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow.
What does it mean to submit to God?
This means to order yourself under God, to surrender to Him as a conquering King, and start receiving the benefits of His reign. i.
Who said God resists the proud?
i. James used a powerful word in the phrase, resists the proud: “ Sets himself in battle array against him.” (Clarke) “ God resisteth the proud, ‘setteth himself in battle-array against such,’ above all other sorts of sinner, as invaders of his territories, and foragers or plunderers of his chief treasures.” (Trapp) c.