Up to now, we have made a lot of requests that just didn’t get answered the way we asked for them to be answered. James 4:2-3 explains why we don’t get a lot of our prayers answered the way we prayed for them to be answered. It also explains why, sometimes, we don’t even get our needs met. Let’s take this Bible passage and look at each point by itself.

1. You want something but don’t get it.
2. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want.
3. You quarrel and fight.
4. You do not have, because you do not ask God.
5. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

Well, I haven’t killed anyone yet. But you can check off the rest of the above list for me. I would like to say that, that was me prior to salvation. I would even like to say that, that was me prior to ministry. If I did, however, I would be lying. I justified my killing, coveting, quarreling, fighting, and wrong motives as being “spiritual” issues.

I coveted someone else’s big church for the cause of Christ, of course. My quarreling and fighting were ministerial quarreling and fighting. I was the pastor and the pastor is always right. Right?

Jesus prayed in the garden, just before He was beaten and crucified. He made it clear to the Father that His will was completely submitted to Him.

Luke 22:42 (NIV) Father, if You are willing, take this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done.

This is what we are going to have to do with our will. We are going to have to submit our will to the will of God just like Jesus did.

Phil 2:5-8 (NIV) Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but MADE Himself nothing, TAKING the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, He HUMBLED Himself and BECAME obedient to death-- even death on a cross!