Bible Studies

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What are your desires?

James 4:1-3

NIV

4 What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? 2 You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. 3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures


These verses struck me in a way that brought up a moment I remember at work awhile back. I have a supervisor who I look up to and appreciate his feedback. As a shift lead, there is no how-to manual in being a shift lead and I appreciate feedback on questions I ask my supervisor daily. Mentioning that, this supervisor would order in meals from a local VFW and go and pick up the meals for employees who desired the meals. He would bring the meals into work and inform the employees that the meals were here for their consumption.

I had a fellow coworker come up to me in seeing the meals delivered and asked about it. She was desiring the meals. I told her that if you don't say anything in wanting them and the supervisor would never know she desired it. She assumed that the supervisor would ask her and then she can order it. My supervisor knew that people would be interested in the meals offered at this local VFW, but if you don't ask....then how is he to know you want one.

In conclusion, God wants you to ask for things and yes it can be vague in your prayers. He knows you desire it, but He has to hear you say it. Taking the time to tell God in a way that is specific does open the opportunity for your fellowship with God to blossom and mold together. Just like in these verses, James knew that these individuals were in need, but James is telling them that God had to hear it from their own lips. Just like this lady I know at work and her desire for a delicious meal that many enjoy each week. If the desire is of your own agenda that comes from our selfish desires, then God will not give it to us in not allowing harm to come to us.

The thing to remember is if you ask God for things, and be patient to receive it. If God knows you need it, and it will be provided to you. The key thing to remember is understanding your motives for your desires. Too many times we desire things and not receive them and ultimately getting upset with each other and God Himself. Either we voice it in our thoughts, the way we think, what we say, or committing acts that are evil in response to our prayers to obtain things we desire.

Because as human beings we do desire many things. Another issue is that we don't bother to ask for things. The main thing to remember is to evaluate your thoughts in understanding what desires you have and ask God to provide it if He feels it is something you need.

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