wrong prayers

Wrong Prayers James 4:2-3

“ Ye have not ,because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss”

The Greek word for “amiss” is kakos which describes something that is bad or wrong. As James uses it in this verse, it depicts a person who is asking wrongly, badly or inappropriately. You could say that this person is simply not hitting the mark in this request. The person is asking God to do something that is not in agreement with His word. Therefore regardless of how long or how passionately the person asks, God will not answer his request with a positive answer because it is not in agreement with the word, or perhaps this person is asking for the right thing, but because he is so fretful and filled with fear and anxiety, he doesn’t ask in faith. Rather than praying from a position of faith, he cries out to the Lord in fear and anxiety. But fear doesn’t move God-faith does. Hence, although this person may be asking for the right thing, he is asking from a wrong Spirit. Thus, he is asking badly or inappropriately. This means what we ask and how we ask are both of vital importance if we are going to get our prayers answered!

                The success of your prayer life is up to you, friend, so don’t ask “amiss” when you pray. Make sure you are asking correctly and in an appropriate spirit of faith. As you learn to pray in line with God’s word from a heart filled with faith, the answers you seek will manifest in your life more quickly and more fully than ever before!

                Holy Spirit, I ask you to help me ask correctly and pray appropriately from this moment forward. Whenever I start praying wrongly or out of a wrong spirit. Please stop me. I ask you to correct me and teach me how to pray in line with your word from a heart of faith! I pray this in Jesus’ name!

                1 John 5:14 says, “And this is the confidence we have in Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, he heareth us.” The word “confidence” is the Greek word Parresia. It describes confidence, boldness, or assurance. It pictures a person so confident that when he speaks. He knows what he is saying is correct or appropriate; therefore, he becomes very bold. In the context of prayer, this word presents the picture of a believer who is so confident he is right in what he is asking that he asks unashamedly and confidently.

                1 John 5:14 guarantees that if you ask anything in agreement with His will, God will hear you, in fact, verse 1 goes on to promise you, “And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him”.

                MY CONFESSIONS FOR TODAY

                I confess that God’s word is my guide to help me ask correctly when I pray. I declare that I am motivated by faith and not by fear, dread or anxiety when I pray. Because I ask according to God’s will, He hears me when I pray. Because He hears me, I know that I have the petitions I ask of Him. God acts promptly to answer my prayers because I ask with my heart filled with faith in accordance with His will. Because I make sure that what I pray is correct and how I pray is appropriate, I am receiving more and more results from my prayers all the time! I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!