Book of James, chapter 4, we are encouraged to ask God to supply our needs, but we need to ask with the right motive.
The reason you don't receive is because you don't ask God. You know, it – it's very interesting because in my life, I've always tended to take counsel from God and ask Him. I didn't ask my mother or my father – you may find that strange, but I didn't – and I didn't ask my brother. I'm just thinking at the moment, I can still see myself going into the shop, looking in the shop window, then going in the shop. And I certainly wasn't asking my mother, my father, my brother what I should get. Even in those days, I used to ask the Lord.
It's quite funny, really, when I think back. I'd say, "Lord, just show me which is the best that I should get." And the interesting thing was that whenever I submitted the choice to the Lord, I always seemed to end up with the best. This has been quite significant all my life, that if I'm desiring the best things, yes, God will supply them.
Because, verse 3: "When you ask, you don't receive because you're not asking God, but you don't receive because you ask with the wrong motives." Have you thought about this? There are two reasons why you don't get what you want: one, because you're not asking God; and secondly, because you're asking with the wrong motives – because you want something simply for your own pleasure. We look at things from a spiritual perspective, not just material.
Why Prayers Go Unanswered According to James 4: A Guide to Biblical Motives
In James 4:2-3, the Bible identifies two primary reasons believers fail to receive what they seek: failing to ask God directly, and asking with selfish or improper motives.
"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. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures," (James 4:2-3, NIV)
The Two Biblical Barriers to Answered Prayer
1. The Failure to Ask (Omission)
Many people rely on self-effort, family advice, or circumstance rather than presenting their needs directly to God. James 4:2 establishes that prayer is the primary spiritual channel through which God invites believers to make their petitions known.
2. Asking with Wrong Motives (Self-Indulgence)
James 4:3 clarifies that asking alone is insufficient if the underlying desire is purely self-serving. When petitions are driven by worldly status, envy, or fleeting personal pleasure, they conflict with God's will and purpose.