Purifying Your Motives in Prayer

Broadcast 4148

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James 4:2-3 (NIV): "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."

Tinuke and Adenike were best friends in university. But after they graduated, it seemed that Tinuke was progressing much faster than Adenike. Tinuke secured a high-paying job, while Adenike struggled to find work. Tinuke got engaged and married, but Adenike remained single.

Adenike became troubled, feeling as though God no longer answered her prayers. She began questioning the Lord, asking why her situation wasn’t improving.

In His mercy, the Lord revealed to Adenike that since graduation, her prayers were tainted by envy toward Tinuke. Whenever she prayed, Tinuke was in her mind, and her prayers were fueled by covetousness. She hadn’t realized that this envy was blocking her progress and blessings.

When there’s envy or covetousness in the heart of a believer, it corrupts their motives and hinders them from receiving from the Lord. God does not answer prayers born from fleshly desires because He is a good Father who does not reward unhealthy behaviors.

When someone truly trusts in God and believes that everything they need comes from Him, they won’t be envious of their neighbor’s success. They rest in the assurance that God’s plans for them are perfect and unique.

From today’s Bible verse, we learn that praying with envy or covetousness is a sure way to hinder our prayers from being answered. Envy leads to bitterness, and in God’s kingdom, those who harbor hatred in their hearts are likened to murderers (see 1 John 3:15).

As you go into today, ask the Lord to purify your motives so that you can pray prayers that are pleasing to Him.

Prayer: Lord, deliver me from every form of envy and pride. Help me to pray with pure motives and according to Your will. Amen.

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Bible In 1 Year: I Chronicles 1-4 (in today's audio)

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