Thursday, May 29, 2008

Intercession: love on its knees

The Baroness Blixen, whose life the movie "Out Of Africa" dramatized, stood politely fidgeting in the receiving line waiting to greet the new Governor of Kenya.

His VIP reception, which featured all the area's prominent socialites, dragged on with bland predictability. But what the Baroness was planning to do ... well, nobody could've predicted that.

Changing times hadn't been kind to her. She once owned a massive coffee plantation, including tribal lands of the Kikuyu people, but lost it during the financial bust following World War I.

Certainly that loss stung her, but what really burned was the new owners' attitude; they planned to throw the Kikuyu off their ancestral lands.

And this once-wealthy aristocrat had no money to buy back the land. She had no political clout and she found no sympathy when trying to work through government channels to help the Kikuyu.

Distraught, discredited and broke, she now saw the new Governor's reception as a last chance, a shoestring tackle to save the people she loved. As the receiving line crept ahead slowly, she saw her opening.

The Baroness collapsed to her knees right in front of the Governor and began begging him to save the Kikuyu. Shocked onlookers tried to pull her away, but it was too late. She had ditched a lifetime of social correctness and "prayed" for the people who owned her heart.

She begged the Governor, "Please look into this matter! Please give me your word!" At that, the Governor's wife stood. "You have my word," she said.

Like a rose growing in a garbage dump, Baroness Blixen's selfless love glistened in contrast to the empty social phoniness of her time. She really cared.

That quality - caring - is the golden heart of intercession; truly love on its knees.

(Excerpted from Why God Waits For You To Pray by Keith Roberts.)


"Christ Jesus, who died - more than that, who was raised to life - is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us." -Romans 8:34 NIV

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Want to supercharge your prayers?

Back in mid-twentieth century, a psychologist named Klopfer made an amazing discovery in dealing with one of his patients, a man named Wright.

Cancer had eaten up Mr. Wright, causing tumors the size of oranges throughout his body. He lay in the hospital, dying. Nothing could be done, except to make him as comfortable as possible.

But Mr. Wright's hope flared a little when he heard of a new cancer drug called Krebiozen. He asked his doctors about it, but they wanted to reserve the experimental drug for patients who hadn't progressed as far as Mr. Wright; they wanted to use it on those who would live longer.


But Wright begged until his doctor gave one injection on a Friday, expecting him to die over the weekend.

Not only did Mr. Wright live through the weekend, but his doctors found him on Monday morning happily walking the halls and visiting with the staff. His tumors had shrunk to half their previous size.

Doctors excitedly began three injections a day for Mr. Wright, and within ten days he went home and back to his usual activities (which included flying his airplane).

However, it wasn't long until the news media reported conflicting stories about the new drug's effectiveness. Many said it was useless, which put Mr. Wright back in the hospital where he reverted to his former critical condition.

At this point Dr. Klopfer intervened, telling Wright that the earlier drug had deteriorated in shipping and that a new, more powerful form would arrive soon. Mr. Wright took heart, and the Doctor began more injections... this time of nothing but fresh water!

Mr. Wright again recovered, leaving the hospital and going back to his normal activities in a few days. He again soared and lived a healthy life... until.

Until the American Medical Association released a statement saying that Krebiozen was a totally worthless drug. His faith in the drug now shattered, Mr. Wright reentered the hospital and died within a few days. (See
Dr. Bernie Seigel's book, Love, Medicine & Miracles - Harper & Row; 1988, page 33.)

Do you see why Jesus talked incessantly about faith? Why he questioned his disciples about it, pushing them to develop more of it? And why he often said, "according to your faith will it be done to you", leaving all things open-ended with no limits other than our lack of belief?

Faith amazed Jesus. To see time-bound mortals "get it" - to see them learn this God-like skill called faith - this excited Jesus.

He marveled at the Centurion's astonishing faith (Matthew 8) and the iron-willed faith of the Canaanite woman (Matthew 15), but he also stood amazed at the smothering lack of faith in his own home town (Mark 6:6).

Jesus went around looking for faith, evaluating each encounter with people, sizing them up and taking their measure, always with an eye toward discovering faith... faith in him and his ability to manifest God on earth.

He even said, "However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?" (Luke 18:8 NIV).

While we're here on earth doing all this praying, he's looking for faith. He's evaluating our prayers based on their faith-content.

"Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." (Mark 11:24 NIV).


Thursday, May 22, 2008

Can prayer reduce suffering?

At its best, prayer is a conversation. Can a conversation, even with God, reduce life's sufferings?

Moses suffered so intensely that he prayed, "What have I done to displease you that you put the burden of all these people on me? Did I conceive all these people?... the burden is too heavy... put me to death right now..." (Numbers 11:10-15 NIV.)

The Lord solved that one by appointing seventy elders to lessen the burden on Moses.


And when Elijah suffered to the breaking point he prayed, "I have had enough, LORD. Take my life, I am no better than my ancestors." (1 Kings 19:4 NIV.)

God released him from the suffering by releasing him from his duties; he was to anoint Jehu as king over Israel and Elisha as the new prophet to succeed Elijah. (I try to remember that one when I'm in a complaining mood.)

I could show you several other cases where God reduced someone's suffering, in answer to prayer, by changing their situation.

But then there's that other answer we often dread.

After his surpassing revelations, the Apostle Paul endured such harassment by an "aggelos
Satanas" - a Satanic angel - that he prayed to have it (or him) removed.

But the Lord's now-famous answer was, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." (2 Corinthians 12:9 NIV.)

Not exactly what Paul had in mind, probably. But sometimes God answers with "I'll give you strength" rather than "I'll get you out of this".

Jesus knows how this works. He suffered so intensely in Gethsemane that he said, "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death." (Matthew 26:38 NIV.) He operated at the limits of what his human frame could tolerate.

So his Father sent an angel from heaven to strengthen him... "And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground." (Luke 22:44 NIV.)

His prayers were laced with loud cries and tears, as he groaned to the "one who could save him from (out of) death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission." (Hebrews 5:7 NIV.)

The point? That sometimes, when you intensely pray, you can get both answers.

Jesus got both the temporary relief and the long-term reward. His prayers brought a strengthening angel, but also saved him out of death - even his resurrection was an answer to prayer!

So keep on praying, even in the garden of suffering.

And pray for my friend, John Dobbs, who just lost his son, John Robert, in an accident. God will give strength, but he will also resurrect... and reunite.

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Thy will be done... or not

"If it be thy will." Most people use that phrase as a disclaimer at the end of a tentative prayer.

Jesus didn't use it that way, and he didn't use it often; just the one time, if I remember correctly. He normally anchored his prayers in the solid geology of his Father's will before he ever prayed them.

He even prayed at Lazarus' coming-out party, "Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me..."


Then his prayer morphed into a command - "Lazarus, come out!" (John 11:41-43 NIV.) Talk about bold praying...

And what about Moses? He prayed for fallen Israel to be spared, even after Jehovah had said his will was to destroy them!

Moses said, "O, LORD, why should your anger burn against your people... Why should the Egyptians say, 'It was with evil intent that he brought them out, to kill them in the mountains...'? Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac and Israel, to whom you swore by your own self..." (Exodus 32:11-14 NIV.)

What bold praying! And it's amazing how many of those bold prayers you find in Scripture. So why do we hear so many tentative, timid prayers that use Jesus' courageous "Thy will be done" as a disclaimer?

Because we were taught to do so. And because we don't understand the difference between a prayer of consecration to God's purposes ("Thy will be done") and a bold prayer of faith ("whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have already received it") as found in Mark 11:24.

You don't use a knife to drive a nail, nor a hammer to cut meat. So, you don't use one prayer tool to get results in an area it wasn't designed for.

But, you might ask, "Then how do I know God's will before I ask?"

Search it out. He wrote it all down for you.

Friday, May 16, 2008

Like to spend 40 days praying with Jesus?

When the flood came in Noah’s day, it rained 40 days and nights. Israel wandered in the desert and ate manna for 40 years.

Moses fasted and prayed in Jehovah’s presence for 40 days and nights. Israel’s spies explored the promised land of Canaan for 40 days. David reigned over Israel for 40 years. Jonah gave the city of Nineveh 40 days to repent or be destroyed.

Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness fasting, praying, and combating Satan. Do you get the impression that the number 40 is significant? I do. Every time God used the number it implied completeness.

If you want to pray like Jesus prayed, immerse yourself in his prayer life. Here's a list of passages describing his prayer life and giving you ideas on how to pray like the Master:

1. Psalm 2:7-9 – His prayer life predicted.

2. Matthew 5:43-44 – His teaching on prayer for enemies.

3. Matthew 6:5-8 – His teaching on sincere prayer.

4. Matthew 6:9-15 – His Model Prayer.

5. Matthew 7:7-12 – His teaching on prayer’s power.

6. Matthew 9:37-38 (Lk. 10:2) – His teaching on evangelistic prayer.

7. Matthew 11:25-26 (Lk. 10:2 1) – His prayer of praise.

8. Matthew 14:13, 23-27 (Mk. 6:46) – His all night prayer on the mountain.

9. Matthew 18:19-20 – His teaching on agreement in prayer.

10. Matthew 19:13 – He prays for the children.

11. Matthew 21:12-13 (Mk. 11:17) – He calls the temple a house of prayer.

12. Matthew 21:18-22 (Mk. 11:24-25) – His teaching on faith and prayer.

13. Matthew 24:20 (Mk. 13:18) – His call for prayer during crisis.

14. Matthew 26:26-27 (Mk. 14:22f & Lk. 22:171) – His prayers during the Lord’s Supper.

15. Matthew 26:36-44 (Mk. 14:32f & Lk. 22:391) – He prays in Gethsemane.

16. Matthew 27:46 (Mk. 15:34) – He prays on the cross.

17. Mark 1:35-39 – His habit of early prayer.

18. Mark 6:41 & 8:6-7 – His habit of thanksgiving.

19. Mark 9:28-29 – His teaching on prayer against demons.

20. Luke 3:21-22 – He prays at His baptism.

21. Luke 5:15-16 & 9:18 – His habit of secluded prayer.

22. Luke 6:12-13 – His all night prayer before choosing the apostles.

23. Luke 9:28-29 – His all night prayer at the transfiguration.

24. Luke 11:1-4 – His disciples ask for prayer training.

25. Luke 11:5-13 – His teaching on persistence in prayer.

26. Luke 18:1-8 – His parable on persistence in prayer.

27. Luke 18:9-14 – His teaching about authentic prayer.

28. Luke 22:31 – He prays for weak disciples.

29. Luke 23:34 – His prayer for His enemies.

30. Luke 23:46 – His prayer at His death.

31. John 11:41-42 – His prayers for Lazarus’ resurrection.

32. John 12:23-28 – His teaching on courage in prayer.

33. John 14:12-14 – His teaching on praying in His Name.

34. John 14:15-16 – His prayer for the Holy Spirit to come.

35. John 15:7-8 – His teaching on prayer’s power.

36. John 15:9-17 – His teaching on praying in His Name.

37. John 16:23-28 – His teaching on boldness in prayer.

38. John 17:1-26 – His prayer for all His disciples.

39. Hebrews 5:7-10 – The intensity of His prayer life.

40. Hebrews 7:25 – His eternal intercession.

"When Jesus prayed, the sea became a liquid sidewalk. Moses and Elijah reported for a mountain top conference. The dead shrugged off their tombs and hugged their relatives.
"When Jesus prayed, people knew something would happen!

"When Jesus prayed, his disciples rubbed goose bumps as they listened; the hair on their necks stood at attention. They listened with that uncomfortable reverence that surrounds an eternity moment (like a deathbed), that eerie feeling that the unseen is at your elbow, that the supernatural hovers just out of sight.

"When Jesus prayed, the supernatural became natural... almost normal. His prayers hit like nuclear warheads while his disciples played with firecrackers.

"When Jesus prayed, heaven opened... and listened."

-from Why God Waits For You To Pray by Keith Roberts, page 14.

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

How to keep from losing your mind

Watchman Nee once wrote, "Man's will and spirit are like a citadel which the evil spirits crave to capture. The open field where the battle is waged for the seizure of the citadel is man's mind." (The Spiritual Man, Vol 3, page 7.)

Nee believed that man's spirit and his soul are two distinctly different functions of his personality. And he envisioned man's soul as made up of three major faculties: the mind, will and emotions.

It seems reasonable that the way to control a person's life is to capture his will, his volition. That's how Satan enslaved the whole human race... by bending Adam's will to the Satanic will. But how did he do it?

He did it by influencing Eve's, and then Adam's, mind. He inserted thoughts into their mental stream. He changed the atmosphere of their thinking processes. He captured their imagination by changing their thinking, therefore arresting their
will.

After all, how do you change someone's mind? By changing their thinking. So, how do you change their thinking? By broadcasting thoughts that serve your
purpose.

Control the thinking, and you control the will. Control the will, and the person begins to do your will. Now you see what Nee meant - the will is the citadel which the evil spirits crave to capture... so they can control the whole person.

So how does the believer keep that from happening? It's sometimes called "spiritual warfare" - fighting back against Satan's schemes by learning spiritual tactics that frustrate his efforts. (See Ephesians 6:10-18.)

And the first rule of spiritual warfare is to rely on God's weaponry, not ours.

The Apostle Paul said, "The weapons we fight with are not weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." (2 Corinthians 10:4-5 NIV.)

Taking "captive every thought" amounts to spiritual warfare over who owns your thinking. And you're in control over who owns your thinking.

"Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes... And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests." (Ephesians 6:11,18 NIV.)

Monday, May 12, 2008

That's My King!

Look at this inspiring video by S.M. Lockridge. And note the spirit of prayer that comes when we understand two foundation facts of human enlightenment:

1. There is a God.

2. You are not Him.

Saturday, May 10, 2008

Things happen when mothers pray

Just before my mom died she told me that she prayed for me to become a preacher even while I was still in the womb. I'd suspected it all along. The last thing I wanted to do was be a preacher, but I couldn't seem to find my place in the world until I yielded to it. That was thirty-five years ago, and I've never regretted it.

Like my mother, all moms come equipped with a powerful influence over their children, especially the boys. That's both for good or ill. I've seen men interviewed in prison who told, weeping, of drug-addicted, prostitute moms who abused and wrecked their son's psychological landscape.


But I've also seen moms steer their children into a close walk with God. And I've seen them try year after year to mold a rebellious child into God's destiny for him or her.

In a recent issue of Pray! magazine, Patricia VanDerMerwe writes about praying for decades for her son who's struggled with drugs since childhood. In the article, called A Painful Privilege, she tells of years of waiting for a breakthrough, which still hasn't happened... yet. I admire her tenacity as a mom, as a praying mom.

I think most successful spiritual leaders would credit their moms, their praying moms, for guiding them to the place where God wanted them to serve.

I know Samuel would. His mother, Hannah, prayed intensely to have a son, and vowed to give him back to God as soon as he was weaned. She made good on the vow, so Samuel grew up serving with Eli the priest in the tabernacle.

Samuel changed his world. He became a God-ordained bridge between the wild period of the Judges and the glory days of Israel's kings.

"The LORD was with Samuel as he grew up, and he let none of his words fall to the ground... And Samuel's word came to all Israel." (1 Samuel 3:19, 4:1 NIV).

Hannah can take a large share of the credit for that.

Friday, May 9, 2008

Why so much preacher-bashing?

I got in on some great meetings yesterday, mostly encouraging but ending on a puzzling note.

We heard an expert speak about how to work in the inner city, but his enlightening ideas came with a decidedly anti-preacher tone. In his mind, preachers tend to be the problem, not the resource for solutions.

I thought about it later, and had a hard time getting it off my mind. Other such episodes came marching out of my memory.

George Barna, Christian researcher and author, did an interview several months back on Trinity Broadcasting Network about his then-new book Revolution. Same thing. Organized churches, along with their leaders, are the problem. Barna
claims that masses of believers are leaving organized churches and going it alone in mini-movements.

Mark Gungor, comedian and marriage counselor, took a similar approach (again on TBN). I've heard him remark several times that preachers aren't "manly" enough; they're too wimpy. I suppose he means that preachers often let women of the congregation push them around. (He needs to meet one of my preacher friends who's a former Marine, martial arts expert and champion in full-contact Karate.)

And I recently saw a televised sermon by a preacher with the same approach. He remarked about Jesus' encounter with the woman at the well and said, "What twelve professional preachers couldn't do, this woman did - she won the whole village to Christ!"

Certainly the woman should be applauded. But, the last time I checked, these "twelve professional preachers" were the Twelve that Jesus had personally chosen to carry his message to the world. And they did.


Although one of them betrayed him, the rest bore the burden of taking the gospel to the whole Roman world in their generation (Colossians 1:23). And most of them paid for it with their lives.

Besides, why did they go into town that day to buy food while Jesus stayed at the well? Could it be that he sent them on the errand and waited for the woman he had chosen to reach the village - a Samaritan village that wouldn't have listened to "twelve professional (Jewish) preachers" in the first place? (See John 4:4-38).

Amazingly, such simplistic preacher-bashing comes out of the mouths of believers! Add to that the world's (and the media's) attitude toward preachers and you have a full-scale assault on the veracity of men who've devoted
themselves to propagating the gospel.

I'll admit that preachers are sometimes hard to like, complicated people (I know, I am one). That's partly because we're pressured daily by an awesome God who gave us a humanly-impossible job to do, for which he holds us accountable. Preachers aren't perfect, but we should be. And that "should be" can be hard to live with.

I'll also admit that preachers often have a selfish agenda (Me, too). And I'll agree that we aren't, and shouldn't be, above criticism or beyond accountability.

But our primary accountability is to the One who called us. "Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To his own master he stands or falls... So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God." (Romans 14:4,12 NIV).

The best way you can help modify the pastorate is to follow the Apostle Paul's advice: "Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should." (Colossians 4:2-4 NIV).



Thursday, May 8, 2008

Where are you headed today?

I'm off today to a series of meetings... all necessary, I suppose. They all have to do with kingdom work, and I look forward to meeting with the people of God to plan our work.

But days like this can make my prayer time thin. It sometimes puzzles me how we can make appointments for everything, but leave time with God in the leftover pile. If I get around to it, I'll pray...

I heard a man say once, "Tell me your goals for today and I'll show you your destiny.

Jesus knew how to live out his destiny. "Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed." (Mark 1:35 NIV).


Even after a grueling, busy day, Jesus made time his servant, not his master.

When the news about Jesus made the crowds almost impossible to manage, the word says, "But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed." (Luke 5:16 NIV).

Right after that, "the power of the Lord was present for him to heal the sick." (5:17). Amazing. His discipline in prayer meant power on the field of spiritual battle.

I think I'll try harder to make prayer the day's major goal - and let the power flow naturally to handle the lesser tasks.

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Fishing bugs out of the baptistery

We just returned from southern Oklahoma... small town... diminutive church... where we enjoyed ministering to the 70 or so believers in a prayer seminar.

We got to the building beforehand to set up and to greet some of the early birds. A man named Gary came in, followed by a young boy whose mom had left him at the door while she parked. He and Gary proceeded to the baptistery area, where they made sure the heater was turned on, just in case.



The kid's bright young eyes soon spotted a floating bug that had obviously wandered into the holy waters sometime the night before. He said, "Look, there's a bug in the water... can I fish him out?" (He'd already grabbed the pole with a net at the end.)

Gary gave permission, and the kid went to work. Soon he had the deceased insect in his net, but then said with a puzzled look, "What do I do with him?"

"Well, just bring him here to me... I believe it's a cockroach" said Gary. As he took care of the problem, I thought - two generations, separated by several decades, working together to solve a minor issue that might become an unpleasant one if there were a baptism that morning.

Isn't life in small churches fascinating? I enjoyed watching two of God's people live out the Scripture that says, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men..." (Colossians 3:23 NIV.)

Sometimes prayer seems like such a small contribution to kingdom work. But, like fishing bugs out of the baptistery, God evaluates these little servant-episodes with different priorities than we do.

And He evaluates the silent, invisible prayers - the ones that bubble inside - in a different way, also. Like Anna the prophetess.

The word says this 84 year-old widow "never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying." (Luke 2:37 NIV.)

This unnoticed prayer life found its way into Scripture because God noticed. He allowed her to meet Mary and Joseph, to see the infant Messiah, and to speak the word of God over the Word of God.

Amazing. Do the little things out of your love for Him, and the big things come to pass with a natural grace that will puzzle the world's schemers.

Saturday, May 3, 2008

How many great prayers appear in the Bible?

Tonight we're in Durant, Oklahoma getting ready to conduct a Prayer Seminar for the Bokchito Church of Christ here in the area.

Steve and Barbara Summers have showed us some gracious hospitality. They have a heart to see the Lord's church become a house of prayer, which is why we're here and ready to speak to their group tomorrow.

One topic I usually try to work into the program at such seminars is titled "Great Prayers of The Bible". I got the idea, partly, from a well known scholar, Dr. Herbert Lockyer who wrote All The Prayers of The Bible. In the book, he says he counted 650 prayers in the Bible and discovered 450 recorded answers.

I wonder how many of those prayers could be called "great"... great because they were answered, but also because they changed everything at a crucial, historic time.

Here's one earmark I've noticed about great prayers - they're grounded in Scripture.


Notice King Jehoshaphat's prayer for deliverance in 2 Chronicles 20:6-12. It's based on King Solomon's prayer of dedication for the temple in 2 Chronicles 6:14-42.

And look at Daniel's prayer in Daniel 9:1-19. It grew out of Jeremiah's prophecy in Jeremiah 29:10-14. Daniel prayed the prayer of a lifetime because he knew the word of God and hungered to see it come to pass.

Even the persecuted, disenfranchised church in Jerusalem prayed down heavenly power in Acts 4:23-31 because their praying tapped into the power source of Psalm 2:1-2.

Since prayer's a human activity meant to impact the supernatural, it reflects the human-ness of the ones praying. Sometimes our prayers break the surly bonds of earth and soar... sometimes not.

So, it seems some prayers are greater than others. Which prayers in Scripture do you think deserve to be called "great"?

Thursday, May 1, 2008

How do you keep a prayer group together 14 years?

What's the least popular meeting at church? Often it's the prayer meeting; announce one and watch most members head for the hills.

So how come prayer groups keep happening, some of them with amazing longevity? Like the Moravians, whom many credit with the founding of the modern missions movement.

They once formed a 24-hour prayer chain where at least two people were praying each hour of the day - 48 volunteers at a time covering each hour of each day. Their prayer chain lasted 100 years!

Our prayer group here at Calhoun hasn't lasted that long (yet) but it has outlasted most such groups. We've been praying together now for fourteen years.

Sometimes we have three or four praying, sometimes as many as twenty. People have come and gone, the group has changed, but we're still meeting for prayer every Tuesday night.

How come? How have we kept the group praying together that long? What's the secret?

Well, the secret is... there isn't a secret. In fact, WE haven't kept the group together, the Lord Himself has. I know that sounds super-spiritual, but the fact is, when our prayer group started we had only planned to meet once and pray for one of our members headed to surgery the next day.

When we finished, one of the women in our group suggested, "All of you come to our house next Tuesday night and we'll pray some more."

We met that next Tuesday, and have been meeting for prayer every Tuesday (with only five or six interruptions) for fourteen years.

To make a long story short (too late now?), any prayer group that lasts more than a few times has to be a "God-thing". It has to be empowered by the Holy Spirit. And it has to be the result of a hunger for prayer among the larger group, which results in a small prayer group that lasts.

So, how can you foster such a group? Here's a novel idea - pray for it. Pray for such a group to form and to continue.

"You don't get what you want because you don't ask God." -James 4:2 ERV