*WRONG PATTERN OF PRAYER.*(Series 8) *Scripture Reading:* James 4:3 *"You ask [God for something] and do not receive it, because you ask with wrong motives [out of selfishness or with an unrighteous agenda], so that [when you get what you want] you may spend it on your [hedonistic] desires."*(AMP) Continuation from where I stopped yesterday on why we don't receive when we ask God in prayer: *2) Asking Amiss:* Asking for the wrong things or asking for the wrong reasons and motives can cause our prayers not to be answered. *Imagine someone's reason of asking God for a car is because his neighbor just got a new car and that the moment he got that car, he has been showing him attitude, for that reason I must also get a car to show him that he has also arrived.* IF YOU ARE TO BE GOD AND YOU LISTEN TO THAT REASON OF SOMEONE'S PRAYING FOR A CAR, WILL YOU GRANT THE REQUEST? Are they selfish desires that would hurt other people? We might ask for things that look good on the surface but if granted to us would be a disaster a little while later. Are we praying for something that is in line with God’s will for our lives and others? *We might ask God to bring harm to someone we dislike, and He is not going to answer because He doesn’t want harm to come to that person.* We might ask for a million dollars or to win the lottery and the Lord would know you couldn’t handle it. It might be a detriment instead of a blessing. You might pray for a certain house to buy and when things don’t work out you say, “Well, God didn’t answer my prayer because He doesn’t want me to have a new house.” God may have known something about that house. *3) Lack of Knowledge of the Word:* Hosea 4:6 tells us that “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” *I heard someone say, “Christians live their entire lives with only knowing only the book of Psalms.”* If this is true, no wonder we don’t live the victorious overcoming lives that we should be living. No wonder we fail to receive answers to our prayers. Not only is this a problem today, but it was also true in Hosea’s time in the Old Testament. He said, “My people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge.” We’ve got to know what the Bible says to us personally. *We need more than a short scripture reading each Sunday or a responsive reading. These are all good, but what does scripture say to you when you are having a tough time on Monday at work?* What does it say to you when you feel afraid and think the Lord has abandoned you? *“I will never leave you nor forsake you”* (Hebrews 13:5) is one of my favorites. To be continue tomorrow morning by God's Grace. Good morning and happy Sunday, peace. *Prayer point:* That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the father of glory, may give to me the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him in Jesus Christ name. Amen! T.S. AFOLAYAN