“You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.
4 Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, “The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously?” (Jas 4:3-5)

4:2,3 James mentions the most common problems in prayer: not asking, asking for the wrong things, asking for the wrong reasons. Do you talk to God at all? When you do, what do you talk about? Do you ask only to satisfy your desires? Do you seek God’s approval for what you already plan to do? Your prayers will become powerful when you allow God to change your desires so that they perfectly correspond to his will for you (1John 3:21, 22).

4:3 “You ask, and do not receive.” God refuses to answer the prayers of those who are selfishly ambitious, love pleasure, and desire honour, power or riches (see v. 1). All of us should take note, for God will not listen to our prayers if we have hearts filled with selfish desires. Scripture tells us that God hears only the prayers of the righteous (Ps 34:13-15; 66:18-19), of those who call upon Him in truth (Ps 145:18), of the genuinely repentant and humble (Luke 18:14), and of those who ask according to His will (1John 5:14).

4:3, 4 There is nothing wrong with wanting a pleasurable life. God gives us good gifts that he wants us to enjoy (Jas 1:17; Ephesians 4:7; 1Timothy 4:4, 5). But having friendship with the world involves seeking pleasure at others’ expense or at the expense of obeying God. Pleasure that keeps us from pleasing God is sinful; pleasure from God’s rich bounty is good.

4:4 “friendship with the world is enmity with God?” “Friendship with the world” is spiritual adultery, i.e., unfaithfulness to God and our pledge of commitment to Him (1John 2:15-17; cf.Is 54:5; Jer 3:20). It involves embracing the world’s attitudes, values and sinful ways. God will not accept such friendship (Mat 6:24), for He is a jealous God (Ex 20:5; Deut 5:9). One example of such friendship is participation in secret orders (e.g., lodge membership) that demand unscriptural religious oaths and binding together with unbelievers, both of which are forbidden in God’s word (Mat 5:33-37; 2Cor 6:14). Believers cannot belong to such groups without compromising God’s word (cf. 2Pet 3:16), godly standards, separation from the world (2Cor 6:17-18), and loyalty to Christ (Mat 6:24).

4:4-6 The cure for evil desires is humility (see Proverbs 16:18, 19; 1Peter 5:5,6). Pride makes us self-centred and leads us to conclude that we deserve all we can see, touch, or imagine.

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