Why is God not answering my Prayers?
Jas 4:1
Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members?
This is the root of Global conflicts but olso the cause of our being angry with God…When we do not get what we want we tend to fight for it. But fighting God is not the way….Surrender to God
That is the way to get prayers answered! Surrender to His way not your own way.
All conflict with God and our fellow men is from our own desires for pleasure.
He who loves pleasure will be a poor man;
He who loves wine and oil will not be rich.
The word here in James 4”1 is Hedone ἡδονή
It is not Joy but is how most people are fooled by the Liar. They think that the sweet things bring Joy in life and they do (sometimes but will let you down) Happiness is dependent of “Happening” When things taste or feel good we are happy but when they are no longer there? We war to get them back, because these are lies and not he way to JOY/ Joy is given by grace and is never disappointed. But Hedonism like lust is all the time. And it is never satisfied. But the man who is satisfied and hss Joy is richer than Bill Gates with all his money.
Actually when we mistake pleasure for Joy it can become a dangerous idol that takes our love away from the God of Love. And so we want to fight and war for our pleasures. And in the ancient times it was more obvious that this was idolatry because “Pleasure” Or Hedonism was a religion and the name of the Goddess worshipped was “Hedone”
“The Greek goddess of sensual pleasures. She is the daughter of Eros/Cupid and Psyche, and the grandaughter of Aphrodite/Venus and Ares/Mars. Her Roman counterpart is Voluptas.” Wikipedia
You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet[fn] you do not have because you do not ask.
Now godliness with contentment is great gain.
And what is the goal? Tio be happy? Or have Joy? To have the toys or have the Santa Claus himself? Where is the content ment there is rest and peace!
You are not satisfied because you asked to fill up your selfish lusts and not ask for pure JOY which comes from the spirit.
The pleasure of hedonism is always at war with our Joy and will steal our Joy when we have to go through trials. But we even have Joy in spite of all trials and that is satisfying us.
Another trip to Mexico and an orgy. Only brings you to return home to depression. Another candy will only bring you cavities and diabetes. Another woman or man of the newer model will never replace the joy lost of family.
I know from my 69 years of experience that God knows best so I will hang on to the giver instead of the gifts.
Then we can have what we need
You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.
How many dollars have I spent on the world? On myself as if I am a god? And that is hedonism.
Its not Gods pleasures but when we worship the idol of Hedone its always the God of self and that is why we are so sad today in the good ole USA.
Adulterers and[fn] 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.
When we love the world the Kosmos as if God never created it and he left. As we love beautiful things but want to do it without God we fail. The Creation the world was created in the Garden to be enjoyed but only with God. When Adam ran away from God this evil age started and the Kosmos was no longer under the control of Adam or God but the Serpent. He is real but so is God!
When we fall in love with the Creation and our pleasure in place of God we begin to hate God. It is a one person marriage and we are only hurting ourselves when we leave the source of life to do it our way. Only Frank Sinatra got away with that. When we enjoy pleasures that God designed for us but do it our way we no longer need to thank God and we begin to think God is evil. When we fall in love with this idol we begin to cheat on God to our own hurt, because He is our Father.
Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, “The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously”?
Some read this and think it is God or His Spirit is jealous. But it is not what this is saying at all. Spirit in context here is our soul as are human spirit at war with the good God. Where the fruit of this gift of Holy spirit is listed the fruit doen not include “Jealousy” but the list of ungodly works as it between heresies and murders! Gal 5:20-21. No It is not God nature to be Jealous no matter who accuses Him of Being a “Jealous God” HE is not. Just look at Jesus in his life on earth….you will see how God works. Only His enemies were so jealous they nailed Him to the tree.
No this is our battle between the Good God and our flesh pulling us to sin. We re our one enemies. So do you want peace or war? We need the Lord of Peace not Hedone.
AND this is the CURE! For all thet ails you Stop fighting God and fight the flesh and sin.
But He gives more grace. Therefore He says:
“God resists the proud,
But gives grace to the humble.”[fn]
Yes to eliminate God from his creation and make pleasure your God is pride. Father knows better! Yes replacing God with another toy is Pride. Making yourself God through all your education and psychology self helps and and “self” esteem without God is Pride. Even the Gay pride is not something to be proud of. But only pride to be His and in His hands is good.
Our power house to win this war is not more violence or a million bullets fired from the best machine guns. No it is not revenge and slashing the throats of your brother man. It is putting your “self” in the right place by surrending to God
We then can receive what we need and not what we think we need because the TV told us so. Spend more time reading Gods words and that is the battle to win …Surrender not to the TV but to GOD!
Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for
“God resists the proud,
But gives grace to the humble.
Where did this phrase come from?
Pro 3:33-35
The curse of the LORD is on the house of the wicked,
But He blesses the home of the just.
Surely He scorns the scornful,
But gives grace to the humble.
The wise shall inherit glory,
But shame shall be the legacy of fools.”
Perhaps it is time to thing of others before our selves and maek others the priority because after all the universe does not revolve around You. There are a lot of people that have more needs than you and need to eat and have shelter. Those rich fools that want to seek Joy by things and robbing the poor. The Good God will defend those poor and will have to resist you. So the war is not with them to supply your next retirement plan, but maybe with yourself?
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