The Bible quote "you have not because you ask not" is a well-known verse, and people often discuss its meaning. 

To fully grasp this New Testament quote, we need to dig deeper into the context of the verse. 

“Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you have not because you ask not. You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures” (James 4:1-3).

So what does James mean by “we have not because we ask not?”

Simply put, James is questioning what determines our motivations. Life is filled with various goals that we accomplish through motivation. Although we may think our motivations are pure, this isn’t always the case.

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James says that our negative outcomes come from our own desires. And, in the very next verse, he says, "You lust, but you do not have." When we’re so desperate for something, we'll often do anything to get it. 

We don't follow the Holy Spirit when we act on the wrong motives. We’re often motivated to pursue our desires by emotions like pride, jealousy, fear, and envy, all of which are negative motivators.

Asking God for what we need from Him with negative motivations will result in a response that isn't what we expect from Him. 

It’s not the will of God for us to ask with negative intentions, no matter how we might dress them up to suit our own agendas. Our hearts cannot be deceitful and contentious as God already knows our motives deep inside us.

This verse’s message is that if we ask for the wrong reasons, we’ll never get what we truly want. God knows exactly what we need, and He can provide for our needs. To receive, we must therefore make an effort inside of ourselves and ask with the right intentions.

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Another part of the verse to note is “asking amiss.” 

First off, what defines amiss? According to the dictionary, it means “not quite right, inappropriate, or out of place.” Although many verses in the Bible say similar things, James highlights it specifically.

In composing this verse, James clearly refers to problems within his community at the time. People wanted things they didn't deserve, particularly things that weren’t theirs, and they had the wrong motives when asking for them. 

The true definition of asking amiss is toward the end of the verse, when James says, "That you may spend it on your pleasures." 

Pleasure can be a gift from God, which we should all enjoy. While there’s nothing inherently wrong with pleasure itself, the problem arises when the pleasures we seek are unhealthy and damaging.

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In addition, during crises, we may panic when we should be praying or seeking the word of God through scripture. Once again, we rely on negative emotions like worry, doubt, and comparison and overlook opportunities and special offers that God already provides. 

No matter what, we should always trust God’s plan to work things out for us. We don't always get what we want right away, if at all. Therefore, it's important that we ask ourselves, is what we want truly going to serve us? 

At the end of the day, faith is everything. Having faith in God ensures that He'll provide for you no matter what. 

Our prayers as Christians should be earnest, honest, and humble. Our focus should be on God's will rather than what we want. 

As long as we have loyal hearts, God is interested in our devotion and well-being. While God delights in blessing us, we often have the bad habit of looking to other sources of provision and happiness outside Him.

It’s the sin of idolatry that leads to destruction. 

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The definition of idolatry is to put anything before God, which throws the human heart out of balance. Through our purpose on Earth, we were designed to seek Him first and thereby glorify His name. Christ has ordained us to be his disciples of the highest order. It’s only in Jesus Christ that we can find true joy and fulfillment, which cannot be taken away from us.

To put these verses into practice, we need to make praying a habit. Heartfelt prayer takes us out of our busy minds, puts aside our plans, and asks God, what do You ask of me?

Our number of days is known only to God. We shouldn’t live recklessly but submit each day to the Lord through prayer. What we can ask for or imagine is nothing compared to what He wants for us. 

As opposed to asking God to bless your pre-made plans, give Him room and opportunity to speak.

When we pray, we should signal the end of our attempts to get things our own way. We should remember God's plans for our lives are more valuable and beneficial to us than what we could ever dream up for ourselves. We pray confidently and with faith. 

If you want anything, then you need to ask God and let Him choose what's best for you.

Amen.

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For more about the meaning of Bible verses, download the Pray.com app in the iOS App Store or Google Play.