Welcome to another day the Lord has made that we should rejoice and be glad in. (Psalms 118:24)

The Holy Spirit woke me up this morning saying motives matter.

Today’s scripture, James 4:3-5 (ERV) explains…
[3] Or when you ask, you don’t receive anything, because the reason you ask is wrong. You only want to use it for your own pleasure. [4] You people are not faithful to God! You should know that loving what the world has is the same as hating God. So anyone who wants to be friends with this evil world becomes God’s enemy. [5] Do you think the Scriptures mean nothing? The Scriptures say, “The Spirit God made to live in us wants us only for himself.”

Consider…
Oxford Languages defines motive as, a reason for doing something, especially one that is hidden or not obvious.

Motives are the ‘why’ behind the ‘what’ we want.

When the Holy Spirit woke me up with motives on my mind, He led me to listen to my sister-in-Christ Mary’s Audacity Presents weekly podcast, which focused this week on the ‘Audacity To Avail’.

Her focus scripture was the often quoted James 5:16b (KJV)…The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

And I loved her question, “who’s praying for you?”

Yet, while she was speaking, I heard the Holy Spirit say, ‘why’ is someone praying for you. Then the Holy Spirit had me zoom out on my sister’s chosen scripture.

James 5:16 (NIV) says…
[16] Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

Notice the first part of this verse instructs us to confess our sins to each other and pray for each other’s healing. I admit, confession my sin to anyone other than God is frightening to me. That’s because I don’t trust people, with good reason, to have my best interest at heart. Yet, James tells believers, whom this book of the Bible is written to, that confessing are sin’s to another believer should lead to intercessory prayer for healing.

It’s after the confession and prayer exhortations that brother James says, “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”

I believe that’s because God makes a person righteous through Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:21 (NIV)
[21] God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

The Holy Spirit is reiterating, a person’s righteousness is God’s doing, not their own. Romans 3:22-24 (NLT) affirms…
[22] We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. [23] For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. [24] Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins.

After this affirmation, the Holy Spirit redirected back to the last line in today’s scripture, “The Spirit God made to live in us wants us only for himself.”

I wonder if we truly understand that we’re not just saved from sin, but indeed God says we’re saved for Him. Two scriptures that the Lord emphasize this truth are:

• 1 Peter 2:9 (NLT)…But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.
• Titus 2:14 (NLT)…He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds.

It is with the understanding that asking for God’s help must not be for our story, but instead for His glory, that James 5:17-18 (NIV) continues…
[17] Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. [18] Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.

In order to understand James’ Elijah example, in the context of reverent righteous prayers focus on glorifying God, the Holy Spirit sent me back to 1 Kings 16:29-33 (NLT), which shared…
[29] Ahab son of Omri began to rule over Israel in the thirty-eighth year of King Asa’s reign in Judah. He reigned in Samaria twenty-two years. [30] But Ahab son of Omri did what was evil in the LORD’s sight, even more than any of the kings before him. [31] And as though it were not enough to follow the sinful example of Jeroboam, he married Jezebel, the daughter of King Ethbaal of the Sidonians, and he began to bow down in worship of Baal. [32] First Ahab built a temple and an altar for Baal in Samaria. [33] Then he set up an Asherah pole. He did more to provoke the anger of the LORD, the God of Israel, than any of the other kings of Israel before him.

It’s because King Ahab made God angrier than any other King, by loving the world and choosing an idol, that we read 1 Kings 17:1 (NLT), which is the first Elijah reference James made. It says…
[1] Now Elijah, who was from Tishbe in Gilead, told King Ahab, “As surely as the LORD, the God of Israel, lives—the God I serve—there will be no dew or rain during the next few years until I give the word!”

You see, Elijah prayed for the drought to get Ahab’s full attention. God wanted Ahab to thoroughly understand that He alone is one true God, and there must not be any other gods than Him. Furthermore, God wanted Ahab to recognize and confess his sin, and repent.

This is the backdrop to the God’s demonstration of Supremacy over Baal, with the embarrassment and annihilation of Baal’s prophets in 1 Kings 18:20-38.

The Holy Spirit showed me, the key to James’ second Elijah, fervent righteous prayer, is actually found in 1 Kings 18:39 (NLT)…
[39] And when all the people saw it, they fell face down on the ground and cried out, “The LORD—he is God! Yes, the LORD is God!”

Notice, the people humbled themselves before God and confessed He is Lord!

That makes me think of 2 Chronicles 7:14 (NLT)…
[14] Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land.

God’s help is waiting for those who humble themselves before Him, acknowledge Him, and repent from their sin against Him.

It’s with this recognition that we read 1 Kings 18:41-42 (NLT)…
[41] Then Elijah said to Ahab, “Go get something to eat and drink, for I hear a mighty rainstorm coming!” [42] So Ahab went to eat and drink. But Elijah climbed to the top of Mount Carmel and bowed low to the ground and prayed with his face between his knees.

Elijah prayed for God’s release of rain to affirm God’s forgiveness of sin. God heard from Heaven and restored His provision.

The Holy Spirit just showed me God’s withholding or restoring of His provision is a motivated decision. If we’re motivated to please ourselves, then He leaves us alone to do so. However, if we’re motivated to please God, well He provides everything we need.

2 Peter 1:3-4 (NLT) confirms…
[3] By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. [4] And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.

Accordingly, the Holy Spirit is challenging us to consider, when we ask God for help, is it for His glory or our story?

The last statement that the Holy Spirit made to me is the prayers of the righteous seek to make us right with God!

Thus, right motives seek to please God, whereas wrong motives seek to please ourselves.

So let’s be diligent in examining our motives when we pray, whether it’s for God’s glory or our story.

Today’s song is…
The Prayers

Blessings 4HG (1 Corinthians 10:31)