You desire but do not have, so you kill.
You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight.
You do not have
because you do not ask God.
When you ask, you do not receive,
because you ask with wrong motives,
that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

But he gives us more grace.
That is why scripture says :
"God opposes the proud
 but shows favor to the humble."

Submit yourselves, then, to God.
Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Come near to God and he will come near to you.
Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom.
Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

James 4:2-3, 6-10






Now listen, you who says,
"Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there,
carry on business and make money."

Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life?
You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.
Instead, you ought to say,
"If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that."

As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes, knows the good they ought to do
and doesn't do it, it is sin for them.

James 4:13-17







Is anyone among you in trouble?
Let them pray.
Is anyone happy?
Let them sing songs of praise.

And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up.
If they have sinned, they will be forgiven.
Therefore confess your sins to each other
and pay for each other so that you may be healed.

The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
James 5:13,15-16