"THOUGHTS and INTENTS!"

James 4:3-4 "3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. 4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God." Many times, I have heard it said, GOD does not hear my prayers because...........(fill in the blank)! I have unconfessed sin in my life, GOD is teaching me a lesson, or something along those lines. But in the book of James it is written, we may not be getting what we ask for in our prayers, because we are asking for the wrong reasons! The Bible reads in Hebrews 4:12 "For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the THOUGHTS and INTENTS of the heart." We may "pray" that we want this new house to give to The Lord, or if we had millions of dollars we would give to the poor, but what are we doing with the funds GOD is blessing us with now? Since GOD knows the "thoughts and intents" of our heart, HE may need to do some "work" on our heart before HE blesses us with prosperity. Keep in mind, we are a Spirit, so material possessions are all going to burn one day anyway! 1 John 2:15-17 tells us that the things of this world are not to be sought after. The things that are lasting are the things that "doeth the will of GOD"! Perhaps I should make certain I am in the "will of GOD" before I start asking for a lot of things???