James 4:2–3 reminds us of a simple but often overlooked truth: sometimes we don’t experience what God offers because we don’t ask for it. In seasons of stress, responsibility, and духов pressure, it’s easy to rely on our own strength instead of turning to God for the grace we desperately need. Yet His grace isn’t limited—it’s available, sufficient, and meant to sustain us daily.

Highlights
We often miss out because we don’t ask God for what we need
God’s grace is available daily—but requires dependence
Stress can tempt us to rely on control instead of surrender
Right motives matter when bringing requests to God
God meets us in weakness, not in self-sufficiency
Prayer is the pathway to experiencing sustaining grace
His strength becomes evident when we reach our limits

Have an idea for our newsletter? We want to hear from you! Take our survey below:

Take Our Survey!

Do you want to listen ad-free?

When you join Crosswalk Plus, you gain access to exclusive, in-depth Bible study guides, devotionals, sound biblical advice, and daily encouragement from trusted pastors and authors—resources designed to strengthen your faith and equip you to live it out boldly. PLUS ad free podcasts! 

Sign Up Today!

Full Transcript Below:

Diligently Asking for God’s Sustaining Grace

By: Emily Rose Massey

Bible Reading:
“…You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions” (James 4:2-3, ESV).

When we are taking steps in obedience to God, the resistance to moving forward grows stronger, and it feels like we are treading through mud just to take a step. My husband, Paul, and I have been experiencing this since we started leading a new ministry at our church, while juggling all the rest of our responsibilities, caring for our boys, and our own individual lives.  

Even though it’s exhausting and sometimes discouraging when things feel so chaotic and stressful, I must remind my heart that our God is stronger and will use whatever seems to be standing against us (especially our own sinful flesh!) to grow and deepen our faith and sanctify us. But this doesn’t mean it isn’t painful or that I am quick to learn how to depend on Him!

Personally, I am working on resting in the new mercies of today and being quick to repent and ask for forgiveness. I feel like I have failed a lot in my behavior towards Paul and my boys these last few weeks. I don’t want to blame it on hormones and lack of sleep (although I know this adds fuel to the fire, so to speak). Because God’s grace is available to me. But am I asking for it diligently? Probably not as much as I should.

If His grace is truly sufficient (and it is), do I live like I’m dependent upon it daily and praying without ceasing throughout my day? The book of James is a wonderful guide for believers. In chapter 4, we discover that we must protect our hearts from worldly thinking. Often, when we are trying to take control of our lives and not rest in God’s grace and provision daily, we resort to either neglecting God’s ever-present help or asking God with wrong motives:

“…You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions” (James 4:2-3, ESV). 


James 4 merely tells us that if we want something, we should ask God for it rather than resort to sinful means. It stands to reason that there are some things that we will not get unless we ask for them, but if we ask, we will receive them. So, if there is something that we want, we need to ask. Christians should be praying and asking God, especially for His supernatural grace.

Intersecting Faith & Life:

Instead of trying to control what feels so uncontrollable in our lives and allowing our circumstances to dictate our mood or behavior, let us boldly come to the throne of grace and ask our Father for His unwavering and sustaining grace. He is faithful to provide.

We must remember that God’s grace is sufficient and that He is our ever-present help in times of need, but sometimes our actions do not reflect these truths. It’s much easier for us to either complain about our stressful, difficult circumstances or take matters into our own hands to fix or change what seems to be causing us to feel so overwhelmed. We must remember to come to the Lord and ask for His grace when we have reached our limits. The Lord is so faithful to provide all things that we need because He is a gracious Father who cares deeply for His children. Let us approach Him as His child today, boldly and humbly asking for His sustaining and powerful grace to carry us through each challenging moment. He is so faithful in every season, especially in the difficult ones. When you feel weak, remember that it is a good thing- that is precisely when you will experience His power and strength that will sustain you and carry you through it all! 

Further Reading:

2 Corinthians 12:9-10

Hebrews 4:15-16

James 4:2&ndash;3 reminds us of a simple but often overlooked truth: sometimes we don&rsquo;t experience what God offers because we don&rsquo;t ask for it. In seasons of stress, responsibility, and духов pressure, it&rsquo;s easy to rely on our own strength instead of turning to God for the grace we desperately need. Yet His grace isn&rsquo;t limited&mdash;it&rsquo;s available, sufficient, and meant to sustain us daily.
<hr data-start="742" data-end="745">
Highlights
<ul data-start="763" data-end="1175">
<li data-section-id="6vyt0m" data-start="763" data-end="826">We often miss out because we don&rsquo;t ask God for what we need</li>
<li data-section-id="wbm4c" data-start="827" data-end="885">God&rsquo;s grace is available daily&mdash;but requires dependence</li>
<li data-section-id="1ugayq" data-start="886" data-end="949">Stress can tempt us to rely on control instead of surrender</li>
<li data-section-id="11t3eil" data-start="950" data-end="1004">Right motives matter when bringing requests to God</li>
<li data-section-id="1sqcw7" data-start="1005" data-end="1058">God meets us in weakness, not in self-sufficiency</li>
<li data-section-id="1tv3fbl" data-start="1059" data-end="1117">Prayer is the pathway to experiencing sustaining grace</li>
<li data-section-id="1om9gbf" data-start="1118" data-end="1175">His strength becomes evident when we reach our limits</li>
</ul>
Have an idea for our newsletter? We want to hear from you! Take our survey below:
<a href="https://forms.gle/gXp5pnA83t6du5An7">Take Our Survey!</a>
Do you want to listen ad-free?
When you join&nbsp;Crosswalk Plus, you gain access to exclusive, in-depth Bible study guides, devotionals, sound biblical advice, and daily encouragement from trusted pastors and authors&mdash;resources designed to strengthen your faith and equip you to live it out boldly. PLUS ad free podcasts!&nbsp;
<a href="https://www.crosswalk.com/subscribe/?utm_source=subscribe_page&amp;utm_medium=YDBV&amp;utm_campaign=YDBV_PLUS">Sign Up Today!</a>
<hr>
Full Transcript Below:
Diligently Asking for God&rsquo;s Sustaining Grace
By: Emily Rose Massey
Bible Reading: &ldquo;&hellip;You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions&rdquo; (James 4:2-3, ESV).
When we are taking steps in obedience to God, the resistance to moving forward grows stronger, and it feels like we are treading through mud just to take a step. My husband, Paul, and I have been experiencing this since we started leading a new ministry at our church, while juggling all the rest of our responsibilities, caring for our boys, and our own individual lives.&nbsp; Even though it&rsquo;s exhausting and sometimes discouraging when things feel so chaotic and stressful, I must remind my heart that our God is stronger and will use whatever seems to be standing against us (especially our own sinful flesh!) to grow and deepen our faith and sanctify us. But this doesn&rsquo;t mean it isn&rsquo;t painful or that I am quick to learn how to depend on Him! Personally, I am working on resting in the new mercies of today and being quick to repent and ask for forgiveness. I feel like I have failed a lot in my behavior towards Paul and my boys these last few weeks. I don&rsquo;t want to blame it on hormones and lack of sleep (although I know this adds fuel to the fire, so to speak). Because God&rsquo;s grace is available to me. But am I asking for it diligently? Probably not as much as I should. If His grace is truly sufficient (and it is), do I live like I&rsquo;m dependent upon it daily and praying without ceasing throughout my day? The book of James is a wonderful guide for believers. In chapter 4, we discover that we must protect our hearts from worldly thinking. Often, when we are trying to take control of our lives and not rest in God&rsquo;s grace and provision daily, we resort to either neglecting God&rsquo;s ever-present help or asking God with wrong motives: &ldquo;&hellip;You do not have, because you do not ask.&nbsp;You ask and do not receive, because you ask&nbsp;wrongly, to spend it on your passions&rdquo; (James 4:2-3, ESV).&nbsp;
 James 4 merely tells us that if we want something, we should ask God for it rather than resort to sinful means. It stands to reason that there are some things that we will not get unless we ask for them, but if we ask, we will receive them. So, if there is something that we want, we need to ask. Christians should be praying and asking God, especially for His supernatural grace.
Intersecting Faith &amp; Life: Instead of trying to control what feels so uncontrollable in our lives and allowing our circumstances to dictate our mood or behavior, let us boldly come to the throne of grace and ask our Father for His unwavering and sustaining grace. He is faithful to provide.
We must remember that God&rsquo;s grace is sufficient and that He is our ever-present help in times of need, but sometimes our actions do not reflect these truths. It&rsquo;s much easier for us to either complain about our stressful, difficult circumstances or take matters into our own hands to fix or change what seems to be causing us to feel so overwhelmed. We must remember to come to the Lord and ask for His grace when we have reached our limits. The Lord is so faithful to provide all things that we need because He is a gracious Father who cares deeply for His children. Let us approach Him as His child today, boldly and humbly asking for His sustaining and powerful grace to carry us through each challenging moment. He is so faithful in every season, especially in the difficult ones. When you feel weak, remember that it is a good thing- that is precisely when you will experience His power and strength that will sustain you and carry you through it all!&nbsp;
Further Reading:
2 Corinthians 12:9-10
Hebrews 4:15-16

Are you a Christian looking for a daily devotional podcast to encourage, inspire, and convict you in your walk with Christ? 7 days a week, The Crosswalk.com Daily Devotional Podcast offers wisdom and insight for applying Biblical truths to the ups and downs of everyday life. Let's study the Bible together and through the experiences of other believers, learn how to apply the Word of God to our lives.

Here’s just some of what we cover in The Crosswalk Daily Devotional Podcast:

☕️ Why the Tongue Can't Be Tamed (And What to Do about It)
☕️ The Quickest Way to an Attitude Adjustment
☕️ Your Birthday: The Most and Least Important Day of Your Life
☕️ Noticing God's Blessings in the Hardest Moments of Life
☕️ One of the Sneakiest Lies Satan Is Telling the Church
☕️ How to Push Through the Weariness of Prayer
☕️ 3 Steps to Take When Facing Temptation
☕️ What to Remember during a Stressful Election Year

If you love what you're listening to on the podcast, be sure to check out our companion devotional at https://www.crosswalk.com/devotionals/crosswalk-devo/.

Are you a Christian looking for a daily devotional podcast to encourage, inspire, and convict you in your walk with Christ? 7 days a week, The Crosswalk.com Daily Devotional Podcast offers wisdom and insight for applying Biblical truths to the ups and downs of everyday life. Let's study the Bible together and through the experiences of other believers, learn how to apply the Word of God to our lives.
Here’s just some of what we cover in The Crosswalk Daily Devotional Podcast:
☕️ Why the Tongue Can't Be Tamed (And What to Do about It) ☕️ The Quickest Way to an Attitude Adjustment ☕️ Your Birthday: The Most and Least Important Day of Your Life ☕️ Noticing God's Blessings in the Hardest Moments of Life ☕️ One of the Sneakiest Lies Satan Is Telling the Church ☕️ How to Push Through the Weariness of Prayer ☕️ 3 Steps to Take When Facing Temptation ☕️ What to Remember during a Stressful Election Year
If you love what you're listening to on the podcast, be sure to check out our companion devotional at <a href="https://www.crosswalk.com/devotionals/crosswalk-devo/">https://www.crosswalk.com/devotionals/crosswalk-devo/.</a>

7 days a week, The Crosswalk.com Devotional Podcast offers wisdom and insight for applying Biblical truths to the ups and downs of everyday life.

The Crosswalk Devotional: A Daily Devotional Christian Podcast

The Crosswalk Devotional

Diligently Asking for Gods Sustaining Grace

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/5e27a451-e6e6-4c51-aa03-a7370003783c/clips/7ee15e37-bfc9-4f55-a3f1-b43900e5b59f/transcript