James 1:5 & 6

"But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without repoach, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind." - James 1;5 & 6

This verse seems very plain, if you ask God to give you wisdom, and you do so in faith that he will answer, God will give to you generously. But to understand a verse we must look at it in it's context. For example, is this a promise made to everyone? The answer is, no it is not.

Who is James writing to? Jewish Christians.

Verse 1: 1 says this letter is to "the twelve tribes who are dispersed abroad". Those are Jews.

Verses 2 and 3 refers to them as "brethren" and how their faith has been tested. These are Jewish Christians who are living outside of Palestine, in Gentile communities.

That means verses 1:5 & 6 are telling Christians that they can pray for wisdom and God will answer their prayers. This is the same thing 1 John 5:14-15 says.

Proverbs 15:29 says: "The LORD is far from the wicked, But He hears the prayer of the righteous."

John 9:31 says, "We know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone isd God-fearing and does His will, He hears him."

James 1:5 & 6 is a promise for believers.

We also know that it is possible for demons to live within non-believers. Demons can speak to non-believers and as Satan's servants they speak lies. So a non-believer who prays for wisdom, for example praying to know which "religion" is true, if they get an answer it will most likely be an answer from a demon that will be a lie.

This is how the Mormon religion got started. Joseph Smith, the founder of the Mormon religion, did not know which denomination to believe (he was a non-believer). Based on James 1:5 &6 he prayed asking God for wisdom so he would know which denomination was true. But as a non-believer he could not call on the promise of James 1:5 &6. So the answer he got was that none of them were true. An answer from a demon that has since lead millions away from the salvation that is in Jesus Christ our Lord.