There is nothing flawed in asking God to given you something you needed. I guess you did not know your parents well my kids do. They know that id they go to the Store and ask me Can I have 16pk of beer then throw in my face you said to ask you for what ever I want, I would laugh because they have asked What I will not do. God will not given you what is not for HIS glory and HE can say no. You need to learn the lesson of Importunity . And not blankly judge all on the error of a few.
I therefore CANNOT use promises like Mk 11:24, BECAUSE I don't know what the will of God is and it just isn't written there in that promise.
To know what God wants me to do or what His will is for me, I must first turn to the promise in James.
Jas 1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
Jas 1:6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
Jas 1:7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.
Jas 1:8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.
The above promise states, God WILL GIVE wisdom to the person seeking it, but what if I add, only if it is His will, though?
Did that change the promise any?
Of course it did.
First off, He already stated what His will was, didn't He?
He said, if any ask for the wisdom they lack, "IT SHALL BE GIVEN TO HIM".
So I don't need to add "His will" to an already perfect promise, to make it any truer than it already is.
Because if I did add that to the above promise, I could NOT ask in faith, because I would not have any, and I would definitely be double minded and waver, because I would be WONDERING without KNOWING IF God will give me the wisdom I need.
Even though we, as parents, would not give our children something that would be harmful, God, though He desires and tries to protect us, still allows His children to choose, not only what they THINK they need, but what they desire as well.
Deu 30:17 But if thine heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them;
Deu 30:18 I denounce unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish, and that ye shall not prolong your days upon the land, whither thou passest over Jordan to go to possess it.
Deu 30:19 I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore [I hope you or please] choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:
God has set before us both life AND DEATH, blessing AND CURSING, but has left the choice of what happens to us, up to us.
He NEVER said, He would not give us the things we desire, just DON'T turn from Him, or we WILL perish.
Because ALL the promises in Christ Jesus are ALWAYS, YES AND AMEN.
We are NOT little children without any sense of right or wrong, good or bad, but what does that have to do with a righteous son or daughter of God asking for something they desire.
Psa 37:3 Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.
Psa 37:4 Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
If their intent is not righteous, they know that, and therefore will NOT have any confidence in receiving anything from God.
But if their heart and intent is righteous and good, they will not have any doubt about what their heavenly Father will do for them, for it is written, "...how much more shall you Father, which is in heaven, give good things to them that ask?"
It is not a sin or a bad thing to ask for things we desire.
A nice home, vehicle, clothes, money, and the like.
What God warns us against is lusting or coveting after those things and loving and trusting in said things more than in Him.
But that choice is still ours to make.
Again, if our heart is not right or we have evil motives, then we know God sees that, and God will see to it that that person does not get their request.
Now, if you think having nice things would cause you to fall away or turn from God, then wisdom would be, to do without, and if you don't know if you can handle those things or what God's will is, then again, we need to ask and seek God on that,using His promise in James, but you can't use a promise like Mk 11:23 or 24, because there is no guarantee God will give you anything, because you don't know what His will is FIRST.
You go to James first, and then AFTER YOU KNOW what His will is, THEN you can go before the throne of grace boldly and with confidence to make your request known, and then it SHALL BE GIVEN to you, because God PROMISED.
Always, always, always go to and use a promise of God, without adding anything to it, for answered prayer, because He watches over and hastens to perform HIS word, NOT your or our.
My faith is only in God, THROUGH His word or promises. But if the guarantee of God doing what He said He would do, is removed and replace with UNCERTAINTY, then I can have NO faith.
His word is the rock upon which I stand, NOT the sand you make it into by adding the will of God.
The whole point of the thread was to point out what Christians are doing with, and to, both the word and promises of God. That being, interpreting and/or making it fit their belief or understanding due to and because of experiences or the fails thereof.
I choose to leave and believe scripture, or what is written, AS IS, and let God take care of the rest.