The answer to this question is obviously both, depending on the circumstances and what have you. But I want focus in on the latter part of that query. Before I begin with that I want to briefly state that in order for us to properly interpret the Bible, we must continually keep things within their context. There are too many instances where misguided teaching and preaching take place because a statement or quote was ripped away from its context. The prime example of this is the willingness of Christians to submit to the ten commandments, when all they will do is bring destruction and spiritual death. But lets return to the question at hand.
So this is basically a hypothetical question geared towards making us think about two things; when we need or desire something do we always ask and when we ask for things do we make sure that are hearts are in the right place? As I mentioned earlier, the latter is what we will be focusing on in this post.
A popularly quoted line in Scripture is “…ye have not, because ye ask not,” James 4:2b. Now though this is true, it is dangerous for us to pull it away from the context that James was speaking in. Listen to this: “…you do not have because you do not ask. [Or] you do ask [God for them] and yet fail to receive, because you ask with wrong and evil, selfish motives. Your intention is [when you get what you desire] to spend it on sensual pleasures,” James 4:2b-3. Here James gives an alternative. He is gearing us to think about both parts of the question, not just the first.
In a nutshell James is giving us a warning that we need to make sure that we are in the fruit of the Spirit when we ask for things. He also tells us the consequence of asking for things with faulty motives. If we ask with such motives, we will fail to receive those things we asked of God. But he also gives us an explanation, so that we can further understand the grand scheme of things. The explanation is that if we ask God for things out of faulty motives and receive those things, then we will only use those things for sensual desires.
That is to say that those things will only be used to benefit us physically and not spiritually. There are two things that are wrong with that. The first being that we need to be infinitely more concerned with building our spirit and relationship with His Spirit as opposed to any physical gains. If we continue to walk in our trust in Him and His love for us, we are told those things that we desired will be added to us, Psalm 37:4. But the antithesis to that is not the case. If we focus on worldly gain and carnal, physical accumulation, we run the risk of starving ourselves of God; not because He is not available but because we have put up a barrier that keeps Him from working in our lives.
His Blood is Key 