If faith is just believing in God, we share a basic quality with the demons in hell. True, transformative faith is much deeper—it's practical, real, and has transforming power.

In the first sermon of this new series, we dive into the short, powerful book of James to uncover the mechanism of genuine faith. We explore why "leaning" on God is different from simply "believing" in Him, and how that active trust is the key to stability in life.

What You'll Learn:

• The Difference Between Belief and Action: The real measure of trust is not what you know in theory, but "what it causes you to do in action". We unpack this concept using the intense, real-life example of Captain Sully's "Miracle on the Hudson".
• The Purpose of Trials: James, writing to Jewish believers scattered abroad due to persecution, teaches us that God sends tests and trials not to destroy us, but to mature us. When your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow, making you complete and perfect.
• Divided Loyalty vs. Stability: Learn why a person with "divided loyalty" between God and the world is unstable, "unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind".
• Surrendering the Brush: We illustrate the danger of taking the pen into your own hands and trying to paint the picture of your own life, putting yourself in the driver's seat and making God the observer. This mindset leads to an empty, "satanic faith". Real faith means laying everything down and declaring, "I am a slave of God and of our Lord Jesus Christ," just as the author James himself modeled.

This series is your starting point for absolute surrender: God, what do you want? I will do whatever you ask.

Join us as we begin our study of the Book of James!

Scripture References: James Chapter 1:1-14 (NLT), Proverbs 3:5-7

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