The lights flicker and the house goes dark or the doctor comes back in and says, “We need to run a few more tests.” In moments like that, nobody has to tell us we’re not in control.
James asks the question underneath it all: who is really in control of your life? Join us Sunday, October 25 at 11 AM ET for “Overcoming Battles to Put God First” as we continue “Everyday Faith” in James. Can’t make it in the room? Join us online.
⚔️ “What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you?” (James 4:1). James starts inside us, before he gets to the other person. It’s two kids fighting over one toy, only now the toy is respect, control, or the last word.
🙏 “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you” (v. 8). For anyone who has drifted, it’s an invitation and a promise, and James tells us how: come back with clean hands and your whole heart.
⚖️ “But who are you to judge your neighbor?” (v. 12). We only see somebody’s worst moment. Loving correction has its place, but the gavel stays in God’s hand.
🌫️ “For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes” (v. 14). So plan the trip, fill the tank, and say, “If the Lord wills” (v. 15). The road might close, and God might take you another way.
James says, “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you” (v. 10). Jesus lived it. He prayed, “Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done” (Luke 22:42), obeyed all the way to the cross, and “therefore God has highly exalted him” (Phil. 2:8-9). We don’t surrender to earn God’s love. We surrender because He has already shown it.
So this week, take Jim’s question with you: what am I still trying to control that God is asking me to surrender? Pause before blaming the other person. Pray, “Lord, help me want what You will.” And if you already know the right thing to do, don’t wait on it (James 4:17). That’s everyday faith.
⏰ Join us LIVE Sunday, October 25 @ 11 AM ET
Stream & interact: https://live.lakeviewcc.net
First time? Fill out a connect card: https://lakeviewcc.churchcenter.com/people/forms/204857
