Last Sunday, Pastor Sandy walked us through James' powerful questions (James 1: 19-27 CSB) he posed for all believers. To truly assess within themselves whether they have their faith showing up in real life, everyday ordinary moments, and not just in the public eye, or only on Sundays. Here's a recap of his sermon, with some questions to think about as you take Pastor Sandy's words into your own study.

What Does It Mean to Be a Doer of the Word?

Faith is more than just agreeing with God's Word or nodding along during sermons. True faith eventually gets caught - not in wrongdoing, but in acts of obedience. James challenges believers to move beyond mere agreement with Scripture to actually living it out in their daily lives.

James wasn't writing to unbelievers hearing the Gospel for the first time. He was addressing church folks - baptized believers who already knew the truth. These were Christians familiar with salvation by grace and biblical doctrines, but who sometimes forgot that grace doesn't excuse obedience; it empowers it.

The central question James poses is this: Is your faith visible where it actually matters? Not just in church or on social media when other believers are watching, but in those ordinary moments, unseen choices, and daily acts of obedience that nobody applauds.

How Do We Receive God's Word with the Right Posture?

Before obedience shows up in our behavior, something must happen in our hearts. James gives three essential commands for properly receiving God's Word:

Be Quick to Listen
This means cultivating a teachable spirit - actively leaning in and engaging our minds and hearts. It's not passive background listening, but eager attentiveness that opens us to correction and understanding.

Be Slow to Speak
Quick speech often reveals pride in our hearts. We interrupt God's Word with our opinions, excuses, and rationalizations. Sometimes obedience begins when we stop talking long enough for God's truth to sink in.

Be Slow to Anger
Unchecked anger hardens our hearts and makes us resistant to God's work. Human anger doesn't produce God's righteousness. When we're angry, we can't hear God clearly because anger narrows our vision and builds walls instead of opening our hearts.

Why Don't We Confuse Hearing with Obeying?

James warns that it's possible to be sincere, religious, and self-deceived all at the same time. Hearing without doing creates an illusion of spiritual maturity. You can attend church for years, know Scripture well, agree with every sermon, and still be deceiving yourself.

James uses the vivid image of looking in a mirror. The mirror reveals the truth about what needs fixing, but simply seeing the truth doesn't change you. Walking away unchanged makes looking in the mirror pointless. Similarly, God's Word reveals the truth about our sin and our need for growth, but transformation only occurs when we respond with action.

What Are the Blessings of Obedience?

James calls God's commands "the perfect law of freedom." This sounds backwards to our culture, which defines freedom as having no rules or limitations. But God defines freedom differently - His commands aren't chains that restrict life, but guardrails that protect it.

Obedience doesn't limit our joy; it preserves it. It frees us from sin's control, the weight of guilt, and the burden of living a life driven by our own desires. The tragedy is that most of us never surrender deeply enough to God's Word to experience this freedom. We live somewhere in between, driven by guilt rather than the Spirit.

How Does Obedience Show Up in Real Life?

James identifies three key areas where living faith becomes visible:

In Our Speech
If someone claims to be religious but doesn't control their tongue, their religion is worthless. Our words reveal our hearts. Gossip, harshness, constant complaining, and careless speech betray a heart unsubmitted to God's Word.

In Our Compassion
Real faith moves toward need rather than staying comfortable. James highlights care for orphans and widows - those without protection or power. Faith that costs nothing isn't biblical faith. We can't walk past people's needs and claim to be living under God's authority.

In Our Holiness
Believers must remain "unstained by the world." This doesn't mean isolation, but distinction. We're called to live differently in a broken world, becoming lights in darkness rather than withdrawing into our sanctuaries to complain about how bad things are outside.

What Does This Look Like Practically?

Practice Listening Before Reacting
Whether responding to God's Word or interacting with people, place yourself under authority before defending, explaining, or correcting. Listening is an act of obedience that requires humility.

Obey the Word You Already Know
Stop waiting for new revelation while ignoring what you already understand. We know what God says about prayer, forgiveness, generosity, honesty, sexual purity, patience, and loving our neighbors. The issue isn't clarity - it's surrender.

Let the Word Shape Your Words
Our words reveal what's ruling our hearts. Are your words seasoned with grace or soaked in sarcasm? Do they build up or tear down? Scripture must set our tone, not just our theology.

Move Toward Need While Guarding Your Heart
Faith that obeys moves toward brokenness and engages in ministry. Where are you stepping into God's mission? Faith isn't just something we profess; it's something we practice.

Life Application

This week, choose one area where you know God's Word calls you to obedience but you've been hesitating. Instead of waiting for perfect conditions or more clarity, take one small step of obedience in that area. Remember, small acts of obedience build patterns of faithfulness, and patterns shape a life.

Ask yourself these questions:

If someone followed me around this week, would they catch me in acts of obedience?
What area of God's Word am I avoiding or rationalizing instead of obeying?
How can I move from being a hearer of the Word to being a doer this week?
Where is God calling me to engage with brokenness and need around me?


The goal isn't perfection, but progression. Start with what you know, and let obedience become the evidence that God's Word has truly taken control of your life.