When Words Become Verbs, Lives Change- James 1

We explore James 1:22 and why listening without action breeds self-deception, sharing a personal story from Hurricane Helene that highlights obedience in real life. The message is simple and sharp: turn words into verbs and let faith move your feet.

• redefining church as people, not place
• Hurricane Helene gas station providence and obedience
• James 1:22 as a call to action
• mirror metaphor for conviction and change
• self-deception vs spiritual maturity
• practical obedience in forgiveness, habits, marriage, speech
• stepping out in faith when uncomfortable
• closing prayer for courage, clarity and quick obedience

Visit my website, ww.forchistministry.com. You can check out the custom t-shirts we mail anywhere in the United States. If you feel like donating or giving a gift, that would be great. Please check out the book Discernment. I should have the audio chapter six up today.

Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome And Setup
• 3:47 Awakening And Redefining Church
• 7:17 Hurricane Helene And Obedience Story
• 12:51 Doers Not Hearers: James 1:22
• 18:31 Mirrors, Self-Deception, And Action
• 23:51 Practical Areas Of Obedience
• 29:01 Faith That Steps Out
• 33:11 Prayer And Blessing

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:31

Hey guys, it's B Rob, and we welcome you to the Food for Thought Faithcast. FaithCast family, thank you for tuning in once again. Today we are going to be looking at the book of James, verse chapter one. Sorry, chapter one. So if you've got your Bibles, go ahead and turn to there. But before we do, just want to say it's a beautiful Friday, January 30th. It is cold outside. This Southern Boy is staying warm inside, and we are doing just great today. God gave us another day. So we clapping high and we praising. We praising God. You know, I told the choir, I told the choir, I said, we're gonna be on another level Sunday. So you know what them thing, them some of them dudes brought ladders to church, man. I said we're gonna be on another level, and they brought ladders to church. You know what I'm saying? That wasn't funny, but anyway, I don't I don't have a church home. I'm looking, I just have not found one with the spirit here in Columbia County yet. I have visited quite a few. Not putting any down. I just have had no look. And it be like that sometimes. And God showed me it was gonna be like that, and I I was gonna be alone because back in um 2016, I had an awakening that shook me to my core. And I had done the church thing quite a few times. I was in the worship team, I did all that stuff. But this awakening I had in 2016 was something totally different. And I met thousands of people online that had the same awakening, and we became the church that the Bible talks about. It's not a physical place. The Bible also says they scattered us, the children of God, the people of Israel, which are a lineage or a DNA, not a place, were scattered all over the world. And there was an awakening and a movement that happened online to bring the truth, to bring God's truth. It's biblical, it still is. Well, guys, getting into the Bible verse or the Bible study today, we're looking at uh James chapter one. And um I want to tell you a little story. This this is going to be about obedience and being doers, not just hearers. Little story. Um back in 24, you remember uh the her big hurricane Helene that like did things that no other hurricane ever did on land. Um Augusta was torn apart, we were torn apart. Um the day of the hurricane, I had a uh gig. I was gigging about four or five nights a week before that, making really good money, playing music, sharing the gift that God gave me, which is my voice and my talent. And um, thank God, praise God for that. But we I had this show, I had no phone, I had no gas in the cars. Uh my uh forerunners said it had like eight miles to the gallon. I had already driven around that day and looked for gas stations and there were none open. And everything was closed, desolate, people were crowding gas stations trying to get gas, which they couldn't because the machines were down because power was out. Long story short, my wife had an escape. It said 17 miles to empty 17. There we go. So I packed up everything, we jumped in it, and I said, well, let's just start heading that way because it's Thompson's on the way, and where we were going was Lake Oconee, Amichi's Lake Oconee, and that's about an hour and 20 minutes from my house, straight up by 20. Um, about halfway to Atlanta. So we got on the highway. We drove, and that mileage thing went all the way down to zero. So we got off at the Thompson exit where the Loves gas station is. We saw a lot of people. There's a Waffle House there as well. We saw a lot of people, about 150, maybe 200, I don't know. We pulled in, they didn't have power. Everybody was uh waiting for phone service. It was like the zombie apocalypse only. Uh we were all zombies and nobody was attacking each other. Not yet, anyway. But um Waffle House was cooking on gas, we walked in there, it stunk. We like no way. We sat down on the curb for about 45 minutes. Time was getting short, only had about an hour and maybe an hour left before time to play. Um I uh something just in my heart told me to get on I-20 and start going towards my destination because uh DOT was going up and down I-20, and they carry gas, so if they saw us on, we we'd be seen easier on I-20. Well, this was the logic I was putting from the the download I got into my heart that said get on the road. So I got on the road, we got on the road, we start praying, and we prayed for about 33 miles. And we got off the exit. There was a line probably 20, 30 minutes long, and this gas station was the first gas station we found. There were cops there directing traffic. I rolled up. Cops said, What are you doing? I said, Man, I have a gig that's 20 minutes up the street, and I only have about 35, 40 minutes to get there, and I'm about to run out of gas. He said, Okay, pull right up to the front, we'll fill you up and send you on your way. I was obedient. I listened to what God told me to do, even though in my head I was logically explaining it to Courtney because like it was my idea, because that's the man in me. And the miracle happened. We got two Amichis. I got on the stage and geared up ten minutes before I was supposed to play, long enough to have a nice sprite because I was not drinking at the time, and um it was amazing. It was amazing. So, guys, um, today's Bible study is gonna be about doers, not just hearers, obedience. Um, James 1.22 is the verse of the day. It says, do not merely listen to the word and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. So you see, culture in itself can make us feel like we're growing just because we're listening, especially church culture. I've been there, I've done that. You go, you listen to sermons, you read devotionals, you follow Christian content. But guess what? Listening is not the same as living. It's kind of like you can sit there on YouTube and watch workout videos every day and never lose a pound because you do not do anything. Because information without action doesn't do anything, changes nothing. Just like I can sit here and watch people play guitar all day long, but if I don't pick up the guitar and actually practice myself or learn what they're doing, which is what I do, I'll only have that memory of watching. There'll never be no action, so nothing will change if I had a dream of learning how to play that guitar. Does that make sense? Kind of like when I was a child. I'd sit there and watch and dream. And then one day that dream, you know, I made it into a reality because I finally got a guitar and I finally practiced every day. I think three of us got a guitar at the same time when I was young, a buddy of mine, Eric Clark, and um another buddy of mine, Brad Center. And apparently I'm the only one who stuck with it. That's what Eric Clark says. But like I said, you can do that, you can watch those videos, but until you put it into action, information without action changes nothing. You see, James is speaking to believers who hear God's word, but he warns them about a dangerous trap. Do not merely listen to the word and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. You see, hearing the word is good, reading the word is great, but obeying the word is what is supposed to happen. Do not merely listen to the word. You see, James is not against listening. He's against that action stopping right there because listening is not enough. You see, many Christians are spiritually educated, but they're not spiritually activated. Whew, that was a good one. God putting good stuff on me today. Thank you, Lord. You see, we attend church. Well, I I I visit, but a lot of people attend church, but you see, church never leaves the building. It stays in the box because we feel safe there, we feel content there, but we don't feel comfortable enough to bring it outside the box. We say amen in the service, but never apply it on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, or Saturday. And I see it every day. And there are people out there who are ashamed, who feel uncomfortable when you pray around them out loud or you say, God bless you. They'll say, Yeah, you too. And you can feel the uncomfort. Why is that? Why is that? You see, in Luke verse six, excuse me, Luke chapter six, verse forty six, why do you call me Lord, Lord, and do not do what I say? If Jesus is Lord, his word must be gold, right? Written in stone. It must be followed, not just admired from a distance. It must be put into action. I wrote a song back in 2019 called Verbs. And the chorus says, Words are just words until you turn them into verbs. Of course, that never did anything. It's not out anymore. Couldn't afford to keep it on the on the radio because uh I didn't make no money. So there was no return on that recording. So it don't matter. But it's still there and it still applies. The teaching from what I wrote. God put it on me. And I'm bringing it out at this time, which is kind of cool. You see? A lot of us, a lot of us are deceived by society and by ourselves. You see, that line, that line, and so deceive yourselves. Self-deception is the most dangerous deception because it's selfish. Nobody has to lie to you but yourself. You see, you can be in church and still not be changed, transformed by God. You can be in the Word and still be unobedient. You can be convicted yet still live in comfort because that's what you're used to, and that's what this world tells you, is okay. But you see, conviction without changes is nothing but deception and a lie from the one who comes to lie, steal, and kill. A lot of times we can confuse Bible knowledge with spiritual maturity because conviction without change is deception. A lot of times we confuse our involvement in church with obedience, even though God says, go home and spend it with your family. You think you're being doing the right thing by being involved in the church and ignoring your family. You see, we confuse emotional moments with lasting transformation, and that's blaspheme. Ask yourself, where have I been hearing God but not obeying God? Look in the mirror or pick your phone up and put it on camera and look it back at you, the camera looking at you, and say, God, where have I been hearing you but not obeying you? And God calls you to do some stuff that that is outside the box. That's the problem. Uncomfortable. The gospel is very uncomfortable. You see? But but the call to action here is you're supposed to do what it says. This is where your faith gets tested. And trust me, when the teacher is the Almighty God, the great author in the sky, and he's testing you. This is where faith either shows up or doesn't. Because the Bible's not just to be studied, highlighted, quoted. It's meant to be a lifestyle. It's meant to be obeyed. It's meant to be shown and demonstrated through that lifestyle. Bible is basic instructions before leaving earth. Noah didn't just believe God, he built the ark. No questions asked. Abraham didn't just agree with God and say, okay, yeah. He went. Peter just didn't listen. He stepped. Faith that doesn't move your feet is not biblical faith. Words are just words until you turn them into verbs. Look at the next verses. 23 through 25. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in the mirror and after looking at himself goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom and continues in it, not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it. They will be blessed in what they do. Man. You see, James says God's word is like a mirror. That's what I was talking about. Hold your phone up, look at yourself, see what's wrong, fix what you see. That's what a wise person does. That's what a wise person does. But a fool looks in the mirror, sees the mess, walks away, and says, huh, I'll change it later. Or, huh, God don't love me. Or, huh. Yeah. You see, if you look in the mirror and you see dirt on your face and do nothing, the mirror was not the problem. You are. You see, the word reveals. And the word is great. And the word is the word, and the word is life. But the word does not transform. The obedience from the word is what transforms. So I want you to do something. I want you to ask yourself: where in your life is God calling you to obey? I'm over here trying to get a great job. I do, on average, two interviews a day online. But I'm not getting anywhere. But I do what God has called me to do, which is this podcast, every day. I do two episodes a day now. And I'm in the book. And when I'm not in the book and I'm watching TV, I'm watching The House of David, which is an amazing series. I'm on the second time watching it. And then after that, I'm going to go back and watch The Chosen again. Because I'm telling you, when you watch it again, you see things that you didn't see. God reveals things. But I want you to ask yourself, where is God calling you in your life to obey? Is it that you have a problem with forgiveness? You know you need to forgive somebody, but uh instead you just let it roll off your shoulder and it irks at your heart. Yeah, that's God telling you to obey. So you need to start forgiving. Kind of like letting go of bit bitterness. It creates bitterness when you when you do not know how to forgive somebody. You create a bitter heart. Maybe it's changing a habit. I used to drink every day. I used to smoke a pack of Marlboro Reds a day. I don't do that anymore. The only habit I have left is God and this vape stick thing. But I mean, if I took a week off and went out in the woods, I probably wouldn't need to vape because I didn't use it at man camp or man camp. Um no, I lied. I used that man camp reunion. But anyway, think about it. Maybe you need to change some habits. Maybe that's what God's calling you to obey. Maybe you need to fix a broken relationship. Like your marriage. I know I need to work on mine daily. You know? I have to have patience. Very much so. Everybody needs patience. Everybody needs to step out in faith. And maybe that is what you're having a problem with, stepping out on the water. You see, I had a job making two over$200,000 a year. My awakening was when I had that job. God told me to step out on the water. I said, God, I'm gonna lose friends. I said, God, I might even lose my career for doing this. And he said, I'm gonna protect your career. And the friends you lose were never friends anyway, and you're gonna gain sevenfold friends of what you had. And from that day, I had maybe fifteen hundred, sixteen hundred Facebook friends. Then I started posting this truth I found. And bam, things happen. I grew, I changed, I gave my life to Christ again and again, and I'm transformed. That old person, that that person is dead because I stepped out in faith. And the next thing is one of the hardest things is walking away from sin. Your relationship, your marriage might be broken because you might have a porn addiction. I don't, but you might. You might have a drinking addiction. I don't anymore, but you might. Heck, you might just have an addiction from watching TV. I don't, but you might. Anything that calls you away from God or what God has called you to do and be obedient to, which might be your marriage or you're fixing your relationship, anything that takes you away from that is a sin, man. You see. And the last thing is just trusting God. When he says to do something, you do it. Don't try to wiggle your way around it. That's the biggest problem I have. When a situation arrives, I run every scenario that could possibly happen, even stupid ones that probably won't happen, that takes a 1%. I run everything through my head and I do it fast within like one minute before I even respond. But that's how my brain works. It's like a Rolodex. Okay, that's the response. And sometimes it might be stupid, you know? Ignorant. My mouth gets me in trouble. And that's another thing. Does your mouth speak life or death? That's another good one. Think about it. What's one thing that God told you to do, but you delayed? You see, delayed obedience can still be obedience. It's not too late with God. You see? Back it up, James 1.22. Do not merely listen to the word and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Don't just hear it, don't just like it, don't just agree with it. Do it. Make it a verb. You see, the world doesn't need more Christians who can quote the word. The world needs Christians who live the word. You know. That's the main thing. Obedience. Obedience. Let's go to the Lord in prayer. Dear Heavenly Father, Lord, we thank you for today, Lord. We thank you for everything you do, Lord. Lord, just help us to be doers and not just hearers. Lord, help us to live your word, not just read it. Lord, give us hearts that respond to you quickly. Lord, give us clarity in a world of confusion. Lord, give us courage to obey even when it's uncomfortable. Lord, we pray. We just pray that our faith can be seen through our actions, that our words will be turned into verbs, Lord. Lord, I pray that the weekend is good for everyone, Lord. I praise that everything that happens honors you and your will be done, Lord. Lord, I pray for anybody in harm's way of weather, but we know that you are the calm in the storm, Lord, when we are obedient to you. Lord, it's in Jesus' name we pray. His name so heavenly holy. Lord, amen and hallelujah. Well, guys, we thank you for tuning in today to the FaithCast. And FaithCast fam, do not forget to visit my website, ww.forchistministry.com. That's the new website. Um, you can check out the custom t-shirts we mail anywhere in the United States. So if that's something you are interested in, you can text me or uh send me a message through the website. You can check out the music links and the podcast links in case you missed any other episodes. And guys, we cannot do this without you. We cannot do this without God because He gets all the glory. And guys, if you feel like donating or giving a gift, that would be great. It's a brand new ministry. We would love it. Please check out the book Discernment. I should have the audio chapter six up today. For those who like to listen instead of read, I'm one of those guys, but I am learning that reading with the words on the page, I'm learning to be a child again. It's kind of amazing. God is transforming me, and I am getting more by reading. But that's an amazing thing. And if I'm driving, I'm listening, so it doesn't really matter. Either way is good. You soak it up and you get the power of the word, but don't just soak it up. Do it of be obedient because God wants you to, and God loves you, B-Rob loves you, and we hope you tune in for the next episode. Thank you guys. God bless you guys. And if you do not have a righteous and a holy relationship with the Son of God, the Son of Man, Yeshua Jesus, Jehovah, you better get right.