Two Ears, One Mouth, and Zero Excuses

 

Shutting Down the Outrage Machine

We live in a world that treats listening like a tactical weakness. Our culture rewards the loudest voice, the fastest typist, and the sharpest insult. We’ve turned “giving someone a piece of our mind” into a competitive sport, especially on social media. We read a headline, our blood pressure spikes, and our fingers immediately start flying across the screen to drop a "truth bomb."

But the Apostle James pulls up to our digital bullhorns, puts his hand on the volume knob, and gently rolls it all the way down to zero.

In James 1:19-20, he delivers a short, sharp punch that would completely bankrupt most cable news networks and comment sections if we actually followed it:

"Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God."

Statistically speaking, that means you should be listening at least twice as much as you are talking.

Instead, most of us live life with our mouths wide open and our ears completely super-glued shut. When someone else is talking, we aren't actually listening to them; we are just waiting for them to pause to breathe so we can reload our verbal weapon and launch our next counter-attack.

James cuts through the noise with a harsh reality check: your toxic, reactionary anger does absolutely nothing to build the Kingdom of God. It might make you feel self-righteous, powerful, or vindicated for about five seconds, but human anger leaves nothing but a trail of relational ashes behind it. You cannot lecture someone into the Kingdom, and you certainly cannot insult them into holiness.

Resign as Chief Justice of the Universe

Give up your self-appointed right to have the final word.

The flesh absolutely hates being quiet. It feels like losing. But spiritual maturity recognizes that restraint is the ultimate sign of strength. The challenge today is to intentionally walk away from the arguments you know you could "win" just to preserve the peace. Stop treating every single interaction as a courtroom where you have to prove you’re right and everyone else is an idiot.

The "Three-Second Speed Bump"

To put some real-world work boots on this text before you pick up your phone or head into your next family dinner, implement the Three-Second Speed Bump:

• Step 1: Notice the Surge. The next time someone says something that triggers you; whether it's an irritating email from a coworker, a political post from your uncle on Facebook, or your spouse leaving the dishes in the sink again. Pay attention to that physical rise of heat in your chest. That’s the "fast to speak, fast to anger" reaction warming up its engines.

• Step 2: Hit the Brakes. Before you open your mouth or hit "reply," force yourself to take a literal, slow, three-second breath. Count it out in your head: One. Two. Three. This minor delay knocks your brain out of its primitive, reactive "fight-or-flight" mode and hands control back to the Holy Spirit.

• Step 3: Ask the Diagnostic Question. In those three seconds, ask yourself: "Does what I’m about to say build a bridge, or does it just build my ego?" If it’s just to prove a point or vent your frustration, swallow it.

• Step 4: Ask, Don't Tell. Instead of firing back with a statement, reply with a curious, clarifying question. Say, "Help me understand what you mean by that," or "Can you walk me through your thinking on this?" You’ll be shocked at how quickly a soft, listening posture completely disarms a hostile situation.

A Prayer for a Controlled Tongue:

Lord, I confess that I love the sound of my own voice far too much, and I love being right even more. Forgive me for the times my hot temper and reckless words have wounded the people around me. Today, I surrender my tongue to You. Give me the humility to listen deeply, the wisdom to stay silent when I am provoked, and the grace to speak only what brings life and healing. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

 

 

The Anatomy of a Setup James 1:13-15

 

Stop Blaming God for Your Bad Decisions

Let’s keep it 100% real: humans are absolute Olympic-gold-medalist experts at passing the buck. When we make a spectacular mess of our lives, we love to blame our stressful environment, our genetic makeup, our hectic schedules, or our complicated upbringings. And if all else fails, we resort to the ultimate holy scapegoat: "Well, I guess God is just putting me through a season of testing."

But James pulls up to our pity party, rolls down the window, and completely shatters that illusion.

In James 1:13-15, he puts on his spiritual detective hat and gives us the ultimate criminal profile of our own sin:

"Let no one say when he is tempted, 'I am being tempted by God,' for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death."

Notice the vivid, almost cinematic language James uses here. He borrows terms from the fishing and hunting world: lured and enticed.

Think about a bass swimming around in a lake. It doesn't randomly decide to swallow a sharp metal hook out of the blue. No, it gets hypnotized by a shiny, neon-green plastic worm vibrating through the water. The fish thinks, “Wow, look at that! A free lunch, just for me! Nobody will ever know.”

The fish gets hooked not because the fisherman forced its mouth open, but because the fish’s own internal appetite agreed with the external trap.

God doesn't design the trap, and He certainly doesn't wiggle the neon worm in front of your face. Your own unchecked desires do that. Sin is a progressive, multi-stage family tree: it starts as a secret appetite (the lure), grows into an intimate flirtation (desire conceives), manifests as a tangible action (gives birth to sin), and eventually ends in a complete relational, emotional, or spiritual graveyard (brings forth death).

Kill the Root, Not Just the Fruit

Here is the challenge for radical discipleship today: Stop praying for God to remove the sin if you are still romanticizing the temptation.

Most of us spend our entire spiritual lives asking God to chop down the rotten fruit in our lives while we continue to water and fertilize the roots in secret. We beg God to help us stop gossiping, but we keep inviting that one incredibly messy friend over for coffee just to hear the drama. We pray for deliverance from lust, but we keep binge-watching that TV show that has a "viewer discretion" warning on the screen every five minutes.

The challenge this week is to take absolute, unflinching ownership of your appetites. Don't just ask for forgiveness for the final act; demand deliverance from the initial desire.

Real-World Application: The "Unsubscribing" Strategy

To put some rugged, real-world work boots on this text before you go to bed tonight, you need to execute an immediate Appetite Audit. We are going to isolate the "lure" before it hooks you.

• Step 1: Track the Pattern. Think about your most common, repetitive spiritual slip-up. When do you usually fall into it? (Hint: It’s almost always when you are H.A.L.T.—Hungry, Angry, Lonely, or Tired.)

• Step 2: Identify the Bait. What is the specific neon worm that triggers that appetite?

  • Is it scrolling your ex’s social media feed at 11:30 PM when you feel lonely?

  • Is it opening that specific retail app on your phone the second you have a stressful day at work?

  • Is it sitting in the break room with the office cynic just to feel included?

• Step 3: Unsubscribe and Air-Gap. Don't just rely on raw willpower; alter your environment. Delete the app. Move your phone charger completely out of your bedroom so you can't scroll in the dark. Change your route to the water cooler. Put physical and digital distance between your eyes and the bait.

• Step 4: Starve the Flesh, Feed the Spirit. You cannot leave a vacuum in your heart. When the craving for the "lure" hits, aggressively replace it with something life-giving. Text a brother or sister who holds you accountable, open a physical Bible, or immediately go for a brisk walk outside. Starve the craving until it loses its grip.

A Prayer for Private Purity:

Lord, I am tired of playing the victim and pretending my choices are someone else's fault. Forgive me for the times I’ve flirted with the bait and blamed You for the hook. Open my eyes to see the hidden lures in my life for what they truly are; traps designed to bring death to my peace, my family, and my calling. Cleanse my inner appetites, purify my secret thoughts, and give me the immediate courage to kill the roots of compromise today. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

The Guarantee Trap

Why Your Plan B is Killing Your Peace

Are you currently paralyzed by a massive life decision?

Most of us like to blame our hesitation on a lack of clarity. We tell ourselves, "I’m just waiting on a sign from God," or "I need to pray about this a little longer." But if we are being completely honest, we aren't actually waiting on God to give us wisdom; we are waiting on a guarantee so we don't have to trust Him. We want the blueprint, the insurance policy, and the ten-year forecast before we take a step.

In James 1:5-6, we are hit with a reality check that exposes our hidden mixed motives:

"If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind."

Notice the absolute certainty of the promise: if you ask for wisdom, it will be given to you. God isn't hoarding insight, nor does He roll His eyes when you ask for directions. The bottleneck isn’t God’s willingness to speak; it is our willingness to surrender to whatever He says.

When James talks about "doubting," he isn’t talking about honest intellectual questions. The original language points to a divided mind—a heart that is trying to negotiate. If you are praying for God’s "Yes" while secretly holding a "Maybe" or a safety net in your back pocket, you are a double-minded believer. You become like a wave of the sea: completely at the mercy of shifting cultural winds, emotional whims, and conditional circumstances. Indecision isn't a personality trait; it is often a lack of total surrender.

Burn the Safety Net

Here is the challenge for faithful living today: Eliminate your fallback options.

We live in a culture that worships keeping our options open. We sign up for things tentatively, we enter relationships with exit strategies, and we approach God with a contract rather than a covenant. The challenge for you this week is to stop looking for a backdoor out of the path God has already illuminated for you.

True faith means asking God for direction with your hands wide open, having already decided that your answer to whatever He commands is an automatic, non-negotiable "Yes." If you want heavenly wisdom, you have to burn your earthly safety nets.

The "Plan B" Funeral

To put boots on this text before the sun goes down, you need to conduct a "Plan B" Funeral:

• Step 1: Isolate the Decision. Identify the specific area where you are currently hesitating or straddling the fence. (e.g., Is it a career transition, a difficult boundary you need to set, a financial investment, or a calling to serve?)

• Step 2: Expose the Backdoor. Take a piece of paper and write out what your self-protective "Plan B" looks like. What is the compromise option you keep around just in case fully obeying God gets too costly, too uncomfortable, or too quiet? Write it down plainly.

• Step 3: Confess and Cross it Out. Look at that safety net and acknowledge that keeping it alive is exactly what is keeping you "driven and tossed by the wind." Draw a massive, bold X through it. Literally or figuratively, bury it.

• Step 4: Execute the First 10%. Wisdom is validated by movement. Instead of waiting to see the whole staircase, take a step that commits you to the path. Send the email, make the phone call, have the hard conversation, or give the seed money. Do the first 10% of the action that forces you to rely entirely on God for the remaining 90%.

A Prayer for Undivided Faith:

Father, I confess that I have often asked for Your guidance while quietly plotting my own escape routes. Forgive me for my double-mindedness and for treating Your sovereign wisdom like an option to consider rather than a command to obey. Today, I burn my safety nets. I lay down my Plan B and place my absolute trust in Your character. Give me the clarity to see the next step and the radical courage to take it without looking back. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

 

Changing the Way You Pray in the Storm

 

Changing the Way You Pray in the Storm: A Deeper Look at James 1:2-4

We usually pray for the storm to stop, but James tells us to rethink the storm's purpose entirely. It is one of the most counter-intuitive, radical paradigm shifts in the entire New Testament.

In James 1:2-4, the Apostle writes:

"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."

Joy is not a warm, fuzzy feeling here; it’s a strategic choice of the will. James isn't calling us to be masochists who enjoy pain. He is calling us to be macro-thinkers who understand that the testing of our faith is a greenhouse for spiritual endurance.

If you dodge every difficulty, build a life completely insulated by comfort, and run away from every tension, you are inadvertently dodging the exact tools God is using to make you “perfect and complete.” True spiritual maturity isn't formed in quiet sanctuaries on sunny days; it is forged in the grit of the unexpected storm. It's time to stop asking God to "take it away" and start asking Him to "build it up."

Refuse the Escape Hatch

Here is the challenge for faithful living this week: Stop looking for the easiest exit.

Our default prayer is almost always, "Lord, get me out of this." We look for the quickest bypass, the easiest escape hatch, or the fastest way to numb the tension. The challenge for us as mature believers is to pivot our posture from victims of our circumstances to active participants in our sanctification.

When a trial hits, you must refuse to ask, "Why is this happening to me?" and boldly ask, "What is God producing in me?" Choose to stay in the furnace until the dross is melted away.

The "Next 48 Hours" Audit

How do we put boots on this faith tomorrow morning? Try the Next 48 Hours Audit:

• Step 1: Identify the Tension. Think about the primary source of frustration in your life right now. Is it a micromanaging boss? A difficult, draining conversation you need to have with a spouse? An unexpected financial strain or an injury that has sidelined you?

• Step 2: Re frame the Narrative. Instead of venting to a coworker or scrolling social media to distract yourself from the stress, pause and open a journal. Write down the specific trial at the top of the page.

• Step 3: Write the Blueprint. Underneath the trial, write down three character traits that this specific situation forces you to practice. (e.g., If it’s a frustrating boss, the traits are patience, humility, and grace.)

• Step 4: Change Your Prayer. For the next 48 hours, every time that tension rises, do not pray for the situation to change. Pray exclusively for those three traits to be solidified in your heart.

 Lord, I confess that I prefer comfort over character. Today, I surrender my desire for an easy exit. When the trials come, give me the supernatural grace to count it joy, knowing that You are at work. Don't let me waste my seasons of suffering; instead, use this testing to make me steadfast, resilient, and complete in You. In Jesus Name, Amen.

First Sermon of 2018

First Sermon of 2018

Provisions for the New Year

Exodus 16,17 

Architect Frank Lloyd Wright once told of an incident that seemed insignificant at the time, but had profound influence on the rest of his life.  The winter he was nine, he went walking across a snow-covered field with his reserved, no-nonsense uncle.  As the two of them reached the far end of the field, his uncle stopped him.  He pointed out his own tracks in the snow, straight and true as an arrow’s flight, and then young Frank’s tracks meandering all over the field.  “Notice how your tracks wander aimlessly from the fence to the cattle to the woods and back again,” his uncle said.  “And see how my tracks aim directly to my goal.  There is an important lesson in that.”  Years later the world-famous architect liked to tell how this experience had greatly contributed to his philosophy in life.  “I determined right then,” he’d say with a twinkle in his eye, “not to miss most things in life, as my uncle had.”

We all have moments in our life (spoken or unspoken) when we try to determine if the Lord can meet our needs? – sure we know the Heaven part (or at least we think we do)

Today my assignment from the Lord is cover three vital places in our lives that He will in 2018 meet our needs – dramatically these are presented to us in quick fashion in Exodus 16-17.

These are so dramatic that prophets and leaders continues to point back to What God accomplished

Nehemiah 9:15

You gave them bread from heaven for their hunger,

And brought them water out of the rock for their thirst,

And told them to go in to possess the land

Which You had sworn to give them.

I’m Hungry!

Provisions to meet our hunger

(16:4) Then the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you.

Ex: manna provided (and here’s a secret the plan was in place before the people began to complain)

Complaining people – 16:3 Oh, that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat and when we ate bread to the full! For you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.”

(Hangry is now a noun…and you don’t just need a snicker bar.)

AP: Physical hunger is a symptom of a deeper hunger for spiritually in our lives.  

John 6:35 And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.

The food for our spiritual lives is found in the Word of God –

Psalm 34:8 Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!

Proverbs 30:5 Every word of God is pure;

He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him.

Matthew 4:4 But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’

I’m Thirsty!

Exodus 17:3 …the people thirsted there for water, and the people complained against Moses

17:6 Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock in Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink

(Thirst picture of dehydration – need for water is real)

The hydration for our lives is found in the Fresh Spirit of God -

Really a matter of Willingness to SURRENDER and TRUST

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust God from the bottom of your heart;

don't try to figure out everything on your own.

Listen for God's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;

he's the one who will keep you on track. (The Message)

NLT:  5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart;

do not depend on your own understanding.

6 Seek his will in all you do,

and he will show you which path to take.

I’m Scared!

Personal Protection – enemies are out there… (17:8 Now Amalek came and fought with Israel)

17:9 Moses said to Joshua, “Choose us some men and go out, fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in my hand. 

Prepared to Stay in the Fight

(We need to learn to fight for one another).  

Prepared to Stay in the Fellowship

(We need to learn to pray for one another).

17:12-13 But Moses’ hands became heavy; so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. And Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. 13 So Joshua defeated Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.

Meet Jehovah Nissi – the Lord is My Banner in 2018

This is no normal religion –

Walnut Fork Baptist Church is not a normal church

– we are not trying to build a name for ourselves or our church

We are under the BANNER!

Matthew 11:28-30  The Message -

28-30"Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly."

Whenever there is a separation between values and practice, things break down.  In ancient China, the people desired security from the barbaric, invading hordes to the north.  To get this protection, they built the Great Wall of China.  It’s 30 feet high, 18 feet thick, and more than 1500 miles long!  

The Chinese goal was to build an absolutely impenetrable defense-too high to climb over, too thick to break down, and too long to go around.  But during the first hundred years of the wall’s existence China was successfully invaded three times.

It wasn’t the wall’s fault.  During all three invasions, the barbaric hordes never climbed over the wall, broke it down, or went around it; they simply bribed a gatekeeper and then marched right in through an open door.  The purpose of the wall failed because of a breakdown in values.~ James Emory White

Last Word of 2017 First Word of 2018

Last sermon of the year 2017

Barney Fife – “I’m in favor of bud nipping! Nip it Andy! Nip it in the Bud.”

Jeremiah 29:11  For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Yesterday is a memory and tomorrow is but a moment in time. The question is what are we going to do today that prepares people for eternity?

Yesterdays are important for reflection and growth.

·         Reflect on the things that don’t quite succeed to grow from them (Romans 8:18 - For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.)

o   Be careful to not let to your struggles define who you are (Isaiah 40:31- ³¹ But those who wait on the Lord
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint)

o   Be careful to not let your hang ups be your hold back  (Lamentations 3:22-23 - Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not.
²³ They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.)

o   Be careful to not judge your future on your past – Jesus is the Master of making things work out. (He is the way maker!) Proverbs 23:18 - For surely there is a hereafter, And your hope will not be cut off.

·         Pause and reflect on success but leave them there

Tomorrow is a moment in time of which to prepare – (more on that later).

Today is the day!

Today is the day to prepare for making a significance difference in the lives of people,

Service is a key – be a servant be significant, (Jesus placed the kid in front of them – to be the greatest in the kingdom be like him…

 Matthew 18:1-4 At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2 Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, 3 and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Mark 10:45 - For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.

Problem is we have to admit we can’t – but HE CAN!

We need a new wind – a new WORD!

Ezekiel 37:1-4 Dry Bones Live

Dry bones will respond to:

·         God’s Word

·         God’s Call

·         God’s Cause

So Tomorrow is a moment -

What word are you going to use to enter into 2018?

What word is going to be your power word?

I have a suspicion about speaking things into existence in our lives. There are times that your worries take over and you speak doubt, negative, and sometimes evil into your days. STOP IT - LIVE by FAITH my friends. Live in the faith of the mighty God we serve. SPEAK His name into your year. Speak greatness into your year through HIM. Believe, let doubt expire in your life, and speak Jesus into every circumstance. 

May I suggest the most powerful word ever spoken – the Name of our God! Jehovah Jesus!

Jeremiah 29:11-13 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13 And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.

Sweat the Small Stuff

Sweat has a wonderful purpose in our lives. Mostly, when the body gets heated up it is produced to assist in cooling down the body as it evaporates on the skin. Today was a great day for a "cool down". The sweat was rolling, dripping, and pooling. It makes me feel like I am working hard at the track. Love the inaccurate quote, "Sweat is just my fat crying while it is leaving the body." So go get your

sweat on! Put in the work and keep moving. 

Our physical bodies benefit from the exercises we put them through. In the same way so does our spiritual body benefit from exercise. We must practice our spiritual disciplines in order to grow, develop, and remain effective in the kingdom of God.  1 Timothy 4:8 "Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come." (NLT)  

So practice your spiritual disciplines: Bible intake, prayer, journal spiritual growth, worship, evangelism, stewardship, and investing in others lives to make a difference. Attached you will find some suggestions for readings in spiritual disciplines. 

Workout: 2 mile warm up, ballistics, 3 sets (x15) stadium stairs, 17 100 meter repeats, core, stretch, and chat with some athletes I used to coach. 

Don Whitney - Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life

Richard Foster - Celebration of Discipline

Major Ian Thomas - The Indwelling Life of Christ