• Works give your faith the energy it needs to come alive. It is not enough to have belief – faith is present when we act on what we say we believe.

• YOUR ACTION DEFINES YOUR FAITH.
— James 2:14-26 AMP
— Acts 4:32 AMP

• Do my actions correspond with what I claim to believe?
1. Find out God’s will for your life.
2. Take Action – Decide what actions are needed to work with your faith.

• Favoritism DOES NOT FIT with real faith.
— James 2:1 NIV

• Favoritism is a CONTRADICTION of God’s treatment of the poor.
— Deuteronomy 10:17 NIV
— Romans 2:11 NIV
— Proverbs 17:5 NIV
— 1 Corinthians 1:26-29 NIV

• Favoritism is a VIOLATION of the Royal Law of Love.

• Momma taught me to LISTEN.
— James 1:26 NIV

• Momma taught me to LIVE FOR GOD.
— James 1:22-25 NIV
— Isaiah 6:9-10 NIV

• Momma taught me to LOVE OTHERS.
— James 1:27 NIV

• TRIALS and TEMPTATIONS REVEAL the GIFT that God has implanted in us!
— James 1:17-18 NIV

• Let your TRIALS help to PRODUCE PERSEVERANCE.
— Hebrews 10:32-36 NIV

• Let your TEMPTATIONS help you to DEVELOP proper DESIRES.
— James 1:6-8 NIV
— Luke 4:1-4 NIV

• Good Wounds Happen in The Context of Relationship.
(Proximity, Fellowship, Communication)
— Proverbs 27: 5-6 AMP

• GOOD FRIENDS will leave GOOD WOUNDS.

• Good Wounds Are Only Meant for Growth

• Good Wounds Help You See
— Psalm 141:5 NIV
— 2 Samuel 12: 5-7 NIV
— 2 Sam 12: 13 NIV

• Good Wounds Are Grounded in Love.
(Faithful Are the Wounds of a Friend)

• Examine the WOUND: Do I KNOW the TRUE NATURE of the offense?

• Examine my HEART: Am I WILLING and READY to DEAL with the offense?
— Matthew 5:23-24 NIV
— Matthew 7:1-2 NIV

• Examine my APPROACH: HOW am I MOVING TOWARD my offender?
— Luke 17:3 NIV

** EXTRA RESOURCES **
"The Peacemaker" by Ken Sande
"How to Stop the Pain" by Dr. James Richards
"I Should Forgive, but . . ." by Dr. Chuck Lynch

— 2 Corinthians 1:2 NIV
— 2 Corinthians 1:3-5 NIV
• FOCUS on your HEAVENLY Father as your SOURCE of ALL COMFORT.

• Learn how to CRY OUT to the Comforter.
— Psalm 56:8-11 NASB

• LEARN how to PROPERLY GRIEVE your PARENT WOUNDS in his PRESENCE.

• Learn how to RECEIVE his comfort IN your pain.

— John 13:1-5 NIV

• Jesus’s HEART stayed SECURE in his FATHER’S LOVE.
• You must IDENTIFY the LIES that have been written on your heart.
• You must choose to WRITE GOD’S TRUTH on your heart.

— John 20:19-20, 24-29 NIV
— Isaiah 53:4-5 NIV
— John 20:29-31 NIV

— Matthew 28:18-20 AMP

• Step 1: Select
— Matthew 4:18-22 NIV
— Matthew 9:9-10 NIV

• Step 2: Disciple
— Matthew 28:20 AMP
— John 8:31 AMP

• Step 3: Equip
— You do it. (competence)
— You do it while someone is with you. (demonstration)
— They do it while you are with them. (coaching)
— They do it. (empowerment)
— They do it while someone else is with them. (reproduction)
(Adapted from "The Five Levels of Leadership" by John Maxwell)