James 3:13 -17 by Mosaic Church

The book of James comes with warnings and questions, of one of them is what's more powerful than a bit controlling a horse or a rudder steering a ship? A human tongue. If that's true, what words are we speaking?

One of the most controversial passages in the Bible seems to clash with Paul’s teachings of being saved by grace. James tackles the issue of saying someone has faith, but there is no evidence in that person’s life. How do what we do with our lives play into our faith of salvation through Jesus?

James challenges his readers with two very important thoughts. As believers, our religion is impacted by our words and our actions. And like it, how we treat others who are in different economic situations shows our faith in God. God cares for the hurting, broken, and those in hard situations. As we follow Christ, we must take on that same attitude.

James 1: 1-18

We shoiuld view trials in our lives as a means of growth, praying for wisdom to resist temptation during difficult circumstances.

With our body covered and ready for the attacks, Paul brings us two important pieces of armor – a helmet to protect our heads and a sword to attack. With salvation as our helmet and the Word as our sword, our armor is now complete for the battle. How can the hope of salvation through Jesus and the Word of God keep us from falling?

With our body covered and ready for the attacks, Paul brings us two important pieces of armor – a helmet to protect our heads and a sword to attack. With salvation as our helmet and the Word as our sword, our armor is now complete for the battle. How can the hope of salvation through Jesus and the Word of God keep us from falling?

The shield is one of the most important pieces of a soldiers armor. It is the first line of defense. It is used to protect vital organs against projectiles and attacks. Paul uses the picture of a shield to speak on our need for faith in this spiritual war. With the enemy throwing all sorts of attacks, our faith in God and His promises is what protects us.

Paul now moves to an unlikely piece of armor, the shoes. The caligae of the Roman solders were made specifically for long marches, with care taken to not form blisters and to breathe. Paul bridges the shoes of a soldier, with us getting ready for the long march to bring the gospel of peace to all people. How does proper footwear impact the spiritual battle that we are in?

Being in a spiritual war is not something most people think about. Yes we see evil and bad things around us. But a war? It seems impossible because it is an enemy that we cannot see. But that is exactly what Paul wants us to understand. If we do not equip ourselves with spiritual armor, we are going to vulnerable to attacks. The Belt of Truth and the Breastplate of Righteousness are foundational pieces that protect our vitals and hold everything together. How do we put on this invisible armor against an invisible enemy?