I Still Have Some Questions

Devotional

Day 1: When Trials Steal Joy, Where Does Your Anchor Lie?

Trials expose where we’ve anchored our joy. If comfort, success, or control are our sources, suffering will destabilize us. But joy rooted in Christ’s unchanging character becomes unshakable. James calls believers to reframe struggles as opportunities to discover God’s sustaining presence. Patience isn’t passive endurance but active trust in the Father’s shaping work. Like a tree deepening roots during drought, trials force dependence on living water. What we lack in answers, He supplies in nearness. [00:45]

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.
(James 1:2-4, ESV)

Reflection: What recent struggle made you feel joyless? How might Christ’s presence in that pain become your anchor rather than demanding its removal?

Day 2: The Holy Audacity to Ask While Doubting

God invites raw questions, not polished piety. James—once a skeptic—insists we approach God like children tugging a parent’s sleeve, not theologians debating a doctrine. Wisdom comes not to those who have it all figured out, but to those who bring their confusion to the throne. Doubt becomes dangerous only when it keeps us silent. The Father’s generosity isn’t limited by our faltering faith, but our receptivity grows when we voice both our “I believe” and “help my unbelief.” [01:39]

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.
(James 1:5-6, ESV)

Reflection: What question have you been afraid to bring to God? How would voicing it today—even with shaky faith—change your posture toward Him?

Day 3: From Pew Warmers to Pulse Checkers

Religious proximity—like James’ early relationship with Jesus—breeds complacency. True devotion ignites when we move from observing rituals to joining God’s redemption story. It’s the difference between admiring a firefighter’s gear and running into burning buildings. James’ letter prods believers to stop auditing faith and start inhabiting it. Maturity comes not from perfect attendance but from becoming Christ’s hands in a broken world. [03:17]

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like.
(James 1:22-24, ESV)

Reflection: Where has your faith become a spectator sport? What practical step could make you a player in God’s kingdom work this week?

Day 4: Algorithms vs Altar Calls

Social media’s endless scroll competes with Scripture’s sacred scroll. Like the serpent in Eden, algorithms study our cravings to offer counterfeit communion. Every swipe trains us to prefer distraction over devotion, outrage over outreach, and curation over authenticity. Healthy stewardship means auditing what shapes our desires. Just as farmers rotate crops to preserve soil, believers must rotate inputs to protect their hearts. [16:35]

I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless. I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not cling to me. A perverse heart shall be far from me; I will know nothing of evil.
(Psalm 101:3-4, ESV)

Reflection: What digital input leaves you feeling empty after consuming it? What one boundary could guard your heart’s altar this month?

Day 5: Forgiveness as Soul Surgery

Unforgiveness acts like shrapnel left in a wound—it festers. James’ call to “receive the implanted word” (1:21) reminds us forgiveness isn’t excusing harm but extracting poison. Like a surgeon removing bullets, God wants to free us from the infection of bitterness. This doesn’t minimize others’ sins but maximizes Christ’s power to heal our scars. Every “I release them” declaration is a scalpel in the Healer’s hand. [32:11]

Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
(Ephesians 4:32, ESV)

Reflection: What unresolved hurt still poisons your thoughts? How might surrendering it to Christ’s care today begin your liberation?

Sermon Summary

James calls believers beyond religious proximity into real devotion. Being around the things of God is not the same as trusting God. His letter gives the church some “act right”: faith must show up in how believers handle struggle, care for people, and obey the Word. Trials test where joy is rooted. If joy rests in comfort, trouble can steal it. If joy rests in Christ, trouble becomes a place where patience does its work and faith grows.

God invites believers to ask for wisdom in faith. Honest questions need not create distance from him. Sin separates, but the gospel keeps extending an invitation to draw near with the brokenness, doubt, anger, and struggle still present. Real faith seeks more than comfort. It seeks clarity about who God is and how he calls people to live.

Spiritual growth brings together the Holy Spirit’s work, the ordinary trials of life, and planned disciplines that help believers put on a new heart. Christianity is not a lazy faith. Prayer, Scripture, service, giving, and community help resist the heart’s drift toward sin.

That devotion reaches into everyday decisions. Social media requires attention to content, control, and consequence because an unchecked algorithm will shape the person consuming it. Healthy relationships with God and people must matter more than endless scrolling. Christian leadership likewise requires humility, confession, service, and room for others to lead rather than celebrity status.

Consistency in Scripture needs workable systems, not desire alone. Forgiveness invites God into hurt without making healing depend on another person’s repentance; painful memories may require forgiveness again and again. Biblical authority calls for patient study of difficult texts, including attention to the context of Paul’s instructions about women and his recognition of women who served and taught. Dating relationships need clear conversations, community, and boundaries rather than covenant space without commitment.

God does not promise an explanation for every painful question. He promises his presence. What feels like an obstacle can become an invitation into a more authentic, transformative relationship with Emmanuel, God with his people.

Key Takeaways

1. Trials Reveal Where Joy Is Rooted. Trouble exposes the difference between joy in Christ and joy in comfort. James does not call suffering pleasant; he calls believers to recognize that tested faith can produce patience and maturity. When Christ is the source of joy, hardship does not have the final say over it. [05:25]
2. Spiritual Growth Requires Intentional Cooperation. The Holy Spirit renews the mind, convicts of sin, and reminds believers of truth, but Christianity is not a lazy faith. Ordinary trials and planned disciplines belong together in the work of becoming more like Christ. Prayer, Scripture, service, and community provide holy boundaries against the heart’s tendency to drift toward sin. [11:20]
3. An Unchecked Algorithm Shapes The Heart. Social media must be evaluated by its content, its control over attention, and the relationships or responsibilities it crowds out. Moving from one platform to another can simply replace one dependency with another. App limits, unfollowing outrage, honest accountability, and time spent with actual people help keep digital habits from directing a believer’s life. [18:19]
4. Forgiveness Invites God Into Hurt. Forgiveness removes the poisonous needle rather than waiting for the offender to receive the punishment that seems deserved. Another person’s repentance cannot become the condition for allowing God to begin healing the wound. Remembering the harm does not automatically mean forgiveness has failed; the returning memory may require forgiveness to be applied again. [32:51]
5. God Promises Presence Amid Unanswered Questions. Questions about grief and painful experiences do not always receive the explanations believers hope for. God’s continuing invitation is to seek him, and his promise is that he can be found. Emmanuel means that unresolved questions need not leave a hurting person without God’s nearness. [48:44]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[02:19] - From Religious Proximity to Real Devotion
[05:05] - Joy, Trials, and Asking for Wisdom
[06:36] - Sin Separates, but God Invites
[09:21] - The Golden Triangle of Spiritual Growth
[15:20] - A Healthy Relationship With Social Media
[23:52] - Humility Instead of Celebrity Culture
[26:04] - Systems for Consistent Bible Reading
[31:51] - Forgiving Someone Who Is Not Repentant
[34:36] - Trusting the Bible’s Authority
[36:58] - Paul, Context, and Women in Ministry
[41:48] - Dating With Clarity and Boundaries
[47:21] - Seeking God and Receiving His Presence

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

James 1:2-6
“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. 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.” [00:28]

Jeremiah 29:12-14
“Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the LORD, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the LORD, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.” [48:01]

Hebrews 4:16
“Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” [07:20]

Observation questions

In James 1:2–6, what connects trials, patience, and maturity? What does James tell believers to do when they lack the wisdom to face their struggles? [05:25]
What difference is drawn between joy rooted in Christ and joy rooted in comfort? How does trouble reveal that difference? [05:30]
What three parts of spiritual growth were identified, and how do ordinary struggles fit alongside the Holy Spirit’s work and planned disciplines? [12:38]
In Hebrews 4:16, what help is offered to people who approach God in need? What attitudes or struggles might people mistakenly think they must leave behind before coming to him? [08:44]

Interpretation questions

Why does James 1:2–6 connect the need for wisdom with the experience of trials? How might seeking wisdom change a believer’s prayers beyond simply asking for the trouble to end? [05:52]
How can a believer ask God honest questions while still asking in faith, as James 1:6 instructs? What is the difference between struggling to understand God and refusing to trust him? [06:20]
How do God’s invitation in Jeremiah 29:12–14 and the welcome described in Hebrews 4:16 help someone who has not received an explanation for painful experiences? What is the difference between receiving God’s presence and receiving an answer? [49:00]

Application questions

Think of a recent frustration or an ongoing trial you feel comfortable sharing. What has your response revealed about where you look for joy? What specific wisdom would you like to ask God for in that situation? [05:30]
Being around the things of God is not the same as trusting him. Where might you be keeping up a religious routine while avoiding a step of obedience? What would real devotion look like there this week? [03:12]
Consistency in Scripture needs a workable system, not desire alone. What usually gets in the way of your Bible reading? What simple plan for when, where, and how you read could fit your actual life? [26:22]
Consider your social media use in terms of content, control, and consequence. What is it encouraging in you, and what relationship or responsibility is it crowding out? What boundary or change might help you give that part of your life more attention? [22:35]
Forgiveness invites God into hurt without pretending the harm did not happen. Without naming anyone or sharing painful details, is there a hurt you are waiting for someone else to acknowledge before you begin seeking healing? What might inviting God into that hurt look like while keeping needed boundaries? [32:56]
God’s presence does not depend on having every question answered. What unresolved question or struggle would you like to bring honestly to him? How could this group walk with you without rushing to explain or fix it? [48:39]

Sermon Clips

32s

#ForgivenessJourney

“And so what do you do when you can't forget it? I wanna I want us to understand this. You might not be able to forget the harm that somebody else caused in your life. doesn't mean you haven't forgiven them. That means you have to apply forgiveness again and again because your mind doesn't know the difference between the first occurrence and the fiftieth memory. And so I need the Lord to renew my mind, and I need to say, Lord, I forgive this person again.”

32s

#FaithOverProximity

“James had proximity with Jesus, but did not necessarily have faith in Jesus. I think I think when you when you read James or when you understand James, the character, and you read James, you see his character growth, and you see him go from a place of religious proximity to real devotion. Wow. Yeah. And I think that's where many of us are as well.”

44s

#GodWithUs

“Some of the questions, some of the struggles that we have sometimes feel like obstacles, but that's actually an invitation. There are so many people suffering, so many questions about grief, and so many questions about, god, why did you allow these painful things to happen? I don't know if he's gonna give you answers, but what he does promise all throughout the New Testament and every mention of restoration in the Old Testament is his presence. That's what he wants to give us. He wants us to understand he's Emmanuel, god with us.”

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