So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak and slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Therefore, lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.     James 1:19-22 NKJV

In this Scripture passage James is explaining to us how to successfully come through a trial. I have learned the hard way that the times when I have not been successful in trials is when I have not listened. God speaks to us through His holy Word, but often times we are so busy worrying about what “we” are going to do that we fail to consult with Him. We fail to acknowledge Him as we are told to do in Proverbs 3:5-6. Instead, we do just as James tells us not to do. We are quick to speak, and sadly quick to speak things we have no business speaking at all. James tells us to do the opposite. We are to be swift to hear. Turn to God’s word. There is nothing in this old world we face today that has not been covered in God’s Word.

James also tells us to be slow to speak. There have been times when I have started to speak out against something someone is doing that I consider to be wrong. The problem is this person believes they are right and they are not going to listen. But when I turn to God’s Word and speak God’s Word to them I find it hard for them to dispute that. I have had enemies that were never without words suddenly become speechless when confronted with what God’s word has to say on the subject. I’ve never had anyone come back at me when I have used God’s words and not my own. And if they did they would be arguing with God not me and we all know no good can come of that.

The other times I have failed miserably in trials is when I let my anger get the best of me. I have heard it said we are most vulnerable to the devil’s attack when we are hungry, angry, lonely or tired. If anger goes unchecked, we can become our own worst enemy. This is why James tells us to be slow to anger. Anger is an emotion that can get the best of us if we are not careful. And note what he says in our Scripture passage, “Our wrath does not produce God’s righteousness.”

James then tells us to rid ourselves of any moral filthiness and evil or wicked behavior. Let’s face it when we become angry with someone, it is very tempting to want to sink to their level. It is tempting to plot evil against them. Why? Because we want to get even. We want to get the upper hand. And the upper hand is the problem. That whole upper hand thing is a matter of pride, and we know that God hates pride. This is why it is so important to humble ourselves and receive God’s word. We must have God’s word implanted in our hearts. Psalm 119:11 says, “Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against you.” This is why Bible study is so important. We must familiarize ourselves with God’s Holy Word. When we seek God with our whole heart and humble ourselves and receive His word our souls can be saved.

Last but not least be doers of God’s word. It’s so easy to sit in church on Sunday morning and listen to God’s Word. It’s easy to read God’s word, but doing it is another story altogether. God calls on us to do the hard stuff. He calls on us to be humble but strong. It takes much more strength to refrain from sinning than it does to sin. Are you strong enough to go the distance?

Trial as used in a court setting is a hearing which is used to determine a person’s guilt or innocence. When we come through the trials of life, we will either emerge guilty or innocent before God. The trials of life will cause our faith to grow stronger or cause it to crumble. These are meant to strengthen us as Christians. But if we fail to do as James instructs in our Scripture passage, they can break us down. They will make us or break us.

If you want to grow stronger, follow James advice.

Have a great day!