← The Wake-Up Call
The Wake-Up Call
Let God Have the Last Word
00:14:23
P.S. Get Your Copy of Growing Up Hey, Sower Nation! In celebration of launch week of Growing Up: Faith Lessons from the Book of James—and with hopes of sowing this good seed in as many places as possible—we are offering a deal for groups doing the study. Use the code WOMEN for 50% off orders of at least four books. And, remember, the videos come included with the books. Order at: https://my.seedbed.com/product/growing-up-james/ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Luann Riley reflects on James 3:2–6, exploring the immense power of words. Using James’s images of a horse’s bit, a ship’s rudder, and a small spark that can ignite a forest, she describes how careless, angry, or cruel remarks can leave lasting wounds. She invites listeners to acknowledge the harmful words they have carried, release them to God, and replace them with the truth that they are loved, chosen, forgiven, and made new. The episode closes with a prayer for healing in both the words listeners have received and th...
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Foreign.
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Nation.
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It's Thursday, August 6th, in the year of our Lord 2026. I'm Luann Riley and this is your wake up call. It is day four of being in the book of James together. And I have enjoyed this so much, being with you and being with Jesus in this space and of course, Bethany's amazing worship that we've gotten to have each morning. I hope that as we've taken just some of these small portions, these small sections of James, that you've been able to have good reflection as you kind of walk through this book with me. I'm. I'll be here today and then also tomorrow, and then that will wrap up our time together in James. But I hope that you have been encouraged this week and challenged this week as we have dove into this scripture. So let's do it again this morning by entering in with consecration. Wake up, sleeper. Rise from the dead and Christ will shine on you. Jesus, I belong to you. I lift my heart to you. I set my mind on you. I fix my eyes on you. I offer my body to you as a living sacrifice. Jesus, we belong to you. Praying in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen. So let's go to God's Word together. We will be in James, chapter three, verse two through six. The Word of the Lord. We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check. When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder where the pilot wants to go. Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boast. Consider what A great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a word of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one's life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. Well, this one's tough. Have you ever said something and instantly wish that you can take it back? I have. Far too many times. Maybe it happened during an argument. Maybe you were tired, defensive, angry. You might not have meant what you said, or maybe you meant it at the time, but you never wanted to hurt so much. The problem with words is that once we say them, we can't take them back. We can apologize, we can explain, we can ask for forgiveness, but that doesn't make the words unheard. And James knows how powerful our words can be. He writes, we all stumble in many ways. And he compares the tongue to a small bit that guides a horse or a tiny rudder that steers a ship, a spark that can set a whole forest on fire. And what he is illustrating is that our words may seem small, but they have great power. A careless comment can spread through a workplace and hurt someone's reputation. An angry sentence can linger in a marriage for years. A joke about someone's looks or abilities can quietly affect how they see themselves. A parent, a teacher, a coach, a friend, or a spouse might say something in frustration, not knowing that those words could be remembered for decades. Things like, you'll never amount to anything, or you are too much, or you are not enough, or no one will ever love you, or I wish you were more like them. And words, they can spread like fire, but they also can burn inside us long after everyone has forgotten that they were spoken. Take a moment to think about your life. Are there words someone said to you that you still remember? Maybe they've become a part of how you see yourselves. You might have replayed them so often that they feel more like truth than just someone else's opinion or anger or pain. And James tells us to take our words seriously. But Jesus can heal the words that have been spoken to us. Those words said to us. They don't have to shape our lives. They don't get the final say about who we are. God does. So this morning, I'm inviting you to bring those words to God to say them honestly. Don't downplay the pain or act like they didn't really matter. But you can choose to stop believing what is not true. So I invite you to just imagine, opening your hands before God, that you are putting the words that people have said to you in here, one by one. The cruel comment, the careless label, the words that made you feel unwanted or unseen or incapable or unlovable. And then I want you to just release them. Those words may have hurt you, but they don't define you. You're not what someone said in anger. You're not the worst thing you've ever been called. You're not the rejection that you went through. You are who God says you are. Loved, chosen, forgiven, held, made new. So today we'll ask God to replace every hurtful word with his truth. Let his voice be louder than the voices you have carried. As God heals our hearts, may he also change the way we speak so that our words become sparks of grace. Courage, healing, and life instead of harm. Why don't you join me in praying? Gracious God, you know, every word that has wounded us and every word we wish we could take back, help us release those words to you. Forgive us for the times where our own words have caused harm. Jesus, as we grow in faith, mature our hearts, hearts and our speech, let our words bring life and healing to others. Amen. So only one journal prompt today, because I think spend some time in what we talked about in terms of releasing words. Sometimes it's not that easy to just release them. And so you may have to do some work this week in bringing those same words to the Lord over and over. And then the journal prompt is, what would it look like for our words to become a sign of growing spiritual maturity? You know, in my own life, words have held great power, and I have. I can just recall. I can recall words that were said to me as a child. I can recall words that were said to me by people in high school. I can recall words that were said to me in my marriage. They are so easy for me, for my mind to find them and for my heart to find them. And I've spent a lot of time and a lot of work both in therapy and with the Lord and in healing, to undo some of the words that I had taken and owned as my identity, things that people said I wasn't good at. So I just owned that. People criticisms about my personality or my nature or my character. And I've just put too much stock, I think, in what other people say. And so it's been a process for me as growing to really begin to change those words that were spoken to me and to replace them with what God says is actually true. And one of the. One of the exercises that has helped me in therapy years ago was to. To write out what someone said to me and then to write the truth from scripture that refutes that and to just speak those over and over to remind ourselves that the words that are spoken to us, they're spoken by broken people. They're often spoken out of ang. They're often spoken out of projection. They're often spoken out of pride or jealousy or any other number of broken reasons that we as humans say really hurtful things to people. And those words are not the gospel truth. The only truth is God's word, and that he loves you and that he sees you and that you're worthy and that you're valuable and that you are who he says you are. And so I hope that if you are still feeling some of those wounds. That you can use these practices this week to help find healing and growth as you continue to grow in your faith and your identity in Christ. All right, I get to invite Bethany Johnson again for our beautiful time of worship.
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Good morning, Sower Nation. Thirteen years ago, I moved to the Woodlands, Texas, and on my very first day here, I drove by the church that I work at now. And as I looked over, I heard a voice say, the spirit is in this place. I didn't think very much of it and continued to where I was working at the time. And a couple years into that experience, I found myself surrounded by people who used words to tear me down instead of build me up. And I knew I needed a change. And I never forgot about this church that I work at now. I snuck over to attend a worship service here, and the very first hymn that the choir sang was My Chains are Gone. And as soon as they started singing, the tears that I had been holding in for months began to fall out. And as the tears fell from my eyes, I felt God's abundant grace pour into me. And that was the first step of many that God has led me to where I am today. That step in attending a worship service here led me to being brave and joining a women's group, which led to eventually being hired here on staff and finally meeting Luann three years ago. And it's been such a blessing to support her in her. In her ministry here. I invite you to not let the words of others define you, but to focus on God's words. That's the only word that matters. That's the word that will build us up and to help our chains be gone. Today we'll be singing hymn574, my chains are Gone from our seedbed hymnal. Our great redeemer's praise
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Amazing grace How sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me I once was lost but now am found Was blind but now I see Twas grace that taught my heart to fear and grace my fears relieved how precious did that grace appear the hour I first believed My chains are gone I've been set free My God, my Savior has ransomed me and like a flood his mercy reigns Unending love Amazing grace the Lord has promised good to me his word my hope secures he will my shield and portion be as long as life endures My chains are gone I've been set free My God, my Savior has ransomed me and like a flood his mercy reigns Unending love Amazing grace the earth shall soon dissolve like snow the sun forbear to shine But God who called me here below Will be forever mine.
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For the awakening I'm Bethany Johnson.
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I'm Luann Riley.
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And we'll see you on the field,
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Sam.