How to Handle Suffering | Bishop Steven Arnold

How to Handle Suffering | Bishop Steven Arnold

Suffering is not a matter of if, but when. When it arrives, we tend to respond in one of three ways: we become bitter, we become broken, or we become better. God's intention is always the third option. Drawing from the book of James and the life of Job, we are called to be prayerful in our pain, patient in the process, and to praise God through the pressure. Prayer connects us to a God who is not standing outside of our trouble looking in but is present within it. Like a farmer who trusts the harvest even when nothing is visible above the soil, we are invited to trust that God is working beneath the surface. Suffering is real, but so is the God who walks through it with us.

The Faith That a Father Needs | Bishop Steven Arnold

Fatherhood is one of the greatest honors and hardest responsibilities a person can carry, and no parenting book can fully prepare you for it. What every father truly needs is real, active, undying faith in God. Faith sees beyond the problem to the Source, trusts the process even when it is painful, and holds on to the truth that all things work together for good. But faith also requires an honest look at the war happening on the inside, where wrong desires can lead to wrong decisions and ultimately to destruction. God gives grace to the humble, and that grace covers the past, sustains the present, and secures the future. Moving forward means submitting to God, resisting the enemy, and staying close to Him through prayer and His Word. Faith is not just something you say. It is something you do.

How to Know if My Faith is Real | Pastor Joshua Hurlburt

James provides two powerful tests to examine the authenticity of our faith. The Word Test reveals that our speech directly reflects our heart condition - we cannot have an unhealthy mouth and a healthy heart. The Wisdom Test shows that our choices and their outcomes reveal whether we follow worldly wisdom (characterized by envy and selfish ambition) or godly wisdom (marked by purity, peace, and mercy). Both tests expose our spiritual condition, revealing our need for Jesus as the Great Physician who can heal what we cannot heal ourselves.

Can My Faith Save Me? | Pastor Joshua Hurlburt

Not all faith has the power to save. James 2:14 asks whether faith without deeds can truly save us. Dead faith produces no life change, while demonic faith believes correct doctrine but refuses to follow Jesus. Only living faith transforms us, evidenced through actions like loving enemies, serving others, and showing practical compassion. Abraham and Rahab demonstrated living faith through their deeds, proving that genuine faith and works operate together. You cannot manufacture saving faith through religious activities or moral behavior - it is a gift from Jesus. The crucial question is not how much faith you have, but whether your faith is real and transformative.

Grace to Love the Underdogs | Bishop Steven Arnold

God has a pattern of choosing those the world overlooks and using them for extraordinary purposes. From Abraham to Moses to Peter, Scripture shows us that God reaches down to the neglected and discarded, restoring them and anointing them for amazing things. True Christianity is tested not by how we treat those who can help us, but by how we show grace to people who can do nothing for us in return. We must examine our hearts for favoritism and ask God to help us love others the way He loves them. Since we all live on grace and have received undeserved mercy, we're called to extend that same grace to the underdogs around us.