Steadfast Through Trials | Episode 11

Thank you for listening to this week's episode!  Today, we walk through James 1 to explore how trials produce steadfastness, why wisdom is a gift to those who ask in faith, and how love for God keeps us steady under pressure. We end with a prayer inviting God to form durable character that lasts.

• the meaning of steadfastness and why it matters
• counting trials as joy without denying pain
• how testing produces maturity that endures
• asking God for wisdom with undivided faith
• avoiding double-mindedness and instability
• remaining steadfast to receive the crown of life
• love for God as the motive for endurance
• a prayer to invite growth and holy resilience

If you want to go on an adventure this year, let steadfastness and the development of steadfastness be part of that adventure this year!

Transcript

Welcome And Theme For The Year

SPEAKER_00 0:02

Hey Johnny Underwood here with the Undivided Podcast. Thank you for tuning in today, and I really hope you're blessed by this episode. Well, good afternoon, Undivided Podcast listeners. I am so excited that you tuned into our channel

Reading James 1 On Trials And Faith

SPEAKER_00 0:20

today. I am so excited to bring a uh uh some scripture out of James that is some of my favorite scripture. It's uh been on my heart for a while. I like to jump into James at the first of the year. Each year it seems to be a place that God can use just to bring me back to as we look into the new year with new adventures, with new tra uh challenges. So I thought we would jump into James 1 uh today and just walk down some of these scriptures and then break them down a little bit because uh there's a key word today uh that I don't know if anyone else does this. Each year I ask God for a, or at least in the last several years I've done this, a key word that was be a signature word for me that this year. One of those words this year is steadfast. So I've started looking at different places in scripture that that word shows up. Um and so I'm excited to to jump into this today and see what steadfast after actually means. As I'm gonna share with us today, I'm gonna read a definition of that, and then we're going to see what God likes, what you know, what God's thoughts are around steadfastness. So let me just jump into this. We're gonna go right into James 1, verse 2. And it's around uh James, who is a brother of Jesus, uh, he says, and it's around the subtitle of Testing of Your Faith. So he says, 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. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord. He is double-minded and unstable in all of his ways. All right, that was to verse eight. I'm gonna skip nine, ten, and eleven, and we're gonna jump right into verse twelve here. And James says, Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial. For when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life which God has promised to those who love him. So again, we see the word steadfast there three

Defining Steadfastness In Plain Terms

SPEAKER_00 2:58

times. So I'm gonna go right over here and I'm gonna read the definition of steadfast I found on online. So steadfast means being firm, loyal, and unwavering in purpose, in belief or allegiance, showing consistency and resolution against challenges, opposition, or change, like a steady gaze, a firm faith, or constant work ethic. It's about being fixed in place or on in principle, demonstrating stability and commitment over time, whether in personal character, relationships, or convictions. So really love that word steadfast. It's it's a place to we that we plant ourselves, it's a place of we don't move. It's like an oak tree, right? It's it's faithful, it's not going anywhere. It does what it's supposed to do, and other things may move or um even waver in various challenges or struggles, but steadfastness stays the course. So that's that's the definition of steadfast, as I found there online. So I want to kind of break this scripture down a little bit uh as I enjoy doing this. Is the way I do my personal Bible studies. I like to write scripture out, underline and highlight certain words, and go back and look those words up to make sure my understanding of the word is the actual meaning of the word.

Joy In Trials And Building Character

SPEAKER_00 4:28

Uh so as we jump into this here, there's some exciting things here that almost sound contrary at first, especially the here in verse 2 count it all joy, my brothers. That sounds great. Uh I like joy. Uh I like joy in reference to my brothers when you meet trials of various kinds. Well, that just doesn't sound that exciting, right? It doesn't sound like a joy-filled experience. I don't put joy and trials together very often. So that's its own little little kind of mental hurdle that I have to do there. And then verse 3 says, For you know the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. So if I'm going to count it all joy when I have trials of various kinds, I have to go, huh? Why is that? Why would I be, why would that be beneficial to me? And then he answers that question. You know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. So these trials are the very things that test our faith, right? And in this Johnny Underwood definition of faith, uh, my definition of faith, I know we have a biblical definition of faith, but that my just the common man, common language definition of faith is believing that God is who he says he is and that he will do what he says he's gonna do. So when I think of that definition of faith, I think about these trials being those things that test or push against my belief in who God is and that if God's gonna do what he has said he's gonna do. And we have a lot of promises in scripture, and then in this ongoing living relationship with that we have with him, he also gives us what I would say personal promises or personal convictions, personal uh ambitions, um, desires, needs that we can ask for. And so these these trials they push against that and they make me, they tempt me to waver in my belief. And so as I count it joy to go through those trials that are testing my faith, that testing is creating steadfastness. And again, I steadfastness is my one of my words this year. So I know that I want to develop steadfastness. I want to be known as an oak. I want to be known as solid in my faith, solid in my relationship with him, solid in my my commitment. That people that interact with me know this can say that he's a steadfast man in reference to his relationship with God. He's a steadfast man in reference to his marriage, his commitments to his family, his commitments to community, that I am I'm just I'm that man, that that is an attribute, that's a quality that I would like to have named as an attribute of me. And it says in verse 4, and let steadfastness have its full

Perfect And Complete: Lacking Nothing

SPEAKER_00 7:21

effect. So even when we acquire or develop steadfastness, there's a, if you will, a marinating that needs to go on. There's a maturing even in that, there's a full effect, if as scripture says, that needs to go on, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. So it's very interesting to me because you think when we think about perfect and complete, I mean perfect is just that it's without flaw. That's what perfection is. It would be without fall. So so this in this area of steadfastness that we can be so steadfast, so mature, so solid in that steadfastness that we're perfect in that and complete. So complete is the sum of the total. Like the sum or the total of me in this area is complete. Lacking in nothing. And this has always been interesting to me over the years as I've read this scripture over and over again, lacking in nothing. And it makes me think: does that mean I have everything or the person who's steadfast has everything? And the answer to that, of course, is no. No one outside of God has everything. So, but what does that mean? I believe that it means that like a soldier or like a specialized, some specialized forces, like a Navy SEAL, whatever the hurdle they come against, whatever the trial, they don't have to, they don't worry about the storm because they know what they're bringing. It's like a fighter knows, I don't have to, I mean, I should study my opponent, I should know about my opponent, but I know what fight I'm bringing to the battle. And that steadfast man knows what character he's bringing to the to the situation or to the circumstance. So from that aspect, he needs not for anything because he's steadfast. He's already stood the test of time of trial, of struggle, and he is solid in his testing, has been there. He is he's

Asking God For Wisdom Without Doubt

SPEAKER_00 9:19

not a uh he's not a young man that's in boot camp. He's a marine. He is he's graduated, he's gone through the program, he's developed, he's mature, he's solid. So in this area of steadfastness, that that is what we're invited to. And what we're really invited to here is to count it all joy because it's in that place. We know that we're being matured, we're in the trials and the challenges that this um this next level, if you will, of kind of moving out of boyhood into manhood, this masculinity is being developed in me. This it's like coming into your adult body after having been a child. It's on the going through puberty and on the other side of puberty, having my adult, mature, newly well-formed, if you will, chiseled because I'm disciplined, body. And there's something holy and wonderful about that. There's a confidence that we can have in that because we we have this steadfastness, we have the character qualities that steadfastness is going to develop in us through the various trials. So, but not to get just hung up there, let's keep on going here. In verse five, it says, if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously generously to all without reproach, and it will be given to him. So, one, just the wisdom or an awareness to say, I lack wisdom. I think about so many times in my teenage years, in my early 20s, where I lacked wisdom, but I didn't have the sense to even ask for wisdom. I think of different experiences. I've had different business transactions, I've had businesses that we've lost uh or didn't um we didn't transition out of well because for lack of wisdom, lack of understanding and knowledge, and I didn't have the sense to ask, not to ask others, and definitely I wasn't in a place that I was asking God. So the idea that I can ask God for wisdom and that he would not just give, but he gives generously to all without reproach. And he says, not it might be given to you, it will be given to you. And I can tell you at 54, man, my my request, God, to give me wisdom. Give me wisdom, God. Give me wisdom to even know what questions to ask. God, give me wisdom to lay down my pride or my ego or the willingness to be vulnerable in a situation to say, I need wisdom, I need something here. So it takes the asking, right? So to be willing to ask for that wisdom and knowing that God will give it to us. And I love this verse six, but let him, that's the man that's asking for uh the ask for wisdom, it says, 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. So the idea that I can ask for wisdom, but if I go into that request with doubting, I don't think God's gonna answer me, I can go into a lot of

Remaining Steadfast For The Crown Of Life

SPEAKER_00 12:37

reasons why God I don't deserve this. There's a whole lot of variations of why we would go in double-minded. Uh you know, God's or James is saying here that I'm double-minded in that in that in that request, and I should expect to receive nothing because I'm double-minded. And he says, uh, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea and is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord. He is double-minded and unstable in all of his ways. The idea of being unstable because I'm double-minded, right? It's so important to set time apart and say, not just am I asking for wisdom, but God, I'm setting apart some time to hear from you or to follow up on the directions that you give me where I would have that wisdom so that I'm not double-minded, so that I can uh receive what it is that you have for me, whether that's guidance, direction, or whatever that might be. But what I know is I don't want to be unstable in all of my ways. I want to be steadfast, I want to be firm-footed. I want to be not just confident, but I want to have the assurance of, right, not in myself, but that God has given me wisdom, he's given me direction, and I can move forward with steadfastness, knowing that the outcome belongs to him, and he's the one guiding me. So then we again drop down to verse 12. Blessed is the man who remains steadfast. So we can have steadfastness, but there's something about remaining steadfast. So not just I've known him in the past to be steadfast, but he remains over time. I've known his character over not just a day or a week, but a month, a year, five years, ten years, an extended amount of time, he has remained steadfast. It says, Blessed is that man. Blessed is the man who is steadfast under trial. For when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. So to be able to receive that crown, right? So not just is it to be steadfast under trial, but what's the motivation?

Motivation, Love For God, And Legacy

SPEAKER_00 15:06

Right? What drives all this? Is it my love for God that drives this? When I'm asking for wisdom, is it for things that are for me or for things for in relationship with him or things in my marriage that are beneficial to imaging or marrying, modeling the attributes of God in marriage? What are the, what is, what's my motivation? And what we see here is for which God has promised to those who love him. So there's a love relationship that we need to have with him, and it should be what's driving so much of our lives. So this blessed is that man who is remains steadfast under trial. For when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life. Man, I don't know about you, but I want that crown. I whether it's you want to say it's a competitor in me, it's one of the drives of my life is I lack awards. And I think of a crown as an award. To be able to say that that my father has crowned me with this crown of life and says, Well done. You have been steadfast, you have represented me well here under the sun. Right? When I stand before him one day, we're all going to stand before him. And when I have that crown and he places it on my feet, or not my feet, on my on my head, and I lay it at his feet, right? There's what scripture points to is that there's a day coming that we're going to receive a crown, but we're also then going to turn around and lay that crown at the feet of Jesus and we're going to say, Holy, holy, holy, you are worthy. Right? Because so much of our life, well, really the totality of our life as we mature in him, as we see that this whole life is about him, that we're ambassadors of Christ here on earth. And so this steadfastness that I know that I want in my life is that saying, God, I want to be steadfast through the trials. And that steadfastness means that under pressure, I look like Jesus, that Jesus comes out of me. I like, I make this statement to men in various men's circles that I get to walk and step into is when I'm cut, when I bleed, I want to bleed Jesus. And it's the steadfast man that does that. It's, you know, we come back and say, God, these trials are hard, they're challenging, but I see that there's something holy being built in me. There's being something holy in these trials that's being broken off of me. And I'm grateful for it because what I find is that under these trials, in this process of building steadfastness, there is this holy work of attributes of the natural man and the unholy man of Johnny dying off and breaking off and getting chipped and chiseled and sanded off. And the attributes of Jesus are being developed, shaped, and molded in my life. So that the legacy that I believe that I will leave, and I my prayer is that I leave, is that an onlooking world and an onlooking family and those that know me most intimately can say, he may not have started out looking like Jesus, but he sure finished up looking like Jesus. So that's my aim. That's my that's really it's part of my life aim, but that's definitely my aim as I move into 2026. And that's my my challenge and my ask for you.

A Cautious Invitation To Seek Steadfastness

SPEAKER_00 18:32

If you want to go on an adventure this year, let steadfastness and the development of steadfastness be part of that adventure this year. That you say, God build steadfastness in me. And like I would say of stead, uh, I say this of steadfastness, and I would say this like you hear people pray about don't pray for patience. Why? Because we know that the way that God builds patience in us many times is that he puts us in situations where we need patience. So the idea that we're asked for steadfastness means that we're asking God for trials. So I wouldn't encourage you to move into that just with uh with a frivolously, I would set in that space with God and say, hey God, with great intentionality, having waited out, I'm asking for you to build steadfastness in me. I want to experience the joy in the trials. But knowing that when we ask, that we're also inviting the trials, and then we're gonna have to fight for or struggle for that joy at times. So that's my that's what God put on my heart for us this week. I just encourage you to sit with that and sit with God and say, hey, God, is that something you have for me this this year? And if it is, God, I invite you to build that in me. Bring those situations, bring those circumstances that are going to develop this steadfastness for me because God, I want the crown. I want the crown of life. And God, I do love. You but I know to love you means that I have to love what you love and I have to hate what you hate, and I have to die to me and lift you up, that you become utmost, you become the the the most precious thing in my life. And so it's in to that end that we we live, we move, it's to that end as ambassadors, as the sons and daughters of God here under the sun, that we we do what it is that we do. And so that's my that's my challenge to you. That's my my ask for you as we as we look at the as we've looked at this word today.

Closing Prayer For Steadfast Hearts

SPEAKER_00 20:34

So my my the next thing I want to do is I just want to pray over us. And I want to uh you're welcome to to partner with me in prayer and see what might God might want to do this year around steadfastness with you. So here we go. Heavenly Father, Lord, we just thank you for your word. I thank you for the gift of the book of James. Father, these five chapters are very challenging, they're very um, very moving. They are uh they call us to action. And uh so Lord, I thank you for that. I thank you for this book, I thank you for these specific scriptures, Father, that that invite us to to grow, to mature, to invite trials and struggles into our lives because it's in those that we holy things are developed. So Lord, I just thank you for that. And Father, here in this moment, I say to you again, God, I invite to steadfastness. God, I want to be known as a steadfast man. I need that, God. I want and need to be a man that's not uh tossed to and fro, that I'm not double-minded, that I'm stable in all of my ways, God. So I ask that you would do that this year in me. You would continue to do that this year, Father, as you just continue to sanctify me, Father, that I can look back over 2026 as we come to the end of the year, Father, here in 11 and a half months, and say, look at that, look what God has done in my life. I see and others see new growth, more maturity, and more attributes of Christ in my life. And Lord, I thank you. I thank you for your goodness and your faithfulness to us. And Father, as people are listening to this podcast, as or listen to these words, I thank you that you're pricking their hearts and you're challenging them, Father, by your spirit, to invite you to come and do steadfast work in them as well. And Lord, we love you and we give you glory for all that you're doing in our lives, and we pray all this in Jesus' mighty name. Amen.