Why am I going through this?

“James is writing to a poor messianic faith community that is being oppressed by people in power.” - Scot McKnight

“Take, for example, the famous list of the seven deadly sins in the Western Christian tradition: gluttony, lust, pride, wrath, greed, sloth and envy. With the possible exception of sloth, we currently live in a culture which not only sees nothing wrong with these values but actively encourages them. The pursuit of these six vices is no longer something to be confessed or repented: it is the very thing which drives our notion of progress forward.” - Paul Kingsnorth

God is not our PROBLEM, He is our SOLUTION.

5 Shifts in Perspective When Life Is Hard:
1) CELEBRATE the reason behind the trial (vs2-3)
2) Remind yourself of GOD’S PROMISE (vs4)
3) TALK to God - PRAY! (vs5-8)
4) BELIEVE that it’s good to be small (vs9-11)
5) Meditate on the REWARD (vs12)

“Prayer is the key that opens heaven; the favors we ask descend upon us the very instant our prayers ascend to God.” – Augustine

“The more we pray, the more we think to pray, and as we see the results of prayer-the responses of our Father to our requests-our confidence in God's power spills over into other areas of our life.” – Dallas Willard

Any simpleton can see that eternity is much longer than our present life.” - Chris Armstrong