Live Free with Josh Howerton

Join us this week as we delve into King Solomon's writings. Through his words, we discover a profound truth: knowing what is right and actually doing it are often two different things. As we explore Solomon's insights, we find him returning to a fundamental principle: Lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways, acknowledge God. For more information, visit lakepointe.church/dailydrive

Do you want peace? Focusing on God is the way! When we put our thoughts on Him we can experience rest and peace even in the midst of the storm. Keep today’s verse in mind and experience perfect peace. For more information, visit lakepointe.church/dailydrive

Eternal life starts now! Isn’t that amazing? Let’s focus on this because it lasts and is so much more important than the temporary things of this world. Let's get on with the main course of knowing God and avoid wasting our time prioritizing our temporary home. For more information, visit lakepointe.church/dailydrive

We have a heavenly Father who knows your needs. We don’t need to be distracted worrying about keeping up with all the things of the world. We need to seek His kingdom, and everything else takes care of itself. For more information, visit lakepointe.church/dailydrive

When you are a doer, isn’t it easy to get distracted by what needs to be done? As we look at our passage for today, we can see that a change of perspective allows us to get things done without anxiety or distraction. We all need to prioritize our connection with Him, which recenters and reprioritizes our focus correctly. For more information, visit lakepointe.church/dailydrive

God has you here for a reason, so how do we stay focused on what matters to Him? We all know how easy it is to be distracted. We are on our phones too much, and social media can steal an hour easily. So, what do we need to do to avoid distraction? Join us this week as we study God’s word and consider what an undistracted life looks like. For more information, visit lakepointe.church/dailydrive

No one wants trials or problems; everyone wants comfort. Yet, how do we grow without these difficult seasons? Strength comes from dependence on God. His kindness will give you more than you can handle to move you to God-reliance. Let us trust Him with our suffering, knowing He will use it for our good. For more information, visit lakepointe.church/dailydrive

Obedience-optional Christianity is not Christianity at all. Jesus is not a life coach, but our Lord, and we need to give up ourselves and follow Him. We must take up the cross and follow Him if we want the joy of being His disciple. There is an amazing life waiting for you on the other side of denying yourself and following Him. For more information, visit lakepointe.church/dailydrive

It isn’t enough to know the truth; we must respond to the truth! And we can trust that what God says is true. Jesus even says He is the Truth. Blessing comes from living and responding to what is true, so let us not neglect this opportunity. For more information, visit lakepointe.church/dailydrive

Ever have good intentions but make a bad decision? The advice to “Follow your heart” is a great example. Culture, friends, and leaders share this idea with good intentions, but it often leads to bad decisions. So what do we do? Come to Jesus and ask for a new heart to follow Him. For more information, visit lakepointe.church/dailydrive

God is love. But is this divine love different than what our culture calls love? It is easy to be swept away into cultural sayings such as “Love is Love” without considering why that might contradict God’s true definition of love. So let's trust God, let Him define love and sit in His word to find what love truly is. For more information, visit lakepointe.church/dailydrive

Today is the last day of May and the last day of our time in the book of James. James encourages us to pray and confess our sins to one another because there is healing in confession. When we acknowledge and take responsibility for our sin, it gets it out into the light. In the light, you will see that you are not alone and that God’s mercy is always enough. For more information, visit lakepointe....

Do you love waiting? Probably not. However, James calls us to wait patiently like a farmer. We are to work hard but also wait expectantly. God is trustworthy and we can rest in Him, knowing with confidence that His will is being done in our lives. God’s timing is perfect, and He has a purpose for our waiting. For more information, visit lakepointe.church/dailydrive

The church of Jesus is where people from every background come together and can be one. A danger of diversity is seeing people with more or less than us and letting that become an area of pride or jealousy. No matter what financial resources God has given us, they all belong to Him. How are you viewing and using God’s resources today? For more information, visit lakepointe.church/dailydrive

Too often we judge others based on what we see in them while letting things slide in our own lives. God wants us to live in humility, but too often we try to be the judge and think we have all the answers. Our lives are short, and it matters what we do with them. He’s the one ultimately in control of our lives, not us… and that’s a really good thing! For more information, visit lakepointe.church/d...

We jump back into the book of James and chapter 4 this week. Pride is a dangerous thing that leads to broken and dysfunctional relationships. We need to learn how to humble ourselves with God and others. When we humble ourselves and follow the example of Jesus, God will lift us up. Where might God want you to humble yourself this week? For more information, visit lakepointe.church/dailydrive

James tells us that God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. God loves us so much that He wants what’s best for us. He will help us resist the temptation of the enemy. The same power that raised Christ from the dead will help us! As you head into the weekend, come close to God and stand firm on the words He has placed in your heart. For more information, visit lakepointe.church/dailydr...

Today, we move into chapter 4 of James. The Bible is full of relational conflicts, and we all face conflicts in our lives, too. James asks us what causes our quarrels and then points out that our conflicts rise up from the sin within us. God loves us so much that He is rightfully jealous when we allow these passions within us to guide our actions instead of His Spirit. For more information, visit...

As we have seen by looking at James, our words reveal what is going on in our hearts. Pride and jealousy come out in our words and actions. But God does not want that to define His people. He wants us to respond with gentleness and humility to each other. May we be peacemakers for Christ in our lives this week. For more information, visit lakepointe.church/dailydrive

God wants to speak words of life and truth into your heart. His words combat the painful lies the enemy uses to try and tear us down. The enemy wants us to use our words against others to cause division. But the Spirit wants to fill our hearts so words of life flow out of us. The mouth speaks what the heart is full of. Who can you speak life into today? For more information, visit lakepointe.churc...

Words can heal or wound. They can build up or tear down. They can encourage or bring despair. James tells us that our tongues are as powerful as a bit in a horse or a rudder on a ship. What comes out of our mouths has great power. How are you using your words? Where can you use them to heal, not harm, this week? For more information, visit lakepointe.church/dailydrive

As we wrap up the week, we zoom in on James 3:10. James calls out how wrong it is to bless and curse out of the same mouth. They can wound and cause destruction. You have probably been wounded by someone’s words. You have probably wounded someone else. Thankfully, Jesus can bring healing and teach us how to use our words to bless, not curse. For more information, visit lakepointe.church/dailydrive

In today's culture, there's a danger in thinking that our faith is merely private and personal. However, true faith demands outward expression for others to witness. Our actions, not just our beliefs, demonstrate our righteousness before God. James draws from Old Testament narratives to illustrate how faith was lived out authentically. How can you emulate their example and actively live out your f...

Faith alone isn't sufficient unless it produces good deeds. However, these deeds alone do not secure our salvation; rather, we are saved solely by faith through grace. Yet, grace does not grant us the license to act without restraint. The true faith that saves changes our hearts, so we want to live it out. We share the grace we’ve received with others to point them to Jesus. For more information,...

James tells us not only to listen to the Word but also to be doers of the Word. He uses a specific example of not favoring people who look important over those who may be deemed 'less than.' We are all one body, children of God in Christ. He loved us, so we also ought to love one another. This is our faith in action. For more information, visit lakepointe.church/dailydrive