Knowing Who God Actually Is

Somewhere solid to stand when the trials come.

I love our Friday morning men’s study at Cracker Barrel. A small group from here at Cornerstone has been gathering together for nearly 30 years. It’s a simple study. We read through a few verses of a Bible book at a time and then discuss them. Earlier in March, we started studying the book of James. On Friday, we focused on verses 9-18 of chapter 1. And there are some important lessons for us to learn. For example, there’s a reason James spends so much time in the first chapter explaining who God is. It’s not abstract theology; it’s survival equipment.

Think about the person James is writing to. They’re scattered, under pressure, facing trials they didn’t ask for and can’t control. And what does James tell them first? Ask God for wisdom—he gives generously and won’t hold it against you. Before anything else, get your picture of God right.

Because here’s what happens when we don’t. We start blaming him.

James actually addresses this directly in verse 13. When temptation shows up, and we give in, the easiest exit is to say “God allowed this” or “God put me in this situation.” James won’t let that stand. God doesn’t tempt anyone. He can’t. It’s not in his nature. What’s actually happening, James says, is that our own desires are doing the work. The temptation gestates inside us, is born, and eventually, if we let it, brings death.

That’s a hard truth. But it means God is not your problem.

In fact, he’s the opposite. Every good and perfect gift comes from above, James writes, from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. How well do you understand what this means? The stars God created, the “lights” he references, shift across the sky and cast moving shadows. God doesn’t. He is not moody. He doesn’t give generously on Tuesday and withhold on Thursday. His character doesn’t fluctuate based on circumstances or your performance.

And then James says something almost breathtaking in verse 18. God chose, deliberately and purposefully, to give us new birth through the word of truth. He wanted to do it. That’s not a God who is distant or stingy or indifferent to your situation.

So why does any of this matter for daily life? Because spiritual stability, the kind that holds up under real pressure, isn’t just about discipline or determination. It’s rooted in who you believe God to be. The person James calls “double-minded” in verse 8 isn’t just indecisive. They’re unstable because their picture of God keeps shifting. They’re not sure if he’s generous or withholding, present or absent, for them or indifferent.

James is saying: Settle that question first.

When you know that God gives without finding fault, that he never tempts you toward evil, that every good thing in your life traces back to him, and that he chose you on purpose, that knowledge doesn’t just inform your theology. It steadies you. It gives you somewhere solid to stand when the trials come.

And according to James, they will come.

The question is what you’ll believe about God when they do.