Three Signs Your Faith Is the Real Deal
(James 1:22, 26–27)
How do you know if your faith is actually shaping your life, not just filling your Sundays?
Here’s the challenge James lays down for us: “Do what it says.” You can’t learn horsemanship by watching videos or reading books alone. You’ve got to do the work, get your boots dirty, and step into the pen. A horse doesn’t respond to theory. It responds to consistent, practiced guidance.
I loved this insight from Pastor Isaac. He talked about a trainer he researched who said part of a horse’s foundation is learning to make the connection between mind and feet, so what the horse has learned actually transfers to how it moves. That is exactly what James is saying about our faith. God’s grace enables our hearts to believe, but true transformation happens when faith is connected to our feet, our actions, and our words. Honestly, I’ve got a better track record with my feet than with my tongue. I can usually avoid going to the wrong places, but keeping a tight rein on my words? That is a whole other challenge. James makes it clear this connection is a big deal.
The same is true for God’s Word. Transformation doesn’t happen by just hearing or agreeing with Scripture. It happens in the doing. Our faith is meant to connect what we believe in our hearts to what we say and do every day, enabled by God’s grace working in us.
Anyone can look “religious” on the outside. But the true test of faith comes out in how we speak, how we treat people, and how we choose to live when no one is watching. James gives us three simple, practical signs that help us see whether our faith is the real deal.
Sign #1: Your Words Reflect Your Faith
I wish I could say I always get this right. The truth is, my words often reveal places where God is still working on me.
James starts with something we all wrestle with: our tongues. Our words are often the first indicator of what is happening inside us. The tone we use, the comments we make when we are tired or irritated, and the way we talk about people when they are not around all reveal our spiritual health far more honestly than anything we claim to believe.
If our faith is genuine, it will shape the way we speak:
One way we can put this into action this holiday season is through our Cowboy Angel Tree. Families right here in Crook County are counting on our care and generosity. If you’d like to participate, you can choose an angel tag from our tree at Black Hills Cowboy Church and help meet the real needs of a child or family in our community. Every act of care, big or small, is a way to live out your faith in a tangible way.
Sign #2: You Move Toward People in Distress
This one challenges me because I can get so focused on my to-do list that I miss the people right in front of me.
James points us toward caring for people who are hurting. He highlights orphans and widows, the most vulnerable in his culture, but this principle applies widely. Real faith notices people in distress. It pays attention. It slows down long enough to actually see needs and move toward them.
“Looking after” implies active care, not just noticing or feeling sorry. It is about stepping in, tending to, and nurturing those in real hardship or brokenness. Distress is not just inconvenience or discomfort. It is the kind of deep need that shakes a person’s world and calls for attention and action. Faith that only observes without acting is incomplete.
This is not just about giving financially, though generosity matters. It is about showing up:
Sign #3: You Resist the Pull of the World
I feel this tension every day, the pull to measure my life by productivity, success, or comparison instead of God’s heart.
James’ final sign is this: keeping ourselves from being polluted by the world. Pollution here is not about creation itself. It is about contamination and compromise, letting the world’s values taint what should be pure. The world is not just other people. It is the system of selfishness, pride, comparison, and greed that can pull our hearts away from God’s priorities.
We have dual citizenship, earthly and heavenly, and our choices reveal which kingdom we let shape our lives. Real faith asks different questions:
Real Faith Is About Wholeness, Not Perfection
James is not giving us a checklist or a way to earn God’s approval. He is inviting us into a faith that is whole and authentic, a faith that is lived, not just spoken.
I’m grateful God is patient with me in this process. I’m not perfect, but I want to keep growing in these three places.
Real faith is not about perfection. Real faith is about connection, what we believe in our hearts showing up in what we do with our lives. Like a builder who does not cover cracks with wax, God wants our faith to be sincere, complete, and authentic, with nothing hidden. When our words, our compassion, and our choices align with the heart of Jesus, that is when our faith becomes alive, powerful, and real.
Authentic faith connects mind to feet, heart to hands, belief to action. It speaks with controlled words, moves toward those in distress with active care, and resists being polluted by the world’s values. It is faith made alive by grace, growing in holiness, and expressing God’s love in every part of life. Simple to understand, challenging to live, and transformative when practiced consistently.
Take a listen to the podcast episode from this Blog Post: https://open.acast.com/public/streams/651f1a7077fc470011e0a93c/episodes/691cb4d967ed28baec3bad88.mp3
How do you know if your faith is actually shaping your life, not just filling your Sundays?
Here’s the challenge James lays down for us: “Do what it says.” You can’t learn horsemanship by watching videos or reading books alone. You’ve got to do the work, get your boots dirty, and step into the pen. A horse doesn’t respond to theory. It responds to consistent, practiced guidance.
I loved this insight from Pastor Isaac. He talked about a trainer he researched who said part of a horse’s foundation is learning to make the connection between mind and feet, so what the horse has learned actually transfers to how it moves. That is exactly what James is saying about our faith. God’s grace enables our hearts to believe, but true transformation happens when faith is connected to our feet, our actions, and our words. Honestly, I’ve got a better track record with my feet than with my tongue. I can usually avoid going to the wrong places, but keeping a tight rein on my words? That is a whole other challenge. James makes it clear this connection is a big deal.
The same is true for God’s Word. Transformation doesn’t happen by just hearing or agreeing with Scripture. It happens in the doing. Our faith is meant to connect what we believe in our hearts to what we say and do every day, enabled by God’s grace working in us.
Anyone can look “religious” on the outside. But the true test of faith comes out in how we speak, how we treat people, and how we choose to live when no one is watching. James gives us three simple, practical signs that help us see whether our faith is the real deal.
Sign #1: Your Words Reflect Your Faith
I wish I could say I always get this right. The truth is, my words often reveal places where God is still working on me.
James starts with something we all wrestle with: our tongues. Our words are often the first indicator of what is happening inside us. The tone we use, the comments we make when we are tired or irritated, and the way we talk about people when they are not around all reveal our spiritual health far more honestly than anything we claim to believe.
If our faith is genuine, it will shape the way we speak:
- with patience
- with grace
- with truth spoken in love
- with fewer sharp, careless, or destructive comments
One way we can put this into action this holiday season is through our Cowboy Angel Tree. Families right here in Crook County are counting on our care and generosity. If you’d like to participate, you can choose an angel tag from our tree at Black Hills Cowboy Church and help meet the real needs of a child or family in our community. Every act of care, big or small, is a way to live out your faith in a tangible way.
Sign #2: You Move Toward People in Distress
This one challenges me because I can get so focused on my to-do list that I miss the people right in front of me.
James points us toward caring for people who are hurting. He highlights orphans and widows, the most vulnerable in his culture, but this principle applies widely. Real faith notices people in distress. It pays attention. It slows down long enough to actually see needs and move toward them.
“Looking after” implies active care, not just noticing or feeling sorry. It is about stepping in, tending to, and nurturing those in real hardship or brokenness. Distress is not just inconvenience or discomfort. It is the kind of deep need that shakes a person’s world and calls for attention and action. Faith that only observes without acting is incomplete.
This is not just about giving financially, though generosity matters. It is about showing up:
- for the overwhelmed friend
- for the neighbor who is lonely
- for the family carrying quiet burdens
- for the person at church who looks fine but isn’t
Sign #3: You Resist the Pull of the World
I feel this tension every day, the pull to measure my life by productivity, success, or comparison instead of God’s heart.
James’ final sign is this: keeping ourselves from being polluted by the world. Pollution here is not about creation itself. It is about contamination and compromise, letting the world’s values taint what should be pure. The world is not just other people. It is the system of selfishness, pride, comparison, and greed that can pull our hearts away from God’s priorities.
We have dual citizenship, earthly and heavenly, and our choices reveal which kingdom we let shape our lives. Real faith asks different questions:
- What matters to God in this moment?
- What does obedience look like here?
- What voices am I letting shape my heart?
Real Faith Is About Wholeness, Not Perfection
James is not giving us a checklist or a way to earn God’s approval. He is inviting us into a faith that is whole and authentic, a faith that is lived, not just spoken.
I’m grateful God is patient with me in this process. I’m not perfect, but I want to keep growing in these three places.
Real faith is not about perfection. Real faith is about connection, what we believe in our hearts showing up in what we do with our lives. Like a builder who does not cover cracks with wax, God wants our faith to be sincere, complete, and authentic, with nothing hidden. When our words, our compassion, and our choices align with the heart of Jesus, that is when our faith becomes alive, powerful, and real.
Authentic faith connects mind to feet, heart to hands, belief to action. It speaks with controlled words, moves toward those in distress with active care, and resists being polluted by the world’s values. It is faith made alive by grace, growing in holiness, and expressing God’s love in every part of life. Simple to understand, challenging to live, and transformative when practiced consistently.
Take a listen to the podcast episode from this Blog Post: https://open.acast.com/public/streams/651f1a7077fc470011e0a93c/episodes/691cb4d967ed28baec3bad88.mp3
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