Saint James Baptist Church

09/06/2026

Sunday September 6th

09/04/2026

Good morning Church Family,

Today's Devotional: SINKING IN THE STORM

But seeing the wind, he became afraid, and beginning to sink, he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!”
Matthew 14:30

Jesus sent His disciples away so He could be alone. He put them into a boat and commanded them to go over to the other side of the Sea of Galilee while He went up the mountain to pray.

As the disciples made their way across the Sea of Galilee, a great storm arose, and the ship was being battered by the wind and the waves. To make matters worse, it was in the darkest part of the night. They were scared ... they were exhausted from countless hours of rowing … they were feeling alone and abandoned because Jesus wasn’t there with them.

Then, lo and behold, Jesus comes to them walking on the sea! At first, they thought He was a ghost. I mean, who would have thunk it? Jesus, walking on water? Who can walk on water? God can.

REMEMBER THIS – WHAT THREATENS TO SWALLOW YOU UP AND GO OVER YOUR HEAD IS ALREADY UNDER HIS FEET! HE IS IN CHARGE OF EVERY DARK STORM!

As Jesus tells the disciples that the ghost is really Him, Peter asks the Lord, “Lord, if it is really You, command me to come to You on the water.” And Jesus said to Peter, “Come!”

So Peter came! WOW! What an amazing miracle. Peter had His eyes on Jesus, walking on the water to Him.

And it was going great UNTIL he started looking at the wind and the waves and the stormy sea. Once he took his eyes off Jesus, he began to sink and drown.

The problem Peter had in the midst of the storm is the problem we all have – we take our eyes off Jesus and put them on our scary circumstances. Whenever we do that, our heart of faith gives way to a heart of fear … and we start to sink in the storm.

Are you facing a storm today? Is it dark? Have you been rowing a LONG time and getting nowhere fast? Does it seem as if Jesus is nowhere to be found? What are you to do?

Keep rowing and keep trusting … and remember:

1. Your Savior is praying for you (that is what he was doing on the mountain – praying for them).

2. Your Savior will come to you at the right time.

3. Your Savior will use the storm to bring a great miracle.

4. You Savior will enable you to walk on water, to overcome that storm … and you don’t have to have a sinking spell if you will keep your eyes on Jesus!

Remember the immortal words of King Jehoshaphat as he faced the dark storm of certain annihilation from the vast armies surrounding Jerusalem and prayed:

“O our God, will You not judge them? For we are powerless before this great multitude who are coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are on You” (2 Chronicles 20:12).

Keep your eyes on Jesus, my friend. Don’t focus on the storm raging around you. God is greater than any storm, and He will bring about the victory at the proper time.

Source: Pastor Jeff Schreve,

Deacon Barr

09/03/2026

Good morning Church Family,

Today's Devotional: WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH YOUR OPPORTUNITIES?

So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all men, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.
Galatians 6:10

Opportunities. They are all around us. Opportunities to make a difference in the lives of people. Opportunities to minister to someone who desperately needs a word of encouragement, a listening ear, a hug of care and concern, and sometimes even material assistance.

This week, I encountered a dear lady who was helping me at the doctor's office. I was feeling terrible and just knew I had the worst cold known to man (well, maybe not quite that bad). As she took my vital signs and asked me how I was doing, I felt impressed to ask her how she was doing. After a long pause and a few composure-gathering swallows she said, "Okay." It was pretty obvious she wasn't okay.

Before she left the exam room, I asked her if there was anything in her life that I could pray about. That question opened the flood gates for her to share her heart and her hurt, her doubts and her fears. I prayed for her right there, and gave her a big hug, and told her to know that God loves her. He knows what is going on, and He will be with her every step of the way. He is El Roi, one of the great names for God which means, "You are the God who sees [me]." God sees us in our times of distress and fear ... and will take care of us as we trust Him (see Genesis 16).
It has well been said that J-O-Y comes when your life is focused on Jesus first, others second, and you last. When you and I use our lives to brighten the life of another, it gives such great meaning and purpose to our days.

The Bible says that we are Christ's ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:20). We are His representatives on earth. Our citizenship is in heaven ... and we are merely strangers and aliens on this earth. But we are here for a specific purpose: to make a difference in the lives of people for Jesus Christ. We are here to be His witnesses, to lighten the load of those who are hurting, losing hope, and needing to connect with the God who sees them and loves them.

Here is a question for you to honestly and soberly consider: Are you really experiencing joy and a sense of purpose in your life? If not, could the reason be that you have lost sight of the two greatest commandments—to love God with all your heart and to love your neighbor as yourself? Remember, the acrostic J-O-Y. If you start out with Y (you first), you won't experience it.

Think how different your life could be if you started out each day with this sincere prayer: "Dear God, help me to be sensitive to the people You will put in my path today, people who need a word and a touch from You through me. Help me see the opportunities all around me to make a difference in people's lives for Christ, to ease their burdens and let them know You are El Roi, the God sees them and will take care of them if they will simply trust You."

May you experience His joy as you focus on your calling—to be His ambassador in this world until He calls you home.

Source: Pastor Jeff Schreve,

Deacon Barr

09/01/2026

Good morning Church Family,

Today's Devotional: An Honest Expression of Faith

The Lord isn’t looking for perfect words—He simply wants your honest prayer.
Psalms 13:1-6

If you’ve ever brought a prayer to God and heard only silence in return, you’re in good company. The psalmists knew that experience well.

What’s remarkable about these songs to God is their honesty. David doesn’t tidy up his pain before bringing it to his heavenly Father. He cries out, complains, and even argues: “How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever?” (Ps. 13:1). There’s no performance here, no careful phrasing. This is the honest cry of a man laying his anguish before the One he trusts with it. That trust is the thread that runs through the psalms, even the ones written in the darkest moments.

Lament in Scripture is never simply complaint—it’s complaint addressed to Someone. The grief is real, but so is the conviction that the One who hears is present and capable of acting. The psalmist doesn’t lose sight of who God is, even when he can’t see what the Lord is doing. This is the kind of prayer God invites. Not polished words but honest ones. Not certainty that everything will resolve the way we hope but, rather, faith that He is with us in the waiting—and that He is good. When we don’t know what to say, the Psalms give us words. And they remind us that crying out to God is itself an act of faith.

Source: InTouch Ministries

Deacon Barr

08/31/2026

Good morning Church Family,

Today's Devotional: Evidence of Our Growth

As we draw closer to God, the evidence of spiritual growth becomes visible in our daily life.
James 4:7-8

We all want to see evidence that we’re growing in faith, but the signs aren’t always dramatic. Most of the time, they show up quietly, in the everyday moments of life.

Spiritual growth often shows up in our relationships. We find ourselves offering forgiveness where we once held grudges. We extend patience to people who used to exhaust us. Consider our Savior, who asked God to forgive the very ones crucifying Him (Luke 23:34). That kind of love doesn’t come naturally to us; it’s the fruit of a life increasingly shaped by God’s presence.

Growth also changes what satisfies us. Over time, we find less fulfillment in what the world offers and more in simply drawing near to God. As our trust deepens, we discover how faithful He truly is, which becomes its own invitation to trust Him more.

Eventually, obedience stops feeling like obligation. The psalmist wrote, “O how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day” (Psalm 119:97). That delight is born not from duty but from love—the natural response of a heart that has come to know God’s goodness firsthand.

These aren’t achievements to strive for. They’re signs of what God is already doing in us. Intentionally seek time in His presence and watch how good things take root.

Source: Charles Stanley
Deacon Barr

08/30/2026

08/30/2026

Sunday Worship Service Saint James Baptist Church.

Saint James Baptist Church does not own the rights to music performed during this service.

08/24/2026

Good morning church family,

Today's devotional:Usable

I was shown Mercy because I acted ignorantly and belief; and the grace of our Lord was more than abundant.1 Timothy 1:13 - 14

You may feel that because you've sinned or failed in a certain area, God can no longer use you. That's not the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Lord always wants to work through those who love him.

Think about the biblical Saints. Moses killed an Egyptian, but the Lord used him to deliver the people of Israel from Egyptian bo***ge. Jacob was a Deceiver-Tricking his father, brother, and father- in-law; But God still made him the father of the 12 tribes of Israel.

Saul was a vicious persecutor of the church, even consenting to the death of Stephen; yet Christ transformed him into the Apostle Paul, who took the gospel to the Gentiles and wrote a good portion of the New Testament.

The difference in their lives was this: when they encountered God, they said yes to Him. They were willing to turn from doing things their way to doing things His way. They didn't remain the the people they once were.

They chose instead to order their lives after God and to follow His plan for them.

And today, you can do the same. My Hope Is In Jesus because he can use me to bring glory to his name.

Source: Charles Stanley
Deacon Barr

08/23/2026

Sunday August 23rd

08/21/2026

Good morning Church Family,

Today's Devotional: Is it possible for the Devil to Repent?

There’s no record of Christ offering to die for the fallen angels. But God is “merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth” (Exodus 34:6)—it’s just His nature—and I think He bore long with them. There was some kind of probation and mercy extended to Lucifer when he was first entering into his rebellion.

The Scripture says, “He does not give aid to angels, but He does give aid to the seed of Abraham” (Hebrews 2:16). There’s a reason for the difference. Satan and his angels were created perfect. They were not deceived in the way that humans were deceived. Lucifer entered a high-handed rebellion into deception. He was made perfect but chose to be proud and to worship himself; whereas Adam and Eve were made in innocence and they were caught off guard by this rebellious fiend. So the devil was more culpable than humanity was. That’s why the Lord had mercy on humans and became one of us in order to save us.

We know from the biblical account that before he sinned, Satan was known as Lucifer and stood in the very presence of God (see Isaiah 14:12). He was closest to the throne of God, and there wasn’t anything more that God could do to reveal His character to him. On the other hand, Adam and Eve were not in that same position. I believe that God gave Lucifer and the angels who believed his lies plenty of opportunity to realize the errors of their way. After all, God is a God of justice, and He’s not willing that any of His creatures should perish.

Source: Amazing Facts

Deacon Barr