Integrated: The Wisdom War
Open Door Church Official Podcast
Not all wisdom is created equal. In this episode, Pastor Stephen Mizell from Open Door Church in Edenton, NC, tackles one of the most critical questions facing believers today: Where is your wisdom coming from—and where is it taking you? Continuing the Integrated series through the book of James, Pastor Stephen unpacks James chapters 3 and 4 to reveal the stark difference between earthly wisdom and godly wisdom. In This Episode You'll Discover: Why "garbage in, garbage out" isn't just about media—it's about the wisdom sources shaping your life The three characteristics of earthly...
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Integrated: The Direction of Your Life
Open Door Church Official Podcast
If you want to know where your life is headed, listen to what's coming out of your mouth. Join Pastor Stephen Mizell for this week's message from James 3 about the incredible power of our words to direct, destroy, and diagnose our lives. In this online-only service (due to weather), we continue our journey through the book of James, exploring how faith moves from belief to behavior. This week, we discover that your tongue is the steering wheel of your life—and the words you speak reveal the condition of your heart. KEY TAKEAWAYS: Your words have the power to DIRECT your life's trajectory...
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Integrated: The Anatomy of Faith
Open Door Church Official Podcast
Is your faith alive? In this week's message from our "Integrated" series, Pastor Stephen Mizell examines James 2:14-26 and challenges us with a simple truth: a faith that doesn't act isn't alive. Join us as we explore what it means to close the gap between what we say we believe and how we actually live. This isn't about judgment—it's about diagnosis. Just like a doctor identifies health issues to help us heal, God's Word reveals areas where our faith needs action. Key Takeaways: Faith without works is dead—belief must lead to action Don't just acknowledge needs, engage with them...
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Integrated: The Royal Law
Open Door Church Official Podcast
What if the church's biggest problem isn't hatred, but the subtle ways we treat people differently? In this week's message from our "Integrated" series, Pastor Stephen Mizell confronts a truth that hits closer to home than we'd like to admit: we all have prejudices. Drawing from James 2, this sermon challenges us to examine how we show favoritism—whether based on wealth, appearance, motivation, or countless other factors. Pastor Stephen reminds us that every person who walks through our doors is created in the image of God and deserves the same mercy we desperately need. KEY TAKEAWAYS: ...
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Integrated: The Mirror of Reality | Week 2
Open Door Church Official Podcast
What if the biggest lie you'll ever hear isn't from the culture, the media, or even the enemy - but from yourself? In this week's message from the book of James, Pastor Stephen Mizell tackles one of the most common problems in the church today: we're information-rich but obedience-poor. Drawing from James 1:19-27, Pastor Stephen uses the powerful metaphor of a mirror to show how God's Word reveals who we really are. But here's the challenge: are we just glancing at our reflection and walking away unchanged, or are we allowing what we see to transform us? Why asking for "deep teaching" might...
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Integrated: The Testing of Integrity | Week 1
Open Door Church Official Podcast
Start your year with powerful insight into how God uses pressure to refine your faith! In this first message of our new series "Integrated," Pastor Stephen unpacks James 1:1-18 to reveal why trials aren't meant to break us—they're meant to complete us. Discover the difference between testing and temptation, learn why God allows difficulties in your life, and find out how endurance develops through patient faith. This message will challenge you to close the gap between what you believe and how you live. Key Takeaways: Pressure reveals your integrity—it doesn't break it God tests you to...
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Love: When God Moved In, Advent Week 4
Open Door Church Official Podcast
In this week's Advent sermon, Pastor Stephen Mizell challenges us to rethink everything we thought we knew about love. As we light the fourth Advent candle, discover why love isn't just a warm feeling or sentimental decoration—it's a Person you meet and a divine action that changes everything. Drawing from 1 John 4:7-12, Pastor Stephen unpacks the profound truth that God doesn't just love—He IS love. This means love existed before creation, before redemption, and before the incarnation. We don't manufacture love; we can only reflect it. We don't generate it; we can only distribute it. ...
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Joy: When Praise Becomes Prayer, Advent Week 3
Open Door Church Official Podcast
Are you struggling to find joy this Christmas season? In this week's message, Pastor Stephen Mizell cuts through the shallow happiness of the holidays to reveal what real joy actually is—and where it comes from. Through the lens of Mary's Magnificat prayer in Luke 1, discover how a teenage girl facing scandal, fear, and uncertainty chose to magnify God instead of her overwhelming circumstances. This isn't a feel-good Christmas message. It's a prophetic declaration that will challenge what you're focusing on in your own life. IN THIS EPISODE: Why joy is not a season, reaction, or...
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Peace: When Heaven Interrupts, Advent Week 2
Open Door Church Official Podcast
In this powerful Advent message, Pastor Stephen Mizell explores how God brought peace to shepherds in a field before bringing it to a palace. Discover why peace isn't the absence of chaos, but the presence of Jesus Christ—and why it requires pursuit, not passivity. The shepherds watching over sacrificial lambs were the first to hear the greatest announcement in history. Their story reveals profound truths about how God meets us in forgotten places, interrupts our ordinary moments, and transforms us from the inside out. If you're waiting for life to calm down before you can have peace, this...
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When Prayers Seem Unanswered: Advent Week One, Hope
Open Door Church Official Podcast
Have you ever prayed for something so long that you stopped expecting the answer? In this powerful Advent message, Pastor Stephen Mizell explores the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth—a faithful couple who waited 40 years for a child while continuing to serve God in the temple. Through their story found in Luke 1, discover a profound truth: God's silence isn't His absence. Sometimes heaven's delays aren't denials—God is preparing something bigger than what you're praying for. In This Episode: Why biblical hope is different from wishful thinking—it's confident expectation based on...
info_outlineNot all wisdom is created equal. In this episode, Pastor Stephen Mizell from Open Door Church in Edenton, NC, tackles one of the most critical questions facing believers today: Where is your wisdom coming from—and where is it taking you?
Continuing the Integrated series through the book of James, Pastor Stephen unpacks James chapters 3 and 4 to reveal the stark difference between earthly wisdom and godly wisdom.
In This Episode You'll Discover:
- Why "garbage in, garbage out" isn't just about media—it's about the wisdom sources shaping your life
- The three characteristics of earthly (demonic) wisdom that lead to disorder and evil
- Seven qualities of godly wisdom that produce righteousness and peace
- The four internal wars every believer faces: frustrated desires, pride, friendship with the world, and resistance to God
- A powerful challenge to take physical action that represents spiritual surrender
Key Scripture: James 3:13-18, James 4:1-10
Whether you're wrestling with a major life decision or just trying to navigate daily challenges with godly wisdom, this message will equip you to discern which voice you're listening to—and how to align your life with God's truth.
About the Integrated Series: How do we integrate our faith with our life? This series explores the book of James to answer the question: "We say we believe this—but how do we actually live it?"