Guidance Light

Responsibility

• Jonathan Cordero • Season 2 • Episode 4

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Have you ever felt like giving up, even after witnessing life's miracles? Join us on this impactful episode of Guidance Light as we explore the depths of biblical responsibility and faith, inspired by the story of Elijah in 1 Kings, chapter 19. We'll kick off with a heartfelt prayer for guidance and wisdom, setting the tone for an enriching discussion on the distinctions between worldly and biblical responsibilities through my personal experiences as a father and husband. We revisit lessons on disobedience, repentance, and faith from past episodes to lay a solid foundation for understanding our spiritual duties.

Journey with us as we walk alongside Elijah, who, despite his profound despair and desire to give up, receives God's divine provision and strength. Through Elijah's introspective moments in the cave, discover the significance of answering God's call and recognizing the treasures we store in heaven. This episode not only reveals the powerful ways God sustains us during our darkest times but also encourages us to embrace our spiritual journey with renewed commitment. We'll close with a prayer for strength and guidance, urging you to fulfill your biblical responsibilities and spread the love of Jesus Christ to the world.

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Speaker 1:

Welcome to Guidance Light, where God is always number one. We talk about faith, spirituality, the battles of the flesh and the spirit, but mainly we are here for you to walk in Christ. We know how hard life can be, we know the ups and the downs, but we are a family in Jesus and we are here for you. My name is John and this is Guidance Light, and we are here for you. My name is John and this is Guidance Light. Welcome back. Guidance Light fans. This is John, I'm honored to be your host, and tonight is a night that I'm going to kind of continue the message that we've been talking about so far, but at the same time, I'm also going to take a note from my previous experience with the Bible study group that I keep mentioning. See, I was made to present the other day, and I believe that the message hit home for quite a few men, and I believe it's something that we don't quite pay attention to that much anymore and it's something that's super important to listen to. So I want to say welcome back to anybody who's coming from abroad or here from the United States. Welcome, guys, because God's word is for all of us, and it means a lot to me and to my wife, my family as a whole, that you guys partake and you listen in on these episodes and you try to hear what God may have in store for you. At the end of the day, I'm just a guy sitting behind a mic just talking and at the end of the day, I'm just a guy sitting behind a mic just talking. But the words that I'm talking about, they don't belong to me, they belong to God and, through the Holy Spirit, he can use these words to help touch your life or somebody else's life. So, with that, I'm going to ask for your help before I even get into this episode and spreading the word of this channel. That way we can continue to touch lives across the world, because this podcast is going so much further than I ever imagined, and it's all thanks to you.

Speaker 1:

So, without further ado, we're going to be talking today about responsibility, and a lot of times when we think of the word responsibility, we think of what we have to do every single day and in part, you're right. It's definitely something that we have to take into account, but that's not the responsibility I'm talking about. Let's dive into it and let's see what the word of God says about somebody who has biblical responsibility. So, without further ado, let's pray and let's ask God for guidance, wisdom and understanding, because that only comes from him. Father, we come to you tonight, lord. Some of us are tired and weary, lord. Some of us are just seeking answers. Others are looking for healing Father, but we know that when we come to you, lord, healing father, but we know that when we come to you, lord, that you are all things, you are above all, and we thank you for loving us the way that you do, lord, we ask that tonight, as we go through this message, that you reach out to those who are in need of even the smallest word to be able to uplift them and encourage them and guide them through the season and storm that they're in. In jesus name, we ask for understanding, revelation, but, above all, lord with these things, we ask for wisdom, because what good is knowledge without wisdom? In Jesus name, I pray Amen.

Speaker 1:

So this is going to be a softer spoken episode, guys, because truth be told is that I'm still going through the ringer, right, and it's not. I'm not saying this to warrant any sympathy or anything like that. What I am saying, though, is that I'm also human and I feel the lashings of this world just like anybody else would. I'm not impervious to it just because I sit behind a mic and I talk about the word of God. As a matter of fact, it seems to happen more often when I do this, and that's okay.

Speaker 1:

But I want to talk a little bit about what we've spoken about. We've talked about how we're disobedient in episode one of season two, and then we went in to how we need to be. We need to have repentance in our lives stemming from an area of remorse, that just being sorry alone isn't enough, that we actually have to seek God in our actions and say truly I'm sorry and I don't want to do that again. And that is the, I guess, the foundation of what repentance would be All right. And then we made, we talked about how we declare our faith in God and how, by uttering the words I believe in God, I believe in Jesus, that we're making a declaration of faith, not just a statement, but a declaration. And if you didn't catch that, I recommend that you look at episodes one through three of season two and you're going to be able to catch up to right where we are Now. Every episode is technically a standalone episode, so you don't have to go back, but if you want to understand a little bit more about the references that I make, I recommend listening to those as well, because you never know what God may have in store for you through those episodes.

Speaker 1:

So, without further ado, let's talk about how biblical responsibility falls into play when you're looking at all these things, right? So I know that me as a father, as a husband, when I think of responsibility, I automatically go to what I need to accomplish every day, from the moment I open my eyes to the moment I close them right, and sometimes, as a father, you got to open them up in the middle of the night to take care of your kids. You know, or handle something that's unexpected, but responsibility is always part of our lives, no matter what we do. But there's a difference between what the world says we should be responsible for versus what the Bible says is a responsibility in our lives. Now there is a difference. Right of Kings 1 Kings, chapter 19,.

Speaker 1:

Starting with Elijah, the prophet of the Lord, who in this chapter, is on the verge of depression and fear from persecution from Queen Jezebel. And I start with this because I want you guys to understand something that no matter how much you dive into the Bible, no matter how much you dive into your walk with Christ, that we are not supermen. We are not, we're not made of metal. We have feelings and we get hurt. And the enemy knows that and he's going to use that against you. He's going to try to bring you down, just like he has done for me and for so many others. And he a lot of times does it through our minds. He attacks our minds to make us feel certain ways to be able to give up and to let go of that which God has called us to do, to let go of our biblical responsibility. And Elijah in chapter 19 basically starts right there. So I'm going to start in chapter 19, verse 1.

Speaker 1:

It says Ahab told Jezebel everything that Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah saying May the gods punish me, and do so severely, if I don't make your life like one of them by this time tomorrow. So she's at this point. Jezebel had killed every prophet of the Lord except for Elijah. And she's threatening Elijah in this point and saying if I'm, if I don't kill you by tomorrow, it's just you're gonna die tomorrow, basically. And then, in verse 3, it continues by saying then Elijah became afraid and immediately ran for his life. When he came to beersheba that belonged to Judah, he left, left his servant there, but he went on a day's journey into the wilderness. He sat under a broom tree and prayed that he might die. He said I've had enough, lord, take my life, for I'm no better than my ancestors.

Speaker 1:

Now I want to stop for just a second and kind of digest. This because here is a prophet of the lord, one who, who challenged the priests of ball to a, I guess, a competition to see which god is alive and which could light a pill, an altar on fire, upon praying on him. And only our god, the god of abraham, isaac, jacob moses, answered the call. He this is a man who has seen it firsthand. And here he is concerned for his life and running to the point where he leaves his servant in the city of Beersheba and walks out into the wilderness to give up, to just tell God I'm done, just take me, I'm done. Depression had gotten to him so badly that he was willing to let go of all the responsibilities that God had given to him as a prophet of the Lord. And this is where God begins to work in our lives, not just in Elijah's life, but in our lives. See, it's when we have nothing left to give, is when God is like don't worry, I'll take over. So, going from there, suddenly he's laying down. He's asking God, god, just take me, I'm done. Asking god, god, just take me, I'm done.

Speaker 1:

And an angel in verse uh, verse five, it says then he laid down. Then he laid down and slept under the broom tree. Suddenly an angel touched him. The angel angel told him get up and eat. Then he looked and there at his head was a loaf of bread baked over hot stones and a jug of water. So he ate and lay down again. Then the angel of the Lord returned for the second time and touched him. He said Get up and eat or the journey will be too much for you. So he got up, ate and drank. Then, on the strength from the food, he walked for 40 days and 40 nights to Horeb, the mountain of God.

Speaker 1:

Now I'm going to stop for a second here, because there's something that's important to understand in this small portion here. Elijah had given up. He told God hey, just pretty much come, take me. And God sends an angel to him and let him know hey, get up. And here's a provision of what you need, because we I understand that this is going to be too hard on you, that this journey is too much for you alone. So take that which I give you so that you can make it to where I'm sending you. And in this case it presented itself in a form of food.

Speaker 1:

And one of the things that touched me when I read this is that the Bible is a living word and you catch different things every single time you read it. And something stood out to me here. See, when we are on a journey in today's day and age, what do we pack? We pack all kinds of things. What do we pack? We pack all kinds of things. You know, we could be going on vacation on an airplane for two days and we have three bags or a carry on a personal item luggage and check in bags and all these kinds of things. You know, some people travel light, but ultimately you travel with supplies and equipment.

Speaker 1:

But here you have Elijah, who's sitting under a tree and the only thing that God provides him is a loaf of bread and water and a jug of water. And if you notice, it doesn't say that he continued to supply him with food, but he only gave him that. If you ever look at a loaf of bread guys I mean we all do groceries at one point in our lives A loaf of bread for one person may seem like a lot, but it really isn't. And in biblical times it wasn't really all that big. But yet, with that meager provision what we would consider meager it gave him the strength to walk through rough terrain for 40 days and 40 nights. It never says in the Bible that he stopped to eat again. It just says that he walked. And what does that say? That goes to show you that when we are in our journey in life, that God hands us a responsibility, says this is what you need to do, that he's going to provide for us. It may not be grand, it may not be something that we're, but it's always enough. He is always enough Because when our strength begins to fail, his begins to. It just begins when we end he starts.

Speaker 1:

So, going back to the Bible here, elijah enters a cave and spends a night there in mount horob. Suddenly, the word of the lord came to him and he said to him what are you doing here, elijah? See, if anybody looks at this I know I did you would say well, god, you sent me here, that's why I'm here. But God wasn't really asking him why he was physically there. He was asking the metal of his heart, his will, he was testing him. So Elijah responds. He replies I have been very zealous for the Lord, god of armies, but the Israelites have abandoned your covenant, torn down your altars and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left and they are looking for me to take my life. So God has given Elijah not only provisions, but a purpose.

Speaker 1:

It may not have been a huge one, just saying go here, but at this point in time, that's where, at this very, very moment in the book, this is where he's at, and when he gets them out horrible, god talks to him and says why are you here? And Elijah, instead of being grateful for the provisions, gives him his fear. He presents his fear to God. Well, I'm here because I've been good, but yet they're still killing us. Now they want to kill me. So how does God respond? He says. Then he said go out and stand on the mountain in the Lord's presence. At that moment, the Lord passed by. A great and mighty wind was tearing at the mountains and was shattering cliffs before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind, there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake, there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. After the fire, there was a voice, a soft whisper. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. So again, I'm going to stop here for a second.

Speaker 1:

So here we have Elijah who, facing fear and persecution, tried to abandon his responsibility as a prophet of the Lord. And we do the same thing all the time. When we get a calling and life gets tough, when our minds aren't right, we immediately go to not completing what God asks us to do, instead of just trying to fix what's going wrong or just giving up as a whole. Wrong or just giving up as a whole. And in this case scenario, god provides meager provisions, but enough to make it to where he's asking his servants to go. He does the same thing for us today. Sometimes it's swallowed up by our own surroundings, everything that we put in the way.

Speaker 1:

And with that being said, how do we repay God? By doubting? See, elijah in this point is repaying God with fear. He's saying I'm, I'm the last one. I've been good, but I'm the last one. All my brethren are basically have been killed, murdered. And what does God do? God shows him his great power, but there is something that is interesting in these verses is that although there was a windstorm that shattered the mountains, god was not in the wind. And although there was an earthquake that trembled the earth, god was not in the earthquake. And although there was a fire, god was not in the fire. It goes to show you that God can make grand things happen, and we're always looking for God in the grandiose, in what's big. But just because God makes it happen, that doesn't mean that's where we're going to find God.

Speaker 1:

In this Bible story, it tells you that he heard a whisper Right next to him and that's where God was. We look too much for the grand spectacle of what God would be because he is so powerful, but we forget that our God is an intimate God and he's there by our side each and every single day, those moments when we feel like we don't have enough and that we feel like we just can't, we cannot do what God is asking us to do. At this moment in time, it doesn't matter if you present God with doubt, with fear, and God with doubt with fear. He's there. He's there and he wants you to have a relationship with him.

Speaker 1:

So we continue on to the story and it says that Elijah again responds with I have been very zealous for the Lord, god of armies. He replied, but the Israelites have abandoned your covenant, torn down your altars and killed your prophets with a sword. I alone am left and they're looking for me to take my life. Then the Lord said to him go, return. By the way, you came to the wilderness of Damascus. When you arrive, you are to anoint Hazael as king over Aram. You are to anoint Jehu, son of Nimshi, as king over Israel, and Elisha, son of Shaphat From Abel of Meholah, as prophet in your place.

Speaker 1:

So, as a recap, god provides, or Elijah Shirks his biblical responsibility as a prophet. God gives him provision and purpose, although meager the provisions, as so it seems, it was enough for him to make it to where he was going, for him to make it to where he was going. And what does Elijah do? Elijah gives him his fear and God shows him power. Elijah remains steadfast in his doubt and fear and God shows him grace by saying go, go back in the way you came and do what I'm asking you. Fulfill your biblical responsibility of my calling. And then in the bible it says then Jehu will put to death whoever escapes the sword of Hazael and Elisha, or Elijah will put to death whoever escapes the sword of Jehu, but I will leave 7,000 in Israel every knee that has not See. God is telling Elijah at this very moment Go back, because my will will never take you or my grace will not protect you. And we are all on this journey together.

Speaker 1:

Guys, we all encounter these moments, maybe not specifically, but we all encounter them Little by little or in big moments in our lives. We have moments where we say God, I can't do what you're asking me to do because people are going to think I'm crazy or because I just don't have the means to do it. And God is saying go, go and do what I'm asking you to do and I will protect you. I will protect you in everything that you're doing, because you're doing it for me, and his grace will protect you when you least expect it. His will will never abandon you and when you feel like you're alone, always remember this story that God showed Elijah all this power, but he wasn't in the middle of the power. He was standing beside Elijah Enough for Elijah to be able to hear him whisper. And just like that God is in our lives too. And just like that, god is in our lives too, and it is our job to fulfill our biblical responsibility, our anointing our callings.

Speaker 1:

It's not everybody's calling to talk about the word of God. As a matter of fact, a lot of people take that for granted and they force themselves and they end up butchering the word of God, and they end up butchering the word of God. The callings are different. They go from spending time at church with, maybe, friends, family, telling other friends about what's going on in the church and trying to bring them to the love of Jesus Christ, to maybe dedicating a little bit of time parking cars at the church or helping your community or doing whatever it is that shows a compassion, love and grace of Jesus through you, to others, to be more like Jesus, so that others can see love in its purest form to take care of one another.

Speaker 1:

When God calls us, it's hard. Sometimes it takes sacrifice. A lot of times, in the process of answering the call, we're crushed beyond what we ever imagined we would go through and we lose everything we've got. But that is for a short time, because your reward isn't of this earth. You're storing your treasures in the kingdom of heaven, something that will not expire. Everything we fight for today, everything we strive to accomplish here on earth, we cannot take it with us when we die. You can make all the money in the world, it won't stop your death. It doesn't matter how big your gravesite is, because a coffin remains the same. All your treasures that you store here on earth you will lose, but that which you store in the kingdom of heaven with our Father is yours for eternity.

Speaker 1:

So responsibility, guys, it's not about just getting up every day, going to work and paying your bills, answering the phone calls, looking after your siblings or your parents or your children. Yes, that is still required because we are going through life. But to ignore the biblical responsibility of your calling leads to much worse things than you can ever realize. So answer your call without fear, strive for it and let your life be made for the better. Maybe not better in the sense of what the world says is better, but better in the eyes of god. And maybe you guys don't have a relationship with god. Maybe you've never had a relationship with god, or maybe it's something that you're striving, that's something you're you're looking to start. Maybe you're listening to this and you just haven't made it that far, or you made it that far and you fell away from God. God loves you, and just because you say I'm done or you've never known him, that doesn't mean that he doesn't have a calling for you and doesn't want you to walk the walk To fight the good fight.

Speaker 1:

So let's go ahead and pray and we'll get to how we can have a relationship with God, how we could renew those bonds each and every single day if it's necessary. So bow your heads with me, father. Father, we come to you tonight, lord, in a place where we know that our lives get in the way of what you ask us to do so much. Father. God, give us a chance and understanding to be able to fulfill that which you have asked of us, so that we may be better servants, lord, so that we can help other people that are lost find salvation through you, so that they can know the happiness, the joy and the love that comes only from you, lord. That when we are in the midst of pain, trouble, chaos, lord what we call the storm that we can feel overwhelming peace because, jesus, you are the Prince of Peace. We thank you for loving us and protecting us through your grace, for your faithfulness is more than we ever deserve.

Speaker 1:

In Jesus' holy name, I pray Amen. And if you don't know God or you just, you fell away and you want to get back into following him with all your heart, I urge you to pray along with me. Father, I know that I'm a sinner and I know that you sent your son, jesus Christ, to die on the cross for my sins. To cleanse me of my sins, father, I accept you as my Lord and Savior. Lord, cleanse me of my sins so that I can serve you for the rest of my life. From today on, I want to give my life to you. In Jesus' holy name, I pray Amen.

Speaker 1:

If you said that prayer, I want to take a moment to say thank you for joining God's family. I'm honored to be able to call you a brother or sister in Jesus Christ. It is a privilege of mine to be a host, to be able to call you a brother or sister in Jesus Christ. It is a privilege of mine to be a host, to be able to spread the word of God in any way, shape or form. See, a lot of times people take the word of God for granted, and it's not to be taken for granted. There's power in it and I'm so happy to be able to call you my brother or sister. In the book of Luke it says that there are more angels rejoicing over the choices that you have made if you made that prayer, than over 99 righteous people who don't need repentance. So understand that the choirs of heaven are rejoicing over you right now.

Speaker 1:

Guys, I'm going to stop for a moment and ask you guys for help. Go over to wwwguidance-lightcom and show this episode and other episodes to friends, families, colleagues, whoever you think needs the love of Jesus Christ. Maybe they just need to see a practical approach on the word of God. See, I'm not here to try to tickle your ear and tell you everything is sunshine and rainbows, but I am here to tell you that the word of God is there for you that it is the power of God that's going to deliver you from the life and the moments that you are seeking guidance and deliverance. It is only through Jesus's blood that we are cleansed, healed and the power of God takes us to where we need to be. Through the responsibilities he gives us, we are able to face greater futures. Thank you so much. Please, I'm asking from a sincere heart help this channel to continue to grow. Spread it with friends and family.

Speaker 1:

Colleagues, whoever, go over to our website, wwwguidance-lightcom. There you can submit prayer requests. You can do things like look at past episodes or the YouTube videos that I have on, look at transcripts, look at our store. Do what you need in order to walk better with Christ. There's a page where I'll link you to Christian music so you can start replacing that secular music that's doing nothing but bringing you down. Thank you guys so much for tuning in. I look forward to airing the next episode and to see you guys following the word of God together alongside with me, in Jesus name. I know you guys are going to have a great week. Go out and do great things, knowing that you are answering the call of Jesus. Thank you so much, and I hope to see you guys again next week. This is John from Guidance Light signing out. With all the love, god bless you guys and I'll see you guys next week. May God bless you guys again. Thank you so much.