Guidance Light

Words

• Jonathan Cordero • Season 2 • Episode 6

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Can life's chaos pull you away from your spiritual path? I recently found myself grappling with this very question during a challenging hiatus, filled with fears of misrepresenting God's holiness. Thanks to the encouragement of my wife and a sermon that struck a chord, I faced the internal battle between worldly distractions and spiritual commitments head-on. This episode is a heartfelt exploration of reigniting our passion for Christ and the vital practice of seeking God's guidance through prayer, especially when uncertainties loom. Reflect with me on how feeling distant from God can lead us back into old, familiar patterns, and discover how we can break free from them by realigning with our divine purpose.

Understanding our unique roles in God's grand design can often feel elusive, especially when silence from the Holy Spirit seems overwhelming. Drawing wisdom from the book of Jeremiah and the poignant metaphor of a carpenter crafting a chair, we dive into the importance of recognizing and embracing our God-given gifts. We also confront the feeling of inadequacy when tasked with sharing God's grace with the world, emphasizing faith in action, no matter how small the gesture. Whether you're new to faith or reconnecting after time away, join the Guidance Light Ministries family as we share resources and offer blessings and prayers for all who are navigating life's trials. Embrace your role in this spiritual journey, and let's walk this path together with renewed commitment and faith.

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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. Welcome back, guys.

Speaker 1:

I took a little bit of a hiatus just due to a couple different things that are happening in my life, in order to get those things straight. But I am here with you guys on this wonderful day and I want to just kind of dive right into what the Word of God is talking about here. And I want to just kind of put it out there, guys, that I'm sitting here today in reverence and in obedience to God, and also to give credit to my wife, who came to me and basically just slapped me in the face emotionally and said, hey, you need to go do this. So here I am. Truth be told, I'm sitting here because I have been not only disobedient to some degree, but I've also been scared. Scared to hop on this mic, because the word of God is really, really holy, right, but at the same time, it's something that is so fulfilling and I'm always so cautious to the point of my own detriment and to the detriment of others who are listening that I'm scared sometimes to speak because I'm afraid of saying the wrong thing Right, which puts a verse, or at least a story, in my mind. So before I hop fully into this, I want to say welcome back, guys. If you've been following my channel, I really really appreciate everything you guys are doing. If you guys have been sharing it, thank you so much because it's helping us in spreading the word of God, and spreading not only the word of God but the walk in Christ, which a lot of people don't talk about.

Speaker 1:

So a lot of people talk about how being a Christian and knowing God is everything that you need to focus on, and to some degree, that's correct. However, it's our walk in Christ that leads us closer and closer to him. Right, and as I've said in previous episodes, you're either walking towards Christ or you're running away, and in my case, I've been running away and I didn't even realize it. I've been falling into these patterns, these old patterns that I used to have, and I went to church this past Sunday and my pastor was talking about how, when we first give our lives over to God, when we first are saved, that we have this passion and this fire for God to tell others on how we feel. But yet, over time, that fire can dull down through the worries and trials and battles that we face every single day in this world. So I guess what I'm trying to get at is that I don't want that to be what's happening in my life, right, but it's exactly what's been happening. So let's walk through this together, let's go through this, because, truth be told, is I don't have an agenda, I don't have necessarily a message to give to you today, but I do want to talk about what I've been going through and what the Bible says about that.

Speaker 1:

Right, because our walk in Christ changes from day to day between each individual person. Not everybody's the same, not everybody's the same cookie cutter, you know. Go to church, get saved, become a Christian, have a great life, go to heaven. It's not all the same. There are moments in time that God calls us to go in different directions and it pulls us in each and every single way, and a lot of times we find ourselves in the midst of a bunch of fear of choosing the right thing or, even worse, choosing the wrong thing. And that's where I've been. I don't know what to choose why? Because the world says I need one thing and God says I need another. God provides, the world doesn't. The world gives me something to be able to provide and God sits back and stays quiet.

Speaker 1:

So, before I get too far into this, let's pray, bow your heads with me and hear me out, and pray together along with me, in your own words, because my prayer is necessarily for you. It's for me, for me to be able to ask God to guide me through what I'm saying Because, like I mentioned, I am scared to say the wrong thing, not scared of retribution from others who are listening, not that but fearful of the Lord To misconstrue his words in a way that is not dignifying his holiness, in a way that's pulling away from everything that is great from him, from his gospels, from his truth, from his salvation, from the grace that he's given me and that he continually gives. So let's bow our heads, let's pray, let's ask God for revelation, for understanding, for purpose and for guidance. It's what we're here for right, guidance, light, for Jesus is the light of the world and we're asking for his guidance. So let's jump right into this, father.

Speaker 1:

I come to you today, lord, unworthy of you, I am unworthy to sit here and speak your words, lord, but I sit here in obedience to be able to spread your news to others, lord, to be that herald that my pastor was talking about this past Sunday, because we are reaching those times, lord, that you spoke about, that are birthing pains, that the world is falling apart, lord, and we're sitting here with our sitting on our thumbs is falling apart, lord, and we're sitting here with our sitting on our thumbs, not doing anything to save lives. Lord, if we were in a, if we were in a fire, lord, if we were in a physical building that was on fire, we would do everything in our power to get out and to get everybody that we love out. Lord, why are we not doing the same thing for the people who are on fire today and not in fire for you, but on fire for the enemy the ones that are poised to lose their lives In a burning lake of fire, Suffering for eternity? Why are we not going our way, out of our way, to save those who are in need, even if they don't realize that they need it themselves.

Speaker 1:

Lord, your word teaches us that what we know is that everybody needs you. There is not a soul on earth that doesn't. And we know that your word teaches us that many people are going to reject you, that many people will turn a blind eye because they have been lied to, they have been deceived. That many people will turn a blind eye because they have been lied to. They have been deceived. Help us, father, find the light in you. Help us see clearly, help us find that revelation. Help us gain that purpose that you have made for us, each and every single one of us that is listening to this. Lord, you stitched us together in the womb and you breathed life into us. Give us the guidance to find that which you have put before us, because you sent your son, jesus, to die on the cross for our sins, to pave the way for us to just follow. Yet we find it so difficult to do that very thing. So as we dive into this word today, lord, I pray that you put words in my mouth, like you did to your servant, jeremiah. In Jesus' holy name, I pray Amen.

Speaker 1:

So we're diving right in to the book of Jeremiah, chapter 1, verse 1. Of Jeremiah, chapter one, verse one, and I'm gonna read a couple of verses here, because this is a prophet of the Lord that's being called to speak and to perform great wonders throughout the land, to proclaim the wonders of God. And the reason why I'm talking about this today, guys, is because I want to point something out that, if it hasn't become painfully obvious already, I don't have an agenda. I don't have a topic. What I have is a set of feelings that I have been going through personally, which leads me to understand to some degree not even to a full degree of what God has for me to talk about Through the Holy Spirit. I've noticed that God is leading me through certain trials, through certain battles that I have to go through myself before I sit on this mic and I talk about them.

Speaker 1:

See, for the last three weeks or so could be four, three and a half weeks, maybe four I'm to be honest with you, I'm losing track of time here, but the point is is that I have felt silence. Where I usually feel the holy spirit, where I usually feel the fire within me, I have felt the bitter cold and I've fallen into old patterns, not realizing that god is still there. Even though I've talked about it, you would think that I'd know better. But I am human and I fall just as easily as anybody else, and the enemy knows this. And the enemy uses that against me and he uses that against others. He wants you to not feel the presence of God. He wants you to say well, I guess, since I don't feel it, then I need to do my own thing, because my own thing has immediate satisfaction.

Speaker 1:

But the will of God doesn't Not always See. What we don't realize is that God is over there, building and prepping us for something grander than we can ever imagine. And that doesn't always mean that he's going to be right there telling you hey, good job. Every single moment. That's because he's already saying good job from a distance, saying I trust that you will follow my will, walk towards me and you will see my splendors, you will see everything that I have planned for you. But in those moments the enemy knows and he puts all these things in front of us that make us fall away, that make us not realize the power and majesty of our Lord.

Speaker 1:

So we dive into the book of Jeremiah and it says the call of Jeremiah. I'm here starting in chapter one, verse four. It says the word of the Lord came to me. I chose you before I formed you in the womb. I set you apart before you were born. I appointed you a prophet to the nations. Now I'm gonna stop for a second and I'm gonna talk about this because I've never read this book. I've never read these words. I've heard it in passing phrases, but not side by side. And the first thing that the holy spirit is talking to me about is that he did choose us.

Speaker 1:

Each and every single one of us has a gift, and that gift is to be utilized for God's will and God's purpose. We too often use it for other things. He knew about that. He stitched you together perfectly, like when a carpenter is making a chair or a table. He cuts every piece of wood to fit perfectly to work in the function of what it is designed to be. And you are no different. I am no different. What good is a chair when it thinks that it's going to perform as a table?

Speaker 1:

I know it's a convoluted metaphor here, but the idea behind it is that we too often exchange what God has given us for something the world says we should do. God's given gifts is something that follows us throughout all of our life, because what God gives cannot be taken away, not by the enemy. But we could choose to ignore it because we're blinded and deceived. And he says I've appointed you a prophet to the nations. Does that mean that we're all going to go around every single country in the world preaching God's gospel? No, no, not at all.

Speaker 1:

But what it does mean is that when we follow God's will, it can have effects that can affect nations. One small grain Can be sowed and sowed and by the time you've noticed, you have a field and that field can feed villages and through God's grace, you feed that one person who understands God's grace Through that action, and that person can be affecting Cities and countries and nations. It all has a purpose. We may not be able to see it, we may not see the grandeur of God's design. We are but a thread in the tapestry, and a thread is not able to see the full design of a tapestry, but it is a part of it, as we are in God's will.

Speaker 1:

And then it says but I protested, oh no, lord God, look, I don't know how to speak since I am only a youth. Look, I don't know how to speak, since I am only a youth. I say that all the time. I don't know how to talk. Heck, I started this episode saying that I don't have a purpose for this episode. I really don't. I don't have a topic that I'm just like oh, that's exactly what I'm going to talk about. To be honest with you, I'm just leaving it up to the Holy Spirit at this point, and I pray that you take something from this, because I often say I don't know what to say, it's not up to me and that's what God is teaching me as I sit here today on the microphone that it is not up to me, that I need to get out of my own way and let him do the work, let him talk through me, because I am but a tool. Let him be the master, for I am the puppet, he is the puppeteer. I do not move without him.

Speaker 1:

Then the Lord said to me do not say I am only a youth, for you will go to everyone I send you to and speak whatever I tell you. Don't be afraid of anyone, for I will be with you to rescue you. This is the Lord's declaration. I've said it before and I'll say it again, that the will of God will never take you where the grace of God won't protect you. That, no matter how scared you are, god's plan for you will take you out of the fire, will take you out of those moments. But you just have to trust. You have to understand that he has a plan already. Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched my mouth and told me I have now filled your mouth with my words.

Speaker 1:

See, I have appointed you today over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and demolish, to build and to plant. There's a lot there, guys, because when you talk about this and you look at this, the first thing you say you see, it says I have appointed you today over nations and kingdoms. I've heard it a bunch of times where men are like I'm the king of my own household or I'm the queen of my own household for women, because you're the head of it. But that's what you've been appointed to be a head of. You don't have to take the literal sense and think of a nation. And then it says to uproot and tear down. It's like gardening when you think of cleaning up a garden and you see weeds. What you do? You take them out, you uproot them, you tear them down in order to stop them from growing again, to stop that what is infesting and making your garden ugly out, to destroy it and to demolish it to everything that is evil and doesn't honor God. And then you're tasked to build and plant that which is going to grow to be that seed that the Holy Spirit can utilize in others, to plant it, not only within yourself, but in others. That is what is meant. That is what this means.

Speaker 1:

You don't have to be a prophet, you don't have to be a minister, you don't have to be a preacher, but you can do this through actions. Your actions could be the light that others need to see when it comes to god. It is through actions. That's you. I mean.

Speaker 1:

I've heard the phrase a bunch of times. It says that actions speak louder than words. So act as Jesus did when he walked on earth and as he continually does so today, through grace, following the word of God, the instructions that were given to us, following the word of God, the instructions that were given to us. There is so much that we could take from this and understanding that God's word has already been placed in us, whether it's to speak it or act upon it. And then those moments that we don't feel him, because there are times that we feel like we're burning up inside through the Holy Spirit. But then there's times that we feel like we're in the middle of a desert, with nothing around. It's when we need to fall to our knees and remember that God is one that provides and takes away. He is one that guides us when there's nothing else around, nothing worthwhile.

Speaker 1:

See, I recently had a dream, and I didn't realize what it was, just to this very second. And perhaps there's more to it than what I'm seeing right now. At least there's more to it than what God has revealed to me so far. But I dreamt that I was seeing what I believe was the Apostle Paul walking through a redren desert no mountains, no valleys, no, no hills, no, nothing, just straight red, sanded desert. When I think of it, think of the planet mars, right, that red, that color red. And he was. His beard was overgrown, he was dirty, his clothes were tattered, he was weary, he was weak, he was frail. But he was walking through this desert and he falls to his knees and I can visibly see him, how his sand, how his sandals bent the sand out of way as he fell to his knees, how the dust plumed up around him. I could see it clearly and he was tired, you could see it. And he pulls out a wooden bowl and the wind is blowing and it uncovers three rocks. Now, I don't know the full meaning of this, I will say this, but he puts each rock in turn inside of this bowl and he lifts it up to heaven. He lifts it up to the sky as he's crying and I could see the tears staining his cheek, pushing the filth and grime away, creating tear trails down his cheek, being lost into his beard, and he prays and says for you are the one who gives. Thank you, father. And as he does that, he brings the bowl back down and in place of those three stones were three loaves of bread and he places it on the ground. And that's where my dream ends.

Speaker 1:

See, what's curious about it is that we're all going to walk through the desert. We're all going to go through moments where life makes us feel like we're in the middle of nowhere, that everything is barren and we have no one around us. But it is through that that we need to stop and see that God has already provided for us that we might be tired, that we might be weak, that we might be weary, we may even be unkempt, but God gives us what we need to continue the fight, because our glory doesn't belong here on earth. It's not here on earth. It is in heaven, where our riches are stored. Why store something here when you're going to lose it when you die? But if you believe in Jesus, if you believe in the salvation that he gave us through the cross, through the blood that he shed on Calvary's cross, through the stripes that he endured, then death is nothing but sleep and you will rise again in the coming of Christ, in the second coming and everything that you decided to forego here on earth, you will be rewarded with much more in heaven for all of eternity. The book of Jeremiah is a wonderful. In heaven for all of eternity. The book of Jeremiah is a wonderful book just from the start of it.

Speaker 1:

So I will give you a task for the rest of this week, as I'm going to take on the same task and I'm also going to dive into this book. Read this, stop for a moment and ask yourself Am I feeling on fire for God, or am I just getting by? Am I doing everything I can to pull people out of the fire, or am I just looking out for myself? Am I scared to take the next step that God is asking me to do? Or have I convinced myself that I'm still walking to Christ, when in reality I'm not? These are the things that we have to ask ourselves, because otherwise we are blinded and deceived, and that is what the enemy does best. He deceives us no matter how devout we try to be, no matter how much we give into reading the word of God, no matter how much we try to be good people. Good isn't good enough. Reading the Bible alone isn't good enough. We need God to be by our side. We need to have our eyes focused on the Lord as we walk through these deserts. Have our eyes focused on the Lord as we walk through these deserts, because only he knows the path that he has paved.

Speaker 1:

So, as we tackle this week, as we dive in to everything that's going on in our lives, read the book of Jeremiah. Have self Inspect yourself inside and out. Look at the surrounding of your lives. Look at what you're giving into every day for pleasure. Look at what you're giving into every single day to be able to pass time and ask yourself is this what God put me on earth to do? Is this honoring God? Is this everything I should be doing to help others? Don't help others because you're looking for help yourself, because our help comes from heaven. Help others because that is what God has for us. That is what he sent his son, jesus Christ, to do when he came down to earth. He helped without asking anything in return. He took the pain of death, asking absolutely nothing of any of us but to believe in him.

Speaker 1:

And when you see it that way, you come to realize that there's many times that we've been selfish, especially me, that my silence is an act of selfishness, that there are others that need to be doused with the Holy Spirit, and that by keeping silent, by not doing what God has asked me to do, I am being selfish because I know of God's grace, I know of his goodness, I know of his provisions, but yet I'm keeping it to myself, I'm not talking about it so that others could feel it too, and that, in turn, is selfish. So let's bow our heads as we close this out. God forgive me for being selfish. Lord, forgive me of my sins. Lord, forgive me of my lack of drive and motivation to save those that I can.

Speaker 1:

Lord, through your words, lord, because it's not me who's doing the saving, lord, it's you. It is your light that guides people out of the darkness, father, but I know of it, I have have felt it, I have seen it and I have refused to speak of it, not out of spite, lord, but out of disobedience and selfishness. It is your words alone that people need to hear, and you have chosen Some of us to be able to spread those words and others to act on them. Help us see that purpose, help us see what it is you'll have of us and help us be heralds To those that are living in these hard times. There are families losing loved ones at war, there are famines, diseases, natural disasters that are making people doubt your goodness, that are making people doubt your goodness. Help us be that beacon of light that they need to see, to keep that spark lit inside of their hearts, so that they may have a chance at being at your feet for all of eternity, for seeing your goodness and grace through it all.

Speaker 1:

In Jesus name, I pray, amen, and with eyes still closed and heads bowed. If you don't have a relationship with God, or you don't know about him, or perhaps you're curious, or you've fallen away, it doesn't matter. But as long as you're not running to god, on fire for god and doing everything you can to be able to complete and spread the gospel and news of his salvation, then pray along this simple prayer God, 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. Lord, cleanse me of my sins, help me turn away from them for the rest of my life, so that I can live my life for you, Father, and to dedicate all that I have in your name. Be my Lord and Savior, so that I can live my life for the rest of my days in your goodness.

Speaker 1:

In Jesus' holy name, I pray. Amen, for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways to give his people knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins. Because of our God's merciful compassion, the dawn from on high will visit us to shine on those who live in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace. His word is so awesome guys. So I want to say thank you so much for being a part of Guidance Light, for helping spread the word to all those who need to hear it.

Speaker 1:

Guys, if you said these prayers and you accepted Jesus into your heart, I want to welcome you into God's family, but I also want to welcome you into Guidance Light Ministries, where this is a ministry that is led by faith. It is led by the faith in our Savior, jesus Christ and his good works. So I am going to ask for a huge, huge favor from each and every single one of you, because without your help, this channel will not grow, and I pray that God puts it in your heart to share this episode with someone who might need to hear it. So do me a favor share this episode, go on to wwwguidance-lightcom and submit prayer requests, listen to other episodes, invite others to see it it's all free because it is all for God's glory and that way, you can help others find that light that they may need to see. God may be using you at this very moment, calling you at this very second to do just that.

Speaker 1:

Thank you so much for being a part of this family. God bless you, guys, and may God protect you through each and every single trial and tribulation that you may be going through. May he provide provision for you if you have none. May he give you guidance if you feel lost. But overall, I pray that you feel the gift of salvation and peace amongst the chaos of this life. Thank you so much. Follow us on Instagram and TikTok as we post daily devotionals to help you in your walk with Christ. Help us spread the news again, and I will see you guys again on the next episode In Jesus' holy name. I know that it's gonna be another good one. Thank you so much for being a part of it. May God bless you and keep you safe throughout this entire time that we spend, apart from episode to episode. In Jesus' name, I pray again Amen, thank you.