Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. (Hebrews 11:1).

It is curious to note that faith is a universal attribute.

It doesn’t matter if you have religious beliefs or not. All people make use of faith. But when we analyze your statements, two doubts arise in my mind: What is your definition of faith? And, faith in what or in whom?

For example, athletes have faith in winning. Politicians have confidence in the appropriateness of their approaches, and companies have faith in their growth plans.

Some are confident of their chances and their ability to defeat their opponents. The others have faith in the adequacy of their political programs. And the latter rely on the formula of reducing costs and producing better and cheaper than their competitors.

The problem is that in a sports final there are two or more contenders and, except for one, all the others will lose, all the governments end up defeated at the ballot box, and of all the companies competing for a sector, only one manages to be the dominant one, and that for a while.

So I’m afraid we have a problem with their definition of faith.

Faith definition

In the best of cases it would have to be reduced to “a certain statistical probability”, if not a simple wish.

In other cases we cannot speak of faith, but of strength. You have the best players in the world and you have managed to get them to play together. It is very unlikely that an inferior team will beat you. Unless you make a very bad tactical approach.

Sun Tzu, in his book “The Art of War” wrote:

‘If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will lose every battle; if you know yourself but not your enemy, you will win some battles and lose others; but if you know your enemy and know yourself, you should not fear the outcome of a thousand battles.‘.

Very interesting and motivating this Sun Tzu, however, this is not faith either. This does not always work, and if not, just ask Nadal and Djokovic.

Because true faith is something very different. It is not a matter of probabilities. Nor is it a matter of wishful thinking. Nor is it about dominance over others.

Faith, I insist, is something very different.

Let’s look at the definition of faith found in the Epistle to the Hebrews, chapter 11 and verse 1:

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.

True faith is absolute certainty. He who has faith does not say: ‘I trust that we are going to obtain victory’. He who has faith affirms: ‘We have already conquered’.

Paul does not say that ‘we shall be more than conquerors in Christ’. Paul affirms: ‘we are more than conquerors’.

And Paul did not express the desire that nothing could separate us from the love of God. Paul affirmed: ‘Nothing will be able to separate us from the love of God‘. He did not know what was to come in the future, but he knew that any attack was already defeated in Christ.

Wish or hope

On the other hand, faith has to do with what is awaited, not with what is desired.

And the difference is subtle, but crucial.

At a subway stop we wait for the arrival of the convoy, we do not wish the arrival. The wish is something you long for, but you don’t know if you will achieve it or not. On the other hand, what is awaited is something that we do not yet have, but that we know will happen.

Victory and success are wished for in the world. But Christians await the coming of Christ.

You can fight and strive for success, but you will never be certain that you can achieve it.

However, in Christ we have the certainty that he will return for his people.

It does not depend on our strength or ability. It is Christ who has taken the decision. We just have to stand firm in the faith.

In the meantime we will suffer problems and adversities, and it is natural and legitimate to desire to be delivered from them. However, faith tells us that we are in his hands and that we can trust in his mercy and wisdom.

This is what Jesus expressed in Gethsemane:

“My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”(Matthew 26:39).

Because faith knows that if God allows us to experience this adversity, it is to ensure our victory.

Object of faith

Finally, faith has to do with the object of faith.

The natural man relies on his own capabilities. Sun Tzu put it very well. But they forget that the times are in God’s hands, and the best prepared plan can be ruined by a simple rain.

They trust in chariots and horses, but we trust in God, like David before Goliath or like Elisha before the prophets of Baal. The work does not depend on us. It depends on God.

We may not be able to see God, but He has changed our lives. We may not be able to see our future, but we know it is at God’s side. And we have not yet received our crown, but we know that it is waiting for us in heaven.

So when God leads you to face challenges, don’t look at your capabilities or the strength of your adversary. Look to God, listen to his words, have faith in him and wait upon him, and you will receive what God has for you.

God bless you.

Cover photo by Matt Duncan on Unsplash

En el Valle de Sombra de Muerte

A lo largo de nuestras vidas, todos vamos a pasar por valles de oscuridad y dolor.

Pero la Palabra de Dios da ánimo, y nos muestra cómo seguir adelante en dichos momentos, y vencer.

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La entrada Faith is confidence in what we hope se publicó primero en David Gómez.

Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

What an amazing thing feet are.

According to the Internet, each of them has 26 bones, which make up 33 joints, and are joined by more than 100 muscles, tendons and ligaments.

Our feet can support several times the weight of our body, withstand heavy falls and impacts, and transmit all the strength of our legs without the slightest problem.

A normal person who walks a couple of hours a day in their daily activities, can walk on them between 80 and 120 km per month, and take about 150,000 steps.

Y eso sin contar que, al margen de ello, puedas dedicarte a correr o caminar un tiempo extra cada día.

That is why it is important to take care of them and wear comfortable and healthy shoes.

As I was saying, the feet are incredibly powerful.

The adversity

But a few days ago I was walking around the house barefoot when I suddenly stubbed my toes with a box.

And, Lord, how it hurt.

The foot still had all the bones, ligaments and muscles, but I was unable to take a step.

It is in situations like these that you look around you and look for the culprits to blame for your woes and vent your grumbling.

The problem, in my case, was that I was the one who had left the box there. So I couldn’t get it off my chest.

But when you sit down, and the pain goes away a little, you can think.

And then you realize the inappropriateness of such a reaction.

Because it is very easy, and common, to fall into the temptation of thinking that if something hurts us or goes wrong it is because the universe has conspired against us. Or that it is our enemy who is sowing tares against us. Or that they are raising storms in our lives.

Now, have you ever stopped to think about what it means for you to think this way?

To think that supposes recognizing that God does not have the capacity to protect us from the attacks of others, be they physical or spiritual beings, or from circumstances.

Looking for someone to blame for what happens to us means thinking that our life should be placid. And we forget that we are in a war. Spiritual, yes, but a war.

And in war, life is anything but placid and calm.

Give thanks in everything

So, what should our attitude be? For God’s answer is found in the 1st epistle to the Thessalonians, chapter 5 and verse 18:

Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

When we surrender our life to Christ, when we accept Him as Lord and Savior, our life becomes His responsibility.

He is our shepherd, who leads us where we need to be, and he is our protector. God will not allow anything outside of His will to affect us.

So, if we walk in obedience to Him, nothing that happens to us will be beyond His control.

If we are aware of this, then the only correct response to the problems and adverse circumstances that befall us is to thank God for them.

Because if God allows something adverse in our lives, it is for our growth and strengthening. So that we can stand firm until the end.

So the next time you’re going to put a box down, or cross a street, or whatever else you do in your life, do it with caution and attention.

But if you nevertheless take a hit, thank God. For it is not the Universe that is rising up against you, but God is perfecting you for victory.

God bless you.

Cover phot by Erik Odiin on Unsplash

En el Valle de Sombra de Muerte

A lo largo de nuestras vidas, todos vamos a pasar por valles de oscuridad y dolor.

Pero la Palabra de Dios da ánimo, y nos muestra cómo seguir adelante en dichos momentos, y vencer.

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La entrada Give thanks in all circumstances (to God) se publicó primero en David Gómez.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

You may think this is an inappropriate question for a blog like this one.

But this is a question that gives a lot of play.

Because it not only tells us about priorities, it also tells us about the arrogance of human beings.

In order to develop our lives, it is good to have a roadmap in which we keep in mind our priorities, our objectives and our values.

In this way it is easier to focus on what we really consider a priority for us, and thus be able to concentrate energy and resources on it and make the achievement of our goals more feasible.

As a result, all kinds of organizations, from businesses to governments to Christian denominations, are now developing their respective and famous agendas. What if the 2030 agenda, what if the 2033 agenda, what if the 2050 agenda…

They are really very useful tools for making consistent progress, because if we know where we are, and we know where we want to be, it is easier to determine the steps to take and the direction to follow.

However, these agendas have a problem. The truth is that we do not know what the future will bring.

First, because what we consider rock-solid today may tomorrow prove to be as unsafe as sand. In the crash of ’29, many went to bed rich on Wednesday, October 23 and woke up broke the next day.

Second, because our actions do not always achieve the desired results. Buying a lottery ticket gives you a chance, but does not guarantee you a prize.

Third, because our goals are not always going to be the right ones and we may find ourselves achieving our dreams only to discover that it was not what we expected.

And fourth, and most important, because we are not even certain that we will be alive tomorrow.

They are agendas based on the shortness of what we know at the moment of departure, but they cannot take into account everything that will happen along the way.

And knowing this would be invaluable in order to rework the roadmap in a seamless manner.

But how can we know what has not yet been produced?

We could try to develop artificial intelligence algorithms, but there may be so many variables and options that it would be unfeasible.

Trust in the Lord

However, there is a better alternative, to ask God, who has the time in His hand, to guide us in preparing it, as the book of Proverbs reminds us in chapter 3 and verses 5 and 6:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

It’s not that you stop planning and take a chance to see where you land.

It is about trusting in God’s power and grace to make the right choice, not so much in your own abilities or resources as in the certainty that God places in your heart.

If God brings you before the Jordan, and tells you to cross over, do not be afraid of the width of the river or that you do not know how to swim; trust God with all your heart.

And when you make a decision, sincerely seek to do God’s will, so that, even when you make a wrong decision, you will be sensitive and humble enough to allow him to straighten your paths and allow you to reach the streams of fresh water of the Holy Spirit, which will fill your life with blessing.

And so you can complete your race with victory.

God bless you.

Cover photo by Michael Shannon on Unsplash

La entrada Trust in the Lord se publicó primero en David Gómez.

One of the things that is most valued in a person who has to lead a group or a project is his or her capacity for self-motivation.

This is because, in the course of his or her work, the leader will find himself or herself in situations that will undermine his or her endurance.

Resources that fail, poorly designed systems, collaborators who do their job reluctantly, when they are not putting obstacles in the wheels of the project, superiors who don’t know anything…

Those responsible for finding these people know that if they don’t find someone with that exceptional ability to move forward, most projects will likely never come to fruition.

For this reason, in personnel selection processes, technical preparation is no longer given so much importance, as this is something that the vast majority of candidates will have.

Nowadays, what is most valued is the candidate’s attitude towards life’s problems.

Because chances are, if you get a job like that, you’re going to have a lot of bad nights. And if you don’t have the right attitude, you’ll end up spending your little free time at your psychologist’s office.

And it is the same in the spiritual life.

To go to the end in a faithful manner, facing the consequences of living a life of holiness and obeying God, will require much effort and persistence.

Because we will be up against a ruthless enemy.

And that strength and persistence is something that only a select few have naturally.

And even for those, this natural energy eventually runs out one day.

So, if this capacity for endurance is so rare, how can those of us who do not have it remain steadfast to the end?

Are we doomed because we are unable to develop such a level of resilience?

As always, the answer is in God.

Let us see what the book of Isaiah tells us:

.…..but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

Isaiah 40:31

To advance in your spiritual life, it is not necessary to go from here to there looking for the latest preaching or the latest talk of the enlightened person of the moment. Nor is it necessary to have an extraordinary innate capacity.

If you want to keep your strength strong, if you want to renew your energy and your vision to move forward, all you have to do is trust in God.

For it is to those who wait for the LORD that this promise is reserved. Not to those who run alone.

And, for this, there is nothing better than to stop and set aside time each day to listen to the voice of God. And dedicate it to prayer and meditation of his Word.

Pray, yes, but remember that prayer is not a monologue. Prayer is a dialogue. It is you talking to God, but it is also God talking to you.

And meditate on his Word in order to re-tune your life to God’s will.

For only in this way can you deepen your knowledge of your Creator and the knowledge of His will.

When you achieve this, the glimpse of God’s glory will renew you completely, and His Holy Spirit will be able to strengthen, comfort and encourage you.

With the added assurance that this promise of God, to receive new strength, is for each and every one of his children. Without distinction of capacity or calling.

So the next time you are thinking of throwing in the towel, go into God’s presence and wait and trust in him. And he will give you the strength to go on, one more day.

God bless you.

Cover photo by Birger Strahl on Unsplash

La entrada Those who hope in the Lord se publicó primero en David Gómez.

During Franco’s dictatorship, evangelicals in Spain were second-class citizens.

So we were discriminated against in cemeteries, in jobs, in the army, in social life in general.

Many times they closed our places of worship with any pretext; and this discrimination was so evident that Spain was excluded from access to some international aid for this reason.

In this context, the natural thing to do would be to try to maintain what is called a low profile. Do nothing and wait for better times.

However, this is not what happened.

It is true that large signs were avoided in the churches, and multitudinous activities were not carried out. Despite this, however, the premises were attacked or closed by the authorities. And many times they had to meet clandestinely in the houses.

But they dared to point out themselves in the midst of a world that discriminated and rejected them.

And God was faithful to that faithful church. Because of this, the church grew, and a lot, during that time. And despite all the difficulties, God used them to lay the foundation upon which the church of today stands.

But they have not been the only ones. Throughout the Bible, with characters such as Daniel, Rahab, Nehemiah, or the prophets, as well as throughout history, we have the example of many other servants and handmaids of God who took on similar challenges.

And don’t think that they were special people, endowed with great character or an overwhelming personality. The vast majority were simple people, whose only strength was their love for Christ.

My paternal grandmother was a simple woman. And yet he organized clandestine prayer meetings in his house, even though his neighbor downstairs was a colonel in Franco’s army.

There have been many, because if there is one thing we must be clear about, when we decide to follow Christ and live for him, it is that we are going to face many and great oppositions. But God will always be with us.

And the apostle Paul knew this well.

Therefore, when Paul writes his second letter to the young Timothy, who is following in his footsteps in God’s work, the first thing he tells him is to hold tightly to the Holy Spirit in order to overcome all the trials he will have to face.

Thus, in that second letter to Timothy, in chapter 1 and verses 7 and 8 Paul tells him: For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. Therefore do not be ashamed to bear witness for our Lord, nor for me, his prisoner, but share in the afflictions for the gospel according to the power of God.

When we submit our lives to God we receive the wonderful gift of salvation. But with it also comes a great responsibility: to be witnesses of Christ so that others may also come to his feet.

And for this we need the power of God. Power to know how to be still, and power also to act.

For it is true that we have been called to be meek and to know how to keep our impulses under the control of the Holy Spirit. But meekness does not mean cowardice, just as humility does not mean that we remain silent in the face of injustice.

That is why God has left us the Holy Spirit. A spirit of power to face situations and people without fear. For we will not go in our own strength, but we will be channels of God’s power.

But it is also a spirit of love, to reach out to those who suffer and to those who persecute us and to manifest to them the message of salvation and hope.

And it is a spirit of self-control, which will strengthen us not to give in to our natural impulses and selfishness, but will help us to keep our eyes focused on the cross of Christ and the will of the Father.

So now you know, from the first moment you lay your life at the feet of Christ you will suffer opposition and persecution from our adversary, so that you will not carry out God’s plan in your life.

But like all those who have gone before us, you too will have that same spirit of power, love and self-control that God generously gives us, and that will make real in your life the words we find in the 2nd Epistle to the Corinthians, chapter 2 and verse 14: But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ Jesus, and through us manifests in every place the fragrance of his knowledge.

God bless you.

Photo by Tim Marshall on Unsplash

En el Valle de Sombra de Muerte

A lo largo de nuestras vidas, todos vamos a pasar por valles de oscuridad y dolor.

Pero la Palabra de Dios da ánimo, y nos muestra cómo seguir adelante en dichos momentos, y vencer.

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La entrada For God has not given us a spirit of cowardice se publicó primero en David Gómez.

This pandemic has revealed much about the nature of human beings.

Some of them are positive, but many others are negative. And one of the latter isthe high level of anxiety we have about the future.

Now it seems an almost comical anecdote, but do you remember when toilet paper disappeared from supermarkets? It seemed as if it would cease to be produced forever.

And every time we are warned of a possible emergency, people run in panic to gather the most unbelievable things. Although it is also true that, as I have already mentioned, this is happening less and less frequently.

Perhaps the problem is the sensationalism with which some news is treated. There are no more winters, now there are “polar air masses” and “deep squalls”; and there are no more storms, now everything is “isolated high level depressions” or “explosive cyclogenesis”.

Whenever something is out of the ordinary, we call it an emergency. We will probably end up like in the story of Peter and the wolf, that we get used to everything being false emergencies and stop paying attention to them. And when the real emergency comes, many will be left out of the game.

In any case, with so many alarm bells ringing continuously about health crises, migratory crises, economic crises, unemployment and job insecurity, natural disasters, etc., etc., etc., etc., we already have the “perfect explosive cyclogenesis” that is leading us to live almost in a permanent state of psychosis.

And in this state people jump for anything, and every little stumble becomes a Greek tragedy.

Faced with such an uncertain and threatening future, it is not surprising that health and multi-risk insurance, as well as online psychology consultations are growing like crazy.

Not everything is negative in this situation, though. Some are turning their eyes to God; and many Christians have been pushed to abandon their self-sufficiency, and learn to trust and depend on God.

It is therefore not surprising that, over the past year, one of the most consulted biblical passages on the Internet has been Matthew chapter 6 and verses 31 to 33: Don’t frighten them, therefore, saying: What shall we eat, or drink, or wear? For the Gentiles seek after all these things; but your heavenly Father knows that you have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.

This passage is a precious treasure and an immense promise from the mouth of our Lord Jesus Christ.

He knew our anxiety and fears, and He knows our need for security.

But while the world puts its trust in material things, a good job, a good house or a good savings, Jesus urges us to put our trust in God, and to prioritize our relationship with him, rather than trying to secure a good future.

For if our life is hidden with Christ in God, if we are in the hands of our Savior, if we have chosen to be servants of our Lord, our first priority must be to live for Him. Because when we do this, in simplicity and humility, God himself takes control of our life and our needs.

But handing over control of our lives to God is something we find difficult, because it gives us the feeling that we are going to lose our autonomy. However, the truth is that the opposite is true, because although we will not always be able to do things when we would like or as we would like, the reality is that, in this way, everything will happen in God’s time and in God’s way. And this will result in blessing.

And remember the words of the book of Proverbs chapter 10 and verse 22: The blessing of God is that which enriches, and does not add sorrow with it.

So put your trust in God, give your life to your Lord, and let him mold it to his best judgment. And you will see the glory of God manifest in your life.

God bless you.

Photo by Timothy Eberly on Unsplash

En el Valle de Sombra de Muerte

A lo largo de nuestras vidas, todos vamos a pasar por valles de oscuridad y dolor.

Pero la Palabra de Dios da ánimo, y nos muestra cómo seguir adelante en dichos momentos, y vencer.

Quiero saber más

La entrada Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness se publicó primero en David Gómez.

The purpose of technology is to make life easier for human beings.

Some technologies make it easier for us to move around, others to communicate, others to work and others to protect ourselves.

Wherever there is a human need or activity we will find some kind of technology helping us.

This is a wonderful thing, but it is also causing a lot of problems.

Because the fact that we can do things more easily does not mean that those things are good or that we do them well.

For example, manufacturing things more easily is leading us to deplete many resources; the improvement in military technologies is helping us to better destroy ourselves in case of wars, and the same ease we have of being able to talk to someone on the other side of the world, is leading us, paradoxically, to be a society much more closed in on ourselves, and we do not even know who the neighbor across the street is, unless we find him or her on Instagram.

We have become so accustomed to technology that we are being trapped by the law of least effort, but taken to its most negative extreme. If there is no button to do my homework, I don’t do it.

And so, we have become techno-addicted, or perhaps better, techno-dependent. Because if the fear of a possible massive power outage were to become a reality, the least of our problems would be not being able to access our profile on social networks.

Such a blackout would leave us without communications and without banks instantly, which would lead us to be unable to buy anything but the little cash we have. But in a few minutes we will also run out of water and heat as the pumps fail. In a few hours the few advanced medical services that would have survived with generators would be shut down, and in a few days transportation would be paralyzed. No communications, no food and no water.

And in the face of this many have gone crazy again, accumulating food and water in their homes, although this time the toilet paper has not been so sought after, perhaps because the sanitation network would not work either.

It is also true that this time the collection has been smaller, probably motivated by the scandalous nature of some alleged prophecies, given by supposed prophets and prophetesses, who claimed that the world was almost coming to an end in 2020, and that they did not come true.

But it is also true that many live in fear of an uncertain future.

Because problems and difficulties will always be there, and even more so if we try to live as Christians in a society that has turned its back on everything that smells of God.

And what can we Christians do in the face of this and other possible catastrophes? To trust in the same God in whom Joshua trusted.

He was in a very complicated situation, he had to lead Israel into the Promised Land. A place full of fortified cities and powerful armies.

The situation was to be fearful, and God knew it, that’s why he addressed to him the words we find in the book of Joshua, chapter 1 and verse 9: I’ve commanded you, haven’t I? Be strong and courageous. Don’t be fearful or discouraged, because the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

Of course, we will face difficult and tough situations throughout our lives. If cities run out of water we will all go thirsty. But the sons and daughters of God have a precious promise, whatever we have to go through God will be with us.

And this is not just a promise to Joshua, in Matthew 28:19-20, when Jesus is entrusting the disciples with the Great Commission he tells them: Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Therefore, every time you experience a difficult situation in your life, do not let yourself be discouraged. Cling to God and fight in faith.

Never allow circumstances to defeat you and keep you away from God. Trust in Him and try hard.

Because God will always be at your side, and in Him is victory.

God bless you.

Photo by Andrea De Santis on Unsplash

En el Valle de Sombra de Muerte

A lo largo de nuestras vidas, todos vamos a pasar por valles de oscuridad y dolor.

Pero la Palabra de Dios da ánimo, y nos muestra cómo seguir adelante en dichos momentos, y vencer.

Quiero saber más

La entrada I’ve commanded you, haven’t I? se publicó primero en David Gómez.

When we are going through difficult trials, when tribulation strikes our life, when cold floods our soul and darkness surrounds us, it is easy to become lonely and helpless.

In such circumstances, it is difficult for us to feel the presence of God, and the words of Jesus on the cross “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” come quickly to mind, because we feel that way.

However, this is not a real thing.

Jesus felt God’s abandonment because on the cross he bore all our sins, our guilt, and suffered the consequence of that guilt: separation from God.

And he did it so that you would never have to feel that way again, ever.

I know it’s difficult. I know it is hard and complicated to accept, but when you feel helpless remember the words of our Lord: “…And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).

He will always be with you.

 Photo by Matthew Henry on Unsplash 

La entrada Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani se publicó primero en David Gómez.