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.

Quiero saber más

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

But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed (Isaiah 53:5).

“Whoever does not have a godfather is not baptized”

A long time ago I heard this spanish saying that, despite how little I like it, is terribly accurate.

There is a lot of talk about how we are in a society of meritocracy, that it doesn’t matter so much who you are or the degrees you have, but what you are able to do with what you have, and blah, blah, blah.

But the truth is that if you look at those who are at the head of many companies, entities or organizations, the decisions they make, or the statements they make, you have no choice but to question all of the above.

Some examples.

If you want something to sell well, you have to get the celebrity to promote it. If you succeed, it won’t matter whether the product is good or bad. The point is that it will sell, at least for a while.

In electoral campaigns, it is not important the quality or solvency of the political program, but to give a good image in front of the camera, and to get the support of the right people.

And if you don’t want to be messed with, try to make friends with someone important. Because if you have good allies, no matter what you do, they will always find a way out for you. Unless you steal more than you should.

So, unfortunately, in this society, those who do not have a godfather is not baptized, and those who have a godfather is.

This is the terrible message that is being transmitted to society and that is permeating to the bone.

Is God a father or a godfather?

And this is causing even those who believe in a God to see that God as something similar. So they come to think that, if they manage to win God’s favor, they will be able to live their lives in their own way and at ease.

This is what, in a way, Greeks and Romans did at the time of Christ. They presented offerings to please the gods so that they would be propitious to them. Or at least to leave them alone and not pursue them with calamities.

Then they would go back to their usual lives to do what they thought best.

And as I was saying, there are those who think that the same can be done with God. They give more or less substantial donations, show up at a church from time to time, and that’s it. With that they already believe they have earned heaven.

God is holy

But there is a problem. God is Holy. And nothing that is not holy will be able to stand in his presence.

If we go to the Old Testament we will see that the offerings that had to be presented to God had to be perfect, otherwise they would be rejected.

And since there is no such thing as a perfect human being, no one will be able to stand in the presence of God by his or her own efforts.

Well, there was indeed a perfect human being, someone who stood before God and took the punishment for our sins and the payment for our deliverance: Jesus.

Let’s see what the book of the prophet Isaiah tells us, in chapter 53 and verse 5:

But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.

Christ paid the price for our peace

There is nothing we can do to earn God’s favor. There is no gift large enough to pay the “fine” for our offense to God, nor any action so high that it can make us forget our sin.

The only one who could pay the price was Christ. And He did it for love.

And if we accept Christ’s sacrifice, die to ourselves and begin to live for God, we have the certainty that God’s hand will always be upon our lives.

In this way, their guidance, care and protection will accompany us throughout our days. And we will have the confidence that, whatever we live, it will always be God’s perfect plan for us.

Christ paid for our rebellions and assumed our sins. This is the only thing that opens access to God. No one who is not justified by Christ will be able to remain in his presence for all eternity.

But, in addition, Christ won God’s peace for us and we were healed by Him.

This implies that the days we live on this earth we can live secure and confident, in spite of the circumstances, and with the certainty that our days here will not end prematurely, no matter how much attack our adversary launches against us.

Christ is the example of true meritocracy. If today we can live in peace with God, it is because Christ won it for us through his surrender and death.

So, we no longer need godparents, because in Christ we are made children of God, and now we have a Father who loves us.

God bless you.

Cover photo by Ben Allan 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 The punishment that brought us peace was on him se publicó primero en David Gómez.

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).

A few days ago I was listening to a radio announcer commenting that he had a terrible weekend. Everything went wrong.

And there are days when it seems better not to have gotten out of bed, and in some cases, there are even whole months.

I remember when I was a child there was an event that, if it weren’t so serious, would be comical.

We were on vacation at the mill where my maternal grandparents worked, and one day, as my grandmother was leaving the main building she tripped and fell. There were three steps and the ground outside was paved with boulders because loads of wheat were still coming in on mules.

My grandmother fell from the top of the steps and hit one of those stones. This caused him to be shocked and knocked out for a few minutes, as well as a gash on his forehead that began to bleed profusely.

And I, who was the only one who saw it all, instead of approaching to see if I could help, I started shouting, “it wasn’t me, it wasn’t me”.

Fortunately my screams alerted my parents and grandfather and they attended to her immediately.

The truth is that I had been having a season in which many things had broken. Maybe because my curiosity led me to get into places I shouldn’t and to observe everything. And of course, to observe better, sometimes you had to pick things up, or move them aside, and they had the bad habit of falling down.

The thing is that when something appeared broken, all eyes turned to me. And since they were usually right, I didn’t mind taking the punishment.

But this time I didn’t want to take a punishment that I didn’t deserve and that, given the severity of the consequences, I estimated would be considerable.

Thank God my grandmother recovered well, and it was made clear that I had nothing to do with the incident.

And no, if you think that after that I stopped getting into trouble you are very wrong. But I did learn something, I had to be more careful not to break so many things.

Since then I have continued to research and learn, and not only have I become somewhat skilled at not breaking so many things, but I became an expert at maintaining and fixing them.

So it seems that the passage in Romans, chapter 8 and verse 28, the one that says: And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose, was fulfilled.

However, I seem to be back to my old ways. With the difference that now I don’t break things, now I seem to break myself, well me and my circumstances.

Many of you know José Ortega y Gasset’s phrase, “I am me and my circumstances”, alluding to the fact that not everything that happens to us is under our control. Because a simple unforeseen event can ruin the most careful of projects.

Although the truth is that the phrase is a little longer and goes like this: “I am me and my circumstance, if I don’t save it, I don’t save myself”.

So, in a way, this man encourages us to try to understand and change our circumstance in order to help ourselves.

It sounds reasonable. However, the concept contains an important trap. The word “circumstance” comes from Latin and literally means “that which surrounds us”.

If we apply this to the previous sentence, the philosopher is telling us that if we act on the environment we can change our self.

And it is true that if we take care of our environment we can have a better world, but those things do not help us to be better people.

For the truth is that, as Jesus teaches us, it is not what goes in, but what comes out of the person, that contaminates.

Therefore, although we Christians take care of the things that surround us, as a sign of our stewardship towards what we have received from God, our efforts should be focused on taking care of and changing our inner self, with the help of the Holy Spirit. For only a heart and mind renewed by Christ can help us on the path to eternal life.

So do not be afraid of circumstances, nor let yourself be discouraged by them, because if you love God, if you walk in His will, every circumstance that God allows in your life is one more step towards your final victory in Christ.

For we know that all things work together for good to them that love God..

God bless you.

Cover photo by OJ 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 All things work together for good se publicó primero en David Gómez.

Have you ever been approached on the street by a stranger to congratulate you and give you a gift?

But a real gift, not one of those promotions whose objective is that you end up buying something from them.

For me, at least, no.

Nor is it usual for someone with whom you have a terrible grudge to approach you to give you gifts. And if it does, before you open them you x-ray them. Just in case.

And that happens because we give gifts to people we love and know.

People who have helped or taught us in a selfless way. People who have granted us the privilege of their friendship, their time, or even their resources.

It is these people whom we honor with gifts, and whose achievements we congratulate and recognize.

But the rest of the population often remains invisible to our eyes. Because we understand that they have done nothing for us, nor are they anything for us.

At most, we make a donation to an NGO. But sometimes it is more out of remorse than out of true altruism.

And this is so because, by nature, we are selfish. Even, in some cases, these gifts are a way to “maintain a relationship” that, perhaps, we are neglecting.

However, Jesus shows us the true nature of the attitude of giving. Thus, in the Gospel of Luke chapter 14 Jesus speaks about a wedding, and tells his host that when he holds a celebration he should not invite friends, but the poor and needy.

Because friends could return the invitation and repay the favor. But the needy could not, and that is what God would value and reward.

In fact, that is what God did with us.

Although God loves us, for many He was a perfect stranger. At most someone we had heard of, but with whom we either had no relationship at all, or our relationship was one of hatred or contempt. But, in all cases, we lived outside their ways and their will.

And in spite of that contempt, God gave us the best of gifts.

Let’s see what Luke’s Gospel tells us, chapter 2 and verses 10 and 11:

But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.

God had no obligation to us.

We had done nothing to reciprocate.

In fact, we had earned his back.

And yet, his love for us, a genuine and selfless love, impelled him to give us redemption and eternal life.

He paid the price for our sins, for our rebellions, for our indifference against Him. And in Christ he gave us eternal life, granting us the right to be his children.

It doesn’t matter what our attitude toward God is. He looks at us through His mercy and wants us to recover the perfect relationship that we human beings had with Him at the beginning of Creation.

And that is why he sent Christ to rescue us. No strings attached, no fine print. A gift of love.

But like all gifts, you can only enjoy this one if you accept it and unwrap it to use it.

So this Christmas I invite you to accept the gift that God offers you, because no other gift will transform your life as Christ will.

And if you already have it, remember to share it with everyone else, known or unknown.

Because, as valuable as the things you can share are, Christ is the only gift that will bring them life.

God bless you.

And a very Merry Christmas.

Cover photo by Gareth Harper on Unsplash

La entrada The best Christmas gift se publicó primero en David Gómez.

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid (John 14:27).

The first major recorded event, after the fall of man in Eden, was a murder.

Perhaps that is why we should not be surprised that one of the most present events throughout history is war.

An act whose only purpose is to bring pain, death and destruction to the victim. Sometimes, however, it seems that the aggressor forgets that he or she will also have to pay a price.

But of course, whoever gives the order to start a war is usually far away from the front line.

War is synonymous with casualties, and it is often said that the first casualty of war is the truth. However, this is not always true.

Aggressions are often justified under the pretext of defense, such as the famous “preventive wars” in the Middle East or the aggression against Ukraine. However, the truth always prevails through the clouds of bomb smoke.

The real first casualty of war is peace.

As soon as the first shot or the first explosion sounds, peace is dead. In fact, it may have died a long time before. The next victims are people, and, with them, the entire creation.

For nothing is more contrary to the concept of divine creation than war. And despite social advances, no one has managed to eradicate it. Nor will it succeed, until Christ comes again.

It is well known that the vast majority of the advances we currently have at our disposal have their origin in military needs. Digital watches, cell phones, computers, GPS, and even some medical advances were initially aimed at killing more and better.

We have gone from the stone or the jawbone of an ass to the missile. But the human heart still harbors the same yearning for evil.

And maybe missiles are not launched every day (now in Ukraine they are), but every day thousands of people attack their fellow human beings causing them physical or emotional harm, or both.

And in this context it is very easy to lose hope and faith.

Perhaps because of this, and because Jesus knew that violence is an endemic evil of humanity, he left us this beautiful promise recorded in chapter 14 and verse 27 of the Gospel of John:

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

The world offers peace when violence ends. But it is still not a complete peace, because true peace is not the absence of violence.

A rape victim does not regain peace when the assault ends. And I wish the Ukrainian war would end right now, but that’s not going to bring peace back to Ukrainians. Because pain, hatred and rancor is growing in their hearts.

Recently a young woman from Kiev said that the Russians would never manage to enter the city, and the reason she gave was neither military nor geographical. The reason she gave was that hatred in the Ukrainian population had grown so much that Russian soldiers would never be able to defeat them.

That is why Jesus did not leave us the peace of the world, but left us his peace. A peace that does not need external conditions, the absence of violence, to exist, but is a peace that remains in all times. And that develops even more, if possible, in times of persecution and trial.

It is a peace that grows continuously as our faith and dependence on God grows. A peace that helps us to forgive and heal our wounds. Because what hatred does is to keep them open and infected.

And it is this peace the world needs. Therefore, today more than ever, the world needs us to be visible, even if they do not want to see us, and to carry the message of the Gospel, even if they do not want to hear it.

So cling to your Lord, and go forward, and even if the violent ones take everything from you by force, you will discover that there is something they can never take from you, the peace that Christ has given you.

God bless you.

Cover photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

La entrada Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you 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.

We will all face difficult times throughout our lives. And we will all need shelter and refuge at such times.

In fact, years ago, there was a very curious advertisement that touched on this point..

It showed some kids bullying another one, but then he called his cousin, a Zumosol orange juice drinker who was really strong, and solved the problem.

This concept of the cousin of zumosol was funny, and hence when someone had an important problem, the expression “go to or call the cousin of zumosol” was used.

The truth is that we would all like to have a cousin to turn to when things go wrong.

Disqualifications, contempt, abuse, defenselessness and other similar situations would be much easier to resolve if we had the help of such a cousin.

This is one of the reasons for the emergence of all kinds of associations.

Associations of patients, professionals and trade unions, are a positive sign of this desire to count on the help of other people who are more prepared or more experienced than us.

But here too we have a dark side. Thus, we can see the proliferation of gangs or anti-establishment groups of one sign or another, who encourage, prepare and help their members to be more destructive and violent than their adversaries.

And this, with the mistaken belief that with force they will be able to impose their proposals, or that they will be able to benefit from violence and coercion. And they do not know that their path of violence is a path of death for themselves.

Christians, for our part, have the church. A community in which we can feel safe, welcomed and protected from the outside world, and to which many come in search of that shelter.

And this is very positive, because that is one of the functions of the Church.

Now, the Church is a community, not a place where we can live.

And it is a help, a very important tool for our growth, but there will be situations in which, for one reason or another, we will not be able to count on it.

Abraham had to leave his home, David had to flee to the land of the Philistines, even Jesus was left alone in Gethsemane, even though he was surrounded by his disciples….

And then what?

The answer is found in the first two verses of Psalm 91, which read as follows: Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”

Of course, God has left his Church to serve as an umbrella for those who seek refuge in it. But we must be aware that protection, the real protection, comes from God. And even if this umbrella, which is the Church, is blown away by the wind of the storm, we can always be sure of finding shelter in God.

For He is shelter on cold and stormy days, when loneliness wounds us and darkness surrounds us; and He is shade when the sun of trial beats down on us and dryness leaves us without strength.

And it is hope in the midst of problems, even if at times this hope is as faint as mist. But it is also a castle, tall, solid and firm, which surrounds us with its walls to protect us from any attack from our enemy.

So don’t envy the world when it brings out its “zumosol” cousins, and don’t be afraid of them when they come against you. For they are but modern “Goliaths” who, like the former, will be defeated by faith.

While you will be safe dwelling in the shelter of the Most High remembering the words of the epistle to the Romans chapter 8 and verse 31: “…If God is for us, who can be against us?”

God bless you.

Cover photo by Juliane Liebermann on Unsplash

La entrada Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High 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.

Quiero saber más

La entrada For God has not given us a spirit of cowardice 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.

There are two things that bother most of us terribly, having to wait and having to ask for help.

If we analyze our behaviors we will realize that we have less and less patience.

Nothing makes us angrier than arriving at the doctor’s office or a restaurant and having to wait. And even more so if you have booked an appointment.

Books have fewer and fewer pages and the most watched videos on social networks are less than three minutes long. Even Aliexpress is working to deliver orders, to anywhere in the world, in less than three days, because, otherwise, sales slow down.

And if we go to surf the Internet then the issue is already incredible. To give an example, if a page takes more than 10 or 12 seconds to load, the vast majority of people abandon the site.

And even if the paragraphs are very long, people skip over them.

And as for asking for help… we’re not doing much better either.

We always like to look our best and give the impression that we are winners, because being a loser is frowned upon. And because admitting our need for help implies recognizing that we are not so much masters of our lives.

I recently switched phone companies and had to go to a store to return the router; and in the time I spent in that store I saw something very interesting. Every customer in front of them always asked for the highest-end smartphone they were offered.

They may not have a place to drop dead, but if they do, they will do so with a state-of-the-art cell phone.

And if we add the problems caused by Covid-19 to this tension to make us look like winners, we get a devastating cocktail.

Spain is among the countries with the highest growth in cases of depression in Europe. And it has the highest per capita consumption of antidepressants.

Terrifying.

But God has the answer to this situation.

An answer that fills us with hope and that we find in the epistle to the Philippians, chapter 4 and verses 6 and 7:

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

The apostle Paul teaches us that there is only one way to keep anxiety and worry away from us, and that is to present our needs before God and thank Him for His decision and provision, whatever it may be. For only in this way can we find his peace.

Because God wants us to learn to rest in Him. And not because he wants us to become indolent beings, but because it is only when our hearts and thoughts remain centered on Christ that we will be able to defeat adversity.

But this will only happen when we accept that God has His perfect time to show us His answer and has a perfect plan for our lives. Although at first we may not understand it.

So, if you are struggling to achieve your dreams soon, and to do it by your own means, and if you are seeing how anxiety or depression is taking over your thoughts, stop and turn to God, and decide to trust him.

Because only when you strip yourself of your pride and arrogance, and decide to ask for and accept his help, you will feel how your life is filled with his peace, you will discover his plan for you and you will see the power of God working in your life.

God bless you.

Cover image by Luis Villasmil on Unsplash

La entrada Do not be anxious about anything se publicó primero en David Gómez.