A well-fed conscience discerns the voice of God

A friend of mine once shared with me that he was on his way to preach but he had not been to this church before and didn’t know how to get to it. In Puerto Rico, if you don’t know how to get to your destination, stopping and asking for directions is a must. The gentlemen who helped him at one point told him, “Turn when you see a big rock on the side of the road.” My friend encountered this intersection but there were TWO big rocks: One on his right and the other one to his left.  His prayer: “To the right or left?” And the spirit told him “Left.” I laughed so hard when my friend said, “Bro, I don’t know what kind of spirit that was but I know it wasn't the Holy Ghost because I ended up in the middle of the jungle!

Many claim that God does not speak sometimes. Others affirm that He makes it difficult for us to hear Him. However, Scripture is very clear that time after time God sent His prophets to speak to His people but His children did not listen (Jeremiah 26). Very often we unconsciously build obstacles and barriers, and the message doesn’t come through clearly. In other words, a well-fed conscience is able to discern the voice of God.

Take for example Joseph, Mary’s husband. “Then he arose, took the young Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel (from Egypt). But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea instead of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there.”[i] The fear that Joseph feels comes from the Lord through his conscience as a warning! Joseph wants confirmation, kneels down, prays to his Father in Heaven, and the Lord confirms this warning via dream. “And being warned by God in a dream, he turned aside into the region of Galilee.”[ii]

The Lord speaks through our heart,[iii] our conscience. The exercise we do, amount of rest, and kind of food we eat have a huge impact on our mind. The kind of music & movies we hear and watch also feed the brain positively or negatively. Remember, out of the abundance of the heart speaks the mouth.[iv] Prayer, Bible-reading, and fasting cleanses the soul.

Therefore, consider your ways.

Blessings!

-Pr. Sergio Ochaeta

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[i] Matthew 2:22

[ii] Ibid

[iii] “Often including the intellect as well as the affections and will; as conversely the "mind" often includes the feeling and will as well as the intellect. Rom. 1:21, "their foolish heart was darkened." Eph. 1:18, "the eyes of your understanding (the Vaticanus manuscript; but the Sinaiticus and Alexandrinus manuscripts `heart') being enlightened." Thus, the Scripture implies that the heart and the head act and react on one another; and in men's unbelief it is the will that perverts the intellectual perceptions. John 7:17, "if any man be willinq to (Greek) do, he shall know." "Willingness to obey" is the key to spiritual knowledge. See Jer. 17:9; Hos. 7:11, "Ephraim is like a silly dove without heart," i.e. moral understanding” (Fausset’s Bible Dictionary).

[iv] Luke 6:45

Your association with the ungodly mirrors your own godliness

Do you treat the ungodly ones the same, or perhaps better, than you treat others? I’m talking about those people who are unholy, godless, irreligious, impious, blasphemous, immoral, corrupt, wicked and evil. I’m referring to those who don’t have the same religious beliefs as yours, who steal, cheat and kill. Let me bring it closer and personal: Those who are homosexuals, the teenager who likes to smoke Marijuana, watch porn and masturbate on a daily basis, the father and husband who was a church leader and ended up getting caught paying for prostitution services, and perhaps even the individuals who have hurt you deeply.

Please, think and identify them in your life. Again, the question is: Do you treat them the same, or perhaps better, than you treat people “your kind”? I ask this question because Jesus did, and this reflected his godliness and close relationship with God the Father

“Now it happened, as He was dining in Levi’s house, that many tax collectors and SINNERS also sat together with Jesus and His disciples; for they were many, and they followed Him.”[i]

I don’t know about you but I wouldn’t like to be labeled as a sinner. Yet, Mark here calls sinners those who Jesus hung around with. Interestingly, Jesus liked to do this. He would not only talk but also walk and have lunch & dinner with them. He loved them regardless of their sinful behaviors, and that is why “they were many and followed Him.”[ii] While Jesus accepts sinners as they are, He doesn’t leave them the same. This kind of love is genuine, and is the type of love that accepts, transforms, and begets love.

We Christians are often called hypocrites. I believe is because we try to love with anything else than with the love of Jesus. Additionally, it is also the same reason why we fail in ministry and in evangelism. People can tell if you are being real or not, and that is why it's so difficult to witness to your own family.

I encourage you to evaluate your behavior in all of your relationships. If needed, go back to the basics, to the beginning of your relationship with God. Fall again in love with Him. Remember, the ONLY way we can love the sinner is through the genuine love of God. Such action will awake their souls. In this process your life will also be transformed, and no longer can anyone call you a hypocrite Christian.

In Christ,

Pr. Sergio Ochaeta

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[i] Mark 1:15

[ii] Ibid

A Giant who Looked like a Midget

Mark 1:40 says, “Now a leper came to Him, imploring Him, kneeling down to Him and saying to Him, ‘If You are willing, You can make me clean.’”

At first look this person appears like the most miserable, messed up, homeless, spiritually dried person in the world. He stinks, he hangs around other stinky people, no body touches him, and whenever he approaches others he has to cry out loud, “I’m nasty! I’m nasty! Here I come. Please, step aside.”

But notice his actions:

      1)   He recognizes who Jesus is: The Son of God

      2)   He approaches Jesus with great supplication

      3)   He humbles himself by kneeling down and surrendering completely to Jesus

      4)   He asks that God’s will may be done rather than his will

Now, I don’t know about you but I read about this man and I see some admirable actions. Additionally, he prays a prayer that most of us won’t pray: For God’s will to be done.

Think about his situation. Close your eyes and put your self in his shoes. Feel his emotional pain. Feel the embarrassment that he faces everyday as a leper. Your skin falls off, and everyone looks down at you. Yet, he approaches the One who can accomplish the impossible, and prays not only for what he wants but also for what he needs. However, in the prayer he acknowledges that what he is praying may not be the best thing, and leaves it up to God to decide for him. In other words, “Lord, here is what I want and what I need but I know you know better. Therefore, please make a decision that will benefit me the most.” At a glance this man appears as a midget in the faith but this kind of prayer are only prayed by giants of the faith.

Now apply this to your life. 

Follow this man’s steps:

      1)   Recognize God

      2)   Approach him with great supplication

      3)   Humble and submit your self to Him

      4)   Ask for what you want and need but let Him decide for you

Jesus admired this man’s prayer so much that His heart was moved. God was deeply touched by the leper’s prayer. I can see tears in Jesus’ eyes. Therefore, he answered, “I am willing; be cleansed.”

Remember, at the end of the day He knows what is best and he will give you that exactly.

May you start praying Giant's prayers today.

In Christ,

Pr. Sergio Ochaeta

Why do Bad Things Happen to Good People?

Some of the best action movies I’ve ever seen are Tears of the Sun & Battleship, movies that I can watch over and over again. These are stories of soldiers fighting large organized armed forces. Their tactics, moves, and communication skills are good. The storyline keep you at the edge of your seat. It is very entertainment. And perhaps, that is the problem. It only entertains us, when we should learn lessons from them. The biggest lesson I’ve been reminded of when I watched these movies are: We, also, are at war in the real life.

Scripture states that “we do not fight against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12) In other words, the battle between good and evil is real, and you are caught in the middle.

Every day we fight one. Sometimes these battles can last days, weeks, months or even years. And our problem often times is that we think that we can fight and win them on our own. When we think and act in such way then we fail over and over again. The fact of the matter is that the enemy is too strong against our strength.

The war fought in the movies I mentioned earlier was won only because these soldiers received air support. In the same manner, our battles and struggles you and I face every day can only be overcome if we ask and receive air support: God. Because it is by surrendering that we obtain the victory! By falling to our knees we can stand on our feet!

"So… Why does bad things happen to good people?"

Answer: I do not know.

What I do know is this:

          1)   Exodus 14:14 promises that “The Lord will fight for you!”

a.     Believe it & Claim it.

b.     Every day fall on your knees and claim this promise

          2)   Romans 8:28 promises that “God works for the good of those who love him.” 

a.     God is working on your behalf. Things may not make sense right now but you must believe that He knows better and He will work things out for the best.

b.     Let go and let God. Pray and fast.

          3)   Remember that YOU ARE AT WAR! Therefore, act & live like it.

a.     “Take up the whole armor of God: Girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace. Take the shield of faith, helmet of salvation & the sword of the Spirit” (Ephesians 6:14-20).

Blessings!

Pr. Sergio Ochaeta.