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Hannah is one example of how God answers prayer. Thank God for women like Hannah. She lived in a difficult time. It was the time connected with the book of Judges. Everyone did what seemed right to him (Judges 17:6; 18:1; 21:25). It was a time of infidelity to God on the part of his people. God had raised up judges to lead God's people, but even so, His people continued to go astray. There had been no prophet since Moses, and the word of God was in short supply. The priests lived in a ruthless manner (1 Samuel 3:1). Eli's sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were wicked, and Eli did nothing to prevent them. Hannah's prayer would be part of the solution to the spiritual condition of God's people. YouTube video here This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit despond.substack.com

Ana es un ejemplo (de los muchos) de cómo Dios contesta la oración. Gracias a Dios por mujeres como Ana. Ana nos enseña lo que es orar la voluntad de Dios y no la nuestra. Nos enseña con su ejemplo lo que es ser una “guerrera de oración.” Además Ana nos enseña que cuando Dios contesta a nuestras oraciones debemos serle fiel y adorarle como es digno. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit despond.substack.com

Today we will learn from a man, a Christian named Barnabas. His life teaches us what are the values of the kingdom by which we must live the Christian life. These values are lived, they are expressed in the community of believers, in the Church of Christ. In Acts 4 we find the description of Barnabas and the context is the Church living according to Christ's design, a community dedicated to living and impacting the values of His kingdom. YouTube here This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit despond.substack.com

The Bible is a realistic book. It shows us the human side of every person, even those who serve God. Elijah, the prophet is in one of them. After the great event of defying the prophets of the god Baal Elijah in 1 Kings 18, he experiences a crisis.Despite being a man of God with so much power, he experienced fear, so much discouragement that it lead him to ask God to take his life. Why did this happen? First of all because Elijah was human like us. The Bible says of Elijah: “Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. 18 Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.” - James 5:17-18 All of us relate to Elijah. We will all reach some moment of fear and discouragement. We all need God to intervene in those moments. Elijah teaches us how God comforts and encourages us in times of crisis. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit despond.substack.com

Psalm 23 gives us a glimpse of what it means to be a guest of honor to our Great Shepherd. Even though the metaphor of the shepherd seems to move into more human form, there is no reason to believe that we are not the sheep anymore. He as the Shepherd gives us great honor in our relationship with him. If you are a Christian, there are good news. To God you are His special guest. He invites you to fellowship with him. He gives you the best reception. Someday not too far away you will be in his mansion. You will be their special guest. Forever. YouTube video here. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit despond.substack.com

The Good Shepherd restores us and guides us in the path of righteousness. As we live our life with the Lord as our Shepherd, there will be times when we need to him to restore or renew our life. Jesus said his sheep hear his voice and follow him. But often we think we know better.Our Good Shepherd is with us ALL the time. He never leaves us. He never forsakes us. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit despond.substack.com

Many people today say they believe in God. They believe in God in a very superficial way because it does not affect their daily life. This may be because they do not know how to have an intimate relationship with God. They can’t say, “The Lord is my Shepherd.” This is what we want to explore in this Psalm. What does it mean to have the Lord as our Shepherd? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit despond.substack.com

There's a man in the Old Testament who teaches us what it is to have spiritual victory. His name is Jabez. We want to learn from him.  What does it mean to be victorious?  To be victorious means: "To use all my spiritual resources to overcome all the spiritual obstacles that prevent me from being faithful to God to the end." This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit despond.substack.com

There are many Christians today who live mediocre lives that impact no one because they don't know or understand their true spiritual identity. They are "religious" but not spiritual. As a result, they live lives devoid of authority and spiritual power and no influence over others. Many of us Christians have grown up in a very “normal". We just think of ourselves as “normal” people. We are afraid of doing anything that would make us be seen as weird, freaks or charismatics. A person from from the Old Testament illustrates what it means to have true spiritual identity (influence and authority) is Elijah (the Lord is my God). He was a prophet of God who impacted others because he knew his identity in God and exercised it without fear. YouTube Video This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit despond.substack.com

Why do some Christians make progress in their Christian walk more than others? It has to do with our devotion to God. But today we want to find out how to be a Christian that is devoted to God (or how to resolve the problem of mediocrity or incomplete surrender). Some Christians today live a life of incomplete surrender to God. In the Old Testament we find an example of incomplete surrender: King Solomon. The wisest man who ever lived.  He started with full devotion but lost it at the end of his life. We who are Christians should heed this. Being older doesn’t give us the option of  “coasting” the Christian life as we have already arrived at perfection. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit despond.substack.com

Many Christians start their spiritual journey well but not all end it well. Why is this? Why do some live their entire Christian lives being faithful to God, but others live in spiritual infidelity? Do we have a different faith? The Bible says that our faith is the same as that of the apostles (2 Peter 1:1). However, the way we live that faith varies with the person. The goal of every Christian should be to be faithful to God all his life. How can we achieve this? This is what we want to talk about today. We will learn of a king named Azariah (”Jehovah has helped”) or Uzziah (”Jehovah is my helper”) who “did what was right in the sight of Jehovah,” but who made a serious mistake that cost him his faithfulness to God. From him we will learn how to be a faithful Christian to God. YouTube video This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit despond.substack.com

It seems that Paul was always on the move, but he was not. This morning’s passage shows us how Paul lived for Christ and did His will in “any place” and in “a place.” This teaches us that, like Paul, all of us must also live out God’s call to be his witnesses in “any place” and in “a place” as God leads us. Also, one thing Paul had was that he was attentive to every event, every circumstance, every guidance that God gave him to follow the way of His will. On this path things happened where God used Paul. The challenge this morning as we conclude the book of Acts is that, if you are one who likes “a particular place” and doesn’t want to move, you must open your heart to God’s movement especially as we consider our current situation in this building. Perhaps you are very comfortable thinking that it is here in this place that you will fulfill or finish your American dream. You must be open to what God commands you to do. In America, to do what is comfortable is a very easy to do. I think most of us in the church are in this category. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit despond.substack.com

What difference does Easter make in our lives? What difference does the resurrection of Jesus from the dead make in our lives as Christians? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit despond.substack.com

This morning we will learn that God is sovereign over our lives and circumstances. that He will fulfill His will for our lives and that in the process we must trust His sovereignty, be wise in our decisions trusting that He will use us to help in the crises of other Christian pilgrims and to testify of God’s power to those who do not know the gospel. This was the case with Paul in Acts 27. God had promised Paul that He would witness in Rome (Acts 23:11) and He sets out on His journey. But it wouldn’t be an easy journey. It was an extremely dangerous journey. However, God uses his servant Paul to bear witness to his faith in Christ, and to serve people who do not know him in times of crisis. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit despond.substack.com

Este pasaje nos muestra tres personajes y la multitud en conexión con lo que creían acerca del Señor. Todas sus reacciones y decisiones giran alrededor de los que creían acerca del Señor. La mayoría de ellos negaron que Jesús es era el Salvador que vino para morir por nosotros los pecadores y darnos la vida eterna en Él. Todos tuvieron oportunidades para creer la verdad de Dios, pero aun con todo esto la rechazaron. Nos muestra como el corazón humano es duro y pecaminoso, ciego y rebelde a la verdad de Dios. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit despond.substack.com