Have you ever felt an unmistakable tug at your soul, a call that beckons you towards a path less traveled yet profoundly right? That's the essence of our latest conversation, as we journey through the spiritual landscape of "Accepting the Call," inspired by Charles F. Stanley's wisdom and the powerful scripture from 2 Corinthians 5:14-15. We're not just discussing faith here; we're living it out loud, sharing the raw and real moments where the divine intersects with our daily lives. From my own seismic shift in answering God's will to the remarkable story of Moses and the unwavering sustenance provided by a faithful God, this episode is a testament to the extraordinary ways in which He equips us for the journey He's called us to embark upon.
Within the folds of this episode lies a tapestry of personal encounters with God's infinite love and faithfulness. You'll hear tales that mirror the biblical awe reserved for the Creator, stories that affirm His presence in our modern whirlwind of life. We talk about the transformation akin to out with the old and in with the new—think spiritual renovation that goes beyond mere cosmetic change. And rounding out our session is a deeply personal testimony of mine, a compelling narrative about how a simple act of obedience at a gas station unfolded into an affirmation of God's perpetual guidance. So, if you're seeking a sign, a nudge, or even a cosmic push towards your purpose, let this be the episode that ignites your faith and reassures you that indeed, God provides a way.
Have you ever felt an unmistakable tug at your soul, a call that beckons you towards a path less traveled yet profoundly right? That's the essence of our latest conversation, as we journey through the spiritual landscape of "Accepting the Call," inspired by Charles F. Stanley's wisdom and the powerful scripture from 2 Corinthians 5:14-15. We're not just discussing faith here; we're living it out loud, sharing the raw and real moments where the divine intersects with our daily lives. From my own seismic shift in answering God's will to the remarkable story of Moses and the unwavering sustenance provided by a faithful God, this episode is a testament to the extraordinary ways in which He equips us for the journey He's called us to embark upon.
Within the folds of this episode lies a tapestry of personal encounters with God's infinite love and faithfulness. You'll hear tales that mirror the biblical awe reserved for the Creator, stories that affirm His presence in our modern whirlwind of life. We talk about the transformation akin to out with the old and in with the new—think spiritual renovation that goes beyond mere cosmetic change. And rounding out our session is a deeply personal testimony of mine, a compelling narrative about how a simple act of obedience at a gas station unfolded into an affirmation of God's perpetual guidance. So, if you're seeking a sign, a nudge, or even a cosmic push towards your purpose, let this be the episode that ignites your faith and reassures you that indeed, God provides a way.
Good day and thank you for listening to Guiding Light, the podcast channel that covers God's gospel devotionals and talks about the love of Jesus Christ. I am your host, jonathan John Cordero. This is season one, episode one, and today's episode is called Accepting the Call. Now, before we begin our journey, I want to first say thank you to God for allowing me to be able to voice His words and thank you, god, for allowing you to be somewhere that you can hear them. May God's words lift you up, encourage you and give you peace on this day or night. In Jesus' name, my pray, amen. Today we're going to be looking at a daily devotional book called God's Purpose for your Life, by Charles F Stanley, and then we're going to talk a little bit about it, about the devotional and how it makes us feel and perhaps what God is intending for us to hear, or what we're trying to say through God's words. Let's start off with 2 Corinthians, chapter 5, verse 14 through 15, that says the love of Christ compels us. He died for all that. Those who live should live no longer for themselves but for Him, and in the book it describes what the author was feeling and it says at the time at times I've had people come to me and say they think God has called them into ministry. They ask how can I know for sure whether God is calling me to serve Him? Of course, there are many things I would tell them, such as the need to identify their spiritual gifts and serve Him right where they are while they discern His will. However, the most telling evidence that you are supposed to serve God in a given area is that deep down inside you have an awesome sense of compulsion. You feel compelled to give your life to Jesus and can't imagine doing anything else but living for Him. So if you're asking the Father if he's called you to preach the gospel or serve Him in some way, consider whether anything else is even an option for you. Certainly, you may have gifts in other areas, but if you find that your internal drive is set on serving Him and making the name of Jesus known to others, then yes, god is calling you. Jesus. With all you've given for me, I cannot conceive of doing anything else but living for you. I say yes to your call Guide me in serving you, amen.
Jon:
Now it's funny because this devotion comes at a very, very crucial stage in my life. As we're reading this and going through this, because I've given up everything for the call. I have personally moved my family hundreds of miles, I've pretty much gone unemployed and I'm still seeking to follow His will. I know God has a purpose for us and that's the thing about it is that when you accept a call for Jesus, when you are listening into what he's calling you to do and you're compelled, as this book states, to follow Him, god provides, which is an incredible thing to say, especially right now, because of the position I'm in personally, because it's incredibly true. You have moments where you look around and you're just like God. I want to follow you, I want to do everything you ask me to do, but I'm not able to dedicate the time. I'm not able to step away from what I'm doing right now. I have too many things on my shoulders, I have too many burdens to bear, I have sickness to deal with, I have worries, I have bills, I have people depending on me, but God provides.
Jon:
Jesus was sent to cleanse us of our sins, so that we may be clean and approach God, and God made us in His image so that we may spread His gospel, so that we may spread His word and that salvation in Jesus Christ. Giving up everything to follow Jesus is hard, it's not easy, but it's fulfilling, it's rewarding, and there is a sense of peace that comes along with serving God and following Him, trusting Him to be able to do all the wonders that he promised us to do in our lives. We're all made with a blueprint. God has a purpose for each and every single one of us, whether it's to counsel, whether it's to preach, whether it's to sing, whether it's to just be a listening ear to somebody who needs to vent voice or find solace. Because there is a purpose for each and every single one of us.
Jon:
A lot of times, the gifts that we have, the gifts that manifest itself early in our lives, that people applaud, whether it's artistic talent, whether it's Wonderful mind of a mathematician, scientist, whoever all these are gifts that are just tapping into the potential of what God put you on earth to do, and God draws you in with the want To do it. When you start to think about it, it's like this fire that's inside of you that tells you this is what I want to do, this is this is. This is awesome. You know, you feel excited, you feel a sense of a drive that wants you to get from point a to point Z and Beyond. You don't ever want to stop you. You feel God's love, you feel his call and when you finally find it, you start getting confirmations from different places, maybe even from people you didn't know, from dreams, from Just the will to listen, the want to learn more, the want to be able to talk to your friends and family about the feelings that you feel. All these are ways that God is calling you.
Jon:
Sometimes things happen when you're following God and it's coincidences. You know you're just like there's no way this could have happened. There's no way that that's going to happen in my life, because it's never happened and it's never going to. But God doesn't follow what you think. God follows what he has ordained, and what he has ordained for us is to follow him and To trust in him to provide.
Jon:
Going back into Scripture, when Moses took his people out of Egypt, they wandered the desert for years and there came a point in time that Moses's people came up to him and said Moses, what are we gonna eat? There's no food around, the land is barren. You're proming that. You're promising us that God is taking us to a land of milk and honey. But yet we've been wandering for so long and there's nothing to eat. And at that point God provides food from the heavens in the form of birds for all to eat.
Jon:
If the animals of this earth, without being able to talk, have have sustenance, have the ability to survive for the duration of their lives off the land that God has provided and created, what makes us think that God won't provide for us in any way, shape or form? See, a lot of times we let the worries of the world plague our thoughts, instilled doubt into our, into our minds, so that we made doubt the word of God, the promise that he gave us. And at that point in time when, if you let that doubt, the seed of doubt grow within you, you start falling away from the trust that you need to give him. You need to believe in Jesus Christ Fulfilling his word in your life, as much as you know that every night when you go to sleep, that, whether you wake or not, the Sun is going to rise. The next day, the wind is gonna blow, the waves are gonna crash against the shore. That is how faithful he is. He's never let us down and he's never going to let us down.
Jon:
There are testimonies thrown across the internet that go over different ways that people have experienced his faithfulness, that people have come to Jesus in different ways. There's so many of them out there. It's, it's awe-inspiring. When you listen to the word of God, when you listen to God himself. There is a sense of awe, of reverence that you should have because we are nothing to him. He created the earth in seven, eight well, in six days and rested on the seventh.
Jon:
What are we in comparison to God? Nothing, we're absolutely nothing. But yet he loves us with all his heart, and what he wants for us is to tell others who don't know who he is, who've never had somebody come up to him, and say God loves you. Let me show you how. Let me show you his good works, for our God is the same God of Abraham, isaac, jacob, moses and all the names that you've come to know and hear from Scripture. He is still the same God today as he was back then.
Jon:
Jesus conquered the grave. He died for our sins on the cross, but he conquered the grave. So our God is a living God and what he wants from us is our worship, and he is worthy of all our praise with every breath we take. We should be praising God with every breath we have, because everything he gives us from birds chirping to the sun shining, to the rain, to thunder clouds, to pain and tribulations, they're all given to us by him. I Blessed be his name, because, whether we see it or not, he has a bigger and better plan for us.
Jon:
And you start to come to Realize that and accept it when you start understanding that God calls us all to serve. See, the devil doesn't want us to serve, and the more we serve, the more we answer and Accept Jesus call, the more the devil's gonna throw things at you. That's gonna make it seem like the world is falling apart. You may ask God, why God? Why are you letting this happen to me? Why is this falling apart? You must not exist because this is happening or that is happening.
Jon:
And what you're not understanding is that, like a Pastor that is a very renowned said on one of his sermons, is that God Sometimes has to take away things from you in order for you to accept the things that are coming in that are new. He has to get away, he. You have to get rid of the trash before you could bring in the new. It's like buying a new piece of furniture You're gonna throw away your old couch before you put in your new one. And it's the same thing. And you know, a lot of times we get caught up with. You know, hey, that couch has sentimental value. I've been around that couch. That couch has been there for all my tears. It's been around in my college years. It's been around my first job, my first apartment. But God says give that to me, for I'm going to give you something Better. And that is where we start to accept this call.
Jon:
The devil is gonna tell you you don't need that, you don't want that. Listen, this couch is faithful. It's been there for you. It's never let you down. Yeah, I may have a couple creeks, it may have a couple stains, it may have a couple tears, but it's still there and it's serving you right now.
Jon:
Why do you want something new? Don't get rid of it, stay with it. I know it's a little small for you, but that's okay, you've gotten used to it. Stay where you are. Don't change. Why do you want to change? When you change, it's gonna hurt. You're gonna have to find a way to get the couch out the door. You know it doesn't fit anymore. You're gonna have to take it apart. You don't have the time to take apart the nuts and the bolts, the legs.
Jon:
Why do all that? And that's what the devil is trying to do. He's trying to keep you from answering and accepting your call. Don't let him. Don't let him rebuke him in the name of Jesus Christ, for God has bigger and better things for you. Jesus may come and say you want to know what? Because you've given me the couch, I'm gonna take the whole house and give you a mansion in heaven with my father. I'm gonna give you everything you've ever wanted in me, everything you wanted in me. And what does that mean? Does that mean you're gonna make a million dollars tomorrow? No, does that mean that you're gonna be financially stable the next day? No, what it means is that God is gonna sustain you. His grace is gonna sustain you because his will is gonna take you further than you've ever imagined, and all you have to do is Accept him. Let him be the architect that he is the wonderful architect. Mankind has spent their entire history trying to understand science, biology, the concepts of physics and the world. Our God made it in six days and understood everything, down to the T. Who is a better architect? I don't know of one.
Jon:
And in this moment I say God, I surrender my life to you. I surrender my will, my wants, my cares, my worries, my anxiety, my stress and Everything that is keeping me from you. Lord, if I have something that is preventing me from answering your call, if I have something that is preventing me from being near you, lord, take it away. Take it away and make me new. Help me Understand what my call is. Help me understand what I need to do to get to where you want me to be. Let your will manifest itself in my life each and every single day, because your love is compelling me to do that. I want to go the extra mile in you, lord. I want to live for you, not for myself, and help others understand the beauty of your works, the Wonders of your love. I want them to feel what I feel. I want them to see what I see.
Jon:
The devil is gonna make others Think that you're strange. He's gonna make you doubt yourself. He's gonna make you say, if I say that I'm gonna sound like a crazy person if I say that, look, you know what? I don't even know what to say. How am I even supposed to approach this? God is gonna give you the way. God paves away, because when you look down and you are walking a path and you just don't know where you're going, just remember that God is the way, the truth and the light. He provides Not only sustenance, but he provides the way.
Jon:
See back, when I was well, let's just say, a couple years back, I was unemployed and I was talking to my wife about, about obedience obedience to the Lord and I was new to my faith, to some degree at least, learning how to take the next steps, and I'm talking about. This is years ago, and we sat on YouTube and we started watching videos about how to be obedient to God and whatnot, and I had an interview the very, very following day. We went to sleep, I got up, I got dressed to go to my interview, I got into a car, I started driving, I looked down at my gauges and I had an empty pretty much an empty tank of gas with very little money to my name. And as I'm driving towards the gas station, I am listening to worship music and I'm praying. All of a sudden, I feel like God's calling me. What I hear is that, jonathan, when you get to the gas station there's gonna be someone who needs your help.
Jon:
So I instinctively kind of lower the music and I look out the window, you know, in a stun manner, you know, and I'm just like, well, I'm, I think I'm going crazy. I mean, this is just what I was looking at last night with my wife. There's no way that this is not my mind making this up. So what I said was God, I Don't know if this is my mind making this up, I don't know if I'm going crazy or I don't know if I'm hearing you, but if this is your will, if this is me actually hearing what you want me to do, lord, Let it be. So. Give me a sign. Help me understand that this is truly what you want me to do now.
Jon:
I want you to bear in mind, before I continue on with this story, that I don't know how to pray at this point in time. I don't know how to pray in front of people. I'm still shy about it. I still want to pray in silence or in the comfort of my own home, in my bed at night, by myself. I don't. I don't want people to see me as weird. I don't know how to approach people when it comes to talking to them about God, let alone praying, but I still said, lord, if this is your will, let it be done. I will follow it.
Jon:
So I get to the gas station and I and before I continue here, I almost forgot I also said in my prayer God, you know that I don't have much to my name. I don't, you know me right now and you know my position. If this is really what you want, let it be so. So I get to the gas station, to where I'm going, and I start pumping gas and I'm kind of looking around and there's nobody in the gas station and I'm just kind of looking around. I'm just like, okay, well, I guess I am going crazy. You know, my gas finishes pumping, I take the handle, I take it out of my car and I hang up the the handle on the station and when I turn around to close the gas cap, there's a man Standing at the end of my car and I know this has happened to so many people and it happens every single day where you have a Homeless person or something of that nature.
Jon:
Come up and ask for money. But this is where it gets interesting. See, I turned and I see this man and as soon as I see this man, god says this is the person you are to help. So I take a deep breath. This man looks at me, goes hey, I apologize, I'm so sorry. Is there anything you can help me with? He didn't ask for money, he just asked for help. So I looked at him, I took a deep breath and I said Listen, I don't have much right now, but I can't take you inside the gas station and get you a couple things to eat, is that okay? Now, keep in mind, most of them ask for money. Most people ask for money when they ask for help. But I offered what I had and God knew what I had. So we're gonna continue on with this story. This man said that would be perfect.
Jon:
So we walk into the gas station, he grabs a couple pieces of food and drink, I pay for it and we walk outside and I said you know what, sir? To avoid saying any names, I'm gonna, I'm gonna just refer to him as sir. I go. You know what, sir? I want you to know that God told me you were gonna come ask for help today. Now I want everyone who's listening to me right now to understand that at this point in time, I am so anxious about what I'm about to say because I have no idea how this man is going to react to my words. I have zero ideas and At this very moment in time, when I tell him that, he looks up at me and his eyes water. And he looks at me and says don't tell me that, please don't tell me that. And I said no, it is the truth, I'm not lying to you. I'm on my way to my interview and While I was worshiping, god told me that you would need my help and he starts.
Jon:
I see an elderly man, probably in his late fifties To early sixties, who has seen more of the world that he needs to see, breakdown in tears in the middle of a gas station where there's people walking around looking at us like we're this alien VCs who's crying on the side of a gas station. So he tells me about his past and that how he Used to worship God faithfully and that he ran into some troubles and he fell away from God and ever since then he's felt ashamed To come back to God because of the troubles and tribulations that he's gone through and I told him God hasn't forgotten about you, he's. He told me you would need my help today and he again repeated Don't tell me that with tears streaming down his face. Now you can tell this man had been on the streets for a while because the tears were cleaning a streak on his face from the dirt on his face. And I Look forward, or I look forward to Adam and I say, sir, I don't know how to pray very well, but would you like to say a prayer? And he bows his head and he says you know what wipes away his tears he goes. I'd really like that.
Jon:
So, with my worry, with my concern, as I voiced earlier, I'm anxious, I don't know what I'm doing. I say I'm like, hey, let's step out of the way where everyone's not watching us. We're kind of standing in the middle, the way where everyone's walking in and out of the gas station. Let's go out of the way and let's say this prayer and he goes. Okay, not a problem. So he starts following me out to the side of this gas station and the entire time, while I'm walking, I'm praying to God, to myself, and I'm saying God, help me, please, send anything my way, please, so that I know what I'm doing, because I don't know what I'm doing.
Jon:
This man used to worship you. He knows scripture, he knows you. I don't I'm new to all this, please help me. And, ladies and gentlemen, but what I'm telling you is that God provides, he is faithful, he never has failed anybody, he's put his promise in and he's put his promise in all of us. So as I walk with this gentleman to the side of the gas station, I bow my head and I begin to pray. And as I begin to pray, I maybe said around five words and a random gentleman comes up to us and he says hey, y'all, are you guys having a prayer session? And to my astonishment, I look up at him and I say, yes, yes, we are. And he goes. That's amazing. Do you mind if I join you me being anxious the way I was? I'm like sure, the more the merrier, but God is, please help me out on this one.
Jon:
And as he came into the prayer group, he began to pray and he took over the prayer and prayed Beautifully over this gentleman who had been on the streets for far too long. He prayed over himself and over me and over all the struggles that we were facing. I didn't have to say a word. I didn't have to say anything, but I accepted God's call and God provided the means to answer it. Blessed be his name. And as I say this, I get goosebumps all over my body because I know that the bigger the gift, the bigger the call, the stronger the devil's gonna rise, the bigger the hurdles. But God is going to conquer them all and he's going to use you to conquer them.
Jon:
I pray, for each and every single one of you listening to me today, that you answer the call, even if it's just to take the first step, and that's to get to know Jesus. That's where it all begins, because he already knows you. He's never let go of you and even though you may have gone through troubles, through trials, through tribulation, he knows who you are and he knows what you've been through and he's been shaping you since the day you took your first breath. It's time to say yes to God. It's time to say yes to what you were put on this earth to do. Blessed be His name.
Jon:
So as we close out today's message, I want to say thank you, guys all for listening, and I'm going to close it out with a prayer. I want everyone who's listening to reach down into their hearts, to reach down into your mind and ask yourself am I living life just to live it for myself or am I living it for others? To find who saves us, to find Jesus, to find the peace that only he gives. And, with that being said, feel free to pray with me If you're driving, be safe, don't close your eyes, but say what you're going to say with a humble heart, with a willing heart, and know that Jesus hears you, no matter what you're going through. For he says come to me as you are. He's not asking for a perfect person we are far from perfect but he is asking for your faith. He is asking for your willingness to follow. Blessed be His name.
Jon:
A lot of people know the basic prayer of our Father and that's what I'm going to start with and it says Our Father hallowed be Thy name, thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, lord, and forgive our trespasses, as we forgive those who have trespassed against us. Lead us not to temptation, lord, but deliver us from evil. In Jesus' name, I pray for everyone and anyone who is listening to my voice. I pray for your fears to go away. I pray for your anxieties to be encountered with the peace that Jesus provides. I pray for your stress and your doubts to vanish. I pray that you find salvation in the One who made us, in Jesus Christ. Let your day or night be filled with the peace and love that God provides. Amen. If you said that prayer with me, or if you said any prayers, congratulations. You've taken your first step into getting to know God just a little bit more.
Jon:
Thank you so much for being a part of this channel. May God bless you and keep you. Remember that Jesus is the Prince of Peace and, through His name, no fear, anxiety, depression or negativity may prevail. Have a wonderful day or night. Whenever you're listening to this, and I hope you tune in on the next episode, this channel is going to be airing episodes on Friday and Sunday To begin. If we have more people asking for more shows, we're going to begin to air more often. Thank you so much for listening. Thanks again, and I look forward to airing our next episode. May God bless you and thank you so much for tuning in to Guiding Light. Have a wonderful day, guys, this is John signing out.