Beacon of Hope

Navigating life's tempests with faith can transform the fiercest downpour into a wellspring of strength—discover how in our latest episode. We delve into the resilience that comes from building your life on Jesus Christ's steadfast teachings, akin to the unshakable foundation of a house upon a rock. Join me as we extend heartfelt thanks for the outpouring of global support for Guidance Light and unveil the exciting expansion of our ministry through our newly launched website and the anticipation of our YouTube channel. In a prayerful reflection, we consider the wisdom of Matthew 7:24-29 and its enduring message for fortifying our spirits against life's inevitable storms.

Feel the embrace of divine guidance as we share stories of unwavering faith, like Peter's in the eye of the storm, showcasing God's brilliance even amidst chaos. Whether you're a lifelong believer or just considering the journey, this episode offers an open invitation to find solace and strength in the teachings of Jesus Christ. As a token of our growing community's support, we welcome your prayer requests, promising confidentiality and a personal commitment to stand with you in faith. To all our fellow seekers and new believers, we're here to nourish your faith and assure you that the Guidance Light community is a beacon of hope, shining through the darkest skies.

Transcript

Jon: 0:06

Welcome welcome. Thank you all for listening to Guidance Light. This podcast channel and ministry covers a love of Jesus Christ as we go into devotionals and talk about scripture and what it means to us or how it pertains to the message of this episode. My name is John and I'm honored to be your host. This is season one, episode nine, and the name of this episode is A Beacon of Hope. Now, really quick, before I open us up in prayer, I want to say praise God. Your love and support for this channel has allowed us to have episodes downloaded in multiple countries like Europe, africa and Asia. Let's keep the fire going and continually spread the word of this channel to friends and family. I am blessed that God has allowed me to voice His words on this show. I stand shocked at the things that are changing all around me and I'm so thankful for the changes he's making in my life Through God's amazing grace and his love and his loving will. This channel has launched a website where you can go and do things like submit prayer requests, send me emails, see the schedule for events and activities, look up and purchase official guidance light merchandise designed by my wife and I to help support the ministry. All of this is so exciting because this is just the start of the vision God has in store for us Not for me, but for all of us as a collective family in Jesus Christ. Thanks to his guidance in my life, we also have launched the show on big platforms like Spotify, amazon Music, and we even have a YouTube channel coming soon. My family and I are so excited to serve God and, by extension, to serve you and his family.

Jon: 1:57

Now let's get to it. I've been so excited to go over today's episode that I've been counting the minutes. So, first off, let's bow our heads and let's pray. If you're driving, please be careful, please be safe. You can pray along with us or you can just listen to the message of the prayer. So here I go, father, we come to you humbled and in all of you.

Jon: 2:20

All of this would not be possible without you, lord, the Lord of the universe, the one and only living God. You deserve all our praise and worship, for worthy is your name, god. We see how beautiful you are. In all you do, we know you are victorious, righteous and faithful. Thank you for the opportunity to be used for your purpose, and God, grant us the wisdom, through the Holy Spirit, to guide us through the message spoken in this episode, and may the words that are spoken tonight reverberate down to our souls and fuel us within, like a match thrown onto a pit of fire ready to light. Lord, we stand ready to receive your words. Thank you, o Lord, for I know you are the one who sees me in the storm, the one who shines a light unto my path in the darkness, and the voice that guides me through my pain. We praise your name, god. I ask that your words flow freely and touch the heart of those in need. Lord, may we all feel your love, warm embrace and peace today and for the rest of this week. May words, may your words, lord, be the catalyst that will lift and grant the courage to lead us through the many valleys that we may be walking through right now. Lord, please teach us to always seek refuge in you, god, so that we may stay calm in the chaos of this world, knowing you, o God, will be and forever remain our Savior. In Jesus' name, I pray amen.

Jon: 3:54

Today we start out with a message that has been building up in my heart for a bit of time now. Through the previous episodes. We've talked about accepting the call to be grateful, to understand what divides us and what the Lord has given and taken away. We have learned the importance of choosing his love overall and to use that love to draw people to him so that they too can feel his love. But what happens when problems in our lives arise? What happens when we set out with the best intentions but are battered by the issues that life throws at us? Do we abandon our call? Do we forsake the love of God which has been freely given? No See, my brothers and sisters, I'm here to tell you that when we are choosing God overall, we are safe in his grace. His will may lead us through trials, but his grace will never let us fall. God is our rock and our fortress. So long as we trust in him, like a shelter built to withstand the strongest storms, so too will our God outlast and withstand the biggest problems this world has to offer. Just because it rains doesn't mean God isn't present in your life.

Jon: 5:13

Let's see what the Bible says about problems and rain and how to turn it to Jesus in everything we do and in all. Let's read Matthew 7-24-29. It says Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house. It won't collapse because it is built on bedrock, but anyone who hears my teaching and doesn't obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand.

Jon: 5:45

As we break down these verses, the very beginning is referencing rain as problems. And I'm not talking about a drizzle, it says torrents. And that is because it's important to understand that problems are going to come. How many of us have a problem today? Someone say I got one. Whoever who has ever heard of the phrase problems come in threes. That's because when it rains and the rain comes, it doesn't sprinkle, it pours. The devil doesn't respect your tolerance for water. Let's just say that he's going to try and douse that fire, that Holy Spirit, fire that's inside of you. He's going to take all the water he can muster and he's going to try to drown you. This is when problems arise and too often we blame God for the downpour in our lives. We need to stop and take heed, for, as Christians, the Bible says he is with us through the storm, as and I'm going to start quoting the verse again the flood waters rise and the winds beat against that house. But, ladies and gentlemen, let me tell you something that I know that the house isn't going anywhere. The house is built by God on a foundation made of rock, so let those waters rise, let that wind blow. He aren't going anywhere. We got the Lord on our side.

Jon: 7:14

In an Isaiah 41, chapter 41, verse 10, it says so do not fear, for I am with you, I am your God, I will strengthen you and help you. I will uphold you with my righteous hand. So when the problems come, god's word is with us. Many of us fear our problems and their outcomes. I say rejoice in them, because the word of God reinforces itself.

Jon: 7:45

In the book of 1 Peter, chapter one, verses five through six, it says you are being guarded by God's power through faith for a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time you hear it goes. Rejoice in this, even for a short time, if necessary. You suffer grief in various trials. This is telling us to rejoice in the protection God is giving us in salvation through our faith. Not saying that faith is going to stop rain from coming, but on the contrary, it says that even if you do suffer grief in various trials, it would be for a short time, for this too shall come to pass. So, understanding that God will only allow you to go through the rain if necessary, you ask what do you mean? If necessary, why me? Well, I say, why not? You, god is going to give you trials to make you grow, to stretch you and to see you be forged and refined in your faith.

Jon: 8:48

In the book of James, chapter one, verse two through four, it says consider it pure joy. Here it goes again. We're going back to that rejoicing. We have joy. My brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, not just one kind, you're not going to get used to only one problem and you know how to take care of that one problem, because there's going to be so many of them coming up. And it continues to say because you know that testing of your faith produces and this is important to understand your faith produces perseverance. That perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

Jon: 9:28

What does this tell us? You go through trials of faith so that your faith can produce. Are you ready for this Proven character? And this is going back to the book of 1 Peter, chapter one, verse seven. It says so that. Here he goes. I'm telling you, guys, there's an arrow, there's a flashlight pointing at this, so that the proven character of your faith, more valuable than gold which, though perishable, is refined by fire and may result in praise, glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. What we don't realize is that, while we're getting soaked in problems and for those who haven't made the connection, that's the rain, yet it's. It's resulting in trials of faith that God is allowing us to go through in order to refine us as a person.

Jon: 10:23

Again, I'm gonna repeat that that the, the trials that we are going through, that God is allowing us to go through, is Used by God to refine us, to refine our faith. And some may come to me and ask well, what is proven character exactly? The definition in Google says that it's someone who has been tried, tested and passed with flying colors. You have been through problems, you have gone to war and back and you have come out stronger. Proven character only comes through trials, tribulation and wait for it, suffering. First, peter is ringing bells and saying I called it and they meant yes, he did.

Jon: 11:08

Trials in tribulation, reign and wind, problems and grief these are materials God can take and used to refine who you are to help you build a house on him, with him as your bedrock and foundation. See these materials that you keep getting, that God keeps refining. The more you seek God, the more your problems are refined, the more they are mold over by God, the heavier these materials are going to get. But I'm here to tell you that the heavier the load I Said, the heavier the load the greater the deliverance God says I will carry you. You may be asking where am I going with all this, with all these materials? I'll tell you that in the time of old, artisans would build their own tools for their trade. So I'm gonna take the materials I'm being given and, with God's instructions, I'm going to surrender my problems are my materials to him. That's equivalent of me building a hammer and a saw, some nails, and handing God all the tools and materials for him to be the wonderful architect that he is and build me a boat so that he can lead me out of these floodwaters, out of the sand, out of the storm that I keep ending up in, knowing that this boat has been tried and tested and proven to withstand the winds, because now that I know how to sail in him, now that I know he's the author of my story. I can take all this deluge and keep refining to build a house in him, for he is Is the foundation on where we should stand. He is our rock and, because of the trials, because of the past, I now know that no wind, rain or flood is going to sweep us away, for he is our king and a house built on him is a house that shall not fall.

Jon: 13:14

Now, as the week progresses, I want to give you guys a challenge. I want you to pray and identify an area in your life that may be causing fear or anxiety, something you've been holding onto and I want you to let God refine that problem by surrendering it to Him. Trust in Him and allow Him to take over and lead you out of that place. Trust in God, for His goodness never fails. As surely as the sun rises in the east, our God will lift you and hold you. So this week I know it's hard and I want you to really, really focus on this this week I want you to pray and surrender your problems to God, praise God in the storm and let God take the lead. It doesn't matter what you're going through. You could be waiting on an answer for something and just have a little patience, say you want to know what. I'm not going to worry about this because God is going to take care of it. This is how I'm handing my tools over to Him.

Jon: 14:24

God build the raft, god build the boat, god build this house.

Jon: 14:28

Help me withstand this rain and this wind and the storm.

Jon: 14:32

I stand on you, lord.

Jon: 14:34

You are my foundation, you are my rock. Lord, you are my light that's going to lead me out of the storm. And in Exodus, chapter 13, verse 21 through 22, it says and the Lord went before them by day, in a pillar of clouds, to lead the way, and by night, in a pillar of fire, to give them light, so as to go by day or night, it doesn't matter when the rain starts. God is with you in the day, in the night, the winter, the spring, the summer, the fall, in the morning, at night time, it doesn't matter. God is with you. His light is a light. It is like a lighthouse in the darkness of the sea and it will shine a light to point you in the direction of safety. Let him be your sole guide and lead you with his light through the clouds of depression, anxiety and fear. Through the hail of rain of problems.

Jon: 15:41

This world has thrown at you the waves of the storm that seek to drown. You Proclaim it that, god, you are my lighthouse. You will not let me crash amongst the rocks. The waves and wind threaten me. So, lord, as long as I stay focused on you, I will make it.

Jon: 16:07

And I want you to take two things from this and remember them that, as you're following your faith, as you're being refined, as you're becoming stronger in your character of faith, I want you to remember that doesn't matter how bad the storm gets, just because you see the light, it doesn't mean the waves are going to get easier. On the contrary. Again, the enemy is going to throw everything he's got at you. He's going to try to make you drown. He's going to try to suffocate you. He's going to try to snuff out your light. The closer you get to shore, the harder those waves are going to beat against that rock. It's going to push you against it. It's going to try to make you crash.

Jon: 16:55

But have faith, because the second thing I want you to remember is that God's power manifests itself much greater in the heart of the storm. See, we look at Peter in the Bible, when they were out in the storm and Jesus came over to him, they were getting lashed by wind and rain and they were worried of capsizing. And they look over and they thought that Jesus was a ghost because he was standing not on the shore, not by the shallow end, but he was standing in the middle of the storm, on the waves. That's where God's power manifests itself. He is shining brightest in the heart of the storm because he's going to lead you through it and he is with you through all things. Just have faith and let him be the builder, author and guide in your story. We all have something that we're going through. Our life is our very own story and we have so many storms that come and go, like the summer months or the winter. They come to pass, sometimes in seasons and sometimes all at once. I've seen so many people turn their backs on God because they blame that storm on Him, not realizing he's shouting, he's yelling, he's pulling at the ropes, he wants you to be safe, he wants you to come to Him and a lot of us don't know just how to get there.

Jon: 19:00

Everything that I've said in this episode relates to faith and salvation in Jesus Christ. But some of us listening haven't quite made that step yet and you're going through your own storms. You're going through your own problems that you may not know how to get out of them. You may not see the light at the end of the tunnel. I'm here to tell you that Jesus is waiting and calling you. He's knocking at your door, at your heart's door. He wants to come in and he wants to start building in you.

Jon: 19:45

In my previous episodes I've talked about how God stitches us together. In the womb of our mothers he planted a seed inside of us and when he comes into your heart and you let Him, he will begin to water that seed and it will grow. Don't let the problems of this world drown. You. Take God in all you do and surely you will find the light.

Jon: 20:17

If you've never known God, if you've never gotten a chance to accept Him as your Lord and Savior, it just takes a willing heart and a confession. You can be in a silent room, you can say this prayer in silence. You can proclaim it out with your mouth so that the world may hear. It doesn't matter, but what matters is the intent in your heart. So if you want to find out how to see that light, how to begin to turn that ship around in those waves, in that rain, in the lightning, in the storm, to start changing the headings, first you've got to know that he's there. So pray with me. If you're driving, please be careful again. Raise your hands and say God.

Jon: 21:23

I know that I'm a sinner, I know that I'm full of sin and these problems just keep coming. Lord, every day I feel like I'm being drowned out by the storm that I'm in. I need you to save me, lord. I recognize you as my Lord and my Savior. I know you sent your Son down to earth to be crucified to cleanse me of my sins, and I accept Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. Forgive me, lord, and come into my heart and save me from this storm that I'm in. I know that accepting you, god, is not going to make the waves stop immediately. I know the rain may still continue to pour At this time. Lord, I'm focused on you and, like Peter, lord, help me walk on water. Help me keep my focus on you For the moment it breaks. I will surely fall, but I know that you're there and you're my Savior, god, and you will catch me, help me have faith, even if it's a size of a mustard seed. Thank you, god, for everything you do in my life, from the rain to the sunshine. Your trials and tribulations make me better. They refine me over and over again. In Jesus' name, I pray Amen.

Jon: 23:20

If you said that prayer, I want to say welcome to God's family first and foremost, but also welcome to guidance lights family. It's been an absolutely marvelous journey. This episode has been amazing, in my opinion. I've been excited to share this with you today and I want to say thank you so much for being a part of this channel. This episode was a breath of fresh air for me because it speaks towards things we are all going through and I'm happy we made it through.

Jon: 23:53

Your support for this show means a world to me and my family. Please visit us on our new website, wwwguidance-lightcom. It's filled with cool information, prayer request forms and we have a store with official guidance light merchandise placed there to help support this ministry. Your support helps me and my family push through to be able to create content and focus on the vision that God has in store for us. Follow us on Instagram and Facebook as we post daily verses, so make sure to follow us for your daily motivations. Please also leave comments and reviews on our channel, as it helps the algorithms promote our show so that others can hear what God may have in store for them.

Jon: 24:39

If you're going through something, send us a prayer request. It remains anonymous, but my wife and I pray for each one submitted. We are in this together and I'm very excited for what God has in store for us. Again, visit us at guidancelightcom or email me at john at guidance-lightcom and, please, I'm asking for your help in sharing these podcasts to friends and family members. God can work through you. This may be your chance to fill that fulfillment that God has for you. God bless you and keep you safe. I thank God for every single one of you. Guidance light will continue to air one episode every Friday night into Saturday morning. If you're interested in a list of verses we cover today, please email me and I will be happy to send them your way. Stay tuned on our website for that as well. Thank you again and may God continue to bless you. This is John, with guidance light signing out.