Help my Unbelief

 Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.” 24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:23-24).



As humans, one of the key issues we deal with in our daily life is unbelief. Because of past experiences, usually, you find it difficult to believe in a person or some entity. Other times, your disbelief comes from the lack of knowledge of a particular situation. In general, you believe in something when it is tangible. That is, something you can touch, feel, smell, eat, etc. The Christian life is not based on emotions or feelings, it is based on faith. The author of the book of Hebrews says that without faith “it is impossible to please God” (Hebrews 11:6). The Bible defines faith as “the confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see." (Hebrews 11:1).

This encounter between Jesus, His disciples, and this father is interesting. Here is a man, who was desperately hoping that Jesus’ disciples could help, who was heartbroken over the state of his son. This encounter has some similarities with your life. Like this father, how many times have you gone to the Heavenly Father in prayer desperate to find an answer to a problem you are facing? You prayed and prayed, and no response. You asked the church to pray for your needs and no answer. You wait and wait, and no response. And, it is during these moments of desperation, you begin to feel doubt. You start to lose heart because you perceive that the Lord is not listening. It is in these moments of anguish that like this father, you need to cry out to God and said, I believe, help me in my unbelief. Jesus’ words were both a gentle reprimand and the reminder that man needed at that moment.

Occasionally, you need the same reminder. When unbelief comes into your life, you must cry out; "Lord, I believe, help me in my unbelief." The power of faith is the consequence of the power of God. All things are possible to Him; therefore, all things are possible to me, believing in Him. If we translate that into more abstract words, it just comes to the principle that the power of faith consists of it taking hold of the power of God. It is omnipotent because it knits us to Omnipotence. Faith is nothing in itself, but it is that which attaches us to God, and then His power flows into us. God hears our pleas. Jesus isn't saying that we can accomplish anything we want if we have enough faith; this isn't an endorsement of the Word of Faith teachings. True faith doesn't presume that God will do what we want but that God can do what He wants. We must believe and have faith that God will fulfill his purpose in our lives. May the Lord bless you and keep you always.

Pastor Dimas

Sed agradecidos

 “Alaben a Dios porque es bueno, porque para siempre es su misericordia” (Salmo 136:1). Hoy en los Estados Unidos y en muchos otros países se celebra el Día de Acción de Gracias. Es un día separado para dar gracias a Dios por todo lo que ha hecho en nuestras vidas. Como creyentes en Cristo, no necesitamos un día especial para dar gracias a Dios. La razón es que, como hijos de Dios, debemos vivir una vida en constante agradecimiento por todo lo que Dios hace en nuestras vidas.  El salmista vive con esta actitud. El escribe que debemos dar gracias a Dios porque Éll es bueno. La siguiente frase expresa el motivo de este agradecimiento; porque su misericordia, su bondad es para siempre. Este tema se repite otras 36 veces a lo largo de este salmo. Pensemos cuántas veces le hemos fallado a Dios. Sin embargo, Él nos permite volver a la Presencia de Él. El profeta Jeremías escribe; "Por la misericordia del Señor no somos destruidos. Grande es tu fidelidad" (Lamentaciones 3:22). En este día, demos gracias a Dios por su amor y fidelidad hacia nuestras vidas. Demos gracias a Dios porque aún en medio de los problemas y situaciones que enfrentamos cada día, nunca nos deja ni nos abandona. Demos gracias a Dios por el hermoso regalo de la salvación a través de su Hijo, Jesucristo. Damos gracias a Dios por nuestra familia. Demos gracias a Dios por nuestra familia espiritual y por nuestras amistades. En fin, demos gracias a Dios por todo lo que sucede en nuestra vida, porque su misericordia es para siempre. Que tengan un feliz Día de Acción de Gracias en agradecimiento a Dios. Que el Señor te bendiga y te guarde siempre.

Be Thankful

"Praise God for he is good. For his mercy endures forever" (Psalm 136:1). Today in the United States and many other countries we celebrate Thanksgiving. It is a day separate to give thanks to God for all that he has done in our lives. As believers in Christ, we don't need a specific day to give thanks to God. The reason is that as children of God, we must live a life in constant gratitude for everything that God does for
us. The psalmist lives with this attitude. He writes that we should give thanks to God because He is good. The following sentence expresses the reason for this attitude; because of his mercy, his goodness endures forever. This theme is repeated another thirty-six times throughout this psalm. Let us think how many times we have failed God. However, every time we fail, He allows us to return to the Presence. The prophet Jeremiah writes, "By the Lord's mercy we are not destroyed. Great is your faithfulness" (Lamentations 3:22). On this day, let us be thankful to God for his love, mercy, and fidelity towards our lives. Let us be grateful to God because even during the problems and situations we face every day, He never leaves us nor forsakes us. Let us thank God for the beautiful gift of salvation through his Son, Jesus Christ. Let us be thankful to God for our families. Let us thank God for our spiritual family and for our friendships. In short, let us be grateful to God for everything that happens in our lives because his mercy is forever. Have a happy Thanksgiving. May God bless you and keep you always.

Pastor Dimas

Nuestro Potencial

 

“Pero tú, Belén Efrata, pequeña entre las familias de Judá, de ti saldrá el que será Señor en Israel; y sus obras son desde el principio, desde los días de la eternidad” (Miqueas 5:2) ). Este pasaje bíblico, utilizado principalmente durante la temporada navideña, es muy familiar para muchos de nosotros. Si estudiamos y examinamos cuidadosamente este pasaje, nos daremos cuenta de una excelente enseñanza para todos nosotros. Belén era un pequeño pueblo de Israel. Sin embargo, Dios escogió este pequeño lugar para que naciera su hijo, Jesucristo. Dios podría haber elegido a Jerusalén. Era una ciudad grande; el templo estaba allí. Era el centro religioso y político de Israel. Dios podría haber elegido el palacio. Sin embargo, eligió un establo en Belén. El paralelo de este pasaje para nuestras vidas es que a menudo creemos que somos insignificantes ante Dios. Pensamos que no podemos hacer algo para el Señor porque no tenemos la preparación académica o la madurez necesaria para hacerlo. Sin embargo, Dios no te mira por lo que eres sino por tu potencial. Para Dios, tus perspectivas son ilimitadas. Cuando Él te llame a hacer algo, ten la seguridad de que Él te dará lo que necesitas para completar la obra (Filipenses 1:6). Dios nos recuerda que tienes el potencial para la grandeza a sus ojos. Es hora de que confíes en Dios y dejes que Él obre a través de ti. Que el Señor te bendiga y te guarde siempre.

Pastor Dimas

God uses insignificant things to do remarkable things

 

"But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times."" (Micah 5:2). This biblical passage, primarily used during Christmas, is remarkably familiar to many of us. If we carefully study and examine this passage, we realize excellent teaching for all of us. Bethlehem was a small village in Israel. However, God chose this small place for his son, Jesus Christ, to be born. God could have chosen Jerusalem. It was a big city; the temple was there. It was the religious and political center of Israel. God could have chosen the palace. However, he chose a stable in Bethlehem. The parallel for our lives is that we often believe we are insignificant before God. We think we cannot do something for the Lord because we do not have the academic preparation or maturity necessary to do it. However, God looks at you not for who you are but for your potential. To God, your prospects are limitless. When He calls you to do something, rest assured that He will give you what you need to complete the work (Philippians 1:6). God reminds us that you have the potential for greatness in his eyes. It's time you trust God and let Him work through you. May the Lord bless you and keep you always.

Pastor Dimas

Praying with Confidence

 

"Praying at all times with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being vigilant to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints" (Ephesians 6:18). The life of the Apostle Paul was full of inspiration for all those who knew him. His life was one full of suffering, persecution, and imprisonment for the simple fact of fulfilling the commission that the Lord Jesus entrusted to him. But despite all those negative things, he was always motivated and never stopped fulfilling his assignment. In this passage, Paul encourages his readers to stand firm in all prayer and supplication, all the time, with all perseverance, for all the saints. Paul presents us with a model of prayer that will help us face the spiritual battles we encounter daily. Paul writes this verse in the context of his description of the armor that every believer must wear to meet the enemy's attacks. But this armor is useless if we don't spend time in prayer. Unfortunately, many Christians have a weak prayer life. Their prayer life is sporadic, or they use prayer like the 911 system in emergencies. Nevertheless, Paul encourages us always to keep an attitude of prayer and not give up. God hears our prayers and wants to answer. Prayer is the battlefield of every believer. Perhaps it is time that we put more emphasis on our prayer life so that we can defeat our enemy. May God bless you and keep you always.

Pastor Dimas

Lord, what do you want me to do?

 

"He, trembling and fearful, said: Lord, what do you want me to do? And the Lord said to him, "Get up and go into the city, and you will be told what to do" (Acts 9:6). As Christians, we often ask the same question as the Apostle Paul when we come to an encounter with the Lord: "Lord, what do you want me to do?" As children of God, each of us wants to do the will of the Lord. We want to respond positively when the Lord calls us to do something for Him. However, to find and do God's will in our lives, we must be obedient to God. We notice that in the verse's second part, Jesus gave Paul an order: "Get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do." Paul obeyed that order. We often want to do God's will, but at our convenience. When the Lord asks us to do something outside our comfort zone, we complain or fail to do it. We are disobedient to what God wants us to do. If God shows you and asks you to do something for his Kingdom, rest assured that He will equip you with the necessary tools to complete the job. We must
trust and have the required faith in God. Remember that He never leaves you alone and will be with you every step of the way until you complete the work. May God bless you and keep you always.