God calls His people to humble themselves, pray, seek His face, and turn from their wicked ways. Pastor Alberto Justo reminded us that genuine repentance means choosing to leave the ways that displease God.
You can pray and seek God, but you must also be willing to change your direction. That call was at the heart of our gathering with the Vida Nueva church family.
Worship Across Languages
We welcomed Pastor Alberto and our Vida Nueva church family for a service of worship in English and Spanish. Before we sang, we read Revelation 7:9, which describes a multitude from every nation, tribe, people, and language standing before God's throne.
We even wondered together how we will understand one another in heaven. It may be like the day of Pentecost, or God may give us one language. He will work that out!
We joined our voices to praise the Lord in every circumstance and declare that there is no one like Him. Pastor Alberto reminded us to see souls, rather than barriers, skin color, or legal status. We all need Jesus.
A Testimony About Aunt Joyce
Before worship, we shared a praise report about Aunt Joyce. She collapsed in church, and our family prayed while waiting for an ambulance. One sister described seeing Joyce begin to breathe, open her eyes, and respond when family members told her they loved her.
Joyce continued talking on the way to the hospital. We give God the glory for what we believe was a miracle.
We also prayed for Sister Amy's husband, Mike, and for Sister Sheila, who was facing stomach ulcers and possible surgery. Other testimonies included a motorcycle crash, a near car accident, a child in a pool, and a person in crisis. These accounts reminded us that God's help can come in unexpected moments.
God’s Call to His People
Pastor Alberto based his message on 2 Chronicles 7:14. God spoke these words to Israel, and Pastor Alberto applied the call to us as His people today: humble ourselves, pray, seek His face, and turn from our wicked ways. God promises to hear from heaven, forgive sin, and heal the land.
God calls us to a genuine response. Humility, prayer, and seeking His presence belong together with a decision to turn away from sin.
Humble Yourself Before God
Pastor Alberto pointed out that the Scripture says, "if My people." God is speaking to His people, and His people must humble themselves before Him.
Pride can keep us from admitting our mistakes, accepting correction, and recognizing God in our ways. It can also reach ministers and worshipers. When we insist on our own will and seek recognition for ourselves, pride has taken a place that belongs to God.
To humble ourselves means to bow in submission. We acknowledge our need for the Lord, receive His correction, and allow the Holy Spirit to guide us. God lifts up those who humble themselves before Him.
Pray With Honesty and Surrender
Pastor Alberto called us back to prayer. Instead of looking first to social media, Google, Siri, or people who claim to tell the future, we must call on the God who gives us life. As the Lord says in Jeremiah 33:3, "Call to Me, and I will answer you."
Ask for God’s Will
Prayer is more than asking God to give us what we want. We must also ask what He wants us to do and surrender ourselves to His will. Our teaching on surrender and the Lord's Prayer returns to that same call.
Pastor Alberto shared a humorous example from his home. When his seven children won't go to sleep, he gathers them to pray, and they often fall asleep during prayer. His point was that prayer can be a struggle against the flesh, but we must continue to pray.
Be Sincere With the Holy Spirit
If you don't know how to pray, be honest with God and ask the Holy Spirit to teach you. Pastor Alberto said that he doesn't always know how to pray for every member of Vida Nueva, but as he prays, the Holy Spirit guides him and makes him aware of people's needs.
Seek God in Every Season
We must seek God when life is hard, and we must keep seeking Him when life is going well. Pastor Alberto said that people can forget God when they have what they need. He also shared that sickness and attacks have caused him to seek God's presence more earnestly.
Instead of giving ourselves to gossip, harmful choices, or the wrong influences, we need to seek the Lord. Pastor Alberto spoke of the rest, security, provision, and blessing we find in Him. He also encouraged those facing oppression and sadness to bring their struggles before God in prayer.
Turn Away From Old Ways
Pastor Alberto emphasized the final part of God's call: turn from your wicked ways. A person may pray and seek God, yet return to the same situation if they refuse to change their conduct.
Let Repentance Reach Your Conduct
Our old thoughts, speech, habits, friendships, and treatment of other people matter. Biblical repentance is a change of heart that leads us to turn away from sin and toward God. Our teaching on how repentance leads to a changed life explains this call to turn back to Him.
Pastor Alberto urged us to love sincerely, speak truth, and stop speaking against our neighbor. God's people should be different in the way we think, speak, and live.
Choose a Different Path
Pastor Alberto spoke about harmful patterns that can pass through families, including anger, abusive language, and drunkenness. He called us to seek God, forgive, love, and choose a different way of living rather than continue in those patterns.
He also testified that God set him free from marijuana and other drugs. He said he had to humble himself, pray, and ask the Lord to take those things out of his life.
God Hears, Forgives, and Heals
God's promise in 2 Chronicles 7:14 is that He will hear, forgive, and heal. Pastor Alberto applied the healing of the land broadly to families, generations, and the people of God.
He spoke to those carrying fear, addiction, depression, and the pain of abuse. We believe God can bring freedom and healing, and we come to Him with humble hearts, asking Him to guide our steps.
Prayer for Families and Healing
Pastor Alberto invited those who wanted to humble themselves before God or receive prayer for healing to come forward. Church leaders and members prayed with them for freedom, peace, healing, and life in Jesus' name.
He encouraged women to keep praying for their homes and children, even when other family members weren't willing to do so. He also urged us to speak life over our marriages, children, and homes, and he prayed for emotional healing for men and women who had suffered abuse.
Afterward, we shared bread and coffee. Pastor Alberto thanked God for the food, our church family, and the nation, and prayed that the Hispanic community would be a blessing to others.
A Heart That Responds to God
God is calling His people to more than words. True repentance reaches our choices and changes the direction of our lives.
We humble ourselves before Him and ask for His help. We trust the God who hears, forgives, and heals.
