In this episode of the Savior & Lord Podcast, Hankelsys Gutierrez joins me for a conversation about choosing Faithfulness Over Feelings. Together, we explore some common ways the world’s allure can distract us from serving God wholeheartedly and from pursuing His will for our lives.

We also discuss practical ways to combat those distractions using the tools God has provided through His Word, prayer, Christian community, and faithful obedience.

Whether you’re wrestling with temptation, struggling to stay focused on God, or simply seeking encouragement in your walk with Christ, this conversation will challenge you to reflect on how these principles apply to your own life.

We hope you enjoy this episode, and God willing, we’ll have Hankelsys back again soon!

We know that God calls those who love Him to obey Him. But how many of us take it a step further and live a life of surrender?

Today, Emanuel and I examine how this attitude impacts our lives.

Have you considered the opportunity cost of not following through with God’s desires for you? Obedience and surrender may not sound glamorous, but when we consider their eternal yield, there is no better approach.

The more we submit to God, the more we realize He alone should guide our path forward.

Thanks in advance for joining us for today’s conversation.

Host Victor Nunez and guest Emmanuel continue their series from “Hidden Seasons” to “visibility” and now “influence,” focusing on how character is tested when exposure and responsibility increase. They discuss why influence magnifies strengths and weaknesses, the dangers of pride, people-pleasing, and performance replacing obedience, and the need to avoid causing others to stumble (1 Corinthians 10).

They emphasize accountability, humility, and guarding the heart, citing Luke 16:10, James 3:1, 1 Timothy 3:6, Galatians 1:10, Romans 12, and Proverbs 4:23. Examples include leadership pressures, criticism, parenting boundaries, and Emmanuel helping an elderly woman.

They highlight personal time with God, silence, teachability, servant leadership, and relying on grace, including Paul’s “thorn” (2 Corinthians 12), concluding that influence is stewardship for God’s glory, not ego.

In today’s feature podcast Victor, and his guest Emanuel, discuss why obedience and faithfulness is essential. It rings true when such discipline is exercised regardless of whether visibility and perception are present. When our hearts are properly situated, we are not motivated by how people see us or preoccupied by optics. Instead we know that God remains our ultimate audience and our desire to please Him trumps everything else.

Other sub-topics of this episode include removing friction to facilitate discipline, the wisdom of taking action without boasting about future outcomes, redeeming the time, and immersing ourselves in God’s will for us with the intention to bring glory to God in all we do. May you find it helpful on a practical level and find inspiration in that message.

When we value the things of God rather than the distractions of this world, we open the door to doing remarkable things. Perhaps this does not ring more true than when serving God in relative obscurity without caring about the world’s recognition. We need to operate with the right motivations. A good deed done in the name of fame, fortune, or another compromised reason is not equivalent to doing the same thing with pure motives. Of course, being that sin still lives in us, expecting perfection on our part would be naive and frankly impossible. However, God will ultimately weigh the intentions of our hearts regarding each of the actions we take, including those occurring in secret (Proverbs 21:2, Ecclesiastes 12:14).

If the world always applauds us and treats us exceptionally well, it should serve as a warning to us that something may be amiss (Luke 6:26). After all, as believers, we are in the process of sanctification (2 Timothy 2:14-21). If that is the case, we are becoming more Christ-like every day. However, given that the world crucified our Savior, Jesus Christ, can we expect to be like Him without having our share of battles? God willing, we do not have to suffer to the level He did, but some believers across the globe are actively persecuted for their faith daily. If we get too caught up with trying to do what is right in man’s eyes at the expense of our integrity with God, we need to examine and re-establish our priorities. 

There is no way for us to make an eternally meaningful impact without Jesus Christ operating in, with, and through us (Ephesians 2:10). It is an extraordinary honor that God not only allows but empowers each of us to share in the work He arranged for us to do before we were even born. Although God does not need us, He does want us to be His hands and feet here on earth (1 Corinthians 12:12-31). We cannot accomplish this mission by ourselves. Community is integral to building one another up in faith, discipleship, and offering all the components of support that we provide each other. Furthermore, we may encourage one another to pursue our respective callings through all the avenues God has opened for us. Even the most dedicated Christians can struggle outside the Church’s support network.

As much as the call to assemble as a Church is beneficial to all of us, we need to remember that our mission goes beyond the four walls we call home on Sundays. Stepping out into the world to reach the lost and provide support to those in need is a must. It is unrealistic to assume that everyone who needs to hear the Gospel will attend Church on Sunday without prompting. As much as we need to be recharged by God’s Word and refreshed by its contents in one form or another (preaching, music, Bible study, etc.), it is likewise vital to share the good news with the lost. We must make sure to take a step back from secular environments and friendships to be fed. Otherwise, we would unnecessarily risk having our walk with God derailed. Bad company corrupts good morals (1 Corinthians 15:33). As such, we need to be careful to guard our hearts and rely on God so that does not happen to us (Proverbs 4:23).

Ultimately, our legacy should truly rest on God’s will for us. There is no one-size-fits-all for how each of us ought to accomplish that. The mission may be the same in the sense of evangelizing the lost, obeying God’s commands, and serving people, but how we do all these things may vastly differ. I would venture to say we most effectively do all these things when we utilize the gifts, talents, and resources God has provided each of us for His glory. 

You may not yet be sure what that looks like for you. An excellent place to begin is to focus on the attributes that require the least amount of effort for you. For example, one of your friends from Church may have pointed out how good you are with art, singing, or producing/editing video content. With this in mind, you can approach your Church leaders and ask them where you might help with your skillset. I would suggest you not underestimate your abilities in such areas, for we are often our most prominent critics. All things considered, when you do everything as if unto God, it is only a matter of time before that untapped potential in you reveals itself (Colossians 3:23). 

If we grab hold of these Biblical ideas and diligently apply them, we will excel in the sight of God and delight Him (Psalms 37:23). As such, we will redeem our days here on earth and walk the path God has predestined each of us to pursue (Ephesians 2:10, Ephesians 5:16-18). Leaving behind a meaningful legacy that echoes into eternity becomes a byproduct of consistently putting our faith into action as God ordains for us to do (James 2:14-16). Aspire not to lose sight of this core mission is integral because the devil and his demons will attempt to divert us from it (1 Peter 5:8-9). The world and its fleeting pleasures will quickly fade away (1 John 2:17), but if we avoid those and focus on the things of God, we will not need to live in regret. All those times where we face suffering in our walk with God are trivial sacrifices compared to the eternal blessings ahead (James 1:2-8, Romans 8:18).

The first that comes to mind is probably the most obvious—simply redirecting our efforts with intentionality on matters and taking inventory. What is it that we could re-prioritize? Is there something that needs to be put on the back burner because there are more vital things to spend our time doing? These are the kinds of questions that should lead us back on the right track. If we don’t take some time, we may allow these outliers to become more central parts of our lives. What we barely spent any time doing before may encompass more and more of our attention over time. As our hobbies become habits, they come dangerously close to potentially destructive and addictive patterns of behavior. Such practices can cause seemingly harmless activities to detract from our relationship with Jesus Christ. Ideally, we catch ourselves before this stage of entanglement and redirect our efforts accordingly. Prayerfully seeking what God would have us shift our attention to would be a good start. It demonstrates that you have a desire and a willingness to make adjustments despite your current lifestyle choices. 

The second way that could be of practical use in this situation is incorporating Jesus Christ, evangelism, or some aspect of redeeming value into your hobby, leisure activity, or habit. For example, you might have an affinity for something such as traveling. I understand that everyone needs a way to cope with life’s stressors, and you may deserve a vacation by all means. However, if you feel convicted about not fulfilling the Great Commission in your life, perhaps you want to incorporate some of God’s vision for you into your next vacation. You don’t have to visit a remote village in the middle of nowhere to do this. Just about any holiday can become an evangelical journey if you desire to make it one. 

Even if you’re not ready to confront people face-to-face with the Gospel, you can hand out Gospel tracts or plant them in familiar places where people might stumble upon them. I’ve personally had the privilege of unexpected divine appointments in various places. It could be the person sitting next to you in flight, a waiter at a restaurant, or a random encounter in a taxi. There are endless opportunities to share the Word of God. They are frequently more receptive than you might think. I will not dive deep into evangelism strategies here in this article, especially since everyone has their unique approach to these situations. Still, I will say one thing: It’s often helpful to convict someone of their need for a Savior so their hearts will be receptive to the Gospel. Many assume they’re generally good people if they don’t understand our need for Jesus Christ and our fallen state as humans. Once they understand their sinfulness, they’ll be more likely to embrace the idea of needing Jesus Christ. If you stick to only head knowledge, they may not feel a conviction in their heart to make any significant change.

One recent, widespread time sink that many of us have been enveloped by is the state of politics in our country. There is a lot of division and widespread criticism coming from both sides of the aisle. I agree that there’s a place for discussing the views of those who hold power to legislate initiatives that impact my freedoms. However, I think we go overboard when our political activism outweighs our efforts to do God’s work. Instead of working on sowing seeds of division, we need to work on finding common ground. There are times where we need to find satisfaction in agreeing to disagree because we can’t win everyone over to our side. We all have different upbringings, educations, and political leanings, even amongst other believers. These factors will often shift our perspective in one direction over another because of our unique life experiences.

There is no need to emphasize Republican or Democratic principles over Biblical principles to guide our decision-making. Why look to the government for solutions when our rights are God-given? We should consider there is more value in winning souls for Jesus Christ than winning votes for our favorite candidate. I hope our country can heal from this because it’s clear that a kingdom divided within itself cannot stand. Find peace and comfort in God’s sovereignty. We know that whether we voted for President Biden or not, God allowed him to become president. At this point, it is our responsibility as Christians to pray for him, his cabinet, and everyone across both sides of the aisle in leadership to help steer our country in the right direction. Spreading hate, misinformation, slander, and so forth does not serve us well. It’s apparent to me that this applies to both Republicans and Democrats. Ultimately our destiny isn’t determined by those in power but rather by God Himself, who exalts and humbles people as He wills.

All of us will be better off if we consider these ideas. I realize not everyone can agree on politics, but those of us who love God and people have more meaningful ways to align peaceably with one another. Do you think those who have yet to come to saving faith are drawn closer to Jesus Christ when they see our passion for politics or Jesus Christ? Sometimes the most significant transformation comes from demonstrating our faith through obedience to God’s commands in our lives. The seemingly small actions compounding over the lifetime of a believer can prove more inspiring than a million sermons. 

Don’t forget that new brothers and sisters in the faith observe our actions and consider whether we’re walking the walk. I don’t know about you, but I have some work to do. I am sure we each have at least a few areas where we can stand to improve. Let’s all take inventory of our focus, time, and energy so we can direct them all to actions that bring God glory. It doesn’t have to be a life overhaul overnight. The small, incremental changes over a long time horizon can yield excellent fruit too. We need to prayerfully discover what works for us by following God’s lead and going from there. If we genuinely desire to honor, glorify, and acknowledge God, He will clarify how we should go about doing precisely that. There is no greater way to find long-term fulfillment than to fear God and obey His commandments. Everything else, by comparison, is vastly overrated. For instance, King Solomon tried to find satisfaction in all sorts of temporary distractions, but he rightfully concluded that they all led him to dead-end roads. Do not take my word for it, but instead contemplate what the Word of God says on the matter.

“13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:

Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man’s all.

14 For God will bring every work into judgment,
Including every secret thing,
Whether good or evil.”

Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 (NKJV)

May we all heed this sobering advice and live praiseworthy lives accordingly in the sight of God and man.