While In The World

"For everything in the world - the craving of the flesh, the greed of the eyes and people boasting of their superiority - all this belongs to the world, not to the Father. The world passes away with all its craving but those who do the will of God remain forever." - 1st John 2:16-17

Being young, it is so easy to get carried away by the things around us. We always admire those with status, those who drive nice cars and can buy expensive things. There's certainly nothing wrong with these things, but never let them define who you are. The person you are should have nothing to do with wealth or how fly your kicks are… one day you will leave all these things behind. Instead, focus on what truly defines who you are - your faith, your values, your morals, and these all come from God. While you're young, have fun and get to know all you can, but remember these things never last long. A wise person builds up what's inside and what can be carried over when this life is over.

Today's Prayer:
Lord, in my youth, help me to appreciate and get to know the world around me, but please never let it define who I am or be central to my life. Help me build on my faith so that I can grow in You. In Your Name we pray, amen.

The Evil That I Hate

"Stay awake and pray, so that you may not slip into temptation. The spirit indeed is eager, but human nature is weak." - Matthew 26:41

The verse that I relate to the most is from Romans where Paul says that he cannot explain what happens to him - he does the evil that he hates and not the good that he wants to do. I can't tell you how many times I don't want to do something, refuse to even think about it, and then, in a very surreal way, watch myself doing the very thing I didn't want to do. It really is my soul saying, "don't do it!" as my flesh falls into temptation. I caught myself today saying something I shouldn't have, but out it came anyway. But then, if I'm falling into sin, I feel bad asking for forgiveness right away because I feel that I'm not strong enough to not fall again. This is why if you ever feel like this, you need to listen to Jesus' words here. The spirit is willing to be good. I do want to be good. I don't want to sin, but my flesh is weak. Our human nature is weak. So, what do we do then? We keep watch and we pray. We must be observant of all of our sins and be aware of the occasions in which we sin so we could avoid them. And if we don't remain strong in prayer, it's so easy to just slip into temptation, as I see myself do so many times. I'm sure you see this in yourself, too.

The bottom line is that yes, we are all sinners, but we need to grow spiritually as well, right? Therefore, keep watch over what you do, and most importantly, pray constantly so that you are able to move past certain temptations.

Today's Prayer:
Jesus, again and again, I do what I don't want to do. Help me pick myself up and be a stronger person, a person of stronger faith and conviction. Thank You for Your saving grace and mercy. In Your Name we pray, amen.

Turning Over to Evil

"And since they did not think that God was worth knowing, He gave them up to their senseless minds so that they committed all kinds of obscenities. And so they are full of injustice, perversity, greed, evil; they are full of jealousy, murder, strife, deceit, bad will and gossip." - Romans 1:28-29

Today's reading in the letter of John speaks about how those that are in God never sin. When I first read that, I was so confused. I do my best to follow God, but I know I sin several times a day. But then I realized that this isn't what this means. When we decide to follow Jesus and try to do better, God looks at our intentions, what's in our hearts, and that makes us spotless before Him. We will sin, but ultimately, Jesus knows it's because of our weak nature and not because we chose evil over good. On the other hand, true sinners are those that Paul has condemned in this reading from the letter to the Romans. Those people, who know that there is a God, and still refuse to pay Him the respect He deserves, are the sinners of this world. See, when in our hearts, we want to follow Jesus, we sin but God helps us along the way. But when in our hearts, we decide that God isn't worth knowing, that's when God turns us over to our sins. He lets us fall deeper into the evils we seek. We turn into superficial, jealous, bitter, greedy people and that's when we fall even deeper into sin. We wouldn't listen to God before, but by choosing to not follow Him or pay respect, we are left to our own evils by God. That's why we see so many celebrities on TV who let the rock 'n roll lifestyle take them so deep into an abyss. People like that don't have an interest in serving God, and our free will is the most important thing to Him, something God will never violate. Be careful with your choices and where your heart leads you. Don't let any sin or weakness make God turn you over to your own evils.

Today's Prayer:
Lord God, help me be ever mindful of my words, thoughts, and actions. Keep me humble and pure of heart so that I seek Your will and not my own. In Your Name we pray, amen.

Words

"From the same mouth come both blessing and curse. Brothers, this should not be the case. Can both fresh and salt water gush from the same source?" - James 3:10-11

I was just praying and God let me feel that a great way to tell the heart of a person is by the things that come out of their mouths. Just in the same way that fresh water can't gush out of the same place as salt water, good things can't gush out of the mouth of a wicked person. Yes, people can fool us and be hypocrites, but this is a personal test for each of you - think about the things you speak about. Who do you talk about? When you speak to others, do you speak to encourage or do you speak to put down? Do you use your words to help others or do you use them to manipulate for your own advantage? Do you use your words for deceit or for truth? Or sometimes, speech isn't even necessary, do you lend a voice when someone needs to hear a kind word? Or do you keep your silence and not help? Whatever you choose to say or not say, especially the things that blurt out when you're angry or surprised, are all a true reflection of who you really are, what's really in your heart. You may try to hide this from others, but God sees who you really are and His is the only opinion that matters.

We all have things we need to change and work on. First, we need to realize that speech is a gift God gave us to build and encourage those in need of kind words, not to hurt anyone else or bring ourselves up. Then, we ask God to help us work on those issues we have inside so that both our heart and our words can be pure.

Today's Prayer:
My Lord Jesus, search me and reveal to me where I am lacking. Show me if my words have offended people and how I can correct that and correct my own heart. Help me, too, to forgive those who have hurt me with their words and understand that their hearts are wounded as well. In Your Name we pray, amen.

Sins of the Heart

"The fool dreams only of sin." - Proverbs 24:9

Paul said in the letter to the Romans that he does the evil he hates and not the good that he wants to do. Even a man like Saint Paul struggles with his tendency to sin, so we must struggle all the more. God knows this and His grace gives us strength, but we have a problem that needs serious correction if our sin comes from within. We might lose our temper or face temptation and fall, but sometimes we never planned to do these things. However, there are those that plan to sin. Examine your own conscience right now - where are your thoughts? What do you dream of? Is revenge in your heart? Are you hoping to see someone's downfall? Are you planning someone's harm? Even if you never carry these things out, you are a sinner and need to reconcile your relationship with the Lord. One might think that if one doesn't go through with these things, they don't count, but they do. God sees what's in your heart and your evil within is enough to condemn you. You are a fool if you entertain these thoughts. You have evil in your heart and you stray from the Lord who is good. It really doesn't matter who has hurt you, who has betrayed you and sparked the anger because God is just and will take care of those who have wronged you. For your part, turn to God. Cleanse your heart and be at peace with God so that He can heal you and bring you peace.

Today's Prayer:
Lord God, have mercy on those who are far from You and entertain sin in their minds. Have mercy on those that seek revenge and harbor hatred because of their pain. Let them know that Your love is so much bigger and Your mercy heals and soothes all things. In Your Name we pray, amen.

Never Too Young

"Let no one reproach you on account of your youth. Be a model to the believers in the way you speak and act, in your love, your faith and purity of life." - 1st Timothy 4:12

Following the Lord has no age, although we tend to see churches filled with old people on Sundays. And where are the youth? I've had people tell me that they're young so it's their time to go out, get wild and live life. God wants you to enjoy your youth but being young isn't an excuse to get carried away by the empty things of this world and then think to yourself that you'll turn to God when you're your parents' age. The first in reproaching us on account of our youth is ourselves - we're too young to spend our time praying or going to church in our teen's and 20's, right? The fact is that we need God at all times and at all points of our lives, especially when we are young with so many decisions to make in front of us. There are times when we are so down and so completely lost and the only one that can help us is God, but why only turn to Him when you need something from Him? Isn't He worthy enough to share in your joys as well? If you truly want God's blessings and to walk with Him always, make a decision in your life today to turn away from sin and its distractions. Do as Saint Paul told Timothy, a young believer - be a model to others in your faith and in the way you act. Purify yourselves and don't let evil come from your lips or from your actions. Do everything out of love and your Father in Heaven will see this and be with you throughout your entire life. We are never too far gone to win back God's graces. Each day is a chance to start anew and straighten our paths.

Today's Prayer:
Lord, the old people I see in church have the blessing of saying that they have seen Your powerful hand throughout their entire lives. Let me be as wise as they are and in my youth proclaim Your Name and wonders for all. That I may be a witness to your grandeur every year of my life. In Your Name we pray, Amen.

The Devil

"Woe to you, earth and sea, for the devil has come to you in anger knowing that he has but a little time." - Revelation 12:12

In the beginning when God created everything, He showed to His angels His plans to exalt the human race to share in His kingdom. The angel Lucifer, also known as Satan or the devil, became enraged and rebelled against this because his pride would not allow a human to be higher than him in God's eyes. This caused the rebellion in Heaven in which the angel Michael fought against the devil and threw him out into the earth along with all the others that rebelled against God. All this Jesus showed to His apostle John in a vision and that's why John says woe to you, earth and sea, for the devil has come to you in anger knowing that he has but a little time. God did not cast the devil into Hell but here on earth, where like a furious lion he chases after us trying to lead us into temptation and sin so that he can rob us of the peace, joy, and eternal life the Lord wants to give us.

In a movie, I once heard someone say that the devil's biggest advantage is that no one thinks he exists and this is true. He does not come to you in a way you can identify, but he starts to rob you of happiness and peace subtly. When you don't pray or look to God, he lures you into things that bring pleasure to your flesh while the spirit of God dies within you and you don't even realize you are not living according to God's way. And when you do look for God he starts to bring you trouble. Those close to you hurt you and trials start coming into your life so that you abandon the path of the Lord. You will try to keep your eyes on God but when you do, that's when he will attack you the most and try to lead you to believe that God is the reason you suffer and that God doesn't listen to you.

The devil does this because he hates you and all blessings in your life he WILL try to destroy. The good news is that Jesus' death on the cross has crushed him and all those that follow the Lord will be strengthened by Him when they call upon His Name. This is why you have to keep praying and praying when you're going through trials so that the devil can't get a foothold into your life and convince you that God is not there! I am telling you in all truth today that God does exist and He does love you. Don't let the devil rob you of the good things God has in store for you! Be cautious and aware of all your actions, constantly asking if you are doing the Lord's will or if you're letting yourselves be convinced by the evil one.

Today's Prayer:
My Lord, You have given me life and the devil is trying to bring me sorrow and death. Give me the strength and determination to keep my eyes on You despite all of the lies the evil one throws at me and all the pain he is trying to inflict upon me so that I turn against You. Please help me to see his actions so that I may not be deceived and continue to praise Your Name always! In Your Name we pray, Amen!

The Struggle

"I can want to do what is right, but I am unable to do it. In fact, I do not do the good I want, but the evil I hate." - Romans 8:18-19

This here is the every day battle for the Christian - failing to do what we know God wants from us and falling subject to sin. We know the difference between good and bad so clearly, but every day something comes up and we promise ourselves we won't be bad, we won't sin, but before we know it, we fall and end up disappointing ourselves; feeling ashamed.

What do we do when this happens? I, for one, always beat myself up and wonder how I gave into evil so easily. It feels like all the praying I do, reading the bible, going to church was all in vain because there I am, back to square one. I feel like I don't deserve to follow Him because I'm just not good enough, obviously, if I can't stop from talking behind someone's back, cursing, putting someone down, or not helping someone out when I know I could have. And I know these things are bad, and I really don't want to do them, but they just happen so easily. As much as I want to avoid them, they are so much easier to do than good deeds I want to do.

This is the natural way to feel but it does NOT mean you're not a good Christian. These are the normal feelings one gets when one falls into sin, but do not allow it to take hold of you for another second because if you do, it's no longer your conscience speaking to you, it's the devil himself trying to knock you down and keep you from God. He caused you to sin and he wants to make sure you feel completely defeated. At this point, you're back to how you used to be, frustrated, lost, without hope. That's where sin leads us to and that's where the devil wants to keep us.

It's at these times that God wants you to come to Him the most! He knows you are weak but all that matters to Him is that you keep trying! As Paul continues to say in Romans, we sin because sin exists in our flesh, but to combat the sin, God didn't give us a spirit of slavery, but a sprit that seeks life! He gave you His Holy Spirit to uplift you even when you fall so you can continue to get up and call on Him!

Today's Prayer:
My Lord, You know my spirit wants to do good and please You, but my flesh is weak and I end up failing You and what You have taught me. Give me the grace, Lord, to always pick myself up again and continue on the path that leads to You. In Your Name we pray, Amen.