Stop Self Deception

Stopping self-deception is a deeply challenging but rewarding process. It's not about a single action, but a continuous practice of self-awareness and honesty. Here's a breakdown of how to approach it:

1. Cultivate Radical Self-Awareness

This is the foundational step. You can't stop a behavior you don't recognize.

 * Become an Observer of Yourself: Practice mindfulness. Pay attention to your thoughts, emotions, and actions without judgment. When you feel a strong emotional reaction—like anger, defensiveness, or shame—pause and ask yourself: "Why am I feeling this way? What is this a reaction to?"

 * Identify Your Rationalizations: Self-deception often manifests as "rationalizing." This is when you come up with seemingly logical reasons for an action that you know, deep down, isn't right. Learn to recognize phrases like, "I had to do it because..." or "It's not my fault, because..."

 * Keep a Journal: Writing down your thoughts and feelings can help you see patterns you might otherwise miss. It creates a record that is harder to deceive yourself about. You can look back and see how you've justified certain behaviors over time.

 * Recognize Your "Emotional Triggers": What situations, people, or topics make you feel defensive or uncomfortable? These are often areas where you are most likely to be deceiving yourself. Your emotional reaction is a sign that a core belief or insecurity is being challenged.

2. Challenge Your Assumptions and Beliefs

Self-deception thrives on unchallenged beliefs.

 * Question Your "Certainties": A key sign of self-deception is a rigid belief system. If you find yourself thinking, "I'm 100% right and there's no other way to see it," that's a red flag. Be willing to consider that you might be wrong.

 * Identify Cognitive Biases: Self-deception is closely linked to cognitive biases, which are mental shortcuts that lead to errors in judgment. A common one is confirmation bias, where you only seek out information that confirms what you already believe. To counteract this, actively look for and consider alternative viewpoints.

 * Embrace Discomfort: The truth can be painful. Self-deception serves as a protective mechanism to avoid this pain. To stop it, you have to be willing to sit with the discomfort of admitting your flaws, mistakes, and insecurities.

3. Seek External Perspectives

You can't be objective about yourself on your own.

 * Ask for Honest Feedback: This is difficult, but incredibly valuable. Ask a trusted friend, family member, or mentor for their honest opinion on a situation. Be prepared to listen without getting defensive. If multiple people are giving you similar feedback, it's a strong sign you are deceiving yourself.

 * Listen to People Who Disagree with You: Rather than dismissing or arguing with people who have different views, try to genuinely understand their perspective. This doesn't mean you have to agree with them, but it can help you see the blind spots in your own thinking.

 * Work with a Therapist or Coach: A professional can help you uncover unconscious patterns of behavior and self-deception that you are unable to see on your own. They provide a safe space to explore difficult truths without judgment.

4. Practice Humility and Accountability

This moves from a cognitive exercise to a change in character.

 * Take Responsibility: A hallmark of self-deception is blaming others. Instead of saying, "They made me do it," or "It's their fault," practice taking ownership of your own actions and their consequences.

 * Accept Your Imperfections: No one is perfect. Self-deception often stems from a fear of not being good enough. By accepting that you have flaws and will make mistakes, you remove the need to pretend to be something you're not.

 * Live a Life of Integrity: Align your actions with your stated values. When you notice a gap between what you say and what you do, acknowledge it and work to close that gap.

Stopping self-deception is a continuous journey. It's about developing a habit of honesty with yourself, even when it's uncomfortable. The ultimate reward is a more authentic and fulfilling life, built on a foundation of truth rather than a fragile facade.

That’s a brave question — because self-deception is one of the hardest things to admit we’re capable of.

Stopping it isn’t usually a one-time act, but a way of living that keeps us from fooling ourselves. Here are some steps that help:

1. 

Ask God to reveal truth about yourself

• Psalm 139:23–24 — “Search me, O God, and know my heart… see if there is any wicked way in me.”
• Since our own hearts can’t see clearly, we need God’s light to expose blind spots.
• A daily posture of asking Him to show you truth is the first safeguard.

2. 

Soak in Scripture

• The Bible functions like a mirror (James 1:23–25). It reveals not just knowledge but the state of our soul.
• Regularly letting God’s Word read you — not just you reading it — prevents you from inventing your own standards of righteousness.

3. 

Practice confession

• Be brutally honest with God about what you actually feel, think, or do — even when it’s ugly.
• Hiding or minimizing is where self-deception grows. Confession brings what’s in the dark into the light.

4. 

Invite trusted people to speak truth

• Wise, godly friends can see things you can’t.
• Give them permission to lovingly challenge you when your words or actions don’t line up.
• Proverbs 27:6 — “Faithful are the wounds of a friend.”

5. 

Check your motives often

• Ask: Why am I doing this? For God’s glory or for approval/control?
• Learning to examine motives keeps you from wearing masks without noticing.

6. 

Cultivate humility

• Self-deception thrives on pride (“I’ve got this, I’m fine”).
• Humility admits weakness, accepts correction, and doesn’t need to look righteous to others.
• Remember: it’s better to be right with God than to look right to people.

7. 

Keep repentance ongoing

• Self-deception says, “I’m basically good, nothing to change.”
• Truth says, “God is good, and I need Him every day.”
• A lifestyle of repentance keeps your heart soft and honest.

👉 A practical exercise: try praying Psalm 19:12–13 each day — “Who can discern his errors? Forgive my hidden faults. Keep your servant also from willful sins…”

here’s a simple daily guide you can use. It’s designed to be short (10–15 minutes) but deep, so it keeps your heart honest before God and trains you away from self-deception.

🌿 Daily Anti–Self-Deception Guide

1. 

Opening Prayer (1–2 minutes)

Pray Psalm 139:23–24 slowly:

“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

👉 Ask God: “Show me what I’m not seeing in myself.”

2. 

Scripture Mirror (3–5 minutes)

• Read a short passage (e.g., Proverbs, Sermon on the Mount, Psalms, or an epistle).
• As you read, ask:
• What standard of righteousness is God showing me here?
• Does my life actually reflect this, or am I just assuming it does?
• 
  

3. 

Heart Check Questions (2–3 minutes)

Write or say your answers honestly to God:

• Why did I do what I did today? Was it for God’s glory or for people’s approval?
• Did I avoid admitting a weakness, failure, or sin?
• Is there something I’m justifying that deep down I know isn’t right?

4. 

Confession & Repentance (2–3 minutes)

• Tell God plainly where you fell short. No excuses, no spin.
• Thank Him that in Christ, forgiveness is certain (1 John 1:9).
• Ask for strength to walk differently tomorrow.

5. 

Closing Prayer (1–2 minutes)

Pray Psalm 19:12–14:

“Who can discern his errors? Forgive my hidden faults. Keep your servant also from willful sins… May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord.”

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READ

Luke 20:18

Whoever falls on that stone 

will be broken; 

but on whomever it falls, 

it will grind him to powder.

REFLECT

One of my favorite verses in the Bible. 

I must fall on the stone and be broken so he can put me back together in his way, filled with himself. If I am willing to be broken, the pieces can come back together in a new mold filled with his Spirit. 

But if I refuse to be broken he will grind me to powder because I am so hard hearted. If I am ground to powder there is nothing to put back together and nothing to go inside since there is no longer a mold. 

PRAY

Father, you call me to see I need to let you break my heart open. Holy Spirit you call me to Jesus and to empower me to imitate him. Jesus only you can show me where I need to be changed, to have a heart like yours. You are the representation of Love. You gave your all for sinners. Please Holy Trinity help me be strong enough to allow my heart to be broken and molded by you. I do not want to be ground to powder but to be remade. Thank you for offering this amazing gift. Help me surrender. Amen. 

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Lord Jesus, Help me Die to Self

Dying to Self By Bill Britton

When you are forgotten or neglected or purposely set at naught, and you don’t sting or hurt with the insult or the oversight, but your heart is happy, being counted worthy to suffer for Christ

—that is dying to self

When your good is evil spoken of, when your wishes are crossed, your advice disregarded or your opinions ridiculed, and you refuse to let anger rise in your heart or even to defend yourself, but take it all in patient, loving silence

—that is dying to self

When you lovingly, patiently bear any disorder and irregularity, any tardiness or any annoyance—when you come face to face with waste, folly, 

extravagance, spiritual insensibility—and endure it as Jesus endured it

—that is dying to self.

When you are content with any food, any offering, any garments, any climate, any society, any solitude, any interruption by the will of God 

—that is dying to self.

When you never refer to your self in conversation, or to record your own good works, or itch after commendation, when you can truly love to go unknown

—that is dying to self.

When you can see your brother or sister have his or her needs met and can honestly rejoice in spirit and can feel no envy nor question God, while your own needs are far greater and in more desperate circumstances

—that is dying to self.

When you can receive correction and reproof from one of less stature than yourself and can humbly submit inwardly as well as outwardly, finding no rebellion or resentment rising up within your heart

—that is dying to self

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Why Suffering

God did not create suffering. We brought it into the world by sin, by our rebellion against God. Suffering and death are consequences of humanity’s choice to sin. God allows evil and its consequence, suffering, because He respects our freedom, and because suffering has a purpose, it purifies, strengthens, and expands the soul to receive more of God. 

God has a greater plan for our lives than we do. God wants to make us like Himself. He wants us to share in His divine nature and become like God. (At least that’s what He tells us in the Bible in 1 John 3). 

There are two problems: First, I want things of this world more than I want to be like God. I have disordered attachments from which I need to be detached, purified. Second, my soul is too weak to receive God. It’s like putting new wine into old wineskins. The new wine will burst the old skins. We need new wineskins. Our soul needs to be strengthened and enlarged to receive God. 

Suffering is the greatest means to do all three, to purify, to strengthen, and to expand our souls…if we will accept it with trust. 

The soul must be purified of disordered desires and strengthened to receive the fullness of God’s gift of Himself. God desires to give more, but we resist the process. We don’t trust the path of purification. We flee discomfort. We long for union with God, but we hesitate at the very trials that prepare us for it. 

Here is why so few reach the happiness of perfect union with God. It’s not that God wants only a few; he wants all to be perfectly happy. But he finds few who will endure the process. God tries them in little things and finds them so weak that they immediately flee from the process, unwilling to be subject to the least discomfort of suffering and trials, it follows that not finding them strong and faithful in suffering little things they aren’t ready for greater trials.

So, God proceeds no further in purifying them and raising them from the dust of the earth through the toil of self-denial. They need greater fortitude.

There are many who desire and pray to be good and holy. Yet when God takes them through the initial trials and self-denial, as is necessary, they are unwilling to suffer them and they shun them, flee from the narrow road of life and seek the broad road comfort. They are like small weak containers, for although they desire to reach a greater union with God, they do not want to be guided by the path of trials that leads to it. They hardly even begin to walk along this road by submitting to what is least, that is, to ordinary sufferings.

God wants to flood your soul with the torrent of His divine life and divine pleasure. That is infinitely better than anything of this world. But we cling to the good stuff here, and it clogs our soul and keeps it small because we are as little as the things we love. By suffering, difficulties, trials, and death, God empties and purifies us of worldly desires and strengthens and expands our soul to receive the torrent of divine life. 

So if you are suffering, bewildered, angry, or discouraged. Do what you can to change it. But if you can’t solve this, take heart, God is working His process. He is flooding your soul, purifying, strengthening, and expanding. 

And what should we do? We do what John the Baptist did. John said, “He must increase, and I must decrease.” Basically, Jesus, I can’t do this. But you can. Jesus, I surrender to you. Jesus, I trust in you. 

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Faith: 2 aspects 1st In Someone, 2nd Believe Promises and entrust self

Faith is a personal response to God's grace and requires a free will to choose belief, not a predetermined gift given to everyone. God offers the gift of faith to all, but individuals can reject it by their own will or neglect it through unrepentant sin, apostasy, or heresy. 

Therefore, a person's failure to receive faith is a result of their free choice to resist God's grace, rather than God withholding the gift. 

Faith as a Free Act of Will

• Personal Confession: Faith is inherently personal; no one can believe for another. Each person must freely confess and accept belief for themselves. 
• 
  
• God's Offer: While faith is often described as a gift from God, it is offered to all, not bestowed only upon a select few. The gift is available to everyone, but its reception depends on the individual's free will. 
• 
  
• The Will to Believe: St. Simeon the New Theologian notes that there are obstacles to receiving faith, but none can bar the way to belief in God's words if one wishes with all their heart. 
• 
  

Reasons for Not Receiving Faith

• Rejection of God's Grace: God could not be faulted if He did not give faith to someone, as no human is entitled to it; rather, it is a gift motivated by love. Thus, a person who does not receive faith does so through a free choice of their own will to reject or neglect God's offer. 
• 
  
• Living in Sin or Apostasy: The gift of salvation through faith can be rejected or neglected by falling away from the Church through apostasy, heresy, or a life of unrepentant sin. 
• 
  
• Lack of Love for God: Faith is inseparable from love and works. If someone claims to have faith but doesn't love God by keeping His commandments, their faith is considered dead and ineffective. 
• 
  

Faith is the foundation of Christian life. It is the fundamental virtue of Abraham, the forefather of Israel and the Christian Church. “Abraham believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness” (Gen 15.6).

Jesus begins his ministry with the same command for faith.

Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God and saying, “The time is fulfilled, the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel” (Mk 1:15).

All through his life Jesus was calling for faith; faith in himself, faith in God his Father, faith in the Gospel, faith in the Kingdom of God. The fundamental condition of the Christian life is faith, for with faith come hope and love and every good work and every good gift and power of the Holy Spirit. This is the doctrine of Christ, the apostles, and the Church.

In the Scriptures faith is classically defined as “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Heb 11.1).

There are basically two aspects to faith; one might even say two meanings of faith. The first is faith “in” someone or something, faith as the recognition of these persons or things as real, true, genuine, and valuable; for example, faith in God, in Christ, in the Holy Trinity, in the Church. 

The second is faith in the sense of trust or reliance. In this sense, for example, one would not merely believe in God, in his existence, goodness, and truth; but one would believe God, trust his word, rely upon his presence, depend securely and with conviction upon his promises. For Christians both types of faith are necessary. One must believe in certain things with mind, heart, and soul; and then live by them in the course of everyday life.

Faith is always personal. Each person must believe for himself. No one can believe for another. Many people may believe and trust the same things because of a unity of their knowledge, reason, experience and convictions. There can be a community of faith and a unity of faith. But this community and unity necessarily begins and rests upon the confession of personal faith.  If we can pray, offer, sing, praise, ask, bless, rejoice, and commend ourselves and each other to God in the Church and as the Church, it is only because each one of us can say honestly, sincerely, and with prayerful conviction: “Lord, I believe . . .”—adding, as one must, the words of the man in the gospel—“. . . help thou my unbelief” (Mk 9.24).

In order for our faith to be genuine, we must express it in everyday life. We must act according to our faith and prove it by the goodness and power of God acting in our lives. This does not mean that we “tempt God” or “put God to the test” by doing foolish and unnecessary things just for the sake of seeing if God will participate in our foolishness. But it does mean that if we live by faith in our pursuit of righteousness, we can demonstrate the fact that God will be with us, helping and guiding us in every way.

For faith to grow and become stronger, it must be used. Each person should live according to the measure of faith which he has, however small, weak and imperfect it might be. By acting according to one’s faith, trust in God and the certitude of God’s presence is given, and with the help of God many things which were never before imagined become possible.

Magisterium Answer

Yes. The Catholic Church teaches that faith is both a gratuitous gift of God’s grace and a free personal response of the human intellect and will. The points you summarized correspond to the Church’s doctrine.

Faith as a Gift Offered to All

• The Catechism states that the human intellect and will cooperate with divine grace in believing 1.
• God “willed that man should be left in the hand of his own counsel… so that he might of his own accord seek his Creator” 2 3.
• Hence the gift of faith is offered universally, but its reception depends on the person’s free response.

The Free Act of the Will

• St. Thomas Aquinas explains that faith is “an act of the intellect assenting to the truth by command of the will, moved by God through grace” 4.
• The will must freely move the intellect toward the truth; without this free assent, the act would not be genuine faith 5.
• Aquinas further notes that the will’s movement toward the good (beatitude) is essential for a living faith 5.

Possibility of Rejecting or Neglecting Faith

• Because the will is free, a person can reject the grace offered: “the most profound dimension of human freedom consists in being able to freely choose God… Yet with this same freedom we can also reject our relationship with God—and this is evil” 6.
• Apostasy, heresy, or persistent unrepentant sin constitute a deliberate turning away from the grace of faith 6.
• Faith without love and works is “dead” (cf. James 2:17); the Church teaches that genuine faith must be lived out in love and obedience 6.

Personal and Communal Dimension

• Faith “must be personal; no one can believe for another” — a truth affirmed by the Church’s understanding that each person must freely assent to God 6.
• The communal “Church of faith” rests on the personal confession of each member, which then manifests in the liturgy and charitable works.

Scriptural Foundations (for completeness)

• Hebrews 11:1 defines faith as “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”
• Genesis 15:6 records Abraham’s belief counted as righteousness.
• Mark 1:15 records Jesus’s call to “repent and believe the gospel.”

These passages are consistently interpreted by the Magisterium as confirming that faith is both a divine gift and a human free act.

Summary

• Faith is a gratuitous gift of God’s grace offered to every person.
• Its reception requires a free personal assent of the intellect and will, moved by grace.
• The will can freely reject this gift, leading to apostasy, heresy, or a “dead” faith.
• Personal confession is indispensable, even within the communal life of the Church.

Thus, the description you gave aligns with Catholic teaching.

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There are basically two aspects to faith; one might even say two meanings of faith.

The first is faith “in” someone or something, faith as the recognition of these persons or things as real, true, genuine, and valuable; for example, faith in God, in Christ, in the Holy Trinity, in the Church.

The second is faith in the sense of trust or reliance. In this sense, for example, one would not merely believe in God, in his existence, goodness, and truth; but one would believe God, trust his word, rely upon his presence, depend securely and with conviction upon his promises.

For Christians both types of faith are necessary. One must believe in certain things with mind, heart, and soul; and then live by them in the course of everyday life.

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Some Elect, some allowed to reject-God selectively chooses who receives predestination grace and permits others to fall.-Pray to be Elect!

some are just not chosen to be elect, Pharos, Esau, Judas yes or no

Answer

The question of whether certain individuals like Pharaoh, Esau, and Judas were "not chosen to be elect" touches upon the complex Catholic doctrines of divine election, predestination, and reprobation, while also affirming human free will and God's universal salvific will.

Divine Election and Reprobation

In Catholic theology, divine election refers to God's eternal choice of certain individuals for salvation and grace 12. This election is a part of God's providence, by which He guides all things to their ultimate end 12. Predestination is the pre-ordination of some to be guided to their last end 12. Reprobation, conversely, is God's eternal arrangement not to give grace to some, permitting them to fall away from that end 5 12. This does not mean God actively causes sin, but rather permits it 510.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that God, in His eternal plan of "predestination," includes each person's free response to His grace 1. God permits acts that flow from human blindness for the sake of accomplishing His plan of salvation 1. From the greatest moral evil—the rejection and murder of His Son—God brought about the greatest good: the glorification of Christ and our redemption 2.

Pharaoh

The Bible speaks of God hardening Pharaoh's heart (e.g., Exodus 9:12). This is a profound mystery that Scripture presents, challenging theologians to balance God's universal love and grace with His free election to allow some to remain in sin 16. God's providence extends over all things, including the free will of humans 4. While God does not restrain the wicked from the evil of sin, He does not entirely withdraw His providence from them 4. The hardening of Pharaoh's heart can be understood not as God directly causing Pharaoh to sin, but rather as God permitting Pharaoh's obstinacy to manifest, thereby demonstrating His power and fulfilling His divine plan.

Esau

The Scripture states, "Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated" (Malachi 1:2-3) 5 12. This passage, particularly in Romans 9:10-13, can be interpreted in two ways:

• Temporal Election: It can refer to a selective temporal election by God, such as the mission of Israel initially, and later that of the Gentiles within the Church 10. This means God chose Jacob's descendants for a particular historical mission, not necessarily denying Esau's eternal salvation.
• Refusal of Grace: In the context of eternal salvation, it denotes God's "supreme initiative" of love for both Jacob and Esau, with Esau's "hatred" referring to his refusal of this love, for which he is subject to judgment 10. God knows from all eternity the refusal of some who will not receive the gift of life 10. Therefore, if someone is not among the predestined, it is a consequence of their free refusal of God's prevenient grace 10.

Judas

Judas Iscariot's betrayal of Jesus is another example of a moral evil that God permitted for the sake of His salvific plan 12. While Judas freely chose to betray Christ, this act was included in God's eternal plan 1. God's providence works through the actions of creatures, and human beings are granted the ability to cooperate freely with His plans 3. Judas's actions, though sinful, ultimately served God's greater purpose of redemption. The Church teaches that God permits evil to draw a greater good from it 2.

Conclusion

The Catholic understanding of election and reprobation affirms that God's will for salvation is universal, offering the possibility of eternal salvation to all 10. However, it also acknowledges that God, in His eternal plan, foresees and permits the free refusal of some individuals to accept His grace 10. Therefore, while God does not predestine anyone to hell, He knows from all eternity those who will definitively reject Him 5 10. The cases of Pharaoh, Esau, and Judas illustrate the mystery of God's sovereign will interacting with human freedom, where God permits evil and even brings good from it, without ever being the cause of sin 2 10.

~~~~~

In Catholic theology, divine election refers to God's eternal choice of certain individuals for salvation and grace 12. This election is a part of God's providence, by which He guides all things to their ultimate end 12. Predestination is the pre-ordination of some to be guided to their last end 12. Reprobation, conversely, is God's eternal arrangement not to give grace to some, permitting them to fall away from that end 5 12. This does not mean God actively causes sin, but rather permits it 5 10 according to that statement, God selectively chooses who he will give the predestination grace to and let others fall. yes or no?

Answer:

Based on the statement provided, the answer is yes.

The statement indicates that "God selectively chooses who he will give the predestination grace to and let others fall" through the concepts of divine election, predestination, and reprobation .

• Divine Election and Predestination: The text states that divine election is "God's eternal choice of certain individuals for salvation and grace" and that predestination is "the pre-ordination of some to be guided to their last end" . This implies a selective choice by God for those who receive predestination grace.
• Reprobation: Conversely, reprobation is described as "God's eternal arrangement not to give grace to some, permitting them to fall away from that end" . The statement clarifies that this "does not mean God actively causes sin, but rather permits it" . This aspect confirms that God withholds grace from some, allowing them to fall.

Therefore, the statement supports the idea that God selectively chooses who receives predestination grace and permits others to fall.

~~~~

according to this statement: This aspect confirms that God withholds grace from some, allowing them to fall. God is not giving grace to all for salvation. yes or no

Answer 

Based on the statement, the answer is yes.

The statement "God withholds grace from some, allowing them to fall" directly implies that God is not giving grace to all for salvation. If grace is withheld from some, then it is not universally given to everyone for the purpose of salvation.

~~~~

This statement: If grace is withheld from some, then it is not universally given to everyone for the purpose of salvation. Means that God is not only letting them reject some grace but in actuality is not even giving the grace to reject in other cases. Yes or no?

Answer

Based on the statement, the answer is yes.

The phrase "God withholds grace from some" implies that in these cases, the grace is not even offered or given, meaning there is no grace for those individuals to reject in the first place. It goes beyond merely allowing them to reject grace; it suggests an absence of that particular grace for them.

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Some Elect, some allowed to reject

some are just not chosen to be elect, Pharos, Esau, Judas yes or no

The question of whether certain individuals like Pharaoh, Esau, and Judas were "not chosen to be elect" touches upon the complex Catholic doctrines of divine election, predestination, and reprobation, while also affirming human free will and God's universal salvific will.

Divine Election and Reprobation

In Catholic theology, divine election refers to God's eternal choice of certain individuals for salvation and grace 12. This election is a part of God's providence, by which He guides all things to their ultimate end 12. Predestination is the pre-ordination of some to be guided to their last end 12. Reprobation, conversely, is God's eternal arrangement not to give grace to some, permitting them to fall away from that end 5 12. This does not mean God actively causes sin, but rather permits it 510.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that God, in His eternal plan of "predestination," includes each person's free response to His grace 1. God permits acts that flow from human blindness for the sake of accomplishing His plan of salvation 1. From the greatest moral evil—the rejection and murder of His Son—God brought about the greatest good: the glorification of Christ and our redemption 2.

Pharaoh

The Bible speaks of God hardening Pharaoh's heart (e.g., Exodus 9:12). This is a profound mystery that Scripture presents, challenging theologians to balance God's universal love and grace with His free election to allow some to remain in sin 16. God's providence extends over all things, including the free will of humans 4. While God does not restrain the wicked from the evil of sin, He does not entirely withdraw His providence from them 4. The hardening of Pharaoh's heart can be understood not as God directly causing Pharaoh to sin, but rather as God permitting Pharaoh's obstinacy to manifest, thereby demonstrating His power and fulfilling His divine plan.

Esau

The Scripture states, "Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated" (Malachi 1:2-3) 5 12. This passage, particularly in Romans 9:10-13, can be interpreted in two ways:

• Temporal Election: It can refer to a selective temporal election by God, such as the mission of Israel initially, and later that of the Gentiles within the Church 10. This means God chose Jacob's descendants for a particular historical mission, not necessarily denying Esau's eternal salvation.
• Refusal of Grace: In the context of eternal salvation, it denotes God's "supreme initiative" of love for both Jacob and Esau, with Esau's "hatred" referring to his refusal of this love, for which he is subject to judgment 10. God knows from all eternity the refusal of some who will not receive the gift of life 10. Therefore, if someone is not among the predestined, it is a consequence of their free refusal of God's prevenient grace 10.

Judas

Judas Iscariot's betrayal of Jesus is another example of a moral evil that God permitted for the sake of His salvific plan 12. While Judas freely chose to betray Christ, this act was included in God's eternal plan 1. God's providence works through the actions of creatures, and human beings are granted the ability to cooperate freely with His plans 3. Judas's actions, though sinful, ultimately served God's greater purpose of redemption. The Church teaches that God permits evil to draw a greater good from it 2.

Conclusion

The Catholic understanding of election and reprobation affirms that God's will for salvation is universal, offering the possibility of eternal salvation to all 10. However, it also acknowledges that God, in His eternal plan, foresees and permits the free refusal of some individuals to accept His grace 10. Therefore, while God does not predestine anyone to hell, He knows from all eternity those who will definitively reject Him 5 10. The cases of Pharaoh, Esau, and Judas illustrate the mystery of God's sovereign will interacting with human freedom, where God permits evil and even brings good from it, without ever being the cause of sin 2 10.

[1] CCC 323

[2] The Jewish People and Their Sacred Scriptures in the Christian Bible (May 24, 2001) 33

[3] CCC 600

[4] Von Balthasar and Journet on the Universal Possibility of Salvation and the Twofold Will of God page10

[5] The Jewish People and Their Sacred Scriptures in the Christian Bible (May 24, 2001) 34

[6] E Supremi 6

[7] Election, Covenant, and Law 4

[8] Summa Contra Gentiles Book III. Chap. 164

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God is Good

All good in us comes from God

We were made good, we choose evil due to fallen nature. 

We are not depraved but we are deprived of grace filled freedom for right

I naturally want harmful things because my mind is darkened due to sin that distorts my thoughts, words, and deeds for self not Glory to God and healing of soul. 

Any good is by grace helping us choose right - God is benevolent to all sufficient grace to choose right, but it is a hard and narrow road. 

I cannot cooperate with God unless by grace to reorient my life - some get efficient grace. 

God lets some fall away by their choosing self instead of spirit. The not elect

God pursues some all the way and enables them to choose spirit instead of self. Elect 

Here's an analysis of each statement from a Catholic perspective:

1. God is Good

• Yes. This statement is true. Catholic teaching affirms that God is pre-eminently good 1. He is the source from which all goodness flows and the end to which it returns 7. God is good by His very essence, while all other beings are good by participation in His goodness 2, 3, 4, 6. The Scriptures attribute to God the very essence of goodness, as seen in Matthew 19:17, "One is good, God" 9.

2. All good in us comes from God

• Yes. This is true. Every good thing, whether in existence or in life, shares in God's goodness 13. God is the first efficient cause of all things, and the aspect of good and desirability belongs to Him 1. All creatures receive their perfect goodness from God, who is their ultimate end 3. The Holy Spirit is described as "absolute Good and Spring of Goodness" and grants new life through Christ's Resurrection 17.

3. We were made good, we choose evil due to fallen nature.

• Yes. This is true. Human beings were created in an original "state of holiness and justice," sharing in divine life 23. This state included inner harmony and freedom from suffering and death 22. However, due to original sin, human nature is wounded, subject to ignorance, suffering, death, and inclined to sin, an inclination called concupiscence 21. While human nature is not totally corrupted, it is deprived of original holiness and justice, and this inclination to evil leads to choosing evil 21.

4. We are not depraved but we are deprived of grace-filled freedom for right.

• Yes. This is true. Catholic teaching holds that human nature was not totally corrupted by original sin 21. While wounded and inclined to evil, the capacity for good remains, though it is weakened 21. We are deprived of the original holiness and justice that allowed for a grace-filled freedom to choose right without struggle 21, 23. The pursuit of virtue and detachment from vice now require discipline and perseverance, sustained by God's grace 20.

5. I naturally want harmful things because my mind is darkened due to sin that distorts my thoughts, words, and deeds for self not Glory to God and healing of soul.

• Yes. This is true. The consequences of original sin include a wounded nature, subject to ignorance and an inclination to evil (concupiscence) 21. This inclination can lead to desiring harmful things and distorting thoughts, words, and deeds towards self-centeredness rather than the glory of God and the healing of the soul. The "old self" with its practices needs to be taken off, and the "new self" put on, which is renewed in the image of its Creator 14, 15.

6. Any good is by grace helping us choose right - God is benevolent to all sufficient grace to choose right, but it is a hard and narrow road.

• Yes. This is true. Growth in virtue and the ability to choose good are necessarily sustained by God's prior gift of grace 20. God's grace does not destroy human nature but perfects it, lifting us into communion with God 14, 15. The Holy Spirit is the "Giver of Grace" 17. While God offers sufficient grace, the path to choosing right can indeed be challenging, as implied by the "hard and narrow road" metaphor.

7. I cannot cooperate with God unless by grace to reorient my life - some get efficient grace.

• Yes. This is true. Human beings, in their fallen state, require God's grace to reorient their lives towards Him. The pursuit of virtue and detachment from vice must be sustained by God's grace 20. Grace enables cooperation with God. The concept of "efficient grace" refers to grace that effectively brings about its intended effect, enabling a person to choose good and cooperate with God's will.

8. God lets some fall away by their choosing self instead of spirit. The not elect.

• Yes. This is true, understood within the context of free will. God respects human freedom. While God desires all to be saved and provides sufficient grace, individuals can freely choose to reject God's grace and pursue self instead of the Spirit 16. This choice leads to falling away. The term "not elect" refers to those who, by their own free will, do not persevere in faith and ultimately reject God's saving plan.

9. God pursues some all the way and enables them to choose spirit instead of self. Elect.

• Yes. This is true, understood within the context of God's grace and human cooperation. God's providential activities are driven by His "excessive Eros of his Goodness" towards all things 10). He actively works to draw people to Himself. For those who respond to His grace, God enables them to choose the Spirit over self. The "elect" are those whom God, in His foreknowledge and grace, has chosen for salvation, and who cooperate with that grace to persevere in faith and good works. This does not negate free will but emphasizes God's initiative and sustaining power in their salvation.

[1] Summa Theologiae I, Q. 6, A. 1, co.

[2] Catholic Encyclopedia Good

[3] Summa Contra Gentiles Book I. Chap. 40

[4] Compendium of Theology (Compendium Theologiae) Part I - Chapter 109

[5] Disputed Questions on Truth Q. 21, A. 5, C.

[6] Summa Contra Gentiles Book I. Chap. 38

[7] De Angelis seu de Substantiis Separatis (On Angels, or on Separated Substances) 93

[8] CCC 375

[9] Laudato Si 66

[10] Giving the best of yourself. A document on the Christian perspective on sport and the human person (1 June 2018) 44995

[11] An Exposition of the Orthodox Faith Chapter 13

[12] Ecclesia in Asia 15

[13] Catechism of the Ukrainian Catholic Church: Christ – Our Pascha 109

[14] Summa Theologiae III, Q. 14, A. 3, co.

[15] Summa Theologiae III, Q. 31, A. 7

[16] Summa Theologiae III, Q. 61, A. 2, co.

[17] Mediation: The Distinguishing Mark of Christianity Communio: International Catholic Review, vol. 48, no 1 (Spring 2021)

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Psalm 37 selected verses

READ

V3

Trust in the LORD, 

and do good;

Dwell in the land, 

and feed on His faithfulness.

RESPOND

TRUST in God! He does not lie. He is completely trustworthy! Do good, choose to do the right thing, pray for the grace and power. Dwell where he has put you, or rather where you have chosen to go. All your own choices have led you where you are. Be where you are and feed on the fact that God is faithful and will bring you all the way home if you surrender to Him. You must Trust in his faithfulness and continue to walk in his power and wisdom. 

READ

V 4

Delight yourself also in the LORD,

And He shall give you the desires of your heart.

RESPOND

Delight in being with the Lord. He is the only true happiness. If He is your happiness then having him is the only desire of your heart. He will give you himself!

READ

V8

Cease from anger, and 

forsake wrath;

Do not fret—

it only causes harm.

RESPOND

Stop letting anger in. Completely reject wrath! Turn from resentment and fretting. These things cause my own soul to look at poison and it seeps into myself. You get angry wrathful and fretting over others but it does nothing to them. It is only harming your own soul. Let God be the Judge, he is perfect and sees all things. He will know how best to deal with all situations. You redirect your own focus. 

READ

V31

The law of his God is in his heart;

None of his steps shall slide.

RESPOND

If I keep Gods word in my mind and heart I will know what to do in all situations. I will not slip if I actually do what He asks of me. I can’t just know it, I must do right to not slip. 

READ

V34

Wait on the LORD,

And keep His way,

And He shall exalt you to inherit the land;

When the wicked are cut off, you shall see it.

RESPOND

Wait on God. Keep doing his will for me. He will exalt me to inherit the new earth, not this one. Stop looking for people to be punished here. This is not our home. My new home will be perfect and the wicked will be cut off. Only those who love God and forsake their way here can inherit the new one. We must be willing to wait for the new one and stop looking for making this one heaven. It is the training ground for heaven. 

READ

V39-40

But the salvation of the righteous is from the LORD;

He is their strength in the time of trouble.

And the LORD shall help them and deliver them;

He shall deliver them from the wicked,

And save them,

Because they trust in Him.

RESPOND

Salvation is from God. The Lord is our strength. We must call on Him. We must cry out for strength and deliverance. Only God can deliver from the wicked. Only God saves. He saves those that Trust Him. My part is to call on Him, Trust that He will strengthen until my deliverance and salvation. 

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READ

Luke 17:26-30

And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. 

Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. 

Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed.

REFLECT

In the days of Noah (120 years to build the Ark he preached). The people thought he was crazy and did not listen. They continued living as normal all the way up until the day he entered the Ark. Everything was destroyed. 

Same thing with the destruction of Sodom, they did not listen and fire and brimstone rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. 

It’s been 2000 years since Jesus came with the truth and people still refuse to listen. They are continuing to live like no wrath is coming. And it will continue until Jesus comes back. 

PRAY

Jesus, help me hear you. I do not want to perish in sin. I want the gift of new life in You. You came so I can have eternal life. Help me despise this earthly life and live for the next one. That is true life. Help me hear how to live in this new creation under the Spirit not my flesh. You are true happiness. Anything on this earth is not compared to having you. Please help me forsake all that can separate me from you. I know this is not in me but with you all things are possible. I put my hope and trust in you. Thank you for offering me this new life. Help me accept and walk it out in you. Amen. 

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READ

Luke 16:15-17

And He said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God.

“The law and the prophets were until John. Since that time the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is pressing into it. 

And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tittle of the law to fail.

REFLECT V:15

We try and justify our actions before others 

We explain away our reasons for breaking law 

We do not own up to the fact we are law breakers we give an excuse or blame someone else 

God sees our true motives

Man agrees with the justification and reasons for breaking because he too is weak 

We should instead, agree with God that we are weak, and are dependent for help, to continue with grace to obey, instead of not taking the easy way of least resistance, and taking the pain of true growth. 

Taking the easy way is the abomination in the sight of God and yet we are so willing to do it. 

PRAY V:15

Lord, please help me to see the truth in my heart. Help me stop trying to rationalize sin. Help me know that just because other people do it is not an excuse for me. I am to learn to live in Grace to become Christlike. I am not to learn to stay weak and continue in human sin. You came to elevate us into a new creation by Grace. I am to follow your will even if it kills my body. Living in sin is not an option. Help me Jesus forsake my sin and live by Grace. I do not want to do what is an abomination to you, I want to be made new and live with you forever. Amen. 

REFLECT V:16

The Law and the Prophets were before John

Now Jesus is here!

Jesus has brought the Kingdom of God and it is being preached. 

Now that it is being preached everyone is pressing into it. 

Before Jesus, the way to God was obeying the law and listening to the Prophets who would preach to get you back on track. Now Jesus has come. Jesus is the Kingdom! Jesus wants to give you the Kingdom. The kingdom is living by Grace with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the teacher that indwells and the one who empowers, you just have to listen and give acceptance to His work in and through you. 

Now that the new way has come people are pressing into the kingdom. 

PRAY V:16

Jesus, I want to live in your kingdom. I know I have to give up my old ways of thinking. I know that your Kingdom is much different that the earthly ways. I have to live by trust and grace not in understanding because your ways are very different from what I am used to. Please Help me live in You, You are the Kingdom! You have all I need. Help me press in and never leave!! Help me hear and let the Holy Spirit empower me to forsake my ways and trust in yours. Amen. 

REFLECT V:17

And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away 

than for one tittle of the law to fail.

It is NOT easy for heaven and earth to pass away. In other words the law WILL NOT FAIL. 

We are not to forsake the law in this new kingdom. We are to do the law and obey the law but not in our own strength. We can’t. That’s why you came! We are to let the Holy Spirit carry us by his breath. We are responsible for putting up the sail. 

People say the law has been made void, that is untrue, it is made possible by your own power! We are to live in with and through you!

PRAY V:17

Oh my Jesus, help me! I am weak and completely dependent upon your power and wisdom. I know I cannot do the law in my own strength. I know you did not come to abolish it, you came to fulfill it. If I stay in You I can walk it out. Please help me surrender every single day to your power and wisdom because sometimes it doesn’t even make sense to me. But you are WISDOM and know what you are about! Help me! Jesus, I Trust You!!

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 Luke 14:26-27, 33

“If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.

So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.

To be a disciple of Christ:

Christ must be EVERYTHING - No equal

Hate all other relationships in comparison

Hate even this life here and give up all for the life to come. 

Must bear the Cross - the pains of this life living amongst sin, depravity, and wickedness. 

FORSAKE all things (any people, places, or things-even my own life) and Live for Christ!

I realized that I am supposed to be a disciple of Jesus. Meaning I am to learn how to imitate him. I am to let God change my heart into His heart. 

He is love. He is Mercy. He gives us freedom to choose our way. He is not a tyrant. He tells us truth but lets us decide. God is not a cult leader that manipulates into conformity. He is a lover that coaxes by loving. True, sometimes his love is tough, but not to hurt, only to heal. God did not come to condemn. He came to save. We are to tell the way to salvation. 

I have been wanting to change people into right behavior. I have been angry and actually prideful and not seeing my own rebellion. I have not been love for love sake, I have been a bully that wants people to conform by pressure. I have been wanting people to get their due, instead of loving them and showing them the right way in peace. 

The whole point of the Christian life is to become Christlike. Salvation is being saved from being unChristlike. To have true communion with Jesus is to be one in heart with Him. 

Yes we are to hate sin! But not hate people. The people are pawns of the devil. We can hate what they do, but show them the way, by love, forgiveness, and mercy. We are to take all the grief the sin of this life brings by standing in the Grace that God gives as a testimony that God is greater. He can absorb the pain if you unite it to the cross. He did not come to eliminate pain, he transforms it into a testimony. We must be willing to TAKE THE PAIN, Stand in Grace for the love and imitation of Jesus!

God, I confess I did not want pain. This is the reason I wanted people to conform. Not because I love them. I wanted my life to be easier. I did not want the cross of bearing with people and their sin. And yet I am a sinner!! And actually to be fair I hate even myself for my behavior. Instead of hate though you want us to love people into the freedom of your kingdom. Your word brings deliverance from sin. You invite people to follow your way. 

Help me focus on walking in the kingdom, in freedom from hate, loving those even when they sin so they may want freedom too. Help me be willing to bear the pain of my own and others sin so I can be made into your heart for sinners. You love us and want us to transform our heart into yours. Your way brings healing from sin. You invite people to follow your way but you do not force or manipulate. Please forgive me. Please transform me. Please heal my heart of anger and hate and help me love like you. Help me be a testimony of your way of love and deliverance. Amen. 

Jesus would not steal. Jesus would not tell on people. Jesus would not talk about people behind their back. 

Jesus would accept what the Father gave him. Jesus would speak directly to the person. Jesus would take the pain of being sinned against and pray for you to hear the spirit conviction and change. 

I am so very far from Jesus. 

Christ, SAVE ME!

Follow Up Questions

How can you practice embodying Jesus's acceptance of what the Father gives, even when it's difficult?

In what ways can you internalize Jesus's approach of absorbing pain and praying for others, transforming your own response to conflict?

I must accept what I gave and be grateful. I must stop trying to have everything I want. 

I must see the peoples being used by the devil and pray for their deliverance not get angry at them but be very sad for them. 

Follow Up Questions

When you reflect on Jesus's example of love and forgiveness, what specific actions can you take today to extend that same grace to someone you've judged or felt anger towards?

In what small ways can you practice accepting your current circumstances and letting go of the desire for things to be different, trusting that this acceptance can lead to inner peace?

I can see they are in the jaws of the dog and pray for them too be released. Instead of being angry I can feel sad for them and pray they can hear the spirit for deliverance. 

I must accept all my circumstances as coming from the Lord. He said the way of salvation is The Cross. I have to let go trying to make this place heaven on earth. Things will not go right here. I am to train my soul for heaven by accepting all and walking in live anyway. This will be peace, knowing I am doing His will and carrying my cross so I will be ready for heaven. 

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READ

Luke 13:35-35

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you were not willing! See! Your house is left to you desolate; and assuredly, I say to you, you shall not see Me until the time comes when you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!’”

REFLECT

Jesus is grieved. He is sad that the people he came to save, kills and stones the prophets for telling the truth. The people do not want to hear truth. They want sin more than deliverance. Jesus wants to gather and protect them but they are unwilling. Jesus is willing, but he does not force. They fight his teachings. He leaves them in their choice and they are destroying themselves. 

PRAY

Oh my God, please do not leave me in my choice of sin that kills my soul! When I don’t have the power to give you my life, please take it. I do not want to live in sin. I want deliverance. I want truth, even if it hurts me! Sin will kill me worse than hurtful healing words of remedy! I know I cannot see my sin without your grace. Open my eyes, show me what needs to be changed. Heal my heart and soul! Save me from me!! Amen. 

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READ

Luke 13:22-30

And He went through the cities and villages, teaching, and journeying toward Jerusalem. Then one said to Him, “Lord, are there few who are saved?”

And He said to them, “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able. When once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open for us,’ and He will answer and say to you, I do not know you, where you are from,’ then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.’ But He will say, ‘I tell you I do not know you, where you are from. Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity.’ There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves thrust out. They will come from the east and the west, from the north and the south, and sit down in the kingdom of God. And indeed there are last who will be first, and there are first who will be last.”

REFLECT

Someone asks Jesus if only few are saved. Jesus answers yes. He says it is a narrow gate. People seek to enter but are unable to. 

Why are they unable to? They want to enter. They stayed in his presence. They ate and drank with him. They listened to his teaching. 

They can’t enter because they work iniquity. He does not know them because they are from the evil one. (Evil works iniquity) 

The kingdom is for the righteous. How do you become righteous? You give your life to Jesus to transform your thoughts, words, and deeds. It’s not just Faith, it’s your entire being. Faith without works is DEAD faith. The works of righteousness are the works Jesus prepared for you to do and that you are to accomplish by Listening, Yielding to His Spirit, then Doing!

PRAY

Just because I seek to enter the kingdom does not mean I will gain entrance. Just because I want to does not mean I can. Just because I am in the presence of God does not mean I am in the kingdom. Just because I eat communion does not mean I am in the kingdom. Just because I read my Bible does not mean I am in the kingdom. 

It is a narrow way. I must choose to forsake sin! I must choose to lose my life to Jesus. I must give him my entire self. Give my thoughts words and deeds to be transformed into his likeness. The Faith I have is in the Trust that God can remake me. But my part is to yield to his wisdom, strength, and grace to actually do what he commands. It’s his wisdom and power, it is not in me, but I do have to yield, surrender, submit, TRUST. 

Jesus, I see I cannot enter the kingdom without your complete overhaul of my being. Please remake me into the new creation! I want to be with you forever. Help me forsake all sin and walk in your righteousness. Save me from myself. Amen. 

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READ

Luke 12:45-46

But if that servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and be drunk, the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.

REFLECT

I am a believer and a servant of God

If my heart changes and my desire for other things aside from watching and waiting for the master starts, I could fall. 

The master may come when I am in the midst of doing other things instead of watching and waiting in grace. 

If that happens I could be appointed the same fate as unbelievers. 

Keep my eyes and my heart diligently waiting for him and serving him! This is safety. 

PRAY

Jesus, help me keep my heart! Help me watch over and root out any desires contrary to your will. Help me see when I am looking at other things that could lead my heart astray. You want me with you. I must choose. Thank you for loving me and warning me so I can be vigilant. Amen. 

READ

I Corinthians 1:1-9

Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother,

To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given to you by Christ Jesus, that you were enriched in everything by Him in all utterance and all knowledge, even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you, so that you come short in no gift, eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will also confirm you to the end, that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

REFLECT

Paul, an apostle of Jesus is telling me I am part of the church of God! I am sanctified in Christ. I am called to be a saint. I have been given grace and peace by the Father, through the son Jesus the Christ. I have been enriched in everything in word and knowledge by the testimony of Christ that was confirmed in me. I have no shortage of gifts. I am eagerly watching and waiting for Jesus my Lord. Jesus will confirm me to the end! Jesus will make me blameless on the day of the Lord. GOD IS FAITHFUL to me who He called into fellowship with His Son Jesus, The Christ, my Lord!

 

PRAY

Thank you Father for calling me into fellowship with Jesus. Thank you Father for being faithful! 

Thank you for the gifts! I am now:

Church of God

Sanctified IN CHRIST

Called to be a saint

Given Grace and Peace

I have been enriched in word & knowledge

I am lacking no gift!

Jesus will confirm me to the end. 

I will be blameless on the Day of the Lord. 

Thank you my God for this amazing love. Help me walk In You! Help me keep my eyes on you. Help me know you will never leave me. Help me not listen to the liar! Thank you for your Calling & Faithfulness! Amen. 

From Blogger iPhone client

yes or no? You are not at risk of losing the love of God, you can turn from it. You can seek to exclude it from your life, but He will constantly pursue you, to the very edge of the world, because that’s your salvation. So God wants you to win. He wants you to succeed!

Yes.

God's love for humanity is an initiative that flows from His very nature as love itself 1, 2. He created human beings to live in friendship and communion with Him, and even when humanity turns away through sin, God remains faithful in His love 1.

This divine initiative is concretely manifested in Jesus Christ, who came into the world to reconcile humanity to God 1, 3. Jesus actively seeks out sinners, calling them to repentance and a radical change of heart 4. The parables of divine mercy, such as the lost sheep and the prodigal son, vividly illustrate God's persistent search and loving wait for His sinful creatures 4, 5, 6.

God's pursuit of humanity is driven by His fatherly heart and His desire to raise humanity to the dignity of adoptive sons in Christ 6. He seeks out those who have turned away, wishing to persuade them to abandon the paths of evil 6. This pursuit culminates in the Redemption through Christ's sacrifice, which is a victory over evil, sin, and death 6.

God's plan of salvation is universal, embracing all peoples and excluding no one 7, 8. Christ's entire life, from His Incarnation to His death on the Cross, is a singular gift "for us," demonstrating His love for all humanity 8. This profound love means that God desires all people to be saved 8, and He has united Himself to each person through the mystery of redemption 9. Therefore, God constantly pursues humanity, desiring their salvation and success.

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I am not ask risk for losing the love of God

 The Lord only promises himself. 

He promises, spiritual union, in with and through Him, even if you have to drag your bloody corpse through. 

He does not promise psychological, emotional, or physical wholeness. 

You will have pain all the way up until you die. 

Life is hard. It does not get better until after you die. 

Faith is not vision 

Hope is not possession 

Love which abides (receive and live it)

TRUST THE PROCESS

Receive God’s Love

You have agency - you are genuinely free, you must choose your way. 

You are not at risk of losing the love of God. 

God will Continually prove himself generous in your life, but in proving himself generous he’s placed your life in your hands and no one can live your life for you. That’s what it means to be free. No one else can live your life for you. 

The Lord in his loving kindness has seen fit to entrust you with your life, so evidently the one who knows best, knows this is right, that you’re genuinely free. God trusts you with your life. The point is to choose, and then to see what comes of it. To know, to love, to seek, to express, your agency in the way in which human beings are meant to. 

It’s OK, you’re safe, you’re secure, you are not at risk of losing the love of God. The way we talk about it sometimes it sounds volatile or fragile. 

You are not at risk of losing the love of God, you can turn from it. You can seek to exclude it from your life, but He will constantly pursue you, to the very edge of the world, until such time as he claims you as his own! Not because it’s creepy or greedy, but because that’s your salvation and we will Redound to his glory! So God wants you to win. He wants you to succeed!

God seems to trust you with your life. He’s placed it in your hands, he’s excited the prospect of what you’ll do with it, so live your life. Live your life in your agency, you’ll come to a deeper appreciation of your freedom, a greater exercise of responsibility as well, so you’ll come into your own, you gain your confidence, you’ll get clarity as to what lies ahead and the Lord is healing you. 

The spiritual life, it’s yours to Live. So a director can be a help but many of you probably don’t need one, why?

because you have access to the scriptures 

because you have access to the Holy Spirit

because you have access to the tradition 

because you have access to the Sacramental life 

because you know it’s obligatory 

because you know what’s on offer 

because you know what’s optional 

because you were called to repent 

because you were called to be patient 

because you were called to be persevering