READ

24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever would save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. 26 For what will it profit a man, if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life? Or what shall a man give in return for his life? 27 For the Son of man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay every man for what he has done. (Matthew 16:24–27, RSV2CE)

REFLECT

I want to come after you. I have to imitate you. I must deny my will and accept the will of God for me out of love. You loved the Father so much you let him have his will over your human will. You voluntarily gave up your human will for a greater more sublime heavenly will that saves. I am to take up my cross as you took up yours for the good of the world. I am here to do the same, the Father has a plan for my life too that saves. In order to fulfill it, I too must give up my human will (not wanting to suffer) for the divine will (many see and may convert). If I willingly loose my selfish desires to control and have a comfortable life here I can loose eternal life. That’s gaining nothing but death and the loss of heaven. That’s a wasted life. God will judge us on what we have DONE. Not our faith, but what we have done because of our faith or lack thereof. 

PRAY

Jesus, giving up my will to comfort and control is very hard. We do not see clearly and want to be safe and not suffer. But true life is through the cross that brings new life. Help be keep my eyes on the new life that lasts into eternity. I do not want to lose it just for this life that amounts to death in the end. Help me keep vigilant. 

REST

Thank you Jesus for telling us what to do. I will rest in knowing I can trust you and what you say to do. Amen. 

From Blogger iPhone client

READ

21 From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. 22 And Peter took him and began to rebuke him, saying, “God forbid, Lord! This shall never happen to you.” 23 But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me; for you are not on the side of God, but of men.” (Matthew 16:21–23, RSV2CE)

REFLECT

Jesus is speaking. He is the Word of God and Speaking the Word of God. Any speaking against His word, is speaking falsity about His Word, therefore it is devilish. Peter is rebuking and rejecting the Word of God, coming from the lips of the Word of God, that is why he is called Satan. Peter is not accepting The Word. Any rejection of the Word of God is from the Evil one. We must choose to accept the Word and not reject it. 

PRAY

God, even when I don’t understand help me submit to your Word. You do not lie and will not guide me wrong. But I must choose to believe you and submit to your design. Help me. 

REST

Thank you Jesus for giving us your Word, in you, your Eucharist, your Bible, your Church. Help me receive, believe, and surrender to it! Amen. 

From Blogger iPhone client

READ

I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” (Matthew 16:19, RSV2CE)

REFLECT

Jesus is specifically speaking to Peter who answered correctly on who Jesus is. He gives Peter the Keys and Authority. It is crystal clear. Anyone rejecting this word of God is rejecting God’s design. 

PRAY

Thank you Jesus for opening my mind to accept your truth. I know it is your grace that opens my heart to believe you. The Pope is your design for us and I will stay where the Keys of your kingdom are correct. Your Holy Spirit will not fail Your Own Body. 

REST

I know you have lead me here. I trust in you. 

From Blogger iPhone client

From the dialogue On Divine Providence by Saint Catherine of Siena, virgin and doctor

I tasted and I saw

Eternal God, eternal Trinity, you have made the blood of Christ so precious through his sharing in your divine nature. You are a mystery as deep as the sea; the more I search, the more I find, and the more I find the more I search for you. But I can never be satisfied; what I receive will ever leave me desiring more. When you fill my soul I have an even greater hunger, and I grow more famished for your light. I desire above all to see you, the true light, as you really are.

I have tasted and seen the depth of your mystery and the beauty of your creation with the light of my understanding. I have clothed myself with your likeness and have seen what I shall be. Eternal Father, you have given me a share in your power and the wisdom that Christ claims as his own, and your Holy Spirit has given me the desire to love you. You are my Creator, eternal Trinity, and I am your creature. You have made of me a new creation in the blood of your Son, and I know that you are moved with love at the beauty of your creation, for you have enlightened me.

Eternal Trinity, Godhead, mystery deep as the sea, you could give me no greater gift than the gift of yourself. For you are a fire ever burning and never consumed, which itself consumes all the selfish love that fills my being. Yes, you are a fire that takes away the coldness, illuminates the mind with its light and causes me to know your truth. By this light, reflected as it were in a mirror, I recognise that you are the highest good, one we can neither comprehend nor fathom. And I know that you are beauty and wisdom itself. The food of angels, you gave yourself to man in the fire of your love.

You are the garment which covers our nakedness, and in our hunger you are a satisfying food, for you are sweetness and in you there is no taste of bitterness, O triune God!

From Blogger iPhone client

READ

11 How is it that you fail to perceive that I did not speak about bread? Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” 12 Then they understood that he did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees. (Matthew 16:11–12, RSV2CE)

REFLECT

Beware of listening to people who are not following God and think they are. The Pharisees and Sadducees were masters of religion and followed the law spectacularly. But the law was to guide the heart. They were hard hearted. They were trying to earn favor and power. The only way to get favor is to know I am a sinner and need divine assistance for everything. It’s not my perfect obedience that brings his mercy and love, it’s my broken heart that needs help to follow his ways because he loves me and knows best what I was made for. He made me for a purpose and until I let him help me see what that is and empower me to live it I will be frustrated. 

PRAY

Jesus, please heal my broken heart soul and mind. Help me see what I was made for. You love me and made me for a purpose. I will be happy fulfilling that purpose. Help me stop trying to be perfect in obedience and instead learn to love you and the journey we are on. I sometimes get so caught up in the rules I too forget the heart. You want love not legalists. You want communion not religion. You do want obedience but out of knowledge that I was made for love and your plan is perfect for me. 

REST

Thank you for your perfect plan. Thank you for making me and wanting me to be fulfilled. Help me see your love and respond the same. Help me stop fearing wrath and be excited for your communion. I love you. Amen. 

From Blogger iPhone client

READ

An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign shall be given to it except the sign of Jonah.” So he left them and departed. (Matthew 16:4, RSV2CE)

REFLECT

Evil and adulterous generation. I want wrong things and I do what I want. I forsake my true love who wants to heal and give me peace but I choose anger and bitterness. God wants me to live in love but I choose to turn my back to feel superior to others because they are doing wrong. Now we both are doing wrong and only wrath remains. I am the problem in the world not just the one I am angry at for doing wrong. 

PRAY

Jesus, please heal my heart. Please help me live in love instead of being angry and bitter because of others. I can only let you heal me. I am not responsible for others letting you heal them, however with my witness of healing others may want it too. 

REST

Thank you Jesus for wanting me to be healed. Thank you for never giving up on me. Thank you for your love and mercy. I love you. Amen. 

From Blogger iPhone client

READ

22 And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and cried, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely possessed by a demon.” 23 But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away, for she is crying after us.” 24 He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” 25 But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” 26 And he answered, “It is not fair to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” 27 She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” 28 Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly. (Matthew 15:22–28, RSV2CE)

REFLECT

A non chosen came to Jesus pleading for mercy, not for herself but for her daughter. She believes He is who He says He is and can do what she requests. 

Jesus does not answer. The church tells Him to send her away. 

He answers and says He came for others. 

She kneels, calls him Lord, and begs for help. 

He tells her he came for others over her. 

She says she will take whatever falls away from the others. She agrees she is not worthy but still wants. 

Because she has trusts he can, believes he is who he says, knows that though he’s not there for her and unworthy of anything she still pleads. 

He loves her faith (trust and belief even knowing she deserves nothing) her request is granted immediately all that she desired. 

PRAY

I must believe who you are. I must believe you can do all things. I must understand I am not worthy. Even if it is not for me, he is merciful, I can have the crumbs from what others reject. 

Even if God is silent at first and the church even tells you to go away-do not give up. 

Kneel, worship, plead, agree about your unworthiness and inability to do for yourself what you need, keep at it. Jesus loves this kind of faith and will grant it if I persevere. 

REST

Jesus, you want to bless people but we come with demands instead of humility. Please help me see and do the right posture. I am nothing and you are everything. Help me know you and myself so I can see your true glory. We are blessed everyday but we can’t recognize it due to our prideful posture. When I am humble I see you. Help me know you my God. Amen. 

From Blogger iPhone client

READ

12 Then the disciples came and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?” 13 He answered, “Every plant which my heavenly Father has not planted will be rooted up. 14 Let them alone; they are blind guides. And if a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit.” (Matthew 15:12–14, RSV2CE)

REFLECT

The leaders were offended who were rejecting Jesus. 

The Father did not plant the leaders, they rejected him. They were chaff from the devil not the wheat from the Father, they will be rooted up. Leave them alone, do not follow them, they do not see correctly, you will be led astray. 

We determine if we are wheat or chaff by deciding who we will follow. Humility and surrender or arrogance and control. This free will is given to humanity and will not be taken away even if we decide to use it badly and destroy ourselves. We are his crowning glory of creation and we are made in his image to be free. He does not manipulate or coerce, that is the devil’s ways. Unlike the angels we get chances upon chances. He is most merciful. 

God is God and if we know He is good and wants good we can follow, if we want to control our own lives and self destruct we are following the wrong one. 

He gives a choice on who we want to follow but He will not change. He is God and has a way of life that leads to heaven, he will not force you to want it, humility and surrender is the way, and it is HARD. 

PRAY

Jesus, I am sorry for my arrogance. I have been walking in arrogance and wanting to control my own life. I was living in self reliance and just adding you to my day. I am to be completely dependent upon you and your grace to help me live the way you designed for me. No wonder I was frustrated. I was not living in freedom from grace. I was demanding my own way. Please forgive me. Cleanse my heart to be yours and you my one thing necessary. Please do not let me lose you, the one thing! You are merciful and faithful, thank you for hearing and answering me. 

REST

I love you my God. Help me rest in your care and not look around at anyone or anything. You are my Savior! Only you have the way, truth, and life. I am yours, save me! Amen. 

From Blogger iPhone client

The inspired Scriptures are in a category of their own. Uniquely they have God as their Author – it is the living God Himself, therefore, who speaks to us when they are read. As a result they are the perfect means for converting our prayer from a monologue, where we do all the talking, into a dialogue where we engage with God in live conversation. We not only speak to Him but we actually listen to Him too, and when we listen to God’s Word something remarkable happens. This is prayer at a very elevated level.

God, the almighty Creator and Redeemer, actually communicates with us and listens to our reply! Hearing and listening are two very distinct operations: the former carried out by our physical ears and brains, the latter by our mind and spirit. If we are listening then we not only hear with our ears but also absorb and assimilate the words with our mind and heart.

Christ who is this Divine Word of the Father, it is Christ who speaks to us through the sacred Scriptures.

As a speaker implants his word in the mind of his hearer, so the divine Speaker plants his Word in us whenever we engage prayerfully with the Sacred Scriptures. Christ, the Sower, sows his seed deep in our hearts, and he explains the simile: This is the meaning of the parable: the seed is the word of God.”(Luke 8:11). The reading of the Scriptures and listening to them with an obedient and docile heart is therefore almost sacramental, for the purpose of all seven Sacraments is to plant Christ in our deepest self and to nurture his growth – his in us and ours in Him.

When you are praying Scripture at home (lectio divina) do not read as you would a book or newspaper; go slowly, very slowly, from phrase to phrase. Stay with any word or phrase which seems especially to be addressing itself to you; rest in it; return to it; remember it. Christ is speaking to your heart. Allow Him the space to speak to you in just the way He wants to. Let every word or phrase of the reading stream and percolate through your mind. Let the Word of God seep into your soul as you repeat the word or phrase over and over again until, like the transformation of the water in the coffee percolator, your mind transforms into the mind of Christ. Thus the Word of God, literally, changes your mind, which is precisely what it is intended to do.

From Blogger iPhone client

READ

Who then is he that can stand before me?

11 Who has given to me, that I should repay him?

Whatever is under the whole heaven is mine. (Job 41:10–11, RSV2CE)

2 “I know that you can do all things,

and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.

3 “Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’

Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand,

things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.

4 “Hear, and I will speak;

I will question you, and you declare to me.’

5 I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear,

but now my eye sees you;

6 therefore I despise myself,

and repent in dust and ashes.” (Job 42:2–6, RSV2CE)

Now therefore take seven bulls and seven rams, and go to my servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering; and my servant Job shall pray for you, for I will accept his prayer not to deal with you according to your folly; for you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has.” (Job 42:8, RSV2CE)

Then came to him all his brothers and sisters and all who had known him before, and ate bread with him in his house; and they showed him sympathy and comforted him for all the evil that the Lord had brought upon him; and each of them gave him a piece of money and a ring of gold. (Job 42:11, RSV2CE)

REFLECT

Who gives to God that God owes us anything. All things are gifts from him, even our breath. We have and are nothing but gift to us. We have nothing to give but his own gift back to him. He owes us nothing, not even life. He owns all that he has made. 

No purpose of God can be thwarted. HE IS! All things are in Him. I cannot understand anything unless God lets me understand it. I speak of things too far from me and distort it based on my feeble knowledge. Compared to God I must despise myself and repent since I am not even able to sustain my own life without his action. I have heard of God but until I see Him for who he is I will distort my own mind. 

God uses people to pray and intercede for others. Job prayed for his friends that distorted who God is and God did not give them the wrath they kindled. The right one prayed for the wrong ones and wrath was abated. 

The Lord brought the evil on Job. Though it was Satan, God allowed it. It doesn’t matter where the evil comes from (devil, world, flesh) it comes to test our faith. God wants us to pass the test. If we fail, we cry out and repent. Get up again and do the next test. Never give up. Do not get angry at God for the evil test. God is not tempting, I am tempted in myself. I am to cling to him and his word to fight the lies that say to give in. 

PRAY

God you gave me life and all that I have. I have absolutely nothing to give you that you did not already give me. You owe me nothing and I owe you everything. You need nothing, you want my heart. Help me see you and love you. 

You are all power and knowledge. You see all things. You know my every thought word and deed and you still want me. Nothing can hamper you. Fighting you is futile. My only hope is to be on your side. Help me see you and know you so I can fight the lies that surround me here in this dark place. You are spoken of a lot with distortions and it is hard to know you. I must be humble and realize I can only see you by prayer. Knowledge from others can be misleading. Only you can help me see the real you. 

You want me to intercede for others. You use the ones you call to pray for others not to be under your wrath. Maybe they too will become interceders in time. 

Your plan here is that once evil got introduced into the world by our disobedience you will use it to your glory. All things that are permitted are used to strengthen faith. But I have a choice. I can have a pity party and be angry at you and the situation or I can learn the lesson of trust and faith and prevail in the suffering until I get through it. You will bring me through it. But I must choose TRUST. You will work it for my good because I love you. 

RESOLUTION

I need to pray more all day as I go through my battles that lead to increase faith in order to see you and what you want me to learn. I must trust that you will bring me through all things if I do not give up and do not get angry. I must accept all things for love of you that is being tested. 

REST

Nothing can be thwarted in you. I can trust you to bring me though. I can accept the pain knowing it is producing love and faith. Which is more important than anything in the world. Faith overcomes the world. I can rest in you to bring me home no matter what I go through. 

From Blogger iPhone client

To speak of a divinely inspired author is to speak of a person who is so in tune with God’s Mind that what he wants to write is exactly what God wants him to write. Mark writes freely exactly what he wants to write, using all his own mental powers and talents, but because he is so attuned to the mind of God under inspiration he writes only what God would write. Like two violins playing the same note; each sound is created by the skill of the player, each is individual and independent, but both are totally attuned to each other, producing a single sound. God’s Mind and the human mind, God’s Word and the human word coincide and concur, making inspiration something totally beyond the normal laws of nature.

So the Church reached the all-important conclusion that each book of the Bible has two genuine authors at the same time, one divine and one human.

From Blogger iPhone client

READ

27 But immediately he spoke to them, saying, “Take heart, it is I; have no fear.”

28 And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, bid me come to you on the water.” 29 •He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus; 30 but when he saw the •wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out•, “Lord, save me.” 31 •Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him•, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” 32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33 And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.” (Matthew 14:27–33, RSV2CE)

REFLECT

Jesus is coming to us. Saying take heart it is I, have no fear. 

Jesus is coming to me and telling me not to be afraid he is now here with me. 

Peter asks to be told to walk on the water. 

I can ask Jesus to have me do things-deliver from sin, meet needs, intercede, etc. 

Jesus commands him to come. 

Jesus says what he wants me to do. 

Peter starts but then fears and falls. Peter calls out Lord Save Me. 

I must believe and not look around. Jesus said I can do it. I must walk toward him and not let the world get in my sight or head. 

If I fear and or fall….cry out like Peter. Lord save Me. 

Jesus will Save when we cry out. 

He commands us not to fear!

He commands the wind and sea. He is all powerful! I can rest in his care. He is Almighty God. 

PRAY

You come to me Jesus. You have a plan for my life. I am here to sever and worship you for your glory and my happiness. Your command for my life is enough. I do not have to look around. I am to know it is your will and keep looking at you. If I look around I might get afraid and fall. If I do cry out! Lord Save Me. You are God, I can trust you. I can know your plan is perfect for me and not worry about what everyone else is doing or thinking. I must not fear! 

RESOLUTION

I will keep my mind occupied on you and your will for me each moment of each day, doing one day at a time. Help me focus on you my King! Thank you for your love. 

From Blogger iPhone client

FIGHT:

Fully

Insist on

God’s

Help

Temptation is here. 

41 The Son of man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, 42 and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear. (Matthew 13:41–43, RSV2CE)

At the end all who still love to sin and continue to do evil will be burned in hell. 

Only those that love God more than sin and are walking each day surrendering to grace instead of worldly desires will be in the kingdom. We must fight our own sin. I am in a battle. 

I cannot worry about other people’s sins. It is enough to have the thought power to continually bring all to Jesus so I can know what to do. I cannot trust my own self, my heart is deceptive. I must bring all thoughts to Christ. What is His Word and Will on this thought. 

Un-recollected and lazy thinking is what leads to sin. Fighting my own sin is enough to keep me busy. If I look at others and judge others I have already fallen into sin. 

Grace is offered but I do have to use all my might to choose and ask for it. God does not force himself on us. And the choice is every moment every day. It is a very narrow road and Jesus said few find it. I think because it is hard and we are lazy and hate hard things. 

From Blogger iPhone client

14 but each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. 15 Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin; and sin when it is full-grown brings forth death. (James 1:14–15, RSV2CE)

The devil does not tempt me. My own flesh is tempted by my own desires. No one or nothing can make me sin. I choose to do it by wanting something else more than I want to stay with Jesus and His will. 

When I desire something I think about it. Then I decide to do it. Then it brings death when I do. It is a trick. It seems like it is good but when I do it, it kills life from my soul instead of giving life. Abstaining from the desire brings life to my soul because life is in Jesus. Sin is death, life is Christ. I must choose to kill the desires that lead to death by refusing thoughts about them. Keep my thoughts on clinging to Jesus and asking Him to direct my mind. 

God loves me but he refuses to control, he is a gentleman and waits for us to request. He will not override us. He made us free and we have choice to love him and do his will or not. He absolutely will not revoke this gift. There is a real danger to us not to get ourselves in line with his will but he will not coerce or force-he offers. We must choose to love him more than our desires for sin or we will not make it. He does not force us to love him and heaven. Love must be a choice not a programmed response. You cannot go to Heaven loving sin. Heaven is an acquired taste and it takes time. The odds of wanting it after a life of sin in the world is close to nill. 

From Blogger iPhone client

18 “Hear •then the parable of the sower. 19 When any one hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the Evil One comes and snatches away what is sown in his heart; this is what was sown along the path. 20 As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21 yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. 22 As for what was sown among thorns, this is he who hears the word, but the cares of the •world and the delight in riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. 23 As for what was sown on good soil, this is he who hears the word and understands it; he indeed bears fruit, and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.” (Matthew 13:18–23, RSV2CE)

1. The Heart is hard, the word bounces off the person-no understanding. 
2. Heart has a bunch of rocks, the word is received but it can’t take root, so when conversion is demanded, it is rejected. 
3. Heart is receptive, word grows some roots, but worldly cares and worldly mind starts to overpower the word and they produce no Holy Spirit Fruit. (All in name only-heart is in the world but know the Christian language and look like and may act like one -heart is not in it)
4. Heart is docile to God and His Word, they hear and understand, they surrender to the Spirit and kill the flesh, produce Holy Spirit Fruit. 

Jesus, please help my weakness. Please help me let the world go. Let me be a docile person the your Spirit so I can produce fruit for your glory. I love you and trust you. I know you can do all things. Help me cling to you. Amen. 

From Blogger iPhone client

For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven •is my brother, and sister, and mother.” (Matthew 12:50, RSV2CE)

To be in the Family of God, is allowing Jesus to be the Savior (clean away my sin), the Holy Spirit to guide my heart and mind (help me hear, see, and power), and the Father’s will to be my only desire (one desire so I’m not fractured). 

Lord, I want to be in your family. Help me desire one thing! Help me desire your will! I am so very tired of being fractured. I need peace and living for your will will make me see the one thing at every step so my mind can be free of distractions. Help me my King and my God. Amen. 

From Blogger iPhone client

43 “•When the unclean spirit has gone out of a man, he passes through waterless places seeking rest, but he finds none. 44 Then he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when he comes he finds it empty, swept, and put in order. 45 Then he goes and brings with him seven other spirits more evil than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first. So shall it be also with this evil generation.” (Matthew 12:43–45, RSV2CE)

I cleaned up my house. But my ego and self sufficiency came to the forefront and I got attacked and strongholds crept in. My mind has become fractured. I must go back to the beginning. Word and Prayer. Stop listening to the voices. Even church voices. Cling to Jesus my Only Savior. 

Savior, you know his broken I am. Help me cling to you. You are my hope. Slay the evil. Amen. 

From Blogger iPhone client

39 But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign; but no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale, so will the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. (Matthew 12:39–40, RSV2CE)

Seeking for proofs other than the cross that shows God’s love for sinners is adultery. Adultery because you leave your first love for another proof. The proof is the cross. Cling to the cross and get on it with him. Stop looking for love other places. Only the cross kills the flesh from the soul. You look for signs because you don’t want to accept the pain of your cross. It’s not feelings or circumstances-it’s I died for you! You know you’re loved because I died for sinners! Heaven will be perfect, this journey is through the dark and pain. Cling to my love and cross. 

Please forgive me my God. Your proof is enough. I forget to stop looking. You already did everything!! Thank you my King. I am yours! Amen. 

From Blogger iPhone client

For when I am weak, then am I strong. That is, when I am cognizant of my nothingness and the omnipotence of God, then I am strong. When I know that I, of myself alone, cannot do any good either for myself or for others, and when I totally entrust myself to the power and mercy of God, then I am strong. When I sense that I am as a drowning person in this world, and that I am not in a position to grasp the extended hand of God and to hold onto it by my own strength, but instead cry out to God that He take hold of my hand and pull me out of the depths of the sinful abyss, then I am strong. When I see that I am weak and that I am a hollow reed amidst the tempest of winds and floods - a reed that God is able to fill with His almighty grace - and when I pray with faith for God's grace, then I am strong. 

O my weak brethren, let us entrust ourselves to the power of God, that we, in our nothingness, may be strong. Relying on man, you are weak, but relying on God, you are strong. Adhere to God, and all the power of God will be with you. Confess your weaknesses before God, and God will send you His all-powerful grace. 

From Blogger iPhone client

Our Faith prohibits us from being spies of the sins of others and stresses that we be merciless judges of our own sins. The sick person in the hospital is concerned with his own particular malady, so that he has neither the will nor the time to question others who are ill or to mock their illness. Are we not all in this world as patients in a hospital? Does not our own common sense emphasize that we look at our own illness and not at another's? 

Let no one think that he will be cured of his illness in the other world. It is this world that is the hospital and place for healing; in the next world there is no hospital; there is either a palace or a prison.

From Blogger iPhone client

From the "Proslogion" of St Anselm

Let me know you and love you, so that I may find my joy in you

My soul, have you found what you are looking for? You were looking for God, and you have discovered that he is the supreme being, and that you could not possibly imagine anything more perfect. You have discovered that this supreme being is life itself, light, wisdom, goodness, eternal blessedness and blessed eternity. He is everywhere, and he is timeless.

Lord my God, you gave me life and restored it when I lost it. Tell my soul that so longs for you what else you are besides what it has already understood, so that it may see you clearly. It stands on tiptoe to see more, but apart from what it has seen already, it sees nothing but darkness. Of course it does not really see darkness, because there is no darkness in you, but it sees that it can see no further because of the darkness in itself.

Surely, Lord, inaccessible light is your dwelling place, for no one apart from yourself can enter into it and fully comprehend you. If I fail to see this light it is simply because it is too bright for me. Still, it is by this light that I do see all that I can, even as weak eyes, unable to look straight at the sun, see all that they can by the sun’s light.

The light in which you dwell, Lord, is beyond my understanding. It is so brilliant that I cannot bear it, I cannot turn my mind’s eye towards it for any length of time. I am dazzled by its brightness, amazed by its grandeur, overwhelmed by its immensity, bewildered by its abundance.

O supreme and inaccessible light, O complete and blessed truth, how far you are from me, even though I am so near to you! How remote you are from my sight, even though I am present to yours! You are everywhere in your entirety, and yet I do not see you; in you I move and have my being, and yet I cannot approach you; you are within me and around me, and yet I do not perceive you.

O God, let me know you and love you so that I may find my joy in you; and if I cannot do so fully in this life, let me at least make some progress every day, until at last that knowledge, love and joy come to me in all their plenitude. While I am here on earth let me learn to know you better, so that in heaven I may know you fully; let my love for you grow deeper here, so that there I may love you fully. On earth then I shall have great joy in hope, and in heaven complete joy in the fulfilment of my hope.

O Lord, through your Son you command us, no, you counsel us to ask, and you promise that you will hear us so that our joy may be complete. Lord, I am making the request that you urge us to make through your Wonder-Counsellor. Give me then what you promise to give through your Truth. You, O God, are faithful; grant that I may receive my request, so that my joy may be complete.

Meanwhile, let this hope of mine be in my thoughts and on my tongue; let my heart be filled with it, my voice speak of it; let my soul hunger for it, my body thirst for it, my whole being yearn for it, until I enter into the joy of the Lord, who is Three in One, blessed for ever. Amen.

From Blogger iPhone client

Actual grace is passing help 

Sanctifying Grace is divine life

You get the divine life from sanctifying Grace

You get it by Baptism and the Eucharist and Confession after mortal sin or repeated rebellion of venial. 

God is not bound by sacraments (he wants all to be saved) but they are the normal vehicles of sanctifying Grace. 

Pharisees were legalists-they want rules and no heart

Protestants are legalists - they want benefits and no work

Catholic and Orthodox are Divine Life-transformation from the Holy Spirit

31 Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 32 And whoever says a word against the Son of man will be forgiven; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come. (Matthew 12:31–32, RSV2CE)

Attributing evil to the Holy Spirit is blasphemy. If you speak against the Spirit there is no forgiveness (the heart is probably too hard now). If you speak against Christ you can still possibly repent. 

God is not and cannot be evil. Even if he kills you it is a just judgment. Allowing others to do evil is on them, they are wanting and choosing evil. Evil is in the heart of man and the devil and demons not in God. 

33 “Either make the tree good, and its fruit good; or make the tree bad, and its fruit bad; for the tree is known by its fruit. 34 You brood of vipers! how can you speak good things, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 The good man out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil man out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. 36 I tell you, on the day of judgment men will render account for every careless word they utter; 37 for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” (Matthew 12:33–37, RSV2CE)

The tree is known by its fruit. 

What you speak is from your heart so you are speaking the fruit of the type of tree you are. 

But you could lie and look like a good tree but the fruit is a lie so you are evil. 

At the judgment you will give an account of your words and be justified or condemned. 

I need a heart transplant with Divine Life infused so I can become a good tree. I must suppress the urges by the Holy Spirit that are evil or the evil will take over more. You must feed the Spirit and Starve the Flesh. The one you feed will grow. 

God does not change. 

He loves righteousness and hates evil. 

What I choose to do is what judges my destiny. He has offered Divine Life. I can accept and be transformed or reject and be condemned. 

If I accept, my soul is knit to God and he loves me as himself. I am in Him. 

From Blogger iPhone client

2 But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, “Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the sabbath.” 3 He said to them, “Have you not read what David did, when he was hungry, and those who were with him: 4 how he entered the house of God and ate the showbread, which it was not lawful for him to eat nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests? 5 Or have you not read in the law how on the sabbath the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are guiltless? 6 I tell you, something greater than the temple is here. 7 And if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless. 8 For the Son of man is lord of the sabbath.” (Matthew 12:2–8, RSV2CE)

Legalistic rendering 

God wants Mercy for others and needs met not legal experts without hearts for others. 

Priests working on Sabbath profane it but are guiltless. 

Legalisms condemn guiltless because they do not understand the law is for the heart not the actions. 

Before judging others think of the heart reason why something is not acceptable and try to work on that instead of the actual behavior. 

Everything is a heart issue. 

From Blogger iPhone client

28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28–30, RSV2CE)

All of us are tired and beaten down by the world, flesh, and devil. We need rest. I can come to Jesus. He wants to give me rest. I am to cling to him. I am to learn from him. He is gentle with sinners who are ravaged by sin. My soul can rest in Him because he covers sin and teaches me how to deal with it in his power. His yoke is easy because he teaches me what to do. His yoke is light because he empowers me from inside to fight sin. I can have soul rest in him because my sin is wiped out of his presence and I am being strengthened to fight it when it comes by his own power within me. 

From Blogger iPhone client

At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to infants; (Matthew 11:25, RSV2CE)

God hides knowledge from the proud who think they know and understand things. God is into humility. He humbled himself. The Creator became an embryo completely dependent on his creation. If you try and be “someone” you are going the wrong direction. God wants us humble. I am to know I am an infant learning how to listen and obey because God knows best for me. 

God created my soul and knows the best road for my soul to grow. Pain grows the soul. Responding wrongly to pain makes you rebellious. I must accept the cross as the true way through life. Discipline is discipleship. Even Jesus learned through suffering. 

From Blogger iPhone client

23 And you, Caperna-um, will you be exalted to heaven? You shall be brought down to Hades. For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. 24 But I tell you that it shall be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you.” (Matthew 11:23–24, RSV2CE)

God sees what we would have done if we had seen Him and His works. Sodom would have repented and continued until Jesus’ time. At judgement because capernaum had seen more they are responsible for more and will be judged more harshly. 

Judgement is based on knowledge and what you do with it. Some accept and some reject. 

I am to believe God and act accordingly. 

From Blogger iPhone client

Why many are not saved:

God, You love us. It is not mushy love it is empowering love. 

We are weak and hide in our sin. We deflect and blame. 

You are strength and want us to take responsibility and walk through the consequences of ours and others’ sin. It is the fall. 

We have to face up to our real selves. 

We have to believe you love us and want to walk us through. You do not allow escapism. That is devil tactics. You are God and take on what is and bring us through it. You are courageous the devil uses cowardice. 

Escapism brings on more sin. We hide and fight because we can’t face up to consequences of life instead of saying this is what is, help me go through it. 

We get angry, even at you, for making us go through so we hide and fight even more. Instead we should admit the real, acknowledge our weakness and fear, ask to get your power and strength. When we admit, accept we have to go through, ask for help, you deny absolutely no one who is serious about wanting help. You are not into relief, but true healing. Relief is a bandaid, healing is a surgery. You are the surgeon, the devil wants to bandaid so you stay in his power. 

The grace is sufficient for all. But all will not accept responsibility for the truth of their real self (weakness, fear, & dependence) and consequences of life. They do not want help to go through, they want to escape and deny. They would rather hide, deflect, blame, and remain in sin that hides pain instead of have it surgically healed. 

Life is hard. Sin is rampant. We have a hard time facing our true self. We do not want to deal with life on life’s terms. We want to control life into what we want or escape it if we cannot. We do not trust you to bring us through in your strength. We blame you for making it hard and demanding us to live it instead of escaping it. We do not feel loved because we want you to remove the obstacles. We do not want to accept we have to go through the obstacle course in your power not ours. 

You love us so much you made a way to go through. Jesus took on human flesh to unite it to the Divine. We can have Divine Life through uniting ourselves with him. But to do that we have to be willing to do the surgery. Do you want to be healed? You will deny no one. 

From Blogger iPhone client

For Scheeben, our status as creatures means that not only all our actions but even our very existence from moment to moment depend on God, who, as our loving Creator, grasps us at the root of our being. This is radical dependence also means that we have certain duties toward God. Ultimately, the only proper posture we can adopt toward him is to bow our heads in profound humility before the one who has granted us participation in being from his infinite generosity. On a very practical level, this dependence means that our true exaltation can only come about through humble submission in love to him who made us. We do this through the handing over of our being to him in sacrifice (made possible by the sacrificial self-offering of Christ), just as true Aufklärung (enlightenment) can only come about by the sacrificium intellectus, the handing over of our intellect to the one who gives it back to us divinized by the light of faith.

Everything is ultimately grace in that creation itself is absolutely gratuitous, a pure gift. But in God’s providence, we stand in relation to God in distinct ways on account of his stupendous generosity and love. While everything is indeed grace, there is a “double gratuity” that marks the Christian life: the grace of creation and that of divine sonship. The whole point of distinguishing nature and grace lies precisely in preserving the supernatural splendor of this twofold gratuity—that is, in distinguishing the grace of the natural order from the grace of our supernatural participation in divine life. If we don’t have a robust sense of the natural order, we won’t see how transcendent the supernatural order truly is.

From Blogger iPhone client

If someone thinks they are saved and say they love jesus but do not really follow him, because god loves them and they are not self excluding since they say they want to be with him, they will be saved?

In Catholic teaching, **it is not enough to “think you are saved” or to say “I love Jesus.”** Salvation is not treated as a mere inner opinion or a verbal claim; it involves **real communion with Christ expressed in obedience, repentance, and perseverance**.

### 1) Jesus says profession is not the criterion

> “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.”

So if someone says they love Jesus but **does not really do the Father’s will**, Catholic doctrine does **not** allow you to assume they are saved. Their claim does not match the standard Christ gives.

### 2) Faith must be “alive” in works (not just claimed)

The Catechism states the principle very directly:

> “faith apart from works is dead.”

And Scripture explains that “faith” without corresponding action toward God is not saving faith.

So if someone “believes” they are saved while refusing conversion in practice, the Church reads that as **dead/ineffective faith**, not saving faith. 

### 3) Perseverance matters; grace can be refused or lost

Catholic doctrine also emphasizes **perseverance**: one must endure in faith and not allow oneself to “make void rather than preserve the grace of redemption.”

The Catechism likewise speaks of the **“grace of final perseverance”** as something the faithful rightly hope for. And it explicitly ties hope for final salvation to living in “communion with Jesus” and the “good works accomplished with his grace.”

So someone who genuinely loves Jesus would not be able to remain indefinitely in a posture of refusing obedience; if they persist in refusing Christ’s will, that signals they are not actually in communion with Him as they claim.  

### 4) “They want to be with Him” is not the same as doing His will

You’re asking about cases where a person says they want God and feel convinced they are saved, but do not follow Him.

Catholic teaching would respond: **the will to be with God must include the will to live with God**—that is, to turn from sin and to cooperate with grace in concrete obedience. Otherwise, “wanting” becomes merely sentiment or self-deception, because Christ’s criterion is “the will of my Father.” 

### 5) One clarification: you can’t judge a person’s inner state

Even though objectively “Lord, Lord” without doing the Father’s will is not saving, the Church does **not** give you permission to declare the eternal destiny of another person with certainty. We can say the teaching is: **professed love without persevering obedience is not the way of salvation**. 

## Conclusion

So: **No**—in Catholic teaching, someone who truly does not follow Christ cannot be presumed saved merely because they say they love Jesus or believe they are “self-unexcluded.” Christ and the Church judge by **the Father’s will, living faith, and perseverance**, not by claims alone.

From Blogger iPhone client

The devil lies and presents evil as good / falsehood as truth. The devil tries to deceive; we can resist and not consent. We deceive ourselves by rationalizing lies. He offers lies, God offers grace and we choose based on our desires. Our desires are toward brokenness because we are born broken. But grace is available to choose and the power to carry it out. We have to train ourselves to want the good which God has given in his Word and Church and even Conscience. We have to pick the harder road. Courage and confidence in God’s help. 

The way to life is to be humble and let God be God. I am to know that I don’t know anything, but God knows and sees all. I am to ask for direction all day everyday. I am to keep my mouth shut because I am not the leader, Jesus leads, I follow. The Spirit knows the right way. Everything is going according to the plan of God, not one molecule is rogue, he allows evil in his plan. God permits moral evil and can bring good from it, while evil remains evil. Evil thinks it is having its way but God even uses evil for his glory. It is attacking its own self and destroying those who want it. 

Justice: You destroyed sodom and Gomorrah. You destroyed with the flood. You destroyed before the exodus. You destroyed the rebels in the wilderness because of a desire for food (your chosen). You destroyed the Jews (your chosen) who rejected you when you came. You destroyed Judas (better he had not been born). You will destroy those who do not want you, even those who are chosen are not safe. 

Mercy: You are perfect and have perfect good for us. We are to trust that and accept this amazing love. You are not a bully like the devil trying to manipulate our love. You actually want to pour out good in our souls that heal us and make us holy (what we were made for and our true happiness). 

Evil is actually killing us and you do not allow evil in your presence (cancer). In order to accept this love we have to believe your love, believe you want good for us, accept the pain of change, and let go of self-you will take care of us. When I am looking out for self I am against others and controlling which leads to disaster. If I let you control and lead, peace can be in me and around me. 

You are Mercy and Justice not one or the other. 

Mercy: We have a choice to follow you or ourselves. (That’s really the bottom line-you or our self)

Justice: You love and will destroy if we do not love you (even your chosen children are not safe). 

And by love you, I mean believe your love for us and power to change by letting go of self completely because it gets in the way. We have to let you be God. 

From Blogger iPhone client

17 Beware of men; for they will deliver you up to councils, and flog you in their synagogues, 18 and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear testimony before them and the Gentiles. 19 When they deliver you up, do not be anxious about how you are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour; 20 for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. 21 Brother will deliver up brother to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death; 22 and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved. (Matthew 10:17–22, RSV2CE)

People get angry when convicted of sin. Then they either accept the diagnosis and change or rebel and hide. Those that want to keep their sin may lash out to destroy you since you are the one that holds the light up to their darkness. 

There will come a time where people will want you to get in trouble with authorities for your beliefs. Do not be anxious. Be faithful! Let the Holy Spirit Speak. 

Only those that do not deny Christ and keep speaking truth in confidence will be saved. Those that deny Christ and hide in fear will not be saved. He is your life, do not deny the Author of life or you will be cut off from him and unable to be saved. My choice keeps me connected or not-Jesus does not reject-I choose to stay or go. 

My God, I love you but I know I am weak. But in you I am strong. Help me surrender my life and not be afraid. Give me the grace to speak and keep speaking truth. Only you can save us from evil. Amen. 

From Blogger iPhone client

And if any one will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet as you leave that house or town. (Matthew 10:14, RSV2CE)

I am to tell the message of the kingdom. If anyone refuses the words I am to not be offended. I am to shake it off and leave them. 

I do not convince people. Grace is given and they accept or reject. Each person is responsible for their decision to Grace. 

God does not even coerce or manipulate, He offers. It is not for me to bully someone into believing. 

Lord, help me be detached from wanting my way. Your way is to offer and then leave people to choose. I want to bully them into seeing how wonderful and silly they are to refuse you. I am getting in the way. They see the bully and think that’s you. I’m so sorry. Please help me be a better witness. I love you. Amen. 

From Blogger iPhone client

35 And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every infirmity. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. (Matthew 9:35–36, RSV2CE)

Gospel of the Kingdom

Healing 

Compassion because harassed and helpless sheep without shepherd. 

There is a Kingdom of Grace. Jesus is King. He wants to pour His grace into you and transform you into a new creation (inside-thoughts and outside-actions). Grace heals from sin. He has compassion because the leaders are caring for themselves instead of the people. The people are harassed by demons. He wants to be their shepherd. 

Jesus, please be my shepherd. I know you have a kingdom. I want to be yours. Recreate me and heal me from the harassment and inattentive leaders looking out for themselves. I need compassion and guidance. I trust in you!  

From Blogger iPhone client

28 When he entered the house, the blind men came to him; and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to him, “Yes, Lord.” 29 Then he touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith let it be done to you.” (Matthew 9:28–29, RSV2CE)

Is Jesus able to heal my sin. Yes! According to my belief it will be done. Do not let anything make you believe he does not want to heal sin. 

Help me let go my God of what I think I need and want. My desires are deceiving and war against my soul. I believe you can and will heal. Amen. 

From Blogger iPhone client

20 And behold, a woman who had suffered from a hemorrhage for twelve years came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment; 21 for she said to herself, “If I only touch his garment, I shall be made well.” 22 Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, “Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And instantly the woman was made well. (Matthew 9:20–22, RSV2CE)

Heard about Jesus. Faith to believe touching Christ’s clothes will heal her. Jesus said her faith healed her. She was healed. 

I heard about Jesus through the church. I must believe that Jesus can and will heal my sin. I must touch Him by nourishing my belief with prayer, word, and sacraments. He will see my faith (He gives, I receive, I give back to Him) and pronounce healing and it will be done. 

Jesus, I believe you can change me into a grace filled creature instead of a sin sick broken person. Fill me with faith so I can give it to you and you heal what was broken. Glory to you my God. 

From Blogger iPhone client

16 And no one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch tears away from the garment, and a worse tear is made. 17 Neither is new wine put into old wineskins; if it is, the skins burst, and the wine is spilled, and the skins are destroyed; but new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved.” (Matthew 9:16–17, RSV2CE)

New over the old. New life tacked on to old ideas of legalism. Tears apart. 

New into old. New Spirit poured into sin sick bodies. Bursts. 

New poured into New. We must let God change our hearts and pour in grace to sustain new thoughts that walk out new life. Inside and outside preserved. Complete Transformation. 

God help me! I am to let you make a complete overhaul of my being. Not tacking on or not changing behavior. But changing thoughts and actions into a brand new creature. Help me let go of self and let you do your work. 

From Blogger iPhone client

12 But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 13 Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Matthew 9:12–13, RSV2CE)

I need a physician. I am sick. All of us are spiritually sick and need the Divine Physician. All man are sinners and are called to conversion. God desires mercy on sick people. He is not asking for sacrifice but for me to treat all neighbors with mercy. I would rather sacrifice something and have it between me and Him alone but He is calling me to be merciful to the sick so they see Him. It’s His Glory and Mercy He wants the sick to see. He wants all sinners to come to Him for healing not punishment. 

Jesus, I am a broken sinner asking for mercy, because I need mercy I am to show others the mercy I can receive so they can get mercy. You are calling us all. Help me receive your mercy and give it out all for your glory!!

From Blogger iPhone client

10 When Jesus heard him, he marveled, and said to those who followed him, “Truly, I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such faith. 11 I tell you, many will come from east and west and sit at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, 12 while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness; there men will weep and gnash their teeth.” 13 And to the centurion Jesus said, “Go; let it be done for you as you have believed.” And the servant was healed at that very moment. (Matthew 8:10–13, RSV2CE)

Centurion believed Jesus could and would heal and not even have to come but could say the word, that he had true authority. 

Jesus has not found this faith even in Israel his own kids. 

Many people will sit at the banquet. 

His kids will be thrown out of the banquet to hell. 

Jesus gave the centurion what he believed Jesus could do for his faith. 

Just because you are his kid does not make you saved. God’s call is to be converted by grace, to be made a new creation that lives by grace not our own will. If we reject being converted we are not fit for heaven and will be throne into hell. The gift is free but it must be cooperated with. We have to be re-imaged into the likeness of God. We kept our image but lost the likeness of God in the garden. 

if someone refuses conversion and refuses grace’s transforming work, they place themselves outside the life God offers. 

From Blogger iPhone client

A life that refuses conversion and rejects the call to repentance is spiritually dangerous , by rejecting grace in this life, one can already judge oneself and even condemn oneself for eternity

Being confused is not what sends to hell. REJECTION OF GRACE is what sends to hell. God is pouring out Grace but we have to Repent, Persevere, and cooperate with Grace. 

the decisive issue is whether a person is actually responding to grace—which includes conversion and following His ways. 

salvation does not mean “never struggles,” but rather living in union with Christ and being continually healed by grace.

sin happens when a person consents and chooses deception over God’s Grace because they want the sin. They have power to choose grace-they do not want it (real choice)

So if someone thinks they are fine while continuing in sin and refusing repentance, the problem is not only ignorance—it is resistance to God’s call to conversion

Presumption is when someone “presumes upon God’s almighty power or his mercy,” hoping to obtain forgiveness “without conversion and glory without merit.”2

So if someone says (explicitly or implicitly), “I’m saved, so my life doesn’t need to change,” Catholic teaching calls that presumption, and it is spiritually dangerous

God is not “destroying them because they believed a false idea.”Rather, Catholic teaching says salvation requires conversion and perseverance, and presumption is trusting in mercy while refusing to turn.2 1 4 Rejecting grace is what truly puts a person on the path of self-condemnation

From Blogger iPhone client

15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles? 17 So, every sound tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears evil fruit. 18 A sound tree cannot bear evil fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus you will know them by their fruits. (Matthew 7:15–20, RSV2CE)

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. (Galatians 5:22–24, RSV2CE)

21 “Not every one who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you evildoers.’ (Matthew 7:21–23, RSV2CE)

I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20, RSV2CE)

False Christians talk and may even walk like Christians but have no Fruit of the Spirit. Every tree that does not bear fruit will go to hell. 

They will go to hell because they are not real Christians united to the vine. They just think they are and pretend they are-Self deceived or malicious. They refuse to give control to God and be freed from evil. 

You will know a real Christian by the fruits of the spirit. Real Christians give over their life to Christ and die to themselves. 

These fruits are gained by crucifying their own flesh and passions and evil desires, in the power of the Spirit because they belong to Christ Jesus. 

Fruit:

Love: because God loves me. I can love others by letting his love flow through me to them. 

Joy: I am in Christ and He is walking me through every moment all the way home. I am never alone. 

Peace: no matter what is happening around me I am with Jesus and He is working things out. I can trust and rest in his care. 

Patience: God has His plan and I can trust His love and plan for me. He is sovereign. Let go of the world and your desires that war against you. Accept his will for you, even the painful parts. This too shall pass and bring Him Glory!

Kindness: all men are bullied by the devil and are acting out from this. Be kind to them they don’t understand. Be the light of Christ. 

Goodness: I am to spread good not evil. Do not align myself with devil tactics. 

Faithfulness: Believe God, Trust God, and never let go, the devil wants you to think you are not saved. Be faithful to God’s ways which I may not understand and could be painful. Pain drives you to God-it can be good. 

Gentleness: be gentle with all men and even yourself. The devil prowls around trying to hurt us. Get up if you fall! You are not and never will be perfect on this side. 

Self Control: Discipleship is discipline. Discipline yourself in the way of Christ. Keep tight control on thoughts that lead to beliefs and then to actions. Take every thought captive to Christ and reject the world, flesh, and devil thoughts. 

Just because you know who the Lord is and walk close to him and his people do not mean you are united to him. Judas was his called disciple. The demons know who he is and that he can harm them. Just because you walk and talk even obey like a Christian does not cut it. The Pharisees were masters of obedience. 

Only those who do the will of the Father enter the kingdom. And the will of the Father is to be united to him, give your life to him, and produce fruit of the Spirit because you LOVE Him and TRUST Him to live new life through you. It is no longer you who live (you die) it is Christ living through you. The life I now live is by faith in the Son of God, who loves me and gave himself for me to be free from evil by clinging to Him!

I must give my life to Christ. 

From Blogger iPhone client

READ 

13 “Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is easy, that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard, that leads to life, and those who find it are few. (Matthew 7:13–14, RSV2CE)

REFLECT

The narrow gate is Jesus and complete and utter abandoned surrender to His plan and power. 

Jesus is the Lord. His way is the best way for you. He made you for a purpose. He wants to walk out that purpose with you all the way home. You are weak and the devil is relentlessly trying to kill, steal, and destroy you in your thoughts and actions. Only by the discernment of the Holy Spirit and the enabling power of grace can you hear and complete your purpose. It is a hard road of recollection and surrender to things you cannot understand because His ways are higher than ours. It will rub against your flesh and pride because it hurts to not be in control and misunderstood. But you can know that he is good and merciful and loving and wants the best for you, he is the perfect father. You will never be alone because he will never leave you. 

The wide gate is anything other than complete and utter abandoned surrender to His plan and power. People want to tack Jesus into their life but He is to be the Lord. Not an addition you may or may not obey when you choose. It is hard to give up control and desires that are killing you because you think they are good. It is hard to be misunderstood and different from the world. It is hard to trust someone else when the world has shown how untrustworthy people are. 

PRAY

Jesus, my God, help me surrender to you. Help me believe you are good in my suffering. Help me do the purpose you have made me for. Help me know your presence is with me all the way. Help me not seek to understand but trust. Help me let go of my will and do yours. Save me from myself. Amen. 

From Blogger iPhone client

I have a sickness of soul that makes me reach for desires that destroy it. 

I can be blinded by the devil’s lies that the desires I have are a good idea. I can be deceived and think that the good advice is bad advice because I get deceived by the devil. He is relentless against me. 

The Remedy is to ask Jesus to take over my life and listen to him so I can want to and get the power to stop grabbing for the desires that destroy my soul. 

Sickness-burning hand

We have a sickness that makes us want to put our hand on a live hot stove that is burning, and we cannot see or understand or feel that it is burning and destroying our hand. 

True love is telling the person that they are burning their hand and that the remedy is to remove their hand from the live hot stove. 

If you do not tell the person that they are burning their hand and that there is a remedy, you are evil. 

If you do tell the person that it is destroying their hand and that the remedy is available you are good. 

The person is blinded by the devil’s lies that grabbing the live hot stove is a good idea. The person is deceived and thinks that the good advice is bad advice because they are so blinded by the devil. They may yell and curse at you for giving them the remedy. But nonetheless, telling them that there is a remedy is the act of love, and not telling them is the act of evil. 

You cannot force someone to believe you that their hand is burning. You cannot force someone to believe there is a remedy. You cannot force someone to take action on the remedy. Everyone has a right to believe what they choose to. You can tell them and pray for them. The choice to believe and act is their own. 

Sickness of Soul

We have a sickness that makes us want wrong desires that destroy our soul and we cannot see that our soul is being destroyed. 

True love is telling the person that their soul is dying by the desires that destroy their soul. There is a remedy. It is to ask Jesus to take over your life and listen to him so you can want to and get the power to stop grabbing for the desires that destroy your soul. 

If you do not tell that person that their soul is dying by the things they desire, and that there is a remedy you are evil. 

If you do tell that person that they soul is dying by the things they desire, and that the remedy is Jesus and that he can show you the truth and give you the power to heal your soul then you are good. 

The person is blinded by the devil’s lies that the desires they have are a good idea. The person is deceived and thinks that the good advice is bad advice because they are so blinded by the devil. They may yell and curse at you for giving them the remedy. But nonetheless, telling them that there is a remedy is the act of love, and not telling them is the act of evil. 

You cannot force someone to believe you that their soul is being destroyed by their wrong desires. You cannot force someone to believe there is a remedy. You cannot force someone to take action on the remedy. Everyone has a right to believe what they choose to. You can tell them and pray for them. The choice to believe and act is their own. 

From Blogger iPhone client

The nature of God’s unchangeability is not understood.

Nothing can change God’s mind, and to think that by sheer intensity we can get him to give us what we want is a delusion. It is as much as telling God that unless he listens to our insistence nothing will be done.

Both the distraction element and the factor of trying to force an answer to our petition by the degree of our assurance can be seen clearly when it is a matter of praying for a person who means a great deal to us.

We can delude ourselves into believing that help will come only if we pray hard enough and often enough and with sufficient precision to that person’s need. This could mean that the first person of our affection is given more attention than the second Person of the Trinity.

A prayer with the right intention can be brought down from a level of intercession which is healthy to a level of obsession which is not.

From Blogger iPhone client

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

I am blessed because I can see I am poor in spirit. I know my spirit is dead (not just broken but dead-Adam bore dead spirit children) without God’s Spirit. God comes to you and humbles you to see you are in need of him. Only those who can agree and remain humble in docility to grace can be saved. He has made me born again able to hear and see him. I can have the kingdom of heaven if I ask him because he has opened my spirit to know I need him. Grace first, I respond-can I remain humble and docile?

4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

I am blessed because I can mourn over my sin. I mourn because sin has damaged myself and the world. I mourn because my sin also is offensive to my God who loves me. He wants the best for me but sin deceives me and I fall. I mourn because it will be with me until I die. But I am comforted because God can help me discern better and choose to sin less and less. I can be comforted because God has washed away my sin with his own blood. It is out of his sight do I can walk with him everyday. I can be comforted because when I am resurrected I will finally be free of sin. 

5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

I am blessed if I am meek. Meek is to be brought under surrender for a purpose. Like a horse is broken of its wildness to be harnessed for riding. I need to be meek so I can break the sin off and be a purpose of freedom and joy in holiness. Sin keeps me chained and distorted. Holiness makes me free and what I was intended for. I will inherit the earth to come if I am becoming holy in my God’s grace. 

6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

I am blessed if I hunger and thirst for righteousness. Jesus is my righteousness now that I am His. If I know that I cannot live without food and drink and if I hunger for Him as my food and drink I will stay close. I will be satisfied because only he satisfies my heart. He is what I need and He is my righteousness. 

7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.

I am blessed if I am merciful. I know what it is like to be broken in sin and wanting to be right with God. This is actually the desire deep down in everyone but they are deceived by the devil into thinking otherwise. Only being with God is actually our true happiness. If I am merciful and pray for those who need deliverance from evil, I too will receive mercy. If I am prideful thinking I do not need mercy and start looking down at others who do, I will not receive the mercy I need. Keep seeing myself as a sinner in need of mercy as others are and I too will receive mercy. 

8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

I am blessed if I keep my heart pure. I must remind myself that only being with God is my true happiness. If I keep my heart pure and full of love for Him all other things will fall away so I am not double minded. If my heart is for God I will be able to see him. If my heart is clouded I cannot see my true happiness. 

9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

I am blessed if I am a peacemaker. God came to bring us peace in our souls. I am to facilitate others to know He wants reconciliation with them, not to harm or destroy. He desires to give peace of heart to us all if only we would allow him in. I will be a son of God (in Jesus His Son) if I too act like Jesus bringing the kingdom of peace to others. 

10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

I am blessed if I am persecuted for being right with God. The devil is angry and roaring around trying to keep men in his grasp. People are deceived and do not want the truth that sin is harming them and keeping them from God. They want their sin because they think it is good. They will attack me. If I stay strong and continue in Christ I will be in the kingdom of heaven. The kingdom of heaven is being with and living in Jesus. It is worth all that ban can and will do to me-God is worth it all. All that comes against me brings me closer to him!

11 “Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so men persecuted the prophets who were before you. 

I am blessed when I am attacked falsely because of being in Christ. I can rejoice and be glad because that means I am actually in Him! I will have a reward in heaven after this battle. All the people of God are persecuted because man is so sick he does not want to come into the light. It is an honor to suffer for the King who bought me with His own blood. I will be rewarded in the resurrection and hopefully many souls saved by staying faithful!

Matthew 5:3–12, RSV2CE

From Blogger iPhone client