Posts Tagged ‘Temptation’
Common Life
In every Divine Liturgy we proclaim our common life in Christ when we pray, “Let us commend ourselves and one another and our whole life to Christ our God.” We do not commend our unison lives to Christ. We commend our life, singular, to Christ. That should mean something. Brethren, let any one who thinks…
Read MoreDon’t Allow Yourself to be Tripped Up
I was once taught the first step to any sin is to believe I would always be able to ‘say no’ to temptation. Instead of counting on my willpower, I was taught to do whatever I could to set up protections against temptation. That way I would increase my chances of avoiding sin. Brethren, God…
Read MoreThe Forces of Evil
I can’t tell you how often I hear people admit they do not believe in demons. Many do not believe there are ‘forces out there’ constantly trying to trip us up. The forces of evil are real. They exist, and they have been fighting against the Church since Adam and Eve. Brethren, we know that…
Read MoreThe Power of Pride
Our daily struggle during Great Lent is much more than fasting. Great Lent is a struggle against pride. We all have it. We all struggle to subdue it, or at least we should. We all fall to its power through temptation and ego. It is what holds us back. The sons of Noah who went…
Read MoreDependence on God
There was an expression I heard often when I was young. “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” I don’t hear that much anymore, but it still rings true in the life of the Church. When life gets difficult, people of faith get going to Church and God, and blessings flow. Today the…
Read MoreThe Power of Today
From the moment we become aware of our mortality our minds ‘live’ in the future. Will we have enough money to retire? How much life insurance do I need? Will I ever pay off my student loans? The preoccupation with the future means we ignore the present. The spiritual problem with ‘living in the future’…
Read MorePride Leads to Sin
As Christians none of us wants to sin. We don’t wake up and think of new ways to sin against God. We believe in God. We were baptized. We pray and fast regularly. Sin is the last thing on our mind as Christians. That’s the problem. It should be the first thing on our mind.…
Read MoreThank God for Another Day
As Christians we often think of God’s delay as a penalty. We wonder if God is ever coming back since He has delayed so many centuries. We look forward, sometimes with dread, to the many years ahead during which we will be expected to live without sin. Waiting is like torture in our minds. We…
Read MoreYou Will Never Fall
These are words we all wish to believe. There must be a way to guarantee we never fall to temptation and sin. All my life I’ve heard that I shouldn’t expect to be perfect because only God is perfect. So, how can Saint Peter promise we will never fall? SIMON PETER, a servant and apostle…
Read MoreAny Day Now
Deadlines help us keep our focus. Whether it is a strategic plan at work or a new healthy lifestyle, changes come a little easier knowing there is an end goal in sight. There are end goals and there are intermediate goals. If the end goal is too far in the future, we risk losing focus,…
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