Posts Tagged ‘Temptation’
What Jesus Has Done
In the Gospel lesson for the 6th Sunday of Luke, we hear how Jesus cast out many demons from a man who had been tormented for years. The demons were so fierce, they “had often seized him, and he was kept under guard, bound with chains and shackles; and he broke the bonds and was…
Read MoreBe Strong
Among the many struggles of being a Christian in 21st Century America is the reality that we are not living among fellow believers. Either we are among Christians who are not Orthodox, or we are among non-Christians. Worse than both is to be among Orthodox Christians who do not live nor believe as Orthodox Christians.…
Read MoreHumans and Animals are not the Same
There is a troubling trend in our society to reduce humanity to ‘just another’ animal in the ecosystem. More and more consider our having dominion over the earth as a sin or even misplaced power. Activists search for examples of ‘human behavior’ in animals as a means of distraction from certain behaviors. We are not…
Read MoreGuilt by Association
When I was young, I was spending time with a friend when we found ourselves in a bit of trouble. We were walking past a swimming pool where a group of people had jumped the fence for a night swim. We knew the group of people, so we were chatting with them when we were…
Read MoreAvoid Temptation
Every day we pray, “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” Sit back and ponder over this verse of the Lord’s Prayer. We are asking God the Father, not just to keep us free from temptation, but to lead us away from temptation. God knows how much temptation we can handle. He…
Read MoreSpiritual Glasses
The past couple of days I have been focusing on the choice between the world and the Church. For some people, it can be difficult to distinguish between the world and the Church. Temptation is experienced. It is not imagined. What the world uses to tempt us can be so convincing, we are blinded to…
Read MoreOvertaken in Sin
In our constant battle against temptation, every morning we awake is another battle. Last night we prayed for forgiveness. This morning we prayed for another chance to ‘get it right’ in our fight against sin. Some days we make it longer than others without sin. Every day we fall in some way further from Christ…
Read More2023 Daily Lenten Journey – Day 9
When an alcoholic awakes, the first thing he thinks about is his next drink. At the same time, for those alcoholics I know, he understands he doesn’t want to be an alcoholic. He doesn’t want to drink, but most days, the temptation is greater than he can bear. Every day is the same battle, and…
Read MoreDarkness Breeds Evil
When I was growing up, I used to hear the expression, “Nothing good ever happens after midnight.” As a teenager I didn’t agree. I would imagine the freedom of hanging out late at night without anyone watching. I imagined we could do anything we wanted without fear of being caught. What I didn’t understand was…
Read MoreThe Struggle Within
Saint Paul understood it well when he said, “For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do.” (Romans 7.15) We all ‘want’ to follow Christ, but we struggle to put in place those guarantees that would lead…
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