I was recently involved in two weekend retreats for Nativity church and the final message to retreatants was the same at both: guard your heart.
Whenever we experience inner healing, breakthroughs and profound insights into our lives that can help us grow; impacting our spiritual journeys in a significant and positive manner, the enemy is always waiting to snatch the truth away from our hearts.
Anything that brings us closer to Jesus is taken away, if we are not careful, and we quickly revert to old ways of thinking and acting. The devil likes us lukewarm in our convictions, stagnant in our spiritual lives and not very committed in our relationship with Jesus.
One of the oldest tricks in the book is to keep us believing in the lie I am not good enough and therefore let someone better than me do something for God, I better stay out of it and do nothing. This is where we are often attacked.
I cannot believe how rapidly the joy and elation I felt last Sunday afternoon dissolved into tears that evening when I came face to face with a barrage of lies hurled at me in a phone conversation. I doubted my own goodness and I questioned the value of my participating in ministry. What's the point when I am such an ineffectual and useless human being?
Often we emerge from the highs of a retreat, ready to do battle, only to face our lives where nothing has changed. The people who can hurt us the most do continue to hurt us. If we do not hold onto the truths and divine revelations we received, we will lose hope quickly, our enthusiasm fizzles, and like the disciples after the crucifixion of Jesus, we will walk away, go back to our old lives, beaten and discouraged.
We forget all too easily the resurrection, the salient fact that we are already living in God's kingdom as free men and women. We have been redeemed and every day Jesus wants to show us just how much He loves each of us in unique and personal ways. How much more grateful and happy should we be? Life is to be celebrated and cherished. Our joy is to be shared with others.
Of course our challenges and difficulties do not disappear, neither do our weaknesses, our sinfulness, but our secret weapon is the gift of faith, the size of a mustard seed, which through a persevering and ever-evolving prayer life grows into a huge tree, bringing shelter and life to many.
So exercise the gift of faith: keep believing, keep praying and keep loving yourself and others. The truth is I will never be good enough but His grace is more than sufficient for me. The Lord can use me to move others powerfully, if I let Him. Say yes.
At the recent retreat, we talked about lies told to us as women and how one of the best ways to combat the lies is to know who you are and be centred in your identity. I cannot over-emphasize the importance of this. This, for me, is one of the key ways I guard my heart.
Knowing who I am in God's eyes, His beloved daughter, a radiant Bride of Christ, a beautiful, empowered woman with unique gifts and talents, has gone a long way in helping me build my self-esteem and self-worth. I am no longer as fearful or fussed by what others think of me, as long as I am right by God.
Sometimes my world does get rocked, as it was Sunday evening, but prayer brings clarity and inner peace. The lies shatter in the light of God's love, and the little bits of truth embedded in the lies* help me reflect and aspire to be a better person, grinding away the snarls and jagged edges of my imperfect personality.
Ranked in importance to identity in guarding my heart is knowing my vocation. To know who and what I was created to be helps me live meaningfully and intentionally. When I do my best to live the dream (His plan and purpose for me), I wake up with a strong sense of purpose, and I end my day in tired satisfaction. It can get a bit manic at times, juggling so many balls in the air, and it may not be the easiest course of action in life (it can be humbling and downright painful at times), but letting Jesus steer my course has blessed me abundantly, and blessed others.
If you are still in the process of discerning your vocation, there is one vocation we all share as Christians regardless of our personal gifts and talents and that is to love and serve others in everything we do. We can contribute to building the Father's kingdom wherever we are, broken as we are. It just takes our will to seek God and be His hands and feet.
Every retreat we attend helps us see the face of God clearly, know Jesus, His Son, in greater love and intimacy, and feel His awesome presence in our lives through the Holy Spirit. We get to uncover the lies in our lives and to live the truths with greater resonance and integrity. Make every retreat count. Let it be living bread for the journey as you continue to walk closer with Jesus. Stay close to the source through prayer (thanks to K who inspired me to turn more to our Mother and pray the rosary more regularly), work on your issues and guard your heart from deceptions, lies, and worldly temptations.
* The most powerful lies are half truths where within the lie is a kernel of truth which could either be personal blind spots that cause us to stumble, especially when we deny them, or cause us to completely believe the lie.
Whenever we experience inner healing, breakthroughs and profound insights into our lives that can help us grow; impacting our spiritual journeys in a significant and positive manner, the enemy is always waiting to snatch the truth away from our hearts.
Anything that brings us closer to Jesus is taken away, if we are not careful, and we quickly revert to old ways of thinking and acting. The devil likes us lukewarm in our convictions, stagnant in our spiritual lives and not very committed in our relationship with Jesus.
One of the oldest tricks in the book is to keep us believing in the lie I am not good enough and therefore let someone better than me do something for God, I better stay out of it and do nothing. This is where we are often attacked.
I cannot believe how rapidly the joy and elation I felt last Sunday afternoon dissolved into tears that evening when I came face to face with a barrage of lies hurled at me in a phone conversation. I doubted my own goodness and I questioned the value of my participating in ministry. What's the point when I am such an ineffectual and useless human being?
Often we emerge from the highs of a retreat, ready to do battle, only to face our lives where nothing has changed. The people who can hurt us the most do continue to hurt us. If we do not hold onto the truths and divine revelations we received, we will lose hope quickly, our enthusiasm fizzles, and like the disciples after the crucifixion of Jesus, we will walk away, go back to our old lives, beaten and discouraged.
We forget all too easily the resurrection, the salient fact that we are already living in God's kingdom as free men and women. We have been redeemed and every day Jesus wants to show us just how much He loves each of us in unique and personal ways. How much more grateful and happy should we be? Life is to be celebrated and cherished. Our joy is to be shared with others.
Of course our challenges and difficulties do not disappear, neither do our weaknesses, our sinfulness, but our secret weapon is the gift of faith, the size of a mustard seed, which through a persevering and ever-evolving prayer life grows into a huge tree, bringing shelter and life to many.
So exercise the gift of faith: keep believing, keep praying and keep loving yourself and others. The truth is I will never be good enough but His grace is more than sufficient for me. The Lord can use me to move others powerfully, if I let Him. Say yes.
At the recent retreat, we talked about lies told to us as women and how one of the best ways to combat the lies is to know who you are and be centred in your identity. I cannot over-emphasize the importance of this. This, for me, is one of the key ways I guard my heart.
Knowing who I am in God's eyes, His beloved daughter, a radiant Bride of Christ, a beautiful, empowered woman with unique gifts and talents, has gone a long way in helping me build my self-esteem and self-worth. I am no longer as fearful or fussed by what others think of me, as long as I am right by God.
Sometimes my world does get rocked, as it was Sunday evening, but prayer brings clarity and inner peace. The lies shatter in the light of God's love, and the little bits of truth embedded in the lies* help me reflect and aspire to be a better person, grinding away the snarls and jagged edges of my imperfect personality.
Ranked in importance to identity in guarding my heart is knowing my vocation. To know who and what I was created to be helps me live meaningfully and intentionally. When I do my best to live the dream (His plan and purpose for me), I wake up with a strong sense of purpose, and I end my day in tired satisfaction. It can get a bit manic at times, juggling so many balls in the air, and it may not be the easiest course of action in life (it can be humbling and downright painful at times), but letting Jesus steer my course has blessed me abundantly, and blessed others.
If you are still in the process of discerning your vocation, there is one vocation we all share as Christians regardless of our personal gifts and talents and that is to love and serve others in everything we do. We can contribute to building the Father's kingdom wherever we are, broken as we are. It just takes our will to seek God and be His hands and feet.
Every retreat we attend helps us see the face of God clearly, know Jesus, His Son, in greater love and intimacy, and feel His awesome presence in our lives through the Holy Spirit. We get to uncover the lies in our lives and to live the truths with greater resonance and integrity. Make every retreat count. Let it be living bread for the journey as you continue to walk closer with Jesus. Stay close to the source through prayer (thanks to K who inspired me to turn more to our Mother and pray the rosary more regularly), work on your issues and guard your heart from deceptions, lies, and worldly temptations.
* The most powerful lies are half truths where within the lie is a kernel of truth which could either be personal blind spots that cause us to stumble, especially when we deny them, or cause us to completely believe the lie.
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