Beware of the Enemy's Schemes (part 4 of 4)

These 3 schemes of the enemy, Self-centeredness, Separation of parents, and Sex Education in Schools are destroying the foundations of the family structure in the society. There are more threats out there, but I'm just highlighting these three in my reflection.  When people become self-centered they are not willing to sacrifice, but only seek to satisfy one's interest.  When parents separate, the child will seek security in some other avenues and it is usually a negative source of affirmation. With sex education in schools, children are subject to be exposed prematurely to information that their parents could have communicated in an environment of love and concern.

We combat these 3 schemes with 3 S's as well.  First is that we have to be steadfast in prayer. "With all prayer and supplication, pray at every opportunity in the Spirit (Ephesians 6:18)."  There is nothing like the power of prayer.  There are many things beyond our control, but with God on our side surely we will rise victorious.  Many people who fight for righteousness become so engrossed in what they are doing that there is a big tendency in becoming too tired to pray. St. Paul exhorts us to pray at every opportunity. In Joshua 1:8 God advices Joshua, "Keep this book of the law on your lips. Recite it by day and by night, that you may observe carefully all that is written in it; then you will successfully attain your goal." With prayer first and foremost, God will be ahead of us in our battles.  He will reveal to us the schemes of the enemy and He will give us wisdom to deal with them.

The second "S" to help us overcome the enemy's schemes is to be strong in the Lord. Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power (Ephesians 6:10).  We will be strong if we SUIT UP! "Therefore, put on the armor of God, that you may be able to resist on the evil day... (Ephesians 6:13)." We put on the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, our ready boots, shield of faith, helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit which is God's word. When we listen to the radio, specially to commentators, most of them have anti-life views and they try to convince their listeners about their opinions.  If we do not know the truth in the Lord, we will be easily swayed to their reasoning. It is our duty as well to seek for the truth.  And in this search, we will be well equipped and our convictions will be stronger.  We also have to build ourselves up to be able to put on the FULL armor of God, for if we lack one, it will be the avenue for the devil to scheme us.

Lastly, stand on your ground, be firm in the Lord "...stand firm against the tactics of the devil (Eph. 6:11)."  We have to fight the good fight of faith.  We cannot just remain in reflection mode and let evil create havoc on our society, specially on our family.  We have to be vigilant in bringing Christ to families so that God will be at the center of all our lives. Let us not allow the evil one to scheme families into believing that there is no God and just base their lives in their financial success or in the misery of their poverty.  We need to engage in enriching the lives of couples, so that their children will be secured in love and guidance. We have to stand firm against media influences, specially celebrities, that portray that separation is the better option because neither is unwilling to change.  We have to fight anti-life schemers from getting into the schools and negatively influencing our kids that population is the cause of poverty and not our greed.

In our battle against evil by exposing the enemy's schemes and revealing God's truth, we must take heed in Jesus' advice, "I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves (Matthew 10:16)." We also have to be strategic in our actions.  Many of us instead of bringing people to our side, turn off others. One advice I heard from a speaker on parenting was that, "We have to first explain the facts, then the moral guidelines, and cap it with valid reasons."

Let us then put on the full armor of God, to protect us from the schemes of the enemy and to fight the good fight of faith!

Beware of the Enemy's Schemes (part 3 of 4)

The third scheme of the enemy that affects this new generation is Sex Education in schools.  A speaker from Human Life International described it as one of the unholy trinity, besides birth control and abortion.  In today's society there is a wrong depiction of sex.  You can see it everywhere, in the magazines, ads, movies, comedy shows, and MTV. Sex is depicted as something that merely gives you pleasure to respond to the prompting of the flesh.  While morally, sex should be in the bounds of marriage, and is a gift to the spouse with the intent of procreation. Sex before marriage is done to self satisfy the urges of the flesh because of a lack of self-control and a lack of respect for the gift.  Sex education in schools would teach kids to put a condom on a banana. This gives due permission to promiscuity in having premarital sex.  In sex education in schools, sex is prematurely depicted and overly expressed.  The value of modesty is sacrificed.  Parents should be the primary formators of their children.  The bodily changes that a teen is going through and the urges that they feel can simply be explained by the parents with much love and trust. Parents are to guide their children to reserve themselves for marriage and practice modesty both in their fashion and actions.  I heard from a talk on parenting that, "Parents must reclaim their right to teach their children about sex. It is an essential, original, and irreplaceable role."  
Sex education will give way to abortion, contraceptives, and the rest of the elements of the culture of death. Sex education is the enemy's scheme to prevent life, and even blame life as the reason of poverty in the country.  What we need is chastity education, based on pro-life values promoted by the church.  At the end of the day, it is the parents' role to instill in their kids much love, affirmation, and trust, so the children are able to resist the wrong influences of the anti-life forces that surround them.

Beware of the Enemy's Schemes (part 2 of 4)

The second "S" is the separation of parents or break up of families. According to one speaker I heard last week, she said that "from the child's logic, they will think that if parents love them they will not split up."  Separation causes emotional wounds specially on children.  Here are some key statistics: 40% of marriage ended up in divorce in USA in 2008; 50% percent of first marriages; 67% of second and 74% of third marriages end in divorce (according to Jennifer Baker of the Forest Institute of Professional Psychology in Springfield, Missouri.)  Statistically speaking, there is no success pattern for divorce, because those who do get a second or a third husband/wife coming from a divorce actually get worse in their next relationships.  The "option" to separate gives the individual almost no reason to "die to one's self" or change their own attitudes and behaviors for the sake of his/her spouse.
For those married, let us honor God's blessing upon the holy union and keep our promise of "til death do us part." For those who are single, keep pure your relationships. In this way, you are able to practice self-control and not give in to self-satisfaction.  Later on in marriage, the respect and love that you have preserved will prove as a strong foundation for your future family.

Continue to part 3...

Beware of the Enemy's Schemes (part 1 of 4)

Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. Ephesians 6:11

There are many schemes of the devil today.  I can identify 3 that greatly affects the way a generation thinks.  These are 3S's or 3 schemes.  First is Self-Centeredness.  In the Catholic Family Handbook, it says "Only two courses are open to your child, he will either be God-centered or self-centered." There is great urgency to teach parents to be true pastors in their own home.  I heard from a speaker in a teaching that "parents must be able to present God to their children and present their children to God."  To be able to present God to our children or to other people, we have to let them see God through our actions. How can you teach your child to know God? First, by inspiring him to love and serve God by your own daily actions. (The Catholic Family Handbook).  In presenting our children to God, we hope that what we would have taught them and trained them enough that we are able to say, "Lord, here is my child."  Self-centeredness also draws from the threats of materialism which is promoted through clever and entertaining advertisments on the internet, TV, and print.  These ads influence our spending pattern and even our social stature, that we are often swayed from the spiritual to the material, from the eternal to the temporal. Some even measure their worth in the possessions they have.  Let us be aware of the devil's schemes to be self-centered.  Let us always strive to be God-centered.

...continue to part 2

Resting In the Lord

Yesterday, I slept from 5pm to 7am the next day. When I woke up, I was disoriented of the time. Was I that physically tired? I guess so, yesterday I was starting to feel my tonsils swell and I knew my body wasn't in top condition.

Rest. Our bodies need it, and so does our souls.

Psalm 62
¹ Truly my soul finds rest in God;
my salvation comes from him.
² Truly he is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.

While we may use our bodies for active work, our minds for thinking and decision making, our souls we use to find meaning in what we do and in where we are. Without the strength of soul, our bodies and minds will not be motivated. Without our souls, we are mechanized humans, like robots going about our daily tasks for compliance. Our souls feed us our passion, and without the spirit being nourished or rested in the Lord we cannot be effective as a person.

“My soul is restless until it rests in Thee my God.” St. Augustine

Another view is about our souls being restless. Always in active search for true happiness. St. Augustine couldn't have said it any better. In today's day and age, we are faced with many lures of false happiness. We can be lured by materialism, making us believe that the latest gadgets, clothing, or more money can make us happy. We can be swayed by recognition, where we work hard for applause and approval. Even with false new age practices which tries to conform our worldly needs to our spiritual needs. But at the end of it all, our restless souls can only find rest in God alone.

At least once a year, it is good to take time to nourish our souls through a spiritual retreat. We are provided with holidays or "holy"days so we can exactly do this. These are the seasons of the Holy Week or the All Souls and All Saints day and even our Christmas breaks. Instead of just thinking of a fun outing, we can truly use these days for the Lord to feed our souls and fill us with His mighty presence.

Viewing Life With 3D

One of my favorite bonding time with my 3 year old son, Sev, is movie time. It's a sort of a thing between us both, almost sacred. Today we watched Megamind. But I'm not going to talk about the cartoon, I might spoil it for many of you out there. But it's really funny.

Whenever we go out for a movie, we always end up watching the 3d version. It's weird 'coz none of the 3d glasses ever fit Sev. They are always too big for him. So, he ends up not wearing the 3d glasses, but still manages to enjoy the movie along with his cheese flavored popcorn. While I on the other hand get to see the movie in 3d and enjoy it with all it's multidimensional glory.

How do we view our present life situation? Are we viewing it in 3D? These 3d's can help us understand our own lives better...

Discernment, Decision, and Direction

Viewing life with discernment, that is discerning what God's will is for us, is of utmost importance. Much of discernment happens in prayer. Our alone time with the Lord, gives us a sense of His presence. We are prompted to His peace. Discernment is not an easy process, specially when at a crossroad in our life. We have to be patient, we have to wait upon the Lord. He often brings us to situations and people where we can realize His plan and be affirmed of our prayers. This is what the LORD says: “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls (Jer. 6:16).

After discernment, we make a decision. A decision that pleases the Lord. Many of us, cannot easily decide. Even if the call is already loud and clear. There are a lot of factors: fear, disappointing people, and change of lifestyle among others. But Peter, stepped out of the boat despite his fear, because the Lord had said so.

But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.” “Come,” he said.Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. (Mt.14:27-29)

Upon making our decisions, we head towards the direction God wants us to take. Some make a decision, but forget to move forward. The vision for us must be clear. If not, we go back to discerning and deciding. In the course of our lives, we get caught up in whatever falls on our laps, and we easily dive into these things. We get busy in many things that do not concern our discernment and decision, that we lose sight of our direction. If this happens, then it's time for us to get out of the forest and climb that hill and see where we came from and where we're supposed to go.

We might see life in only one dimension. But God sees all it's dimensions, to the littlest of details. He knows what will make us truly happy. Let us therefore discern His will, decide to please Him, and be directed towards the mission He has set for us.

When God Appoints, He Anoints

One interesting management insight that I heard from a brother in community is the Peter Principle. It states, "in a hierarchy every employee tends to rise to their level of incompetence." This principle, which was formulated by Dr. Laurence J. Peter and Raymond Hull, explains that "in a hierarchy, members are promoted so long as they work competently. Sooner or later they are promoted to a position at which they are no longer competent (their "level of incompetence"), and there they remain, being unable to earn further promotions (Wikipedia).

But in Christian life, it's different. We see another Peter, St. Peter, who became the Church's first Pope, who rose in the 'heirarchy', even though he only had 'fisherman' as a background. He did not necessarily have the skill set, like the scholars did to lead a group of believers. But Christ equipped him with His wisdom and by the power of the Holy Spirit.

So, everytime we are brought to a 'level of incompetence' specially in service, let us think about St. Peter, whose humility and full trust in the Lord made his leadership "the rock" which the Christian Church is built upon.

And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it (Matthew 16:18 ).

I have heard once that, when God appoints, He anoints.