Tag: Satan

Think There is No Devil?

One of the Secrets to Life is realizing the devil (Satan., Lucifer, etc. etc.) is real. It is hard at work looking for souls and fighting the devil is a must. This isn’t any cute Trick or Treat horned little red devil; it’s the real personification of evil. But the devil doesn’t want to be seen as real. It works best behind the scenes. And one very scary scene is this article. In fact it’s beyond amusing. It’s very scary and a sign of the times.

“Rapper Lil Nas X sparked intense debate online over Palm Sunday weekend with the release of a controversial pair of “Satan Shoes,” which feature a bronze pentagram charm, an inverted cross — and actual human blood.”

I don’t know what else to say. The devil is at work and smiling.

Fight!!!

I Don’t Know What to Say

The horror of knowing that for decades Catholic priests in Pennsylvania physically and mentally abused children and young adults is too much to comprehend. I’m Catholic, and a practicing one at that. I was born in Pittsburgh, lived outside of Philadelphia for a while, and am writing this from the last day of vacation at our family vacation home in Northeast Pennsylvania. I went to Mass yesterday and the homily was a video message on this atrocity by the Bishop of Scranton, Pennsylvania. I haven’t read the 900-page report, yet, but I have read the reporting on it.

I simply don’t know what to say!  I wonder if Jesus knows what to say?

As Christians we are taught not to judge—least we be judged. But I can’t help judging and in my darkest thoughts my mind races what I would do to anyone—priest or otherwise—abusing a child in any way. Yes, I’m judging. I’m not perfect.

No, I won’t stop being a Catholic or going to Mass. That’s too easy. It’s certainly what Satan would like. I’m going to pray, and then pray some more. For the victims. For the Church. For every priest—even those abusers still alive.

I simply don’t know what else to say.

Here is what Pope Francis said in a letter to Catholics around the world—https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2018-08/pope-francis-letter-people-of-god-sexual-abuse.html

Let your light shine today. This dark world needs it!

 

No Cute Little Devil!

Don’t want to get too heavy but in case you don’t know it the “devil” is real. Very real. He/She/It/whatever is not some cute little red-horned creature that pops up on your doorstep trick-or-treating. The devil is all too real!

The doubt you hear whispering in your ear—even now about what I am writing—is the devil. It is great at simply holding you back in your life with doubt; nothing more dramatic than that. However, when the devil gets a hold in your life with anger, jealousy, and worse, it can lead you down a very bad, and even destructive, path.

The devil doesn’t want any overt recognition. It works best behind the scenes, nudging, pushing, and cajoling you down dead ends and, at worse, off cliffs in your life.

I don’t obsess about the devil in my life, and how the devil “demons” in almost every aspect of my life try to steer me down dead ends. I’m simply aware those demons exist and talk them down on at least a daily basis. Understanding that the devil exists, where the demons are in your life, is a key step in winning the battle. And it is a battle! 

Of course, the closer you are to God—Father, Son, and Spirit—the farther away the devil will be. But it always finds a way, like water seeping into the smallest basement hole, to find those “holes” in your life.

Discipline yourselves, keep alert. Like a roaring lion your adversary the devil prowls around, looking for someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8

Don’t freak out about the devil. Don’t obsess. Just be aware. And move as close as you can to God. It’s really that simple! It’s why one of my Secrets to Life is FIGHT the devil at every turn in your life.

Enjoy the rest of a beautiful weekend!

BELIEVE Like Job!

All your possessions get wiped out. Your children are killed. You are afflicted with the most hideous sores. Your friends not only offer no support but they blame you for everything that has happened to you. Can’t get any worse! So, what does Job do. He BELIEVEs! Continue reading “BELIEVE Like Job!”

Get Over It: The Devil is Real. Now, Get On With Life!

I know that most people don’t want to talk about the devil. They would rather relegate Satan to horror movies. But he is very real and very active in the world. We just need to be aware of that and then get on with life. A life walking towards God; not the other direction to the devil. Continue reading “Get Over It: The Devil is Real. Now, Get On With Life!”

No, the Devil Didn’t Make You Do It!

The devil doesn’t make you do anything. The devil can’t make you do anything. What the devil does is whisper negatives in your ear and suggestions of what to do. You are the one with God-given free will. You make you do it. The devil just whispers and, when you start listening, he even shouts. Continue reading “No, the Devil Didn’t Make You Do It!”

The Devil Tries to Throw You Off Your Path

You have a path to God. It’s that road less traveled that, regardless of what life presents, leads to God. The devil tries his best to throw you off that path. He whispers in your ear anything that will make you doubt your direction in life. He’s great at telling you to turn right or left when the path leads straight ahead. His reason for being is to keep you from God. That’s because he knows that only with God will you be truly happy. Your unhappiness is his goal. Continue reading “The Devil Tries to Throw You Off Your Path”

Get Real—The Devil is for Real!

I don’t live life obsessed with the devil. But I also don’t live it ignoring, or not believing, that the devil is for real. Open your eyes and see that evil is across the globe, a daily reality of life. And those whispers in your ear, especially the ones of doubt telling what you can’t do, are not from God. Get over it—the devil is real, alive in the world. Deal with it by acknowledging the reality and staying close to God, listening for/to him. Continue reading “Get Real—The Devil is for Real!”

The Power of Negative Thinking

Positive thinking has a lot of power. That’s because God wants you thinking positively. Nothing—and I mean NOTHING—negative comes from God. However, negative thinking has even more power. That’s because it grows like a cancer, starting out as a small negative thought and, in the extreme, ending up being all-consuming. Am I saying something is more powerful than God? Continue reading “The Power of Negative Thinking”

What’s Your Life Purpose?

We all have a purpose in life. It’s a God-given purpose. No matter how seemingly insignificant or earth-moving the world may deem that purpose, God deems your purpose to be special and unique. You’re not a puppet on God’s strings fulfilling that purpose. You have total free will in living your life. But there’s a road for you that is one of a kind and untraveled. Continue reading “What’s Your Life Purpose?”

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