Do you have strife in your life? Do you know how to identify it? Most of the time, we are so busy doing the destruction in our lives, the Devil can smile and move on to the next person. In the world we live in, it is very easy to focus on the negative. The humanists have focused their attention on a finely honed message. If you disagree with their political ideology, you are a racist or bigot. If you respond in a Christian manner by pointing out why the decisions they are making are destructive, you are unkind, judgmental, or worse yet, not tolerant. But the tolerance argument is only to be used by them. If you hold a belief that is counter to humanist, you are intolerant. They ignore that they are being intolerant of your opinion. It is a frustrating time to be a Christian in the U.S. Our president is a great example of a humanist who is using his position to advance his ideology. So we have supreme court justices who are also left-learning and intolerant of anything that is grounded in religion. Philippians 4:6 tells us to "pray and ask God for everything you need." Is it really that simple? The short answer is yes. Delving into the subject more deeply, we come to realize that it is about our relationship with God. Jesus came to earth to model what is expected of us. Jesus did not make a move without discussing His plans with God. We can find Jesus at prayer, very publicly, when the big events of the Bible were about to happen. But we must also assume that Jesus was in prayer throughout His life. He urges us over and over again to pray to the Father. He shows us the way. Looking at the life of Jesus, we know that He faced many obstacles. His preaching was very different from what people had been hearing from their leaders. He came to change the way that we live our lives. His message was always about allowing God to work in and through us rather than asking God for frivolous things. So as we revisit the original thought in this post, how are you trying to remove the strife in your life? Maybe the answer is not to remove it but perhaps to use it to make the world a better place. It is difficult to talk about God to other people because we are worried about their reaction to us. We worry that they may not want to be around us. As Christians, why would we want to be around people who make us feel bad about ourselves. It is the primary tool of humanists to shroud their remarks in terms of guilt. They bully us to be quiet or withdraw by putting things into the terms of worldliness. The life of a Christian is tough but the reward is greater. So the strife in your life may be coming from people who are making you feel guilty about your beliefs. Reject that notion and turn the tables on they. Show them that you are confident in your faith and ask God to bless your tongue. Being slow to respond so that you can allow God to use you will create a life of happiness. Your strife will begin to disappear. The Devil will lose his grip on you. Make a resolution to think about God more. Resolve to pay more attention to your relationship with God. Ask those in your faith community to pray for your relationship. Become a warrior for God!
Finding St Anthony Among the Lost Items
Saint Anthony of Padua, though often associated with finding lost articles, was primarily known in his lifetime as a powerful and eloquent preacher. Originally a Canon Regular of St. Augustine, he was inspired to join the newly formed Franciscan order after witnessing the martyrdom of the first Franciscan missionaries in Morocco. His conversion to the mendicant life under St. Francis of Assisi transformed him, deepening his commitment to poverty, humility, and evangelical preaching. Gifted with profound theological knowledge and a captivating speaking style, he traveled across Italy and France, drawing immense crowds with his clear and passionate sermons, converting many and combating heresy with his unwavering faith and intellectual rigor. Beyond his public ministry, St. Anthony was a mystic who enjoyed profound spiritual experiences, most notably a vision of the Infant Jesus. This intimate connection with the Christ Child is a hallmark of his iconography, often depicting him c...
