Our lives are filled with temptations that are opposed to the wish of God. The most common temptations being Money and Greed, Corruption, Power, Gossip, Lies, Pride, Envy, Anger, Gluttony and Sloth.
Temptation is something that entices us to act against reason and the commandments of God. They come in different forms and leads to different kinds of sin, some as small and seemingly harmless as gossiping or something more grave and atrocious.
In all these situations, we have the choice of either succumbing to temptation or resisting it. Fighting temptations is an everyday part of our lives as Christians. Daily, there is an ongoing battle between our spiritual nature, and our human nature which is weak and vulnerable to sin. Unfortunately, it is not always easy to stand fast in our faith and overcome temptation.
Some temptations are easier to overcome than others and we often hear people use the phrase, “I am only human and humans are bound to sin” in order to justify falling into temptation. But is this a valid argument?
The gift of free will which God gave us enables us to make choices that will either bring us lasting peace or destruction. As Christians, we are caught in the middle of a spiritual battle for our souls.
The spiritual aspect of everything in life and every choice we make prepares us for our life in eternity. By choosing the righteous path, we grow in wisdom and build our faith. This makes us more confident when going through life’s difficulties.
On the other hand, when we give in to temptation, we isolate ourselves from God and our fellow Christians. We become filled with guilt and are unable to reconcile our spiritual and righteous side with our human side.
In our struggle to resist temptation, first, we need to realize that we are sinful and in need of God’s grace in order to be redeemed from the clutches of temptation.
Secondly, we must rely on God’s Word as our beacon of light for navigating through today’s world. By reading and reflecting over the Bible and finding practical applications for what we learn. There are also many devotional and spiritual books that can help supplement our Bible readings as positive influences for making decisions and confronting your struggles.
Fighting temptations is a daily struggle and there will be times when we will fall. Instead of wallowing in despair, we need to immediately repent and go to confession. We need to be sincere when we go to confession, ask for guidance from our parish.
We live in a world that has increasingly blurred the lines between what is right and wrong. It’s no longer as easy to tell apart good from evil. However, we must take comfort in the fact that God is faithful and will never abandon us.
He will always offer us a way out of any predicament no matter how serious.
I have been thinking a great deal about my experience at Reconciliation this past Saturday. I felt an intense and unexplainable urge to go and confess my sins when I woke up that morning. I try to go every six weeks or so, but this was no routine visit to the priest for me. I needed to unburden myself of the numerous venial sins I had committed since I last participated in this Sacrament.
Purest Gold: God's Refining Fire in our Lives »
After salvation, many young Christians wonder if there's anything more to their newfound faith than just the security blanket of "being a Christian." Time and time again, God shows himself as a "refiner," and our lives are as gold. God started leading me in this study to understand what He was doing in my life, as well as in the lives of others.
Picking up my pen to write this column, I couldn’t imagine how time flies. Since the last publication of this column I have gone through a lot, especially the loss of my dear mother to whom I dedicate this article. Not only her, but seems I lost a whole generation of my close family.
How to Achieve Business Excellence »
“Do you see a man who excels in his work? He will stand before Kings; He will not stand before unknown men.” Proverbs 22:29
Spiritual Development for our Youth »
Most of us youth in today's fast moving world are easily thrown off by difficulties and worries.
The theme of conversion is a thread that runs all through Lent, but conversion takes on different aspects throughout the phases of Lent. The first two and a half weeks focused on the interior turning of hearts; the liturgy urges the faithful to reflect and examine consciences thoroughly.
Saint Josephine Bakhita »
Feast Day: February 8
Patron Saint Of: Sudan
Saint Josephine Margaret Bakhita was born around 1869 in the village of Olgossa in the Darfur region of Sudan. She was a member of the Daju people and her uncle was a tribal chief. Due to her family lineage, she grew up happy and relatively prosperous, saying that as a child, she did not know suffering.
Catholics Must Fast More Intensely This Lent»
The Norbertine Canons of St. Michael's Abbey have created this digital Lenten retreat so that you can journey through this holy season alongside them. If you want to have one of your best Lenten seasons yet, join us in our Lenten Program "The Great Fast" - https://theabbotscircle.com/the-great-fast-join
When Your Faith Is Put to the Test - Bishop Barron's Sunday Sermon»
Friends, we come now to the Second Sunday of Lent, and we’re on both dangerous and very holy ground with the first reading from the twenty-second chapter of Genesis. The ancient Israelites referred to it as the “Akedah,” which means the “binding”: Abraham binds and is ready to sacrifice Isaac at God’s command.
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