A Strength That Endures
By Laura Gomez
We could have a mind blowing conversion, mid-life reversion, or be a cradle Catholic, but our decision to love Christ with our whole hearts is a daily decision. I thought that as soon as I chose to run back to Jesus and embrace His love into my life, my temptations would never come back and my willingness to resist sin would somehow never weaken.
Truth is, living life with God as the center of our lives is worth it in an unmeasurable way, but as long as we live, the devil never gives up. The joy of finally coming home to Jesus can sometimes be at an all time high, but this spiritual high is somewhat unrealistic if it is not consistently worked on. I’m not sure if anyone told you this while you were singing Hallelujah with your friends at the last conference you went to, but holiness requires HARD WORK.
Sin is a habitual act, usually not a spontaneous decision as sometimes we think of it to be. The devil will tempt our souls slowly and steadily by working on changing our minds to believe those lies as our own. Our spiritual battles happen daily, and our little thoughts and actions of each day add up to the magnitude of what ends up becoming a sinful thought or action on our part. Even after a life changing experience, we may fall again into the same patterns of sin.
The good news is God always prevails. We should never give up because in Him we remain hopeful always. God has the last word of victory, and we can always choose Him while we live and wait eternal glory with Him in Heaven. Our God will not leave us to fight these battles on our own, we have a whole army of angels and saints willing to help us. We simply cannot do it on our own.
Yes, there are some things that seem humanly impossible at times. But God is above everything humanly possible. “Nothing is impossible for God” (Lk 1:37). Let this sink in. Repeat it throughout the day when you realize there is nothing you can do without him who makes all things possible. The beauty in our misery lies in depending solely on Him and being open to Christ living and acting through the Holy Spirit. To allow his grace into our hearts, we need consistent prayer and all of the incredible sacraments God has given us to fully be alive in him and be open to receiving his great gifts.
The armor of God gives us the peace and joy to endure adversity. Like the people of Israel, God ALWAYS saves his people and continues to give them another chance. God never gives up on us and continues to love us and forgive us even if we continue to fall again and again. Cling to your father in heaven who loves you, who waits for you, and can do all things. What joy it is to love and be loved by Him!