Stillness of the Night

In the stillness of the night
As I lay in bed and try to sleep
I remember how I blew the fight
And all Your commands I didn’t keep

I tried, O God, I tried
To strengthen my soul against the dark
I felt so confident that I would abide…
But when temptation came, I had missed Your mark

But then as I slept that night
You came to me in a dream
You said to me, “Try as you may, try as you might,
You will fail, despite what it may seem,

It is not your job to see you through,
It is not your job to feel strong
I just want one thing for you to do:
Give Me what you tried to do all along”

So that morning as I awoke
And I knew my sleep was worth its while
For as I remembered the words that You spoke
I gave to You my temptions and my trials

I finally admitted I was too weak
To face the day without making a mistake
So to You I lay my life so meek
And I asked You that me You would not forsake

Day by day you guide me on
And my strength I get from You alone
All my battles have been won
For in Your strength I have been sewn

by Geoff Lemke
Used with Permission

Fighting fear.

"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." 

-John 14: 27

 

As I was browsing the internet today, I came across a  an article, "Let's Stop Scaring Ourselves" by Michael Crichton. Funny because he wrote Jurassic Park and some other "scary" book.

Apparently fear abounds in the world today, but as Christians we are to be freed from the bondage's of the fear that drives unbelievers. In fact, we can be free to share with unbelievers the freedom of Jesus, whether they threaten us or not. Paul said to live is Christ and to die is gain. Either way, as Christians we win! So what is there to fear really but fear itself.

Fill in the blank here: the opposite of love is? What did you answer? Did you answer hate?

If you answered hate, you'd be wrong. The opposite of love is fear not hate, although hate is a part of fear. The opposite of faith is fear also. If we have fear our faith and love are greatly lacking. You see God gives us the love we have. It doesn't just manifest out of nowhere, God is infusing us with His love in order that we might love others as an extension of His love and grace. 

When we fear, we are playing right into the devil's hands. He wants us afraid and focused on anything but the love and grace of God.God does not want us to live our lives stricken with fear because then we are not living in faith. Fear affects us in so many ways, including physically. Fear begins when we buy into the lie. That's what the enemy wants - for us to buy into the lie.

I don't know what is going on in each of your lives as you sit and read this today but I can tell you what I've gone through recently. It rather tickles me when people tell me when people use ones past as a reason to pull you down and hinder your present. Well, I recently have grown a bit tired and yes, a bit frustrated. I've never been a patient person. Positionally I'm in a great place but the waiting is agony! I got rather down.When I get like that, I've learned to always go to my knees. What comes after is the "wrestle" in prayer- wanting to understand, wanting to fulfill God's purpose in my life.. NOW, lol! He just pats me on the head in His loving way and says, "Kid, just wait upon Me. My timing is perfect. Don't fret, don't fear."

Jesus said, "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me." John 14: 1, NIV.

When we fear brethren, it will result in our disobedience to God. God wants us to step out in faith and He will give the victory unto us for the glory of His name. If we don't take that step though, we are not obeying Him. Our fear is hindering us which means that the paralysis of fear is equal to unbelief, not trusting God to fulfill His promises and that my dear brothers and sisters in Christ is sin.

Fear can lead us down a road of compromise, not allowing God to work in our lives. We can imagine all sorts of things going wrong, fear starts to reside, and then our imaginations run rampant causing ultimately our disobedience to God, resulting in sin. 

But how do we face our fears??

We face our fears by seeking the Savior, Jesus. "You will keep in perfect peace him who mind is steadfast, because he trusts you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord, is the Rock eternal."-Isaiah 26: 3 - 4.

We fight fear with fear. Huh? We fight this earthly fear with the fear of God.

Remember the fear of the Lord leads to life. The Bible tells us that the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord. If you've ever read through the Book of Proverbs you'll see this constantly stated. Does it mean to tremble and go ill with fear? No, absolutely not. The word fear here means, to stand in awe of, in reverential respect and awe of our God. To know that He is in control of all things. If we die, we are with Him, if we live we are living out our lives for His good will and purpose.

Like our pastor said this morning, we know the end of the movie. God gave us the final chapter in human history. We know how this world ends. We have nothing to fear if we are His. Jesus said, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." Jesus IS the truth and He IS the way. He IS eternal life. Satan is ever prosecuting us to God but because of the blood of Jesus, we can stand without fear of the eternal judgement of God. God provided us the way to eternal life with Him through His Son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus.

We need not fear if we've recognized our need for a Savior, repented of our sin and relinquished our lives to Him. We don't need to stay in fear. Fall back on the truths of Jesus, and know that He dealt with death and sin on the cross at Calvary over 2000 years ago. 

Are you facing fear today? Perhaps you are afraid of losing your job, of developing cancer or being left by your spouse. At times all of us experience fear. But don't allow fear to keep you from being used by God. He has kept you thus far; trust Him for the rest of the way. 

No fear.

Investing your money in God’s Kingdom – Experiencing the joy of giving.

Obedience, along with faith and trust is the essential ingredient of Christian living. Jesus says, “Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.” -John 14:21

We know that Jesus gave us many commands to help us live holy lives. All the commands direct us toward God and toward neighbor. One such command is found in Luke 6:38 where Jesus says, “Give and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

Now this particular command Jesus does not specify what we are to give, but when we give, it promises that it will be returned to us in a cup that is running over. Personally, I am glad Jesus does not specify exactly what we are to give because this works to our advantage. Here is how. Anything we give is multiplied and returned back to us. If we give our money, money is multiplied. If we give our time, our time is multiplied. If we give our talents, our talents are multiplied. If we give our love, love within us is multiplied so we have an ever greater capacity to love. I have been blessed to have been given an opportunity in the last few years to give of all the four: Money, Time, Talent and Love. But the one that I have been giving the longest is money, so I want to talk about that.

I started to give a tenth of my income to God’s work seven years ago at a time I was in a severe financial crisis. I was debt ridden. I had no savings and owned no property. On top of this I had financial obligations that had to be paid out in US dollars. The first few months of tithing were very hard. I was tempted often to stop or reduce the percentage. A tenth of my salary amounted to a healthy sum. I would be tempted to visualize all the ways in which I could spend that 10% to alleviate my financial situation. But I resisted the temptation I faithfully gave: a portion to the church where I received my sacraments, a portion to my prayer group that was helping me grow spiritually, a portion to missions abroad, and a portion for spontaneous charity towards individuals I knew were in need.

In these seven years of faithful giving of a tenth of my income, I can testify that God has been faithful to his promises, in both, Malachi 3:10-12  which says “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it. I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe,” and also Luke 6:38 “Give and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

Since I came to Dubai in 2004, I have never been without a job except once for a brief period six months during which time God provided for all my needs. My income has steadily increased and my lifestyle has improved along with it. I have never had a health problem except for an occasional cold or flu and an intermittent backache which is more than manageable. And because God knew I could not manage my finances, two years ago He brought into my life a life partner, who unlike me, is excellent at managing finances. She put my financial house in order in no time and supported my practice of tithing. I also experienced a complete sense of financial security which comes from knowing that a portion of my income was regularly supporting God’s work here on earth. If my income is affected, God’s work is affected. It is in God’s interest to help me maintain my income.

Let’s just say for instance that I am sponsoring a seminarian for priesthood or paying fees for a disabled person to stay in a care home. If I lose my income, God has to find an alternate means to take care of them. And this world, there is shortage of givers. So the more I invest in God’s work, the more secure my income.

Now these are only the material benefits of tithing. There are others benefits as well. God has made it easier for me to trust in Him for my provisions. I feel less attached to money or possessions than I used to before I began to tithe. It is easier for me to give. The grip on money and material possessions has been loosened. I worry less about these things which gives me more peace. But even more importantly are the benefits I am accruing in heaven. For every penny that I give to God, he is crediting to my account with a hundred fold interest in heaven, where “neither moth destroys nor thieves break in and steal”- Matthew 6:19-21
 
Now you might say that all of this sounds very selfish and business like. I give just so I may receive even more. In some ways, it is that. But over time my attitude towards giving has changed. I no longer give because I will receive a hundred fold in return. I now give simply out of love for Jesus, because it gives me immense joy to please him and to obey his commands. Initially, I started giving for ME, but I now I give for Jesus. Even if he did not bless me (which would not happen as He will not go against His word), I will still continue to give because of the joy it brings me.

If you are struggling financially, especially if you have a job but you find that your money simply vanishes at the end of the month, start giving to God and see the miracle. If you are doing well financially but find yourself unhappy or unable to put that wealth to good use, start giving some of it back to God (it all belongs to Him in the first place) and see the miracles that will take place in your life. He will bless you in both cash and kind. Both in this world and the world to come.  







Jaime DeMelo
HSI Media

The Importance of Family Prayer

Matthew 18:20 Jesus says “For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.”

The importance of family prayer was taught by Our Lord himself.  What a pleasing sight it must be to God, therefore, to see the family unit - Father, Mother & Children which He ordained, gathered together as one to worship Him.

God our Father wants us to have strong, loving, tight knit families and he has given us a way to achieve it: family prayer. All of us, single or married, whatever age we are, are eternally part of some family and much of our joy in life comes as we recognize and properly develop those family relationships with our close family as well our extended family. There is real power in family prayer. Without doubt families can be brought together and can help and strengthen one another through family prayer.

We come to this earth charged with a mission: to learn to love and serve one another. To best help us accomplish this, God has placed us in families, as we learn to love, serve and sacrifice at home- after all charity begins at home. Home is our first classroom, our learning ground for life where we need to learn to overcome selfishness, pride and to sacrifice for others beginning with our family, to make the Fruit of the Holy spirit the very essence of our character. This is all possible when we all pray together as one family.

Friends and neighbors come and go but family is forever, and as we learn this, we find that we are eternally our brother’s keeper! The bonds that develop when a family meaningfully prays for each other, with each other together can never be developed through any other means. We should thus praise and thank God for the opportunity of family prayer.

CCC 2685 states: The Christian family is the first place of education in prayer. Based on the sacrament of marriage, the family is the "domestic church" where God's children learn to pray "as the Church" and to persevere in prayer. For young children in particular, daily family prayer is the first witness of the Church's living memory as awakened patiently by the Holy Spirit.

This is precisely why the Church has always and continually promoted family and prayer and even dedicated the year of 2009 as the Year of the Family.

Pope Benedict XVI himself says “ Prayer itself, born in Catholic families, nurtured by programs of Christian formation , strengthened by the grace of the sacraments, is the first means by which we come to know the Lord’s will for our lives. To the extent that we teach young people to pray, and to pray well, we will be cooperating with God’s call. Programs, plans and projects have their place; but the discernment of a vocation is above all the fruit of an intimate dialogue between the Lord and his disciples. Young people, if they know how to pray, can be trusted to know what to do with God’s call."

Blessed Mother Teresa said it is necessary that families pray all together - father, mother and children. For the family that prays together stays together, and if they stay together they will love one another as Jesus loves each one of them. The presence of Jesus is a source of blessing to the home where parents and children unite to offer up prayer in common. The spirit of piety which this custom develops sanctifies the bonds of family love. 

There are various methods of family prayer. A custom of some homes consists of the rosary followed by reading of the Bible. Prayers are said before and after the reading, and a discussion of the particular passages read. Another worth-while custom is the reading of the Gospel and Epistle for the particular Mass of the day and some even sing hymns of Praise. Bottom line is that the usage of the time by the family to fervently pray for one another and thus, in righteousness, feel the needs of others and then fills those needs.

Also every member of the family will have a greater feeling of participation in the Rosary if a different person leads the prayer every day. Children more preferably should be made to lead the rosary and the bible reading as well. They should be taught to meditate on the mysteries of the rosary so that they do not say the prayers without thinking.

I know of no single activity that has more potential for unifying our families, removing misunderstandings, bringing love, forgiveness and divine direction into homes than consistent, fervent family prayer. Of course, our prayers must be more than words, for the value of our prayers, depends on how we care for one another. With increased love and understanding

If we show our Father on a regular basis through prayer how much we love him , how much we appreciate him, how much we need his help, and how much we rely on His protection, there will be tremendous transformation in all our lives , we receive his blessings or he gives us the strength to bear what we are going through . Therefore Don’t let anything stand in the way of consistent, fervent family prayer!.

Organize your priorities so that God is first in your lives and to show this by having regular family prayer. There may be exceptional circumstances occasionally; but as a rule, family prayer is a must every day. Family unity in prayer can also be achieved if the family attends Mass together. The Eucharist is undoubtedly the greatest prayer and worship!! One of the most inspiring memories I have is that of going for Sunday Mass with my Mum, Dad and sister and then returning home for a delicious breakfast!!

There is no doubt that there is great power in loving, consistent, fervent family prayer. Don’t deny your families this blessing. Don’t allow the strength that comes from family prayer to slip away from you and your loved ones through neglect. No matter what other inheritance you leave your family, give them the inheritance of knowing that, forever, you will be praying for them and they for you.

Sunith D'souza
HSI Media

Broken Hurts

One day I dug a little hole and put my hurt inside.
I thought that I could just forget
I'd put it there to hide.

But that little hurt began to grow.
I covered it every day.
I couldn't leave it and go on; it seemed the price I had to pay.

My joy was gone, my heart was sad, pain was all I knew.
My wounded soul enveloped me; loving seemed too hard to do.

One day, while standing by my hole,
I cried to God above and said, “If You are really there--They say You're a God of love!”

And just like that He was right there.
And just put His arms around me.
He wiped my tears, His hurting child.
There was no safer place to be.

I told Him all about my hurt; I opened up my heart.
He listened to each and every word, to every sordid part.

I dug down deep and got my hurt;
I brushed the dirt away and placed it in the Master's hand,
And healing came that day.

He took the blackness of my soul and set my spirit free.
Something beautiful began to grow where the hurt used to be.

And when I look at what has grown out of my tears and pain,
I remember to give my hurts to Him
and never bury them again.

--Carol Parrott


This is a beautiful poem I once found in a time of deep distress
It takes divine, supernatural grace to forgive and to let God heal us when we're hurt. Our human tendencies to take things into our own hands make us WANT to punish the offending person or to at least make them feel what they've done to us, if we've been hurt.

Jesus taught us to pray,"Forgive us as we forgive those who have trespassed against us", and without His help, we can't even PRAY that prayer. But God can give us the grace to not only forgive, but also to forget. To just stay quiet when we would rather yell, to stay peaceful when we wud rather be angry!

Positive Confessions - What I am not!

I am not sick, for "my Lord healeth me of all my diseases" -Ps. 103:3.

I am not bound, for "the Son has made me free" -Jn. 8:36.

I am not defeated, for "I'm more than a conqueror through Christ who loves me" -Rom. 8:37.

I am not weak, for "the Lord will give strength unto His people" -Ps.29: 11.

I am not without power, for "ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you" -Acts 1:8.

I am not without peace, "being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" -Rom. 5:1.

I am not lacking any good thing, for "no good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly" -Ps. 84:11.

I am not overtaken by any evil work, for "the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work" -2Tim.4: 18.

I am not afraid of any plague, for "there shall be no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling" -Ps. 91:10.

I am not running from the devil, for I am "resisting the devil, and he is fleeing from me" -Js. 4:7.

I am not without daily quickening, for "He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by His spirit that dwelleth in you"-Rom. 8:11.

I am not shackled by sin, demons or fear; "thy God whom thou servest continually, He will deliver thee" -Dan. 6:16.

I am not in a losing battle, "the Lord shall fight for me, and I shall hold my peace" -Ex. 14:14.

I am not without joy; "His joy shall be in me, and my joy shall be full" -Jn. 15:11.

I shall not fail to see God; "blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God" -Matt. 5:8.

I am not oppressed by cares, difficulties and troubles; I am "casting all my cares upon Him, for He careth for me" -1 Pt. 5:7.

Better Broken: The Plan

"You've gotta be kiddin' me!" 

That had to be the comment made by angels when Jesus returned to heaven. He was leaving the start of his church, the expansion of the reign of God on earth, and the spread of the good news of Jesus to the whole world to them — to that group of men and women he left behind staring into the sky (Acts 1:1-11). 

Sure, he had left them with a PURPOSE for their future ministry:

"... you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8).

But, let's be realistic. Do you see any world-changers in this little group? Peter denied the Lord three times and the other apostles ran off and abandoned their Lord in his worst moment — and all of this after having been warned repeatedly about what was going to happen. In addition to everything else, this group of misfits is missing one of their own — Judas, who betrayed Jesus. To top it all off, they weren't much to begin with — a bunch of powerless and disrespected folks from despised Galilee!

Yes, they had a PURPOSE: to be Jesus' "witnesses." And if that PURPOSE wasn't a difficult enough challenge, notice the scope of where that purpose was to be accomplished: "in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

This group of broken failures was going to take Jesus' message to the whole world?

• ... with no telephones?
• ... with no mass media?
• ... with no internet?
• ... with no car or air travel?

If Jesus hadn't been Lord, already conquered death, and been given all authority in heaven and on earth, his statement about their mission would have been laughable ... more than improbable, these words would have felt like they were impossible!

So Jesus' answer to us about this would probably go something like this:

"Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible" (Matthew 19:26).

We do believe the Lord's words. Yet over time, we've been exhausted and a bit jaded by all the church bumper stickers and slogans and hype. We believe it was possible for them, but not really possible for us, today. Let's be honest, in most of our churches, Bible studies, and homes, we've become like the people of Jesus' hometown. Mark describes it this way:

And because of their unbelief, he couldn't do any miracles among them except to place his hands on a few sick people and heal them. And he was amazed at their unbelief (Mark 6:5-6).

Yet the real issue isn't that we live so far in time from Jesus' words and true access to God's power. Our PURPOSE, to be witnesses for Jesus, hasn't changed. The issue IS that we haven't committed ourselves — our hearts, our families, our Bible studies, our churches — to the PLAN, PEOPLE, and POWER that enabled them to live out Jesus' mission — the same mission Jesus has for us.

So let's ask a simple question and let Luke answer the question. What was Jesus' plan to help them live out their PURPOSE of being witnesses "to the ends of the earth"?

Luke tells us:

They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers (Acts 1:14).

Luke tells us in his gospel that prayer was the powerful framework of Jesus' ministry, as he often got off alone to pray and be alone with the Father (Luke 5:16). And if we read the book of Acts attentively, we see that prayer was the framework, or the PLAN, that Jesus had for his followers to accomplish their mission.

While prayer does not change things or empower us, prayer does remind us of the One who can change any circumstance and empower His people past any obstacle. So when you join together with other believers and pray, sing, read Scripture, confess that Christ Jesus is Lord, and take communion with those who anticipate the Lord's return, remember that you are participating in the miracle of God doing the impossible through broken, flawed, and everyday people ... just like you and me! Your faith, my faith, is testimony to these flawed and broken people being used by God to accomplish their mission! 


by Phil Ware