VENGEANCE AND JUSTICE

“MARIA SANTOS GORROSTIETA: MEXICO'S MAYOR-HEROINE FOUND BEATEN TO DEATH.  A mayor who became a heroine in Mexico after defiantly standing up to the country's brutal drug lords has been found beaten to death after sacrificing herself to save her young daughter.”          (The Telegraph, Thursday, November 29, 2012, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/centralamericaandthecaribbean/mexico/9707550/Maria-Santos-Gorrostieta-Mexicos-mayor-heroine-found-beaten-to-death. html)

It is at times like this in our village earth when some neighbors commit abominable wrongs against another, that we find it most difficult to abide by St. Paul’s teaching to: "Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18)  

Our communal sense of injustice cries out to high heavens demanding that the Lord right these wrongs, right here, right now… only to realize the existence of uncountable injustices having happened (like the Maguindanao massacre), happening, and still to happen all over this global valley of tears…  

God’s Word reminds us: "Do not seek or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD". (Leviticus 19:18) "It is mine to avenge; I will repay. In due time their foot will slip; their day of disaster is near and their doom rushes upon them". (Deuteronomy 32:35) “Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody” (Romans 12:17) “Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, "VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY," says the Lord.” (Romans 12:19) “…and do not give the devil a foothold.” (Ephesians 4:27) “…in this matter, no one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him. The Lord will punish men for all such sins, as we have already told you and warned you.” (Thessalonians 4:6) “… The Lord will repay him for what he has done.” (2 Timothy 4:14) “For we know him who said, ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ and again, ‘The Lord will judge his people.’” (Hebrews 10:30).

O, Lord, God of Power, Might, Peace, Justice, and most of all, Love: we cast upon You these burdens we cannot understand; we entrust to Your Grace and Mercy the soul of our sister, Dr Maria Santos Gorrostieta, whom You have now called back to You, the One-Source-of-All; we pray for Your blessings and protection for her family; and we pray, even as we ask our Blessed Mother Mary and all the Saints to intercede, for our sister republic, Mexico, that the Father may purge it soon of the curses of drugs and crime, and bring it to the Lord’s peace and joy: and that an appropriate divine cleansing and calm be also granted to our beloved Philippines: in the mighty name of Jesus, in the unity of the Holy Spirit. Amen. 

TD X BJ = R

(Thought + Desire) x (Belief + JustIntent) = Results

"For in him we live, and move, and have our being."  (Acts 17:28)

It's no secret that when it comes to money, we all desire more of it.  And yet many people report that despite their best efforts, wealth remains out of their grasp. This experience begs the following questions:  Is it hard to make money?  Is true wealth only for a few of us?  Is there really enough money to go around for everyone to have exactly what they desire? 

Manifestation is no longer a mystery. The science of quantum physics explains it very well. Manifestation is simply a process. All processes can be broken down, analyzed, and once understood, can be applied intentionally to produce the desired result. There is a technique, a process for manifesting anything....including wealth.

The power to create wealth comes from applying the knowledge of the process of creation.  Many wonderful teachers are sharing this process, which is shown by the following formula:

(Thought + Desire) x (Belief + Just Intent) = Your Results or TD X BJ = R

[With reference to my two sons with my Woman of Worth, Betty, this can also be expressed as: Tristan Duke x Bernard Josef = Riches. Thank you Lord, God, for your blessings!]
 

Perhaps, intellectually, I can agree with and completely understand this equation. However understanding is only the beginning. If I do not take action and apply this process in my daily life, then it is only a nice theory and my circumstances remain unchanged.

The process of manifesting wealth begins in the thought, the ideal.

There are four steps:

   (1) Think The Right Thoughts. In His image, God made me “Very Good” and perfectible; I Am His son in Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. I am At-One-Ment (AOM) with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

   (2) Desire The End Result. “De Sire” is “from the Lord”; by Him I am a billionaire, seeking first His kingdom and His righteousness.

   (3) Believe In The Actuality. I believe in my right to be wealthy. I stop believing in scarcity and lack, for there is none. Already, I Am wealthy in the Father. So is every one in my family. I am “Edvinus” or “Rich Friend”. Beatrice means “Bringer of Joy”; Tristan Duke is “Bold Leader”; and Bernard Josef is “Bold As A Bear, God Will Increase”. These meanings are our birthrights; no one can take them away, except ourselves, if we let laziness and distraction dampen or keep down our results-bearing actions.

   (4) Justly Clarify Intentions. I live to love God and neighbor; money is for that end, via assets growth; my huge net worth is aimed at doing God’s work best, which work is for good, a future and a hope for family and neighbors; it shall not be spent to fulfill my sinful and licentious desires, whose satisfactions are no more than the fleeting glory of wild flowers: blooming today, withered tomorrow.

What exactly is my desire? God’s will for human salvation through proper use [God-aligned money-management, investment and circulation] of passive income overflows.

To pursue this desire, I release the need of knowing "how" it will happen; I just focus my energies on my commitment to making it so, despite current appearances and seeming circumstances.

I understand deeply what it will mean to my life:
*** I “de-sire” wealth; I don't just wish for it.   
*** I take actions that will necessarily lead to complete realization of 

      the desires I have chewed on, circulated, embraced, felt, heard, 

      released, seen in detail, slept on, smelled, tasted, touched, used

      and visualized fully.

Now, I begin to virtualize it. I see it as real.

I see what life does look like being "wealthy"!  I affirm it to be.

I am grateful and thankful for its presence in my life. I show my appreciation by taking all required actions to make, keep and increase more and more money (as passive income, preferably).

I attract wealth by unveiling my true nature of being worthy of riches, because I am worthy as God created me (His unlimited son in His own Image). 

IN JESUS AND THE HOLY SPIRIT, I AM A CHILD OF GOD. I HAVE BEEN CLEANSED AND MADE NEW BY THE BLOOD OF JESUS. I REPENT OF MY SINS AND ACCEPT THE SAVING SACRIFICE OF THE ONE WHO CONQUERED DEATH BY SUFFERING AND DYING ON THE CROSS, GOING DOWN TO HELL, RESURRECTING ON EARTH AND ASCENDING INTO HEAVEN.

BY SUCH ACCEPTANCE WITH REPENTANCE, I AM UNVEILED AND REVEALED IN MY TRUE NATURE: MADE IN THE IMAGE OF GOD (ABUNDANT, ALL-LOVING, ALL-POWERFUL, CALM, EVER-GROWING, RICH, STRONG, WISE) AND ENABLED BY THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, IN AT-ONE-MENT WITH THE LORD, TO OBEY GOD’S WILL FOR MY LIFE AND FOR THOSE IN MY CIRCLE OF INFLUENCE!

I AM VERY GOOD: UNLIMITED AND DESERVING OF THE FATHER’S CONTINUALLY EXPANDING INFINITIES.

I AM TRULY WORTHY AS AN EXCELLENT STEWARD OF PART OF GOD’S WEALTH: WHICH IS ONLY ALL THAT ARE, WERE AND WILL BE.

AS STEWARD, MY MANDATE IS TO RECEIVE, HOLD, SECURE, GROW AND MULTIPLY THAT WHICH IS ASSIGNED TO ME; THEN CIRCULATE AND SHARE IT...

ON PAIN OF BEING AJUDGED WICKED AND LAZY, I CANNOT AND SHOULD NOT LEAVE IT UNPRODUCTIVE, BY SIMPLY BURYING OR HIDING IT ON ACCOUNT OF MANY FEARS, LIKE THE FEAR OF SUCCESS, AS WELL AS LAZINESS AND PRESUMPTION.

MY LIFE MISSION IS TO STRAIN TOWARD THE GOAL OF HEAVEN BY FOCUSING ON GOD’S KINGDOM AND RIGHTEOUSNESS, TO STAND UP EVERY TIME I SLIP OR FALL, AND NEVER TO STOP WHAT THE LORD EXPECTS ME TO DO, WHICH ARE:

  (1) TO ENLARGE, MAKE MORE EFFECTIVE AND EFFICIENT, SHARPEN AND STRENGTHEN MY “POWER TO GET WEALTH” WHICH IS HIS GIFT OF ABILITIES, CAPACITIES AND COMPETENCIES FOR THE RECEIVING, GENERATING, GROWING, MULTIPLYING, PROTECTING AND SHARING OF ASSETS, RICHES, MONEY AND ALL FORMS OF WEALTH; THEN

   (2) TO APPLY AND USE THEM COMPLETELY FOR MAKING, KEEPING, INCREASING AND CIRCULATING THE RESOURCES AND TALENTS THAT THE FATHER, THE SON AND THE HOLY SPIRIT - THE ONE TRUE GOD - ENTRUSTS TO ME.  

We are each entrusted with some sort of capital and are all expected to ‘engage in trade with it’, to make it grow. “He called ten of his servants and gave them ten gold coins and told them, ‘Engage in trade with these until I return.’” (Luke 19:13)

If we make good and multiply our capital or talent, we are rewarded and given more responsibility. “But when he returned after obtaining the kingship, he had the servants called, to whom he had given the money, to learn what they had gained by trading. The first came forward and said, ‘Sir, your gold coin has earned ten additional ones.’ He replied, ‘Well done, good servant! You have been faithful in this very small matter; take charge of ten cities.’ Then the second came and reported, ‘Your gold coin, sir, has earned five more.’ And to this servant too he said, ‘You, take charge of five cities.’” (Luke 19:15-19, NABRE)

But if, for whatever reason, we bury, do not use, delay action on, or otherwise neglect our assigned capital, resources, and talents, and thus keep it from growing, we get condemned. “Then the other servant came and said, ‘Sir, here is your gold coin; I kept it stored away in a handkerchief, for I was afraid of you, because you are a demanding person; you take up what you did not lay down and you harvest what you did not plant.’ He said to him, ‘With your own words I shall condemn you, you wicked servant. You knew I was a demanding person, taking up what I did not lay down and harvesting what I did not plant; why did you not put my money in a bank? Then on my return I would have collected it with interest.’” (Luke 19:20-23, NABRE)

And then it will not matter even if the consequences may appear to be inequitable. What matters is the law of cause and effect: if you are profitable and productive, then you are praised and more will be given to you; if you are not profitable and not productive, then you are condemned and what you have will be taken away from you. “And to those standing by he said, ‘Take the gold coin from him and give it to the servant who has ten.’ But they said to him, ‘Sir, he has ten gold coins.’ ‘I tell you, to everyone who has, more will be given, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.” (Luke 19:24-26, NABRE)

Oh, Lord, with the capital and resources You have given me, let me: entertain right thoughts of stewardship, cultivate right desires for multiplying them, boldly believe in my possibilities and your promises, and hold only the intention of obeying your will (on earth as it is in heaven). Amen.

REFERENCE: Text adapted, added to and revised from Bishop E. Bernard Jordan  

✆ info@propheticmail.com via infusionmail.com

Master Of My Fate; Captain Of My Soul

It is said that your mess is your message. Once upon a time, not too long ago, I had a mess in my life or, you could even say, my life was a mess. I was suffocating in noxious clouds of doubt and despair; I was drowning in heavy waves of worry and anxiety; and wallowing in meaningless and purposeless psycho-emotional mud-holes of fear-anger-blame-resentment. I suspected but refused to admit that clinical depression held me in its clutches, what with many self-obliterating thoughts running rampant in my head. Meditation was near impossible; medication was seen as added complication; reading was out of focus, though Bible texts, Catholic and Protestant versions, were gone through page by page, without really understanding; gardening gave some respite, making friendship with plants somewhat natural.

Groping in that gloomy state of mere existence, although appearing normal, as in ‘average’, ‘ordinary’, ‘nondescript’ and ‘whatever’ as the youngsters would say, and sustained by the unflagging love of my wife Betty, our two sons and few true friends who simply were there, not wanting to pry into one’s inner turmoil, I recalled some lines of a poem learned in high school. I looked it up in the web and recited it to myself over and over again, without letting others know.

With other inspiring and spiritual ideas, the poem helped me to snap out of the self-induced tunnel of hopelessness into the realization that my true SELF prints out in capitals, in the upper case; that after all I am not the small-letter, lower case self, so dominated by the illusion of ego or edging God out, with its constricting compulsions and deleterious delusions of pride, concupiscence and covetousness.

It became clear to me that I AM neither my thoughts nor my emotions nor my body. I AM SPIRIT, a spark divine: the thinker, the feeler. I have the power to choose. I AM FREE.

I also realized my true SELF (like all of ours) is vastly much greater than what I thought it to be: capable of being at-one-ment with the atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ, and being in unity with His Infinity. I am (as each one is) lovingly invited and empowered to live, to move and to walk in the charmed circle of God’s love and light. In that sense, and with God’s grace, I expect (as each one of us here can expect) to be an instrument or be a channel of the Lord’s promise of good, of a future and a hope.

I came to embrace the idea that I am (as all of us are) salt and light: 1/ salt - to mix with and be invisible in the dish to be seasoned yet can be readily savored; and light – to stay in the place to be illumined and burn to the limits of endowed lumen-power. As such salt and light: I hope (and each one can so hope) - as the Lord, in His Grace, may allow - to sanctify self, family, people, country, even all humanity, but again, only in, with and through God’s unmerited favors.

And, humbly abiding in the Holy Spirit, Whose action transforms lives, I hope to be (and all of us, in Him, can also hope to be), in the words of Pope Benedict XVI, counted among “small pieces in the great mosaic of holiness that the Lord continues to create in history”.2/  

Friends: that’s my message. It’s not really new, for in youth as a student of the Catholic St. Vincent’s College in Dipolog City, Philippines, I was introduced to its ever-present substance but perhaps my attention was riveted somewhere else, and did not really understand nor appreciate it at that time.

The poem, in conjunction with and comprehended through Biblical Principles, helped - against the backdrop of depressive doom - to distill and reveal this message to me once more, with clarity, and thus aided and facilitated my resolve to step back into the realm of light, hope, optimism and infinite possibilities.

Made of four stanzas with four lines, and each line consisting of eight syllables, this poem could be viewed on surface as agnostic; but a deeper consideration could bring one’s soul to a crossroad and a threshold of true faith. It depends on your interpretation, particularly, on how you understand “gods” - whether as The Triune Divinity or simply as many and varied; and how you read out “I am” - whether united with The-One-True-Source-of-All or separate and isolated. The poem goes like this:

“Out of the night that covers me,

Black as the Pit from pole to pole,

I thank whatever gods may be

For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance,

I have not winched nor cried aloud.

Under the bludgeonings of chance,

My head is bloody but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears,

Looms but the horror of the shade.

And yet the menace of the years,

Finds, and shall find me, unafraid.

It matters not how straight the gate,

How charged with punishments the scroll.

I am the master of my fate.

I am the captain of my soul.”

Yes, it is the “Invictus” by William Ernest Henley. Mr. Henley, wherever you are - as our respective beliefs in after-life may lead us to perceive or not - thank you for writing this free will-respecting yet choice-compelling and, depending on our view: life-saving, life-unleashing and life-enriching poem.

In line with this life-altering interpretation and insofar as literary integrity would allow, I would render the third line as: “I thank The Lord who made me be”. For, in every case, “nothing has meaning except the meaning we give it”. 3/

This poem, understood through the Word of God (or the Sword of the Spirit), helped me to overcome depression and to say: enough of you, horde of dark impressions! The Lord hearkens to my plea: “My soul is depressed; lift me up acccording to your word. 4/

As Opus Dei Founder, St. Josemaria Escriva, wrote: “Gloominess, depression. I am not surprised: it is the cloud of dust raised by your fall. But... that's enough! Can't you see that the cloud has been borne far away by the breath of grace?” 5/

Yes, by grace or God’s unmerited favor. And when we live worshipping God in Spirit and in truth, 6/ declaring our “I am” in union with the Holy Spirit, Who indwells us 7/, we can say:  

“You can never be deprived of your perfect holiness because its Source goes with you wherever you go. You can never suffer because the Source of all joy goes with you wherever you go. You can never be alone because the Source of all life goes with you wherever you go. Nothing can destroy your peace of mind because God goes with you wherever you go.” 8/

But we cannot say so, if we insist on: (a) being separate from the Father, (b) forgetting that the Holy Mighty One tabernacles in us, and (c) living out our lives in search of fleeting gratifications from physical pleasures and material possessions. For like the Prodigal Son 9/, we shall, inevitably and inexorably, find ourselves alone, hungry, suffering or without peace of mind.

In the end, awakening, coming to our senses, and finding ourselves in the embrace of “the Divine Absolute Who includes all the Dark and all the Light” 10/, we rejoice over what we perceive as gloomy experiences for being wonderful background materials for the choice of appreciating and staying in the bright and the radiant. After all, in everything, we are told to rejoice and give thanks, with prayer and petitions. 11/

Staying or not staying in that choice is a continuing decision point that determines what being the master of our own destiny means, in the everyday unfolding of every little opportunity to learn to be One with God or, if we so choose, to be separate and apart from Him.

For indeed, the tenet of “freedom of consciences” (plural) does not mean licentious, lawless and irresponsible actuations but rather the respect for every person’s right to freely seek and know God, expressed through the responsibility of not imposing one’s faith on others and the corollary restraint of not harming others of different faiths. Asserting “freedom of conscience” (singular), connotes that it may be morally right for someone to reject God, which indeed is part of the range of our knowledge of good and evil, and what the lord of this realm wants us to think and focus on, as it is – without doubt - in our power to choose to oppose God’s plans for salvation. That it is in our power, however, does not and ought not necessarily mean we should do it. This is just a litmus test of how truly free our will is, in our understanding. Because if someone adopts this attitude deliberately, he or she would break the first and most important command: ‘Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart’ and thus would be sinning. 12/

We need not follow Eve’s heart-mind folly - adopted, confirmed and ratified yet vainly sought to be escaped from by Adam who tried to blame her before God - which conjugal act condemned us all to eat only by the sweat of our brows. 13/ For in the new covenant, by our faith in the Lord’s grace and mercy, in, through and with the redeeming sacrifice of Jesus, we are enabled in the power of the Holy Spirit, to obey the law and do the works of love. 14/

To be “master of my fate and captain of my soul” then, to me, means believing in and acting on the basis of, my At-One-Ment (AOM) with The One True God, The Almighty One, The-All-In-All, The Alpha and The Omega, as a child of the Father and co-heir of the Son of Man by force of The Lord’s boundless love and mercy, conveyed through the enabling sacrifice and grace of Jesus the Christ, Savior of All, and the indwelling everlasting power of the Holy Spirit, Giver of Life. So it is, in the name of Jesus!

________________________

1/   Matthew 5:13-16

2/   General Audience Address of April 12, 2011

3/   T. Harve Eker, The Millionaire Mind

4/   Psalms 119:28

5/   “The Way”, # 260

6/   John 4:24

7/   2 Timothy 1:14

8/   A Course In Miracles, # 41

9/   see Luke 15:11-32

10/ Guy Finley, http://www.guyfinley.org/free-content

11/ cf 1 Thessalonians 5:18; also Philippians 4:4

12/ cf “I Shout About My Love For Personal Freedom”,

      Opus Dei Daily Message, http://www.opusdei.us/sec.php?s=310

13/ cf Genesis Story of Adam and Eve; see Genesis 3:1-13

14/ cf texts of St. Paul and of St. James, on faith and on works;

      See Galatians 2:15-3:14; Romans 3:21-4:25; James 2:14-16

Sometimes, Lord, I tire and want to give up

Many times I find myself complaining: “If life is a bowl of cherries, then what am I doing in the pits?”  (Erma Bombeck) But You let me understand, Lord, that in the rhythms of life, from time to time, You want us to have some rest. Jesus said, "Come to me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28). In addition: “Rest means recuperation: to gain strength, form ideals and make plans. In other words it means a change of occupation, so that you can come back later with a new impetus to your daily job.“ (St. Josemaria  Escriva, Furrow, 514) 

It is not easy, Lord - when the burdens of boredom and the weight of weariness incessantly assail us - to still be joyful. Yet St. Paul reminds: “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)  In the midst of our difficulties, we are asked to recall that we can have the peace of knowing Christ is with us: He gives us strength to overcome the challenges; also His joy and peace in the midst of the storm. (Why is Life so Hard Sometimes? By Missy Butler, www.cbn.com).  Jesus, after all, said: "These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world." (John 16:33). And The Old Testament encourages: “Cast your care upon the LORD, who will give you support. He will never allow the righteous to stumble.” (Psalms 55:23)

Nonetheless, Lord, "just surviving" is not what You challenge us to do. Having “fearfully and wonderfully made” us (Psalms 134:14), we believe You have destined us to use all our talents for Your purposes, putting all our minds, hearts and energies to the work You set before us. That work might be gleaned from: “…the idea that the Christian vocation consists of making heroic verse out of the prose of each day. Heaven and earth seem to merge, xxxxx, on the horizon. But where they really meet is in your hearts, when you sanctify your everyday lives”. (St. Josemaria Escriva, Conversations, 116)

And when we live, move, walk “to love God and mankind by putting love in the little things of everyday life, and discovering that divine something which is hidden in small details” (Daily Message, http://www.opusdei.us/sec.php?s=310), then we can dare to have the hope of becoming “small pieces in the great mosaic of holiness that the Lord continues to create in history”. (Pope Benedict XVI, General Audience Address of April 12, 2011). 

PORTION FROM GOD

O Lord, Father, Almighty, I come before You in the Name of Jesus, My Lord and Redeemer, in unity with the Holy Spirit, and humbly invoke Ecclesiastes 5:17-19, (NABRE): “17g Here is what I see as good: It is appropriate to eat and drink and prosper from all the toil one toils at under the sun during the limited days of life God gives us; for this is our lot. 18 Those to whom God gives riches and property, and grants power to partake of them, so that they receive their lot and find joy in the fruits of their toil: This is a gift from God. 19 For they will hardly dwell on the shortness of life, because God lets them busy themselves with the joy of their heart.”

This Word of Yours, O Lord, if I may apply it to my own lot with Your Grace and forbearance, would read: “It is good and appropriate to eat and drink and prosper from all the toil I toil at under the sun, during the limited days of the life You give me; for this is my lot. Father, You give me riches and property, and grant me power to partake of them, so that I receive my lot and find joy in the fruits of my toil: This is a gift from You, O My Lord and My God! And so, I will hardly dwell on the shortness of life because You, O Most High God, allow me to busy myself with the joys of my heart from my toils.”

With this understanding, Lord, I thank you so much for including me in this age-old promise, for by my free acceptance of Jesus as my Lord, Savior and King and repentance of my sins through His Grace, I too am Your son, O Lord God, and a seed of Abraham by spiritual grafting. Standing on these premises and promises, Lord, I ask for a business (temporarily, a job) on which I can concentrate my toils through the rest of my years, for Your greater glory and the joys of my heart, in accordance with Your Will. This I ask, with great expectation, in the name of Jesus and in unity with the Holy Spirit. Amen.

------------------------------------

Points to Remember –

(1) I must refresh my mind, Lord, that this promise of prosperity covers only my own work, not the work of others. This portion comes from You, Lord, directly to me. I need not and should not cash in on the labors of others. Their works have no promise attached to them for me. The fruits of other people's toils are not endowed with any promise from You, Lord, about anything for me.

(2) So, Father, in Your mercy, light, grace and favor, let me work with focus, expecting only the best. Let every member of my family do the same. And let us be aware of the workings of our thoughts and feelings all the time, for those are where insidious, enervating and counter-productive negative anticipations, doubts, despairs and pessimistic emotions are planted by the enemy and made to appear as our own. We are not our thoughts and feelings. Thoughts and feelings are only transitory visitors of our souls, not our true Selves. We are each a divine spark of You, Lord God: the thinker, the feeler, the actor, the implementor, the wielder of will-power. And we submit our all choices to Your Light and your Love.

All glory are yours, Almighty God! Amen.

-----------------------------------

Reference:

http://community.icontact.com/p/jaysnell/newsletters/messages/posts/gods-financial-portion-for-you

WITHOUT YOU, LORD

Without You, My Lord and My God,
apart, away and separate from You …
on my own and relying on my mind,
no matter how much I meditate,
regardless of how much I try to
be calm, relaxed and effortless,
to focus on nothing and release all,
even if I claim I too actually am a god -
abundant, boundless, infinite, limitless,
brimming with all possible potentialities,
yet detached from and out of synch with You…
I really am nothing and cannot manifest what
I truly desire; instead the undesired appear…

When I come to the end of myself, when
every thing I try shatters into smithereens,
and no more scheme can be squeezed out
of my worn-out brains, I must go and return
to you, Abba, Father… to be whole again
and be recharged by the One True Source!

For it is only in You, with You, through You
that I can be all You created me to be,
with the free will and the power to tell a
mountain to move to the sea and it follows;
it is only when my will, my desires, my dreams
are aligned, congruent, consistent with Your Will
that things happen without effort, without struggle.

Let me be One with You, Lord, in faith, in hope
in each moment, in every here-now instance…
in love … allow me, Father Almighty, in the name
and in the mantle of the blood of Jesus, in unity
with the Holy Spirit, to enter the chambers of Your
Throne room within me in super-consciousness and
there dwell in Your Secret Place where You are my
fortress and my refuge and where I am so close to
your Presence that I abide in your shadow… and
I cleave to You in Love…

Surely: there, Lord, You deliver me from the snare
of the fowler and from the noisome pestilence…
wickedness touches me not, no evil befalls me,
no plague comes near my dwelling; there, I can
only expect fulfillment of Your promises that
You deliver me in trouble, You honor me, and
You satisfy me with a long life; and there, it is
well with my soul! O Lord, You are my God!
Amen.

References: Psalm 91 and commentaries about it.

TRUTH

The world teaches and indoctrinates us all that truth consists only in those matters that can be felt, heard, mathematically symbolized and measured, perceived, seen, smelled, tasted … that truth cannot extend beyond material measure, reasoned projection and vetted perception…

The world discourages, disdains and deprecates the realm of faith and spirit, and would, if it could, violently prevent us from seeing the greater truth: that within each one of us runs the abundant, cannot be duplicated original, empowering, enabling, endless, ever-merciful, grace endowing, limitless, overflowing, timeless, unfathomable River of Life-Giving Waters of the Holy Spirit coursing through every vessel and suffusing every cell and organ of our bodies, letting us live, move, walk and have our being in the charmed circle of God’s Light and Love…

How organic life springs from and/or energizes inorganic elements remains a scientific mystery, yet the Spirit of Life, as the Alpha/Omega beginning/end of All – the Uncaused Cause, the Origin of Origins – is not acknowledged nor recognized by materialist big bangers and cause-and-effect paladins who would rather keep our focus and attention limited within the blinders of their so-called replicable measures that exclude what they cannot explain, and would want us all living without the Spirit, or merely existing in dealcoholized, decaffeinated, denatured, incomplete and insufficient lives…

It is within the ambit of our God-given Free Will to choose to live our lives in truth or in lies; hopefully, we avoid lies for these only bring endless and complicated concatenations of many more mendacities; and if we opt for life in truth, then we have the choice of living within or without the Spirit.

It is in disciplined and focused thoughts-emotions-actions within the Spirit and truth that we are abundant, blessed, calm, dynamized, empowered, fulfilled, graced, honored, inspired, juiced up, kingdomed… We have seen the results of the option of disciplined and focused thoughts-emotions-actions without the Spirit and truth: throughout human history, it has given us innumerable evils and disasters spawned by concupiscence, covetousness, ego and pride that inevitably generate conflicts, deceptions, falsehoods, injustice, intrigues, machinations, oppression, strife, struggles and wars…

The choice of licentious and unrestrained thoughts-emotions-actions within the Spirit and truth is not really possible, for the Light of Spirit would immediately make us aware of spiritual boundaries when we begin to consider unrighteous thoughts, emotions or actions; and if our decision [which the Lord allows us to make without undue or improper pressure or influence to honor His gift of free will] is to cross those boundaries, then we choose in effect to shift to the preference of licentious and unrestrained thoughts-emotions-actions without the Spirit and truth.

Thence, we are abandoned, bent, corrupted, dehumanized, enervated, fuzzled, grieved, humiliated, impoverished, jeopardized, kraaled... totally handed over into the devil’s fiery darts of deception, and slammed hither and thither like deadwood down his dangerous river of raging waves, hissing haze and mist, unseen and unpredictable boulders on both sides, and a sudden drop into the abyss…

Yet, as David declared a long time ago, every time we slip, the Lord’s mercy holds us up. Ezekiel explained: the Lord God rejoices when man turns from his evil ways, keeps His statutes and does what is right and just; none of the crimes he committed shall be remembered against him and he shall live. And Jesus Christ sealed that divine covenant of forgiveness upon repentance with His Blood.

We always have the choice of accepting and holding on to the Lord’s mercy and forgiveness - through Jesus - each time we fall, then dwelling in His secret citadel and abiding in the shadow of His mighty wings, or simply letting go, in self-condemnation and in the wrong belief that hope is gone (when it never is), then yielding completely to the dark force of this realm that like a rampant lion seeks every one he can devour…

That choice is true.

But we cannot see it through the dark clouds of doubt and despair we prefer to entertain, or amidst the churning waves of worry and anxiety we love to wallow in. Yet, no matter the negativity of circumstantial stimuli we might be misled to perceive, there is always the light of freedom shining serenely within: the power to choose our response.

Even if we think we are at the brink of death, we can still choose to ask Jesus Christ to come into our hearts and be our Lord and Savior. Hope is never gone, for in every eternal moment of the here and now, Jesus patiently knocks and stands outside the door of our hearts, waiting for us to open it and welcome Him.

If we open our hearts and say, in effect: “My Lord and My God, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof; say but the word and I shall be healed. But please come into my heart, Lord, and fill me with your Love. Forgive me of all my sins as I sincerely repent of them. I surrender my wayward will to Your Will and please do with me what you will. Gratefully, I accept the cleansing power of Your Blood and receive the Redeeming Grace of Your Sacrifice. You are My Savior and My King!” Then, as He said to the contrite thief hanging on another cross beside Him, we can hear Him tell us: "Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise."

For He has lifted the ban against entry into paradise; more than that, He manifested and brought to Calvary the Tree of Life in the form of the Cross on which He hung as its fruit; and when we take and receive Him as such fruit – The Way, The Truth, The Life – then we partake of the same nature as Adam and Eve had before the fall: able to clearly hear the Father Almighty, lovingly to talk and to walk with Him without fear or guilt, unashamed of anything in our nakedness… and empowered by the Holy Spirit.

What wonderful Truth this is!

It is Love (Charity) manifest in Truth. "Charity in truth, to which Jesus Christ bore witness by his earthly life and especially by his death and resurrection, is the principal driving force behind the authentic development of every person and of all humanity." (Pope Benedict XVI, Encyclical Letter Caritas in Veritate, 29th June 2009)