Joshua, Chapter 11, Verse 6
The LORD said to Joshua, “Do not fear them, for by this time tomorrow I
will present them slain to Israel. You must hamstring their horses and burn
their chariots.”
The enemy was defeated;
why destroy their horses and chariots? Horses and chariots were the tanks of
that time. God knows the human heart we tend to trust in our human strength, or
our clout, or our wealth, or weapons. God knows and He wants us to trust in Him
not any of these things. Even to this very day we have not learned this lesson
we in America have learned to trust in the strength of our Army; which is the
greatest Army in the world and have forgotten the true basis of our strength
which is printed on our money: In God We Trust. Many people in high offices
like to play the prophet: but “A wise person is superior to a prophet” (Bava
Basra 12a) Think a prophet can see the future but a wise person can see the
present. God asks us to be present to each other each and every day. Live in
the Present!
Words of wisdom Saint
Teresa of Avila:
“I am afraid that if we begin to put
our trust in human help, some of our Divine help will fail us.”
“The most potent and acceptable prayer
is the prayer that leaves the best effects. I don’t mean it must immediately fill
the soul with desire . . . The best effects [are] those that are followed up by
actions—–when the soul not only desires the honor of God, but really strives
for it. “
“You pay God a compliment by asking
great things of Him.”[1]
Aids
in Battle [2] The Enemy’s Strategies
·
The adversary of our human nature examines from
every side all our virtues: theological, cardinal, and moral. Wherever he
discovers the defenses of eternal salvation to be the weakest and most lacking,
there he attacks and tries to take us by storm. ST. IGNATIUS LOYOLA
·
[St. Catherine of Siena reports that Our Lord
said to her:] I have told you that the Devil invites men to the water of death—
that is, to the things he has. Then, blinding them with the pleasures and
circumstances of the world, he catches them with the hook of pleasure through
the lure of something good. He could catch them in no other way; they would not
allow themselves to be caught if they saw that no good or pleasure for
themselves could be obtained in this manner. For the soul, by her very nature,
always relishes good. Yet it is true that the soul, blinded by self-love, does
not know and discern what is truly good and profitable to the soul and to the body.
So the Devil, seeing them blinded by self-love, wickedly places before these
souls diverse and various delights, colored so as to have the appearance of
some benefit or good. He tempts each one, according to his condition, to those
principal vices to which that soul seems to be most disposed.
·
When the sly demon, after using many devices,
fails to hinder the prayer of the diligent, he desists for a little while. But
when the man has finished his prayers, the demon takes his revenge. He either
fires the man’s anger and thus destroys the good condition produced by prayer,
or he excites an impulse toward some animal pleasure and thus mocks the man’s
mind. ST. NILUS OF SINAI
As Jesus neared the end of His public life, the opposition of the Jewish leaders became more violent and their desire to kill Him more determined. Our Lord, however, continued to teach in the temple, where large crowds came to hear Him. The admiration of the people intensified the hatred of the priests, and they planned to ensnare Jesus in His speech that they might have grounds for condemnation. While His enemies plotted His downfall, Our Lord spent the night in prayer on the Mount of Olives. The contrast between the character of Christ and that of His enemies could not be more pronounced. Yielding to base passion, they were openly seeking the death of the Messiah. Jesus, on the contrary, in the spirit of generous charity, was spending His days in teaching and His nights in prayer. Does our conduct in difficult circumstances resemble that of Christ? When we are unjustly accused, criticized, or condemned, do we calmly continue our work and have recourse to God in prayer? Perhaps we seek vengeance upon those who oppose us by wishing them evil or persuading others to despise and condemn them. Let us leave our reputation in the hands of God and imitate Christ's efforts to benefit those who hated and condemned Him.
"The
Lord is the protector of my life: of whom shall I be afraid?"
Daily Devotions/Prayers
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