Tagged: Prayers in English

Running with the Angels

“My angel will go before you and bring you to the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites and Jebusites; and I will wipe them out.” —Exodus 23:23 Each one of us has a guardian angel, but many deny or ignore that reality, so their guardian angels are underemployed. We would have personal experiences of angels if we lived in such a way as to need angelic guard duty. Angels are not primarily security guards but resemble guards on a football team. A football guard pulls from the line of scrimmage and blocks for the one running with the ball so the...

LOST IN THE TRANSLATION

“If the miracles worked in your midst had occurred in Tyre and Sidon, they would long ago have reformed in sackcloth and ashes.” –Luke 10:13 Jesus chastised some towns where He did many miracles. He expected these miracles to be translated into repentance (Lk 10:13). We likewise need to repent. We have sinned repeatedly but are hardly aware of it. We may not even feel very sorry. We are “hard and impenitent” (Rm 2:5). Hopefully, we will come to our senses when Jesus heals us. We will feel ashamed of rebelling against and rejecting Jesus, Who was wounded that we...

DOUBLE EXPOSURE

“Ezra read plainly from the book of the law of God, interpreting it so that all could understand what was read.” –Nehemiah 8:8 Ezra read the Bible to the people from daybreak until midday (Neh 8:3). The people heard God’s Word for nearly six hours. This extensive exposure to the Word led them to life-changing commitment (Neh 8:6), tearful repentance (Neh 8:9), and joyful celebration (Neh 8:10). When we expose ourselves to God’s Word for an extended time, amazing things happen. For example, the risen Jesus spent much of the afternoon on His Resurrection day explaining the Scriptures to the...

A WINNING TEAM

“Michael and his angels battled against the dragon…Satan, the seducer of the whole world, was driven out.” –Revelation 12:7, 9 St. Michael the Archangel and his angels battled Satan and his demons. They overpowered him and drove him away (Rv 12:7-9). Michael stands as a bulwark against Satan, a reinforced wall to block his plans (Dn 10:21—11:1, NAB). St. Raphael also defeats demons, overpowering and binding them (Tb 8:3). Jesus, Whose poured-out blood defeats Satan (Rv 12:11), has given the Church power to “overcome all demons” (Lk 9:1). We members of the Church do our part by our testimony to...

LET THE FIRE FALL

“Lord, would You not have us call down fire from heaven to destroy them?” –Luke 9:54 This is precisely what the Lord wants us to do as His disciples: to call down the consuming fire of the Holy Spirit from heaven (see Heb 12:29; Acts 2:3-4). When a person truly receives the Holy Spirit, it does “destroy” them, in the sense that they die to their old self and live a new, risen life in the Spirit for the Lord (see Lk 9:23). Another way we call down fire from heaven on someone is to act in love and kindness...