General:
- Glory to God in the Highest (published: Tabor Voice, Nov-Dec 2002; Divine Light, Dec 2003)
- Living in the Will of God (published: Tabor Voice, Jan-Feb 2003)
- What we should do this Lent (published: The Examiner, March 2003)
- Lost your reputation? Rejoice! (published: Divine Light, July 2004)
- The Potter & His Clay - A Spiritual Analogy
- Death on an Easter Sunday
- How Jesus saved us from the fire next door
- God isn't deaf
- Get on a Barnabus trip
- A Year Older and a lot less Wise (Part 1 of the Birthday Trilogy)
- He sang to me (Part 2 of the Birthday Trilogy)
- The Value of Intercession (Part 3 of the Birthday Trilogy)
- Do you want a FREE GIFT that can never be taken from you?! (Dec 2003 / Jan 2004)
- Love is in the air... (February 2004)
- Was it worth it all? (March 2004)
- I Confess... (April 2004)
- The Beautiful Blessing of Christian Fellowship! (May 2004)
- Power Evangelize! (June 2004)
- 'Best Friends' till the end (July 2004)
- Family Matters (August 2004)
- Do you know WHY you believe? (September 2004)
- You're going to be let down (October 2004)
- Praying with the Holy Pope (November 2004)
- Hang in there (December 2004) (published: Divine Light, Jan 2005)
- Just like that. And you're gone (January 2005)
- The Divine Lover of My Soul (February 2005)
- Is it ever "too late" to do right? (March 2005)
- To Emmaus, or back again? The choice is yours! (April 2005) (published:Divine Truth, April 2007)
- Bear Much Fruit (May 2005) (published: Divine Light, July 2005)
- Holiness and the Heart of Love (June 2005)
- Spiritual Boot Camp (July 2005)
- Abundant Life! (August 2005)
- Unanswered Prayers? (September 2005)
- Trust in the Lord! (October 2005)
- Persevere! (December 2005)
- New Resolutions this New Year (January 2006)
- 'Having it All' = Having Jesus (February 2006)
- He Understands (April 2006)
- My Invisible Tattoo (September 2006)
- Cardinal Justin Rigali ~ "Glorify God in Your Body" (October 2006)
- A Fattened Calf for me (December 2006)
- How to come out of a Spiritual Downward Spiral - Part 1 (January 2007)
- Jesus is Alive. Need Proof? ( October 2007)
- Biblical Catholics (November 2007)
- Religion or Spirituality? (September 2008)
- Lessons from the strange race between the Tortoise and the Hare (October 2008)
- How to react when Spiritual Leaders fall / backslide: (November 2008)
January 2007
How to come out of a Spiritual Downward Spiral - Part 1
The beautiful parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11–32) opens our eyes towards not only the immense, unconditional & everlasting love of the Father for us - but also to the fact that nothing - no sin - can ever separate us from this love of His (Romans 8:38-39)
Recently I worked myself a disastrously deep pit and I subsequently found myself spiritually spiralling downwards.I knew all the answers, knew exactly what to do to get out of it – indeed I had even counseled so many people in similar situations – and yet, I was falling. And, faster than I knew what to do about it.
The months that passed by saw me attempt so many things to reconnect with God but somehow despite everything I did, nothing seemed to be working.Deep down inside though, I knew what needed to be done.
I had been locked into a situation I did not know how to get out of. Time & time again, I heard the Lord saying to me, “Walk in the Light”, but the light seemed out of my reach.
I knew that there was only one thing that could help me.
Matthew 5:30 says “If your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off and throw it from you”.
I knew that my right hand must go. However this was more than just a case of me committing a sin which I could walk away from. There were so many complications involved I really did not even know how to begin to cut my right hand off. Or how to do it in a way that God would want.
My lack of surrender of the problem to God kept me in the downward spiral that seemingly had now become my life. I attempted to go to confession on several different times but one way or the other couldn’t make it. I became painfully more and more aware of how deeply ensnared I was by the enemy.
Finally one day I could take it no more.I was on my bedroom floor, crying – and all I said was, “Lord help me”.
I didn’t even voice out the utter contempt I had for the sins I had committed or for the fact that I wasn’t walking in the light of the Lord. I had no energy, nothing in me to say or do anything but a “Lord help me”.
But it was from my heart. It was from a deeply repenting heart of complete surrender to the Lord. I knew that I knew that I knew that I could do nothing. Only He could help me.
So I asked Him.James 4:8 says “Come near to God and he will come near to you” – I had done this before but it had not helped.
This is because I had not surrendered the whole situation to God.The verse preceding (James 4:7) gives us instructions on what we should do
(01)
Submit yourselves to God
(02) Resist the devil (as I read it, the temptations of the devil)
Thus having surrendered the problem completely to God with the faith of a child – knowing fully well only He could handle it for me, I had not only stopped the dangerous downwards spiritual spiral that I was on, but also I was well on my way to recovery.
January 2007
