It's Sad When People Don't Choose God... (Part 2)

artgirl (66)in Christian Fellowship • last year

Here's the continuation of my other post on being sad when I was unable to prioritize God all the time. My thoughts and actions made me feel guilty but I got over it.

For those who haven't read the first part and if you want to know how I stopped feeling the guilt, read it here. If you already did then let's continue!

When People Don't Choose God...

As you know, despite any difficulty we encounter, there are still times when people will not look for God to solve any problem. It happened to me too. Let me give you some situations on how people can reject God unconsciously.

In my country we still have faith healers/witch doctors or albularyos, especially in the provinces. Doctors, like priests, are scarce in hard to reach areas so such people still exist. Such people have been part of our culture for a long time. Unfortunately according to Catholic exorcist priests, when a sick person goes to such healers, they open themselves to the devil.

Aside from that, we have many occult beliefs passed down from generations. Those are remnants from our ancestors who lived before the Spanish occupation. And thus people in our country are still into many pagan things despite being a largely Catholic nation.

For example, when I started my real estate career less than a decade ago, I eventually got exposed to believing in Feng Shui. It got to the point when I even got an amulet after consulting with an "expert" who's also the shop owner. 😆 I'd like to blame it on my sales manager then but nahhh. I was curious about it too.

Heck I also learned about Hindu/Indian chants and such to their gods for good luck and prosperity. Aside from praying to God and going to church, I did other occult practices too in the hopes of getting more sales or money. How desperate can people get, right? 😂

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In any sales career, when you can't make a sale, you find ways to get one. Outside of that it's always human greed that brings us down. This is why there are people who get involved in questionable or even illegal practices. It is also partly why there are many amulet or good luck charm sellers online.

Another example is, if someone has "bad luck" and is in need of money, yes we do go to Church. However if prayer "doesn't work" immediately, people go elsewhere. Again, that is how we (consciously or cluelessly) end up in the hands of the devil. We allow them into our lives and that's how we get "fake good luck". Eventually that can turn into diabolical obsession or oppression if we get farther and farther from God. (Now if one becomes an atheist, that's another story.)

In truth, when we reject God, we are choosing to be the brother of the prodigal son. He excluded himself from his father. It was his choice to think bad of himself and become envious. Or another example is Cain. That guy did not even offer God his best harvest and such yet he expects God to be happy and shower him with blessings? Is that not pride and more of feeling privileged like most people these days? We are the ones who are responsible for the things that happen on Earth.

People are the ones who choose to hurt each other. Just watch the extreme cases: serial killers do what they do despite knowing right and wrong. So why blame God for allowing such crimes and whatever bad things to happen? Are we not the ones who do not follow His commandments? Is there anyone else who lives our own lives except us?

And so it is really sad when we allow life (and demonic whispers) to turn us against God instead of towards Him. If that happens, that's how you'll know the devil has finally got you.

Not Prioritizing Prayers to God Made Me Sad Too But I Got Over It

As previously mentioned in the other posts, I got over my "bad behavior" and have now put God first in my life. I've gotten rid of all the occult practices, amulets, non-Catholic beliefs, etc., in my life and only rely on the Almighty Father now.

However, of course, a complete change can't happen overnight. (Only God's miracle can do that.) Every bad habit does not get removed immediately. It takes a lot of effort and consciousness to replace the things we are used to doing all our lives. Meaning, some daily reactions/actions can't be stopped until we definitely decide to commit to change ourselves.

This is why I got sad two weeks ago. Maybe I also got influenced by my cousin who was the first to vocalize such thoughts. Actually she even cried because she was having a hard time in her life. For some reason it looked like we were having quite the same experience in terms of trying to give God more of our time. But I didn't tell her. Haha.

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In truth, since my full contrition to God, I still couldn't prioritize praying to Him or Mama Mary all the time. (Making the Lord the priority is what I decided to do around last month.) Yes I did pray everyday before but I recently created my own self-imposed prayers. I wanted to follow that strictly. Too bad I couldn't. It really takes time and effort to change for the better. But then after I went to one particular mass with such thoughts, a priest and the sermon changed my mind.

The reverend father said if the Lord is already first in my life (since before, during and after this Lent) then not being able to pray my self-imposed daily prayers on time is okay. Our Father in heaven will understand. Okay I might not be explaining or saying it right but that's the gist of it. 😅

Then in the sermon, I heard something related to what I mentioned earlier. (The gospel was Matthew 13: 1-23.) Hearing the sermon about the Word of God definitely helped me articulate what I wanted to say in this and previous post: It is important to have the seeds of faith planted in us early. Why? It will eventually help us weather the storms in our entire life.

In my case it's true. I've proven that since 2010. Didn't know I really needed God in my life back then. Only my Catholic indoctrination and education helped a lot in my time of desolation. And once more it got proven this year! What makes the second one different is this time I learned obedience to the Lord is also important. ☝️ Faith alone will not save us.

For unbelievers, in order to see and understand what I am talking about, use the internet to find the answers. I know not everyone wants to talk to priests personally or have access to catechists so go ahead and use the world wide web for good. Surely you will also see how other doubters online have already become Catholics because they have finally been freed and their eyes opened.

Thus, if you dear reader, are also struggling with putting God first by praying at certain times, take heart. All is not lost. Actually some people might just scoff at such thoughts because they do not understand. Generally people who don't understand something will not be able to appreciate whatever it is.

Anyway I hope this post has helped you in some way. If not, it is free to seek answers for your questions of faith from Catholic priests. Better yet, seek their advice through pastoral counsel. There are parish priests with psychology degrees so you can definitely ask them for guidance in whatever problem you may have.

I suggest to also go to confession regularly (weekly or monthly, it's up to you), pray the rosary often and always go to mass on Sundays. Doing those things will protect you from evil and definitely help clear your heart, mind and soul.

Now you also know what you can do. Cheers to having a better life on Earth!

XOXO,
@artgirl

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