💌 474. “Be careful not to fall into temptation.”

When I, as a catechumen, was preparing to be born anew as a true child of God, I was enthralled by the love of God and was filled with abundant joy; The world shimmered in radiant colors, as beautiful and lovely as a rainbow. As my heart was full of the joy and excitement of becoming a child of God, there was nothing in this world that I shall want.

I always prayed, “Oh, God the Father! You have delivered and saved me from the bottomless pit of sin and eternal death with Your great and infinite love. Help me treasure well this joy, love, and peace forever, and grant me the grace to take good care of this joy well so that it may not be taken by the devil.” Entrusting everything to God, I lived by turning my life into prayers continuously.

However, as they say, “Good things attract the demons,” the forces of evil, envious of this joy and love, had launched various attacks to shake my strong faith and trust in God and to win me over to their side. They began to harass me in the church, at home and in the beauty parlor both directly and through people in many ways.

I earnestly believed that the Lord alone could give me the strength to overcome Satan's persistent torment. Every morning, upon waking up, I would sprinkle holy water and pray, asking the Lord for strength. At that time, my Lord spoke to me as follows:

“My daughter! Out of My extreme love for you, I have trained you in the furnace to make use of you as My instrument. Satan, in proportion to My love for you, will go on the rampage to torment and tempt you in order to prevent you from going to church. But do not worry, and stay awake. As I will be with you, be careful not to fall into temptation.”

After Jesus ended speaking, I was so astonished that I responded, “Lord, now I am entirely Yours. Whether I live or die, I entrust myself solely to Your will.” And I asked my husband, who was praying with me, “Did you hear the voice of Jesus just now?” He responded, “No, did Jesus speak?”

It would have been much better if my husband had heard it. But in order to stay awake as Jesus instructed, I said to my husband, “Honey, if I ever exhibit any behavior that seems incomprehensible while going to church or even if I stubbornly refuse to go to church, it is not my real intention; it is the work of the devil. So, you must take me to the Lord by any means, and even by force, if necessary. Do you understand the point I'm trying to make?”

My husband quickly grasped what I said. However, when my husband remarked, “Could such a thing happen to you who is so devout?” I responded, “Yes. No one, regardless of who they are, cannot be certain about themselves; God is the only perfect one. We must stay awake to prepare for even the least likely.

My husband said, “Oh, I see. If that is what you want, there's nothing I cannot do.” From the early morning, we began the day joyfully with the conversation about the Lord. Then, my husband went to his workplace, and I went to work at the beauty salon. Despite the warning from Jesus, I was still very happy, for I was filled with joy and love for Jesus. And I believed that I had the strength to overcome anything with His help.

With light steps, I went to work. As I cut a customer’s hair, I prayed, 'May Jesus rid her of as many bad habits as the hairs that I cut out. As I touch her hair, may Jesus adorn her soul beautifully.' As I turned all my work and daily routine into prayers in this way, the love of the Lord welled up from the depths of my heart. I was only overflowing with joy and strength, without any fear.

My personal reflection note with Mama Julia🌹💗 

Link 👉🏻

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