Mercy in counsel

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight.  In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”  Proverbs 3:5-6

When my counsel stops being God’s word and it starts being how I feel, and what I hear, and the situations that I’m in, things go from black and white to gray.  This is where the enemy prowls.  

The beginning of learning to understand the influence of the enemy in our hearts and minds is realizing how common and normative it is that the enemy works to influence us through our thoughts.  This strategy is particularly powerful when he proposes ideas connected to past wounds or sins.

“Satan always takes advantage of such moments; thoughts of discouragement began to rise to the surface” Divine Mercy in my soul #129

So many times I knew what was right, either I pressed forward alone or pretty much told God ‘I got this’, only to discover that things are so much easier when I do it with God.  When I’ve surrendered and given my fiat, things move so much easier. 

Now, more than ever, though still not always or often enough, I seek counsel in the Lord.  Prayer, Scripture, Divine Mercy in my soul, even at times, my own journal. I’m often surprised at how many times I see God’s counsel in something I’ve written or a journaled prayer.  I turn to God much sooner than ever before and thanks to technology, my memory can be prompted to spend time with Him during the busy day. I have an app ‘St Josemaria’ that allows me to add my own prayers and set reminders.  Great to remember to pray the 3 o’clock prayer for Mercy or to take a moment to think of God.  

We spend time in silence every evening to read His Word and pray the Chaplet and Rosary.  In silence, I hear God speaking and the more I hear His Voice, the more I hear Him speaking and guiding me.

“Suddenly I heard a voice within my soul, Do not fear; I am with you. And an unusual light illumined my mind” Divine Mercy in my soul #129