1-21-23 Bulletin

Orthodox Christians live by faith in Christ. And this faith is a simple faith. It means that we trust in our Lord Jesus Christ for salvation. To have faith means that we “trust in the Lord with all our hearts” and that we “lean not upon [y]our own understanding.” (Psalm 3:5). Such faith is absolute and uncompromising. It cannot be divided. We are either “all-in” for Him or we are “all-out.” The Lord asks us to be fully consecrated to Him without exception. Why so? Because He alone loves us like no other. He alone knows us better that we know ourselves. He alone can save us from ourselves and our foolishness.

Faith is simple, yes. But this does not mean it is easy. One cannot just confess faith in Christ and be through with the whole thing, “once and done.” Rather, one must keep on confessing for a whole lifetime, every hour of every day. Every thought must “be taken captive for obedience to Christ.” (2 Cor. 10:5).

Really, an inner revolution is necessary. Human beings in this world live in a state of constant rebellion against God, because of pride. So it’s not just the need to sweep house every once in a while to gather up the dust. No, it’s that all the forces of hell, the devil and his demons are fighting inside mind and soul in order to deny the forces of good. Furthermore, the more someone deepens their faith, the more intense the battle becomes. The devil and his demons rage against those who are in the process of being redeemed by Christ, which is why it is so intense. Our will is the deciding factor in the battle. We either choose the King who made us or the usurper, the tyrant. Only by God’s grace can we choose, and keep on choosing – through continual repentance – the light of Christ.

Every day eternity appears before us as a gift. But we must fight for it against ourselves, against temptation and the evil spirits. Every day, that is, we must lay down our own weapons and let the Lord fight for us. There is no other way.

Fr. Paul Jannakos