Be strong! Be a child of God! Be the brother of Jesus! Be an instrument of the Holy Spirit! Let God take control of you. He has called you by your name: “I want you! You are my son, you are my daughter! I have appointed you! I have anointed you! I have called you, you are mine.”

This is the word of the Lord throughout the Scriptures, “Come, my beloved, leave the world behind and its promises. Be with me, I’ll be with you to the end of time.”

I am now 84 years old and I see the hands of God on me; He has taken me to Himself. There are times that I have drifted away and sinned. I have fallen, I get up, I keep going, and there is nowhere else for me to go.

You brothers and sisters will fall, you will be shaken; even your vows will be shaken, you will transgress His commandments and your deep love for the Lord. But, get up, stand up, and brush yourself off and start all over again.

There will be times when your foundation is shaken. But your foundation will be fixed and straightened again. Do not allow persecution, temptation, and difficulties to destroy your vision in life. God loves you and He is the anchor of all human life. Satan wants to destroy your confidence in God and yourself and frighten you and force you to change your mind. But there is nothing else in life but the great God Himself to uphold you, walk with you, and take you to your heavenly home.

If you give in to evil ways, to your instincts and feelings, and go your way and the ways of the evil one, you will lose His love and your love for those who God has given you. Never change your mind to commitments that you have made, except in matters of doing greater good and honour to glorify the Almighty.

Do not be deluded that the grass is greener on the other side. Do not think of another way of life, other acquaintances, a better people, other relationships, another religious community, or a better material life thinking they will bring you happiness. Be strong, fight the good fight, be faithful to your relationships with others, even if they might be weak.

Satan knows your weaknesses. Satan wants you; he divides, he wants you to separate from your loved ones. We must continue to love another and to love God. He is stronger than the Devil who tempts us.

And, remember, we must also increase our service of the poorest and forgotten.

Make sure that you see the difference between appearance and reality. There will always be an eternal battle between the body and the soul. The flesh is always calling us to seek the pleasures of this world. The soul tells us to be strong in the ways of God and to reject self-indulgence and self-pity. Satan beguiles us and tempts us: Eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow you will die. Christ tells us, “Deny yourself, take up the cross and follow me.” Save the stranger, feed the hungry and give water to the thirsty, you will have peace and happiness here on Earth and in God’s heavenly home.

Your soul is the battleground between God and Satan, do not be afraid to say to the tempter, “Get out, Satan, you are a scandal to me.” Choosing good you will always be good; for good is From God. Whereas, what is evil is from the devil.

Be strong! Never give up!

Fr Richard Ho Lung is founder of Missionaries of the Poor. Send your comments to the Jamaica Observer or mopfounder81@gmail.com.