Willing Obedience

Willing Obedience!  
Discouragement can come in many forms, but often, Satan is the instigator. He wants us to focus on negative things instead of God. The enemy's favorite form of spiritual discouragement is the idea that we can’t fully please God. If you were to compile a list of what you thought you must do to please God, how long would your list be? We might be inclined to draft a long list that would be impossible to accomplish. That is the enemy's hope! What most pleases the Lord is our obedience, not our checklist. 
Friends, another common source of our discouragement is unanswered prayer. Let's face it: God often doesn’t answer prayer the way we want or with the timing we prefer. When that occurs, we might be inclined to relinquish our prayers or even the Lord Himself. The next time you feel disheartened or discouraged, redirect your focus to God and pray aloud: Thank Him for being with you through your past discouragements. Admit He’s in control, and then acknowledge that He loves you and works all things for your good, even if they haven't yet been revealed. Never forget, His ways are always better than our ways!  
Onward and Upward+
Fr. Greg