By a Miracle They Were Changed Forever, by Fr. Robert DeGrandis,  click here 

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NO MATTER HOW ROUGH IT IS OUT THERE, REMEMBER YOU CAN'T EXPERIENCE VICTORY IF YOU PLAN FOR DEFEAT

"You can't experience victory if you plan for defeat." A quote -- a truth. When Jesus was headed for the Cross, He could bear it because His Eyes were on what would come after.

There is always glory, when we seek it, when we want it, when we plan for that (victory). Train your eyes on the good, no matter the darkness that surrounds you.

Don't be the architect of your own failure. Don't design disappointment. Don't draw up a "blackprint" of your future.

With Jesus and your angels and the Blessed Mother and the Holy Spirit: all will turn out well.

Everyone goes through angst. We worry about what is going on in society. We worry about how to pay for our health care. We have debts from a home or a car. We fall back in payments. There's tension at work. We see incredible stuff in the news. Yet, what, in the end, can come against us?

The Bible tells us through countless miracles what we also can do if we are in touch with God.

If we allow the devil to discourage us -- and he's the expert at this -- we fall into lethargy, we cast ourselves into the doldrums, we bring a cloud even when there are no clouds. Remember that the enemy attacks most intensely when you are nearing your destiny! He is a "roaring lion" and a lion often targets pregnant animals.

Yet, there is always an escape, an exit, if you trust beyond surrender.

We see all that goes on in society and wonder why anything matters if the world is "going to hell in a hand basket."

The answer is to make sure you aren't in that hand basket.

Disappointments must be turned into energy.

Separate yourself from darkness.

When God prunes you, use the twigs to kindle a flame.

A "bad report" -- a worry? It should energize us.

See disappointment as dead wood and use it to fuel your fire.

What good is it to lay around and mull over the negative. We lose our spark when we dwell on darkness. The right attitude will take you through any "furnace," through any oppression, to a higher place. The more difficult things are for you, the greater your chance of enhancing His Glory in you and in Heaven that awaits.

When we persist, when we're not afraid of the "threshing floor," God takes away what has been holding us back. Just hold up His light. That's all: just hold it up in the present darkness. Wear a robe of white (not black, which absorbs light).

When you can have peace no matter how "bad" the report is, this means spiritual progress. Move forward. If you are focused on what's behind you, you're headed backwards. Remember: often, you have to lose something to gain something better. When God takes something away, He gives more back.

Separate yourself from darkness. Everything is good, if you handle it the right way.

Does what is occurring in society upset you? Are you discouraged by events in your family or work or relationships? Have faith. The Blessed Mother -- no matter what transpires around her -- shows joy; she reflects paradise. So should we. It is only separation from God that should concern us, when the "going gets rough." When the going gets tough, the Lord is preparing you; when the going gets rough, the tough get on their knees.

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