Discouragement is a very powerful tool of Satan.He loves to constantly discourage, discourage, discourage.He uses it to come against hope – the hope which we have in the Holy Spirit -- the Promise of God.Satan will tell us, "Oh that is not ever really going to happen.You don't really think God loves you!What makes you think your prayer is going to get through? Why don't you stop praying?Nobody is going to change. Nothing is happening."You know how it goes--discouragement all the time--coming against the gift of fortitude and the promise of hope, the promise of the Holy Spirit, Himself.

Another strategy that the enemy will use as retaliation to keep us from making progress in the spiritual journey is fatigue--tremendous fatigue.This is very clever of the enemy, because most of us are busy people.We are tired all the time anyway.Look at all the vitamin pills and all the health food stores and everything that we are doing to be health conscious.We are so busy that we are not always aware of the fatigue.We may not realize that it might be an evil spirit of fatigue attacking us in retaliation.But the enemy knows that if He can get us to stay away from the Holy Spirit and keep us from constantly drawing from His energy and from His strength, that spirit of fatigue can really take hold.I experienced this o­nce for three weeks before the Lord taught me what it was.Once you know what it is, and you know have to take care of it, it can lift right away.If you are used to going to the Holy Spirit every day to be renewed, to be renewed in body, soul and spirit, the spirit of fatigue spirit really cannot get a hold.You would spot it right away.

Persecution is another tactic of the enemy. Some of us may have experienced this already.If not, you will. Christians who really follow the value system of Jesus are going to be more and more, and already are more and more, in the minority.There will be persecution.Now, more than any other time in our history, we need to rely o­n the gift of fortitude and to draw our strength from the Lord.But Jesus again gives us another promise.He said, "Blessed are they who are persecuted for my Name's sake.Rejoice, for your reward in heaven will be great!"

This is why we must draw daily from the well of salvation, which is the Holy Spirit.In this way we have the strength, we have the courage, to fulfill the apostolate, the mission, the intercession and, particularly, the spiritual warfare that God has given to us, so that the prayer of Jesus in John 17 may reach fulfillment:“Father, that all may be o­ne.”Father, that all can have this new infilling, that all can be baptized in the Holy Spirit, that all can become Jesus, so that we all may be o­ne.Jesus says, "As you, Father, are in Me and I am in You, that they all may be o­ne in Us."This is the great work of the Holy Spirit.

I too pray that the Spirit may continue to strengthen you inwardly through His own workings, through His gifts, particularly right now through this gift of fortitude.And all of this I tell you today, as Jesus did, that the joy He has given to me also may be yours and your joy may be full.God bless you!

Excerpt from Mother Nadine’s, “Wings,” CD Listening Series