A German Expat in The Philippines - Ein deutscher Auswanderer auf den Philippinen

You plan to move to the Philippines? Wollen Sie auf den Philippinen leben?

There are REALLY TONS of websites telling us how, why, maybe why not and when you'll be able to move to the Philippines. I only love to tell and explain some things "between the lines". Enjoy reading, be informed, have fun and be entertained too!

Ja, es gibt tonnenweise Webseiten, die Ihnen sagen wie, warum, vielleicht warum nicht und wann Sie am besten auf die Philippinen auswandern könnten. Ich möchte Ihnen in Zukunft "zwischen den Zeilen" einige zusätzlichen Dinge berichten und erzählen. Viel Spass beim Lesen und Gute Unterhaltung!

Wednesday, February 18, 2026

Raising financially smart kids in a volatile world

Ifinished writing a book late last year. The work is now with my editor and soon it will move to layout and printing.

That simple sentence carries more weight than it looks. Writing is exhilarating. Editing—and now letting go—is sobering.

At this stage, you no longer add much. You mostly listen, trim and trust. Somewhere between revisions and margins, I realized again that this book didn’t begin as a publishing project. It began as a life project.

For many, I’m known as a personal finance educator. I talk about discipline, stewardship, investing and long-term thinking. But this book—Blue Chip: A No-nonsense Guide to Raising Financially Smart Kids—was not born out of seminars or spreadsheets. It was born at home.

In investing, a “blue chip” company is stable, resilient and trustworthy. It doesn’t rise and fall with every headline. It performs over time because it is built on strong fundamentals.

As I revisited the manuscript with fresh eyes, I realized that this was the quiet prayer I carried as a parent all along. Not that my children would be wealthy or impressive—but that they would be steady. Because the world they are growing up in is anything but.

Our children are being formed in an environment of constant noise, comparison and instant gratification. Social media tells them they are behind. Advertising teaches them to equate happiness with consumption. And money—whether we talk about it or not—is shaping their hearts earlier than we realize.

One of the clearest convictions that shaped this book is this: children form their relationship with money long before they ever earn it. They watch how we respond to pressure. They feel anxiety even when we try to hide it. They observe how we handle lack, abundance, success and failure.

Money does not create what is in the heart. It reveals it. For a long time, I didn’t understand that.

Before I encountered Jesus at 40, my relationship with money was shaped by fear and self-reliance. I believed provision depended entirely on me. I carried pressure quietly. I made decisions driven more by emotion than wisdom. We experienced seasons of abundance and seasons of stress not because income was inconsistent, but because my understanding of stewardship was incomplete.

Everything shifted when God redefined ownership for me. “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it” stopped being a verse I quoted and became a conviction I had to live out. Stewardship moved from being a financial strategy to a spiritual posture. And as God slowly fathered me, I found myself learning how to father my children differently.

That’s why Blue Chip does not begin with allowance systems or savings charts. It begins with identity. One conviction I return to throughout the book is simple but crucial: identity must come before allowance.

Children who do not know who they are will eventually use money to compensate. They overspend to belong, compare to feel validated and chase things to fill emotional gaps. But children rooted in identity learn restraint, contentment and purpose.

Some of these lessons came through light, almost humorous moments—like the “Starbucks moment” with my daughter Billie, when a simple request for water turned into a gentle but unforgettable lesson on impulse and awareness. Other lessons came through heavier seasons.

One of the most defining was during the pandemic. When my speaking work disappeared almost overnight, it would have been logical—even responsible—to pull back on generosity.

But I sensed God inviting us to trust Him more deeply. We chose to continue supporting missionaries. What followed were provisions I could never have planned. But more important than provision was what our children witnessed: that God is faithful, even when circumstances are uncertain. Those moments became part of their inheritance.

Beyond ChatGPT: How to use Gen AI to work smarter

Today, all four of our children are adults. My daughters are married to men who steward money with wisdom and humility. My sons carry discipline and discernment beyond their years.

None of them are perfect—but they are grounded. And that, more than any financial metric, tells me something went right.

The greatest inheritance we can leave our children is not wealth. It is wisdom. It is peace. It is a healthy relationship with money rooted in trust in God.

As this book moves closer to print, I’m reminded that Blue Chip is not about raising perfect children. It’s about raising resilient ones—children who are not easily shaken by trends, pressure or fear.

Blue Chip adults are not formed by accident. They are shaped through thousands of small, faithful moments—conversations, boundaries, examples, prayers—lived consistently over time.

My hope is that this book reads less like a manual and more like a conversation. One parent to another. One imperfect father pointing to a faithful God. Because when God fathers us well, He equips us to raise the next generation better.

Randell Tiongson is a Registered Financial Planner of RFP Philippines. To learn more about personal financial planning, attend the 115th RFP program this March 2026. Email info@rfp.ph or visit rfp.ph to learn more about the program.

DIW-Präsident rechnet mit 21 Prozent Mehrwertsteuer

Droht ein neuer Kosten-Schock?

:

17.02.2026 - 08:18 Uhr

TTS-PLAYER ÜBERSPRINGEN

Berlin – Droht Verbrauchern ein neuer Kosten-Schock? Wirtschaftsexperte und Präsident des Deutschen Instituts für Wirtschaftsforschung (DIW) Marcel Fratzscher (55) rechnet fest damit, dass die Bundesregierung die Mehrwertsteuer um zwei Punkte auf 21 Prozent anhebt. Ziel: das Haushaltsloch stopfen!

Denn zwischen 2027 und 2029 fehlen im Haushalt mehr als 130 Milliarden Euro. Eine höhere Mehrwertsteuer würde rund 30 Milliarden Euro bringen.

Wirtschaftsexperte und Präsident des Deutschen Instituts für Wirtschaftsforschung (DIW) Marcel Fratzscher (55)
Foto: Annette Riedl/dpa

Die schwarz-rote Koalition werde es sich am Ende leicht machen und diesen Weg wählen, attackierte Fratzscher gegenüber dem RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland (RND) die Merz-Regierung. Doch er warnt: Dies sei sozial fatal, da es Menschen mit geringen Einkommen überproportional stark treffe. „Beide Parteien haben ihre roten Linien abgesteckt und sind offenbar nicht bereit, sie aufzugeben“, so Fratzscher. Die Union lehne Steuererhöhungen ab, die SPD wolle nicht beim Sozialstaat sparen. Das Ergebnis: eine Mehrwertsteuererhöhung, die vor allem die Schwächeren trifft.

Stattdessen fordert der DIW-Präsident die Abschaffung klimaschädlicher Steuersubventionen, darunter das Diesel-Privileg und die Pendlerpauschale. Umfang: 60 Milliarden Euro.

Monday, February 16, 2026

The weight of words

Afriend of mine, who is an infectious disease specialist, once observed that many Filipinos tend to delay going to the doctor unless something hurts. He shared the case of a man who consulted him for a mild stomachache, even though the patient had a visibly bulging goiter. The stomachache was painful and, therefore, was considered urgent, while the goiter was merely seen as an inconvenience.

He noted that part of this pattern may be linguistic. The Filipino word for illness is the same word we use for pain: sakit. When illness is tied to pain in language, painless symptoms, even if they are potentially life-threatening, are easily minimized and tolerated, leading to delayed diagnosis and intervention. It is only when something hurts that we treat it as a serious concern. This is the quiet power of language. It shapes not just how we perceive and describe our experiences, but also the kind of action and attention they require.

Words matter even more when they come from those in positions of authority. What leaders say carries a disproportionate ripple effect, shaping culture, morale, and collective behavior within their sphere of influence. Language, in their hands, can actively construct norms. This is why the remarks made by Sen. Robinhood Padilla during a recent Senate hearing drew such widespread criticism. Padilla suggested that children today are “weak” compared to previous generations, citing their vulnerability to mental health challenges.

Experts and citizens alike were quick to respond. The Psychological Association of the Philippines emphasized that resilience cannot be meaningfully compared across generations, because the challenges young people face today are both “quantitatively and qualitatively more intense.” They also stressed that what appears to be an “increase” in mental health conditions is, in part, the result of greater awareness and significant advances in identification and diagnosis.

Rather than acknowledge how his previous statement could compromise the mental health discourse, Padilla doubled down by claiming that his notions about today’s youth are not simply an opinion, but are based on worldwide data surrounding the rise of suicide rates. He argued that if the public were truly concerned, then the focus should be on responding with solutions to the problem rather than correcting what he said.

What Padilla fails to grasp is that how he talks about mental health is itself a large part of the problem that needs to be addressed. For instance, one of the longest-standing challenges that mental health practitioners have faced is the common word choices in media and public discourse (e.g., “psycho” and “crazy”) along with portrayals that equate mental illnesses with criminality. These have reinforced myths that people who have diagnoses are dangerous and socially undesirable. While greater awareness in recent years has helped dismantle some of these misconceptions, fears of being boxed into stigmatizing terms have led people to delay help‑seeking or avoid mental health care altogether.

When Padilla labeled children as “weak” for having suicidal ideation, he inadvertently framed mental health issues as a personal failure rather than a public health concern. This could feed into one’s self-stigma, where individuals internalize negative labels around their condition, leading to lower self‑esteem, social withdrawal, and reduced hope for recovery.

As proof of his generation’s resilience, Padilla claimed that young people during his time weren’t “crybabies” and did not even know what depression meant. Yet, suicide deaths are also alarmingly high among males in middle and later adulthood, globally, and in the Philippines. This potentially points to long-standing patterns of silence from men who were socialized to suppress rather than articulate suffering, and to cope through socially acceptable but harmful substitutes like substance use. Older generations may not have known the word for depression and other mental health challenges during their time, but they almost certainly felt its weight.

It’s true that mental health language these days can sometimes be used loosely, especially among younger people, which strips these terms of their clinical meaning. But rather than dismiss the experiences behind them, the appropriate response is guidance and education. These are opportunities to build deeper understanding and stronger mental health literacy.

Padilla was correct in pointing out that the problem must be addressed. But how we frame the mental health discourse dictates the kind of action and policies that follow. By recognizing depression as a clinical condition rather than a character weakness, we open the door to policies and evidence-based interventions grounded in compassion, empathy, and care. Our leaders’ choice of words matters because it can determine whether people seek and receive help or continue to suffer in silence.

—————

eleanor@shetalksasia.com

Is your melatonin supplement unable to make you sleep?

By Cheshire Que

Published Feb 10, 2026 08:51 am

Insomnia sufferers experience poor memory, slow responses to stimuli, brain fog, confusion, difficulty concentrating, mood alterations, anxiety, depression, and decreased productivity in school, work, or other activities.

Are you having difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep throughout the night? The effects of insomnia may vary from person to person suffering from this condition. For some, it could be an inconvenience, but for others, it can have a major impact on their lives.

Every single person, regardless of age, gender, or race need quality sleep for the body to function optimally and to stay healthy by decreasing the risk of developing illnesses. Having trouble falling asleep or waking up in the middle of the night despite being able to fall back to sleep or waking up too early, even before the alarm goes off, and being unable to fall back to sleep can leave one feeling tired, unwell, sluggish, or sleeping during the day.

In 2025, Adam V. Benjafield and colleagues conducted a systematic literature review-based analysis of 1,562 potential records and 18 studies with 262,582 participants to estimate the global prevalence and burden of insomnia. Approximately 852,325,091 adults were estimated to have insomnia. The number is tantamount to 16.2 percent global prevalence. As if the number wasn’t big enough, the problem gets bigger as 414,967,941 individuals have severe insomnia. That is around 7.9 percent global prevalence. Furthermore, their research revealed that insomnia and severe insomnia were more prevalent among the female population across all age groups.

Perhaps you belong to this significant number of people suffering from insomnia or worse, severe insomnia. You may have experienced taking melatonin supplements that may have worked initially, but have now failed to put you to sleep or give you that much-needed, sustained, good-quality sleep. What went wrong?

Synthetic melatonin found in melatonin supplements will help with short-term sleep issues, such as when you need to get back on your sleep schedule while recovering from time zone differences post-travel or jet lag, or when you schedule changes from night to day shift or vice versa. Melatonin supplementation, however, is not made for long-term use. Neither is this cut out for chronic insomnia treatment. Melatonin supplements are not sleeping pills or medications that knock you out. These are synthetic hormones that are supposed to help regulate the circadian rhythm or your sleep-wake cycle on short term basis.

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends strategically timed melatonin treatment for some issues related to sleep timing, like jet lag or shift work disorder, but their published practice guidelines advise clinicians against using melatonin in adults to treat chronic insomnia.

According to Dr. Jennifer Martin, in February 2021, a member of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine board of directors, a professor of medicine at the University of California Los Angeles, and a clinical psychologist, “Melatonin isn’t a ‘one-size-fits-all’ solution to nightly sleep trouble. People who have difficulty sleeping should try making changes in their bedtime routine and environment first, and if that doesn’t help, or their insomnia becomes chronic, they should work with their medical provider to find the best treatment option.”

In addition, Dr. Jennifer warned: “Another limitation of melatonin is that over-the-counter supplements aren’t regulated by the US Food and Drug Administration. Therefore, there’s no way to be sure how much melatonin is in the supplement, unless the product label has the USP Verified mark, which indicates that the formulation meets the requirements of the US Pharmacopeial Convention.”

The side effects of melatonin supplementation are headache, dizziness, nausea, drowsiness during daytime, vivid dreams, nightmares, mood alterations, stomach upset, changes in bowel movements, loss of appetite, urinary incontinence, risk for falls and injuries, seizures, confusion, reduced alertness, and can interfere with some medications such as blood thinners; birth control; seizure, diabetes, and hypertension medications; immunosuppressants; and other medications that are metabolized by the liver.

Since your melatonin supplements didn’t do the trick, here are natural ways to get better sleep.

First, nourish your gut microbiome with a variety of fresh vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. The fiber and plant chemicals from these plant food sources will feed the beneficial bacteria in your intestines. Specific microorganisms play a huge role in helping the body produce the sleep hormone melatonin.

It is also important to increase your intake of tryptophan-rich food from plant food sources like bananas, soy, mushrooms, broccoli, peas, oats, and leafy greens like our local and readily available malunggay, kangkong, and pechay. Tryptophan is needed for the production of melatonin.

Second, be physically active throughout the day. One of the reasons why we can’t sleep is that the body is not tired enough. Your brain may be exhausted, but your body also needs to expend energy throughout the day. Exercising during the daytime or at least three hours before bedtime will do wonders for sleep regulation. We are all busy, but we can try to be more intentional in taking 10- to 15-minute walking cycles at least two to three times a day, and schedule at least two hours of strength and conditioning training a week. Whatever works for you, as long as you get moving.

“Training during the day will improve sleep by stabilizing the nervous system and by reducing stress,” explains strength and conditioning coach Royan Hernandez. “This will help your body fall asleep naturally by creating a healthy physical fatigue that will, in turn, improve sleep depth and better recovery without relying on supplements.”

Exercise also helps in the production of the mood-stabilizing hormone, serotonin, which is a precursor for the sleep hormone, melatonin.

Instead of relying on pills to put you to sleep, try to be mindful of your nutritional intake and be more physically active. These two will surely make a significant impact on your sleep.

Seek a sign

By Manila Bulletin

REFLECTIONS TODAY

A “sign” (Hebrew oth) in the Old Testament and Jewish literature signifies a token which guarantees the truthfulness of an utterance or the legitimacy of an action. The words of the prophets which could not be verified were frequently accompanied by a sign which authenticated the prophecy. In that context, a sign is a further prophecy that is to be fulfilled within a short period of time. Because miracles or “mighty deeds” are effective and extraordinary, they occupy a privileged place among the divine signs, but they are not always “signs” pointing to God’s saving action. Jesus does miracles designated as signs of the coming of the Kingdom, but they are not considered to be signs by the Pharisees. When they see with their very eyes Jesus’ mighty deeds, they conclude that these are of demonic agency and that Jesus is in league with Beelzebul, the prince of demons. In today’s Gospel, they seek a sign from heaven. They demand that Jesus demonstrate the legitimacy of his actions. But what mighty deed can truly satisfy them? Jesus is thoroughly aware of the hostility and unbelief of the Pharisees who are opposed to the revelation of God’s grace in him. In their case, he absolutely refuses the demand for a sign.

First Reading • Jas 1:1-11

James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes in the dispersion, greetings. Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you encounter various trials, for you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. And let perseverance be perfect, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. But if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and he will be given it. But he should ask in faith, not doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed about by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord, since he is a man of two minds, unstable in all his ways. The brother in lowly circumstances should take pride in high standing, and the rich one in his lowliness, for he will pass away “like the flower of the field.” For the sun comes up with its scorching heat and dries up the grass, its flower droops, and the beauty of its appearance vanishes. So will the rich person fade away in the midst of his pursuits.

Responsorial Psalm • Ps 119

“Be kind to me, Lord, and I shall live.”

Gospel • Mk 8:11-13

The Pharisees came forward and began to argue with Jesus, seeking from him a sign from heaven to test him. He sighed from the depth of his spirit and said, “Why does this generation seek a sign? Amen, I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation.” Then he left them, got into the boat again, and went off to the other shore.

Source: “365 Days with the Lord 2026,” St. Paul’s, 7708 St. Paul Rd., SAV, Makati City (Phils.); Tel.: 632-895-9701; E-mail: publishing@stpauls.ph; Website: http://www.stpauls.ph.

Alex Eala arranges a second-round clash vs Paolini as Baptiste retires

By Mark Rey Montejo

Published Feb 16, 2026 08:18 am

ed a quick ticket in the second round after American Hailey Baptiste retired in the second set of their round of 64 clash, 6-4, 0-1 (ret), at the WTA 1000 Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships in the United Arab Emirates late Sunday night, Feb. 15.

Alex Eala earned a quick ticket in the second round after American Hailey Baptiste retired in the second set of their round of 64 clash, 6-4, 0-1 (ret), at the WTA 1000 Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships in the United Arab Emirates late Sunday night, Feb. 15.

Eala, 20, overcame a sluggish start, breaking a 2-2 deadlock before unleashing a series of superb hits to build a 5-3 cushion en route to a first-set edge.

However, the highly anticipated duel ended prematurely when the 24-year-old Baptiste appeared to have suffered an abdominal injury, forcing her to exit the match.

Apart from her stellar debut on Dubai soil, the Filipina tennis ace sets up a daunting round of 32 duel against world No. 8 and competition’s No. 6 seed Italian Jasmine Paolini, who received an early bye in the opener.

“I’m happy to be in the next round. These tournaments are such a great experience for me, especially playing in front of the best crowd ever,” Eala said. “I will do my best to try [and] enjoy every moment I have on court.”

This will mark the first-ever meeting on the WTA Tour between Eala and Paolini, the winner of last year’s French Open women’s doubles crown with fellow Italian Sara Errani.

It was also the second time that No. 40 Eala eliminated No. 39 Baptiste after the former carved out a 6-7(7), 7-6(7), 6-1 escape to barge into the main draw of the WTA 250 Lexus Eastbourne Open in Great Britain last June.

However, Eala admitted she wasn’t a fan of her recent win, acknowledging how tough it is to stay healthy in the ultra-competitive WTA Tour and extending her well wishes to Baptiste for a speedy recovery.

“Obviously, no one likes advancing this way [and] being on tour I’m starting to discover really at this level how different it is to maintain your health physically,” said Eala moments after the game.

“I really hope Hailey [Baptiste] is okay and will bounce back soon,” she added.

With a week of respite after her exit in the Qatar Open in Doha, Eala needed to shake off some jitters after she struggled early against Baptiste.

The Filipina netter then rediscovered her form after converting two break points in the 5th and 7th of the opening frame to seize 4-3 edge before winning two of the next three games.

Baptiste staged a brief comeback, claiming the first game of the second set in a tense exchange featuring multiple deuces and break points. Unfortunately, the American then suffered the injury that forced her to retire from the match.

Better to be kind than right, right?

My dad’s central motto has always been “It’s better to be kind than right.” He was, and still is, the kindest soul I know. He was the type of person to buy extra food in the drive-through for the children we’d pass on the street, eat or drink all of my kitchen concoctions with a smile on his face, and be an inspiring leader to his workmates. So, how do I tell him–wherever he may be in heaven–that as much as I want to promise to follow his word, the world does not treat kindness from young girls like me as gracefully as he does?

I am a 19-year-old girl whose kindness is not only an attribute– it’s a survival tool. It’s something that I’ve had to learn and perpetually equip myself with. Whenever I’m out in public, I have to trust my instincts and be constantly wary of my surroundings.

Is that man following me? Are they staring at me? Is my uniform too revealing for the bus? Could someone recognize me and think I’m easy to kidnap?

These are real thoughts that run through my mind and factors I consider every day. I once stepped onto a relatively full bus and found a seat near the front, just in case. My palms were slippery from sweat, whether from wearing a zip-up even in the intense heat or the pure unease that ran through my veins. I quickly put my hair in a bun so that it wouldn’t get pulled on in any circumstance, and held my bag close to my chest. A man sat in the opposite aisle and every so often would glance at me, and I returned his looks with a stern face. After a while, he dropped his handkerchief, and about a thousand different scenarios ran through my mind–if it was an accident or if he planned for me to grab it for him. As stop after stop passed by, my mind was conflicted on what the “right choice” would be and if I was wrong for immediately thinking cynically. How dare I reduce this random man to the dark possibilities that only lived and breathed in my head? When he left, a mixture of guilt and fear settled in my stomach. Guilt that I didn’t pass on the kindness that my dad had instilled in me. Fear of what might have happened if I had.

When I got home, I couldn’t shake what happened. It stuck to me as much as the sweat and scent of gasoline from the bus did. I imagined telling my dad what had happened and asking him if what I did was correct; would he validate my choice, or would he chastise me and say that I was overly pessimistic?

People may say that I’m too anxious or I’m seeing the world in a negative light, but the daily news of people, mostly teenage girls, getting taken and treated as objects even in broad daylight, begs to differ. I would like to stay true to myself and believe that people are inherently good, but what about those who aren’t? How am I supposed to know who is and isn’t thinking I’m vulnerable enough to be taken advantage of?

A similar notion is held in the “Kill All Men” (KAM) movement popularized in 2020. It doesn’t literally aim to kill all biological men; it aims to put into perspective the daily experience of women throughout the world–it’s a flare gun fired by women begging for help when they just want to walk home safely without the piercing stares of men watching them. While living in fear and cautiousness, how are we supposed to be sure of the purity of intentions of those around us? It’s a hyperbolic expression, yes, but it was only born from hypervigilance.

Nothing can ever warrant a human to harass another human– not what they were wearing, not how old they were, not what time it happened. Nothing. Moreover, when women talk about their unfortunate experiences, they shouldn’t be shunned. Whenever I read news articles about women getting harassed, tortured, or killed, an exorbitant majority of the comments are still flooded with those who believe it was the woman’s fault and continue to blame women for each similar occurrence. There is even a disgusting minority of people who praise the man who was guilty of the crime. Women are not objects and should not be treated as such. We do not live for the pleasure and desires of men or any other individual, especially unwarranted.

I circle my life around the possibilities that I wish I didn’t have to consider. The possibilities that I and others shouldn’t have to consider. Because the man that I’ve seen take the same route as me might just be a coincidence, or it might lead me to never walk that route again. If I’m right, I know other ways I can take to make sure. If I’m kind, I could very well underestimate him.

So with a heavy heart, when I’m alone in public, I’m forced to disobey my father beyond the grave. I’m forced to want to be right rather than kind, because kindness from girls like me doesn’t feel any better.

Sunday, February 15, 2026

How to endure temptations

by Fr. Roy Cimagala

Chaplain

Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise (CITE)

Talamban, Cebu City

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

WE get this happy assurance from the Letter of St. James. “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation; for when he hath been proved, he shall receive a crown of life, which God hath promised to them that love him.” (1,12)

God can allow temptations to come to us. But when that happens, it’s because it can occasion a greater good for us, as long as we make use of our temptations to go to God rather than to run away from him.

St. Paul assures us that God is always in control of things. This is what he said: “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind.” These words somehow reassure us that there is nothing new about temptations. We should not over-react when we are tempted.

And St. Paul continues, “God is faithful. He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” (1 Cor 10,13) What better deal can we have when we have to deal with unavoidable temptations? We should just stick to God, to his ways. We should just enliven our faith, and not allow ourselves to be dominated by our own estimation of things.

The first thing to do when tempted is to immediately go to God, to run to him, to stick to him as closely as possible. That’s simply because God is our rock and fortress, the ultimate source of strength. Missing this reaction, we open ourselves to a long, tortuous episode that can end badly.

Missing this reaction is actually a common thing to happen because in the first place our relation with God is not strong. If ever there is some relation, it is more on the theoretical level and hardly on the practical, much less something that involves our feelings and instincts.

And so, we have to work hard in building up this relation with God if we want to keep some safe distance from temptations. If our love for God is hot, the devil will find it hard to get near us, just like a fly would not get close to a hot soup.

Our usual problem is that we tend to be by ourselves when temptations come, and to rely simply on our powers which actually are already heavily compromised since our wounded flesh is an ally of the enemies of our soul. We always have a Trojan horse in our personal lives.

Without God’s grace we simply cannot do anything except to fall, if not soon then later. It would just be a matter of time. But when we are with God, we get to see the whole picture, and can distinguish the poison embedded in the many good, beautiful, true and sweet things that temptations come with.

From there we would know what strategy to take. Very often, what can be effective is simply to ignore the temptation and to pour scorn on the evil spirits behind the temptation. This is effective if in the first place our spiritual life is healthy, with faith and love for God and for souls vibrant and strong.

But then when such faith and love is not that strong, the temptations can gain some foothold in us. When we notice this, our reaction should be just to stay calm and not to dare to get overexcited. When there is a storm around, we usually would stay home or at a safe place to ride it out, and avoid going around. In the end, let’s always be with God.