Walk Boldly With Jesus

Stand in the Breach Genesis 18:32 “ Then he said, “Oh, do not let the Lord be angry if I speak just once more. Suppose ten are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it.” This verse comes from a discussion between God and Moses. Let me read you the whole conversation, so you have the context. This section follows immediately the one in which God promises Sarah and Abraham that they will have a son. In this section, God wonders if He should hide from Abraham what He is about to do to Sodom and Gomorrah, and He decides He shouldn’t. He has chosen Abraham to teach His children right from wrong, and so He decides to tell him the judgment He is about to hand down to Sodom and Gomorrah. Let’s read from Genesis 18:20-33. “Then the Lord said, “How great is the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah and how very grave their sin! I must go down and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry that has come to me; and if not, I will know.” So the men turned from there and went toward Sodom, while Abraham remained standing before the Lord. Then Abraham came near and said, “Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city; will you then sweep away the place and not forgive it for the fifty righteous who are in it? Far be it from you to do such a thing, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?” And the Lord said, “If I find at Sodom fifty righteous in the city, I will forgive the whole place for their sake.” Abraham answered, “Let me take it upon myself to speak to the Lord, I who am but dust and ashes. Suppose five of the fifty righteous are lacking? Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five?” And he said, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.” Again, he spoke to him, “Suppose forty are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of forty I will not do it.” Then he said, “Oh, do not let the Lord be angry if I speak. Suppose thirty are found there.” He answered, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.” He said, “Let me take it upon myself to speak to the Lord. Suppose twenty are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of twenty, I will not destroy it.” Then he said, “Oh, do not let the Lord be angry if I speak just once more. Suppose ten are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it.” And the Lord went his way, when he had finished speaking to Abraham; and Abraham returned to his place.” There are at least two things I love about these verses in the Bible. First, I love what it shows us about God. It shows us that God is approachable. It shows us that we can talk with Him and that He will listen. God knows everything. He is the almighty one. He could have very easily shut Abraham down and told him it was none of his business how God handled those cities. He could have been offended because Abraham was questioning Him and His judgment. He didn’t do either of these things. He listened to Abraham, He allowed Abraham to make His case, and He agreed to spare the lives of the righteous. This shows us how compassionate God is. It also shows us his mercy as well. He was willing to have mercy on the whole town for the sake of a few righteous people, as few as 10 righteous people. According to the internet, about 1,200 people lived in those cities at the time of destruction. Can you imagine having mercy on 1190 people who are doing awful things, including child sacrifice, just because there are 10 among them who are doing the right thing? That is how much God wants all of us to be saved. He is willing to give us so many chances. He was willing to spare the whole city for the sake of a few. We tend to think a lot less about God’s mercy and think more about His judgment and how He is just looking for us to mess up. That is not our God. That is not the God in the Bible. When we read scripture, we get to learn who God truly is. The story of Sodom and Gomorrah can be looked at as a story of how harsh God’s judgment is. However, if you read the whole story in context, you can see that God did not want to destroy the towns. He was willing to save them even if there were just 10 righteous people in the whole town. However, He couldn’t even find 10. The other thing I love about these verses is that Abraham is willing to stand up for those he didn’t know. Right before this section, God told Abraham and his wife, Sarah, that they would have a baby. They had tried for a long time, and they were beyond their baby-making years, age-wise. This was going to be a miracle. I would like to think many of us would have done what Abraham did. I would like to think I would have kept asking God to save those people over and over again. The truth is, I don’t know if I would have. Would I have been afraid if I pushed God, He would take away the miracle He promised me? Would I have been afraid God

Witness Wednesday #199 Catherine D. Today I would like to share with you a witness about how God came through at the last minute. He does this sometimes. Sometimes it can feel like He is not there, like He didn’t hear your prayers, and then just when you think all is lost, He comes through. Last September, I went to Ecuador for my niece’s baptism. This was a really big deal for me, as my niece was born at 27 weeks and almost didn’t survive. That is a witness for another time. She was in the hospital for 4 months, and just as she got to leave the hospital and go home, COVID happened. She had to stay in her house for over a year. Her grandparents, my brother-in-law’s parents, couldn’t come here from Ecuador to meet her, and they couldn’t travel there due to the pandemic. So, this past September, right before my niece turned 2, they decided to have her baptized in Ecuador. They had asked me to be the Godmother, and I was honored to make the trip to celebrate this amazing occasion. She is a miracle baby for so many reasons, and I was looking forward to being a part of bringing this beautiful girl into the church. My mom and dad traveled down a week early with my sister, brother-in-law, and my niece. Then I was traveling with my mother-in-law, Joanie, as she also loves to travel. The beginning of our trip shows how God shows up in all the details. We had a really early morning flight, and then we had a long layover in Florida. When I say long, I mean we had a 12-hour layover in FL. We were both wondering what we would do to pass the time. We thought about leaving the airport and looking around the city, but we had our luggage, and we didn’t really want to walk around town carrying our luggage. I was praying about this on our flight to FL, and the thought came to me that we could rent a car. This way we could keep our luggage in the trunk and drive around the town. Once we landed and got to the car rental place, it turned out it was very inexpensive to rent the car for the day. We were all set and on our way. We drove to the beach, we walked along the boardwalk, we got ice cream, we drove through a beautiful scenic park, and we even got out and went for a nice walk through the park. We had a fantastic day and made it back to the airport in plenty of time to make our next flight. God was in all the details of that day, and He worked things out perfectly for us. This next part of our journey is where things got a little bumpy. We had been traveling since about 4 am. We arrived in Ecuador at about 11 pm. We were tired and ready to get to the hotel and get some sleep. My brother-in-law had our flight info, but we had no way to reach him as our phones did not have international service. This wasn’t really a problem as our flight was not delayed, and he could always check with the airport if it had been. Joanie and I wait in the line to go through passport control. We finally get up to passport control, and we can see the door to go out to meet all those waiting to pick you up. We hand over our passports, and the man looks at them, then he looks at us. Then he calls over someone else, and he looks at them, they talk in Spanish, which I don’t speak, and I can see the one he called over shaking his head. I start to get nervous. I ask if there is a problem. He said, yes, I am sorry, ma’am, but your passport expires in less than 6 months. No, it does not expire until March of 2022 and we are in September of 2021. He explained that in order for me to enter the country, I have to be at least 6 months away from my expiration date. We looked at my passport, which expired on March 6th, and I landed on March 16th. He said they will only give a 10-day grace period, and I was already at my 10 days. Are you getting this? If I had traveled one week earlier, I would have been fine, but since my passport was going to expire in less than 6 months, 6 months, I couldn’t stay. I had this sinking feeling in my stomach, and I asked what that meant. He said he was going to ask his supervisor, and he was going to try to see what he could do, but it probably meant that I would have to get back on a plane that night and go back to America. Joanie and I were so confused. We didn’t know what to do. They asked if she wanted to stay, but she said she was with me; if I had to go, she was going home too. The man left us standing there for what felt like a really long time and went to talk to his supervisor. I told Joanie we needed to pray, and we both started to pray. We prayed that God would work some miracle. We prayed that we would get to go to the baptism. I pleaded with God, I begged Him to work his magic and not let them send me home. I praised God and thanked Him, I did and said everything I could think of in that moment, and you know what? It didn’t work. The man came back and said he was really sorry, there was nothing he could do, we had to wait for someone from the airlines to come and escort us back to the other part of the airport so we

We Have Been Set Free 1 Corinthians 6:12 “ All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are beneficial. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything.” The prayer point for the healing service team today is to free the captives. This instantly made me think of my friend who I am praying for this week. I have asked those I know to give me a Bible verse, and I will assign a different verse to each week of the year. Then I will pray for that person during the week I have assigned their verse. This week, I am praying for my friend, and instead of praying for her, she has asked for prayers for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and for food and medical aid to reach the sick and injured. When I read the Captives this morning, I thought of all of those who were captured in the Gaza Strip many months ago. Then, when I started reading the scripture verses we were given, I realized there are many ways that we can be held captive. Some of us are physically held captive, like those in war-torn countries, those who were abducted and forced into human trafficking of all kinds. There are also many of us who are held captive by our own beliefs, addictions, or wants and desires. This morning, while I was reading over the various verses, I asked the Lord to highlight the one he wanted me to talk about. I asked Him to make it clear to me. He actually highlighted two verses. The first one that jumped out was the verse above. 1 Corinthians 6:12 says, “All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are beneficial. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything.” I thought this was particularly fitting for today since yesterday was Ash Wednesday, and so Lent has just begun. Lent can be a difficult time of year because it is a time of sacrifice. It can also be a sad time of year as we remember all Christ went through to save us from our sins, to save us from ourselves. Lent is also a great time of year to show ourselves that we don’t have to be controlled by our wants and our desires. We get the chance to show God that although we love chocolate, wine, alcohol, beer, swearing, desserts, TV, or whatever else we decide to give up, we don’t let them as much as we love HIm. We get to show ourselves that it is ok to deny ourselves something we want and that when we do we will be even more stronger for it. I have a friend named Sarah Jane. I remember she came over to my house one time, and I asked if she wanted a brownie. She said she gave up chocolate for the month. It wasn’t lent so I asked her why she gave it up. She said each month, she gives something up for the month to show herself she can and so that she does not get too attached to anything. This is an awesome idea. I actually did this for a few months last year, but I don’t think I made it past May. I do think it is important that we know that just because we can do something doesn’t mean we should do it. It also doesn’t mean it is good for us. If we want to be holy, we must go beyond the letter of the law. This is what the Sadducees and Pharisees were doing. They were following the letter of the law but not the spirit of the law. They were so focused on doing things perfectly that they lost all sight of what God was really about. They forgot about the love God had for His people. They forgot about His mercy. They got caught up in all the laws and the rules and somehow got lost. What I felt the Lord wanted me to remind you of today is that you do not have to become slaves to things of this world. The second scripture He highlighted to me is Galatians 5:1, which says, “For freedom, Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” This shows us that we have a choice. Before Jesus came to save us, we had fewer choices. Before Jesus came, we had the laws to tell us what we should do, but we didn’t have the Holy Spirit inside of us to give us the strength to resist the things that were not good for us. Then Jesus came, and He died on the cross to set us free from sin. Then He went to be with His Father, and they sent the Holy Spirit to be with us so we would no longer be left on our own. Because of this, we no longer have to accept the yoke of slavery. Because of this, we have been set free. However, this does not mean that we are all free. We must make a choice to be free. We have to decide that our freedom in Christ is worth more than that cookie, that drink, that drug, that extramarital affair. Christ died so we could be free, but we still have to choose to be free. God has given us free will and He won’t force us to follow Him or to love Him. He won’t force us to choose Him. We have to do that on our own. Well, not really on our own because He gave us the power of the Holy Spirit living inside of us. We can rely on that power. We do need to make the choice, but then we can rely on the Holy Spirit to help us keep that freedom. We can rely on the Holy Spirit to help us stay on the pat

Jesus leaves the 99 for the 1 Matthew 4:1-11 “Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written: “‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’” Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.” Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’” Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him. Have you ever had a time like this? A time when you felt like the Devil was right there by your side, attacking you? Did you know what to say? Did you know what to do? I remember reading this and wishing that I knew scripture as well as Jesus did. I wish I knew the right thing to say when the devil comes to tell me the lies. That is what he is known for after all. Satan is the father of lies. Usually, they are not bald-faced lies. Usually, they have some sliver of truth that is twisted to make you question something. But in this passage, Jesus was not deterred from his faith. He did not get drawn into a debate, defending himself or his God. He simply quoted scripture to the enemy. This is one reason why it is helpful to read the Word of God every day. The more we read God’s word, the more we will know what to say to defend ourselves from the enemy. There are many reasons to read the word of God. Another one would be so that we know how God wants us to live. The Bible is full of stories, parables, and laws that can help us govern how to live. Knowledge is power, and if we know how God wants us to live, we can try to live in an upright manner. We can do our best to please Him. God does so much for us. The least we can do is try to obey his rules. We can try to live in a manner that honors Him and makes Him proud. Do you struggle with this, with living in a way that honors God and makes Him proud? I know I do. I often think of the passage from St. Paul in Romans 7:15, “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.” If St. Paul, who did amazing things for Christ, struggled to live a holy life, then I think it is understandable that we may struggle at times as well. However, remembering these passages and turning over our struggle to God can help us struggle a little less. When we are struggling, we need only repent and turn back to God. God does not need us to be perfect, nor does he expect it. God knows every step you are going to take before you take it. Nothing you do is a surprise to Him. He is our creator, He is the creator of all things. He knows how your story ends before it even starts. He can see all the roads you will go down. He knows the windy road that is your life. And you know what? He loves you anyway. He loves you even though you are not perfect. He loves you even though you will turn away from Him from time to time. Maybe you have turned away from him a long time ago and have not come back yet. Guess what? He loves you anyway! And He is ready for you to turn back to him. When you do, he will rejoice and celebrate. He won’t be thinking of all the things you did in the past. He won’t be holding your past sins against you. Once you repent and turn back to the Lord, He will rejoice that His son or daughter has returned home, and He will welcome you with open arms. That is just one of the many amazing things about your Lord. He is filled with so much mercy and so much grace. He knows all of our flaws, all of our mistakes, and yet He still loves us, flaws and all. There is nothing that you can do that is unredeemable in the Lord’s eyes. I know people who don’t understand how valuable they are in the Lord’s eyes. They feel that because of their sins, they are worth less than others. Or, maybe they feel they are worthless. If you are one of these people who is struggling with your self-worth in God’s eyes, I ask you to picture that you have 2 pennies in your hand, one of them is shiny and new, and the other one is old, dirty, and looks like it has been found in the gutter. What is the value of each penny? Is the penny that looks shiny and new worth more than the penny that is old and dirty? No, they are both worth the same. This is the same with God’s love. You are not worth less because you have made mistakes,

Don’t Worry, I Will Explain It 1 John 3:8 “Everyone who commits sin is a child of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The Son of God was revealed for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.” I read this verse and thought, “Nope, I don’t want to go there.” Actually, I read this verse and then read the next two verses after it. 1 John 3:8-10 says, “Everyone who commits sin is a child of the devil; for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The Son of God was revealed for this purpose: to destroy the works of the devil. Those who have been born of God do not sin, because God’s seed abides in them; they cannot sin, because they have been born of God. The children of God and the children of the devil are revealed in this way: all who do not do what is right are not from God, nor are those who do not love their brothers and sisters.” Ok, after hearing all that, do you see why I didn’t want to touch this verse? First of all, I didn’t really understand it. If I sin, am I a child of the devil? What does that even mean? We all sin, don’t we? Then it says Those born of God do not sin. But wait, I am born of God, and yet I do sin? It is definitely confusing and not something I felt qualified to talk about. Secondly, I didn’t want someone to hear this verse, or read it in the transcript, and then think they weren’t a child of God because they sin. Because let's all be honest, we all sin. So, I was happy to skip this one and go on to find another verse. I felt the Holy Spirit stop me and ask, what does this verse mean? What if someone already read it and didn’t stop to ask what it means? What if someone is walking around thinking they are no longer my child just because they sin? I am always humbled when the Holy Spirit reminds me of the purpose for this podcast. It is not to talk about all the things I understand. It is not the time to talk about things I really love talking about. It is to help myself and you, all those listening, to understand scripture a little better. My purpose is to help you walk boldly with Jesus one verse at a time. The only way to do this is to take difficult scriptures, ones I don’t understand, and figure them out, examine them, research them, and then share that with you. I may not always get it right, but I do try my best, and I ask the Holy Spirit to take care of the rest. I am sure I will keep needing to be reminded to stop and examine a verse if I don’t understand it because the enemy loves to try and stop me by telling me I am not qualified to talk about the scripture. He tells me I don’t know what I am doing, and so I can’t help others. Do you see how he takes a kernel of truth and twists it? He is right, I am not qualified, and I don’t always know what the scriptures mean. However, the way he twists it is because I am not sharing just my thoughts on it. I am researching and looking to those who do know the answers. I am taking the time to explore the meaning and then sharing what I learned from those who are qualified so that you don’t have to take that time. If something I say is confusing, or you still don’t understand the verse, I urge you to reach out and let me know. I would be happy to explore it in more detail with you. Or you can explore it on your own as well. I just type “What is the meaning of 1 John 3:8” or whatever verse I am looking at in the search bar on the internet, and usually a list of articles comes up. Whatever it is in the Bible we are trying to understand, there are probably plenty of other people who have come before us who have asked the same question. Look for the answers they found. I will put the links to two of the articles I read in the show notes in case you want to read the full articles. Now that I explained all that, what did I discover? What does this confusing verse mean? From what I found, I understand it to mean that when we are sinning, we are a child of Satan, meaning he is influencing those behaviors. When we are following God’s ways, God is influencing those behaviors. I feel the Holy Spirit just gave me an analogy that made me smile. It is one that if you have kids, you have probably said it, and even if you don’t, you probably heard your parents say it. When our kids are not behaving, I tell Tony they are his kids, and when they are behaving, I say they are my kids. Of course, they are all of our kids all the time. However, when I say that, I am implying that his DNA is what is influencing the kids' misbehavior, and my DNA is influencing their good behavior. It made me smile when this thought came to me because I could just picture God up in heaven shaking his head, looking at Satan and saying, nope, they are your kids today. I know He doesn’t do this, but it made me smile, remember all the times Tony and I went back and forth, nope, these are your kids. One thing that everything I read agreed on is that this verse does not determine your salvation. This verse is not saying that because you sin, you

Still Waters Psalm 23 (Part 3) Psalm 23 “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff— they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long.” Today I will talk about the last part of this Psalm. There is a lot to like about this ending. First. It starts by saying that God will prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. I don’t have to be worried about my enemies as God has got me. He is my shield and my refuge. Now he is saying we will prepare a feast for me. When someone is preparing a meal for us, they are not usually stressed out about it. They don’t worry about all the things going on around them. Picture this, there is chaos all around you, and yet in front of you is this beautifully set up dining room table. You have a seat and God is bringing you a feast one course at a time. He is not concerned with your enemies because He knows they can’t touch you. You are not concerned either because you feel so at home and taken care of. Isn’t that a beautifully relaxing image? Next, the verse says that God honors us by anointing our heads with oil. Did you know that you have an anointing on your life? We all do. Did you know through baptism you were anointed to be priest, prophet, and king? It’s true, just as Christ was all three of these, you are also anointed to be these three things to your community. What does that mean for us? Let’s start with the priest. Drawing on the priesthood of the Old Testament, a priest is one who offers sacrifices (see Genesis 14:18; Exodus 29:38- 42; Leviticus 23:6,8). Some sacrifices are personal, and some are on behalf of others. These sacrifices will look different for each one of us depending on our circumstances. However, sacrifice to some degree should be a part of our everyday life. I have tried to embrace this in different ways over the years. At times I did a bread and water fast one day a week. Other times I would fast from one thing for a whole month. I would switch it up each month, but there will always be something I am fasting from. I believe that this helps me to appreciate things more and it will also show me that I am not a slave to that thing. For instance, if I feel like I just can’t stop eating chocolate, then I will fast from that for a month. By the end of the year, I will have shown God and myself that I do not need these things. I will have also made a small sacrifice each month for 12 months. Next, we have prophet. A prophet is a spokesperson for God or one who speaks on God’s behalf (see Exodus 4:30; Deuteronomy 18:18; Isaiah 42:19). In the Old and New Testaments, prophets called people to a different way of life. Can we be a spokesperson for God by how we live our lives? Can we live in a way that when people see us they think to themselves, “I want what they have?” Can we call others to a different way of life, not necessarily with our words, but with our love? Can we love others as Jesus did? Can we speak love and light into the world, into people’s lives? Can we be prophets? Lastly, we are anointed as kings. What are kings called to do? Usually rule over others. We are called to rule over ourselves first and foremost. We are all responsible for making sure we are living our lives according to God’s laws. Most kings are called to rule over others, however, as Christians, we are called to servant leadership. A servant leader leads by serving others. In other words, servant leaders place the interests and needs of their followers ahead of their own self-interests and needs. Generally, they value the development of their followers, building their communities, acting authentically, and sharing power. Now that we know what each one of these means, hopefully, we can apply this to our everyday life. God has anointed us in our everyday tasks too. For instance, I was anointed to be a mother and a wife. That was where God called me and that is what He set me apart to do. Maybe you are anointed to be a doctor, a lawyer, a pharmacy tech, a garbage collector, a grandmother, a teacher, whatever it is, God has anointed you to do it. Your baptismal anointing is not meant to replace any of those other calls on your life. You are anointed to be a priest, prophet, and king in the life you are already living. Think about your day-to-day life, how can you incorporate sacrifice into your days? How can you be more of a prophet spreading the Lord’s Word in your daily lives? How can you be more of a servant leader right now, right where you are? The verse then goes on to say my cup overflows with blessings. This is also grea

Today, I have two witnesses that I have heard about from friends over the last week. The first one is from my friend, who has been struggling with hearing loss. I did a witness about her last year also. She had a ringing in her ears, and she said it had gotten pretty bad. I reminded her that we were at Encounter School of Ministry, where they teach us and encourage us to pray over people for healing, and where we see a lot of healing. I prayed over her for healing that night, and then later in the night, two other people prayed over her, and there was no change. However, when she woke up the next morning, the ringing was 90% gone. Praise God! She said it was the quietest her mind had been in a long time. My friend also found out that she has a tumor in her ear. They said they are going to need to operate. The operation will leave her with permanent hearing loss. The last time she had her hearing tested, the intelligibility in that one ear was 39% when someone was yelling. That means that even when someone was yelling or speaking loudly into her ear, she could only understand 39% of what they were saying. We have been praying over her ear for over a year now. Besides the ringing that stopped, she had not seen much change. When she was on the way home from an Encounter School of Ministries event the other day, she felt something weird going on with her ear. It felt strange, and I don’t remember if she said she heard a noise in it or what. I do remember she said she felt like her hearing was suddenly improving. When she got home, she decided to test it out. We have learned in Encounter School of Ministry that often, the healing doesn’t come when the person is praying, but it comes when the person takes that leap of faith and tests it out to see if a healing has occurred. In order to test it, you would try to do something you couldn’t do before, or you would stop and evaluate the pain and see if it's less than it was before the prayer started. For my friend, she decided to put YouTube on her phone to a song that she didn't know the words to. She turned her volume all the way down until it was just one bar away from being on silent. She put the phone up to her ear and hit play. She could understand all of the words. Even the words in the commercial at the beginning. When she called me to tell me, she had the phone up to that ear that previously wasn't able to hear very much at all. In the past, when talking on the phone, she would have to have the phone to the other ear in order to hear the person on the other line. Praise God! He is so good! My friend's hearing is not perfect. It's not back to normal. And that's OK, she's happy with the healing that God has done so far, and she knows and has faith that God's not done yet! Thank you, Jesus! The next one I heard was at the prayer group last week. Recently, there was a Men’s March for Life in Boston. It was peaceful; they were just walking the streets with signs in support of saving babies from abortion. Here is what the woman said. Well, a dear friend of mine went on the walk and took her 11-year-old son. He was wearing a black suit and carrying a sign the whole way saying, Why should we kill our babies? They encountered resistance. There were hate-filled faces all around them. There were knives. There were guns. There were people being thrown to the ground. There were people throwing urine-filled balloons. It was awful. There were police around, but the police couldn’t keep up with the number of people who were against the march. The people who were marching were scared for their safety. My friend's son got hit with one of these urine-filled balloons. So my friend turned to her little son, who is, like her, very anointed, and said, What do we do? He said, We call on Michael. He was, of course, talking about Saint Michael the Archangel. He started yelling, Michael! And people all around started chanting, Michael! And they were already doing the rosary. Some people kept on saying, Mother Mary, you're going to help us. As many were calling out to Michael, there was a flash overhead. There was a flash. And then there were sparks of light; people were getting out their cameras to document the flash of light and the sparks. They knew St. Michael had heard their calls and came to answer them. The next thing they knew, they were completely surrounded by a blockade of military-looking police. The police were standing shoulder to shoulder, and there were enough of them to surround everyone marching in the parade. The march was able to continue because everyone now felt safe, and there were suddenly enough people to protect them. Thank you, St.Michael. I'm not saying these were angel warriors because the report online said that the police did call for reinforcements. But it was a miracle that they were immediately after the flash in the sky and the sparks. Thank you to both of my friends for sharing their miracles with me so I could share them with you! I am so grateful, e

Still Waters Psalm 23 (Part 2) The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff— they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long.” I only really talked about the first few lines of this Psalm in my last episode and there are some other powerful parts to this Psalm. I want to make sure I go through the whole thing so when you are using it against your anxiety you can understand all the various aspects of it. Today I want to look at the very next line. “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” I was attending a conference once, and the speaker mentioned this verse. It was not a spiritual conference, so when I heard it, I figured it was a sign that I should talk about it. The verse says though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. This is hard. It seems like there is so much to fear these days. There is fear surrounding these elections. There is fear surrounding the future of our country. There is fear surrounding so many things. When we read this scripture we wonder how it is possible to fear no evil. How is it possible to fear no evil when you are surrounded by death, or the possibility of death? If you read on it says “for thou are with me; they rod and thy staff they comfort me.” God is with us, we all know this, we repeat this and tell others this, but do we really believe this? Do you believe that God is right there with you when you are in the valleys? We all know how all-powerful God is, so if we believe that He is there with us, it makes sense that we wouldn’t be afraid. How could we be afraid when He is there? He is the Almighty One. So, why do we have so much fear? Are we afraid that He won’t help us? Are we afraid He won’t show up? Are we afraid to die? What is it that we have been so afraid of? Maybe you find yourself worried about a lot of things. Maybe you worry every time there is a storm coming. Maybe you worry about your finances. Maybe you worry about your children, parents, siblings, or spouse. Worry may be a part of your everyday life. I am hoping to change that. It probably won’t change overnight, and it may not be easy, but it is possible. The bible mentions “fear not” 365 times. This is definitely something that God wants us to get. I will be honest, I didn’t get the last part of this verse. “Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” I looked up the meaning of this because I wondered if there was something that I was missing. I am glad I did because there is a great article called “Understanding Psalm 23: What Does the Staff and Rod Actually Mean? I put a link in the show notes so you can read the whole article. I highly suggest it as it is good. I will not retell the article; I will just touch upon the few descriptions of the rod and the staff. First, the author says that the staff symbolizes rest, as shepherds used to lean on their staff for rest. Next, the staff can symbolize rescue because shepherds used to use their staff to rescue sheep from the thick brush. Third, the staff can symbolize a guide as the shepherd used it to guide sheep across open fields. This all seems to make a lot of sense to me. It seems like we are much happier and less afraid when we are able to just rest in the Lord. To just sit with Him and turn over all of our worries and fears to Him. Also, God rescues us from difficult situations when we need Him. He doesn’t abandon us. He is always there for us in good times and in bad. Lastly, He is definitely our Guide. How many times have we needed God to guide us through the rough parts of our lives? We need Him as a guide for the easy parts as well. The article goes on to say that Rod is Our Protection. When shepherds were herding sheep they used their rods to defend against anything that wanted to attack the sheep. This is what God does for us. He protects us from our enemies. The Rod is also a symbol of Love. The shepherds used to use their rods to count the sheep. You might be wondering how this is a symbol of Love. This is an act of love because the shepherd is making sure that all of his sheep are present and accounted for. God is doing the same thing for us. He does not want a single one of His sheep to get lost. He loves us too much. Now that I understand what the words rod and staff mean in the context of this verse and in the time that it was written, I feel as though I understand the verse as a whole better now. I can’t believe how much the Lord is saying to us with just a short sentence or two. I a

With recent posting changes, I’m no longer able to include the full transcript directly in the episode notes. If you enjoy reading along or prefer the written version, you can access the full transcript here: https://findingtruenorthcoaching.com/blog/f/still-waters-psalm-23 www.findingtruenorthcoaching.comCLICK HERE TO DONATECLICK HERE to sign up for Mentoring CLICK HERE to sign up for Daily "Word from the Lord" emailsCLICK HERE to sign up for my newsletter & receive a free audio training about inviting Jesus into your daily lifeCLICK HERE to buy my book Total Trust in God's Safe Embrace

With recent posting changes, I’m no longer able to include the full transcript directly in the episode notes. If you enjoy reading along or prefer the written version, you can access the full transcript here: https://findingtruenorthcoaching.com/blog/f/a-call-to-holiness www.findingtruenorthcoaching.comCLICK HERE TO DONATECLICK HERE to sign up for Mentoring CLICK HERE to sign up for Daily "Word from the Lord" emailsCLICK HERE to sign up for my newsletter & receive a free audio training about inviting Jesus into your daily lifeCLICK HERE to buy my book Total Trust in God's Safe Embrace

God Has Not Forgotten Your Affliction! Psalm 44:22-26 “Rouse yourself! Why do you sleep, O Lord? Awake, do not cast us off forever! Why do you hide your face? Why do you forget our affliction and oppression? For we sink down to the dust; our bodies cling to the ground. Rise up, come to our help. Redeem us for the sake of your steadfast love.” The original verse I started with this morning was verse 24. “Why do you forget our affliction and oppression. Yet, when I looked up the verse, all these verses were together, and it reminded me of so many people. There are so many of you who listen to this podcast who have reached out and said this same thing. Maybe not in these exact words, but these are the thoughts going through your head. You are wondering where the Lord is in all of this. You are wondering why He is not answering your questions when you know He can. You are wondering why? Why the broken dreams? Why has He not healed you? Why has he not brought the provisions? Why does it seem He has not kept His promise to provide for you and to protect you? Why are your loved ones still hurting? Why has your protigal son or daughter not come home? Why again, why now? Why? What is your why that you are wrestling with right now? What the Lord put on my heart is that He wants us to know that if we are asking why we are not alone. Many times, we can think we aren’t supposed to ask why. We might hear things at church or from other people who say that if you are struggling, you just don’t have enough faith. You might hear that you can’t be mad at God, you just need to work through it on your own. If you are mad at God, you are bad or doing something wrong. You just don’t trust enough. You might hear a bunch of different things. Most of them are not true. God wants you to know that it is ok to ask why. It is okay not to understand His plan. It is ok to cry out to Him in anger and frustration. I feel He gave me this scripture today to show you that you are not alone. The psalmists cried out to the Lord. They asked Him questions. They expressed their frustration with His timing and with feeling abandoned. Many of the Psalms were written by David. He was blessed beyond measure by God. He knew God, and He knew how much God loved Him. He was never afraid to take His sins back to God and ask for forgiveness. He had a very intimate relationship with God. David also did not have an easy life. He went from being loved by the king to being hunted by the king, from being king to being pursued by his son, who wanted him dead. If we don’t know David’s whole story, we may think he killed Goliath with a stone and then became a mighty king. There is so much more to David’s story. He had some great years, some awful years, and everything in between. I tell you all of this to show you that you can be beloved and blessed by God and yet still have lots of trouble in your life. Having trouble and suffering do not mean that God doesn’t love you or that He has turned His back on you. Many of you have been praying some pretty big prayers for a long time, and you feel angry that God is not listening. He wants you to know that He hears every one of your prayers. He is acting even if you can’t see how. Sometimes he is arranging things that you won’t see enter your life for years. Sometimes, He is changing people’s hearts, and that takes time. Sometimes our children have to learn their own lessons, and that takes time. Yes, God could heal you in a minute. Yes, God could change your heart in a minute. God can do all things. Yet that is not always how he chooses to do things, and it is our job to cooperate with God’s plan. I promise you, God knows what He is doing. He is not placing amazing dreams and desires in your heart to tease you. He is not cruel. He is not showing you amazing things just to take them away from you. Only good comes from God. If He is placing amazing dreams in your heart, it is because He wants you to believe it can happen. He wants you to reach for it. He wants you to see what your future could be. He wants you to know you won’t always have these same limitations. I know it hurts to believe sometimes because we are tired of being disappointed. But hope in the Lord does not disappoint. (Romans 5:5) What if you could take away your timeline and just fully believe that all your prayers will be answered? How would your life be different if, instead of focusing on the when, you just celebrated that it would definitely happen someday? What if you pictured what you would do the day your prayers were answered? What if every time you started to ask why, you changed it and started thanking the Lord for answering your prayers in the most beautiful way? I think the Lord is talking to me personally for that last part. I am constantly asking Him why he hasn’t restored Bruce’s eyesight yet. Why are my friends Suzanne, Rosa & Danielle still struggling? Why so many I know have not been healed yet. However, when I asked those questions above,

Welcome to Witness Wednesdays here on the Walk Boldly With Jesus Podcast. Each Wednesday I will have a guest give their witness of how God is working in their lives. Hearing how God is working in other people’s lives shows us how deeply He cares for each one of us individually. Listening to these experiences will help your faith grow. I am so blessed to be able to share these with you. Our first witness if from Peggy K. Today she is going to share with us how God has revealed His love to her throughout her adult life. She even shares a few miracles with us. I hope after you listen to this you can see some ways in which God has been working in your life as well. God loves you just as much as He loves Peggy. He will work miracles in our lives too, we just have to notice them. www.findingtruenorthcoaching.com CLICK HERE TO DONATE CLICK HERE to sign up for Mentoring CLICK HERE to sign up for Daily "Word from the Lord" emails CLICK HERE to sign up for my newsletter & receive a free audio training about inviting Jesus into your daily life CLICK HERE to buy my book Total Trust in God's Safe Embrace

I Will Restore You to Health and Heal Your WoundsJeremiah 30:17 “But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds,’ declares the Lord, ‘because you are called an outcast.”I was looking for a verse about restoration because one of my dear friends received a word from the Lord about it, and I wanted to share it with you. I know many of you who are listening are struggling. You have been struggling with your physical health for a long time, and you are wondering why the Lord hasn’t healed you yet. You know He can, and you might even believe He will. Yet He hasn’t yet, and you are wondering why and when.Some of you have been struggling financially for a long time, and you wonder when the struggle will end. You trust God to provide, yet you are really struggling right now. Your bills need to be paid, and there is no money. You are wondering when the provisions are going to show up and how much of yourself you are going to have to give away before reinforcements come. You might be struggling in your marriage or with parenting. It feels like the waves keep coming, and although you know the Lord is not going to let you drown in those waves, some days you come very close.I have been talking to a lot of people lately who are so tired of the struggle. They don’t expect life to be easy, but they can’t take all that is going on. They don’t understand why God is not helping them. They don’t understand why he is not taking this from them. They don’t understand why he is not protecting them from some of this. They are tired and confused. They feel like they are running out of the strength and energy they need to keep fighting.I am in a Wednesday morning prayer group run by Rosa Rivas. She is also a wonderful friend of mine who agreed to read the Spanish Translation of the podcast so God’s Word and His love can reach more people. Rosa started a WhatsApp chat for those in the prayer group. In this group, people place their prayer requests, support each other, and place any resources they have found that build their faith. Last week, many people in the group were struggling, so Rosa listened to the Lord and held a group call so we could all pray together. It was beautiful and definitely needed. I just want to pause to let you all know that you need people in your life like this. You need community, so when you are down, they can build you up!While Rosa was praying, she received this word, and I think it is not just for that group but for everyone who needs it. She heard the Lord say:“ I am restoring broken dreamsI am restoring broken promisesI am restoring broken plansI am restoring broken relationshipsI am restoring broken friendshipsI am restoring broken memoriesI am restoring broken heartsI am restoring the brokenness of all the things that have hurt you in your lifeI am restoring all the brokenness of your past and your childhoodI am restoring broken healthI am restoring everything just as I did with Job..”And then she said Declare this:In Jesus Name, I am restoredIn Jesus Name, all that has been lost and taken away from me has been restored, and I will receive double what was takenIn Jesus Name, my wounds have been healedIn Jesus Name, my joy is restoredIn Jesus Name, my strength is renewedIn Jesus Name, I am wholeIf you are tired. This message is for you. If you are struggling with broken dreams, broken promises, a broken heart, past trauma, current trauma, your health, your past, your childhood, your finances, whatever it is, this is for you. God is restoring you!I know it may not be in the way you want Him to. I know it may not be your timing. I know you feel you can’t go on. I promise you, He will help you go on. I promise you, when you make it to the other side of this hill, the other side of this mountain, the other side of this ocean or cavern, it will be worth it. I am talking with many people who have been struggling for a long time. Most of them are really struggling to hold on to any hope that things will change.Is this you? Have you been down for the count so long that you can’t even picture things getting better? Have you been so sick that you can’t imagine a brighter future, one where you are healthy and can do all the things you want to do? I am not even talking about huge things. Some people I know have been so sick for so long that they can’t even imagine a world where they can even go for a walk around the block without pain. They can’t imagine a day that doesn’t include all the medical appointments or treatments. Have you struggled with money so long that you can’t imagine a time when you will be able to pay all your bills? If this is you, I want to assure you that there is nothing wrong. This doesn’t mean you don’t trust God or that you don’t have enough faith. It means you are tired. You are worn down. You are weary. It is ok. I also want you to know you aren’t alone. So many are suffering right now.This is why community is so important. Sometimes we need someone else to be praying for us when w

Fix Your Eyes On JesusEphesians 2:8-9 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.”This verse is an important one. It is something I think we forget more than we remember. At least I know I forget this often. I do know I am saved because Jesus died on a cross for my sins. I know I am not saved because of my own actions. I know there are no works that I could do to save myself because Jesus already paid the ultimate sacrifice. I know all of this, and yet sometimes I still try to do it all myself. Sometimes I try to fix things myself. Instead of immediately turning to the Lord when things get tough, I try to fix them myself. I do all that is humanly possible to do, and then when that doesn’t work, I turn to the Lord. Do you know why it doesn’t work when we try to do things on our own? Because we were trying to do it on our own. We can’t do anything on our own, and why would we want to when we have a heavenly Father who wants to do it with us? This morning’s devotional was about this same message. The daily devotional I am reading this year is called “Jesus Calling” by Sarah Young. I am really enjoying this one because the devotionals are not super long, and they are written as if they are a direct message to you from Jesus. It’s great to get a personal message from Jesus each morning. I’m going to read you the message from this morning because I think it illustrates this verse well. "I want you to experience the riches of your salvation: the joy of being loved constantly and perfectly. You make a practice of judging yourself based on how you look, behave, or feel. If you like what you see in the mirror, you feel a bit more worthy of my love. When things are going smoothly, and your performance seems adequate, you find it easier to believe you are my beloved child. When you feel discouraged, you tend to look inward so you can correct whatever is wrong. Instead of trying to “fix” yourself, fix your gaze on me, the lover of your soul. Rather than using your energy to judge yourself, redirect it to praising Me. Remember that I see you clothed in My righteousness, radiant in My perfect Love.”This gives some great examples, I think we can all relate to. It is easier for us to feel loved when we like what we see in the mirror or when we feel we are doing a good job. It is easier to think we are God’s beloved children when we are attending church, showing up for our prayer time, and helping others. However, what about when we aren’t? What about when we are snoozing through prayer time and missing church on Sunday? What about when we are not being kind and loving, but we are being irritable and grumpy? Do we still know we are God’s beloved child? Do we still believe we are loved? Or, do we struggle to believe it because we haven’t earned his love or earned our spot as His beloved child? I can’t answer that for you, but for me, I know I struggle with feeling like I have to earn it. The thing that bugs me the most is that I don’t even know I am doing it. If you ask me if I have to earn God’s love, I would say, “No.” I truly know I am loved no matter what. However, if you look at my actions, they say something else. Why is that? It is so frustrating when you know something on one level and yet your actions reveal that you might not know or accept it on all levels. This, I am sure, is a trick from the enemy. As mentioned in the letter from Wormwood in the Tuesday episode, the enemy wants to keep our brains in a fog. He wants to keep us from thinking clearly and asking too many questions. We need to resist this fog. We need to try to live as intentionally as we can. We can so easily go through our day on autopilot. We do the things we did yesterday; every day is similar, and we aren’t even really thinking about what we are doing. We are just doing what we always do. However, what if what we always do isn’t the best for us? What if we could do better if we lived more intentionally? In this message from the daily devotional, Jesus is calling us back to Him. He is calling us to stop trying fix ourselves and instead fix our eyes on Him. Hebrews 3:1 says, "Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, whom we acknowledge as our apostle and high priest.” We need to stop turning our gaze inward and fix our gaze on Jesus. Look towards Him and then never take your eyes off Him! I love where it says in the devotional, “Rather than using your energy to judge yourself, redirect it to praising Me.” That is such a great piece of advice. Judging ourselves does take so much energy. Praising God will uplift your spirits, also. I love to praise God; I always feel so loved afterwards. Psalm 34:5 says, “Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame.” When we are looking to God, we are radiant. We don’t feel ashamed; we feel as though we are God’s children

Mercy Is So ImportantJude 1:20-23 “But you, beloved, build yourselves up in your most holy faith; pray in the holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in the love of God and wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. On those who waver, have mercy; save others by snatching them out of the fire; on others have mercy with fear, abhorring even the outer garment stained by the flesh. This is a great verse because it tells us to build ourselves up in the most holy faith. It tells us to pray in the Holy Spirit and to keep ourselves in the love of God and wait for His mercy to lead us to eternal life. However, it doesn’t just stop there. It doesn’t stop with God telling us to take care of ourselves. It goes on to talk about how we should have mercy on those who waver in their faith. It tells us to snatch others out of the fire. This is a pretty vivid image. I think it paints an accurate picture of how important it is that we save others as well. I think mercy is something that we need a whole lot more of in the world today. Mercy and Grace seem to go hand in hand, and this world seems to be in short supply of both of them. This world, or at least this country, the United States of America, seems to be so divided. If someone doesn’t believe the same way that we do, we tend to want nothing to do with them. Or, we want to argue with them and tell them all the reasons why their opinions are wrong. Now, don’t get me wrong, I don’t think things can change without us talking about our differences. However, these need to be respectful, calm conversations where both sides are listening to the other with the goal of understanding where each side is coming from. These are not the conversations that I have seen happening in our country for a long time now. I did see a conversation like this last summer at my nephew’s wedding. My brother-in-law and my husband had a respectful conversation about their thoughts on a bunch of different issues going on right now. They couldn’t have been further apart on some issues, but they both listened respectfully and actually learned that they agreed on some things. I think they also cleared up some misunderstandings about some issues. It was nice to see and a welcome change to the conversations I am used to hearing. Sometimes we can get so caught up in what we believe. We think that we are right and that must mean that the other person is wrong. Something I have been learning a lot about over the last few years is that two opposing things can be true at the same time. You can love your parents, and you can also feel like you hate them for some moments. You can be super happy that you got a promotion and also sad that you are leaving your old job, or the friends at your old job. In most circumstances, neither side is 100% correct. There are pros and cons to both sides. There are facts that are misunderstood or taken out of context on both sides. Also, our emotions always enter into the arguments, and for good or bad, this makes us less objective. Our feelings for the people we are talking to or arguing with can get caught up in our feelings for what they are saying. We can start to think that they are bad people just because we don’t like the things that they are saying. The day that this reading was given at the prayer group, the following word or prophecy was also given. “What I hear the Lord saying to me is that whether you believe it, whether you like them, whether you understand them, God tells us to love them. Love them in their misunderstandings, love them, pray for them, don't be like them.” I think this is important for us all to hear. God is not asking us to just pray for those that we love or those that we agree with. He is asking us to pray for everyone. He is asking us to even pray for those that we don’t agree with and those we don’t like. He is asking us to pray for those whom we don’t understand. I think in this verse God is explaining to us that everyone is at a different place in their journey. He is saying to have mercy on everyone, but in very different ways. He is saying to pray for everyone and to love everyone, but also he is warning us not to get so close that we become like those who do not follow God’s ways. He says to “snatch them out of the fire,” but he also says “on others have mercy with fear, abhorring even the outer garment stained by the flesh.” To me, this means that some people we can save, with God’s help, and others we need to have mercy, and pray for them, but we need to be careful that we do not become like them. I love how the word that was given this day was about how we needed to love everyone. This is something that is so hard to do sometimes. Actually, all of this is hard to do most of the time. It is hard to love someone who is saying and doing things that you don’t agree with. Possible things that are hurting you or your loved ones. It is hard to have mercy for people whom you feel are wrong in so many ways. It is hard to have me

God Has Compassion For You!Isaiah 54:10 “For the mountains may depart, and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed, says the Lord, who has compassion on you.”We received this scripture verse at the Watchmen Prayer Group that I go to on Wednesday mornings. It is at 6:30, and it lasts about half an hour. If you are up early in the morning and would like to start your day off praising the Lord and hearing what He has to tell us for the day, then let me know, and I can add you to the email list. It is a Zoom meeting, so no matter where you are, you can attend. Although if you are not in the Eastern time zone, it might be a bit too early. We do record it, though, so if it is too early, you could always get on the email list and then listen to the recording. I am telling you that it is a wonderful way to start your day.Now back to the scripture. It begins with, “For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love will not depart from you.” There are a couple of nice things about that part. First, I think we all have some mountains that we wish would depart from our lives. Sure, we love it when we are on the mountain top. We love the high we get when we make it to the top of the mountain, and we can see all the land. We can see the sun rise or the sun set. We can see the valley, and we might even be able to understand a bit more about the valley when we are on the mountain top. However, wouldn’t it be great if we didn’t have to climb that mountain? I guess that is a good question. Would we wish away the mountain if it meant we didn’t have our mountain top moment?As I was writing that last part, I felt the Holy Spirit stir inside of me. I felt like He prompted that last question. As I was writing about the experience at the top of the mountain, I realized that if we wished our mountains away, we wouldn’t get all the comes along with making it to the top of a mountain. There is so much that we gain from going through hard times. We gain perspective. We gain wisdom and knowledge. We gain perseverance and resilience. We learn so much about ourselves. We also learn so much about God if we are looking. I look back at all the really hard times that I have had, and I don’t think I would wish them away. They made me who I am today.I have so much compassion for others because I received so much compassion when I needed it most. I do not judge people because I know what it is like to walk through hard times. I know what it is like to be doing your absolute best and still have children who act out. I know what it is like to try so hard to save your marriage and yet nothing works. I have been to enough events where other people share their stories to know that no matter what we look like on the outside, we are all going through something hard. We all have things in our lives that are hurting us. We all have thoughts in our heads that tell us we are not enough or we are not loved. We all have something that we are struggling with. I am a better person because of all the hard times I have been through.What is great about this verse is that it says, even if our mountains do depart and the hills disappear, God’s steadfast love will not depart from you. This is amazing because if God is telling us that His steadfast love will not depart from us, then that means we have His steadfast love. This may seem like an obvious statement, and yet I am not sure we all knew this already. Did you know that God’s steadfast love is ALWAYS with you? Do you know what steadfast means? According to the internet, it means firmly loyal or constant; unswerving. It also means fixed or unchanging, and can also refer to fixed or unmovable. This is pretty awesome. Have you ever thought of God’s love that way? I hope you have, but I am guessing most of us haven’t.I am not sure most of us spend much time thinking of God’s love at all. We probably spend most of our time thinking we are not worthy of God’s love. We listen to the lies our brain tells us about how we are sinners, and we aren’t worthy of God’s love. We have done so many terrible things in our lives that there is no way God could love us. We will be the first to tell others that God loves them no matter what, and yet we feel like we are the exception. God’s love just doesn’t extend to us. We are wrong.Yes, we are sinners; that is not a lie. We all do things we aren’t proud of, and we all do things that aren’t in line with what God wants from us. And God loves us anyway. Just as our parents love us even though we mess up. Actually, not just like our parents because our parents’ love is flawed. We live in a broken world, and so even though we are all doing the best we can, we all fall short. However, God’s love is perfect. It is 100 % uncondiltional. We can mess up in the worst way, and He will still love us.Let’s review that definition again. Steadfast love means firmly loyal or constant; unswerving

Today’s Witness is from a very dear friend of mine. It is her testimony of how she forgave someone who did the unthinkable to her. She is a wonderful woman who has such a strong love for Jesus. She is a mother of two kids and a wife. She is a photographer, a karate champion, and so much more! You can hear in her voice just how excited she is for this breakthrough. God is so good! We have all seen God working in our lives. However, we might not all be aware it is God working in our lives. This is why it is so important we start talking about it more. The more we share our experiences, the more people understand how God works and how much He truly loves us. If you would be willing to share any experience of how God has worked or is working in your life, please email me at [email protected] or click here. It won’t take up much of your time, and your story could be just the story that someone needs to hear today. Prayerfully consider sharing. Everyone has a story, and the world needs to hear them. Music:"Adding the Sun"fine us. It is not fun, Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ www.findingtruenorthcoaching.com CLICK HERE TO DONATE CLICK HERE to sign up for Mentoring CLICK HERE to sign up for Daily "Word from the Lord" emails CLICK HERE to sign up for my newsletter & receive a free audio training about inviting Jesus into your daily life CLICK HERE to buy my book Total Trust in God's Safe Embrace

The Lord Rescues You From Them All!Psalm 34:19 “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord rescues them from them all.”I saw this verse, and I wanted to share it with you. In mentoring, we are learning how not take offense at things. In other words, how to not let things bother us as much. The beginning part of this verse is something that doesn’t really seem fair. It says, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous.” Why? Why do we have to suffer if we are righteous? Can’t God keep us from that? If we are following the Lord and we are doing all the things He wants us to do, why do we have to suffer?Do you ever feel this way? Do you ever cry out to the Lord, asking why? Why me? Why now? Why my child or my loved one? Why, Lord, why? I know I have done this before. Actually, the question I find myself asking a lot is why this again? I thought we were over this or through this. Or I ask, when will this be over? How long do we need to stay stuck in this? I am sure you have asked the Lord similar questions.We can fall into a trap of thinking that if we are righteous. If we follow the Lord, then our problems will all go away. Especially if we find Jesus at the bottom of a pit. If we are at our worst when we discover Jesus, then we think after finding Him, we are going to coast through life. Yes, we may hit some bumps, but the worst is over. I would love to tell you that it was always the case. I wish I could say once you find Jesus, you are home free. However, it says right in the verse, many are the afflictions of the righteous.My parents always knew Jesus. There was never a time when they weren’t going to mass and spending time with the Lord. Even when they were in High School, dating, they would meet before school and go to mass together. I would think, with that kind of dedication, the Lord would bless them and protect them from harm, and yet they did not have a struggle-free life. They had 11 children, and my mom stayed home to watch the kids when they were little. With 11 children, someone is always little for at least the first 25 years or so. My dad had a pretty good-paying job, and yet we still struggled with money. There just is not enough to go around when you have 11 kids.We not only struggled with money, but our family suffered many medical crises. Like when my grandfather’s throat was cut with a screwdriver by an intruder who wanted his money. My grandpa didn’t have any money. One sister had a fever for several days, and we were told that if it didn’t break by morning, she might not make it. I had a brother who was pulled through a machine in a factory that makes chicken wire. There were plenty of other illnesses and car crashes. I had a sister who loved the Lord, and then at college got swept up in a cult and has suffered severely over the years trying to recover from that. We have had divorces in our family.I say all of this to let you know that no family is above troubles. You or your loved ones are not struggling because God is punishing them. God was not punishing my family, and He was not punishing Job in the Bible either. God is a good Father, and like all good Fathers, He sometimes allows us to suffer so that we can be stronger on the other side of it.The second part of this verse is so important, and it is something we can’t forget. This verse does not just say that the righteous will have a lot of trouble and then end there. It goes on to say, “but the Lord rescues them from them all.” The Lord will rescue you from all your troubles. If He has not rescued you yet, He will. Keep waiting, keep seeking, keep asking. It will happen. God will not abandon you. Let me tell you some of the ways God rescued my family.Whenever my parents were struggling financially, God took care of them. One time, they needed money for something, and they prayed about it and told God if He wanted them to do it, then He would need to provide the money, and the next day, they got a check in the mail for the exact amount. When they didn’t have food to feed us kids, they prayed, and a neighbor knocked on our door with groceries. When my dad’s car broke down, a neighbor gave my dad a car. My dad didn’t ask, He just gave it to him. When my grandpa was attacked and his throat was cut, he should have died. However, he not only made a full recovery, but the doctors said he healed in miraculous timing. My sister’s fever, which was so high, finally broke, out of the blue for no reason, the doctors said. But we know it was God! My brother, who was pulled through a machine that makes chicken why came through with only a shoulder injury. The Lord definitely rescued him. What about your life? Can you look back and see times in your life when the Lord has rescued you? Can you look back at times when you were homeless, and God found you a place to live? When you were sick, and God healed you? When you were scared, and God protected you?I know it stinks that we have to go through afflictions. I know God could save us fr

And They Laughed At HimMark 5:38-40 “When they came to the house of the leader of the synagogue, he saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. When he had entered, he said to them, “Why do you make a commotion and weep? The child is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at him. Then he put them all outside, and took the child’s father and mother and those who were with him, and went in where the child was.”We are back to the story of a little girl who was restored to life. Last week I replayed a devotional that my friend Catherine did on this Bible story. Then on Friday, I felt the Holy Spirit wanted me to focus on two other parts of the story. However, I only got to focus on one part on Friday. Today, we will finish up with this story. I really felt strongly that these verses were important enough that we shouldn’t gloss over them. I felt they were important enough to slow down and really examine what they are saying.In case you missed last Tuesday and Friday and you don’t know this story, let me briefly fill you in. There was a synagogue leader whose daughter was dying. He asked Jesus to come and heal his daughter. Jesus was on his way when someone touched his garment and was healed. Jesus felt power leave his body and asked who touched Him. The lady confessed, and he told her that her faith had healed her. While he was talking to this lady, someone came and told the synagogue leader that his daughter had died, so there was no need to bother Jesus anymore. Jesus told the man, “Do not fear, only believe.” This is where today’s verse picks up.Mark 5:38-40 says, “When they came to the house of the leader of the synagogue, he saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. When he had entered, he said to them, “Why do you make a commotion and weep? The child is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at him.” When Jesus gets to the house, he asks everyone why they are crying and making a commotion. He tells them that the little girl is not dead; she is just sleeping. Then it says, “And they laughed at him.” This is the first thing that I want to focus on.I get why they might have laughed. People were just beginning to know who Jesus was. They didn’t know Him as we know Him. They didn’t have the benefit of reading all the Gospels and hearing all the amazing things He did while He walked the earth. I am not sure if they had ever seen someone raised from the dead yet. They may have heard about Jesus's miracles, but many synagogue officials stayed away from Him because they weren’t sure what to think of Him.What I want you to know is that people may laugh at you, too! If you intend to walk boldly with Jesus and you intend to step out and use the power of the Holy Spirit that is living inside of you, then people may laugh at you, too. If you offer to pray for someone’s healing, they may laugh and tell you that there is nothing you can do because the doctors said there is no hope. You may try to tell someone that with the power of the Holy Spirit, they can forgive the murderer who killed their loved one, and they may laugh at you. You may tell someone that even though you don’t know how, you have hope that God will provide them the money to pay their bills or the food to put on their table, and they may laugh at you. When this happens, I want you to remember that they laughed at Jesus, too.When you are laughed at for your beliefs or for being bold and stepping out in faith to pray for amazing things, try not to take offense. They don’t know any better. They believe what this world is teaching. They are “drinking the kool-aid” so to speak of this world. They don’t have to believe what you are saying is true. They don’t have to believe to receive the healing. Remember in the Bible when those people lowered their friend down from the roof so that Jesus would heal him? Jesus said, their faith healed him. You can have enough faith for them. Do you know how I know it is true that the person being healed doesn’t have to have faith? Because Jesus raised people from the dead, and if you are dead, you don’t have faith, you don’t have anything, you are dead.It is also not our job to try to convince people that what we believe is true. Jesus did not spend time talking with the people who laughed at Him. The next part of the verse is the second thing I want to focus on. It says, “Then he put them all outside, and took the child’s father and mother and those who were with him, and went in where the child was.” Jesus put all the non-believers outside while he prayed for this little girl. It is important to know that you can do this. If you are praying for healing for someone and you are surrounded by non-believers, or worse, people who are openly mocking you, it is ok to ask if you can have a few minutes alone with the person you are praying over. It is important that we block out all the negative voices, and that can be really hard to do at times.I have a friend who was talking about how she had a loved one who

Do Not Fear, Only BelieveMark 5:35-36 “While he was still speaking, some people came from the leader’s house to say, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the teacher any further?” But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the leader of the synagogue, “Do not fear, only believe.”I know we covered this story on Tuesday with the devotional that my friend Catherine wrote. However, I can’t help but think the Holy Spirit wanted me to focus on a different part of these verses. I felt strongly that I was supposed to go back and point out some things about this ending part of the story. So, let’s pick up at verse 35. It says, “While he was still speaking, some people came from the leader’s house to say, ‘Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the teacher any further?” But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the leader of the synagogue, “Do not fear, only believe.”It is important that we hear this, not just with our ears, but with our hearts, minds, and souls. Jesus says, “Do not fear, only believe.” How many times have we been in a situation where we could have used Jesus sitting right there with us, or standing next to us, and telling us not to fear but only believe? This is the secret, people. This is what we need to know. The Lord mentions the word fear in the Bible over 300 times, depending on the version you are reading. God knows we are a fearful and anxious people, and he is trying to get us to understand that we don’t need to be fearful.You might be thinking that surely there are some instances when fear is ok. When we should be afraid. However, when we can learn not to fear, no matter the circumstances, then we will truly be living a free and bold life. I think something that is important to know about our feelings vs. emotions. We often use them interchangeably. However, there is a difference. Emotions are our quick, instinctive response to something that happens. For example, someone comes up behind us, and we jump because we were startled. Our heart jumps when we hear a loud noise. We smile when our kids say something really cute. These are emotions; they are physical reactions in our body, and we can’t control these.Feelings are different. Feelings are how we experience or interpret the emotion. This is what you have control over. You might not have control over your feelings right now, but you can have control over your feelings. Our feelings are based on the story we are telling ourselves. For instance, if someone is supposed to call you and they don’t, you may feel differently about that depending on what you are telling yourself. If you tell yourself he or she is probably busy and will call when they have time, you feel fine about the situation. If you are telling yourself he or she is ignoring you because he or she is mad for some unknown reason, then you will probably feel anxious and worried about the situation. If you tell yourself he or she must be hurt because they always call back, you will probably feel afraid in that situation. Do you see how the story you tell yourself is so important and is something you have control over?The thing about the stories we tell ourselves is that they are just that, stories. We don’t know why the person hasn’t called us back, and we won’t know until they do. So we can never be sure whether what we tell ourselves is true. If this is the case, and either of those scenarios above could be true, then why wouldn’t we tell ourselves the one that serves us better? The one that gives us peace about the situation? I assure you that if they are mad or sick, there will be plenty of time to worry, be anxious, or be scared once you find out. Why waste time on it before you know it’s true?Hopefully, all that made sense. I said all of that to show you that while you may not be able to control the emotion of fear in your life, you can certainly decide if you are going to allow the fear to stay or not. Jesus is telling us in this verse, and so many others in the Bible, not to fear. I know this sounds easier than it is, but it is possible to surrender your fear. It is possible to go through really hard things and yet not be fearful of the future. I know you might be skeptical, as you are probably going through some really hard times right now. I want to share with you some really hard times I went through, and although they were hard, I wasn’t afraid. I didn’t know how they would turn out, but I knew God was working and He would protect all those I cared about.When my children were younger they were times when they were physically and verbally abusive to each other and to Tony and me. There were years when I would allow myself to be scared, and I would worry about the future. I would think that if they are hitting me, then they would hit their wife or their children. Then I learned how to turn those fears over to the Lord. I talked with God about my fears, and then I let them go. I changed the story that I told myself. If I ever started to feel scared about the future, I w

Why We So Often Feel Justified—and Why Anger Steals Our Peace1 Peter 2:23 “When he was abused, he did not return abuse; when he suffered, he did not threaten; but he entrusted himself to the one who judges justly.”Offense usually begins with something real, but staying offended slowly costs us our freedom.When we’re offended, it’s not because we’re imagining things. Someone said something hurtful. Someone dismissed us. Someone didn’t see us, respect us, or protect us the way they should have. Our bodies react before our faith does. That reaction—tightness, anger, defensiveness—feels justified because it is trying to protect us. The problem isn’t that offense shows up. The problem is what happens when we let it stay.Offense convinces us that holding onto anger is necessary for self-respect, safety, or justice. It whispers, “If I let this go, I’m saying it didn’t matter.” But over time, instead of protecting us, offense begins to imprison us. It narrows our thinking, drains our peace, and keeps us emotionally tied to the very thing that hurt us.Today, I invite us to gently notice this pattern without shame. Not to rush into forgiveness. Not to minimize pain. Just to ask an honest question: Is what I’m holding onto actually helping me live free?Jesus never promised that we wouldn’t be hurt. But He did promise freedom—freedom from bitterness, from constant reactivity, and from carrying wounds longer than necessary. Jesus reminds us:“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) And He also promises:“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” (John 8:36)Today isn’t about fixing anything or forcing forgiveness. It’s about awareness—learning to notice how offense quietly operates in our hearts and recognizing that something can feel justified even when it doesn't actually lead us toward peace or life. When we’re hurt, our body reacts first. Before we can think theologically or spiritually, our nervous system scans for danger. A sharp tone, a dismissive comment, or a betrayal registers as a threat, and anger shows up quickly because it’s one of the body’s built-in protection responses. Anger creates energy. It gives us clarity. It helps us draw boundaries. In that sense, it *feels* helpful.This is why offense feels justified. Anger convinces us that we’re doing something necessary—that we’re standing up for ourselves, protecting our dignity, or guarding our hearts. It often feels morally right, especially when real harm has occurred. We tell ourselves, *“I’m not just upset—I’m right.”* And because something truly wrong may have happened, that belief can feel deeply convincing.But what the book *Unoffendable* by Brent Hansen gently reveals is that feeling justified is not the same as becoming free. Anger is excellent at getting our attention, but it’s terrible at leading us toward peace. When we hold onto it, anger doesn’t just respond to the moment—it begins to shape our inner world. It keeps our minds alert and our hearts guarded. We replay what happened, brace for future harm, and stay emotionally on edge. Over time, that vigilance becomes exhausting.This is how anger tightens its grip on our peace. What started as a moment of protection turns into a posture of defensiveness. Instead of resting, we stay watchful. Instead of trusting, we stay reactive. And slowly, without realizing it, offense begins to occupy more space in our thoughts, prayers, and relationships than we ever intended.Letting go feels risky because anger has convinced us it’s keeping us safe. Releasing it can feel like saying the hurt didn’t matter—or like leaving ourselves unprotected. But Jesus offers a different way. He never framed righteousness as reacting quickly or holding onto offense. He modeled righteousness as trust, surrender, and love rooted in truth rather than impulse. He promises that we don’t need to carry the weight of offense to be whole. “When he was abused, he did not return abuse; when he suffered, he did not threaten; but he entrusted himself to the one who judges justly.” (1 Peter 2:23)I am not asking us to deny pain or rush forgiveness. I simply invite us to ask an honest question: **Is what feels right actually leading me toward life and peace—or is it quietly becoming a prison?**Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless all those listening to this episode today. Help us to look at our own lives and see where offense might be keeping us prisoners. Helps us to notice where anger might have been justified at first, and now holding onto that anger is just hurting us. Help us to see why it itsn’t helpful to keep replaying the hurt that we felt over and over again in our minds. Help us to let go, Lord. Help us to forgive. We ask all of this in accordance with your will and in Jesus’s holy name, Amen.Thank you so much for joining me on this journey to walk boldly with Jesus. If you are interested in learn

If you would like to share your witness or your story about how God is working in your life, please send me a message. It does not take much time and could make a real difference in someone's life. Email me at [email protected] or (click here). www.findingtruenorthcoaching.comCLICK HERE TO DONATECLICK HERE to sign up for Mentoring CLICK HERE to sign up for Daily "Word from the Lord" emailsCLICK HERE to sign up for my newsletter & receive a free audio training about inviting Jesus into your daily lifeCLICK HERE to buy my book Total Trust in God's Safe Embrace

Click Here for the "A heart of Revival" Podcast www.findingtruenorthcoaching.comCLICK HERE TO DONATECLICK HERE to sign up for Mentoring CLICK HERE to sign up for Daily "Word from the Lord" emailsCLICK HERE to sign up for my newsletter & receive a free audio training about inviting Jesus into your daily lifeCLICK HERE to buy my book Total Trust in God's Safe Embrace

Praise Series #30 To Him Be The Glory Forever!Romans 11:36 “For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever. Amen.”I thought this would be a great verse to end this praise series because it is an excellent reminder of all we have to be thankful for. I looked this verse up on the Enduring Word Commentary website, and this is what I found…“Of Him and through Him and to Him are all things: “All these words are monosyllables. A child just learning to read could easily spell them out. But who shall exhaust their meaning?” (Meyer)i. It is all of Him: This plan came from God. It wasn’t man’s idea. We didn’t say, “I’ve offended God and have to find a way back to Him. Let’s work on a plan to come back to God.” In our spiritual indifference and death, we didn’t care about a plan, and even if we did care, we aren’t smart enough or wise enough to make one. It is all of Him.ii. It is all through Him: Even if we had the plan, we couldn’t make it happen. We couldn’t free ourselves from this prison of sin and self. It could only happen through Him, and the great work of Jesus on our behalf is the through Him that brings salvation.iii. It is all to Him: It’s not for me, it’s not for you, it’s all to Him. It is to the praise of the glory of His grace (Ephesians 1:6). It’s for His pleasure that we are created, and we find our fulfillment in bringing Him glory and honor.d. To whom be glory forever: The fact that Paul can’t figure out God makes him glorify God all the more. When we understand some of the greatness of God, we worship Him all the more passionately.I love this because it reminds us that God had to do what He did to Adam and Eve. He had to banish them from the garden, but it also reminds us that He never wanted that separation. God didn’t want to be separate from us. He didn’t want us to have to go through someone else in order to have a conversation with us. God wanted us to live in communion with Him.This verse is a reminder that the plan of our salvation came from God. He came up a plan to save us from ourselves. He came up with a plan for us to right this terrible wrong of our first parents. He came up with a way to bring us back into the fold so that we didn’t have to live apart from Him. While we were going about our business and thinking all was lost, God had a plan, and we didn’t know it. He had a way to save us. The plan came from the Lord.The plan also came through the Lord. None of us is worthy enough to be the sacrifice. None of us is a lamb without blemish. This is why the Lord had to send His only son to die on a cross for us. He is a spotless lamb. He is without sin, and therefore a worthy vessel to take our sins to the cross with Him. Jesus was able to defeat evil once and for all, and as a result, we can walk with the Lord again.There used to be a curtain (or veil) that was a thick, heavy barrier in the Temple that separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies, the most sacred space where God’s presence dwelt. Only the high priest could enter beyond the curtain, and only once a year on the Day of Atonement, offering sacrifice for the sins of the people (see Exodus 26:31–33 and Leviticus 16).When Jesus died on the cross, the curtain was torn in two from top to bottom (Matthew 27:51), showing that it was God’s action, not man’s. This signified that through Jesus’ sacrifice, the separation between God and humanity was removed. Access to God was no longer limited to one priest or one day a year—all people could now come directly into God’s presence through Christ.This in itself is reason to praise the Lord for the rest of our lives. We now have direct access to God. Did you know that? Did you know you can talk to the Lord anytime you want to? You don’t have to ask others to tell God something for you. You don’t have to ask a priest to talk to God for you. You, just as you are, can talk to the Lord any time you like. I often ask others to help me pray for something. However, that is not because I don’t think I can go to the Lord on my own. I ask others to help me pray because I think the more people praying for something, the better.Think about when you were little, and you asked your mom or dad for something. Did you usually get what you wanted if you just asked one time, or was it more likely if you asked multiple times? Also, did you get it sometimes if you asked, or was it better if one of your siblings asked? My sister used to always ask me to ask for her. She would say, “They like you more.” This was not true, but it did persuade me to ask when she didn’t want to. My point in telling this story is that if I have a prayer request that I really need answered, I will enlist the help of others to pray for it as well. Intercessory prayer, praying for others, is a great thing to do, and it is super powerful.The Lord tells us over and over again in the Bible to be persistent. Sometimes this can mean that you don’t give up and you don’t lose hope. It can mean that yo

Praise Series #29 The Song of MosesExodus 15:1 “Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the Lord: “I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously; horse and rider he has thrown into the sea.”I thought this was a good verse to remind us that praise and worship is not just good when we are in need of God’s help. It is also really important to praise and worship the Lord when He comes through and answers our prayers. Exodus 15:1-21 is all about Moses and the Israelites singing to the Lord for saving them from the Egyptians.In case you are unfamiliar with the story, God asked Moses to lead the Israelites out of captivity from Egypt, as they were slaves there. The pharaoh finally said they could go, and then, when they left, he changed his mind and set out after them. The Israelites got to the Red Sea and had nowhere to go as they could not cross it. God parted the Red Sea so that the Israelites could cross it on dry ground. As soon as they were through it, the Egyptian army started to cross it, and God released the water, and they all drowned.This is where Exodus 15 picks up. The beginning part is called “The Song of Moses.” Let’s look at the words of the song.Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the Lord:“I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously; horse and rider he has thrown into the sea. 2 The Lord is my strength and my might, and he has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him. 3 The Lord is a warrior; the Lord is his name.Let’s pause and look at these few verses. They acknowledge what the Lord has done; He has triumphed gloriously; horse and rider, He has thrown into the sea. However, it then goes on to talk about God and how great He is. It says that the Lord is my strength and my might. He has become my salvation. These are all things that you can say when you are looking to praise the Lord. They are also great things to remember when you are struggling to think of reasons to be grateful. You can be grateful that God is your strength and your might. He is your salvation. You can trust Him to come through and help you every time. It goes on to say,4 “Pharaoh’s chariots and his army he cast into the sea; his picked officers were sunk in the Red Sea. 5 The floods covered them; they went down into the depths like a stone. 6 Your right hand, O Lord, glorious in power— your right hand, O Lord, shattered the enemy. 7 In the greatness of your majesty, you overthrew your adversaries; you sent out your fury, it consumed them like stubble.Again, these few verses are a mix of stating what the Lord did and praising Him for how amazing He is. It says the Lord’s right hand is glorious in power and that it shattered the enemy. Do you have enemies that need to be overthrown? The Israelites couldn’t have seen this coming. I am sure that when they reached the Red Sea and saw how high and fast-moving the water was, they thought they would be captured. I am sure that not a single one of them could have predicted what God would do next. The same is true for your situation. Just because you can’t see a way out doesn’t mean there isn’t one. Just because you feel as though your time has come doesn’t mean it will. I have seen God deliver people I know and love from very difficult situations. Ones that seemed like there was no way out. Your situation is not hopeless. God is in it, and if He is not saving you from it, then He will help you through it.8 At the blast of your nostrils, the waters piled up, the floods stood up in a heap; the deeps congealed in the heart of the sea. 9 The enemy said, ‘I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil, my desire shall have its fill of them. I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them.’ 10 You blew with your wind, the sea covered them; they sank like lead in the mighty waters.These verses are good because they show us that it does not matter what our enemies say. It doesn’t matter how badly they threaten us. All we need to remember is how great our God is. These verses talk about how the enemy was saying things that were probably scary to hear. No one wants to hear that they will be overtaken and that the enemy will have their fill of our goods. However, the Israelites didn’t have to worry because God took care of the enemy. He drowned every single one of them. It does not matter how great your enemy is; God is greater. It doesn’t matter what your enemy is, either. It could be a physical illness, a mental illness, a financial problem, or a legal problem. Your enemy might be someone or something you can see, and it might be something you can’t see, like an illness. Whatever your enemy is, trust me when I say that God can either save you from it or help you through it.11 “Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in splendor, doing wonders? 12 You stretched out your right hand, and the earth swallowed them.13 “In your steadfast love,

He WorshipedJudges 7: 15-18 “When Gideon heard the telling of the dream and its interpretation, he worshiped; and he returned to the camp of Israel, and said, “Get up; for the Lord has given the army of Midian into your hand.” After he divided the three hundred men into three companies, and put trumpets into the hands of all of them, and empty jars, with torches inside the jars, he said to them, “Look at me, and do the same; when I come to the outskirts of the camp, do as I do. When I blow the trumpet, I and all who are with me, then you also blow the trumpets around the whole camp, and shout, ‘For the Lord and for Gideon!’”We have been talking about times when praise and worship have won battles, broken chains, and set captives free. This is no exception. In Judges 6, Gideon is introduced as a reluctant and fearful man, threshing wheat in a winepress to hide it from the Midianites. When the Angel of the Lord appeared to him and called him a mighty warrior, Gideon doubted the message, pointing out that his clan was the weakest in the tribe of Manasseh and that he was the least in his family. Despite Gideon’s doubts, God assured him of His presence and called him to deliver Israel from its enemies.Chapter 7 begins by discussing a battle where Gideon went into battle with thousands of troops and yet was still outnumbered. Then God told Gideon that he had too many troops and he should send home any who were scared. A good majority of them went home. I think there were 3,000 left. Then God told him there were still too many and how to decide who else should leave. Now Gideon was down to 300 soldiers, and God was pleased. However, Gideon was not sure how this was going to work out. They were vastly outnumbered. It says in Judges 7:12 “The Midianites and the Amalekites and all the people of the east lay along the valley as thick as locusts; and their camels were without number, countless as the sand on the seashore. And Gideon had 300 and God on his side.One thing I love about this story is that it shows us that God knows us. He knows our weaknesses, and He loves us anyway. God knew that Gideon would be scared and would need some reassurance before going into battle. Judges 7:9-12 says, “That same night the Lord said to him, 'Get up, attack the camp; for I have given it into your hand. But if you fear to attack, go down to the camp with your servant Purah; and you shall hear what they say, and afterward your hands shall be strengthened to attack the camp.” Then he went down with his servant Purah to the outposts of the armed men that were in the camp. While he was there, he overheard one of the enemy soldiers explaining a dream he had and talking about how great Gideon was. This gave Gideon all the confidence he needed to go into war trusting the Lord.Do you see how God knew Gideon would be scared? Do you see how God didn’t discount Gideon because he was afraid to trust God and enter this seemingly unfair battle with just 300 men? God didn’t walk away and find someone else who was more qualified, or someone who would trust him without fail or without question. God saw Gideon’s fear and gave him what he needed to push past it. God is so good. He will do the same for you. God isn’t asking you to never be afraid of what He is calling you to do. He is asking you to trust Him and to do it anyway. If you feel you need confirmation or some sort of sign to know God is asking you to do it, then ask Him for that. He is faithful to answer when we ask.I thought this story was great for our praise series because of the verses I picked for today. “When Gideon heard the telling of the dream and its interpretation, he worshiped;” When Gideon heard the enemy talking about how powerful he was, He got the courage to push past his fear. However, before waking the army to tell them to go into battle, it says two very powerful words. He worshiped. You might even just gloss over those two words in the grand scheme of the whole story. However, the Lord highlighted them for me. He wanted me to not only see them, but to point them out to you. He doesn’t want us to miss it. Gideon knew where his strength came from. He knew who was going to win this battle for him, and it wasn’t those 300 soldiers. It was the Lord our God.Gideon worshiped the Lord. Did this change the outcome of the war? I have no idea. Did it change how God won the war for them? Again, I have no idea. What I do know is that nothing is put in the Bible accidentally. Every word in the Bible has a meaning. There is a reason God wants us to know that before going into a war where he was incredibly outnumbered, Gideon worshiped. How about you? Are you in a war that seems unfair? Are you in a war where you seem outnumbered? Have you worshiped yet? Have you come to the Lord and asked for his help and then worshiped Him even though you might not have seen that help yet? If you are in a battle, whether it is medical, physical, financial, or some other kind of battle, and you don’t

Today’s Witness Wednesday is from a friend named Gisele. We were in a prayer group last Wednesday morning, and she was sharing a testimony about how the Lord came and helped her out of a jam when she was on vacation. God is so good! Take it away, Gisele! We have all seen God working in our lives. However, maybe not everyone is aware that it is God who is working within us. That’s why it’s so important for us to start talking more about it. The more we share our experiences, the more people will understand how God acts and how much He truly loves us. If you’re willing to share an experience of how God has worked or is working in your life, please send me an email at [email protected] or click here. It won’t take much of your time, and your story could be just what someone needs to hear today. Consider praying and sharing. We all have a story, and the world needs to hear it. Music: "Adding the Sun" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ www.findingtruenorthcoaching.com CLICK HERE TO DONATE CLICK HERE to sign up for Mentoring CLICK HERE to sign up for Daily "Word from the Lord" emails CLICK HERE to sign up for my newsletter & receive a free audio training about inviting Jesus into your daily life CLICK HERE to buy my book Total Trust in God's Safe Embrace

He Played His Lyre, and The Evil Spirit Would Leave!1 Samuel 16:23 “Whenever the spirit from God came on Saul, David would take up his lyre and play. Then relief would come to Saul; he would feel better, and the evil spirit would leave him.”When I heard about this verse, I loved it because it shows us another example of the power of music. When David played his lyre, the evil spirit would leave Saul. Did you know that music could set you free from evil spirits? Are you starting to see the power of praise and worship? Are you starting to see the power of music and singing? Praise and playing musical instruments have been setting captives free for a very long time.God instructed Joshua to have the Israelites march around the city of Jericho once a day for six days, with priests blowing trumpets and the people remaining silent. On the seventh day, they were to march around the city seven times. When the priests sounded the trumpets, Joshua commanded the people to shout, and the walls of Jericho collapsed. God allowed the Israelites to take this city. (Joshua 6:1–20)God reduced Gideon’s army from thousands to just three hundred men so that Israel would know the victory came from Him alone. At God’s instruction, the men carried trumpets and torches instead of swords. When they blew the trumpets and shouted, God threw the Midianite army into confusion, and the enemy turned on itself. Israel won the battle without fighting by strength, showing that obedience, proclamation, and trust in God released His power. (Judges 7:1–22)When King Jehoshaphat faced a vast enemy army, he sought the Lord, and God declared that the battle belonged to Him. Jehoshaphat sent singers ahead of the army, praising God as they marched into battle. As they worshiped, the Lord caused the enemy armies to turn on one another, and Judah did not have to fight at all. The victory came through praise, revealing that worship invites God to act powerfully on behalf of His people. (2 Chronicles 20:1–30)While imprisoned in Philippi after being beaten and chained, Paul and Silas prayed and sang hymns to God in the middle of the night. As they worshiped, a sudden earthquake shook the prison, opening the doors and loosening everyone’s chains. Rather than escaping, Paul and Silas remained, leading the jailer and his household to salvation. Their praise not only brought physical freedom but also opened the way for lives to be saved. (Acts 16:22–34)Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego stood before King Nebuchadnezzar and refused to bow to the golden image, declaring their unwavering faith in God. They proclaimed that God was able to deliver them from the fiery furnace, but even if He did not, they would not worship any false god. Their words were an act of praise rooted in trust—honoring God above fear, outcome, or survival. Their worship was not expressed through song, but through bold confession of God’s power and faithfulness in the face of death. (Daniel 3:16–17)I like this example because it shows us that there are many ways to praise. If you don’t like music, if you don’t like singing, that doesn’t mean that you can’t be set free by praise and worship. There are so many ways to praise the Lord. Music happens to be my favorite, and for me, one of the easiest, because if I don’t know what to say, there are plenty of others who have written beautiful songs who do know what to say. However, if you don’t like music or singing, don’t count yourself out. You can praise the Lord with your writing, with your words said outloud. You can praise the Lord with gratitude or in the things you say to others. There isn’t just one way to praise the Lord. I pray that by the end of this series, you understand that there are so many different ways to praise. There is a way for everyone.When King Hezekiah received a threatening message from the Assyrian king, he took the letter to the temple and spread it before the Lord. In prayer, Hezekiah praised God as the one true Lord over all kingdoms and asked Him to act so that all would know His power. God responded by promising deliverance, and that very night the Assyrian army was defeated without Judah having to fight a single battle. Hezekiah’s prayerful praise and trust in God’s sovereignty led to a decisive victory and public recognition of the Lord’s supremacy. (2 Kings 19:14–37)Again, this is a different kind of praise. King Hezekiah went in front of the Lord and presented the letter from his enemies. He then praised God as the one true King and asked God for help. Do you see how easy it can be to praise the Lord at times? All it says that he did was to praise the Lord as the one true King over all kingdoms. This is why I have placed a link in the previous episode for the praise sheets that I received at my prayer group. However, you don’t even need those sheets. You can simply tell the Lord how great you think He is. I tend to say, “You are the Lord of Lords and King of Kings. You are the Almighty One. We worship you. We ado

Praise Series #26 Johan Saved From Deep Dark Pit!Jonah 2:7-9 “When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, Lord, and my prayer rose to you, to your holy temple. “Those who cling to worthless idols turn away from God’s love for them. But I, with shouts of grateful praise, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed, I will make good. I will say, ‘Salvation comes from the Lord.’”I was looking online for some Scripture verses that showed people who were in trouble and relied on the Lord, or were able to praise the Lord when they were in trouble, and they were saved. I know that praise helps in a bad situation. I have been in so many bad situations, and praise always helps. However, I know some of you don’t know me. Maybe you just started listening to the podcast, or maybe you have been listening for the last 5 years, and yet you only know what you hear in the podcast. I don’t want to just use my story because my story might be different than your story. We all have a story; we are all going through something. None of us is just skating through life with no hardships.This is why I am doing this series on praise. We all have stuff going on. Yes, someone may be struggling more than you, but that does not minimize your struggle, and that doesn’t mean God doesn’t have time for your struggle. God is not bound by space and time like we are. He can help all of us at the same time. Since all of our stories are different, I want to give you different types of examples. Also, I want you to know that even if your story isn’t exactly like any of the examples I give you, the basics still apply. God will help you, just as He has helped all those who have turned to Him in times of trouble.I want to read all of Jonah chapter 2 because it is not that long, and yet it is so great.Jonah 2:1-10 “From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord his God. He said: “In my distress I called to the Lord, and he answered me. From deep in the realm of the dead, I called for help, and you listened to my cry. You hurled me into the depths, into the very heart of the seas, and the currents swirled about me; all your waves and breakers swept over me. I said, ‘I have been banished from your sight; yet I will look again toward your holy temple.’ The engulfing waters threatened me, the deep surrounded me; seaweed was wrapped around my head. To the roots of the mountains I sank down; the earth beneath barred me in forever. But you, Lord my God, brought my life up from the pit. “When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, Lord, and my prayer rose to you, to your holy temple. “Those who cling to worthless idols turn away from God’s love for them. But I, with shouts of grateful praise, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed, I will make good. I will say, ‘Salvation comes from the Lord.’” And the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.”The reason I wanted to read the whole chapter to you is that it shows us how deep in a pit Jonah was. Jonah wasn’t just upset and crying out to the Lord. Jonah was in dire straits. Jonah was dying, or at least he felt like he was. There are three times in this short 10-verse chapter that Jonah talks about God saving him. First, he said, “In my distress I called to the Lord, and he answered me.” Then he continued on by saying, “From deep in the realm of the dead, I called for help, and you listened to my cry.” And later in the chapter, he also said, “But you, Lord my God, brought my life up from the pit.”In three different places and three different ways, this chapter is telling us that when we cry out to the Lord, He answers us and that when we need him, he will bring us up out of the pit. Have you been crying out to the Lord? Are you in a deep pit with no way out? God hears your cries. He is in the pit with you, and He is your way out. Call out to Him. Pray to Him for a rescue. You are no different than Jonah. When you call out to the Lord, He will answer you. When you call for help, he will listen to you, even if you feel you are calling from the realm of the dead. That’s the thing with God, it is NEVER too late. God will bring you up out of the pit. It may not be how you think it will happen, and it may not, probably not be in the time you think it should. He will save you from the pit, though. All you have to do is ask!You might be thinking your problem is greater than Jonah’s. You might believe that God helped Jonah, but he won’t help you. Let’s look at the situation Jonah was in. The scripture says. “From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord his God.” So, Jonah was inside of a fish. That does not seem good. Then it says he called from deep in the realm of the dead. So Jonah was, or felt like he was in the realm of the dead. Then it says, “You hurled me into the depths, into the very heart of the seas, and the currents swirled about me; all your waves and breakers swept over me.” I am sure many of us have felt like this before. Maybe not in this exact situation, or I hope not anyway. I

Praise Series #25 Delight In The LordPsalm 37:4 “Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”Have you ever thought about taking delight in the Lord? I am sure this is not the only time this idea is presented in the Bible. Actually there are more than 10 instances in the Bible where it talks about taking delight in the Lord or in His law. I have never thought of taking delight in the Lord before. I mean, I love him, and I spend time with him, but to be honest, when I read this verse, I wondered how I would even take delight in the Lord. I literally typed into the search bar on my computer, “How does one delight in the Lord?” I tell you this because I don’t want you to think that because I am doing this podcast, I have everything figured out. I don’t want you to think when I speak I am speaking with any authority as if I was an expert. I am on the same journey you are on. We could study the Bible our whole lives and still not have it all figured out.When I read a scripture verse, I listen to what the Holy Spirit has to tell me about the verse. I also think about what I have learned up until this point, and sometimes, many times, I go to the internet to see what others say about this verse. My goal with this podcast is for us to be on this journey together to discover God’s Word more fully and to see how we can apply that Word to our daily lives. I am not choosing verses that I already understand. Actually, I am not really choosing the verses. I am using the verses from my prayer group that people feel inspired by the Holy Spirit to share. This means that often I get a verse and don’t completely understand what it means. Sometimes the Holy Spirit gives me understanding, and sometimes I find it through research. I do know that it is important to read the scripture and to try to understand it. This was confirmed at my prayer group the other day, someone felt strongly that the Lord wanted to tell us that His word is as pertinent today as it was then. We have the Lord right in our tabernacle, and he is right there with us in adoration and in everything. His word is still as powerful today as it was. That is why it is important to read his word and fill us so that we can fill ourselves with what God wants to tell us. God will speak to you directly through the scriptures if you let Him.Ok, back to today’s verse. How does one delight in the Lord? I found two really good articles and I will put a link to them in the show notes. One of them was titled, “What Does It Mean To Take Delight In The Lord?” and was written by Tracy Kulwicki. In this article Tracy talks not only about this verse, but the verses we discussed yesterday. Psalm 37:3-4 “Trust in the Lord and do good. Then you will live safely in the land and prosper. Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires.” The author said that before you get the desires of your heart, you need to trust in the Lord, do good, and take delight in the Lord. She says the reason we need to do these things first is not that we need to win God over or because we need to work hard to get things from God. The reason we need to do these things is that when we do these things first, then our desires become His. We talked a lot yesterday about how to trust in the Lord and do good. Today we will talk about how we delight in the Lord? Here is what Tracy says about how we can delight in the Lord. “When I take delight in my children, I spend time with them. I watch the things they do. I notice who they are. I notice their features and character. I laugh at the funny things they do. I hold them close. I talk with them. I listen to them. I recognize the unique things about them that make them who they are. I think about them often. I focus on the great things about them that I love. I remember the words they’ve said that melt my heart, the great memories we’ve created together, and the times when we overcame something challenging together.She went on to say, “We can do the same things with God. We take delight in God by spending time with Him, watching the things He is doing in our lives. We can notice who He is, learn about His features and characteristics. We can laugh at the funny moments in our lives that come from His hand. We can hold Him close, talk with Him, and listen to Him. Recognize who He is, think about Him all throughout our day, and focus on His greatness and love. We can remember the times He has moved in our lives, the things He has done for us, and the prayers He has answered.”I think this is both a great description of how we already delight in things and also how we can apply what we are already doing to God. Just listening to that description of how we delight in our children made me smile. It made me think of how much I love my children. If you don’t have children, I bet you do have something that you delight in as she described above. It might be a pet, friends, nieces and nephews, cousins, friends. Whatever it is tha

Praise Series 24: There is Joy in Our TrialsJames 1:2-4 “My brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance; and let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing.”This verse doesn’t talk about praise, but it does say we should consider our hard times nothing but joy, because the testing of your faith produces endurance. In other words, we are not going through this hard time for nothing. We won’t get to the other side and be the same person that we were before the hard time. This verse shows that it is okay to praise the Lord during hard times because something good will come of it. After we make it through this impossible time, we will have more endurance. Then endurance will lead us to becoming mature and complete, lacking nothing. All that sounds pretty good to me.The question is, how do we praise the Lord in these difficult times? I know a lot of you who are listening to this episode are struggling right now and have been for a long time. Your struggles are intense and real, and some days you feel like you can’t take it for another moment. You are tired of feeling so sick you can’t get out of bed. You are tired of feeling as though you are going to lose your house or your car because you don’t have any money to pay your bills. Some of you are depressed and don’t even want to get out of bed. Understanding that this is about building endurance isn't going to be what gets you out of bed.However, what if praise could be that thing that gets you out of bed? What if you just need one thing to start changing things for you? What if you just need to have a different outlook? What if this verse could help you switch from a “why me” mindset to a “thank you” mindset? You might be wondering what you have to be thankful for in this hard time that you are in. However, there is always something to be thankful for. Things could always be worse. I know it doesn’t seem like it at times. I know it doesn’t feel like things could be any worse, but they can always be worse.Another thing that can be helpful is to remember that you will be so much stronger when you get through this. When you make it to the other side of this hard time. I know if you have lost someone, then there isn’t really another side to this. The grief you feel will always be with you. However, you will learn to cope with the grief. You will learn to live with it, and I promise you that joy will come back into your life someday. You will begin to feel joy again, little by little. It won’t erase the pain and sadness, but they will both be there. Some days grief will be stronger, and some days joy will be stronger.Praise and worship can help bring light into the dark place that you are in. Especially if you feel you are under a spiritual attack. When we are suffereing and we praise God anyway, that confuses evil spirits. They don’t understand why we would still praise the Lord even when things feel overwhelming, and it seems like nothing is going right for us. Remember, this is how Job ended up suffering. The devil told God that Job was only faithful because God had blessed him. So God allowed the devil to take away the things that Job loved the most so that the devil could see what it really meant to be faithful to the Lord. Even after he had lost everything, Job was still faithful to the Lord. Even after Job got sick and was in agonizing pain, Job was still faithful to the Lord.I am sure when the devil made this deal with God, he was sure he had it in the bag. I am sure he thought he knew what he was doing. I am sure he was 100% positive that Job would turn on the Lord. And yet he didn’t. I want to be clear that God knew Job wouldn’t. God wasn’t just taking a gamble with Job’s life. God knew what would happen. He knew how it would all work out. God knows everything. However, this is a lesson the devil still gets wrong a lot. He still tries to take our family away, take our health away, take our financial security away, in hopes that we will turn on the Lord. That is not what we are going to do.Instead, we are going to praise the Lord all the more when times are hard. We are going to sing to the Lord, yell to the Lord, talk to the Lord, whatever it is we can do to let God know we are still with Him and we want Him with us. When we feel we are under spiritual attack, we don’t have to be eloquent with our praise. We can simply say the name of Jesus, and the enemy will flee. We can simply be grateful to God for the small things until we are ready to be grateful for the big things. And just in case you are wondering if I actually do the things I tell you to do. Yes, I do.The other day, I was having a really rough day with my boys. It was one of those days when I just wanted to throw in the towel. One of those days where I wonder and ask how much longer until this gets better, and will it ever get better. No on

Today’s Witness Wednesday is a story I read on Facebook today. I felt it was a great example of how God works through people and brings them together in the most unusual ways. We might not always understand what God is doing, or why He has brought certain people into our lives, but He always has a plan. The plan might not unfold for years, but one day it will make sense. I am sure the biker in this story had no idea his weekly visits to the Children’s hospital would end the way they did. But I am sure it all makes sense to him now. Here is his story.I'm a 58-year-old biker named Mike. I've got tattoos covering both arms, a beard down to my chest, and I ride with the Defenders Motorcycle Club.I volunteer at the Children's Hospital every Thursday, reading books to sick kids. It's something our club started doing fifteen years ago after one of our brothers' granddaughters spent months in pediatric oncology.Most kids are scared of me at first. I get it. I'm big and loud and look like I should be in a motorcycle gang movie, not a children's hospital. But once I start reading, they forget about how I look. They just hear the story.That's what I thought would happen with Amara.I walked into room 432 on a Thursday afternoon in March. The nurse had warned me this was a new patient. Seven years old. Stage four neuroblastoma. No family visits in the three weeks she'd been admitted."No family at all?" I'd asked.The nurse's face had gone tight. "Her mother abandoned her here. Dropped her off for treatment and never came back. We've been trying to reach her for weeks. CPS is involved now but Amara doesn't have any other family. She's going into foster care once she's stable enough to leave.""And if she's not stable enough?"The nurse looked away. "Then she'll die here. Alone."I stood outside room 432 for a full minute before I could make myself go in. I've read to dying kids before. It never gets easier. But a kid dying completely alone? That was a new kind of hell.I knocked softly and pushed open the door. "Hey there, I'm Mike. I'm here to read you a story if you'd like."The little girl in the bed turned to look at me. She had the biggest brown eyes I'd ever seen. Her hair was gone from chemo. Her skin had that grayish tone that means the body is struggling. But she smiled when she saw me."You're really big," she said. Her voice was small and raspy."Yeah, I get that a lot." I held up the book I'd brought. "I've got a story about a giraffe who learns to dance. Want to hear it?"She nodded. So I sat down in the chair next to her bed and started reading.I was halfway through the book when she interrupted me. "Mr. Mike?""Yeah, sweetheart?""Do you have any kids?"The question hit me hard. "I had a daughter. She passed away when she was sixteen. Car accident. That was twenty years ago."Amara was quiet for a moment. Then she asked, "Do you miss being a daddy?"My throat tightened. "Every single day, honey.""My daddy left before I was born," she said matter-of-factly. "And my mama brought me here and never came back. The nurses say she's not coming back ever."I didn't know what to say to that. What do you say to a seven-year-old who's been abandoned while dying?Amara kept talking. "The social worker lady said I'm going to go live with a foster family when I get better. But I heard the doctors talking. They don't think I'm getting better.""Sweetheart—""It's okay," she said. Her voice was so calm. Too calm for a seven-year-old. "I know I'm dying. Everyone thinks I don't understand but I do. I heard them say the cancer is everywhere now. They said maybe six months. Maybe less."I set the book down. "Amara, I'm so sorry."She looked at me with those huge eyes. "Mr. Mike, can I ask you something?""Anything, honey."She looked at me with those huge eyes. "Mr. Mike, can I ask you something?""Anything, honey.""Will you be my daddy… until I die?"The room went still. Even the monitors seemed to hush. I felt every one of my fifty-eight years settle on my shoulders like lead.I opened my mouth, but nothing came out at first. All I could see was my own daughter’s face at sixteen, laughing in the rear-view mirror the last time I ever saw her alive. All I could feel was the hole that had lived in my chest ever since.Amara didn’t blink. She just waited, small and brave and impossibly calm.I wanted to say yes. God help me, I wanted to say yes so badly my bones ached. But I was just a rough old biker who showed up once a week with picture books. I rode loud, drank hard, and still woke up some nights yelling my dead daughter’s name into an empty house. What did I know about being anyone’s father again, even for a little while?I swallowed the rock in my throat. “Honey… I’d be honored. But I gotta be honest with you—I’m not very good at this daddy thing anymore. I might mess it up.”Her whole face lit up like sunrise. “That’s okay. You can practice on me.”And just like that, I had a daughter again.The nurses cried when I told them. The social worker cried h

Praise Series #23 Garment of Praise Instead of a Spirit of DespairIsaiah 61:3 “And provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.”What drew me to this verse is the part that says, “a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.” I know a lot of you are struggling and have been for a long time. You are struggling medically and can’t understand why you haven’t been healed yet. You know God can heal you, you truly believe that, and so it can be depressing when you know God can do something and yet He doesn’t seem to be doing it. Or, at least not in the way you would like, or even a way you can see. Some of you are struggling financially and don’t understand why your prayers about your financial situation seem to go unanswered. You know God could “make it happen,” and yet it doesn’t seem like He is. Some of you are struggling with depression, anxiety, family issues, and all sorts of other things.This whole praise series is to help us realize that the best way through the hard times is not to wallow in them, but to praise God through them. God doesn’t mind if you are upset with Him. If you need to yell or scream at God for your circumstances, that is ok. He is tough, He knows your heart, and He can take it. However, if you want your atmosphere to shift. If you want to stop being sad all the time. If you are tired of feeling like you have been feeling for such a long time. Then it is time to switch from despair to praise. Praise the Lord for whatever it is you can praise the Lord for.I heard a speaker at a conference once, and I can’t remember her name, but I remember that she said she hurt her back at one point. She was newly married, she hurt her back, and she ended up addicted to painkillers. She didn’t see it at the time; she just knew she needed them for the pain. She started to just stay in bed all the time because of the pain. I think she eventually lost her husband. He just couldn’t take it anymore. She said she didn’t blame him; he really tried, but she was so wrapped up in herself and her pain, and she had nothing to give him. She eventually moved back home with her mom. She finally got tired of feeling like she was feeling. She was tired of being so sad all the time.She said she started off slow. She would make herself go sit outside and let the sun shine on her face for 5 minutes a day. That was it, just five minutes a day. She said that when she was sitting in the sun, she would ask herself what one thing she could be grateful for. Some days, the only thing she could think of was getting outside and sitting for 5 minutes. Eventually, she started to look around, and she could appreciate the grass, the flowers, the butterflies, whatever it was around her. Five minutes turned to 10, to 20, and so on. She finally felt herself coming back to life, to reality. She found she wasn’t just sad all the time. And it wasn’t a fast process, and yours might not be either. However, she did get back to her old self again. She was happy again. She did regain her life again. Part of gratitude is praise. You are thankful for the things God has given you. Even if they aren’t perfect. You will be surprised how much your attitude and outlook on life have changed when you switch from complaining to gratitude.Here are some simple shifts in what you are telling yourself. Instead of saying, I can’t believe I didn’t wake up till 1:00 today, you can say, I am so grateful God gave me another day of life. Some people didn’t wake up this morning, and their families will never see them again. Instead of saying that your back and side and head hurt, you can say I am grateful my feet don’t hurt. Instead of saying, I can’t believe my kid is acting out again, you can say, I am grateful I have kids and I am grateful for all the strength God has given me to deal with all the kids dish out. I am not trying to downplay what you are going through. I know it is hard. I have been through really hard times.I have kids who were verbally and physically abusive, I have had marital trouble and almost got divorced, I have had kids who overdosed on drugs and alcohol, a child in rehab more than one time. My kids have struggled with mental health and trouble with the police. My life has not been a cakewalk either. However, I truly believe what got me through it all, well, not all the way through it yet, was my reliance on God and my gratitude for everything, the good and the bad. The bad things I have gone through have made me the person I am today. I would not understand other parents struggling as I do had I not been through it. I would not be able to reassure other parents that it is not their fault and that they are doing the best they can if I hadn’t been through all I went through. God is using me to let other

Praise Series #22 His Love Endures ForeverPsalm 136 “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever.Give thanks to the God of gods. His love endures forever. Give thanks to the Lord of lords: His love endures forever.To him who alone does great wonders, His love endures forever.Who, by his understanding, made the heavens, his love endures forever.who spread out the earth upon the waters, His love endures forever. Who made the great lights—His love endures forever. The sun to govern the day, His love endures forever. the moon and stars to govern the night; His love endures forever.To him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt, His love endures forever. and brought Israel out from among them. His love endures forever.with a mighty hand and outstretched arm; His love endures forever.to him who divided the Red Sea[a] asunder His love endures forever. and brought Israel through the midst of it, His love endures forever. but swept Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea; His love endures forever.to him who led his people through the wilderness; His love endures forever.To him who struck down great kings, His love endures forever. and killed mighty kings—His love endures forever. Sihon, king of the Amorites, His love endures forever. and Og, king of Bashan—His love endures forever. and gave their land as an inheritance. His love endures forever. An inheritance to his servant Israel. His love endures forever.He remembered us in our low estate. His love endures forever.And freed us from our enemies. His love endures forever. He gives food to every creature. His love endures forever.Give thanks to the God of heaven. His love endures forever.I know this verse is a lot longer than I usually do. I usually pick a verse or two, and this is all 26 verses of this Psalm. Psalm 136:6 “who spread out the earth upon the waters, His love endures forever” was the verse that led me to this Psalm in the first place. I decided to read the whole Psalm as I felt perhaps this was a small part of something bigger. When I read the whole thing, I instantly felt like I should share the whole thing. Since the phrase “His love endures forever” is repeated throughout the whole Psalm, I thought I would just take that out to make it shorter and just repeat it after each section. However, when I had that thought, I immediately got the sense God wanted me to leave it in there. I felt He was saying to me that we need to have that reminder over and over again today. This Psalm today has two purposes. First and foremost, to remind you over and over again, so many times, that there is no way you can forget that God’s love endures forever. Forever is a very long time. It means it never goes away. God’s love lasts forever; it doesn’t say it lasts a lifetime, it says forever. It doesn’t say that His love lasts until you do something He doesn’t like, it says forever. It doesn’t say that it endures until you get sick or are in a seemingly impossible situation, and then it goes away. It says it endures forever. It also doesn’t say that His love endures forever as long as you don’t walk away, as long as you do all the things you are supposed to do, or as long as you get it right all the time. No, it says His love endures forever, and that’s it. There are no conditions placed on it; there is no requirement for you. God has loved you from the beginning of time, and He will continue to love you forever, regardless of circumstances. That is pretty amazing when you really think about it. Who else can you say that about? Whose love will endure forever, regardless of your actions and regardless of time? The second purpose of this psalm today is to remind us of some of the remarkable things God has done for us over the years. The sense I am getting this morning is that some of you listening to this episode may be struggling with feeling God’s Love right now. Maybe you are sick, and you feel as though He is not answering your prayers. Maybe you are feeling stuck in a family situation that seems impossible and feel as though He is not hearing your prayers. Maybe nothing in particular is wrong; you just don’t really feel a sense that God is with you right now. Whatever your particular circumstance is, God wants you to know that He is speaking directly to you today. He hears you, He is answering your prayers, He loves you, and most importantly, He is right there with you through it all. This Psalm is for you. This is your heavenly Father letting you know that His love endures forever, and just as he did all these things for His people in the past, He will do just as much for you. He is moving mountains in your life. He is preparing you for amazing things, you just can’t see it yet. Hang in there, your miracle is coming!!“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. Give thanks to the God of gods. Give thanks to the Lord of lords: to him who alone does great wonders, who by his understanding made the heavens, who spread out the earth upon the waters, who ma

We have all seen God working in our lives, however, we might not all be aware it is God who is working in our lives. This is why it is so important we start talking about it more. The more we share our experiences the more people understand how God works and how much He truly loves us. If you would be willing to share any experience you have had of how God has worked or is working your life, please email me at [email protected] or just click on the link below. It won’t take up much of your time and your story could be just the story that someone needs to hear today. Prayerfully consider sharing. Everyone has a story and the world needs to hear them. I look forward to spending time with you again tomorrow and I will have another witness for you next Wednesday. Have a blessed day www.findingtruenorthcoaching.comCLICK HERE TO DONATECLICK HERE to sign up for Mentoring CLICK HERE to sign up for Daily "Word from the Lord" emailsCLICK HERE to sign up for my newsletter & receive a free audio training about inviting Jesus into your daily lifeCLICK HERE to buy my book Total Trust in God's Safe Embrace

I Will Rejoice In The LordHabakkuk 3:17-18 “Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.”Talk about a bad day. This verse is from a time when the people relied very heavily on crops and animals for survival. This verse states that they have reached rock bottom. That nothing is going right for them. If their crops are not producing any food and they have no meat in their stalls, then not only do they have nothing to eat, but they also have nothing to barter with. Have you ever felt this low? Have you ever been in a situation where you couldn’t really imagine it getting any worse? That is where this person was when they wrote this. Even if you haven’t been in a situation this dire before, I am sure you can imagine how they must have felt. Please take a minute and try to put yourself in their shoes. Close your eyes and imagine you are walking through your fields. You look from vine to vine just praying for some grapes that you may have missed, or that miraculously grew overnight, but you find nothing. Now imagine you are walking by your fig tree. This tree that was once full of figs is now empty. Next, you walk through the olive crops and pray that there will be some source of food, but again, you find nothing. You think, at least you have your animals to provide you with food. However, when you go past the sheep pen, there are none. When you walk through the cattle stalls, they too are empty. You realize you have nothing; you have somehow lost it all. What are you feeling right now? What are you thinking? How do you think you would react? Would you be angry at God? Would you blame Him for not providing for you? I am not sure how I would feel or what I would think, but I do not think that my first thought would be to rejoice in the Lord. The verse says, “yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.” I am thinking that I would struggle to find anything to be joyful about. I am joyful in God my Savior. He is amazing, and I love Him so much. However, when I am at my worst, I am not sure that I would think of that. I do think I would turn to Him. I believe I would ask God for His help and for the strength and courage to make it through this difficult time. But would I rejoice in the Lord?Honestly, I can’t picture it. I can’t picture how that would work. I do know that when life is going against us, and we can’t see a way out, that is the perfect time to praise the Lord. We don’t have to see the way out. We can praise the Lord for being so awesome that He can see a way out even when we can’t. We don’t have to praise Him for the situation; we can praise Him for who He is and for what He does for us. Ok, so now that I am writing this, I am starting to see how this could work. I guess we wouldn’t have to rejoice in being in this dire situation, but we could rejoice that God was in it with us. However, would we think to do this? Would it occur to us when the chips are down that we should rejoice and praise the Lord? My first thought is no, not without someone reminding us, or without some practice ahead of time. Several things I have been reading over the last few years have been saying that the best thing you can do when you are struggling is to praise the Lord. The fastest way out of a difficult situation is to praise the Lord while you are still in it, even when all seems lost. So then, how do we do this? How do we try to practice ahead of time so that when we really need to remember this, we can? I have a couple of suggestions, some you may have heard before. Some I probably even mentioned before on this podcast. However, I think that’s how God works. He tells us something again and again until we get it. My first suggestion would be practicing gratitude. When you are focused on being grateful for things, you can’t also be feeling sorry for yourself or feeling miserable at the same time. Even if you can find just one small thing to be grateful for. For instance, you have to go to a funeral, and you are really sad, but you can be grateful that the weather is at least holding out for you. Or maybe the weather had been raining all day, but on the way to the cemetery, the rain stopped, and now you can see a rainbow. I promise you, no matter how bad things are, there is at least one small thing you can be grateful for. Practice finding that thing, focusing on it, and thanking God for it. I promise if you give this a try, you will find more joy in your life.Another suggestion would be to find a few verses that talk about praising the Lord, or rejoicing in the Lord, and either memorize them or post them around your house where you will see them often. You could put one on your mirror so you see it every time you look in the mirror. Or, maybe on your fridge, so you read it every time yo

Praise Series #20 Rejoice in the Lord Always!Philippians 4:4 “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!”Rejoicing in the Lord is one of my favorite things to do. Praise and Worship are so critical in our faith journey. Rejoicing in the Lord is a great way to foster joy. This is something that I love to use to get me out of a funk or a sad place. This works anywhere and everywhere that you are. It is best if you can listen to music because if you are in a sad, angry, or depressed state, you might have trouble worshiping. You might not be in a place where you feel you have anything positive to say to the Lord, or about the Lord. However, when a song that you love comes on the radio, it is hard not to sing along and get into that song. Or, at least, it is not hard for me, as I love music.I love singing along as loudly as I can in my car and in my shower. I listen to Christian music, which, honestly, I didn’t even know existed until 5 years ago. Well, I knew we sang Christian songs in church, but I didn’t know they had contemporary Christian music, pop songs, rap songs, and rock songs, among various other genres. I am so in love with all of it. I love upbeat songs. It’s like my body wants to dance along to the beat, even when I am out walking or running. Even when I am not somewhere where dancing is appropriate.If you don’t know what I am talking about right now, I invite you to download the KLOVE app on your phone. It is the radio station I listen to all the time now, and it has so many good songs. You might be hesitant at first, but give it 30 days, and you will know all the words and love all the songs. You can also go onto the Spotify app on your phone, and I have created a playlist called Walk Boldly With Jesus Favorites, and it has all my favorite upbeat songs. Actually, there may be a few slower songs, but they are all good songs!If you are having a really hard day, put on a playlist of upbeat songs that sing of the glory of God. I am telling you, it is really hard to be sad and to think that God has abandoned you when you hear all these singers reminding you of how great God is and how He has been there for them in their hard times. A real-life example of how powerful music can be is the day when I was at the courthouse. I had to go there to do something really hard, and I was really sad. I remembered that I had my earbuds in my purse, so I put them in my ears and put on some worship music. I was sitting there feeling sad, and then one of my new favorite songs came on. The song is called My Promised Land and it is sung by Josiah Queen. Here is the beginning verse and chorus:You had me standing on a mountainWalking through barren landsYou took my hand and You saidYou can have this worldBut I won't go with youOh, I won't go with you [Pre-Chorus]But I ran out of placesAnd feelings I was chasingAll I have is You and You aloneAnd I said [Chorus]Hold on, wait a minuteI don't want what You ain't in, andI don't wanna go unless I'm going there with You It's You there, rain or shiningYou're the sun on my horizonsYou are my everythingMy promised land is You! The music is so upbeat, and I love it! Whenever I hear these songs, they remind me that God is my everything. If He is not in it, then I don’t want it. It reminds me that He is there with me, rain or shine. I like to play my playlist on shuffle, and I like to believe the Holy Spirit is choosing the order of my songs. I am sure the Lord knew I needed this song the other day at the courthouse. I honestly considered going outside of the courthouse and dancing my sadness out. However, I didn’t want to miss my name when they called it, so I just sang in a whisper voice and imagined myself dancing it out.I can't emphasize enough how critical praise and worship can be in changing your mood and lifting you out of a pit. The enemy gets so confused when we praise the Lord when we are struggling. They don’t understand why we would praise God when we are hurting, sad, or angry. Also, the enemy can’t stand the name of Jesus. All you have to do is say the name Jesus, and the enemy flees. I heard a speaker once who asked his friend, who is a Catholic priest and exorcist, what the most powerful prayer is when it comes to fighting the evil spirits and demons, and he said the most powerful thing we can say is, “In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” That is pretty simple and yet powerful.If music is not your thing, that is ok, you can still praise the Lord. When I joined the Charismatic Prayer Group, they taught me to praise the Lord out loud by using various names for the Lord. For instance, you can say, “You are Lord of Lords and King of Kings. You are a miracle worker and a way maker. You are the prince of peace and the lion of Judah.” The prayer group gave everyone a piece of paper filled with praise phrases to help us out until we got comfortable coming up with our own. There is no right or wrong way to praise. You can praise the Lord in

Chocolate MilkJohn 20:21-22 “Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.This verse takes place after Jesus has been crucified. The apostles are all locked up in the upper room because they are afraid that if the Jewish people knew where they were, they would be crucified, too. I am sure this was a very confusing time for the apostles. They had been living life with Jesus for the last few years. Every day, extraordinary things happened. Then they find out that Jesus is going to be crucified. I mean, they knew Jesus had enemies, but I don’t think they understood what was truly going on. How could they? How is it possible to comprehend the man they had been following, the man they knew was the one true king, was going to be crucified? The Messiah was supposed to come and deliver them from their captors. Yet Jesus hadn’t defeated the Romans yet. How could He be leaving them?I am sure this thought was going through so many people’s minds at the time. It must have been very confusing. They had read or been taught that when the Messiah comes, He will save them. They assume this means He will save them from the Roman occupation. They don’t realize that Jesus is here for much bigger things. Jesus has come to save their souls.The apostles are locked in the upper room, and Jesus appears to them. I wonder if they were frightened at first. I wonder if they asked Him if it was really Him. Take a minute, close your eyes, and try to picture what it was like for them in that upper room. The man they thought was the Lord was crucified, and then they felt they needed to lock themselves in a room for fear of death, and then Jesus appeared to them in this locked room. I wonder if they thought He was a ghost? I wonder what they were thinking, what was going through their mind.It says in the verse above this one that Jesus showed them his hands and feet, and then they rejoiced that He had risen. The first thing that Jesus did, even before showing them His hands and feet, was to impart peace to them. The first thing He said in that room was, “Peace be with you.” I think this makes perfect sense because they probably weren’t very peaceful. They were scared and unsure of what to do next.After Jesus shows them his wounds, and they rejoice that He has returned, Jesus talks to them. “Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” Jesus knows they are confused about what just happened and what is going to happen. They had been following Jesus. That was their job, their life for the last several years. They had to have been wondering what they were going to do now that Jesus was gone. Then Jesus appeared and told them what to do. He told them that He was sending them out to do the works that He did. This gives them some direction and some guidance.However, how could they go out and do the things that He did when they were scared of persecution? The next line answers this. It says, “When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, 'Receive the Holy Spirit.” Jesus gave them the Holy Spirit to build them up and give them strength. The Holy Spirit gave them a holy boldness to go out and proclaim the good news about Jesus Christ. It gave them the courage to come out of the locked room and say all the things they had been taught to say. They witnessed all they had seen and heard over the several years they were with Jesus. They had the courage to leave the room, and that very same day, they baptized 3,000.This is the same Holy Spirit that each one of us has living inside of us. We each, you and I, have the Spirit of Christ living inside of us. We have the potential to have this same holy boldness that the apostles exhibited. We have the potential to do all the signs and wonders that they did. The reason for this is that they were only capable of doing signs and wonders because Jesus gave them the authority, and He gave the Holy Spirit. Jesus didn’t just give these gifts to the apostles, and then they died with them 2,000 years ago. When Jesus gave them to the apostles, He was giving them to all those who were to follow after them as well.If you have been baptized, you have received the Holy Spirit. This means you have all the power and all the courage that the apostles had living inside of you. You just have to access it. There is an analogy that I heard in Encounter Ministries, and I have also heard it at the Life in the Spirit seminars. I am not sure exactly how it goes, but it basically compares our lives to a glass of chocolate milk. Our life before the Holy Spirit, before baptism, is just plain milk. However, when you add the Holy Spirit, it is like you are adding chocolate sauce to the milk. Now that we have added the chocolate sauce, do we automatically have chocolate milk? No, we need to stir the milk to spread the chocolate sauce all around. This is si

Kingdom Mindset (Replay)Mark 8:17-21 “And becoming aware of it, Jesus said to them, “Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened? Do you have eyes and fail to see? Do you have ears, and fail to hear? And do you not remember? When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you collect?” They said to him, “Twelve.” “And the seven for the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you collect?” And they said to him, “Seven.” Then he said to them, “Do you not yet understand?”This verse comes after the feeding of the four thousand in Mark’s gospel. Right before this verse, the Pharisees came and began to argue with Jesus and were asking Him to show them a sign. Then Jesus got on the boat and warned the disciples about the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod. They did not understand and were wondering if Jesus was talking about the fact that they forgot to bring bread. Jesus hears them talking, and this is where the verse picks up. Jesus is upset with them because they still don’t seem to understand who they are with. Right before getting on the boat, Jesus fed four thousand people with just 7 loaves of bread. Then they get on the boat, and the disciples are worried because they only have one loaf of bread. The first thing Jesus asks is, “Do you still not perceive or understand?” I think this is a really important question. It shows us something that is so important. If we want to follow Jesus, we need to have a renewal of our minds. We can’t filter the things we see the Holy Spirit do through our worldly brains. They just won’t make any sense to us. What we can see in this verse is that the disciples haven’t quite developed what they called in my class the “kingdom mindset.” Jesus even asks them, "Do you have eyes, and fail to see? Do you have ears, and fail to hear?” The disciples just saw Jesus feed 4,000 people, and yet they didn’t really understand what they saw. They weren’t able to understand it as well as they could if they let go of their worldly mindset and took on a kingdom mindset. In our worldly mindset, we understand that some things can and can’t be done. We understand the laws of nature, and we honor them. We know from experience and everything we have been taught that some things are just impossible to do. We know this to be true. A kingdom mindset is one where we understand that nothing is impossible for our God. When we have a kingdom mindset, we understand that God can do more with less. He can feed 4,000 with 7 loaves. He can feed five thousand with five loaves. God can do the impossible. He can heal the leper and cure the blind. He can solve any problem that comes His way. A kingdom mindset is not something that is easy to develop. It is something we can work towards, and it is also a gift from God. First, I say we can work towards it because we can spend time going over the miracles Jesus performed, not just Jesus, but the disciples, too. We can read and reread them so that we know them like the back of our hand. We can read them so many times that they seem normal to us, because that is the thing. When you have a kingdom mindset, when you are with Jesus, a supernatural lifestyle is normal. You will see miracles everywhere you look once you are able to see them. Once your eyes are opened and the film is removed from your eyes, you will be amazed at all the things God is doing in your life and the lives of those around you. Secondly, I say it is a gift from God because Faith is a gift from God. We can read about more and more miracles, and that will definitely increase our faith, but to get the kind of faith we need to move mountains, that is not something we can manufacture on our own. That mountain-moving faith is a gift from God for those who are seeking it. The more we trust God, the more He allows our faith to grow. However, we need to do our part also by renewing our mind and working toward developing a kingdom mindset. It says in 1 Corinthians 2:12-13, “Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit that is from God, so that we may understand the gifts bestowed on us by God. And we speak of these things in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual things to those who are spiritual.” Through our baptism, we have been given the Spirit of God. We have this Spirit living inside of us. This Spirit is the one who helps us interpret what we see and what we hear. Although He can only help us if we listen to Him. That still small voice you hear inside of you, that is the Holy Spirit. The thing is, the voice inside is so soft, and the voice of the world is constantly screaming at us. Sometimes it is hard to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit. If we want to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit, we need to practice. We need to intentionally set aside time to sit and quiet our minds and ask the Holy Spirit wha

We have all seen God working in our lives, however, we might not all be aware it is God who is working in our lives. This is why it is so important we start talking about it more. The more we share our experiences the more people understand how God works and how much He truly loves us. If you would be willing to share any experience you have had of how God has worked or is working your life, please email me at [email protected] or just click here. It won’t take up much of your time and your story could be just the story that someone needs to hear today. Prayerfully consider sharing. Everyone has a story and the world needs to hear them. I look forward to spending time with you again tomorrow and I will have another witness for you next Wednesday. Remember Jesus loves you and so do I. Have a blessed day!Thank you so much for sharing your witness. What an amazing testimony of how much freedom you can get from inner healing. Unbound is a remarkable model of inner healing. Unbound deliverance ministry is a model of prayer developed by Neal Lozano. It is the model for deliverance most widely endorsed by Catholic bishops and priests throughout the world. Unbound guides people to surrender more fully to Jesus and encounter the truth that sets them free.UNBOUND is a safe, loving, effective prayer model that helps people respond to the good news of the gospel. UNBOUND ministry teaches how to listen and respond in Five Key areas as people seek greater freedom in Christ and help others to do the same. If you would like to learn more about unbound, Click Here. I have personally been trained in the unbound prayer model as well as having gone through at least two unbound sessions of prayer myself. It is an incredible method that truly frees people from bondage. The freedom felt afterward is amazing. I highly suggest everyone check into it. If you would like more info on Unbound or if you would like Rosa to pray with feel free to email her at [email protected]. Thank you again, Rosa, for your powerful testimony. I hope you will share more testimonies about all the ways the Lord is working in your life. We look forward to hearing from you again. www.findingtruenorthcoaching.comCLICK HERE TO DONATECLICK HERE to sign up for Mentoring CLICK HERE to sign up for Daily "Word from the Lord" emailsCLICK HERE to sign up for my newsletter & receive a free audio training about inviting Jesus into your daily lifeCLICK HERE to buy my book Total Trust in God's Safe Embrace

Praise Series #19 Can We Worship Through The Struggle?Job 1:20-21 “20 Then Job arose, tore his robe, shaved his head, and fell on the ground and worshiped. He said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return there; the Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”I thought this was an interesting verse in Job. This verse came right after Satan’s first attack on Job. Job has just learned that all of his oxen and donkeys were taken away from him, and the people who took them struck down the servants with swords. Then he learned that his sheep and the servants who took care of them were burned to death. As if that wasn’t enough, another servant came in and told them all his camels had been captured and his servants had been killed with a sword. And then, to top it all off, a servant came and told him that his sons and daughters were eating and drinking in the older brother’s house when a powerful wind swept in and struck the four corners of the house. It collapsed on the young people, so they died.This is one of the amazing things about Job. He is so faithful. I am not sure about you, but if I learned that I had lost everything, my first instinct would not be to worship. I do love to worship, but I don’t feel like I would be able to worship immediately. He had just found out that not only did he lose all physical things, but he lost all of his children as well. I feel like I would need to go through a period of being angry at God. I would also be angry in general. I would be sad, which I am sure Job was sad.I don’t think my first thing to do would be to worship the Lord and say, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return there; the Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” Can you believe Job was blessing the Lord just minutes after finding out that his children had died? I knew he never blamed God; that is why he got into this predicament in the first place. He was such a good servant, and the enemy tried to tell God it was because God blessed him so much.I wonder if we would be this faithful. I wonder if we worship the Lord for all the blessings he gave us. Are we what some would call fair-weather friends with the Lord? We are there for Him when all is going well, and yet we blame Him at the first sign of trouble. Do we get angry and scream at Him when we lose our job or our car? What do we do when we lose our children?Job didn’t just lose one of his children to a deadly disease. He didn’t just lose one of his children to suicide or murder. He lost all his children at the same time. Job went from being the father of seven sons and three daughters to being childless. I can’t imagine the pain he must have been feeling, and yet the first thing he did was worship the Lord. Not only did he worship the Lord, but he also said, “What the Lord gave, the Lord can take away.” He is acknowledging that God is the almighty one and that everything Job had came from Him. He is acknowledging that all we have comes from the Lord.I just can’t get over Job’s faith. Satan did not stop here with this first attack. Satan came back and infected Job with terrible boils from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. Job was still worshiping the Lord. His wife told him he was a fool. She said to him, “Are you still holding onto your integrity? Curse God and die!” Job replied, “You speak as a foolish woman speaks. Should we accept only good from God and not adversity?” Throughout all that Job went through, He did not sin once with what he said.This is remarkable. I can totally understand what Job is saying when he says that God gave us everything we have, and so He has a right to take it away. I also agree that if we accept the good from God, we must accept the bad, too. However, I agree with Him in the place I am at right now. I haven’t lost any children. I haven’t lost my home or all my belongings. I don’t know what I would do if I had to go through what Job had to go through.Job truly loved the Lord. He trusted the Lord fully. I love that the first thing he did was to worship the Lord. I have talked with you many times about how important praise is, and I think this is such a good example of how praise and worship can help us get through anything. I don’t think that Job understood what was going on. I don’t think He knew God’s plan, and I don’t think He knew how blessed he would be afterward. It would have been easier for Job to go through all he went through if he knew there was an end in sight and that he would be so blessed afterward.However, God doesn’t always reveal His plan to us. He leaves us guessing and wondering, and this is where we can lose hope. We can lose hope, or we can praise Him and worship HIm and trust that even though we don’t know what His plan is, we trust He has one and that it is for our good. Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to giv

Praise Series #18 Christian Music Can Be Life ChangingPsalm 35:1-3 “Praise the Lord! Praise the name of the Lord, give praise, O servants of the Lord, you that stand in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God! Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good; sing to his name, for he is gracious!”I have shared personal experiences about praising God through the hard times on this podcast and at my prayer group. During prayer, we have a quiet time when we listen for words from the Lord, similar to the ones I share at the end of each episode. This day, the Lord kept guiding us with scriptures about praise, like the one above. The Bible is filled with instances of praise. King David, for instance, was a great example of praise. Some of the most powerful Psalms of praise we have from David were not when everything was going well for him. Some of the most impactful ones came from him when he was hiding in a cave from his son or from Saul.One reason I suggested that we listen to praise and worship music often is that it is what you will have running through your head. Whatever you surround yourself with is what you will think about; it is what will contribute to the thoughts running through your head, and it will have an effect on how you act. Think about how different things could be if you were constantly listening to music that told you how great God is, how He is always there for you. If you heard stories of how He has helped others, then He will help you, too. What if you heard every day that God loves you and doesn’t make mistakes?This is the transformative power of Christian music. It doesn’t just uplift us, it changes us. When we listen to it, our hearts open up a bit, and our hearts soften a bit. When we listen to Christian music frequently, we begin to believe in an even deeper way that Jesus loves us and that we are His. We start to believe the things they talk about. We begin to believe that we don’t have to be perfect to come to Christ. We believe that we can be forgiven. We believe He died for us, you and me.My husband used to listen to the WAAF radio station. The station number on the radio was 107.3. It has been around since I was a kid. It was a rock station, and they also had a morning show that he liked. However, now 107.3 is KLOVE radio, which is a Christian radio station. I have never heard of a Christian radio station before. It is amazing. If you don’t have KLOVE near you, although it is all over the United States, I believe, then they have a website and an app. So, even if you can’t get them on the radio where you live, you can still get their music. They also have all sorts of events. They have a section of their website where you can submit prayer requests, and they let you know when someone prays for you. They have pastors you can call and talk to when needed.Another reason listening to this music can be so beneficial is that they often use words in the songs that are right out of the Bible. When I first started listening to Christian music, I remember being so surprised when I would hear the words to the songs in the readings at church. It helped me connect more to the readings because I had already heard the words before. This can happen when you read the Bible, too, but that wasn’t where I started. I wasn’t there in my faith journey yet.One final benefit I will talk about today is the fact that the music can reach people that the church can’t. There are many people who have either been wounded by the church or have preconceived notions about the church, and so they have no desire to ever step through the doors of a church. However, they could be flipping through radio stations and happen to hear a song about Jesus that really touches their heart. Music is a great way to touch hearts because people aren’t usually on the defensive while listening. If you start talking to someone about Jesus, they might instantly go on the defensive. They might sense that you are going to preach to them. However, with music, people tend to listen without feeling like that. Music finds a way into people’s hearts and souls that is different than anything else.The radio station KLOVE is fundraising this week. They are listener-funded, so every quarter, they do a week of fundraising on the show. I will be honest: this is not my favorite week to listen because I don’t like how much they're asking for money; I would rather listen to music. However, what I do like about their fundraising weeks is that they read so many testimonies about how KLOVE and the music they provide have changed so many people's lives. They talk about the power of the music they play and give real-life examples of how it has brought people to Jesus. I have heard some amazing testimonies from this radio station. I have taken a few from their website so that I can show you how powerful music can be. Here are a couple of the ways KLOVE and the music they play have affected others.I enjoy listening to K-LOVE every morning on my wa

Praise Series #17 The Joy of the Lord is Your StrengthNehemiah 8:10 “Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions of them to those for whom nothing is prepared, for this day is holy to our Lord; and do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”Right before this verse, Ezra the priest and scribe had gathered all the people together so he, along with the Levites and the governor, Nehemiah, could read the law of the Lord. All the people wept when they heard the words of the law. This is where our verse for today picks up. “Then he said to them, 'Go your way, eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions of them to those for whom nothing is prepared, for this day is holy to our Lord; and do be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”I decided to go to the Enduring Word Bible Commentary as I wasn’t quite sure what this verse meant. I wasn’t quite sure why the people were crying when they heard the words of the Law. This is what I found on the Enduring Word Bible Commentary page, “All the people wept, when they heard the words of the Law: The word of God was doing its intended work. 2 Timothy 3:16 tells us two things that the word of God is profitable for: reproof and correction. Sometimes it hurts to be reproved and corrected, and these tears were evidence of some of that pain.b. Do not mourn nor weep: Ezra, Nehemiah, and the Levites did not want the people to mourn, even though it is a good thing to be sad under the conviction of the Holy Spirit through the word of God. Yet if the sense of conviction is greater than the sense that God is doing a good and holy work, then tears are not good.Our knowledge of our sin should never be bigger than our knowledge of Jesus as our Savior. We are great sinners, but He is a greater Savior.Therefore, the joy of the Lord is your strength – even when you are being convicted of sin. When we are convicted of sin we know that God is doing a work in us, so we can be glad and take joy.c. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the LORD is your strength: The people felt sad because they were aware of their own sin. But they could walk in joy because God was doing a great work. Our emotions are not beyond our control; we can do God’s will even when we don’t feel like it.They didn’t want the people to be sad because even though they may not have been perfect in carrying out the law, it is ok. God is still with them. Those in charge wanted them to know that it is good to stop everything every now and then and remember the law. It is good to stop and examine your behavior and how you are living, and see if it is in accordance with how God wants you to live. However, if it isn’t, they didn’t want them to be sad and to focus on how much they were messing up. They wanted the people to focus on how great God is and how, no matter how much we mess up, He can still redeem us.The same is true for us. It is important that we examine our behaviors, the way we live our lives, and how we treat others, to see if we are living according to the Lord's will. Are we following His commandments? Are we loving Him above all else? Are we loving our neighbors as we love ourselves? If we aren’t, what should we do? We should bring it to the Lord. We can apologize for getting off course again, and then let Him know how sorry we are, and then we can just try again. God does not expect us to be perfect. He knows we will mess up. He knows we won’t always get it right. He is ok with that as long as we always repent and turn back to Him!Let’s look at the aspect of joy in this verse. This verse said, “For the joy of the Lord is your strength.” How is the joy of the Lord our strength? In this verse, we can find joy in the Lord because He always redeems us. I love it when it said in the commentary that, “Our knowledge of our sin should never be bigger than our knowledge of Jesus as our Savior. We are great sinners, but He is a greater Savior.” This is such a great reminder that no matter how bad our sin is, our Savior is greater than it. No matter how bad we have messed up, Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross still covers it. We can take joy in the fact that there is nothing we can do that is not covered by Jesus’s sacrifice. It is ok to be sad that we have hurt our relationship with the Lord. It is ok to be sad that we think we might have let God down. However, we can’t stay there. We need to then find the joy that God has given us by sending his son to make up for our sins. God sacrificed His only son so that he could repair the closeness that Adam & Eve lost. This is something we can celebrate. This closeness is something to be joyful over.Another thing I love that the commentary said was, “Do not sorrow, for the joy of the LORD is your strength: The people felt sad because they were aware of their own sin. But they could walk in joy because God was doing a great work. Our emotions are not beyond our control; we can do God’s will even when we don’t feel lik

Thank you so much for sharing your story with us. Did you all notice that before she received the healing she took a leap of faith and started testing out to see if she was healed? Sometimes, that is when we are healed, when we step out in faith to test the healing. Testing the healing means trying to do something you couldn’t do before. Like in Caitlyn’s case, she tried to see outside without her sunglasses on. This would have normally induced a headache, but she tried it anyway, and she did not get one. She also put her feet in hot water, which again would have usually been really painful, but there was no pain. She trusted that God gave her the healing she asked for, and He gave her the healing she asked for. St. Augustine said, “Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe.” Caitlyn believed she was healed despite no evidence of that healing. She stepped out in faith and tested the healing that was granted to her. I know praying for healing, even just hoping for healing, can be scary because what if we are let down? However, Romans 5:5 says, “ and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.” I am so proud of Caitlyn. I am proud she was brave and went to the healing service. I am proud that she took the leap of faith to test her healing when nothing indicated she had been healed. I am proud of her for signing up for the class to learn to be the Lord’s instrument and help heal others. I can’t wait to watch her light get brighter and brighter and to see all the amazing things God has planned for her. I am so grateful he brought the two of us together. I know he has great plans for us and all those at the Encounter School of Ministry Boston Campus. Look out, Boston Diocese, a revival is coming, and we are here for it! www.findingtruenorthcoaching.comCLICK HERE TO DONATECLICK HERE to sign up for Mentoring CLICK HERE to sign up for Daily "Word from the Lord" emailsCLICK HERE to sign up for my newsletter & receive a free audio training about inviting Jesus into your daily lifeCLICK HERE to buy my book Total Trust in God's Safe Embrace

Praise Series #16 Bless The Lord, O My SoulPsalm 103:1-5 “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and do not forget all his benefits—who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the Pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good as long as you live so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”Yesterday I couldn’t get a song out of my head. It is such a good song. I wanted to share that song with you this morning. The song is called “10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord).” It was written by Matt Redman and Jonas Myrin and is based on Psalms 103:1-5. It explores how we can never run out of reasons to worship and praise God. On Monday of this week, Episode #1036, we talked about how vital praise and worship are to our faith journey. This song and this Psalm remind us that there are so many reasons we can be grateful to the Lord.Let’s first look at these verses. They begin with “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name.” This is exactly what we talked about on Monday. Praising the Lord is so important. Even when we are in a really difficult season of life, there are many reasons we can be grateful to the Lord, and we can praise Him.In the verse, it says, “who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the Pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good as long as you live so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” Those are some pretty amazing things to thank God for. You might not have experienced all of them, but I bet you have experienced some of them. Have you felt God’s steadfast mercy and love in your life? Have you experienced His forgiveness? Some of you have even experienced his healing touch. I know some of you have been redeemed from a pit as well. I love the line that says your youth is renewed like the eagles. We could all use our youth to be renewed.Can you see all the amazing things God has done and will do for us? Can you see how there are endless possibilities when it comes to praising the Lord? The song for today also talks about praising the Lord. I invite you to listen to the song sometime today. You can look it up on YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Music, wherever you usually listen to music. The reason I would like you to listen to the actual song, instead of just this podcast, is that it is really good. Here are the words to the song.[Chorus]Bless the Lord, O my soul, O my soulWorship His holy nameSing like never before, O my soulI'll worship Your holy nameAs you can see, this chorus comes almost directly from the Psalm. I love it when artists do this. I love it when they use the Bible verses in the songs. It helps get the Lord’s word out to more people.Next is Verse 1: The sun comes up, it's a new day dawningIt's time to sing your song againWhatever may pass and whatever lies before meLet me be singing when the evening comesThis is something we can always be grateful for: that we got to wake up to a brand new day of life. I love how this verse says, whatever may pass and whatever lies before me, let me be singing when the evening comes. Wouldn’t it be great if we could be singing to the Lord at the end of the day, no matter what happens to us throughout the day? How great would it be if we got so used to praising the Lord that we could praise Him no matter the circumstances?Verse 2:You're rich in love and you're slow to angerYour name is great, and Your heart is kindFor all Your goodness, I will keep on singingTen thousand reasons for my heart to findWe tend to have a perception of God that he is angry at us all the time. We look at some parts of the Old Testament, and we think God is full of Vengeance and Wrath. This is not what He is constantly telling our prayer group. He always tells us how much He loves us. God is rich in love and slow to anger. Does he get angry? Probably, we all do. However, He loves us so much more than his anger. I love how the verse says, “For all your goodness, I will keep on singing ten thousand reasons for my heart to find. If you are looking, there are always reasons to be thankful to God. Even in your most difficult season, there are things you can praise the Lord for; you just have to look for them. Or, as I mentioned on Monday, you can put on praise and worship music and let the artists praise the Lord for you![Verse 3]And on that day when my strength is failingThe end draws near, and my time has comeStill, my soul will sing Your praise unendingTen thousand years and then forevermoreForevermoreIt is beautiful to think about praising the Lord when our time on this earth is ending. When we can feel our strength failing. How great would it be to get to the end of our lives and still want to sing the Lord’s praises? I like how it says ten thousand years and then forever more. Once we are in heaven, all will make sense. We

Praise Series #15 God Has A PlanActs 16:25-28 “About midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly, there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once, all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose. The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted, “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!”This story actually begins a few verses before this. In Acts 16:16-24, it says, “Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a female slave who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling. She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.” She kept this up for many days. Finally, Paul became so annoyed that he turned around and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ, I command you to come out of her!” At that moment, the spirit left her. When her owners realized that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to face the authorities. They brought them before the magistrates and said, “These men are Jews and are throwing our city into an uproar by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practice.” The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten with rods. After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. When he received these orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.”This is where our verse takes place. They have been beaten with rods and are now chained up in prison. You would think after a day like that, they would feel defeated. You would think that they would be questioning God and asking Him why they have to suffer so much when they are just doing what He asked them to do. You might also think that they were passed out in pain and sleeping. Is this what they were doing? No, the verse says it was midnight, and they were still praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. This is something that always amazes me about the apostles and other believers in the faith, such as the Saints. I am always amazed by their strength. I know that God underwent extreme suffering in the 24 hours before He was crucified. He sweats drops of blood. If that is not suffering, I don’t know what is. And yet, I think we can downplay it sometimes and think, well, He is fully God and fully human, so of course He can withstand it; he is God. However, countless other Saints have gone through extreme suffering and have done it with joy. Paul & Silas had just been beaten with rods, and yet they were not questioning God. They were praising and singing to Him. This is something that I think we can hear sometimes and not pause and think about how truly amazing it is. I don’t know if we glaze over it because we don’t understand it or because we don’t think we are capable of it. I don’t know the reason, but I wanted to pause and take a moment to recognize how remarkable these two are for how they endured their suffering. We could all learn a lot from them and how they lived, not only when times were good but also when times were tough. The verse says that at midnight, while they were praying and praising, they were set free. The door opened, and their chains came loose. What strikes me about this verse is that they were set free yet did not leave. They stayed there until morning, when the guard woke up. What I hear the Lord saying to me about this verse is that everything He does is for His glory and the good of His kingdom. If Paul & Silas had left at midnight, they could have escaped. However, it would not have been known how they escaped. People could have said that someone broke in and freed them. God would not have gotten the Glory. However, by waiting until morning, they not only converted the guard and his whole house to believers, but they were also set free and did not have to worry about being caught for escaping.Sometimes, the things we are going through or the things others are going through make no sense to us. If we had been there in that jail cell, it would have made no sense to us that when they were freed, they didn’t leave the cell. I can’t imagine sitting in that cell and just waiting for the jailer to wake up when we could have escaped and been hours away by the time the jailer woke up. Luckily, Paul and Silas were good at listening to the Lord and trusting in Him. They were not scared in that jail cell. They praised the Lord and trusted that the Lord would get them out of the situation. They were patient and waited on the Lord

Mary Liked to Ponder Luke 2:1-20 "In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. All went to their own towns to be registered. Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!” When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.” So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.”There are two things about this verse that I would like to focus on today. The first is how Jesus was born in a manger. Growing up I didn’t understand this. I felt like if Mary was giving birth to the Son of God, then the least He could do is provide her with a comfortable bed to deliver the baby in. I felt like it was all so disorganized and I really didn’t understand why God didn’t plan better. Now that I am an adult, or actually more accurately, now that I know more about God and the story of Jesus I am able to understand that it was all very well planned out. God always has a plan. God had been preparing His people for this birth for a very long time. He had given very specific details and He was ensuring that all the details were accurate so that His people would know that His son was the Savior.Jesus was not born into luxury because He was not going to be that kind of king. He was going to be an amazing leader and yet He would also be a servant. I have a rosary app on my phone and I like how they describe Jesus’ birth. Jesus enters the world in poverty to teach us the detachment from earthly things. I have also heard others describe that he was born in the stable to teach us humility. I am not sure why Jesus was born in a stable, but I think it set Him on the path for what kind of person He wanted to be. If we have a lot of stuff, we don’t need to rely on the Lord as we feel we can provide for ourselves. We also get distracted by all that stuff and then sometimes don’t think about God or don’t want to give up that time we spend doing other stuff to spend with Him. When you experience poverty you are also more grateful for the things that you have. I now know that Jesus’ birth happened exactly as it was supposed to and was very well thought out.The second thing I would like to talk about are the word at the end of this section. Luke 2:19 says, “But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart.” I think Mary does this a lot. I remember Father Michael Gaitley talking about Mary’s heart pondering in his Book 33 Days to Morning Glory. When the magi, or the shepherds visited Jesus they told Mary and Joseph all that the Angel’s said about Jesus. Mary did not get overwhelmed, she did not freak out, she treasured all they said and she pondered them in her heart. I am not sure what I would do if I were in her circumstance. I think I would feel that was a lot of pressure, but it doesn’t seem like she felt that way.At the end of chapter 2 in Luke it mentions Mary pondering again. Do you remember the story of when Mary & Joseph went to Jerusalem for the festival of Passover and then when it ended they started the return home and Jesus wasn’t with them? They were traveling with friends and family and assumed He was with them, but He wasn’t. They were a whole day’s journey away before they found out. When they found Him and asked Him where He was. In Luke 2:49-51 Jesus said to them, “‘Why were you searching f

Today, I want to replay my witness about Christmas 2023. I felt like with this Christmas being Christmas Eve, a Christmas witness would be good. In 2023 it was the year my sister Dee moved back to CT and bought a new house. She had a Christmas Eve party because my aunt used to have one each year, but she is now moving to FL. I went to Dee’s house on Christmas Eve alone as my family wanted to chill out at home. Well, Sam & Noah were both working. It was great to see my parents, Dee, my sister Suzy & her husband John, two of her boys and her granddaughter, and then my sister Theresa and her husband Glenn. We ate dinner together and talked. Some played games. It was a really great time.Then, when I got home, Sam & Noah were in the kitchen talking, and then Ryan came down. The boys and I stayed in the kitchen talking for over 2 hours. This in itself is a Christmas miracle as they are teenagers, and so they don’t love talking to their parents. We talked about all kinds of things, and it was so great. Of course, sometimes they were arguing, which I didn’t love, but it was awesome to see them interacting with each other. I feel like 2024 is going to be a great year. I think they are starting to come out of their rooms a bit more. They are starting to talk a bit more and hang out with friends a bit more. I am really looking forward to this upcoming year. Noah is a senior and is planning to go far away for college in the fall, so I am hoping to get to spend some good family time with him before he leaves.On Christmas day we always go the Duggan’s house. The Desilets, my family, always celebrate on a different day, so we are lucky, and we don't have to alternate. I like that we get to do the same thing each year. I love that we get to see his entire family. His brother and wife, their two girls, my mother and father-in-law, and Tony’s aunt. Usually, when we go, our boys are on their computers, and their cousins are, too. Occasionally, we will play a game or two, but I would say the majority of years, we just hang out. It is nice to get a chance to catch up. They don’t live far away, but we don’t really see them too much. They have kids, we have kids, they work, we work. Life gets busy, and we don’t schedule time to visit.It’s funny because when we lived in NJ when the boys were younger, we saw them a lot more. We would come up for all the holidays, and so they would come up and visit as well. It has been dawning on me more and more lately that we saw family more when we lived further away than we do now. We are only one and a half hours from Tony’s parent’s house and an hour and 10 minutes from my family, and yet we don’t see them that much. This is something I will change in the New Year as family is important. You never know when the last time you will see someone is.Regret is something that is difficult to live with. I try to live my life so that I don’t have any regrets later. We can’t ensure this, but we can do our best to live in a way that we will be proud of later. I don’t want to wish I would have spent more time with people when they were alive. I want to actually spend more time with people when they are alive. This is something we can all work on. Do you have people you are unhappy with? Are you waiting for someone else to make the first step or the next move? Don’t wait on others. If someone is hurting you, let them know. What have you got to lose? If they don’t respond well, at least you gave it a try.We only have one life, and I, for one, do not want to have regrets. Make amends, say the thing you have been wanting to say, and forgive the person you are angry with; you might not get the chance later. I know you may be waiting for them to do the right thing, but what if they never do? Are you ok with things never being said? What if you just confronted them? What if you just said you wanted to get past this? What if you said the thing that hurt you?Ok, back to Christmas this year. I just want to thank God for it because it was really great. We had to wake our boys up because they are teens, and so they sleep late. I asked the night before, and they agreed to get up at 10. We didn’t actually know what to get the boys this year for Christmas as they didn’t give us too many ideas. We got them some practical gifts, and we weren’t sure how that would go over. They all had a great time opening the gifts, and they all seemed not only happy but appreciative, which you don’t always get with kids. Or at least we don’t always get it. Then we asked if we could change plans and leave earlier than we agreed, and no one got upset. They were all ok with it.I had bought myself and the boys matching pajamas so we could do a family photo. They were all okay with it, and we wore the pajamas all day. When we got to the Duggan’s house, I realized none of the boys had brought their computers. They were sitting around the table, talking and playing on their phones. I asked if they wanted to play a card game, and they all said

Saint Joseph’s FaithfulnessMatthew 1:18-25 “This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.I thought since Christmas is coming, I would focus on that this week. Today I want to focus on Saint Joseph. I think he is someone that we don’t talk about enough. Everyone I know who has read or learned more about Saint Joseph just keeps talking about how incredible he was. Let’s talk about the different things in this verse.The verse begins by describing how they were pledged to be married, but before they were together, he found out that Mary was pregnant. Joseph now finds himself stuck because it says he is faithful to the law. He wants to follow the law, and yet, according to the law, back in the day, if a woman was caught cheating on her husband, she was to be stoned to death. Joseph didn’t want to disobey the law, and he also didn’t want to publicly disgrace Mary. He was a good man, and so he was going to quietly divorce her to keep her from all of that. However, he was visited by an angel in his dream before he could do anything. This angel explained what was going on and told Joseph to name the baby Jesus. Can you imagine being visited by an angel in your sleep? When I was little, I used to imagine what it would be like to have an angel come and visit me, like Mary or Joseph. I wondered what it would feel like. I wondered if I would believe what I was seeing. I wonder how Joseph felt when he woke up from that dream? Did he know it was a visit from a real angel and not just a normal dream right away? I wonder why the angel came to Joseph in a dream, but to Mary when she was awake. I think it is hard for us to imagine what it would feel like, as it is so foreign to most of us. I like to think things were different back then. It was easier for them to believe because they lived in a time when there weren’t so many distractions or when the faith was stronger. However, I don’t think, even back then, it was a common occurrence to be visited by an angel. I don’t know that those around them would have any easier time believing it than we would. Yet, Joseph did believe, and he did obey.Joseph had a choice, just like Mary did. Joseph could have decided that it was all just a dream. He could have believed that Mary had cheated on him, and he could have left her. However, he made a choice to stay. He chose to listen to the angel and to name the baby Jesus. He was faithful to the Lord, and he raised Jesus as his child. Did you know that Joseph was visited by an angel a second time in a dream? This time was right after the Magi visited baby Jesus. Matthew 2:13-15 recounts, “ When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.” So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”Again, Joseph had a choice to make. His wife had just given birth recently. He had a baby, and I am sure they were all tired as she gave birth in a manger. I can’t imagine they were getting great sleep there. Then the angel of God tells Joseph to get up in the middle of the night and take his wife and baby to Egypt. Remember the first time the angel visited he was told that what he was asked to do was to help fulfill the Lord’s word through a prophet, “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” Now the angel is asking Joseph a second time to fulfill the Lord’s word, “Out of Egypt I called my son.” The benefit that Joseph has over many of us is that he would have been well-versed on the Old Testament prophets since he was a Jewish man. The Jewish males went to school/class to study the Jewish scriptures.I wonder if knowing about all these scriptures or words from th

Honestly, I Think We Just Need Jesus!Acts 2:40 “And he testified with many other words and exhorted them, saying, 'Save yourselves from this crooked generation.”I chose this episode to replay for you today for two reasons. The first is because if you are listening to this on the day I released it, then we celebrate Jesus' coming into the world in just four days, and we need Jesus more than ever! The second is because there was a loss in our family last Thursday, and so many people are hurting, and they just need Jesus right now to help them through it. There is a song that I have heard on the radio more and more recently, and these last few days, it has been running repeatedly in my mind. I can’t seem to get it out of my head. I am not sure I want to get it out of my head, as the words that are running through my head are. Honestly, I think we need Jesus by Terrian. Since I can’t seem to shake this song, and then I read the verse above this morning, I think the Lord wants me to share it with you. I will place a link for the song in the show notes, as she does a much better job singing it than I do. I also love that she is young and yet can still see that we need more Jesus. I will go over the lyrics of the song with you today.The song starts with:I got a front-row seat to the madnessI pick up my phone every mornin' out of habitI've been fiendin' for the drama, yeah, I said itI'm addicted to the rush, need a medicHow many of us pick up our phones or turn on the news first thing when we wake up? How many of us want to know what is going on in the world before we even stop and spend our time with God? I use my phone for an alarm, so I would turn off my alarm, and then I would check my messages, emails, and Facebook before I would sit down with the Lord and spend time with Him. I have gotten better; now, I just check my messages, mostly to make sure my kids got home safely. Sometimes I still check my emails, but I am getting better and usually save that for later.I love how the songwriter points out that we usually pick up our phones out of habit. This isn’t just the first thing in the morning. We do this all throughout the day. I bet we all spend more time than we would like on our phones. I also like how they bring our attention to the fact that we are “Fiendin’ for the drama” and “addicted to the rush.” It seems we are drawn to the conflict and the drama more than the good things that are happening. I don’t know if that is because we crave drama or because that is all the news tends to show us. Either way, there is good and bad going on in the world, and it is up to us to choose which we seek out and focus on.The song goes on to say:When I take a step back, I can see itAll the pain, all the fear we've been feelin'Losin' sight of the thing that we're needin'That we're needin’ This is a great reminder that sometimes we need to take a step back. When we do, we see that we are focusing on all of our pain and fear that we are feeling instead of focusing on the one who can take all that pain and fear away. When we watch the news or listen to all that is going on in the world, we tend to get overwhelmed. We can also start to feel a sense of hopelessness. We can feel a sense that the world is going crazy, and there is nothing we can do about it. However, we are never hopeless because we are children of God, and we can always turn to Him, and He can save us. There is nothing too hard for God to handle.Next, the song says:Honestly, I think we just need JesusHonestly, I think we just need JesusHave we all gone mad? Have we lost our minds?What used to be wrong, we say that it's rightHonestly, I think we just need Jesus This is the part that gets stuck in my head. I can’t think of a truer statement. I can see how our country is falling apart because we keep removing God from more and more things. This country was founded with God. He was a part of the government; yes, Church and State were separate, and yet God and State weren’t. God was invited into the Constitution; he was invited into the pledge of allegiance. He was invited into our courtrooms. God was welcome everywhere. Now, it seems He is welcome nowhere.I also love how the song says, “Have we all gone mad? Have we lost our minds? What used to be wrong, we say that it’s right.” We have all thought this for a long time now, and it is nice to hear it in a song, so we know we aren’t the only ones who think it. This world does seem to have gone mad, and it does seem like we are all losing our minds. Some of the things that seem to be ok in the world today still shock me. I think this song points out very real and honest questions. Have we all gone mad? Have we all lost our minds? Take a good, long look in the mirrorSearch my heart and soul, make it clearerHelp me take your love, trade the bitterLeave it in the dust, help me leave it in the dust, Lord I think it would be a great idea if we all stopped and took a good look in the mirror. What are we doing? Not what is t