Walk Boldly With Jesus

He Is Day 9 Jehovah Rapha "The Lord Who Heals You" Exodus 15:26 “He said, “If you will listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your God, and do what is right in his sight, and give heed to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will not bring upon you any of the diseases that I brought upon the Egyptians; for I am the Lord who heals you.” Today's name for the Lord is Jehovah Rapha. In this verse, the Lord says, “I am the Lord who heals you.” There are so many examples in the Bible of when Jesus healed people. There are also examples in the Old Testament of God healing people. My first instinct is to talk about some of the many examples of God healing people in the Bible, and I will mention a few. However, I think if many of us know the stories in the Bible of where Jesus healed people. What I think we struggle to believe is that He is still healing people today. However, Scripture says that Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and always. This means if he was healing people back then, He is still healing people today. I will show you some extraordinary examples of different ways God is still showing up and healing today. First, let's look at the Bible. In the Old Testament, God usually healed people through His prophets. One example of this is 2 Kings chapter 5, when Naaman was healed of Leprosy. Naaman had leprosy, and he went to Elisha to be healed. Elisha said, “Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed.” Naaman reluctantly did so and was healed. Another one is found in 1 Kings chapter 17 when Elijah raises the widow's son. Her son became ill, and he died. She was upset with Elijah and asked why he had caused her son to die. Elijah took her son and healed him. In the New Testament, there are plenty of stories of Jesus healing the blind, the deaf, those overcome with demons; He even brought at least two people back from the dead. He cured a woman who had been bleeding for 12 years. She had gone to all the doctors, all those who said they could help, and no one helped. Yet, she was healed when she touched the garment that Jesus was wearing. If you read any of the four Gospels, you will encounter miracle stories of the amazing things Jesus did to heal people. The Gospel in mass on the morning I am writing this was the story of how Jesus brought Lazarus back from the dead. It wasn't like he had just died and Jesus revived him. He had been dead for days and was buried in a tomb, and Jesus called to him, and he got up and walked out of that tomb. God is our healer!! If we asked most Christians if they believed that Jesus was a healer when he walked the earth, they would probably say yes. Anyone who believes the Bible would definitely say yes. However, if you asked people whether they thought Jesus was still healing people today in the same ways He did back then, I think most would say no. I want you to know that He is! God is the same yesterday, today, and always. That is what the Bible says, and we know the Bible to be true.  I have read many books about healing, and I have wanted the Lord to use me for healing in the same way He healed through the apostles. He sent them out two by two to proclaim the Gospel and perform signs and wonders. He has commissioned us to do the same. Many of us just don't know that He has asked us all to do the same. I went to a conference in October of 2018, and Mary Healy was the speaker. She talked all about healing, and if we want the gift, we can just ask the Lord for it. I heard this, and I felt a calling placed on my heart. I was so sure that I wanted the Lord to use me in this way. I started learning all I could about the healing ministry and reading books by those who had come before me with healing ministries. The more I learned about the Holy Spirit, the healing ministries, and how God was using ordinary people like you and me to perform signs and wonders, the more excited I got. I started to be brave and ask people if I could pray with them and for them. I prayed with several people, and although they did not receive a physical healing, they did feel peace and the love of the Lord. The conference that got me on fire for the Lord's healing ministry was in 2018. For the next year, I occasionally asked people if they wanted prayer, and I would pray with them. I did not see anyone healed, but that is ok because God is the one who does the healing. It is not up to me who gets healed; I just need to be obedient when I feel the Holy Spirit prompting me to pray with someone. Then, at the very end of September 2019, my sister had a baby who was born 3 months early. She was less than 2 lbs when she was born, and I was lucky enough to be at the hospital just after she was born. She was in the intensive care unit because she was so little and they did not think she was going to make it. They allowed me to be in the ICU with my brother in law while they worked on my neice. My sister was also brought up there in a wheelchair, as she had just had a baby. The doctors and nurses told us that my niece was not going to make it. She was too small and too fragile, and she would not make the ambulance ride to the hospital that was equipped to handle such a tiny baby. Every time they tried to move her to the transport bed, her vitals would bottom out. She was too fragile to move. We refused to believe she wouldn't make it. I texted everyone I knew for prayers. We prayed over her. I prayed in tongues almost the whole time. We cried out to God for his healing touch, and He came through for us. My niece's vitals stabilized, they transported her to the other hospital, and four months later, she got to go home. Today, she is 5 and a half years old and one of the most remarkable little girls I have ever known. God is still healing today. If you still aren't sold, you can listen to the many Witness Wednesdays I've had on this podcast. They are not all healing ones, but there are many that are. My friend was just on a Zoom call with her Encounter Ministries class, and they were practicing the healing prayer model they had just learned. While on the Zoom call, her one leg grew out so it was the same length as her other one, and her scoliosis was healed. At the healing practicum for the Encounter Ministries Boston Campus, there was a healing of a woman who had had this hip pain her whole life, and after being prayed over, she no longer had it. There was a woman who attended an Encounter Ministries Conference one year, and right before the conference, she had been told she had stage 4 esophageal cancer, and there was nothing the doctors could do for her. She went to the conference and waited in line for the priest at a healing service to pray over her. He said she needed the kids to pray over her. At the conference, they had a tract for kids and taught them how to pray over each other. The kids were between 6-9 and she told them what the doctors said and they started to pray over here. She started to feel warmth, and they got excited, as that is often a manifestation of the Holy Spirit. They continued to pray, and she thanked them and went home. At her next appointment with the doctor, they did scans to see if the cancer had spread, and the doctors were amazed. The cancer was completely gone. The doctor said in his whole career he had never seen anything like this happen. God is still healing today!! If you still aren't sure, just search online for miracle healing stories, or go to popwe.org and read some of the stories there. You will be amazed at how often God is still healing today. And oftentimes He is using regular people like you and me! If you need a healing, ask God and trust He will come through for you! Also, look for a miraculous healing story that fits what you need; I am sure you will find one. And remember God is the same yesterday, today, and always. So if he did it for someone else, He can do it for you! Dear Jehovah Rapha, we ask you to bless everyone listening to this episode today. Lord, thank you for continuing to heal the world one person at a time. Thank you for all the miracles you are still commissioning your people to perform each and every day. Thank you for all the healings I have seen with my own eyes and those I have heard about. You are so amazing. Lord, help us to believe that you are still healing today. Help us to see your healing touch in those around us. Help us be brave and call upon the name Jehovah Rapha when we need healing for ourselves and our loved ones. 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. I pray each one of you listening calls upon Jehovah Rapha every single time you need Him because He never gets tired of us calling upon Him. I look forward to meeting you all here again tomorrow, and I pray you remember that Jesus loves you just as you are, and so do I! God is for you, not against you, and we are both rooting for you! Have a blessed day! Today's Word from the Lord was received in October 2025 by a member of my Catholic Charismatic Prayer Group. If you have any questions about the prayer group, these words, or how to join us for a meeting, please email CatholicCharismaticPrayerGroup@gmail.com. Today's Word from the Lord is, “My children, let my power work through each of you. I seek willing vessels, open and be set free. Allow me to touch souls through you, trust, and move forward in my way.” 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

He Is Series Day #8 Elohei Ma'uzzi (God of My Strength) Psalm 105:4 “Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually.” Today's name for the Lord is Elohei Ma'uzzi, which means God of My Strength. I thought this was a great one because I know a lot of people who could really use some strength right now.  When we are going through a difficult time, we can often turn to things other than the Lord for strength.  We might start having a drink when we get home from work, or after a busy day with the kids.  We figure that will give us just enough strength to get through the night until the kids go to bed, or it will relax us enough to forget about work.  However, oftentimes one drink turns into two or three, creating another problem.  Sometimes we turn to our friends and family for the strength we need.  However, they can only provide so much strength, as they are human and have a finite amount.  We also might try to rely on our own strength to get us through.  This is not enough.  We need to seek the Lord's strength. How can we seek the Lord's strength?  First and foremost, we can ask for it.  That may sound so simple, and it is, and yet so many of us forget to start there.  We look everywhere else first.  We get upset with the Lord for not giving us the strength we need, and yet we never asked for it in the first place.  God wants to help us.  He is ready and willing.  All He asks from us is for us to ask Him.  Yes, he knows you need help, and also, he is willing to let you try to fix it yourself if that is what you want to do.  Have you ever done this with your children, co-workers, or siblings?  You can see them struggling, and you know they need help, but you don't help them until they ask?  You give them the chance to figure it out on their own.  God does not do this to punish us, or because He doesn't care.  Quite the opposite, He does it because he cares.  He cares about what we want and need.  He cares about our growth, and we grow when we do difficult things.  However, He will step in as soon as we ask him to.   Another way we can seek his strength is by using the tools He gave us.  We can dig into His word and find strength in the scriptures.  We can also seek the various prayers He has given to us.  There are so many prayers out there.  You can say your own prayers or find ones for your specific needs.  Sometimes we don't know what to pray, especially if we are really upset.  Finding a prayer that someone else wrote and praying it can take a lot of the pressure off.  If you are struggling and you can't find the words to say, you can also just sit with the Lord. He doesn't need us to say the right thing. He just wants us to seek Him.  It says in Matthew 6:7, “When you are praying, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard because of their many words.”  Our prayers don't have to be long and drawn out, they don't have to be perfect and eloquent, they don't have to be exact.  What God wants is for us to speak from the heart.   Another way we can seek strength from the Lord is to attend Mass or a church service.  Being part of a community is great because when you surround yourself with others who share your beliefs, you feel freer to be yourself.  You don't have to worry that people will mock you or persecute you for your beliefs.  You feel safe.  You have people who will speak God's truth into the lies that the enemy is telling you. Also, Mass is great because you get to worship God and participate in a sacrament.  Mass is the ultimate way to seek God because you actually receive Jesus, through communion, into your body. At church services, you get to hear the word of God, and then the pastor gives a sermon on that word to make it more personal to each and every one of us.  These sermons help us to take the word of God and apply it to our lives.  The sermons help us understand the Word of God more. Oftentimes at Mass, there is also praise and worship music, and that is another way to seek strength from the Lord. I have found so much strength from the Lord through the lyrics of these songs. I love to listen to praise and worship music.  If I think back to the one thing I have done consistently since I discovered praise music in 2011, it is listening to it often.  When I am really struggling, I will find a few songs that speak to what I am going through or to who God really is, and I will play them on repeat to remind me of the power I have through Christ, who strengthens me. (Phillipians 4:13) Another way to be filled up with strength by God is to just sit with the Lord.  At Catholic churches, you can go to something called Eucharistic Adoration.  This is the worship of the Eucharist outside of the Mass. The Eucharistic Host is displayed in a monstrance on the altar so that all can see and pray in the presence of Christ.  The Eucharist contains the body and blood of Christ, and so when you are in Eucharistic Adoration, you are in the true presence of Christ.  Do you have to go to Adoration to spend time with God?  Absolutely not.  God is everywhere, He is all around us, and even inside of us in the form of the Holy Spirit.  If you want to spend time with the Lord, you can do this anywhere.  According to Jesus, it's good to go away from the crowd to pray.  In Matthew 6:6, it says, “But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”  The Bible also mentions several times that Jesus went off to the Mts. or elsewhere to be by himself to pray.  Whatever works for you is great.  Just spend time with the Lord.  When I sit with the Lord, I often write in my journal as if I were writing a letter to my Father in heaven, because it is difficult for me to sit in silence with Him.  Again, whatever works for you is perfect.  There are no rules to spending time with our heavenly Father; whatever feels right to you. I have mentioned five ways that we can seek strength from the Lord.  First, ask the Lord for His strength.  Second, use the tools He has given to us.  Third, attend Mass or a church service.  Fourth, listen to praise and worship music.  Fifth, spend time with the Lord, just the two of you. There are many other ways that you can seek strength from the Lord.  Try these ways and see which ones you like best.  One of the many things about God is that He knows we are all unique, and what works for one of us may not work for another.  I promise that if you turn to God and seek your strength from Him instead of from the world, He will give you more strength than you need.  I have seen people get through incredibly difficult, even impossible, situations because they relied on God rather than themselves or the world.  Lean in, God is waiting. Dear Elohei Ma'uzzi, I ask you to bless all those listening to this episode today.  Lord, help us turn to you for strength.  Help us to see that the world can't help us as much as you can.  Help us make good choices when seeking strength, and avoid bad habits we will have to fix later.  Lord, if anyone is turning to bad habits for their strength right now, I ask that you send the Holy Spirit to convict them of it and help them turn back to you.  Lord, you are the Lord of Lords and the King of Kings.  You are the resurrection and the life.  We are so grateful for all that you do.  We love you, Lord, and we ask all of this in accordance with your will and in Jesus' holy name, Amen. Thank you so much for joining me on this journey to walk boldly with Jesus.  I look forward to spending time with you on Monday. Remember, Jesus loves you just as you are, and so do I!  Have a blessed weekend! Today's Word from the Lord was received in September 2025 by a member of my Catholic Charismatic Prayer Group. If you have any questions about the prayer group, these words, or how to join us for a meeting, please email CatholicCharismaticPrayerGroup@gmail.com. Today's Word from the Lord is, “My children, I rejoice in each of you. You are all so unique, and yet each one of you is like a star in the sky, dazzling, precious to me.”     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

He Is Series: Day #7 The Good Shepherd Revelations 7:17 "For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; ‘he will lead them to springs of living water.' ‘And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.'” Today's name for the Lord is The Good Shepherd. I thought this scripture verse was a good one for this, and there is another one I will mention too. What a beautiful image of God wiping away every tear from our eyes.  I don't know about you, but I am a crier.  I tend to cry a lot.  God will be busy if He wipes away every tear.  In all seriousness, though, this is a beautiful scripture.  It starts off by talking about the Lamb at the center of the throne, who will be their shepherd.  That Lamb is Jesus.  He is our good shepherd.  It says in John 10:11, “I am the good shepherd.  The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”  This is exactly what Jesus did for us: He laid down His life for us, his sheep.  I heard a story from a friend about an incident that happened when she was walking in Walmart during the pandemic.  She was walking through Walmart wearing a mask because there was still a mandate requiring masks to shop there.  However, a man was walking towards her with two young girls.  When he passed my friend, he made sheep sounds at her.  He was implying that she was a sheep blindly following the others.   I have heard this analogy often, and despite the popular belief that sheep are stupid, they are actually incredibly intelligent. They have very impressive cognitive abilities, and, just like humans, they form deep, lasting bonds with one another, stick up for one another in fights, and grieve when they lose a friend. They experience the same emotions we do, including fear, joy, boredom, anger, and happiness, to name a few.  We envision the sheep blindly following whoever and going wherever they are told.  This is not the case.  Sheep recognize their shepherd's voice, and they will go wherever their shepherd tells them to go.  They have complete trust in their shepherd.  The shepherd, in return for this obedience, loves them and is willing to lay down his life for them.  How beautiful is that? I think this is one way that sheep have an advantage over us.  They recognize their shepherd's voice, and so they follow it.  I think we have a hard time figuring out whose voice to listen to. The world is so busy and so noisy, and there are so many voices speaking into our lives.  There are the voices of the loved ones around us. They are speaking to us and leading us in a direction they think we should go.  Then there are our friends who may not share our beliefs, and they are leading us in the direction they think we should go.  Then there are all the voices of those around the world who also usually have opinions on how we should and shouldn't live.  There are so many voices, and we get confused, and we don't know which ones to listen to.  Oftentimes, the voices and the noises of the world are so loud that we can't hear the voice of our good shepherd.  The voices of the world are not the ones we need to listen to, and yet they are so loud that we can't hear any other voices.   The verse above says that the shepherd will lead us to springs of living waters.  Don't we want this?  Don't we want to follow the shepherd who will lead us to springs of living waters?  So, how do we learn to hear the Lord's voice more?  How do we learn to tune out all the noise of the world so we can focus on the Lord's voice?  First, we can begin by spending time each day trying to hear the Lord's voice.  How much time do you spend each day asking the Lord for things in prayer?  How much time do you spend sitting quietly and asking the Lord what He wants to say to you?  The Lord wants to talk to us, but we just don't give Him the time to talk.  This can be your first step.  Just sit quietly, ask, and let the Lord know you are ready to listen.  At our prayer group, we usually begin by saying, “Speak, Lord, your servants are listening.” (1 Samuel 3:10) You do not have to start off by sitting down and giving God 30 minutes of quiet time to speak to you.  If you have never done this before, 30 minutes is a long time.  Even if you have, it still may be a long time.  Just start out with 5 minutes of quiet time and see what happens.   The next step that can help you start hearing the Lord's word more is to write down whatever He tells you in those five minutes.  I struggle to just sit there, think of nothing, and do nothing for 5 min.  So, I do an exercise I learned from Fern Gorin at the Life Purpose Institute.  I ask the Lord to speak to me through my pen, and then I write down whatever comes to mind for the next 5 minutes, or however long I am sitting there.  This is especially helpful because then you can go back and read over it.  Now, is every single thing that comes to mind in those 5 minutes from the Lord, probably not, but it is a start.  I think the more times you do this, the more and more of what you write will be from the Lord.  Also, you are asking the Lord to show up, and when we ask, He answers.  So, why wouldn't he show up and talk to you through your pen?  The key to this exercise is not to question everything that comes into your mind.  Just write it all down, then read it over later and reflect on what you think the Lord was telling you.  While you are writing, don't second-guess yourself, don't let the enemy's voice come in and get you to question why the Lord would talk to you, block out all the doubt, and just trust that you asked the Lord to show up, and so He will.   If we want the shepherd to lead us to springs of living water and the Lord to wipe away every tear, then we need to learn to listen to the shepherd's voice and follow Him wherever He leads us.  The way I suggested above is just one way to begin to hear the Lord's voice.  If it doesn't resonate with you, no worries, do something different.  We are all different people, and we all do things differently.  The important part of this message is not that you listen to the Lord's voice the same way I do.  The important thing is that we all find a way to block out the world's noise and start hearing the voice of our good shepherd.   Dear Good Shepherd, I ask you to bless all those listening to this episode today.  Lord, we ask you to help us hear your voice.  We want you to lead us to the living waters and to wipe away all our tears.  Help us to hear your voice above all others.  Help us to block out the noise of the world and concentrate on your voice.  Lord, we are so grateful for all you do for us.  We are so grateful to be counted as one of your sheep.  You are an awesome shepherd, and we love you.  We ask all of this in accordance with your will and in Jesus' holy name, Amen. Thank you for joining me on this journey to walk boldly with Jesus.  I look forward to spending time with you again tomorrow. Remember, Jesus loves you just as you are, and so do I! Have a blessed day! Today's Word from the Lord was received in September 2025 by a member of my Catholic Charismatic Prayer Group. If you have any questions about the prayer group, these words, or how to join us for a meeting, please email CatholicCharismaticPrayerGroup@gmail.com. Today's Word from the Lord is, “Sometimes I catch you running in a different direction, but I stop you because I know the right way for you to go. So listen to the voice that whispers because that is me.” 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

Witness Wednesday #201 Catherine D When I was praying about what to witness about today, the Lord brought to my mind my grandpa, my dad's father. One night, we were sitting around the kitchen table, and we got a phone call from my grandpa. He said he was watching TV and all the lights in his house were off. He just had one light on in the TV room. So somebody thought he wasn't home and tried to break into his house. They were trying to break in through the door with a screwdriver, and the screwdriver hit the window, and my grandpa thought someone had knocked on the door. So he went out, and he opened the door to see who it was, and the young man pushed his way in. Then he asked my grandfather for his money, his wallet, and anything else he had. My grandfather didn't have much cash or many valuable things. The man pushed him down, and he took the screwdriver, and he cut my grandpa's throat from one ear to the other almost. His whole throat was cut. Luckily, my grandfather didn't die, and he was actually able to call my parents. He called our house, and my sister was on the line with her boyfriend, but we had call waiting at the time, thank goodness. So she clicked over, and it was my grandpa, and my parents kept him on the phone until the ambulance could come. Then they went to meet him at the hospital. My brother Danny also went to meet him at the hospital. As my grandfather was recovering, he actually got a visit from not one but two bishops in the area. I'm not sure if they were there visiting other people, or if they went there just to see my grandpa. Although I do know my grandpa helped out a lot at the church. When the doctors were examining my grandpa, they said that his neck healed faster than they had ever seen before. They didn't expect him to recover as quickly as he did. I was in seventh or eighth grade at the time, so I'm not sure how long he was in there. It probably felt like forever for me because he's my grandpa and he was in the hospital. I did go to visit him once while he was in there, and it was scary for me because it looked like he had staples in his neck. I don't know, it could have just been stitches. But for me, as a kid, it reminded me of Frankenstein, and it was a little scary, especially since it was my grandpa. I wanted to witness about how quickly he healed, and the doctor said it was miraculous because it should have taken him much longer. Then, when I was out for my run this morning, I felt like God was telling me to witness about my Encounter Ministries class. I know I have talked about it on here, and you can go back and look. I testified about an Encounter Ministries healing session we did. At least one. I think I might have witnessed about two. But today I just want to tell you how great the program is in general, and I also want to talk about inner healing in particular. The program itself is really good. The first quarter is all about identity, and so it teaches us who we are as children of God. Who we are in God's eyes, in the eyes, and spends eight weeks reinforcing our identity as Christ's children. Then, the next eight weeks, we spent listening to God's voice and hearing words of prophecy, words of knowledge, and words of wisdom, hearing blessings, and then being able to share those with other people and those blessings to bless others. After that, the next eight weeks we spent on physical healing, and we got to pray over people with physical ailments and see them healed. We got to see them feeling better, and it was so amazing. One testimony about this quarter was that we had a priest who was taking the class with us. He had one leg slightly shorter than the other, so he had to wear a lift in one shoe. However, at the end of each class, we do activations where we put into practice everything we have learned. That day, we learned that it was possible to pray for people with uneven legs, and that God can grow their legs to be the same length. We saw a video of this happening at a healing event in Mexico. My classmates prayed over the priest, and his leg grew out. He no longer needed a lift in his shoe! God is so good!   And then the last eight weeks were on inner healing, and those eight weeks were the most transformative for many students, because as we went through and learned about the various exercises, we also got to practice them on each other, and so we got to experience that inner healing. And inner healing is all about freedom. God doesn't want things weighing on you. He doesn't want us to close our hearts off and not let anyone in, just so we don't get hurt again. He doesn't want our past trauma and our past wounds to affect our future. He doesn't want depression and anxiety weighing down on us and making us miserable. God wants us to be free, and he wants to help us become free. When we're in a difficult situation, as we're growing up, things happen, and then we form a lie about that thing. We tell ourselves something that's not true, and then it informs every decision after that. Many times, we don't realize we have formed a lie. We didn't consciously do it, and we don't know it is there, but it informs all our decisions. During an inner healing session, you talk about what has happened in your past. You ask God to bring up any memories that need healing. You ask God to show you any lies that you might have developed over the years, and then you renounce those lies, and then you ask God to replace those lies with truth, and then you declare those truths. We just had an inner healing practicum, and several people said after their session that they felt so much lighter. They said they literally felt a weight lifted off of them. They felt lighter, and they felt freer, and I just want to offer to all of you listening, this is available to you, too. If you need prayers for physical healing or for inner healing, reach out to me. I'm happy to pray with you, and if you know me really well and you want to pray with someone you don't know well, I'm happy to point you to one of my fellow students. Everybody in the class wants to help people be free. We want to share what we've learned with everyone we know because we want everyone to be able to live the life God intended for them, free. I'm going to be talking more about the Encounter Ministries class and the physical healing and the inner healing and all the things we've learned in the class over the year more on my Facebook page because I feel like the Holy Spirit's prompting me to share more about the class and about what we've learned and about the freedom that people can have if you're not already following me on Facebook and you want to learn more about Encounter Ministries. Also on Facebook, you can look up the Encounter School of Ministry Boston campus to see all the cool things they're doing, and if you're local, you can go to some of the events they're hosting. Okay, that's it for my witness this week. I just want to ask again if anyone would like to give a witness. Please let me know. I know that everybody really loves listening on Wednesdays because they get to hear from other people, not just me, and because they get to see the cool things God's doing in other people's lives. So please share your witnesses. Love you all! 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 am the Alpha and the Omega Revelations 1:8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” Have you heard this description of the Lord before?  “I am the Alpha and the Omega.”  I feel as though I have heard that a lot.  I am not sure I knew what Alpha and Omega were before, though.  Did you know that Alpha and Omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet?  What God means when He says He is the Alpha and the Omega is that He is the beginning and the end. God is with us in the beginning, before we were even born. He will also be with us in the end.   One of the ladies from my prayer group mentioned that we can find comfort in this thought when we have aging relatives or friends.  Sometimes, when we have aging relatives, they require a lot of assistance.  We want to be with them to help them, and sometimes we just can't be with them all the time.  But we can rest assured that even when we can't be with them, God is with them.  He is probably better company anyway.   I remember when I was little, I always struggled with the thought that God was always there.  That with God, there is no beginning and end.  He was just always there.  Actually, if I think about it too much, I still struggle with this.  Then, yesterday, my friend Louise from the prayer group explained this in a way that made a lot of sense to me.  She said that we struggle with things like this because we are human and we think in very finite terms.  Our minds are limited, so we cannot understand everything about God.  He is not finite, and we can't try to make him fit into a box that our minds can comprehend.  He is a wonder in so many ways. I do take comfort in knowing that God was there at the beginning and He will be there at the end, and He is there every day in between.  We are never alone.  I am sure it does not always feel like this.  Some days we can feel God's presence more than others.  Why is that?  Why do we have some days when we know God is with us, and others when we feel He has abandoned us?  Those are two excellent questions.  Ones I am not sure I know the answer to, and yet ones I still wanted to ask because I think it is something we could all think about.  I think we would each have a different answer to these questions.   When I think about those questions, I wonder when I feel closest to God.  I think it is when I am praying or praising Him.  Actually, maybe more so when I am praising Him.  When I am listening to Christian music and singing along, I can feel God's presence.  I follow this woman on social media, whose name is Kristina Kuzmic.  She is really funny and does short videos about parenting and about being a woman.  They are very uplifting and encouraging.  They help you to know that parenting is hard for everyone and that you are perfect just the way you are.  Anyway, she dances all the time.  Just walking down the street, she will be dancing.  I used to wonder why.  However, I've discovered I feel the same way when I am listening to praise music.   There is a free playlist on Spotify called Big Life Mornings.  It is filled with upbeat Christian songs.  I listen when I go for a run, when I walk my dog, when I drive, or when I clean.  I listen to it a lot.  When I listen to it and sing along, I feel as though God is with me.  I can feel His presence, and it makes me want to dance, too.  I am not sure I am describing the feeling correctly, but it is truly amazing.  If you feel like God has abandoned you and haven't felt His presence in a while, maybe take some time today to play some Christian music and see how you feel.  See if Jesus fills your soul.   Another time I feel the Lord's presence is in Eucharistic Adoration.  If you are a Christian and not Catholic, you may not know what this is.  We, as Catholics, believe that Jesus Christ is present in the Eucharist.  Eucharistic Adoration is when the priest displays the host or eucharist in a vessel called a monstrance.  The monstrance is placed on the altar or a table and is left there for a certain period of time.  We get to go and sit with Jesus and pray in His actual presence.  I know that God is with us all the time.  We do not need to go to adoration to be with Jesus.  However, I find I do feel closer when I go.  I am not sure how to describe it, other than comparing it to when you go to a grave site to visit someone who has passed away.  You do not need to be at the grave site to talk to that person, but somehow, being there, where their body is buried, makes you feel closer. If you are Catholic and have never tried going to adoration, I would urge you to give it a try.  Find out where it is located and go once a week for a month, and see how much it changes your life.  I try to go for an hour, but even 10 minutes could make a difference.  Just go sit with the Lord.  I think you will definitely feel closer to Him.  You don't have to do anything specific at Adoration.  The point of it is just to spend time with Him.  Even if you are not Catholic, you could give Eucharistic Adoration a try.  Most churches have adoration for at least a few hours a week, and I think there is perpetual adoration, meaning 24 hours a day, every day, in every state.  When I was looking, I just googled Eucharistic Adoration near me.  I am sure the Lord will do the rest. As I said above, if we each took the time to ask ourselves, “When do I feel closest to the Lord?” then I think we would probably all come up with different answers.  I wanted to share two things I do to feel closer to the Lord with you.  You may be different.  You may not like music or sitting in church with the Lord.  You may feel closest to the Lord when you are out in nature, painting or writing, or maybe when you are with family.  It doesn't matter what the answer to the question is; what matters is that you ask yourself the question and then pay attention to the answer.   If we are conscious about where we feel closest to God, then when we start to feel abandoned or wonder “Where is God?” we can go to that place or do that thing, and it may help us to feel Him again.   Dear Heavenly Father, I ask that you bless everyone listening to this episode today. I ask that you allow each and every one of us to feel your presence today. We ask that you just let us know that you're here. We ask that you help us answer this question: When do I feel closest to you? Lord, we want to feel your presence at all times. It is especially important when we're going through difficult times, and we wonder where you are. Lord Jesus, help us to see where you are in our lives. Help us to know the things that bring us closer to you and also the things that separate us from you. Lord, we love you so very much. You are so amazing. We're so thankful that you are the Alpha and the Omega. We're thankful that you were there at the beginning, that you'll be there at the end, and every day in between.  Lord, it brings us so much comfort to know that you are always there. Also, to know you are always with our family members and friends, and that when we can't be with them, you are. We thank you for always being there, Lord, and we ask all of this in accordance with your will and in Jesus' holy name, amen. Thank you so much for joining me on this journey to walk boldly with Jesus.  If you are enjoying this podcast, please share it with a friend. If you would like to subscribe, that would be great too. I look forward to spending time with you again tomorrow. Remember, Jesus loves you just as you are, and so do I! God is for you, not against you, and we are both rooting for you! Have a very blessed day. Today's Word from the Lord was received in September 2025 by a member of my Catholic Charismatic Prayer Group. If you have any questions about the prayer group, these words, or how to join us for a meeting, please email CatholicCharismaticPrayerGroup@gmail.com. Today's Word from the Lord is, “Open the doors of your heart to me. I knock, but you do not open. Do not put false gods before me. Let go of any idols. Live by my word, and I will never abandon you. I am the Lord who loves you always.” 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

He Is Series Day #5 Jehovah Jireh (God Will Provide) Genesis 22:14 “So Abraham called that place ‘The Lord will provide'; and to this day it is said, ‘On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.'” God asked Abraham to offer Isaac, his only son—the son God had promised Abraham and Sarah would have even though Abraham was about 100 and Sarah about 90. God had said, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” Yet now God was asking Abraham to sacrifice Isaac. This must have been very confusing. Let me read Genesis 22:1–19. Some time later God tested Abraham. He said, “Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied. Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.” Early the next morning Abraham set out with two servants and his son Isaac. On the third day he saw the place in the distance. He said to the servants, “Stay here with the donkey while the boy and I go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.” Abraham placed the wood on Isaac and carried the fire and knife himself. As they walked together Isaac said, “Father, we have the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” When they reached the place God had shown him, Abraham built an altar, arranged the wood, and placed Isaac on it. He reached out his hand to sacrifice his son, but the angel of the Lord called from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham! Do not lay a hand on the boy. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld your only son.” Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught in a thicket. He sacrificed it instead of his son. So Abraham called that place “The Lord Will Provide.” The angel of the Lord called to Abraham again and declared that because of his obedience God would bless him and make his descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. Then Abraham returned to his servants and they went back to Beersheba. I know that was a lot to read, but it is important because we all may face times of testing. Has God ever asked you to do something you didn't understand? Something that seemed to contradict what you thought He had already promised? God told Abraham He would build a nation through Isaac, yet then asked him to sacrifice Isaac. Still, Abraham told his son, “God himself will provide the lamb.” He had faith even though he didn't know what would happen on that mountain. We also see his faith in Genesis 22:5 when he tells the servants, “We will come back to you.” He didn't say I will come back—he said we. How could Abraham be so confident? I think it was for two reasons. First, Abraham truly knew God. He had a close relationship with Him and knew His character. Second, Abraham knew God always keeps His promises. If God said Abraham's descendants would come through Isaac, then Abraham trusted that God would somehow make that happen. This story reminds us that God will provide even when we cannot see how. Abraham didn't understand how Isaac could be sacrificed and still be part of God's promise, but he trusted God anyway. The same can be true for us. We don't have to understand the plan—we simply have to obey what God is asking us to do and trust Him with the rest. What if we looked at the challenges in our lives as tests of faith? Would it change how we respond? Hebrews 11:1 says, “Faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” Can we hold onto hope even when we cannot see the way forward? Hope is not always easy. But what is the alternative? Do we stop hoping so we won't be disappointed? For me, I choose hope—even when it hurts. What if this is the test? What if God only needed me to trust Him one more day? Abraham kept his faith all the way up the mountain. You can too. I know it can be painful when we hope for something and it doesn't happen. I prayed for my friend Iris to be healed from cancer here on earth, yet God healed her in heaven. I prayed for another miracle that didn't come the way I hoped. But I have also seen many times when God did come through—when I had confidence in what I hoped for and assurance in what I could not see. God has worked miracles in ways I may never fully understand. When you struggle to have hope, look to Abraham. When things don't make sense and seem impossible, trust God anyway. God is for you, not against you. He can make a way. Nothing is impossible for Him. Move forward in faith. Dear Jehovah Jireh, please bless everyone listening today. Help us to have the faith of Abraham. Help us to know you deeply and to trust the lives of our loved ones in your hands. Give us the strength and courage to say yes when you ask us to do things we do not understand. We know you are good and that you are for us, not against us. Help us to keep hoping, even when it is hard. Thank you for all you provide. We ask this according to your will and in Jesus' holy name, Amen. Thank you for joining me on this journey to walk boldly with Jesus. I look forward to seeing you again tomorrow. Remember, Jesus loves you just as you are—and so do I! God is for you, not against you, and we are both rooting for you. Have a blessed day! Today's Word from the Lord was received in September 2025 by a member of my Catholic Charismatic Prayer Group. If you have questions about the prayer group or how to join a meeting, please email CatholicCharismaticPrayerGroup@gmail.com. Today's Word from the Lord is:“I say again, trust me. I can see the full picture. I know what you need for eternal life. I walk with you. You only see the present, but I see eternity. Trust me. I know what is best for you, and I will not abandon you.”   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

He Is Series Day #4 El Shaddai (God Almighty) Genesis 17:1 “When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said to him, ‘I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless.” Today's name for God is El Shaddai. This means God Almighty. This verse is what God says to Abram right before He makes a covenant with Him and changes His name to Abraham. God promises Abraham that he will be the father of many nations and that his descendants will be too numerous to count. God made this covenant with Abraham 25 years before Abraham and his wife, Sarah, had a child together. I want to go into a bit of detail about this timeline because I have always heard that Abraham had to wait 25 years, but when I read further into Genesis Chapter 17, God tells Abraham that he will have the baby in one year. Here is a quick summary of the timeline. When Abram is 75 years old, God first calls him and tells him that he will be the father of nations. (Genesis 12:1-4) Then, after 15 years, Sarah gets tired of waiting and, honestly, probably starts to question whether the promise will come true. So, Sarah gives her handmaid to Abram, and they have a baby together. Abram is 86 when Ismael is born. (Gene 16:16) Then, 13 years later, God returns, and that is where this verse picks up. God changes their names to Abraham and Sarah and promises that Sarah will conceive within one year. At this point, Abraham is 99 years old. This is important to know because sometimes we think that if God is making a covenant with us and has a plan for our lives, then we will automatically see that plan come to pass. We start to doubt that God really has a plan for us when we don't see immediate signs. Or maybe we are ok waiting for a few weeks or a few months, but what if we needed to wait 25 years? I am not a fan of waiting. God and I talk about this all the time. I am continually asking why we can't go with my timeline rather than His. I am sure I am not the only one who asks Him this question. Do you ever feel tired of waiting? Do you ever wonder if it is really going to happen, since you have been waiting so long? I definitely know people who gave up hope that the thing they were praying for would happen. This is not unusual. It is hard to wait for God's time. Even Abraham and Sarah, who were chosen by God to be the parents of nations, got tired of waiting for God to give them a baby and took it into their own hands. Have you ever done this before? Have you ever gotten tired of waiting for the Lord to find you the right boyfriend/girlfriend and settled for the wrong one? Have you ever decided to do something, even though you were pretty sure it wasn't right, just because you wanted the dream to come true? When we force situations to fulfil God's promises, instead of letting God fill them in His perfect timing, things never work out well. I know waiting is hard. It is especially hard if you are waiting on something that you feel has a time limit. For instance, if you want to have a family and you feel your biological clock is ticking, it may be very hard to wait on the Lord. And I know it is easy to say that Sarah gave birth long after her childbearing days were over, but it's another thing to believe it can happen in this day and age. God will come through for you. It just requires a whole lot of patience to wait on Him. I have a friend who really wanted to be married and have a family. She was in her forties and feeling like it was never going to happen. However, she kept trying to hope that it would happen. She kept trying to believe God would come through and fulfill her deepest desires. This summer, she will have been married for two years to a man who is perfect for her. The two of them just make so much sense together. They even have the same sense of humor. It's so sweet to see them together! God will answer your prayers, too! Whenever I said this name for the Lord in this episode, a song instantly came into my head. It is a great song to demonstrate how Almight our God is! The song is titled Good God Almighty and it is sung by Crowder. I am going to share that song with you now.   [Verse 1] I can't count the times I've called Your name some broken night And You showed up and patched me up like You do every time I get amnesia, I forget that you keep coming around Yeah, ain't no way You'll ever let me down I love this verse because it reminds us that every time we call out to the Lord, He shows up. It also reminds us that we can cry out to him when we are broken; we don't have to wait until we fix ourselves before we do. I also love the imagery when the song says, you showed up and patched me up like you do every time. God is going to come and help you every time. Not sometimes, not occasionally, EVERYTIME! I also like how it shows us we are not alone when we forget that God is there, or when we forget to call out to Him. We forget that God won't ever let us down! [Chorus] Good God Almighty, I hope You'll find me Praising Your name, no matter what comes 'Cause I know where I'd be without Your mercy So I keep praising Your name at the top of my lungs If you have been listening to this podcast for a while, you know how much I love praise. So, you can see why I love this chorus. Crowder is saying that he hopes the Lord will find him praising His name no matter what comes his way. I pray this for each one of you. I pray, no matter what situation you are in, that the Lord will find you praising His name. Praise will change your situation so much faster than anything else will. I also love the line that says, “'Cause I know where I'd be without Your mercy.” Where would I be without God's mercy? Where would you be without God's mercy? [Post-Chorus] Tell me, is He good? (He's good) Tell me, is He God? (He's God) Hе is Good God Almighty [Verse 2] You say Your love goes on forevеr, that Your mercy never stops So why would I assume you'll be somebody that you're not? Like sun in the morning, I know You're gonna be there every day So what on Earth could make me be afraid? This verse is great because it reminds us that God is who He says He is. If He says His love is forever, and His mercy never stops, then why would we assume, or why do we worry that He will stop loving us or that He won't forgive us? I also love the reminder that just as the sun rises every single morning, so too will God be with us every single day! [Bridge] Praise Him in the morning, praise Him in the noon time Praise Him when the sun goes down Love Him in the morning, love Him in the noon time Love Him when the sun goes down This bridge is great because it reminds us how important it is to praise God all throughout the day. It is also important to love him all throughout the day. I don't know how much you praise the Lord, but if you praise Him more, you will notice a difference in your life. You will begin to notice that you are less negative and more open to those around you. You will see more good than bad when your focus is on praise. [Outro] Jesus in the morning, Jesus in the noon time Jesus when the sun goes down Jesus in the morning, Jesus in the noon time Jesus when the sun goes down And this ending couldn't be better. If we focus on God throughout our entire day, we will see how good El Shaddai really is. It is important to invite God into each part of your day. It doesn't have to take long. You don't have to spend 30 minutes praying in the morning, at noon, and when the sun goes down. But you could take a quick moment to pause and to invite the Lord into whatever you are doing. It will make things run smoother if you invite the Lord into it. The two main things to remember today. First, God is the Almighty one. His plan is better than your plan, and His timing is better than your timing! Second, sometimes God will give you a promise without a timeline. We don't know when God will decide it is time for that plan to be fulfilled. However, if we rush it and try to take it into our own hands, it never turns out the way we thought. It might still work out, but it won't be as amazing as the plan God had for us if we had just waited for it. Actually, there is one more thing: praise God while you wait. It will make the waiting time more bearable. Dear El Shaddai, I ask you to bless all those listening to this episode today. Lord, you are amazing. You are the Lord God Almighty, and I am so grateful for all you do for us. Lord, please help us to have the patience and hope to wait for your perfect timing. Give us the strength and wisdom we need to not take things into our own hands. We love you and 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 enjoying this He Is series where we are learning more about who God is, please share it with a friend. I look forward to seeing you here tomorrow. Remember, Jesus loves you just as you are, and so do I! God is on your side and we are both rooting for you! Have a blessed day! Today's Word from the Lord was received in September 2025 by a member of my Catholic Charismatic Prayer Group. If you have any questions about the prayer group, these words, or how to join us for a meeting, please email CatholicCharismaticPrayerGroup@gmail.com. Today's Word from the Lord is, “Do not let circumstances frighten you. I am above all circumstances, all situations. Anything that can come at you does not come at you without my permission. So, trust me.” 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

He Is Series Day #3 El Roi (The God Who Sees Me) Genesis 16:13 “So she named the Lord who spoke to her, ‘You are El-roi'; for she said, ‘Have I really seen God and remained alive after seeing him?” Today, we are talking about El Roi, the God who sees me. This verse is part of a longer conversation that an angel of the Lord had with Hagar. Let me briefly fill you in on the story of Hagar. The Lord promised Abram and Sarai that they would have a child. Actually, He promised that Abram would be the father of nations and his descendants would outnumber the stars in the sky. Yet Abram and Sarai had no children, and they were both well past the typical baby-making years. It had been over 10 years since God promised that they would have a child. Sarai got tired of waiting for God, and so she convinced Abram to take her Egyptian slave girl as his wife. He went into her, and she conceived a son. Sarai thought once she had a child, she would be happy. However, after the slave girl became pregnant with Abram's child, she looked with contempt at her mistress. She got mad and dealt harshly with Hagar, and so Hagar ran away. This is where the conversation happens. Genesis 16:12-13 “The angel of the Lord found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, the spring on the way to Shur. And he said, “Hagar, slave-girl of Sarai, where have you come from and where are you going?” She said, “I am running away from my mistress Sarai.” The angel of the Lord said to her, “Return to your mistress, and submit to her.”  The angel of the Lord also said to her, “I will so greatly multiply your offspring that they cannot be counted for multitude.” And the angel of the Lord said to her, “Now you have conceived and shall bear a son; you shall call him Ishmael, for the Lord has given heed to your affliction. He shall be a wild ass of a man, with his hand against everyone, and everyone's hand against him; and he shall live at odds with all his kin.” So she named the Lord who spoke to her, “You are El-roi”; for she said, “Have I really seen God and remained alive after seeing him?” What I want to focus on today is that God sees you. Some of us really need to hear that today. God sees you in whatever situation you are in. God saw Hagar. She was not one of the chosen people. She was a slave girl from Egypt. She was asked to marry her mistress's husband and to have a baby for them. She was doing as she was told, and yet afterwards she was acting as if she was better than her mistress, and so her mistress was treating her badly. I can imagine how unfair that felt to Hagar. She did as she was told, and now she was being unfairly treated. Has this ever happened to you? You followed directions, you did what your boss wanted you to do, and then it didn't turn out the way he or she wanted, and now he or she is mad at you? Did you ever feel like God was calling you to do something, and you obeyed, and then it felt like you were being punished for it? I wonder if Paul and Silas felt like this when they were captured, beaten, and thrown in jail for proclaiming the Word of the Lord? They were doing what God called them to do, and yet they were still put in jail. God sent an angel to talk with Hagar and to let her know that God sees her. He sees her and her situation. God let her know that he would greatly multiply her offspring. She could not believe that God not only saw her but also cared enough to send an angel to interact with her, and that she would live through the encounter. God saw her in this mess. God sees you in your mess, too. He sees you in an impossible relationship. He sees you trying to do whatever you can to pay your bills, even though you have no money. He sees you trying to parent your children even though you are overwhelmed. He sees you in your illness, desperately praying for a healing. God sees you! Let's go back to the example I gave of Paul and Silas being beaten and thrown in jail even though they were doing what God called them to do. God saw them in jail. He saw them in their situation, and he created an earthquake that shook the building so much that all the prison doors opened. Paul and Silas were free. What situation do you need God to come and free you from? Whatever the situation is, God sees you! If you are struggling right now. If you feel abandoned by God and wonder if he even sees you, or hears your prayers, know that He does!! He sees you right where you are, and He loves you! He loves you just as you are right now. He doesn't need you to change first. He doesn't need you to be different before He loves you. He loves you truly and completely just as you are now. He isn't waiting for you to be healed to love you. He isn't waiting for you to be anger-free to love you. He isn't waiting for you to be free of all your addictions for Him to love you. He loves you, just for being you, the real you. God sees the real you. Not the you that you pretend to be. Not the you that looks perfect in all your photos. Not the you that you want everyone else to see. He sees the real you. He sees all the places where you are pretending. He sees all the broken places. He sees all the hurt and betrayal you have gone through. He sees things about us that we can't even see. The other thing that God sees is how much we have grown. He sees how much we have changed. He sees all the progress we have made. Often, we don't notice it. We are hard on ourselves. We only see the negative. God sees it all. He sees the good, the bad, and the ugly, and He loves us anyway! Dear El Roi, I ask you to bless everyone who is listening to this episode today. Lord, thank you for seeing us. Help us to see ourselves the way you see us. Help us to see the beautiful things about us that you see. Help us to know in our hearts that you have not abandoned us, that you do see us! Help us to believe that there is nowhere we can go, and nothing we can do that will prevent you from seeing us. We love you, Lord, and we ask 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. I look forward to meeting you here again tomorrow. Remember, Jesus loves you just as you are, and so do I! God is on your side, and we are both rooting for you! Have a blessed day! Today's Word from the Lord was received in September 2025 by a member of my Catholic Charismatic Prayer Group. If you have any questions about the prayer group, these words, or how to join us for a meeting, please email CatholicCharismaticPrayerGroup@gmail.com. Today's Word from the Lord is, “You have been set aside to act upon my will. I have set you apart. Believe 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

Rosa's Plane Trip Witness Wednesday, Rosa's plane trip. So as you all know, I had to go to Rhode Island because my mom had two strokes and my flight back was on Monday, March 2nd. My brother, who also lives in Florida, was in New Jersey at the time because of my niece's cheerleading competition. So my brother decided to rent a vehicle and go all the way to Rhode Island to surprise my mom, which he did. And it was such a beautiful surprise. So I decided to take the ride back with him back to Philadelphia and travel from Philadelphia to Orlando versus from Rhode Island to Orlando. On our way, we received a first email stating that our flight was going to be delayed until 8.13. Our flight was originally at 7.46. So we didn't think much of it because we still had plenty of time. So we just kept riding. We stopped in New Jersey, did a little bit of sightseeing. Then when we were getting closer to Philly, we received another email stating that our flight was going to be delayed until 9.35 p.m. So we stopped in Philadelphia. We went sightseeing. We went to the Liberty Bell. Then we went to Rocky Balboa's statue. So while we were there, I felt in my spirit, just in my heart, that the flight was going to be canceled. But no, we received another email stating that our flight was going to be delayed until 10.13. So we just were there and I still keep feeling that in my gut that the flight was going to be canceled. So a few minutes later, we received another email stating that our flight was canceled. So we just thought, what are we going to do? What's going on? Why are they canceling the flight with no explanation? They just sent emails. They didn't tell us why the flights were going to be canceled. So my brother and his family started panicking and I said, no, I'm not going to panic. I'm just going to pray. So I just did that. I started praying and praying. So we decided to go to the airport to Spirit Airlines to ask them, you know, what's going to happen because we cannot stay in Philadelphia because we're from Orlando and we're far away from our family in Rhode Island. So while we were on our way, I decided to call Spirit Airlines. So when I was speaking to the person, the person was very negative and all she kept saying was, I'm sorry, unfortunately, I'm sorry, unfortunately. So she was just saying things that she couldn't do instead of just trying to call me and give us peace. So she kept putting me on hold and kept checking flights and she said, we don't have anything until 48 hours. Then she came back on the line saying that we have something for the next day at 746, but it's going to be with a stop. And we started telling her, it's no good. You know, we can't stay here. We have no family. We have no money to stay in the hotel. So we need something for today. So she kept looking and looking. We arrived at the airport. We were in front of the Spirit Terminal. And then she just kept saying, no, there's nothing I can do. There's nothing I can do. I asked her for a supervisor and she said, well, I am the supervisor and I'm trying my best. I explained to her that I have a special need daughter that's diabetic, that has chronic arthritis, and that she cannot sit for a long time. She cannot walk a long distance and we cannot stay at the airport. So she kept looking and looking. While we were on hold, she stated, I'm going to see if I can find a different airline that can help you, but you are six. Maybe for you and for your daughter, I can try to find something and fit you in, but you are six. I said, well, they're my family and they're helping me with my daughter. I cannot just leave them here because they have no money, no place to stay, no one here that they know. So I cannot just leave them. So where she kept looking, I received an email stating that my flight has been changed and they booked me with American Airlines. So while I was still on hold, we started running to the terminal, to American Airlines terminal, so we can be there. The flight stated, the email stated that our flight was going to be at 717 and that we had to board by 636. We were there at 610. We were not even on time to board and do all the checking. They stated, because it was less than 45 minutes, we could not add our bags. So we said, we have to take our bags. The other thing is that they had my niece as an unaccompanied minor, which that is a mistake that the other airline made. And they probably couldn't make, they couldn't change it because of the time. So I started praying. I started praying. I started praying. And yes, we were able to all be checked in and checked our bags in. But now we had to go from the terminal to the boarding and it was already like 625. So we had to run and try to make it. So thank God, we made it. The only other thing is, we had to pay for our bags again. Our bags, which we had paid already through the original airline, we had to pay them again through American Airlines. I had two bags, which I had to pay $80. I only had like $90 in my account. So I had to use the $80 to pay the bags again. And honestly, I don't know how my daughter and I were going to eat since we didn't even have time to eat. We only had breakfast in the morning. So mind you, this was all stressing us out. No money. Now we had to run from one terminal to another. We had to run to the boarding gate. So everything was stressing us out. I kept praying and thanking God. So we made it, as I mentioned, to the terminal. And guess what? Two angels sent me money. One angel sent me $100. The other angel sent me $75. So the Lord not only made a way for me to make this flight, but he also provided for me to eat, for my daughter and I to eat. So I just want to share and give testimony of the power of prayer. The Lord made a way. The Lord just opened the doors behind the scenes. Even though I couldn't see in the physical what He was doing, He made a way. Instead of me just panicking and just losing my peace, I started walking up and down the corridor, just praying in the Spirit, just thanking Him and just praying and declaring His Word so He can make a way, which He did. So I just want to share with you this brief testimony and let you know that even though sometimes we don't see what He's doing, the Lord is moving. The Lord is making a way where there seems no way. God bless you all. 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

He Is Series Day 2-El Elyon (Most High God) Genesis 14:18-20 “And King Melchizedek of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was priest of God Most High. He blessed him and said, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, maker of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!” And Abram gave him one-tenth of everything.” The next title for God is El Elyon. This means Most High God. If we look at how this is used in today's verse, we see two different ways of showing that our God is the Most High God. First, King Melchizedek of Salem says that God is the maker of heaven and earth. Next, he says that he delivered your enemies into your hands. I am sure we have all had times when we needed El Elyon to deliver our enemies into our hands. I can think of one instance in particular that a friend of mine just went through. She had a family member betray her very deeply. He did some work for her and then said she owed far more than she really owed him. He made up all sorts of lies and, in the end, decided to sue her. She couldn't believe that a family member would be doing this, and it caused so much pain, stress, and worry. However, she knows God, and she trusts God. This is a great time to call upon El Elyon to deliver her enemies into her hand. She did not know what she would do if she had to pay all the money the family member said she owed. Even though she had the truth on her side, there were several times throughout this whole ordeal that it looked like things were not going in her favor. There were lies that were told and believed by the courts. However, she also had records and receipts for things she had paid for, and so she knew she was right and he was in the wrong. But would the courts see it that way? Would God come through for her? Would he save her from this injustice? I hope you all know the answer to that question. Yes, of course, he would save her. Of course, he would not let evil win. The court eventually advised the family member to make a deal that was actually fair, and she did not pay more than she felt she owed. God is so good!! Here is one thing that I think we need to remember when we call up God. He is going to answer our prayers in the best way possible. That is not always the way we want Him to, and it is definitely not always in the timing that we want Him to. Remember, we are talking about the Most High God. He is the most high. That means His plan is better than our plan. I know you don't want to hear that, but it is true. That also means that His time is better than our time. I know you didn't want to hear that either. We can get tired of waiting for the Lord's time. My friend was in this legal battle for years. Not one year, not even two, I think it has been more than two years. I am sure she cried out to the Lord many times over those two years. I am sure you have too. That's ok, keep crying out. God wants us to keep asking. He wants us to keep turning to Him. He also wants us to know He is with us through it all. Even if He is not answering your prayer immediately because of some reason or another, that doesn't mean He is not in it with you. He is the one giving you the strength to keep going to work or the provisions to keep paying the lawyer. He is there with you every step of the way. There was a time in Tony's career when he had a boss who did not treat him well at all. She was always talking down to him and telling him he wasn't very good at his job. Tony has always been great at his job. His previous supervisors had praised his writing skills, as he is an excellent writer. This boss told him he didn't know how to write. It was awful, and he hated going to work. Every Sunday night, he would get very sad because it meant he would need to go to work the next day. He lived for the weekends. I am not sure if Tony prayed for God to be delivered from this. I know I prayed, though. I prayed that whole year for her to be removed from command. I prayed that God would change her heart. I prayed that the military would move her. I prayed they would move Tony to another position. I didn't know what the solution was, but I knew God did, and I prayed he would deliver Tony from this situation. She did eventually move on, and the next commander was so much better. Aside from that one commander, he has always had amazing bosses. I am not sure why Tony had to go through that one year. I am not sure why things didn't get better faster, but I do know that God was with him during that whole year. He gave Tony great friends so that he could enjoy his weekends and get a break. Despite this boss, God provided an amazing experience for us on that assignment. We got to go on trips, hang out with friends, and just enjoy life. I know that our Most High God was providing amazing things for us, even in the middle of that struggle. What about you? When you look at your life, when you look through the years, can you see where the Most High God was delivering your enemies into your hands? When did you need a problem solved, and God solved it for you? Are you in this situation right now? Do you feel attacked on all sides, and you need to be delivered? Call out to El Elyon, He is the Most High God. Nothing is stronger than Him. Nothing is more powerful than Him. He is above all the rest. Call out to Him, and He will deliver your enemies into your hands! Dear Most High God, please bless each person listening today. El Elyon, thank you for delivering our enemies into our hands. Thank you for knowing what to do and when to do it. Lord, help us to be patient while we wait for you to deliver us. Help us to trust that you are the Most High and you will save us. Please help us to keep coming to you and to keep calling out to you. We love you Lord and we ask all 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. I look forward to meeting you here again tomorrow. Remember, Jesus loves you just as you are, and so do I! God is on your side and we are both rooting for you! Have a blessed day! Today's Word from the Lord was received in September 2025 by a member of my Catholic Charismatic Prayer Group. If you have any questions about the prayer group, these words, or how to join us for a meeting, please email CatholicCharismaticPrayerGroup@gmail.com. Today's Word from the Lord is, “I am the Lord. I am all that you need. I have made you worthy. Do not be afraid to come. Let the Holy Spirit work in and through you. Be the blessing I want you to be.” 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

“He Is” Series Day #1 Elohim (God as Creator) Genesis1:1 “In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth.” Welcome to He Is, a devotional journey through the names of God. So often we focus on what we need from God — peace, provision, healing, direction. But in this series, we're going to shift our focus to who He is. Because when we truly know His name, we begin to trust His heart. Over the Next month or so, we'll explore the powerful names of God found in Scripture — from Jehovah Jireh, our Provider, to El Roi, the God who sees us — and allow each name to renew our faith and anchor our identity in Him. Lateley I have been hearing people mention the various names for God. It is not new for me to hear things like, God is our provider or God is our healer. However, I have been hearing people use the Hebrew and Greek names for the Lord. These are new to me. I have heard a few before, but I didn't realize there were so many. The other day, I heard someone mention a few of the names, and I felt in my heart that I was supposed to do a series on them in case others haven't heard of them either. The more we know about God, the closer we can get to Him. If we don't know God, if we don't know all of Him, then how can we trust Him? How can we be in a close relationship with Him if we don't know who He is? I pray that at the end of this series, you know more about God and who He really is. I pray you learn more about God than you did before. I pray this series not only blesses you, but transforms your view of God and our relationship with Him! Elohim is the first name for God given in the Bible. It was given in the very beginning when describing how God created everything. Today's verse is, “In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth.” However, that chapter goes into much more detail about all things God created in those first few days. God spoke the entire universe into existence. He thought of light and darkness. He thought of land and water. He thought of animals for the land and for the sea. He thought of days and nights and the sun and the moon. He thought of everything. I invite you to take a moment and think about your life. Think about how much detail went into creating the life you have now. Imagine how many things had to line up in order for you to have your parents. Imagine all the things that lined up so you could go to the school you went to or have the job that you have. When I take a moment to look at my life, I think about all the ways God was creating the life that I have now. In high school, I dated a guy whom I thought I would marry. I wanted to go to school in New Jersey to be close to where he was. However, I ended up going to school in Connecticut because I couldn't afford the school in New Jersey. I ended up breaking up with my high school boyfriend two years later. Then my roommate was taking ROTC classes at UCONN. They had a bring-a-friend day, and that is where I met the man I would marry. God knew what He was creating. When Tony and I got married, we had to move away from family because he was in the military. We both agreed that once he was done with his four-year commitment, then we would get out of the military, unless we both wanted to stay in. Which we both agreed was unlikely. Then, 4 years turned into 15 years before we finally moved back close to family. It turns out God knew what He was doing, and we both loved moving to new places, meeting new people, and exploring different parts of the world. God is an amazing creator. He can orchestrate things we never would have thought of. He can work with you to create the most amazing life you can dream of. He can create jobs you didn't even know existed. I was just listening to a podcast this morning about a couple who started doing TikTok videos as a spur-of-the-moment decision. Now the husband has quit his full-time job, they make money from their videos, and they're taking on other adventures they never would have thought of before. When you look at this couple on paper, they do not look like they would fit together at all. She has ADHD, and he has autism. He had a steady job for over 20 years, and she bounced from job to job. He has had 2 divorces and two children with two different moms. She has had numerous relationships with men and women that have never worked out. Even when they talk about their relationship, they talk about how it doesn't make sense on paper. They are two very different people. Yet God helped them create a beautiful life together. They have learned so much about each other and how they function best. They have gone into business together, making these videos, and have written a book or two. Things are really good with them. I do want to say one thing that I think we tend to overlook a lot. God did create a beautiful life for me and Tony and for this couple and for so many others. However, that doesn't mean we go through life perfectly without any problems. God didn't say we wouldn't struggle; He said he would be there with us through the struggle. So, Tony and I still argue with each other, we still argue with our kids, and we still struggle with life at times. Yet, we know God is here with us to help us through it. The same is true for you. When you look at your life and you wonder why you might be struggling, remember that God is with you in your struggle. Try to find the amazing things about your life. Try to focus on the good instead of the bad. If all you see are the bad things in your life, then pray to Elohim. Pray to God to create more of whatever you feel you are missing in your life. Do you need Him to create more joy, more fun, more adventure, more love, more peace? Whatever it is, ask Him for it. Ask Him to help you create the life you have been dreaming of, the life you have always wanted. God is an amazing creator. If he can create the entire world in 7 days, I think He can make some magic happen in your life as well. All we need to do is ask. Dear Elohim, please bless all those listening to this episode today. Lord, you are the creator of all things good. You are the reason we have what we have. Thank you, Lord! Thank you for our families, friends, and all those in our lives. Lord, help us to create the life we want to live. Help us to create a life full of all the things you have put in our hearts. Help us to remember to come to you first, Lord! Help us to remember that you are always there with us and that you are the creator of all! We love you, and we ask 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. I look forward to meeting you here again tomorrow. Remember, Jesus loves you just as you are, and so do I! God is on your side and we are both rooting for you! Have a blessed day! Today's Word from the Lord was received in September 2025 by a member of my Catholic Charismatic Prayer Group. If you have any questions about the prayer group, these words, or how to join us for a meeting, please email CatholicCharismaticPrayerGroup@gmail.com. Today's Word from the Lord is, “My children, I know you listen. I know you hear me. Don't turn your back on me when I tell you something to do. Do it. It'll turn out right, because I am in it. And I have commanded 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

Be Wise With Your Words Proverbs 10:11–14 “The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence. Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses. On the lips of one who has understanding, wisdom is found… The wise lay up knowledge, but the babbling of a fool brings ruin near.” During our Wednesday morning prayer group, someone received this word from the Lord: “Be wise with your words. Be positive, not negative. Use your words to build up and encourage, not discourage.” At the same time, someone else received today's verse. It felt clear that the Lord wanted us to reflect on the power of our words. Lent seemed like the perfect time for this. One woman in my Thursday prayer group said she is fasting from unkind words this Lent. I thought that was a beautiful idea. Often we speak without thinking. We say whatever comes to mind, sometimes believing we are helping someone by pointing out what they are doing wrong. But is it truly wrong, or simply different from what we would do? And even if correction is needed, is this the right time and place? If we slowed down and thought before speaking, this world would be a kinder place. I love how the verse says, “The babbling of a fool brings ruin near.” Ruin does not always mean something dramatic. Sometimes careless words ruin a moment, a day, or even a relationship. Our words truly carry power. As Proverbs 18:21 reminds us, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue.” Because of this, we must choose our words carefully. The world already has enough harsh voices. What if we stood out because of our kindness? What if people said about us, “That person never has an unkind word to say”? As followers of Jesus, the Holy Spirit lives within us. What if we spoke to others as if we were speaking directly to Jesus? In many ways, we are. Another powerful fast we could consider is fasting from gossip—not just during Lent, but permanently. When we refuse to participate in gossip, people eventually stop bringing it to us. It may feel awkward at first, but it is possible to gently change the conversation. The world needs more kindness, less judgment, and more people willing to use their words for good. This morning I watched a video from a young adult with autism who shared how often she has been misunderstood. Because she struggles with non-verbal cues, she sometimes loses friendships without even knowing what went wrong. Her friends might imply something or give subtle signals, but she needs direct communication. It reminded me how important it is to learn how others communicate. Sometimes we take offense to someone's words when they never intended to hurt us. They may simply communicate differently. When we feel offended, it can help to pause and ask ourselves:Why do I feel offended? What might the other person be experiencing right now? Communication is a two-way street. Both people share responsibility for speaking with kindness and seeking understanding. Recently our family learned that one of my sons has autism in addition to ADHD. This has opened my eyes to how easily misunderstandings can happen. Looking back, I realize there were many moments when clearer words or different phrasing might have helped him understand better. You may not be communicating with someone who has autism or ADHD—but you might be communicating with a teenager, a quiet spouse, a struggling coworker, or someone carrying burdens you cannot see. Each person may require a different approach. Communication matters more than we often realize. Two people can say the same words but receive completely different responses because tone, body language, and attitude matter just as much as the words themselves. If we want to walk boldly with Jesus, we must pay attention to how we communicate His love. The same message can be delivered with compassion or with harshness. The difference matters. I believe the Lord is inviting us to make a sincere effort to communicate in ways that help others feel seen and understood. When we take the time to do this, people often experience the love of Jesus through us. If you ever feel misunderstood in a conversation, pause and quietly pray, “Come Holy Spirit, come.” Ask the Holy Spirit to guide your words. If a conversation feels difficult, invite Him in before it even begins. He knows exactly what needs to be said. Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless each person listening today. Lord, help us to be wise with our words. Give us the strength to avoid gossip and unkind speech. Help us become people who build others up and represent you well in the world. Show us where we need to grow in our communication and teach us how to understand those around us. We know we cannot do this alone, but with you, all things are possible. We ask this in Jesus's holy name, Amen. Thank you so much for joining me on this journey to walk boldly with Jesus. I look forward to meeting you here again tomorrow. Remember, Jesus loves you just as you are, and so do I. God is on your side, and we are both rooting for you. Have a blessed day! Today's Word from the Lord was received in September 2025 by a member of my Catholic Charismatic Prayer Group. If you have any questions about the prayer group or how to join us, please email CatholicCharismaticPrayerGroup@gmail.com. Today's Word from the Lord is, “I am the Lord your God. There is none like me. I come in joy and glory. I wish for you to share it all with those you meet. Share it with others, for I, your Lord, love you.”   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

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 would have gotten tired of me asking and punished me in some other way? Would I have been happy if God's focus was on someone else's sin and not my own? I don't know what I would have done. I love what Abraham did, though. He stood up for those he probably didn't even know. He begged God to save the wicked for the sake of the righteous. There was a concept we learned about in Encounter that is similar to intercessory prayer, and yet it seems so much more powerful the way they explained it. When they talked about us interceding for others, they said it's like we are standing in the breach. We stand between them and God, pleading on their behalf. There is a scene in The Lord of the Rings Trilogy that my teacher used as an example. The good guys are being chased by the bad guys. They are crossing over a bridge, and it is collapsing. All of a sudden, a dragon or something comes after them, and the white wizard, the most powerful guy, protecting them, stands strong on the bridge and says, “You shall not pass.” The good guys are able to get away, and the bad guys are not able to pass. When I think about interceding for others, I picture myself standing in the breach and not letting anything bad happen to them. I am standing there to pray for them and ask God to protect them from evil, sickness, sin, and whatever else they need protection from. Abarham was standing in the breech. He was brave enough to stand up and ask God to reconsider His plan. God wants us to stand up for those who don't know any better. He wants us to pray for all the lost souls. He wants us to pray for sinners. He wants us to pray for the wicked. God doesn't want to lose a single one of His children. He wants us all to celebrate with Him in heaven one day, and to do that, we need to pray for those we don't want to pray for. He is calling us to pray for those we don't like, those who are not nice, those who do things we don't approve of. God is calling us to His team to pray for everyone. We have no idea how powerful our prayers can be. You don't know if your prayer can be the one thing that makes the difference between someone going to heaven or hell. What if that person just needed one person to pray for him or her? What if they just needed one person to believe in them? What if. So many saints I have read about have prayed for sinners, lost souls, and even those who have hurt them. Like St. Maria Goretti, who forgave and prayed for her attacker. Stand in the breech for others. Help God bring all his children home! Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless everyone listening to the episode today. Lord, you are so good. You want to bring all of your children home. Please help us to help you. Please help give us the strength to pray for those who have hurt us in some way. Please help us to pray for our loved ones who don't know you. Please help us to see that it is never too late with you. You are a merciful God who gives us so many chances to turn back to you. Help us to be brave and pray for those we feel do not deserve our prayers. Convict our hearts of who you want us to pray for, Lord. We love you, and we ask 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 this podcast is blessing you, please share it with a friend or leave a review. That simple step helps more people find it. And if there's someone you've been wanting to talk to about Jesus, but you don't know how to begin, send them an episode and let me do the talking. I look forward to meeting you here again tomorrow. Remember, Jesus loves you just as you are, and so do I! God is on your side and we are, both rooting for you! Have a blessed day! Today's Word from the Lord was received in September 2025 by a member of my Catholic Charismatic Prayer Group. If you have any questions about the prayer group, these words, or how to join us for a meeting, please email CatholicCharismaticPrayerGroup@gmail.com. Today's Word from the Lord is, “Stay the course. Be strong in my name. Pray for those who have been deceived. Offer your day to the fallen. Be my intercessors.” 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

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 could get on a plane and go back home.  Go home without seeing my family, without a way of telling them what is going on, without seeing my niece being baptized.  I was heartbroken, and so was Joanie.   Even though we were heartbroken, do you know what I told Joanie?  It's not too late.  We are not back in America yet.  We don't have a new ticket yet.  We can't give up.  Yes, we had done all we could humanly do to help ourselves, but God is the God of the impossible, and He is a way maker.  He makes a way where there is no way.  I had a chat with God.  I told Him that I appreciated all He had done for us that day.  I told him how extremely grateful I was that He saved Charlize and that I got to be her Godmother.  I let Him know that if he wanted us to get on a plane and go back to America, then we would obey.  I also told Him that I knew it wasn't too late for Him to fix this.  I told Him I wasn't giving up on the idea that we would make it to the baptism.  I told Him that I loved Him, that He is amazing, and that whatever He wanted in that moment was what we wanted.  I said, Lord, we believe, help our unbelief.  Then I prayed in the Spirit because, honestly, I had no idea what to pray for or what to say.  I had no idea how the situation could be fixed, but I knew the Holy Spirit could convey the messages in my heart much better than I could.  We sat there for about 20 minutes just waiting for someone from the airlines to come and get us so we could go back home.  Then, all of a sudden, the man from passport control walked over, and he said they worked it out and they were going to let us go into the country.  He said we were very lucky as they never do this, but they will make this one exception.  He was surprised.  I told him it wasn't luck, it was the power of prayer.  I tell you, I have never been so excited to see my brother-in-law as I was that day walking through those passport control doors.   God is so good!  He really is.  If you are listening to this podcast, then I know you already know this, but we should say it again and again.  We should say it often because He really is that good.  We don't just say He is the WayMaker, or the God of the Impossible, because it sounds good or because they are cool names.  We say it because it is who God is.  He really does make the impossible possible.  He makes a way where there isn't one.  There was no logical reason why they let me through that night.  We should have been put on a plane and sent back to America, and yet that was not what God wanted, so He made a way for us to stay.  I know you have seen similar things like this in your life.  If you haven't, I don't think it's because they aren't happening; I think it's because you aren't looking for them.  God is working in every detail of our lives.  If we want to see Him working in our lives more, all we need to do is open our eyes more and look for Him.   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

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 path we want to be on. When we feel like we want to be free of something and yet we don't think we can, we can't see a way to give it up. We can call on the Holy Spirit. We can ask the Holy Spirit to take away the desire for this thing. We can ask the Holy Spirit to come and give us strength. We can say, “Come, Holy Spirit, come.” The enemy wants us to think we don't have a choice. He wants us to think we can't do the hard thing. We can't give up drinking. We can't give up the drugs, the affairs, the food. The devil is a liar. Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” It doesn't say some things, and it says all things. You can do all things because you have the mighty power of Jesus living inside of you. All you have to do is call upon that power. So, this Lenten season, let's remember that we are no longer slaves to our desires. Whatever you gave up for lent, it may seem like it is going to be a long 40 days. You might be thinking about it and thinking there is no way you make it 40 days without that thing. If so, remember that you are not dominated by anything. You are a free son or daughter of Christ and of the one true God. You can do anything with Christ! You have been set free! Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless all those listening to this episode today. Lord, you are truly amazing. We are so grateful you sent your son to set us free. We owe you a debt we could never pay, so we offer you these 40 days as a small token of our love for you. Please help us through these next 40 days. We ask that you help us every day. Lord, remind us when we forget that nothing will dominate us. Remind us when we forget that we do not have to accept the yoke of slavery. Remind us of your love and mercy each time we forget. We love you so much, and 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. I look forward to seeing you again tomorrow. If you are interested in receiving my monthly newsletter so you can be the first to know what is going on or when I am planning an event, please click on the link below or go to my website, walkboldlywithjesus.com. Remember, Jesus loves you, and so do I! Have a blessed day! Today's Word from the Lord is, “Be not afraid to say yes to the Lord. When the Lord calls, He equips. He will give you everything necessary to fulfill what He asks of you. Be bold. Do not fear to answer the Lord. He loves you, and He will take care of you. You are His children, and He is your God, so go in boldness and answer the Lord's call.” 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

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, made bad choices, or turned away from the Lord.   The Lord is our father, and he is always there waiting with open arms, ready for us to turn back to him.  Nothing makes him happier than when one of his lost sheep finds their way back home to him.  In Luke 15:3-6, Jesus tells this parable: “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn't he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.'  I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.” I love this passage for a couple of reasons.  First, I love the imagery of God leaving the 99 to come after me.  He does not just let me wander away, but he comes to find me and guide me back home again.  Another reason I love this passage is that it says that He will rejoice more over the one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.  If you are living your life righteously and you have no need to repent, I admire you.  That is not easy, and it takes a lot of courage, especially in this day and age.  However, if you are one who has turned away, or if you find yourself in the same boat with St. Paul, where you keep doing the things you don't want to do and struggle to do the things you want to do, I hope you find comfort in this passage.  “There will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.”  Is that one repentant sinner going to be you?  Is there some area of your life where you need to repent and turn back to the Lord?  I can already hear the rejoicing in heaven. Dear Heavenly Father, I ask that you help us see in our lives where we could repent.  Father, I ask that you shine a light on any darkness inside of us.  We want your light to fill that space.  I pray that you will put a love and desire for scripture inside our hearts.  I pray that you help us to do what is right and help us to overcome the urges to do what is wrong.  Lord, that is not easy, and we cannot do it without your help.  Lord, we love you, and we thank you for all you do for us.  We want to repent and turn back to you. Please just show us the way.  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. I look forward to spending time with you tomorrow. 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

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 are a child of Satan, and you are going to Hell.  That is not the case.  It does not say that if you want to go to heaven, you can't sin.  It is not talking about your salvation in any way.  We are all born with a sinful nature.  Ever since sin entered the world, it has plagued us.  Sin entered the world because of Satan.  He brought it here, and when we sin, it is because of His influence.  It is because we are allowing his influence to shape our behaviors.  We are cooperating with him.  However, the ending of this verse says, “The Son of God was revealed for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.”  This means that although we were born with original sin and a sinful nature, Jesus was sent to destroy that.  If you have been baptized, you have received the Holy Spirit living inside of you. Even though we have the Holy Spirit living inside of us, we also have Satan trying to influence our behaviors, trying to get us to go against what God says.  One example I found in one of the articles talked about Matthew 16:23 when Jesus said to Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan!” He was revealing the source of Peter's rebuke of Christ by which Peter demonstrated that he was representing Satan's purpose, not God's. I pray these explanations clear up some of the confusion surrounding this verse.  The verse is not saying you will go to hell if you sin.  It does not mean you belong to Satan if you sin.  It is saying that while you are sinning, you are under the influence of Satan.  It is a good reminder, as sometimes we can write off little sins.  We can say that it wasn't so bad.  We can question, is that really a sin, does it really matter?  I think when we read this verse, it can speak to those situations.  If you are sinning, you are cooperating with the enemy.  Does it matter if it is a little cooperation or a lot of cooperation? Let me ask you this question.  If one of your loved ones was being influenced by someone who was sent here to steal, kill, and destroy, would it matter to you that they were only being influenced a little?  God cares deeply about even our smallest decisions.  Instead of being offended by this verse, let's take it as a warning to try harder not to be influenced by the devil.   Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless all those who are listening to this episode today.  Lord, we want to follow your ways. Please help us.  We want to only be influenced by you.  Please help shield us from the influence of the enemy.  Please help us put on your armor, Lord.  Lord, I ask you to help each one of us understand what this verse is saying, and I ask that if we don't understand it, you will inspire us to go deeper.  Lord, we want to understand your Word.  We thank you for your word and thank you for giving it to us.  You are truly remarkable.  We love you, Lord, and we ask all of this in accordance with your will and in Jesus' holy name, Amen! Thank you for joining me on this journey to walk boldly with Jesus.  I look forward to meeting you here again tomorrow.  I just want to remind all of you that if you haven't gotten a chance to check out my book yet, I invite you to do so.  Or if you have checked it out, I invite you to leave a review on Amazon or suggest it to a friend.  If you didn't know, I wrote a book; you can find it on Amazon.  It is called Total Trust in God's Safe Embrace. Thank you to all of you who have already purchased it. I truly appreciate it!  Remember, Jesus loves you, and so do I.  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

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 great imagery.  I love to picture a teacup, as we grew up drinking tea in my family.  Although I don't picture a regular tea cup, the image I am getting is an English fancy tea cup from a china set.  The tea is being poured into it with a steady stream and the cup is overflowing and running all over the table and even onto the floor.  This is how many blessings God has for you. He wants to rain down blessings upon blessings on all of His children.  Sometimes we get in the way of God's blessings.  Sometimes we don't appreciate the blessings that we have so why would God give us more?  Sometimes we find ourselves complaining about all that is going on in our lives instead of praising God and giving thanksgiving.  God has ridiculous blessings for you.  All you have to do is believe that and then praise God for any blessings, even if they are small.  If you can be faithful to the small He will increase your blessings.  He is a good, good Father! The ending of this verse is beautiful.  “Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever.”  We had this word pursue the other day.  I love that word.  This verse is saying that God's goodness and unfailing love will pursue us all the days of our lives.  Isn't that wonderful?  We don't have to chase after God, because He is already chasing after us.  All we have to do is let ourselves be caught by God's goodness and unfailing love.  Unfailing love is not like any love we can find here on earth.  It is an incredible love that knows no limits, that knows no boundaries.  God's love never leaves us.  No matter how much we may try to run from it.  No matter how much we try to reject it or send it back.  No matter how much we might mess up.  God's unfailing love will pursue you every single day of your life.  How incredible is that?   And the very last part of the verse says, “I will live in the house of the Lord forever.”  Yes, please!  I want to live in the house of the Lord forever. I think we all do.  It is so amazing to me that God has an open-door policy to heaven.  All are welcome.  Come as you are, in your broken and wounded state.  You do not have to earn your way, you don't have to do anything to get there.  Jesus has earned you your right to be there.  All you have to do is surrender to God and let Him help you, let Him give you the strength to follow Him.  Following God is not always an easy road but it is a rewarding road and one that leads to spending eternity living in the house of the Lord.   Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless all those listening today.  Lord, we thank you for loving us like you do.  We thank you for preparing us for a feast in the presence of our enemies.  We thank you for the ridiculous blessings you want to give us and we are sorry if we get in your way of doing that.  We thank you for making us priests, prophets, and kings and we ask for your help in discovering what that means for each one of us and how we can incorporate that anointing into our lives.  We love you Lord and we can't wait to live in your house forever!  We ask all of this in accordance with your will and in Jesus' holy name, Amen! Thank you so much for joining me on this journey to walk boldly with Jesus.  I look forward to bringing you another witness tomorrow.  It will be an update from my friend Bruce. I have shared his story at least twice, and we have a new update coming tomorrow. Mentoring is tonight, so email me if you would like to check it out! Remember, Jesus loves you, and so do I!  Have a blessed day, and may the favor and grace of our Lord Jesus be upon you! Today's Word from the Lord was received in April 2024 by a member of my Catholic Charismatic Prayer Group. If you have any questions about the prayer group, these words, or how to join us for a meeting, please email CatholicCharismaticPrayerGroup@gmail.com. Today's Word from the Lord is, “Trust me. I know what I'm doing. I know that sometimes trust is like pulling yourself through an eye of a needle. Those are the times when you need to trust the most. Because that's when I loom the largest. I love you, my children. Trust me.” 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

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, especially with this being Thanksgiving week, for all the healing that God is doing in our world. I am grateful for all the miraculous ways He provides and protects His children. Thank you, Lord! I am also grateful for each and every one of you who gives your time to listen to this podcast. It truly means the world to me that I get to spend each morning with you. I pray for those of you in America that you have an amazing Thanksgiving weekend. For those of you not in America, I pray you have an amazing weekend, too! I look forward to meeting you here again tomorrow. Remember, Jesus loves you just as you are, and so do I! 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

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 am also in awe, sometimes thinking about how much God loves us.  It amazes me how He can be all these things for us, for each and every one of us.  Understanding that His staff is our guide, rescue, and rest, and that his rod is our protection and love helps me understand why we should have no fear.  We don't need fear when we realize all that He has already done for us.  We don't need to fear when he is there to protect us, guide us, and rescue us.  He has got us. We can rest in the knowledge that His staff and His rod are enough for us.  They are more than enough for us.   “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.”  Is it any different hearing that verse again after hearing the description of the rod and the staff?  Does it make you want to trust in the Lord more?  Does it help you fear a little less?  I hope that it has helped.  I hope that we can all get to a place where we don't have so much fear.  It is so freeing when you can let go of your fears and learn to lean into and trust God.  You won't regret it.  I will leave you with Matthew 6:27 to think about.  “Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” Dear Heavenly Father, I ask that you bless all those listening to this episode today.  Lord, we ask that you help us to have no fear in times of trouble.  We ask that you help us to feel loved.  Lord, I ask that you help all those who are feeling anxious or worried today and every day.  Help them to hand their worry over to you and not take it back again.  We thank you, Lord, for guiding us through our lives.  We thank you for protecting us and for being our place of rest.  Lord, we thank you for rescuing us every single time we need you to.  You are the best!  We love you, Lord, and we ask all of this in accordance with your will and in Jesus' holy name, Amen.   Thank you so much for joining me on this journey to walk boldly with Jesus. I look forward to meeting you here again tomorrow. Remember, Jesus loves you just as you are, and so do I! Have a blessed day, and may the grace and favor of our Lord Jesus Christ be upon you! Today's Word from the Lord was received in April 2024 by a member of my Catholic Charismatic Prayer Group. If you have any questions about the prayer group, these words, or how to join us for a meeting, please email CatholicCharismaticPrayerGroup@gmail.com. Today's Word from the Lord is, “Trust me. I am worthy of your trust. I gave all for you because I loved you. I do not abandon my children. Whatever comes your way, remember I'm there.” 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/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, my heart felt so full. I am not going to ask the Lord when anymore. I am going to put my full trust in the fact that those healings are coming, and I am going to plan what I will do when they do come. How will I celebrate with the individual people? How will I give the glory to God? How can I lift up and support those I know who are suffering while they are waiting for their miracle? How can I give them strength? How can I accompany them so they are not alone? I am going to change my questions! If you can change your questions, I think it will make the wait more bearable. If you can go all in on believing your miracle is on the way, then it might make the wait a bit easier. However, even if you can't shift your mindset. Even if you are still angry with God, that is okay. Just make sure to talk with Him about it. Don't shut Him out. Don't be afraid to be honest with Him. He already knows your feelings, probably before you even do. If you still need to ask why, that's ok. You are in good company, as many of those in the Bible asked why. Many questioned, doubted, and struggled with God's plan, yet God did not withdraw His favor from them. He did not take away His good plan or their good future. He will not take away yours either. Your miracle will still come, even if you question, even if you get frustrated and angry. Just don't shut God out. He is there with you in all of this. He hears your prayers, and He is working all things for your good! Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless all those listening to this episode today. Lord, you are amazing. You are so good, and I am sorry when we get frustrated and angry because you are not doing things in our timing. Lord, we want to trust you, we want to believe our miracle is coming, and yet it feels so hard at times. Our life feels so far from our dreams at times. Help us to persevere. Give us the strength we need to keep on hoping and believing. We love you, Lord, and we ask all 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 love this podcast and you have not left a review of it, can I ask you to do that today? Reviews help the podcast be seen by more people. They help people find the podcast more easily. Thanks so much for your help! I look forward to seeing you again tomorrow. Remember, Jesus loves you just as you are, and so do I. God is on your side, and we are both rooting for you! Have a blessed day! Today's Word from the Lord was received in September 2025 by a member of my Catholic Charismatic Prayer Group. If you have any questions about the prayer group, these words, or how to join us for a meeting, please email CatholicCharismaticPrayerGroup@gmail.com. Today's Word from the Lord is, “The ox knows his master. The donkey, its owner. But my people do not know me, says the Lord.” 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

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 we just can't anymore. We need someone else to keep hoping for us when we are losing hope. Sometimes hope can be painful. It can hurt to keep hoping for something good, and yet we never see it. It is hard to hope for a husband when you don't have a boyfriend. It can be hard to hope for a healing when you just seem to be getting worse and worse. It can be hard to hope for provisions when your bills keep piling up.Hope take vulnerabitlity. Hope is believing in something that you can not see, and this is not easy when what you do see is overwhelming. It is not easy to have hope when you feel like the waves keep knocking you over. This is when it is important to have a community around you. Get involved in a Bible study or something else at your church. Or, if you can't get out of your house, find an online community. I am in two prayer groups, one at 6:30 on Wednesday morning and one at 10:00 on Thursday mornings. Both are on zoom and both are filled with powerful prayer warriors who would be happy to pray with you. I also have a Walk Boldly With Jesus Facebook group where wonderful people would be happy to pray for you.If you don't have a community and don't want to find one, at least find one person who can be your prayer partner. Someone who can hold you in prayer and who can hold onto that hope for you. Also, you can pray for them. Sometimes, it is easier to pray for others than for your own situation, because we are too close to it. Also, praying for someone else will give you a sense of purpose and, at least while you are praying, distract you from your troubles. I would like to challenge each of you to check out a Bible Study or a prayer group, or to find at least one person and ask them to be your prayer partner. We were not meant to do life on our own. God built us for community.Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless all those listening to this episode. Lord, we thank you so much for Your Word above. We thank you for restoring us and healing us. We thank you that you love us so much that you meet us where we are, but then you don't let us stay there; you lift us up. Lord, we ask for that restoration and healing you promised above. We ask for the strength and perseverance to wait for it as we are growing weary, Lord. Help us to hang in there. Lord, I ask that you help each person listening find their community. Help them to find a prayer partner. Help them to not feel so alone. Bring the perfect person into their life, Lord! We love you, and we ask 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 would like more info on either prayer group I mentioned earlier, please reach out. Also, if you are looking for a community, I invite you to join my mentoring community. We meet on Tuesday nights at 8 PM. There is a link for it in the show notes if you would like to join us. I look forward to meeting you here again tomorrow. Remember, Jesus loves you, and so do I! Have a blessed day!Today's Word from the Lord was received in September 2025 by a member of my Catholic Charismatic Prayer Group. If you have any questions about the prayer group, these words, or how to join us for a meeting, please email CatholicCharismaticPrayerGroup@gmail.com. Today's Word from the Lord is, “There are Jerichos in your life, in your family, in your ministry, in your neighborhood, in your world today, and in my church today. The walls will tumble. Obey me—Intercede for the graces that you will need. Use all the graces I have given you. My mother is at your disposal.” 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

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 because we know we are.  I love it when God gives us the answers to the questions we are asking.  If we want to know how we can experience the riches of our salvation and the joy of being loved constantly and perfectly, we need to fix our eyes on Jesus and redirect our energy to praise.  Imagine if you could feel the joy of being loved constantly and perfectly?  You can just turn your gaze to Jesus and praise Him.Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless all those listening to this episode today.  Lord, we are so grateful that you gave the ultimate sacrifice for us.  We know we don't have to earn it, and yet we still try.  Help us to stop that, Lord.  Help us to accept your love and acceptance that is freely given.  Help us to know in our inmost being that you love us no matter what, and we don't have to do anything to save ourselves.  Your grace has already saved us.  Help us accept your grace, Lord, and use it to praise you!  We love you, Lord, you are so amazing.  You are the best, and we are so grateful for you.  We ask all of this in accordance with your will and in Jesus' holy name, Amen!Thank you so much for joining me on this journey to walk boldly with Jesus.  I look forward to spending time with you tomorrow.  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

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 mercy for those who don't seem to have any mercy themselves.  It is hard to pray for people who have caused you harm.  It's hard to pray for people who seem so different, who seem like they don't care about anyone or anything.  God understands that this is hard.  I believe this is why he started the verse with, “But you, beloved, build yourselves up in your most holy faith; pray in the holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in the love of God.”   Have you ever been on an airplane before?  Before you take off, the flight attendant goes over all of the safety precautions.  One of the first things that they tell you is that if the cabin air pressure drops you oxygen masks will drop down from the  ceiling.  They warn you to put your mask on before you help someone else.  Why is this so important?  This is important because if you help others first, by the time you get around to helping yourself, you may not have the energy.  I believe this is similar to what God is telling us.  He is telling us to make sure that we are taking care of ourselves.  He is telling us to build ourselves up in our faith, to pray, and keep in the love of God.  This will fortify our faith and strengthen us so that we can go out and snatch others from the fire.   If we are not keeping our faith strong, we may have great intentions to go out and to help others, and yet we find ourselves being pulled down instead.  God tells us to love others and to pray for them, but not to become like them.  This is a hard task.  It is difficult not to give in and become like others in the world today.  Especially if you are surrounded by sin in the world.  However, if you are strong in your faith, if you are praying and staying in God's love, you will have all the strength you need to resist these temptations.  The next time you are in a situation with someone that you don't agree with or that you feel is not a great person, remember that God is calling you to have mercy on them.  Instead of arguing with them, say a quick prayer for them.  The next time you pass by someone and you don't understand them or what they are doing, instead of judging them, say a quick prayer for them.  We are all going through something.  We have no idea what someone else is going through, what experiences led them to where they are.  We need less judgment in this world and more understanding and love.   Dear Heavenly Father, I ask that you bless all those listening to this episode today.  We ask that you help us to have more mercy and grace for others.  We ask that you help us to judge less and seek to understand more.  Lord, we ask that you strengthen our faith and understanding.  We ask that you help us to stay in your love, so that we may be strong enough to offer love and mercy to others.  Lord, we ask that you help us to remember in the moment that we are your ambassadors of love and mercy.  The only experience that some people will have with you, Lord, is through us; help it to be a positive experience.  Help your love and mercy to shine through us! Father, we are so grateful for all you do for us.  We love you, and we ask all of this in accordance with your will and in Jesus' holy name, Amen. 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 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. Constant and unswerving, did you hear that? That confirms just as the verse said, that God's love never leaves us. It is constant. No matter what you have done, it is still there. You wake up with loads of regret over your drunken night last night, and God's love is still there. You let down your loved ones, and you have no idea how to make it right. God's love is still there. You cheat on your spouse, God's love is still there. You fight with your kids, God's love is still there. You disobey your parents, but God's love is still there. You murder someone, God loves is still there. It is always there.Steadfast love also means fixed or unchanging, and can also refer to fixed or unmovable. It is fixed or unchanging. Do you realize what this means? It means God's love never changes. Not only does it never leave us, but it never changes. That means God doesn't love us a lot when we are doing something good and loves us just a little when we mess up. He loves us for exactly who we are 100% of the time. We have all His love all the time. He loved us before we were even born, and the level of that love has never changed. It's always there, it's always full. It's always amazing.The verse ends with, “and my covenant of peace shall not be removed, says the Lord, who has compassion on you.” This is something that I feel I could talk forever about. Yet this episode is already getting a bit long. However, I didn't want to not address it as I don't think many of us know this. God's covenant of peace shall not be removed. Did you know God made a covenant of peace with us? Did you know you have a covenant of peace with the Lord? You may wonder how this could be when you are so anxious or worried all the time. This is not the life God has planned for you. He does not want you to be worried and anxious all the time.God tells us over and over again in the Bible to have no fear. He tells us He is our protector and our provider. Sometimes we can block that peace when we forget to turn to the Lord. Or when we focus so much on how big our problem is that we forget how big our God is. If we want the peace God has for us, then all we have to do is look for it. This verse said that his covenant of peace never leaves. It's always there; we just forget sometimes. Or, we just can't see it. If we look for peace, we will find it.The very last thing the verse says is that the Lord has compassion for us. It is important that each one of us hears that. God has compassion for you. He is not judging you. He is not just waiting for you to screw up. He is not expecting you to screw up. He is not just waiting to punish you. God is rooting for you. He is on your side. He has compassion for you. He sees you. He sees you doing all you can to change. He knows your heart. He knows you. He sees you in ways you don't see. Here me when I say, “God has compassion for you! He has a covenant of peace and steadfast love for you! He is rooting for you, and He is on your side!”Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless each person listening to this episode. Lord, we want to experience your steadfast love. Please help us. Please help heal and renew our hearts so we can accept the love and peace that you have for us. If there is anything we are doing to block that love or peace, please help us to realize it and to stop doing it. Help us to understand that you are for us, you are rooting for us, and you love us. 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're ready to stop living your faith cautiously and start walking boldly with Jesus, I want to invite you into my Christian mentoring community. This is a space for women who love God but feel stuck, unsure, or tired of repeating the same patterns. Together we grow in confidence, learn to hear God's voice, build strong spiritual habits, and step into who we truly are in Christ. If you're ready to renew your faith and live with boldness through the power of the Holy Spirit, I'd love to walk with you. There is a link for mentoring in the show notes. I look forward to meeting with you again tomorrow. Remember, Jesus loves you just asyou are, and so do I! God is on your side, and we are both rooting for you, always! Have a blessed day!Today's Word from the Lord was received in September 2025 by a member of my Catholic Charismatic Prayer Group. If you have any questions about the prayer group, these words, or how to join us for a meeting, please email CatholicCharismaticPrayerGroup@gmail.com. Today's Word from the Lord is, “I have an image of the walls of Jericho, showing how the army marched around the walls of Jericho. And the Lord is saying, “You are the army that will walk around the walls of Jericho and break them down, and the enemy will be defeated. It is through prayer, through love. Because remember, I am love.” 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

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 catherine@findingtruenorthcoaching.com 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 from them, and it is hard to see why He doesn't. However, if we really think about it, we will see how it would not do us any good if He saved us from everything. I know you may have suffered a terrible affliction, the loss of a child, spouse, sibling, parent, or friend. I know it doesn't make sense. I am not going to pretend to have all the answers, and I don't know if I buy that everything happens for a reason. However, I do believe that God can use all things for our good. When I don't understand what is going on. When I am stuck in the middle of a situation, and things look dark, I hold onto that promise. I talk to God about how much I can't wait for him to use this awful situation for good. Even though I can't see a way where he can, I know He can because there is nothing He can't do! The Lord will rescue you!Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless all those listening to this episode today. Lord, we ask you to help us turn to you in our afflictions. We ask you to rescue us, Lord, just as it says in this verse. Lord, it is hard to keep waiting for your rescue, especially when it is taking so long. We thank you for all that you do for us, and we are sorry if we get impatient while we wait. We ask for strength and perseverance to make it through all the afflictions that we have to go through. We ask for peace as well, Lord! We love you, and 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 today's episode spoke to you, and you've been carrying hurt, resentment, or just feeling tired of holding everything together, I want you to know you don't have to walk through that alone. I host a weekly mentoring community where we slow down, seek God together, and learn how to live lighter and freer in our faith. If your heart is longing for support, healing, or simply a safe place to grow, I'd love for you to join us. You can find the link in the show notes. I look forward to meeting you here again tomorrow. Remember, Jesus loves you just as you are, and so do I. God is on your side, and we are both rooting for you! Have a blessed day.Today's Word from the Lord was received in September 2025 by a member of my Catholic Charismatic Prayer Group. If you have any questions about the prayer group, these words, or how to join us for a meeting, please email CatholicCharismaticPrayerGroup@gmail.com. Today's Word from the Lord is, “Beauty can be seen with the eyes of the heart. And when I look at each of you, my children, I see beauty. I see with eyes that see clearly, distinctly, lovingly. I see you for who you truly are. And I am pleased with who you truly are, for you resemble Jesus, my Son, your Savior.” 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

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 died, and she was praying for the Lord to bring him back to life. She knew God could do it as He had done it before, and God is the same yesterday, today, and always. (Hebrews 13:8) If you have read about God doing something amazing in Scripture, then you know He can do that today, too. Isn't that amazing! So, my friend was praying for God to bring her loved one back, but she had another family member in the room who didn't believe that was possible. She said, looking back, she wished she had asked the other loved one to wait in the hall for a bit while she prayed.You may never be praying for someone to be raised from the dead, although I hope you do someday, but that doesn't mean you won't be laughed at. This world is a crazy place right now. People might laugh just because they think it is crazy that you would believe in a “mysterious guy who lives in the sky and grants wishes.” This is something some have said to me before. Whatever it is they are laughing at you for, just remember, they laughed at Jesus, too! Also, remember how Jesus responded. He did not defend himself. He did not yell or get upset. He did not try to explain and reason with them. He just asked them to leave while he prayed, and then He let the power of God convert their hearts.This is what we are being called to do as well. God doesn't need us to defend our position. He doesn't need us to convince anyone of His Power. God is the one who does the miracles, and he is the one who changes hearts. The best way we can point people to Jesus is by loving them. I would say it is that easy, but loving people who are laughing at us is not easy. So instead, I will say it is that simple. It is not complicated. Jesus told us that if we love God with all our hearts and we love our neighbors as we love ourselves, then we will fulfill all the commandments. Simple doesn't mean easy, but it does mean that if we know what to do, we can practice it and get better and better at it. We can do this. If we want to live boldly, then we need to develop thicker skin. We need to learn that people are not rejecting us; they are rejecting Jesus, and they have been doing that since He was born. Jesus is tough. He can take it. We just need to learn not take offense and instead just love all people, even those who want to persecute us. It may not be easy, but it is definitely worth it. We will have so much more freedom when we learn not to care what others think of us and to only focus on what God thinks of what we are doing.Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless all those listening today. Lord, help us to be bold and step out in faith. Help us to be brave enough to ask those who are laughing at us to give us a few minutes alone while we pray. Help us to be strong enough to not let those who are mocking us or laughing at us derail us from the mission you have given us to walk boldly with Jesus. We love you so much, Lord, and we only want to do your will. Help us to keep our eyes focused on you! 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. I look forward to meeting you here again tomorrow. Remember if you want to learn more about not taking offense to those who mock you, or to anyone really, check out mentoring! Being Unoffendable is the theme for this month and so far it has been really good. CLICK HERE for info on mentoring. You can also get one of the two books I have read that are both amazing. One is Unoffendable by Brent Hansen and the other one is called Bait of Satan by John Bevere. I look forward to meeting you here again tomorrow, Remember, Jesus loves you just as you are, and so do I! God is on your side and we are both rooting for you! Have a blessed day!Today's Word from the Lord was received in September 2025 by a member of my Catholic Charismatic Prayer Group. If you have any questions about the prayer group, these words, or how to join us for a meeting, please email CatholicCharismaticPrayerGroup@gmail.com. Today's Word from the Lord is, “My children, I dealt with much temptation in my earthly life. You read about it in the Gospels. Think about that when you are tempted. Daily, daily, daily, you are tempted. You are tricked into following something lesser than my wonderful word, than my wonderful love, than my forgiveness, my compassion. But I let these temptations come upon you to exercise you, so that you're turning back to me in faith, your turning back to me in asking for my help, strengthens you, strengthens your love, and your ability to follow me in your human life. They are actually graces, although I know you don't like them. But I ask you to bear with them and to turn quickly to me, for I am ever ready, ever ready to be at your side.” 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

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 would consciously say to myself, “God's got this. God uses all things for good. I don't know how things will change. I don't know when things will change. But I know that God is a good, good father, and He is in control of this situation. When I ask, he answers, and I have asked plenty, so all is good.” This may sound too simple, but I assure you it works. If you change your story, you change your feelings.Sometimes things can be simple but not easy. This is one of those things. It is a simple concept to change your story, but it is not a simple practice. Most of our thoughts are subconscious. We don't know we are thinking them, we just feel the emotion. If you want to take control of your feelings, you have to stop when you get angry, worried, anxious, or scared and ask, “What am I telling myself right now?” It takes time to learn to do this, but I promise you it is a game-changer once you do. Imagine how much more peace you would have if you could release all the anger, fear, and anxiety you have by changing the story you are telling yourself.In case you want another example of something really hard that I was able to go through without fear, let me share one more with you. When my son was 16 years old, he overdosed a few times. Eventually, he had to go into rehab and miss his whole Junior year of high school. It would have been easy to be scared for his future. It would have been easy to go down the fear path of all the what-ifs. I can honestly tell you that I was at peace with it all. Now, that doesn't mean I wasn't sad, and I didn't miss him. It does mean that I wasn't full of fear, and I didn't ask myself any “what-ifs.” I knew with 100% certainty that God was in this whole situation and that even though I didn't know how or when this situation would end, I knew it would end. I know God would use it for good. That this was not the end of my son's story. I knew my son would have an amazing testimony whenever he made it through all of this.Jesus told a man who thought his daughter had just died not to be afraid, but to believe. He is telling you and me that, too. He is telling us that things aren't what they seem, and we just need to believe, even if it makes no sense to believe. God can do amazing things. He can do things that we can't even imagine. Keep trusting. Keep believing. Hope in the Lord does not disappoint. (Romans 5:5) Change the story you are telling yourself. Change the questions you ask. Instead of all the bad what-ifs. What if he dies? What if his life is ruined? What if he is never the same? Change it to What if God saves him? What if God delivers him from this addiction? What if he is healed? What if my spouse comes home? How could changing the story you are telling yourself, and changing the what-ifs from negative questions to positive ones, change your life?Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless all those listening to this episode today. Lord, you are amazing. You are so good, and we want to have no fear and to believe. Please help us! Help us to change our stories. Help us to take captive our thoughts. Please help us to remember that you are all-powerful and you use all things for our good. We love you, Lord, and we ask 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. I am surprised at where the Holy Spirit took me this morning with this devotional, as it was not the topic I thought I would be teaching about. However, I know there was a reason, and one of you really needed to hear this message today. Someone needed to know that they can take control of the feelings they have been having. I look forward to meeting you here again on Monday. Remember, Jesus loves you just as you are, and so do I! God is on your side and we are both rooting for you! Have a blessed day!Today's Word from the Lord was received in September 2025 by a member of my Catholic Charismatic Prayer Group. If you have any questions about the prayer group, these words, or how to join us for a meeting, please email CatholicCharismaticPrayerGroup@gmail.com. Today's Word from the Lord is, “Arise, arise, arise. You are my shining lights. Fear not. Even in this present darkness, you have nothing to fear as you align with me and my good plans for you, your family, and your nation. Arise and shine, my beloved ones.”  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

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 learning more about how to go through life being Unoffendable, I invite you to join the mentoring this month. I will be exploring the main concepts of the book Unoffendable by Brent Hansen. It is a really good book that explains how much more peace and freedom we will have in our lives when we learn how to be unoffendable. CLICK HERE to check out mentoring. It is just $25 a month if you join this week. I look forward to meeting you here again tomorrow. Remember, Jesus loves you just as you are, and so do I! God is on your side, and we are both rooting for you, always! Have a blessed day.Today's Word from the Lord was received in September 2025 by a member of my Catholic Charismatic Prayer Group. If you have any questions about the prayer group, these words, or how to join us for a meeting, please email CatholicCharismaticPrayerGroup@gmail.com. Today's Word from the Lord is, “Sometimes I have to remind you because I see you slipping, and I won't allow you to fall. I will steady you. I will return your balance to you. When the world is encroaching, when the world is pressing in on you, I'm right there. I'm right there.”  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

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 catherine@findingtruenorthcoaching.com 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 you go back to the Lord over and over again, and you keep asking for the thing that you want or the thing that you need. Sometimes, it can mean that you ask others to pray with you, and you all keep asking the Lord over and over again until He answers your prayers. God is telling us to be persistent, and I believe he rewards our persistence.The final part of this verse says, “and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever. Amen.” God is the one who deserves all the Glory. When we pray, and people are healed, it is thanks be to God. All we did was ask. He did all the hard work. When we ask to forgive others, we make a choice, and then God comes in and changes our hearts. God is our protector, our provider, our healer, and the one who deserves all the Glory. If we ever feel like we don't have any reason to praise the Lord, we can remember what He did for us. We can think about how He gave His only son to die on a cross to save us. Think about how hard that must have been. That in itself, even if He did nothing else for us, would have been enough. God is so good, and He deserves all the glory and praise!Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless everyone who is listening to this episode today. Lord, you are amazing, and we are so grateful you came up with a plan to save us. We are grateful that you sent Jesus here to die for our sins so we could be reconciled with you. We are sorry that we don't think of this often enough. We ask that you continue to help us see all the reasons we have to praise you and to give you all the glory. We love you, Lord, we really do! We ask 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. Tomorrow night, I will start a new theme for Mentoring. If you have been thinking about joining, I encourage you to join today! The theme for this month is focused on anger and forgiveness. These topics are near and dear to my heart, and I think we underestimate how important they are. I hope you will consider joining me. Remember, Jesus loves you just as you are, and so do I! God is on your side and we are both rooting for you! Have a blessed day!Today's Word from the Lord was received in September 2025 by a member of my Catholic Charismatic Prayer Group. If you have any questions about the prayer group, these words, or how to join us for a meeting, please email CatholicCharismaticPrayerGroup@gmail.com. Today's Word from the Lord is, “Would any of you forsake your children? I don't think so. And I will never forsake you or the mission you have been given through my father, myself, and the Holy Spirit. You each have a mission. And I will help you complete your mission.” 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 #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, you led the people whom you redeemed;     you guided them by your strength to your holy abode.These verses are great because they show the Lord that they know how amazing He is. They are showing the Lord that they know that there is none greater than the Lord. In the time they lived, there were other gods that people prayed to and worshiped, and so the Israelites were letting God know that they know He is the one true God. That no one and nothing compares to Him. I also love that the last verse in this section reminds us that God's love is a steadfast love. Steadfast means firmly loyal or constant; unswerving. That is God's love for you. His love is firmly loyal, constant, and unswerving. We might think when we do something wrong, God stops loving us, or that he loves us less than he did. This is not true. He may not like what you did, but His love for you is steadfast. It does not change. It is constant, even if you don't return His love. Even if you turn away from Him or reject Him. His love is still always right there. It doesn't go anywhere, and this verse is a good reminder of that.
14 The peoples heard, they trembled;     pangs seized the inhabitants of Philistia.
15 Then the chiefs of Edom were dismayed;     trembling seized the leaders of Moab;     all the inhabitants of Canaan melted away.
16 Terror and dread fell upon them;     by the might of your arm, they became still as a stone
until your people, O Lord, passed by,     until the people whom you acquired passed by.These verses show us that when we allow God to save us. When we call out to the Lord, He saves us, and we tell people about it, they learn about the power of God as well. The Israelites had many enemies all throughout the ages. Had they been traveling from Egypt on their own, they may have been attacked by many other nations. However, all the land heard about their God and how he had parted the Red Sea so that they could pass by, and then had released the waters when their enemy tried to cross the waters on dry ground.Sometimes you will have enemies that know God is on your side, and they won't engage. They might try to hurt you in a roundabout way, but they won't come straight at you because they know how powerful God is. It says in these verses that their enemies trembled. They were dismayed, and terror and dread fell upon them. Isn't it amazing what God can do when we let Him?
17 You brought them in and planted them on the mountain of your own possession,     the place, O Lord, that you made your abode,     the sanctuary, O Lord, that your hands have established.
18 The Lord will reign forever and ever.”19 When the horses of Pharaoh with his chariots and his chariot drivers went into the sea, the Lord brought back the waters of the sea upon them; but the Israelites walked through the sea on dry ground.It ends by restating what God did for them and to their enemies. It is proclaiming for all to hear that God is the reason they are alive. God is the one who brought them safely through the Red Sea. He allowed them to walk through on dry ground and yet brought back the waters of the sea upon the enemy.God can do this for you, too. Whatever your struggle is, turn it over to the Lord, and he will help you through it. While you are in it, praise the Lord. The more we praise the Lord, the more our lives will change. I know that may seem like a crazy statement. You may wonder how praise and worship can change your life. However, since we are almost to the end of our praise series, I pray that you don't wonder how your life will be changed. I pray that you have seen over the course of this series that praise and worship are capable of changing your life in the best kind of ways. I love you, and I am rooting for you!Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless all those listening to this episode today. Lord, I want to thank you for helping us through this praise series. I want to thank you for all the scriptures you have given me and for all the help you have given me in writing each devotional. Lord, we want to turn to you. Why is it so hard? We want to praise you in the good times and the bad. We just get distracted with all that is going on. We get overwhelmed, especially if we have been in this situation for a long time. Please help us avoid feeling overwhelmed. Help us to not feel hopeless in our situation. Remind us of your goodness and your steadfast love, Lord! We ask all of this in accordance of your will and in Jesus's holy name, Amen!Thank you so much for joining me on this journey to walk boldly with Jesus. I look forward to meeting you here again on Monday. Remember, Jesus loves you just as you are, and so do I!. God is on your side, and we are both rooting for you, always! Have a blessed day.Today's Word from the Lord was received in September 2025 by a member of my Catholic Charismatic Prayer Group. If you have any questions about the prayer group, these words, or how to join us for a meeting, please email CatholicCharismaticPrayerGroup@gmail.com. Today's Word from the Lord is, “I know each struggle that you have, but remember, your struggles are the refiner's fire. Don't let those struggles drown you. They are a passageway to a better future. They are the path that I have laid before you. The path will always have obstacles, but don't let them take you down. Remember, I'm there. I lift you up. ” 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

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 know what else to do, might I suggest worship? It seemed to work for Gideon; it could work for you, too!I am not sure if you know this story, so let me go on to explain what happened.  The verse says, “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!'”These 300 soldiers were going into battle against an enemy with so many soldiers they couldn't be counted, and instead of putting swords and shields in their hands, Gideon put trumpets and jars with torches in them. This is the amazing thing about letting God fight your battles: He rarely does what you think He will do. 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.God is not asking you to fight your battle alone. He is not asking you to figure out how to win the battle on your own. God is calling you to trust Him. He is calling you to invite Him into your struggle and then to listen to Him when He asks you to do something. God will solve your problem in ways you can't even imagine. I know you can't see a way out, and that is ok, you don't have to. God can make a way out. Do you think those soldiers had any idea that all they had to do to win the war was to blow on a trumpet, smash a jar, and shout “For the Lord and for Gideon!” I am sure they probably thought the plan was crazy, and yet this plan saved them from having to fight at all.God can do the same in your life. He can cure your disease without you doing anything. He can solve your problem in ways you can't even conceive. God is calling us to praise and worship, and he will do the rest. If you are like me, you have been trying to solve your own problems and those of everyone around you for far too long. How has that been going? Why not give God a shot? I guarantee he can do better than we can.Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless all those listening to this episode today.  Lord, we want to trust you. We want to push past our fear and do the thing you are calling us to do. Please help us. Lord, help us trust you and help us turn our battles over to you. Your plan is better than our plan. Please help us release all the control and hand it over to you. We love you, and we ask this in the mighty name of Jesus. AmenThank you so much for joining me on this journey to walk boldly with Jesus! I look forward to meeting you here again tomorrow. Remember, Jesus loves you just as you are, and so do I. God is on your side, and we are both rooting for you—always. Have a blessed day.Today's Word from the Lord was received in September 2025 by a member of my Catholic Charismatic Prayer Group. If you have any questions about the prayer group, these words, or how to join us for a meeting, please email CatholicCharismaticPrayerGroup@gmail.com. Today's Word from the Lord is, “I have chosen you. I have anointed each one of you. Never, never forget that. You did not just wander here. You were led here. You are my children, my anointed children, my chosen children. Always, we will be together. We will walk together. We will decide together. Remain in my love.” 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

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 catherine@findingtruenorthcoaching.com 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 adore you, and we glorify you.” You can say whatever it is you think about the Lord.My homework for you today is to stop and think about 5 things you can say to the Lord to praise Him. What is it you think of Him? What do you know to be true about Him? Once you have these 5 things, you can have fewer or more; I just randomly decided on 5. Once you have these, then I want you to say them every single day to the Lord. It doesn't matter when you say them, but try to say them every day and watch how your life changes. Watch how your trust in the Lord begins to grow because you are reminding yourself every day how amazing He is. If you have to ask the Lord for something, start with these few praise statements and then ask Him. Watch to see if there is any difference in the number of answered prayers, or in the way they are answered.This is just one tiny way to add more praise into your life without going overboard or taking up a lot of extra time. Just give it a try. What have you got to lose? What could you gain? Trust me, more praise and worship in your life is exactly what you need right now. I know I may not know you, but I know this is what we all need right now. We need to replace the worry and anxiety of this world with praise and worship, and we then watch our lives feel a bit easier.Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless all those listening today. Lord, I ask you to show them the power of praise and worship. I ask that you bless them with graces when they are praising you. I ask that you open their eyes to the ways that praise and worship are changing their lives. Help us to see with your eyes, Lord. Help us to notice more of you in our lives. We love you, Lord, and 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 know there's more to your faith than routine and rules, I'd love to stay connected with you. You can join my email list to receive scripture-rooted encouragement and reflections to help you walk boldly with Jesus in your everyday life. You can sign up through the link in the show notes (CLICK HERE)—I'd love to have you with us. I look forward to meeting you here again tomorrow. Remember, Jesus loves you just as you are, and so do I. God is on your side, and we are rooting for you—always. Have a blessed dayToday's Word from the Lord was received in September 2025 by a member of my Catholic Charismatic Prayer Group. If you have any questions about the prayer group, these words, or how to join us for a meeting, please email CatholicCharismaticPrayerGroup@gmail.com. Today's Word from the Lord is, “My children, you are precious to me. I took each of you with me to the cross. You were there with me that day, each of you.” 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 #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 hope none of you have been swallowed by a giant fish. However, many of us have probably felt like we have plunged or were plunged into the deep end. We are lost in the depths of grief, loss, sickness, financial trouble, parenting or marriage trouble, or work issues. There are a number of things that could make us feel as though we are in the deep end and we are about to drown.Next, it says, “I have been banished from your sight.” How many of us have felt like God has abandoned us at one time or another? How many of us have felt lost and thought God couldn't find us? It goes on to say, “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.” Is this how you have been feeling? Do you feel as though you have gone as low as you can go? Not just to the bottom of the mountain, but to the bottom of the roots of the mountains. This is pretty low. And it also said seaweed was wrapped around my head. What that makes me think is that he felt like he couldn't breathe. Have you ever been so far in a pit, so completely destroyed that you felt like you couldn't really breathe? Jonah was in a really dark place, and he thought he was going to die.It even says, “When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you.” As Jonah watched the life drain out of him, He remembered the Lord. Do you see how it is never too late? I know your situation may seem dire. It may seem like it's all over. You might have doctors telling you that there is nothing they can do for you. You might have loved ones who are telling you not to get your hopes up or that things will never change. I refuse to accept that. This story, and so many others in the Bible, show us that it is NEVER too late!!Jonah acknowledges that when he turned to the Lord, the Lord answered Him. God saved him from out of the pit, even as he felt his life drain away; God still saved him! Then Jonah said, “ 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.” Jonah, even in a really difficult time, was able to turn to grateful praise and was saved by the Lord. If Jonah can turn to the Lord with grateful praise, with all that he was going through, so can you. It won't be easy, but Jesus didn't promise us easy. He did promise us salvation, and He did promise that when we ask, He will answer. So keep asking and keep looking for his answer, I am sure it is coming!Dear heavenly Father, I ask you to bless all those listening to this episode. Lord, we want to call out to you in times of trouble. We just feel so lost at times. Sometimes we feel like the water we are in is so dark and so thick that there isn't a way out. Forgive us for forgetting you are always our way out. Forgive us for forgetting that praise is one way to help get us out of difficult times. We love you, Lord, and we want to count on you. We are sorry for all the times we let ourselves believe that you had abandoned us. We know you never leave our side. Please help us to never forget this! We ask all of this in accordance with your will and in Jesus's Holy Will, Amen.Thank you so much for joining me on this journey to walk boldly with Jesus. I hope those of you who are getting hit with this snowstorm are staying inside and staying warm. I look forward to meeting you here again tomorrow. Remember, Jesus loves you just as you are, and so do I, and we are both rooting for you! Have a blessed day!Today's Word from the Lord was received in September 2025 by a member of my Catholic Charismatic Prayer Group. If you have any questions about the prayer group, these words, or how to join us for a meeting, please email CatholicCharismaticPrayerGroup@gmail.com. Today's Word from the Lord is, “There is a large set of eyes looking down on us, and the Lord says, “I see you, but do you see me? Do you really see me in your life, or only partially? I want to be fully in your life, because my eyes are full of you, always.” 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 #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 that you delight in, that was a pretty good description of how we go about doing it.  Then thinking about how I could apply that to our Lord made me smile as well.  I love our Lord.  I am sure you do too, or you wouldn't be listening to a podcast titled, “Walk Boldly With Jesus.”  Thinking about all the ways we can delight in him makes me smile and warms my heart.  Let me break down some of the things she said so we can really remember them.Spend time with Him.  This is something we talk about a lot.  However, in this context, we are not talking about it as if spending time with the Lord is one more thing on your to-do list.  Spend time with Him with the intent to delight in Him.  Set aside time for Him and then look forward to that time in the same way you would look forward to spending time with anyone or anything that you delight in.Watch the things He is doing in your life.  Take notice throughout the day of what the Lord is doing in your life.  Focus on the big and small ways that God is showing up for you each and every day.  He is there and you will notice where He is if you look for Him.  The more you look, the more you will see Him.  
“Seek, and you shall find.”We can notice who He is.  We can learn about His features and characteristics.  There are a number of ways we can do this.  If we read the Bible, we will learn a lot about who God is, who Jesus is, and who the Holy Spirit is.  Reading God's word is a great way to get to know Him.  It is also not the only way.  You can read books written by Saints, theologians, and people who have studied the Bible and history.  You can listen to podcasts or watch movies about God.  We live in an age where all the knowledge you want is right at your fingertips.  Whatever way you learn best is great.  It doesn't have to be just one way.  There is no right or wrong way to learn about the Lord.  Do what is best for you.  There are many roads all leading to the same place.Laugh at the funny moments that God brings us.  I am sure we have all had funny moments in our lives.  I am sure we have had times when we knew how things were going to go and they went horribly wrong in our eyes, and perfectly right in the Lord's eyes.  When we are no longer in that situation, we can look back on it and see how funny it actually is.  God has a great sense of humor.  The ladies at the prayer group get to witness this frequently when God gives them a vision.  Think of any of these funny times that God has given to you.  Humor in our lives is a gift.We can hold Him close, talk to Him, and listen to Him.  These are all possible.  You may be wondering how we can hold Him close when He is not physically here.  I can think of two ways.  First, if you are Catholic, then you can receive the Eucharist, and He literally couldn't be any closer to you.  Second, you can hold him close to your heart in the same way that you hold those that you have lost close to your heart.  If you have ever lost someone close to you, then you know that is not just a figure of speech.  You are literally holding those people close to your heart.  I think we all know that we can talk to Him, but do we do it?  How often do you talk to the Lord?  He is always available and ready to listen.  If you are not doing this often, maybe it is time to do it more.  You may know that you can talk to the Lord, but did you know that you can listen to Him as well?  I don't think we do this often enough.  God wants to talk to us, but how many of us give Him the time to listen?  Recognize who He is.  When I read that, I think of praising Him.  Not just recognizing that He is God, but recognizing all that entails.  Recognizing that He is the creator of all things.  He is the Lord God Almighty.  There is so much to who He is, and taking some time to explore that and to celebrate that would definitely help you delight in Him.Think about Him all throughout the day and focus on His goodness and His Love.  This is a great one to end with.  Try to turn your thoughts to Him all throughout the day.  I believe she mentioned in the article to set reminders on your phone until you are trained to do it automatically.  Also, focus on His goodness and His love.  When we focus on those two things, I don't know how we can do anything else but delight in the Lord.  God's goodness and love are so amazing.  They are unsurpassed by anything else.  If we keep these in mind, we are guaranteed to delight in Him.There is so much more in Tracy's article.  I urge you to read her full article.  (click here for article) You can click on the link in the show notes or even just Google “What does it mean to take delight in the Lord?”  Her website is workingmomsbalance.com. It was a great article, and it went into more detail than I could in this episode.  I just want to leave you with the question, “What can you do today to delight in the Lord?”Dear Heavenly Father, I ask that you bless all those who listen to this episode today.  Lord, we love you, and we want to delight in you.  Lord, help us to get to know you better and help us to spend more time with you.  Help us to notice where you are in our lives, Lord, and help us to remember all the funny things you have done.  You are amazing Lord and we are so very thankful for all that you do for us every day.  You keep showing up for us even when we aren't the best at showing up for you, and we are grateful for that, Lord.  We ask all of this in accordance with your will and in Jesus' holy name, Amen.Thank you so much for joining me to walk boldly with Jesus.  I look forward to spending time with you tomorrow.  Remember, Jesus loves you just as you are, and so do I! Have a blessed day!Today's Word from the Lord was received in August 2025 by a member of my Catholic Charismatic Prayer Group. If you have any questions about the prayer group, these words, or how to join us for a meeting, please email CatholicCharismaticPrayerGroup@gmail.com. Today's Word from the Lord is, “He's sharing another vision here. This one is for those who are on Zoom and think they're not really here. And what the Lord is showing me is that the angel that stands behind them, their guardian angel, has not disconnected from any one of our angels because there's no time and space. So those out in Zoom are still in the circle of His love as we speak, even though sometimes they feel like they're not really participating. But he's saying, No, this is not true. You're participating even more because the distance is shorter.” 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 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 one is immune to those kinds of days. When I was in the thick of it, I reminded myself that I needed to praise the Lord. Even though I didn't feel like it, I turned on praise music and looked for the words and sang along. There were some songs I had to skip because they were too sad or too upbeat. Whatever you are feeling in the moment, someone else has not only felt that way, but has also sung a song about it. You just need to find those songs.One great thing to do that I just thought of and will begin working on is to create different playlists of Christian songs. For instance, a worship list when you are so grateful for all God has done for you. Another playlist for when you are really struggling, and you need to hear songs about how this won't take you down, or how they struggled and yet came through it all. There are all types of songs out there. You just have to find the ones that resonate with you. You can find joy in the struggle if you are looking for it.Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless each person listening to this episode today. Lord, we love you, and we want to praise you. We just struggle when everything feels so heavy. Please help us to remember that even when things feel heavy, there is always something we can praise you for. Even if the only thing is what today's verse taught us, that we can find joy because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. We won't be the same afterwards, we will be stronger! Lord, we ask that you give us the strength to get through these hard times. The strength to get out of bed on the days we really don't want to. The strength to keep showing up for those who need us. The strength to keep putting one foot in front of the other until things get better!! Thank you, Lord! 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. I look forward to meeting you here again tomorrow. Remember Jesus loves you just as you are and so do I! We are both rooting for you! Have a blessed day!Today's Word from the Lord was received in August 2025 by a member of my Catholic Charismatic Prayer Group. If you have any questions about the prayer group, these words, or how to join us for a meeting, please email CatholicCharismaticPrayerGroup@gmail.com. Today's Word from the Lord is, “You think you're not enough? Don't you know how much I love you? Can you not feel my presence in many, many moments of your life? Don't fear because there's only one or two. I could use a stone if I wanted to. But I chose you.” 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

 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 harder when I said I wanted temporary custody, medical guardianship, whatever paperwork existed that would let me take her home if she ever got strong enough, or stay by her side every single day if she didn't. The club showed up in force—twenty-five Harleys rumbling into the hospital parking lot, scaring the security guards half to death until they saw the stuffed animals strapped to every bike.We turned room 432 into something that didn't look like a hospital room anymore. One of the guys brought a pink bedsheet set his old lady had bought by mistake. Another brought a tiny leather vest with “Daddy's Girl” stitched on the back. Somebody hung fairy lights. Somebody else smuggled in a puppy that definitely wasn't allowed (just for ten minutes, but Amara laughed so hard she had to go back on oxygen).Every Thursday became every day. I read her the giraffe book until we both had it memorized, then we moved on to Charlotte's Web, then Harry Potter. When her hands got too weak to hold the book, I held it for both of us. When the pain got bad, I climbed into that little bed and let her fall asleep on my chest while I hummed old Johnny Cash songs my own daughter used to love.The doctors kept shaking their heads, saying they couldn't explain it. Her scans weren't getting better, exactly—but they weren't getting worse as fast as they should have. Six months became nine. Nine became a year.On the morning of her eighth birthday, Amara woke up and said, clear as day, “Daddy, I dreamed I was running. My legs worked and everything.”I kissed the top of her fuzzy head. “Then we're gonna make that happen, baby girl.”Two weeks later the oncologist called me into his office, eyes wide, holding films up to the light like he couldn't believe what he was seeing. “The tumors in her spine… they're shrinking. I've never—” He stopped, cleared his throat. “We're seeing significant regression. I don't know how to explain it.”I knew how. It was love. Plain, stubborn, loud, tattooed love.Eighteen months after the day she asked a scary biker to be her daddy “until she died,” Amara walked out of that hospital on her own two legs, holding my hand, wearing her tiny leather vest and a grin bigger than the sky.The club threw her a welcome-home party that shook the neighborhood. There were ponies. There was a bouncy castle. There was cake the size of a Harley wheel. And when the sun went down and the firepit was roaring, Amara climbed into my lap, looked up at the stars, and whispered, “Daddy?”“Yeah, baby?”“I don't think I'm gonna die for a long time now.”I held her tight enough to feel both our hearts beating. “Good,” I said, voice cracking like an old man's should. “Because I'm just getting started being your dad.”She's fifteen now. Still cancer-free. Still calls me Daddy every single day. Still sleeps in those same pink bedsheets we took from room 432.And every Thursday, rain or shine, we ride back to Children's Hospital together—me on my Harley, her on the back holding on like she's been doing it her whole life—and we read stories to the new kids who are scared and hurting.Because some things are worth more than the years you get.I am so grateful that this man said yes to the little girl's questions and that God brought them together. I am grateful that God is in every situation and that he saved both of these people from all the loneliness they were feeling. I am grateful to God for her miraculous healing.  God is so good. He is in every situation. If you can't find the good in your situation, that just means God's not done yet. 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 #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 parents not feel so alone. To let them know they haven't failed. I do not judge other parents now, and I definitely did before I had children, and even when I was a young mom and didn't know better.I am so full of grace for others at this point in my life. When I look at a child throwing a fit in the grocery store, I do not think, “They need to get that kid under control.” I say a quick prayer for strength and peace for the parent and child. When I am brave enough, I tell my mom she is doing a great job. I have been there, I know how hard it is. When I hear about how a kid is being very disrespectful to his parents, I don't blame the parents. I have no idea what their home life is like and what they or their children are going through. I have been there. When someone cuts me off in traffic, I say a prayer to bless them because I don't know what their day has been like. Honestly, we have no idea what people are going through. I am not saying this to toot my own horn. I am saying this because I wouldn't be like this if I hadn't experienced what I have. This is why I can be grateful for the hard times. It made me who I am today. The same is true for you.I am constantly surprised when I am in a group setting, and the most put-together people share the stories of all they are going through. We all struggle, we all have our crosses to bear. We all need to give each other grace. We need to stop judging and just love each other. Realize there is probably a reason for the behavior you are seeing, and even though you don't know what it is, you can give grace because you know there is a reason.I feel like that last part was a bit of track, but that is where I felt the Holy Spirit was leading me so I went with it. Back to praise. The verse above says, “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.” Don't you want all of that? Do you want a crown of beauty instead of ashes? Do you want the oil of joy instead of mourning? How about a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair? These are possible. God has all of this for you; you just have to claim it. What would you give to not be so sad all the time? What would you give to not be in this deep, dark pit that you are in? What would you give to find some joy in your life again? I promise you all of that is possible. You have to decide you want the beauty more than the ashes, the joy more than the mourning and the praise instead of the despair.Change is hard, and you know what else is hard? Staying the same, not changing, living your entire life in the pit of despair. They are both hard. I know it may be hard for you to even get out of bed. What is one tiny thing you can do to praise God today? What is one tiny thing you can do to let God know you appreciate Him today? Again, tiny. You don't have to go from where you are now to being Suzy Sunshine. Life is a journey we are all on, and it is not linear. It has many twists and turns. It has many hills and valleys. The way to start down the road to feeling better is to take one tiny step in a different direction, any road other than the one you have been going down. Honestly, take a minute and think about it. Ask yourself the question, “What is one tiny thing I can do to praise the Lord today?” Then do that thing every day for 30 days, and let me know if you feel any better. Many of you may discount this because it seems so easy and insignificant. But I guarantee if you do one tiny thing to praise the Lord daily, you will see a difference. God rewards the faithful. Matthew 25:21 “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.'”Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless all those listening to this episode today. Lord, you are amazing, and we want to praise you. Please help us to praise you even when it is hard. Please give us the courage and the strength to begin to praise you even when we feel we can't. Please help us to find one tiny way to praise you each day. Please give us the resilience and the perseverance to keep praising every day. We love you, Lord, and 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! I pray you all have an amazing weekend! For many of us in the United States, it is a long weekend as it is a federal holiday on Monday. I pray you enjoy the day off! I look forward to meeting you here again next week! Remember, Jesus loves you just as you are, and so do I!Today's Word from the Lord was received in August 2025 by a member of my Catholic Charismatic Prayer Group. If you have any questions about the prayer group, these words, or how to join us for a meeting, please email CatholicCharismaticPrayerGroup@gmail.com. Today's Word from the Lord is, “Seek first the kingdom of God, and all else shall be added to you.”  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 #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 made the great lights— the sun to govern the day, the moon and stars to govern the night;”  Can you imagine how powerful God must be to create the whole universe.  He made the heavens, the earth, the sun, the moon, and the stars, just for us. Every time you look at the sun, the moon, or the stars, you can think of how much God loves you.  Hopefully, after hearing this verse, when you look at them, it will be a reminder to you that His love endures forever.  When you can't feel God's love or His Presence in your life, look to the sun, moon, or stars and remember His promise that His love endures forever.  “To him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt and brought Israel out from among them with a mighty hand and outstretched arm; to him who divided the Red Sea asunder and brought Israel through the midst of it, but swept Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea; to him who led his people through the wilderness;”  Imagine if God can do all of this for His people, what He will do for you.  God did not just strike down the firstborn of Egypt; He gave the Pharaoh multiple chances to let the Lord's people go.  He also told His people what to do so that their firstborn children would not be lost.  He divided the Red Sea for His people.  They felt lost; they could not see a way out with the Red Sea on one side and an army closing in on the other.  I am sure many of them felt as if God had led them to their death.  Yet, God made a way where there wasn't one.  He did not just lead them to freedom; he also destroyed their enemies, the army that was pursuing them.  God will do the same for you!  He will make a way where you don't see one.  He will make a way back from this illness, out of the family situation, out of the work situation, and out of any other situation you find yourself in, no matter how impossible it seems.  He is the Waymaker. He always finds a way.  “To him who struck down great kings, and killed mighty kings—Sihon king of the Amorites and Og king of Bashan—and gave their land as an inheritance, an inheritance to his servant Israel.”  The Lord gave His people an inheritance.  The people entering these fights did not always think they would be victorious.  Sometimes, many times, over the years, God's people were outnumbered.  They would go into battle knowing that they were not only outnumbered, but also had fewer weapons, fewer resources, fewer everything.  They definitely wouldn't have been favored to win if people were betting based on appearances.  However, what they did have was the favor of God.  That is all they needed.  No matter how hopeless your situation seems, God has the power to fix it, to save you from it, and to bring you out of it.  We just have to keep relying on Him and waiting for His time, now our time.  He has struck down kings; he can surely take care of what is in your way.  God's got you!  He will save you.“He remembered us in our low estate and freed us from our enemies. He gives food to every creature. Give thanks to the God of heaven.”  God remembers you always, not just when everything is going great, and you are high on life.  He remembers you when you are at your lowest as well.  He has freed His people from so many enemies, and He will free you, too.  If there is one thing we have learned from reviewing all these things the Lord has done for us, it is that nothing is too great for Him. There is no enemy too powerful, no situation too complicated for the Lord our God.  The verse ends with “Give thanks to the God of heaven.”  I think you will be surprised by how far the smallest amount of gratitude will get you.  The Lord has done so many incredible things, and He really loves it when we acknowledge that.  Who doesn't like to be appreciated, right?  We owe everything to the Lord.  We have no idea how many things He has saved us from throughout each day, and then when you add in all the things He has done for us.  We could never repay Him, and He is not asking us to.  However, we can thank Him.  We can let Him know how grateful we are.  If you want to see God more at work in your lives, I challenge you to take 5 minutes or less out of your day and intentionally thank the Lord of all you have seen Him do in your life that day.  I bet, if you do this, you will begin to see more and more.  I am not sure if God is actually doing more and more when we intentionally thank Him, or if He is doing the same, but we are just noticing more.  Either way, you will see the Lord more at work in your life when you begin to be grateful for each thing you notice.  I want to leave you with the phrase we have heard most today, “His Love endures forever.”Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless all those listening to this episode today.  Lord, you are amazing, and we are so grateful for all the things you have done for your people throughout the ages.  We are so grateful that you love us so much.  Lord, thank you for giving us a love that endures forever.  Thank you for taking care of our enemies and protecting us from all things.  Thank you for being more powerful than everything else.  Thank you for making a way when we can't see one.  We are so grateful that your ways are higher than our ways and your thoughts higher than our thoughts.  We would be lost without you, Lord.  Father, help us to be more grateful for all that you do.  Help us to take time out of our days to intentionally try to see you at work in our lives.  We love you so much, Lord, help us to feel your love.  You are truly awe-inspiring, and we ask all of this in accordance with your will and in Jesus' holy name, Amen.Thank you so much for joining me on this journey to walk boldly with Jesus.  I look forward to spending time with you again tomorrow. Remember, Jesus loves you, just as you are, and so do I! Have a blessed day!Today's Word from the Lord was received in August 2025 by a member of my Catholic Charismatic Prayer Group. If you have any questions about the prayer group, these words, or how to join us for a meeting, please email CatholicCharismaticPrayerGroup@gmail.com. Today's Word from the Lord is, “My words are the best seed. They do not return empty or barren.” 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

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 catherine@findingtruenorthcoaching.com 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 you get something out of the refrigerator.  You could put a note like that on the lock screen of your phone, so when you look at your phone, it reminds you to praise the Lord or rejoice.  Why should you do this now, when everything seems to be going well?  First, if you can get in the habit of praising God all the time, when times are good and when times are bad, I think you will see less and less of the bad times.  I think God loves to reward his children for appreciating Him and thanking Him.  Second, if you don't intentionally get into the habit when things are going good, and it feels easier to praise the Lord and to rejoice, then the chances are a lot less likely that you will do it when everything feels hard.  Another suggestion is to listen to praise music.  I think many of us listen to music.  Maybe it's when you are driving the car, cooking dinner, cleaning the house, whatever the reason, most of us listen to music.  What I am suggesting is that some of the music you listen to is praise music.  What you listen to affects your mood.  You could be in a perfectly good mood, and then an angry song comes on the radio, and if you don't change the channel, you can notice yourself starting to get in a bad mood.  If kids listen to a lot of rap music, they may start to feel negatively towards the police for no other reason than the lyrics that they are constantly listening to are telling them that the police are bad.  Those are examples of how music can negatively affect your mood, but the opposite is true as well.  You can be in a really bad mood, and then an upbeat song can come on the radio, and your mood can change for the better.  If you are listening to praise music about how great God is, then those will be the thoughts flowing through your head.  The music can not only change your mood, but it can also change your outlook on life or your current circumstances.  Some of my friends are really struggling right now.  When all seems lost, it can take a daily or sometimes hourly reminder to praise God in the struggle.  Praise God for any slight sign of improvement.  Praise God for the things that do go right in the day.  Maybe you got up, and everything seemed to go wrong.  But, you know what?  You got up that day, and not everyone can say that.  You are able to walk, and not everyone can say.  There is always something you can praise God for.  Try your best to focus on those things and just keep turning over the other things to God and trust that He will take care of them for you.  It is not easy to praise God and to rejoice when all seems lost; however, it is possible. If you take the time to learn how to praise God, even in the difficult times, I think you will be amazed at how different you feel.  I think you will be amazed at how much more at peace you will feel, even when it feels like things can't get any worse.  Give it a try, what do you have to lose?Dear Heavenly Father, I ask that you pray for everyone listening to this episode today. Dear Lord, we ask that you help us to praise you. You do so much for us, and we don't deserve any of it. You don't do it for any other reason than the fact that you love us completely. Lord help us to see all the things that we can rejoice about, even when we're struggling. Jesus shines a light on all the things we have to be grateful for when we can't see them. Lord, it must be difficult for you when you see us struggling. We ask that you help us through the struggle, that you help us lean into you and praise you for all that you do for us.  Sometimes we feel like all is lost and that there is nothing anyone can do to change the situation. And you know what, that may be true. But you are not anyone, Lord God, you are the Lord of lords and the King of kings.  There isn't anything that you can't do. Help us to remember this Lord. Help us to rejoice when all seems lost because nothing is too big for our God to fix. We love you, lord, you are so amazing, and we are so very grateful for you and all that you do. We thank you, Lord, and we ask all of this in accordance with your will and in Jesus' holy name, amen.Thank you so much for joining me on this journey to walk boldly with Jesus. I can't tell you how happy I am to have you along for the journey.  Tonight is the last day to sign up for mentoring at the lowest price. After today, it will go back up to $30. Which is still an amazing deal. However, if you get in today, it will just be $25 a month, less than a dollar a day. CLICK HERE for mentoring info or go to my website walkboldlywithJesus.com, and get all the details.I look forward to seeing you tomorrow. Jesus loves you just as you are, and so do I! Have a blessed day!Today's Word from the Lord was received in August 2025 by a member of my Catholic Charismatic Prayer Group. If you have any questions about the prayer group, these words, or how to join us for a meeting, please email CatholicCharismaticPrayerGroup@gmail.com. Today's Word from the Lord is, “I appreciate your love, and any seed that you sow will never end. I will grow every seed that you sow. Stay close to me. As I will always be with you, know that no matter what, I'm here, I'm here with you always.” 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 #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 any way you choose. You can thank Him for all the things in your life, for all the ways He has saved you, and for the desires of your heart. You can praise Him for all he did for his people in the Bible.You do not have to do or say the right thing. The reason I mentioned the praise sheets is that you might not be able to think of good things when you are struggling. You might be looking at your life and believing that God has abandoned you. Your situation might seem like there's nothing to praise God about. If this is the case, I would like to review the praise sheet and simply read what is on it. It doesn't matter if I feel it or not; I just read it, and it helps lift me out of whatever I am feeling. Give it a try! I will put a link for the praise sheet I use in the show notes in case you want to have a cheat sheet like I do.I really want to encourage you to consider making praise and worship a regular part of your daily life if you're having a hard time finding joy. You can add it to something you're already doing, so it won't take up more time each day. For instance, you can listen to praise music while driving. Or, you can praise the Lord out loud in your car while driving. You can put on 20 minutes of praise music in the morning while getting ready, or while having your morning cup of tea or coffee. I invite you to give this a try this week and let me know what you think. You can reach me at Catherine@findingtruenorthcoaching.com. I would love to hear from you about how much praise and worship are changing your life. I would love to hear about your experience, good or bad. Let me know!Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless all those listening to this episode. Lord, we want to rejoice with you, and we want to rejoice in you. We want to praise you, Lord, not just when things are going well, but we want to be able to praise you in the struggle as well. Please teach us how, Lord. Please show us how to have joy when we are struggling. We love you, Lord, and 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. I am closing the founding members' launch for my mentoring group tomorrow evening. If you have been thinking about joining but have been putting it off, I encourage you to give it a try. If you don't like it, you can cancel. However, if you do like it, you will be able to lock in this one-time-only price of $25 a month. After tomorrow, it will go back up to $30. This means if you lock in at $25, you will be saving $60 a year. CLICK HERE for mentoring info. If you are loving this podcast, mentoring is a way to go a bit deeper and to join a community so we don't feel we are alone on this journey. I look forward to seeing you here again tomorrow. Click Here for the Praise Sheets. Remember, Jesus loves you just as you are, and so do I! Have a blessed day.Today's Word from the Lord was received in August 2025 by a member of my Catholic Charismatic Prayer Group. If you have any questions about the prayer group, these words, or how to join us for a meeting, please email CatholicCharismaticPrayerGroup@gmail.com. Today's Word from the Lord is, “My children, each one of you is so so precious to me. There is no replacement for any one of you. I love you so much. And I'm so pleased to hear you praising me, loving me, walking with me, and trying to follow me.”  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

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 similar to the Holy Spirit.The Holy Spirit can give you the power and the courage to do many things, but you need to call up it. You need to step out in faith and believe that it will be there to help you. Once you start calling upon the Holy Spirit to help you, then you will begin to see extraordinary things start to happen all around you. All you have to do is read the book of Acts in the Bible to see all the amazing things the apostles accomplished once they had the Holy Spirit living inside of them. Check out the book of Acts and then decide what amazing things you are going to do with this beautiful gift of the Holy Spirit that Jesus gave us.Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless all those listening today. Lord, thank you for giving us the Holy Spirit. You are amazing. Thank you for giving us the authority to do the works that Jesus did and even greater works now that He is with you in Heaven. Lord, we ask that you help us to see the ways you want us to use the power of the Holy Spirit in our own lives. Help us to see what you want us to do. We love you, Lord, and we ask all of this in accordance with our will and in Jesus' holy name, Amen!Thank you so much for joining me on this journey to walk boldly with Jesus. I look forward to meeting you here again on Monday. Remember, Jesus loves you, and so do I! Have a blessed weekend!Today's Word from the Lord was received in August 2025 by a member of my Catholic Charismatic Prayer Group. If you have any questions about the prayer group, these words, or how to join us for a meeting, please email CatholicCharismaticPrayerGroup@gmail.com. Today's Word from the Lord is, “My children, I give you the grace to see the uncut diamond in the burdens of your life, which appear to be just a hard, cold rock. I shine like a diamond within them. I bless you through them. I get you through them. I have much joy for you. I have much planned for you. Trust and come through the burdens.” 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

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 what He thinks.  The more you practice, the louder the voice of the Spirit will become.  The more you listen to the Holy Spirit, the less you listen to the world.  The more you listen to the Holy Spirit, the more your mind will be transformed.  Our teacher said something in class the other day that really resonated with me.  She said You know your mind is beginning to be renewed when you start to lose the fear of man.  Do you ever worry about what others think of you?  Do you ever worry what someone might say or do?  I know I would love to be more open with my prayer.  I would love to walk up to every single person I see who is struggling in some way and ask if I could pray over them.  If I see a physical injury, I instantly want to pray over that person for a healing.  What is holding me back?  Fear.  I am afraid of what they might say, what if they say no, and I feel rejected.  I am afraid of what I might say.  What if I say the wrong thing?  What if I pray for them and they aren't healed?  What if they get upset?  All these things hold me back from living the life I know God has called me to live.  What about you?  What fears are holding you back?  Our teacher said, “Everything changes when we lose that fear of man.”  I want to lose that fear so badly, and yet I don't think it is something I can will away.  As mentioned earlier, I truly believe developing a kingdom mindset is partly my job and partly God's job.  I think faith is a gift from God and that He will provide the wisdom I need to strengthen my faith.  I also think the more I expose myself to His miracles, through reading about them, maybe watching them on TV or YouTube, and telling others about them, my faith will grow.  The more we expose ourselves to the supernatural, the more normal the supernatural will become to us.  When I heard our teacher say that everything changes when we lose that fear of man, I instantly asked God, “How do I lose that fear of man?”  Later in the class, the answer I heard was, “Turn your eyes to me.”  Did you notice that when I was listing my fears, it was all about me?  I might say the wrong thing, I might feel rejected, and so on.  What if I fixed my eyes on Jesus?  What if I trusted He was prompting me to pray over the person, and therefore He would give me the words to pray.  When we pray over people, we are not the ones healing them; God is, so the results or the fruit of my prayer, whether they are healed or not, are not up to me.  I worry about whether I will feel rejected, but if I were focused on Jesus, I would worry more about whether he feels rejected because He asked me to pray over someone and I didn't.  If we want a transformation of our mind, we need to turn our eyes to Jesus.  We need to focus on Him.  We need to listen to that small voice inside of us.  We need to give that voice time to talk.  If we want to develop a kingdom mindset, then we need to remember all the miracles we have seen and heard about.  We need to look at all God did through the disciples and realize that God wants to do that through us, too.  He wants to work through us; we just have to let Him.  Do you want a renewal of the mind?  Can you keep your eyes fixed on Jesus?  Whenever we start to worry about what the world might think, we just need to turn our eyes back to Jesus.  Whenever we start to think too much about ourselves, we can turn our gaze back to Jesus.  A renewal of the mind is not only possible, but it is also necessary!Dear Heavenly Father, we ask you to bless all those listening to the episode today.  Lord, we love you, and we are so grateful for all you do for us.  Lord, we ask you to fill us with the gift of faith.  We want to be able to see all your miracles through a supernatural lens.  We want to see what is truly right in this world.  We ask you for a renewal of our minds.  We ask you for the faith we need so we can move mountains.  We ask you for the faith needed to heal the sick and cure the blind.  Lord, we believe, help our unbelief.  Give us all we need to do your will, Lord Jesus!  You are the almighty one.  You are Lord of Lords and King of Kings.  We love you, Lord, and we ask all of this in accordance with your will and in Jesus' holy name, Amen!Thank you so much for joining me on this journey to walk boldly with Jesus.  The founding members' launch is going to be closing up this weekend. If you have been thinking about checking out mentoring, this is a great time to join, as the monthly fee will never be this low again. I will open membership to mentoring again, but it will be more expensive. Also, if you join during this time, then your monthly price will never go up for as long as you are a member.  CLICK HERE for mentoring info. Just check it our, what do you have to lose? I look forward to spending time with you tomorrow.  Remember, Jesus loves you, and so do I. Have a blessed day!Today's Word from the Lord was received in August 2025 by a member of my Catholic Charismatic Prayer Group. If you have any questions about the prayer group, these words, or how to join us for a meeting, please email CatholicCharismaticPrayerGroup@gmail.com. Today's Word from the Lord is, “Continue to be joyful in me and continue to come to our garden and share that secret with others, that it may no longer be a secret, for the way that each and every one of my children will be with me forever.” 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