Podcasts about dear heavenly father

Praying in the Spirit, What Does That Even Mean?Jude 20 “But you, my delightfully loved friends, constantly and progressively build yourselves up on the foundation of your most holy faith by praying every moment in the Spirit.”I decided to read through the book of Jude today, as it is a very short book. It is only one chapter. The author of this book begins by stating that he fully intended to write to them about our amazing salvation that we all participate in, but felt the need instead to challenge them to defend and contend for the beliefs that we cherish vigorously. He then warned them against false teachers and the fate of the apostates, and subsequently discussed Enoch's prophecy. He ended with a call to remain faithful.When I read the call to remain faithful, two verses jumped out at me. When I started writing this episode, the verse above immediately caught my attention. I felt that the Holy Spirit wanted me to discuss praying in the Spirit. The translation I used today is the Passion translation. It says that we are delightfully loved friends. It goes on to say that we should constantly and progressively build ourselves on the foundation of our most holy faith by praying in the Spirit at all times.I am sure we all want to build ourselves on the foundation of faith. With a firm foundation, nothing can shake us. Nothing can knock us off course. When our feet are planted on a firm foundation, we know we will be ok, we will feel safe. So how do we get this firm foundation we so desperately want? Today's verse says that we can pray in the Spirit all the time. Some of you may be asking, “Pray in the Spirit, what does that even mean?” Praying in the Spirit is another way to say praying in tongues.Praying in tongues is something that many people have heard of but few people understand. Praying in tongues is when the Holy Spirit is praying through you. It is when you surrender your vocal chords to the Holy Spirit. I know this probably sounds weird to you, and if so, I get it. When I was a high schooler, I accidentally went to one of my dad's charismatic prayer group meetings. I thought I was going to a sweet 16th birthday party, but that was in a different part of the building. When I heard them praising the Lord out loud and speaking in tongues, I thought they were all a little bit crazy. I had never heard anything like it before.Later in life, I heard a speaker talking about how she also thought speaking in tongues was crazy. She said she would pray to God to give her all the gifts of the Holy Spirit, except that one, because that one seemed crazy and she didn't want to be crazy or have people think she was crazy. Then life happened, and she had a really intense experience with a high schooler she was counseling at the time. She realized that she needed all the power of the Holy Spirit. She realized that it was crazy to limit God and not want all that He had to offer. God is only good. He is not going to give you a bad gift. His gifts will only build you up and bring you closer to Him. There are no bad gifts of the Holy Spirit.Let me take a minute to explain the gift of tongues. You can receive the gift when you are baptized in the Holy Spirit, which occurs when you are baptized, when you make your confirmation, and anytime you go through a life in the Spirit seminar. There can be other times as well; these are just the most common. Sometimes you will just be overcome by the Holy Spirit and receive this gift and start speaking in tongues like the apostles on the day of Pentecost. They all started speaking in different languages so that all those in the crowd could hear what they were saying in their native tongue.However, this is not everyone's experience. Many people who participate in a Life in the Spirit Seminar who wish to have the gift of tongues do not receive it right away. They need to practice saying sounds that do not sound like words. This is not easy to do, as most of us are afraid of looking stupid in front of other people.One of the ladies in the prayer group told a story about how she first learned to pray in the Spirit. The leader of her Life in the Spirit seminar had told her to practice in the shower, where no one else could hear, or down in the basement while doing laundry. She said she would go downstairs, and when the laundry was going, she would practice stringing random consonances together. During one life in the Spirit seminar, the leader described it as if you were talking to baby Jesus. You know how when we talk to babies, we always say things like goo goo gaa gaa. This is how you can practice trying to talk in the Spirit. It is not easy, as you have to surrender your voice to the Lord. Also, you have to be ok looking silly while you do it.If you decide to give this a try at home, I want to encourage you to keep trying it even if you feel silly. You don't have to do it all day every day, just a few minutes each day. Go somewhere private and practice saying nonsense words, or talk like a baby. For me, I just said the same thing over and over again. Ta, Ta, Ta, Ta, Ta…. I knew I wasn't speaking in tongues for the longest time, but I was willing to keep practicing. Then, one day I was on a retreat and I told the Lord, I wasn't going to leave the chapel until I was speaking in tongues because He had told me on a walk that He had given me the gift, so it wasn't Him standing in my way, it was me. After saying that word over and over again for a while, something shifted, and I knew it was no longer me saying it but the Holy Spirit praying through me. It was amazing! I was so excited.You might be asking yourself, What is the point of going through all of this just to pray in the Spirit or praying in tongues. Praying in tongues is a powerful kind of prayer. Do you ever struggle with what to say to God or what to ask God? Especially when things are really bad, or you are so far in the darkness you can't see any light? Praying in tongues is great when you don't know what to say. When you are praying in tongues, you don't even know what you are saying. It is a special prayer where the Holy Spirit relays the deepest desires of your heart to the Lord in a perfect way. It is the Holy Spirit speaking directly from your heart to the Lord. Wouldn't it be worth being a little uncomfortable and putting in a bit of work if it meant that you would be able to pray the perfect prayer to the Lord?Romans 8:26-27 says, “ Likewise, the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words.  And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.” The Holy Spirit knows what you need; He knows how to pray to God for all your needs. Why not let Him? If speaking in tongues is foreign to you, if you have heard of it but think it is weird, or you think you are not “holy” enough for that gift, I want to encourage you to bring your thoughts and feelings to the Lord. At least have a conversation with him about it. You wouldn't be listening to the podcast if you didn't want me to help you walk more boldly in your faith, and I know this would help exponentially. Most of the gifts are for the building up of the faith of the whole community. This one is for you and your faith journey. It can help others, too, but primarily it is to help you along your faith journey. Just think about it, pray about it, and reach out if you have any other questions.Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless all those listening to this episode today. Lord, you are amazing, and you bless us with so many gifts. Thank you! Lord, I ask that you speak directly to the hearts and minds of all those who are listening who cannot speak in tongues. I ask that you give them the courage to talk to you about it. I ask that you help them see that they have nothing to lose and everything to gain by asking for this gift.  Lord, I ask that you bless all those who want this gift with it. You are a dad who gives lavishly to your children. You give us so many blessings and gifts, and we are so grateful. We love you so much, 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 want to remind everyone that my retreat is just two months away, so CLICK HERE and check out all the details. I look forward to meeting you here tomorrow. I have a special witness tomorrow from Patty Schneier. She is a lifelong Catholic, housewife, and mother of three from the Archdiocese of St. Louis. She and her husband, Larry, are active members of their parish, where Patty serves as a cantor at Sunday Mass. During her 19 years of work in Catholic Radio, Patty hosted weekly radio shows, conducted countless interviews, and produced a daily podcast for Covenant Network Catholic Radio.  She has been a guest on EWTN, Ave Maria Radio, Catholic Answers Live, and numerous radio affiliates across the United States. She was nice enough to share a testimony with us, and I can't wait for you to hear it 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 January 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, “Have wisdom for yourselves and for those who hate you. Do not turn away from the words of my mouth. I delivered you. Walk in my wisdom.” 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 Self-Control Is So Important! 1 Corinthians 9:25-27 “Every athlete exercises discipline in every way. They do it to win a perishable crown, but we, an imperishable one. Thus, I do not run aimlessly; I do not fight as if I were shadowboxing. No, I drive my body and train it for fear that, after having preached to others, I myself should be disqualified.”Yesterday I was talking about the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and I mentioned the book set my mom bought me. I grabbed one of the books to get the list of gifts from it, and later, I noticed I happened to grab the Self-Control book.  I don't think that was an accident, as that is the one I probably see the least in my life.  I opened it up and started reading it and found this really amazing story of self-control in it.  I would like to relay that story to you before I talk about the verse above, although they are all connected. The author Robert Strand wrote the devotion series on the Nine Fruits of the Holy Spirit. I found this story in the Self-Control book.  However, it is originally from Rober Schuller's book Move Ahead with Possibility Thinking. It is about a polio victim who required an iron lung to breathe and learned how to breathe without it, even though every muscle below his Adam's apple is paralyzed. Karl Dewayne Sudekum, through discipline, has learned how to breathe like a frog. Here's the story. In 1953, while Carl was a lieutenant in the US Navy, he contracted polio. For six years, he could breathe only in an iron lung or on a tilt bed. Then he got mad — really angry. He decided he would breathe. He stopped the rocking motion of his bed and remembered how he used to breathe like a frog as a young boy in Nashville, Tennessee. It was a trick almost all kids knew. He would take air with his tongue and force it down his windpipe. When he exhaled, his lungs let out the air like a deflating balloon. He's been breathing this way ever since. "Science doesn't really know how it's done,” he said. "It's a two-cycle pumping action that some people can do and some people can't. Some people can whistle through their teeth, but I never could. It's like that." He could stay away from the iron lung as long as he remained awake. With his first real independence, Sudeckum decided to become an attorney. In 1959 he entered the University of San Diego. His wife, Emerald, drove him to school and wheeled him into class. He couldn't take notes, and a tape recorder was too awkward. He simply listened and remembered. Then he was told he had diabetes. That under control, the doctors discovered an ulcer. For a year, he lived with a mysterious high fever, a reaction to medication. Still, he got his diploma and passed the bar exam.He is practicing now and signs documents, K. D. Sudeckum. It is too much of a task to write his full name with a pen in his teeth. When he talks too long in court, his face gets very red, but it's nothing to worry about. A cold is something else. It could be fatal. So what does he do? "I don't get colds." If he falls asleep or faints while out on his own, frog breathing, he will die unless someone who knows his condition administers artificial respiration. What does he do about that? "I try to think about it as little as possible.”Wow, there are no words to describe this man's self-control. It makes my day seem not so bad anymore.  My challenges with self-control seem so small compared to his. Yet, I still have them, and they are challenging for me.  I am sure your challenges with self-control are hard for you as well.  We need not compare ourselves to each other.  That is not why I told you this story.  I told you this story so you could see what is possible for our self-control.  If he can do it, we can do it.  We just have to figure out what our motivation is.  His started out as anger.  I am not sure if that remained the whole time or if it switched. It doesn't matter too much. However, it is clear that something was motivating him.  This is where I think this verse can be helpful. It can be our motivation if we let it.  I remember the first time this verse had a profound impact on me. Father Mike was talking about it on the Bible in a year podcast, and He was talking about the self-discipline the athletes must have to win an Olympic medal, or for that matter, even to be able to compete in the Olympics. It is an unbelievably hard training schedule. They have to exercise, practice, and watch what they eat and what they drink.  It is a lot, and yet they do it because they love it, hopefully, and also because they want to win the medal. The medal that they win is a big deal.  It is something to be honored and something that not many people can say they have done. The odds of winning a gold medal at the Olympics is 1 in 662,000. Yet they train, and they work hard for it.  The race that we are all running, whether we know it or not, is the one for our salvation. The stakes are so much higher, and yet our efforts are so much lower.  This is not the exact wording of how Father Mike said it, but whatever he did say left me with that thought in my head. I remember thinking about this for days afterward. I wonder if we realize what is at stake. Why aren't we trying to do all we can so that when we get to heaven, God will not say to us, as he said to those in Matthew 7:21-23? “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. On that day, many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' Then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; go away from me, you who behave lawlessly.”Wow, that is definitely something that I never want to hear. However, am I making time to sit with Jesus every day to talk? Do I have the self-control and the self-discipline to pass up sleeping in on a Sunday morning so I can go to church?  Do I have the self-control to put first things first? Why is it I can muster the self-control to work out regularly at times, and yet the self-discipline to say the rosary daily or write in my prayer journal daily escapes me? I think I need to put this verse up somewhere that I will see it daily. When I read it, my heart is convicted to do something, and yet I quickly get distracted and forget about it.  How about you?  Are you doing all you can do to foster your relationship with God, Jesus, and/or the Holy Spirit? Are you using self-control to help you put first things first?  This is definitely something I will need to take to my prayer time, and I hope you will join me in this.  I hope you will ask the Lord to show you the various ways you are struggling with self-control and then ask Him what you should do about it. He will help you out if you ask Him. I want to train as hard as an athlete does to develop my relationship with my one true King.Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless all those listening to this episode today.  Lord, please help us to develop our self-control.  Help us to put first things first and help us to grow closer to you.  We never want to hear the words, “I never knew you.” Lord, we want to know you. We want to be close to you, please help us. We thank you, Lord, for all the ways you are already helping us and all the time you have spent with us.  We are sorry we don't always put you first and that so often, other things get in the way. 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. CLICK HERE for retreat info.   I hope you will join me for an amazing weekend.  It will be a time to get filled up and refreshed. If you have any questions, please reach out.  I look forward to meeting you here tomorrow.  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

You Have Authority!Romans 12:2 “ Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.”Last night I attended the Encounter School of Ministries Summer Intensive at the Boston Campus. If you have never attended an event from Encounter Ministries, I highly recommend checking them out. They are amazing and filled with the Holy Spirit! The summer Intensive is an overview of the curriculum for the first year. There are four quarters in a year of the Encounter School, and there are 8 weeks in each quarter. First, it starts with a quarter on Identity because you need to understand who you are in the Kingdom of God and why you have the authority that you have. The next quarter is on the prophetic word and hearing God's voice. In the third quarter, you learn how to be God's instrument for physical healings. In the fourth quarter, you learn all about inner healing and how to lead people to freedom.The summer intensive is four nights, and it provides an overview of each quarter over those four nights. Last night, we were learning about identity. Who are we in the Kingdom of God? What authority do we have here on earth, and where did we get that authority? Everything we have and everything we are is a gift from God. God gave us life. He formed us, and He brought us into this world. He sent His only Son to die on a cross so that we might be free from our sins and our sinful nature.What I would like to discuss with you today is how we use that authority, and I would like to review some scripture verses that demonstrate our call to a renewal of the mind. Let's look at today's scripture verse. “ Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.” This verse shows us that we need to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. What does that mean, though? How do we renew our minds?God is the only one who can help us have a renewal of mind. God wanted to bring His kingdom down to earth, and he wants to do that through us. He doesn't want us to sit by and watch as He does everything. He also doesn't want us to just pray for the things we want and not do anything about them. Praying is great, and we should all be praying. And also, there are times when we can ask the Lord to allow us to be His instruments here on earth. Wouldn't it be awesome if, instead of asking God to heal someone, you prayed for their healing and he did it through you? Did you know that Jesus gave us the authority to do things like that?If we look at John 14:12, it says, “Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. Jesus went to be with the Father, and when He did, He asked the Father to send us the Holy Spirit to live inside of us. If you are baptized, then you have the Holy Spirit living inside of you. This means you can do the works that Jesus did and even greater works. Jesus did not perform all his miracles using his divine powers. He performed all those miracles using the power of the Holy Spirit. The same Holy Spirit that you have living inside of you.If you don't believe someone could do greater works than Jesus did look at Acts 5:12-15. It says, “Now many signs and wonders were done among the people through the apostles. And they were all together in Solomon's Portico.  None of the rest dared to join them, but the people held them in high esteem. Yet more than ever believers were added to the Lord, great numbers of both men and women, so that they even carried out the sick into the streets, and laid them on cots and mats, in order that Peter's shadow might fall on some of them as he came by.” There is no record in the Bible of people being healed by Jesus's shadow and yet they were healed when Peter's shadow fell upon them. In Acts 19:11-12, “God did extraordinary miracles through Paul,  so that when the handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were brought to the sick, their diseases left them, and the evil spirits came out of them.”God wants to use you too! He wants us to help him bring heaven to earth. During the talk at Encounter they talked about how when Jesus did the miracle of feeding the multitudes, He didn't pray over the bread and fish and suddenly there was this giant mound of bread and fish. The multiplication happened over and over again once the apostles started handing the food out. Jesus wanted them to partake in the miracle as well. When it says in the Bible that those who believe will do even greater works than He did, it is not just talking about the apostles. It would be easier for us if He was because then it would take the responsibility off of us. However, He is sending us all out to help bring heaven to earth. In Matthew 10:1 it says, “Then Jesus summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every disease and every sickness.”It is true that Jesus did send the apostles out to go do mighty works in His name. However, we know that Jesus didn't reserve doing these mighty works to the apostles because in Luke 10:1-2 it says, “After this the Lord appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go.  He said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore, ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” Those 70 represent all God's faithful. Are you baptized? Do you believe in Jesus. Then you are called to go out and help bring others into the kingdom. You have the power and authority living inside of you to carry out mighty works in Jesus's name!The devil doesn't want you to know this. He wants you to believe that you are powerless. He whispers in your ear that you should leave the mighty works to those more qualified. He says you should leave the miracles up to the priests and religious brothers and sisters. He tells you that others may be able to heal but that you are not worthy. He goes on and on about how you have no power. The devil is a liar. (Side note: if you don't know that song, The Devil is a Liar by Colton Dixon, you should definitely look it up and give it a listen). He knows all about the authority God has given you and yet he hopes that you won't ever realize the power you have living inside of you. He will do all he can to keep you feeling stuck and powerless and unworthy.Don't give the devil that satisfaction of thinking he has won. Fight back. Learn more about the authority you have and then start living in it. As simple way to do this is to spend time in the Acts of the Apostles. If they could do it, so can you. There was nothing special about them other than they believed Jesus when He gave them the authority. They were brave enough to step out, even though they were scared, and give it a try. The other simple way to do this is to start talking to the Holy Spirit living inside of you. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you what authority you have. Ask Him to show you how powerfully God wants to use you.I said earlier that God is the one who renews our minds. Allow Him to do that. Invite Him into your heart and mind and ask Him to renew them for you. You can do all things through Christ Jesus. So ask Jesus to help you become the person He wants you to be. Ask Jesus to show you what He is calling you to and how He wants to use you. Let the Lord know that even though you might be scared, you are willing and available for Him to use you as His instrument. You are more powerful than you think. Don't come into agreement with the lies of the enemy. Live in the authority and power that God has given to you!Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless all those listening. Lord, please help us to understand this authority and power that you have given us. Help us understand how to live in that authority and power. Lord, we don't understand, and we need you to teach us and guide us. Please give us the strength to do the things you are calling us to do, even if we do it scared. We love you so much, 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 will be sending info out in a newsletter about the upcoming retreat. If you are not currently receiving my newsletter, I invite you to sign up below the show notes. It is a great way to keep up to date on any offers I might have as well as some great information.Today's Word from the Lord was received in January 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 your God. Surrender yourself fully to me so that I can use you in my ways. Only if you are used in my way will you become far more productive.” 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

Is God Your First Choice or Last Resort?Matthew 8:23-27 “And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. A wind storm arose on the sea, so great that the boat was being swamped by the waves, but he was asleep. And they went and woke him up, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, you of little faith?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a dead calm. They were amazed, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him?”This is an interesting story.  Jesus was in the boat with all of his disciples, and there was a windstorm.  The boat was being swamped by waves, and everyone on it was afraid.  Everyone except Jesus was asleep.  When I hear this story, I wonder why Jesus was asleep.  I mean, I am sure He was tired as He was teaching so much.  Everywhere He went, He was swarmed by people who wanted to hear Him teach and wanted Him to heal themselves and their loved ones.  I guess it makes sense that He would be asleep.  I guess I am more wondering how He could sleep through all the craziness of the storm.  I am sure it was probably loud on the boat with the disciples doing all they could to save the boat.  As I wrote that, I felt as though the Holy Spirit said, “And there in lies the problem.”  I was questioning when I first read this verse why Jesus said, “Why are you afraid, you of little faith?”  I didn't understand why Jesus would have said they had little faith.  And then, when I just said, the disciples were doing all they could to save the boat it hit me.  They were relying on themselves to fix their problem.  They weren't praying to God and asking Him to help them get out of the situation.  And actually, in their case, it wouldn't even be just praying to God.  They had God right there on the boat with them.  They could have, at the first sign of trouble, asked Jesus to fix the situation.  Why didn't they?This is something we all know a lot about.  We do this all the time.  Or, at least I know I and many people I know do.  We know we have a problem, and instead of turning to the one solution guaranteed to fix it, we try a million solutions on our own.  We try to rely on ourselves to get ourselves out of the situation.  This is a message that God has been trying to get me to see for a long time now.  I have had my fair share of storms over the years.  I have prayed about these storms, and I have asked God to help, but I didn't turn to Him to fix the situation as soon as the storm came.  First, I read a million books on the subject matter, I asked everyone who knew anything about anything what they thought I should do, and I came up with plan after plan to fix the situation on my own.  Does this sound familiar to anyone?  Have you ever had a storm in your life and instead of turning to God, you tried to solve it or fix it on your own?  I know I can't be the only one who has ever done this.  This is probably what the disciples were doing on that boat.  They were probably looking to the fisherman they had with them, or anyone else who knew anything about boats.  They were probably all putting their heads together to come up with a plan to save the boat.  They were relying on their own knowledge and their own abilities.  Proverbs 3:5 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.”  I wasn't there, and I am only guessing, but I don't think that they would have thought what they were doing was a demonstration of little faith.  They could have had the best intentions.  Maybe they didn't go to Jesus first because they knew He was tired and they didn't want to bother Him.  I get that.  Jesus worked hard, and I can see wanting to let Him rest and not bother Him unless you had to.  It makes sense in our minds. Maybe this is why God tells us not to rely on our own understanding.  As I write this, I am gaining a new understanding, which I assume is coming from the Holy Spirit.  Even though we may not go to God first because we have good intentions, it still shows Him a lack of faith.  Maybe not a lack of faith that we don't think He can help us, but a lack of faith that He would want to help us.  Perhaps a lack of faith that we are important enough for Him to help.  Also, it shows that we think God can't do all things at the same time.  Our actions are telling God that we think He is too busy to help us.  I was at a conference once, and there was a priest speaking at the conference who was assigned to a college or university.  He mentioned he always said a rosary at the football games, praying that his team would win.  He said they captured a photo of him one week, saying the rosary, and he got a lot of negative comments from people who saw the photo.  They said comments like, “a Catholic priest spending time praying about a football game when there are people dying of cancer.”  I remember he told us that they were upset that he was wasting God's time over a silly football game when there were bigger, more important things that God should be spending His time on.  I remember he said, “My God is bigger than that.”  He explained that we shouldn't feel bad about asking God for all of the things that we need because other people might be worse off than we are.  This priest said that our God can do all the things we are asking for, as well as the things that others need too.  He is not limited by the same things that we are limited by.  Actually, He is not limited by anything.  I remember coming home and writing a sticky note on my fridge that said, “My god is bigger than that.”  It reminds me that God should be the first place I turn to in times of trouble.  It reminds me that I don't have to feel bad asking God to help me out of a problem because He may have other, more important things to do.  This is not true.  God thinks I, and my problems are just as important as anyone else's.  He can help us all.  He has no limitations.  He is the almighty one, creator of all things.  The next time we are in a storm, we should go straight to God.  We don't have to waste time trying to rely on our understanding or our own abilities.  He is there for us.  When the disciples woke Jesus up, He rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a dead calm.  If Jesus can do this to the winds and the sea, what do you think He can do to the storms in your life? I know it is hard, and I am right there with you, trying to solve my problems on my own.  Let's join together and make a decision to turn to God to calm the storms.  Let's not save God for a last resort; let's make him our first line of defense.  When we get in the habit of doing that, I bet we will see the storms calm down a lot quicker.Dear Heavenly Father, I ask that you bless all those listening to this episode today.  Lord, help us to trust in you more.  Help us to turn to you first instead of waiting until you are our last resort.  Lord, help us to believe that you can help everyone and that when we come to you, we are not taking your time away from others.  Help us to see that you have infinite amounts of time for each and every one of us.  Help us not to rely on our own understanding.  Help us to see the bigger picture, Lord.  We are so thankful for all that you do for us.  We are thankful that you are merciful and loving.  We love you, Lord, 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

Am I Just Being Honest or Ungrateful?Matthew 11:28 “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.”I was working on my mentoring notes for this week. This month, I am answering commonly asked questions about finding joy in the struggle.  One of the questions I am answering this week is “How do I know if I'm being ungrateful or just honest about my pain?” As I was working on it, I thought it might be something that we are all asking ourselves. I know when I talk to people who are struggling, I often hear them say, “I know others have it so much worse.” I think we need to stop saying this. I know it is true, and yet when we say it, we are minimizing our pain.Our God is a big God. Our struggles don't take away from anyone else's struggles, and I think we all know that. The people we feel comfortable enough opening up to are not thinking that we don't care about others' struggles. They know us. They know we are thinking and praying for others. It is ok to ask for prayers for ourselves, too. It is ok to vent about our struggle, too.I have also heard people say that they shouldn't complain because they have so much to be grateful for. They should be more grateful for what they have and less upset about their struggle. I understand the sentiment behind this thought, and yet I feel that if we don't express how we truly feel and we just keep stuffing down the feelings we are actually having, then we will explode someday. Also, God can handle our real feelings.I don't know who we think we are fooling, but God knows EVERYTHING. He knows your heart, He knows what you are feeling, probably better than you do. So, just be honest and allow yourself to feel all the feelings without judging yourself. You will be able to move through your feelings quickly if you don't judge yourself and allow yourself to feel them all.While researching the answer to this question I found 4 ways that we can discern the difference between being ungrateful or just honest about your pain1. Honesty and Lament Are Not Ingratitude- Scripture is full of faithful people who loved and trusted God deeply—and who also expressed deep sorrow, frustration, and even anger. That's called lament, and it's not only permitted in the Bible—it's modeled.Examples:David in the Psalms weeps, questions, and complains—even while declaring his trust in God.Job curses the day he was born and demands answers—but God says Job spoke rightly.Jeremiah (the "weeping prophet") says things like “You have deceived me, Lord” (Jer. 20:7), and yet he was one of God's most faithful voices.So if you're saying things like:“God, this hurts.”“I don't understand.”“Why aren't You helping?”“I feel alone.”You are not being ungrateful—you are lamenting. And lament is a sacred form of prayer, because it keeps you talking to God rather than shutting Him out.God would rather hear your honest cries than your fake praise. 2. Honesty says, “This hurts.” Ingratitude says, “God isn't good.”The difference is in your posture and direction.Honesty keeps the conversation with God open, even if it's messy. It still clings to some sliver of trust: “I'm hurting, but I know You're still there.”Ingratitude, on the other hand, closes itself off. It often sounds more like accusation or bitterness rooted in resentment: “God doesn't care. He never shows up for me. Why should I trust Him?”Think of it this way:Honesty invites God into your pain.Ingratitude pushes Him out because of your pain.It's okay if you're frustrated, angry, or exhausted—but how you bring that to God makes all the difference.You can be disappointed with God and still devoted to Him. 3. Gratitude and Grief Can CoexistGratitude doesn't mean pretending everything is okay. It means looking for God's presence or goodness even when nothing is okay.You can say:“I'm so tired… but thank You for still being near.”“This hurts more than I can express… but I'm grateful I'm not alone.”“I feel lost… but I'm thankful for this one moment of peace today.”Even the tiniest glimmer of thanks—a sunset, a song, a deep breath—can anchor you in joy while you're still grieving.In hard times, gratitude isn't a feeling—it's a habit of noticing the small ways God hasn't left you.Grief says: “This is painful.”
Gratitude says: “And still, God is here.” 4. God Doesn't Want Perfection—He Wants Your HeartWe often feel like we need to clean ourselves up before coming to God. But that's not how He works. Over and over, the Bible shows us:God meets people right in their mess, questions, and brokenness.David ran to God with his tears.Elijah sat under a tree and asked to die—but God met him with rest and nourishment.Jesus wept at Lazarus's tomb—even though He knew resurrection was coming.God never says, “Come back when you're grateful.”
He says, “Come to Me, weary one. I'll carry this with you.” (Matt. 11:28) We tend to forget this scripture. We tend to want to fix ourselves before coming to God. This is crazy talk. It's like trying to fix a painting before bringing it to the painter. Or trying to fix your car before bringing it in to the mechanic. You may have some ideas of how to fix it, but they are the expert. They know the correct way to fix it and they will fix it so much faster than we will.  Bring your mess to the Lord, let Him help you clean it all up. He is so good at that. He can heal broken hearts. He can heal physical ailments. He can do all things, all we need to do is ask. God is telling us “Come to Me, weary one. I'll carry this with you.” Why are we trying to go at it alone when He is asking us to come to Him?And here's something beautiful: the very act of bringing your pain to God is an expression of faith. If you were truly ungrateful, you wouldn't be turning to Him at all.Final ReminderBeing honest about your pain is not the opposite of faith—it's often the purest form of it. Gratitude and grief can walk hand-in-hand. And your vulnerability is not a failure—it's a prayer.God isn't looking for perfect words—He's looking for your real heart.Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless all those listening. Lord, we want to trust you. We want to bring all our struggles to you. Please help us! Please help us open up to you and let you know how we are really feeling. Even if we can't be open with anyone else, Lord, please help us to be open with you. We love you so much, and we want to turn to you in our struggles. Please help us to be gentle with ourselves and to give ourselves grace. Help us to see the difference between being honest with you and being ungrateful. 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 would like more info on finding joy in your struggle, I invite you to check out mentoring on Tuesday nights. It's not too late to get in on this series. If you join now, you will get the replays for all the sessions that you missed in this series. Click on the link below to find our more about mentoring. I look forward to meeting you all here 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 January 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 ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given unto 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

Your Nightly Prayer

"Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!" Romans 11:33 In a world filled with uncertainty and chaos, it's easy to feel overwhelmed. Yet, there is a beacon of hope that shines through the darkness, and that is the wisdom of God. As it says in Romans 11:33, “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!” In other words, God's wisdom far exceeds our understanding and offers us guidance when we need it most. Let's consider the story of Joseph from the book of Genesis. Betrayed by his brothers and sold into slavery, Joseph faced unimaginable trials. Yet, through each hardship, he remained faithful, trusting in God's plan. Ultimately, his journey led him to a position of power in Egypt, allowing him to save countless lives during a time of famine. This narrative illustrates that even when we encounter obstacles, God's wisdom is at work, guiding us toward a greater purpose. Isaiah 55:8-9 says, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so My ways are higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts." When making decisions or navigating life's challenges, how can we tap into this divine wisdom? We can start by cultivating a habit of prayer, inviting God into our decision-making processes. Now, I want you to reflect on moments when you've felt God's hand guiding you. Are those instances reminding you that His wisdom is always available if we seek it earnestly? As Proverbs 3:5 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.” As we embrace this journey, I want you to remember that "The All-Wise God turns the mysteries of life into gentle invitations to grow and trust." Therefore, by choosing to trust in God's wisdom, we can shape our lives into something beautiful and meaningful. Let us lean into His guidance, confident that He will lead us on paths filled with hope and purpose. His guidance is ever-present, and His love unfailing. Amen. Psalm 145:3 says, "Great is the LORD and greatly to be praised; His greatness is unsearchable." Amen. Prayer for the Day!Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for Your infinite wisdom that guides us in every moment. Help us to trust in Your plan and to seek Your counsel as we navigate our lives. May Your words uplift our spirits and empower us to face each day with courage and faith. In Jesus' name. Amen. 

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

Where You Are From Doesn't Dictate Where You Can GoJohn 7:40-41 “ When they heard these words, some in the crowd said, “This is really the prophet.” Others said, “This is the Messiah.” But some asked, “Surely the Messiah does not come from Galilee, does he?”When I was looking for a scripture verse today, I opened my Bible and just started reading. I was reading about how Jesus was telling people if they were thirsty, they could come to Him. He was talking about living waters flowing from the hearts of those who believed in Him. Then I read these two verses. “ When they heard these words, some in the crowd said, 'This is really the prophet.” Others said, “This is the Messiah.” But some asked, “Surely the Messiah does not come from Galilee, does he?” As soon as I read that last line, I felt like the Holy Spirit stopped me and said, “That right there, that is what you need to talk about today.”Have you been feeling called to do something and yet not feeling qualified to do it? Did you know Jesus couldn't perform any miracles in his hometown? Not because He didn't have the ability, but because no one would believe that Jesus, the little boy that grew up in their town, could be the Messiah. The town Jesus grew up in wasn't special, and Jesus was just a carpenter's kid. He wasn't special. There is no way that the Savior of the world could be born in Bethlehem or grow up in Nazareth, a small village in the region of Galilee.What I feel the Holy Spirit putting on my heart is that some of you are letting other people's opinions of you hold you back or keep you down. You know you are made for great things, and yet you are allowing the voices of others to get in your head. You are allowing your family to decide who you are. Your family has always seen you one way, and no matter how much you change, they can't change how they see you, so you stay stuck. The same can be true with your friends or with your work. They know you as one person, and no matter how much you have changed, they still see you as that person.I remember I was doing this to my friend Kath. Not intentionally, but when I knew her, she was Kathleen. Then at some point, she started going by Kath. I knew her as Kathleen, so I called her Kathleen for the longest time. I am not sure if someone said something to me, or if I just came to my senses, but I realized that if she wanted to be Kath now, I should call her Kath. I know this may be a silly example, but it is to demonstrate how we might not be letting those we know change in ways that they want to. Look at those around you. Are you allowing them to change and grow, or are you treating them the same way you did 20 years ago or 10 years ago?Jesus fulfilled so many prophecies. Jesus did all the signs and wonders. People knew just by hearing Him talk that He was the Messiah. Everyone knew there was something different about Jesus. Yet, even with all that evidence, some people couldn't get past the fact of where He grew up. This might happen to you. You might be doing all the things Jesus is asking you to do. You might be giving all the talks or praying over all the people and yet some people might not be able to get past the fact that you are just so and so's son or daughter. They might not be able to get over the fact that you did not come from some spectacular place or that your family wasn't super religious when you were growing up.We live in a world that tends to judge us by arbitrary standards. They want you to have these credentials, or this upbringing, or their socioeconomic class or background. People don't want to listen to you unless you have a doctorate in whatever it is you are talking about. However, if you are called by the Lord to teach on something, then He will give you all the knowledge you need on that subject. When my mind starts to tell me that I am not qualified, which it definitely tries to do, I look to the Saints. When I am telling myself that I need a theology degree to talk about the Bible, I am reminded of St. Catherine of Sienna, who is a doctor of the Catholic Church, and yet she could not read and write for most of her life. She had no formal education, at least not past grade school.She spent time with the Lord, and He told her everything she needed to know. St. Terese of Lisieux is the patron saint of missionaries, even though she was too sickly to ever go on a mission trip. Don't let those negative voices in your head try to convince you that you are a nobody, so God couldn't possibly use you. Don't listen when those around you tell you that you are not special enough to have a calling from God. Imagine how different life would be for us if Jesus had given up when those in his hometown didn't believe in Him. Imagine if he had listened to all those who said nothing good comes from Nazareth.Where you are from does not dictate where you can go. There are endless possibilities as to where you can go and what you can do. Just follow the Lord, and He will take you wherever you want to go. You don't have to know the way. He is a Way Maker. All you have to do is say yes to his calling and then take the next right step. God will guide you to where He wants you. Your job is just to keep listening to the Lord and ignoring all the negative comments and those who wish to slow you down or stop you from fulfilling your mission. Trust the Lord and His plan for you. You are special in His eyes, and He picked this mission specifically for you!Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless all those listening to this episode. Lord, help us to listen to you and block out those who wish to discourage us or stop us from doing what you are calling us to do. Lord, give us the grace to see ourselves through your eyes. Help us to love ourselves the way you love, unconditionally and without judgment. Please help us to see in ourselves what you see in us, what you put in us. Help us to be strong, persistent, and resilient enough to fulfill our mission. 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 want to remind everyone of my upcoming retreat in Oct. It is 11 weeks away, which means there is still plenty of time to plan for it and yet it is not so far away that we need to wait forever. In case you missed the discription, here it is again. In a world that constantly tells us who we should be—based on status, appearance, success, or past mistakes—it's easy to lose sight of who we truly are. This retreat is an invitation to step away from the noise and return to the heart of your Creator. Through Scripture-based teaching, worship, journaling, and authentic community, you'll begin to uncover the truth of your identity—not as the world defines it, but as God declares it. You are not your past. You are not your failures. You are not what others have said about you. You are who God says you are: loved, chosen, redeemed, and called for a purpose.
Whether you're seeking healing, clarity, or simply a deeper understanding of your worth in Christ, this retreat is a sacred space to rediscover your God-given identity and walk boldly in it. The retreat is October 11-12th. I hope you can join me. CLICK HERE for all the details. I look forward meeting you here 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 January 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, “Today is the day the Lord has made. Today is the day the Lord is blessed with his mercy and love. Abide in and live from this mercy and great 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

Your Nightly Prayer

Jesus Set Us FreeIsaiah 61:1-3 “The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners,  to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, 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.”While searching for verses on joy, I came across Isaiah 61:3. However, upon reading it, I could tell it was missing context. When I started with verse 1, I knew we all needed to hear all three of these verses. Let's start at the beginning. The prophet Isaiah is prophetically speaking for the Messiah, and the Messiah is letting the people know that he is blessed and empowered by the Spirit of the Lord God. I looked up these verses on enduringword.com's commentary page. I am so glad I did because it gives such a deeper understanding of this verse. I didn't know this was talking about Jesus.Reading this verse on its own, I did not remember that this was the verse Jesus read in Luke 4. In Luke 4:16-22, Jesus spoke in the synagogue of Nazareth, His hometown. He opened up the scroll to Isaiah 61 – perhaps an assigned reading, perhaps chosen by Him – and read from the beginning of the chapter through the first line of verse 2. When He sat down, He simply said Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing. Jesus is the person described in Isaiah 61:1-3, and He is the one the Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon.The commentary goes on to say that “as Christians under the New Covenant, we also have an anointing: But you have an anointing from the Holy One (1 John 2:20). In the New Testament sense, anointing has the idea of being filled with, and blessed by, the Holy Spirit. This is something that is the common property of all Christians, but something we can and should become more submitted and responsive to.” This is reminding us that we all have the Holy Spirit living inside of us. This means we are all anointed and we have an anointing on our lives. How many of us know this? How many of us are attentive to the Holy Spirit living inside of us? Are you listening to it? Are we responding to it? Are we letting it lead us in our everyday lives?We do not all have the same anointing on our lives. We are all called to do different things. We are all blessed with different talents and different personalities, and God uses us accordingly. However, He sometimes also uses us for things that don't align with our talents or personalities. Like when He asked Moses to lead his people out of Egypt, even though Moses wasn't good at public speaking. If God is calling you to do something, he will equip you with all you need to do it.The next part of these verse is showing us the ministry or mission of the Messiah. Jesus came to:To preach good tidings to the poor. Jesus came to announce that he is hear to heal the damage that sin brings. Sin has done a lot of damage over the many years since Adam and Eve, and so there needs to be a great work of redemption.He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted because sin breaks hearts, when he redeems us he will heal the brokenhearted.To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound. Jesus sets us free from the captivity that we find ourselves in when we sin. Jesus takes that sin to the cross with Him. Freeing us from the chains of the evil one. I had at first written forever freeing us, but then I thought about it. Jesus definitely defeated evil once and for all; however, it may still be a daily battle for us. We still need to choose to live in that freedom. The devil is really good at convincing us not to live in that freedom. He convinces us that we don't deserve that freedom, and when we let the enemy convince us that we don't deserve this freedom, then we live in captivity. We live in the prison that Jesus died on the cross to save us from.To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, And the day of vengeance of our God. This part I will read right from the commentary as I am learning right along side you. It says, “Significantly, Jesus stopped reading before this sentence. He stopped in the middle of the prophecy, because to proclaim…the day of vengeance of our God is relevant to His Second Coming, not to His first coming. The comma in year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance has stood for almost 2,000 years. This shows us something of the nature of Biblical prophecy: it may “shift gears” and time frames quickly and without warning.ii. We can compare a whole year of grace to a single day of vengeance.”One thing I do want to point out is that this is a Jubilee Year. It talks about how Jesus came to proclaim it an acceptable year to the Lord, or a year of the Lord's favor. Well, the year I am writing this episode has also been declared a Jubilee year. A Jubilee year is a holy year of the forgiveness of sin, conversion, and joyful celebration. Jubilee years typically come around every 25 or 50 years. This is a special year and we are called to participate in it.Here is what the commentary says about this last part. “The extent of the comfort and restoration is beautifully described. Instead of the ashes of mourning, He gives His people beauty. Instead of the mourning itself, He gives His people the oil of joy. Instead of the spirit of heaviness, He gives His people the garment of praise. Why do we sit in the ashes? Why do we mourn? Why do we indulge the spirit of heaviness when Jesus gave us something so much better?The word "beauty" evokes a beautiful crown or head ornament. It is translated exquisite hats in Exodus 39:28 and headdresses in Isaiah 3:20. In mourning, ashes would be cast upon the head (2 Samuel 13:19). Here, the ashes are replaced with a beautiful crown.That they may be called trees of righteousness: The restored place of God's people is glorious. They are as strong, beautiful, and useful as trees – and trees of righteousness at that. Most wonderfully, when people look at the trees, they see they are the planting of the LORD.Well, that certainly wasn't what I thought I would be talking about today. However, I think we all needed this reminder as to why Jesus came to us. It is good to be reminded of what His mission was because we are all tasked with that same mission. What can we do to help carry out His mission? Is there a way we can set someone free today? Is there some way we can remind them that Jesus has already set them free and all they need to do is accept his gift? Can we remind people they are loved and they have already been set free from their sin? They no longer have to be held captive by what they did or didn't do. All they need to do is remind themselves that Jesus's sacrifice was enough to cover all they have done.I love when the commentary asks, “Why do we sit in ashes? Why do we mourn? Why do we sit in the spirit of heaviness when Jesus gave us so much more? I will leave you with these questions to reflect on and pray about today.Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless all those listening to this episode. Lord, we love you and we ask that you bless us and remind us that you have already saved us. Lord, help us to understand that this is a jubilee year and that we can make the most of it. Lord, help us to accept your forgiveness and to live in the freedom that you won for us. 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 think I forgot to add the link to register for my retreat in the show notes yesterday. I will make sure it is there today so you can check out all the details. I hope you can join me. This may be the last year at this location, and it is a great location. I hope you don't miss out. I look forward to seeing 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 January 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 word is powerful, life-giving, eternal, changing hearts. It will not return to me void. Spread my word.” 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

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. This month in mentoring, we're discussing finding joy in the struggle. 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.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 other 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! And I know I am probably crying while I am saying it, but the music is so upbeat and I love it! Whenever I hear these songs, it reminds 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 closing 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 so excited to share with you that I have my October retreat site up and running. The retreat will be from October 11-12, 2025, with a possible extra night stay. It will be from Saturday morning to Sunday night. The retreat theme is identity. In a world that constantly tells us who we should be—based on status, appearance, success, or past mistakes—it's easy to lose sight of who we truly are. This retreat is an invitation to step away from the noise and return to the heart of your Creator. Through Scripture-based teaching, worship, journaling, and authentic community, you'll begin to uncover the truth of your identity—not as the world defines it, but as God declares it. You are not your past. You are not your failures. You are not what others have said about you. You are who God says you are: loved, chosen, redeemed, and called for a purpose.
Whether you're seeking healing, clarity, or simply a deeper understanding of your worth in Christ, this retreat is a sacred space to rediscover your God-given identity and walk boldly in it. I hope you will consider joining me. It will be held at the same place as last year, North Easton, MA. Click on the link for more details. I look forward to seeing you here 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 January 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 get this image of a heart that's all stitched up at the seams, and yet it is so full it wants to burst. And I get this overwhelming feeling of love that God has for us.” 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

Your Nightly Prayer

Offer God Your Everyday Ordinary LifeRomans 12:1 “So here is what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life-your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking around life- and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for Him.”When thinking and praying about what to talk about today I look back at scripture verses God has given to my prayer group recently. The first one that I saw was this one. I went to the Bible app on my phone as I did not bring my Bible with me today. It was set for the message translation and when I read this verse I felt the the Lord confirmed this is what He wanted me to talk about.This verse is likely one that you would recognize in another translation, as it is one that I definitely recognized. However, it seems very different in the message translation. In the New American Bible Revised Edition this verse says, “I urge you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to offer your bodies as al living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, your spiritual worship.” Does that sound familiar?I have heard many people do talks about this verse and yet the message translation seems to come at it from a bit of a different point of view and that is what I felt the Lord wanted me to focus on today. I felt God wanted me to focus on the part that says, “Take your everyday, ordinary life- your sleeping, eating, going to work, and walking around life and place it before God as an offering.” What struck me with this is the thought that this is probably harder for many of us than to offer many other sacrifices.Many of you listening are wanting to live your lives walking boldly with Jesus. You are trying to pray every day, you may be saying the rosary often, if not daily, you may be fasting or do something other things as a sacrifice to the Lord. Praying isn't always easy, but it is familiar to many of us. Scripted prayers, especially if you are Catholic, are easy because you know all the words, you don't have to think about it, you could say those prayers from mass anywhere. You have them memorized. Sacrificing your time to pray, or to talk about God with others, or even to fast isn't that difficult because you know how to do it. You feel holier, or closer to the Lord when you are doing these things.However, what about the regular, every day parts of your life? Can you offer those to the Lord as an offering? Can you stop before you begin your day and offer your day up to the Lord? Can you invite Him into your day? I saw a YouTube video about this a few years ago and it has always stuck with me. It was a video with Father Mike Schmitz. I will summarize that video for you now. It was called “3 Steps to Unceasing Prayer,” Father Mike Schmitz.  If you google this you can watch the video yourself.  It is just over 5 minutes long.  In the YouTube video, Father Mike Schmitz lists three steps, he learned from St. Francis DeSales, that you could do to transform everything you do into a prayer.Ask God to be present.  Yes, God is always present and attentive to you, but by asking him to be present you are letting him know you will be present too.Offer this moment to God.  Offer him all the joy, the suffering, whatever you may be feeling, offer it to God.  Accept –Resolve to accept whatever comes out of this momentThis will not only transform how you have a relationship with God, it will transform how you live.  This is because when you are asking God to be attentive to you, you are allowing every moment to be a sacrament.  You are inviting God into that moment which makes it a channel of Grace.  Then, when you offer the moment up to him you make each moment a sacrifice. When you choose to accept the outcome you are making every moment a moment of surrender.  For instance you can do this when you are going to bed at night.  God, I ask you to be attentive to me and I am attentive to you.  I offer this night's sleep to you as a sacrifice, as a gift to you and I accept whatever comes out of it.God is not just with us when we are praying or when we are at church. He is not just with us when we are calling upon Him or calling out to Him. God is always with us. He really wants us to know that He is in the ordinary mundane parts of our life as well as the glorious parts where we are praying or participating in mass. He want us to know that He is not judging you for not making the time to pray. He is with you in all that you are doing.Yes, He would love for you to spend time sitting down with him one on one and talking  together. However, He is also happy when you talk with him while you are driving into work or when you are doing the dishes or the laundry. He is not demanding your full attention. He just wants to be with you in all the ways He can. Can you offer your suffering to God? Can you offer your joy to God? Can you offer it all to God? Why is it so hard for us to believe He is with us in the everyday things we do? Why do we strive so hard to Do so much for the Lord when He would much rather we Be with Him? He wants you to know you can invite Him into the simple everyday parts of you life too. He is already there anyway but when you offer it to Him then you are partnering with Him in all these parts of your day. How great would it be to partner with the Lord more throughout your day?Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless all those listening to this episode. Lord, please help us to invite you into every part of our day. Please help us to remember that you never leave our side. You are with us in everything we do, even the everyday parts of our life. Help us offer our entire day, all that we do to you. Help us to recognize you more as we go throughout our 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 want to remind everyone that I have a newsletter that I send out on a weekly basis that has an article on various topics and then also any updates on things like my retreats or books or any other news. There is a link below the show notes if you are not already getting my newsletter I invite you to sign up now. I look forward to seeing you here 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 January 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 can see the Lord, and he's smiling, and he's pouring down. It's almost like a gentle liquid on people, and he's saying, “I am empowering you. There's no reason to say that you can't. I am empowering you. Accept what I am giving with joy and gratitude. I am your Lord. Go and make me known. I have empowered you. This day, I have empowered you.” And it's just falling on certain people, and you have to say yes or no. Some people are saying no, while others are rejoicing.” 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

Calm The WatersPsalm 89:9 “You rule the raging of the sea; when its waves rise, you still them.”There are several instances in the Bible when the sea was raging and God calmed it.  One of the times was when God asked Jonah to go to Ninevah and preach repentance.  Jonah did not want to do this and instead of going to Ninevah he went in the opposite direction and got on a boat going elsewhere.  While they were at sea the waves began to rise up and a great storm came upon them.  They called Jonah to see if he had any ideas as they had all prayed to their gods and nothing had happened.  Jonah told them to throw him over the side of the boat into the sea.  He explained that God was mad at him because he disobeyed God's orders.  Once they threw Jonah off the boat, the seas calmed, and those that were on the boat offered a sacrifice to God and made vows to him.  You can read more about this in the Bible in the book of Jonah.Another time that God calmed the storm is recounted in Matthew 8:23-27.  “Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We're going to drown!”  He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.  The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!”The third time I was thinking about was when Jesus was walking on water to get to the boat.  This can be found in Matthew 14:22-33.  “Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd.   After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone,  and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.   Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake.  When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It's a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.  But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid.”   “Lord, if it's you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”   “Come,” he said.  Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus.   But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”  Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”   And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down.   Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”I think each of these instances can teach us a lesson about what we should do when we are in a storm and the waves are rising and we need God to come and quiet them.  In the first story, Jonah was trying to avoid doing what God asked him to do.  God gave him a direct order, and he didn't want to do it, so he thought he could run away from the problem.  I am not sure if you know the story of Jonah or not, but running away did not solve his problem.  In fact, as soon as he was thrown overboard he was swallowed whole by a giant fish and there he stayed until he agreed to go to Ninevah.  Has this ever happened to you?  No, I don't mean have you ever been swallowed by a giant fish.  I mean have you ever tried to run from your problems, or responsibilities, only to end up in a worse situation than you could have imagined.  I am not sure exactly what Jonah was running from.  At first I thought he was scared of the people in Ninevah hurting him, as they were terrible people.  Then I read that he was running away because he knew they would repent and he didn't think they deserved forgiveness.  Either way, his situation did not improve by avoiding this responsibility.  Running from our problems don't make them go away.  Jonah still had to go to Ninevah and preach repentance but he ended up first having to get thrown into the sea and spend a really long time all alone in the belly of a giant fish.  Sometimes we are called to do things we don't want to do.  You may feel that you have a completely logical reason for not wanting to do it.  Maybe you feel you aren't qualified for the task or maybe you are afraid, whatever the reason is you don't want to do it.  Running from this task or avoiding it is only prolonging the inevitable.  I think what this first story teaches us is that we should just do the task God is asking us to do.  We may not think we are capable or qualified to do it but God wouldn't ask us to do it if he wasn't going to equip us for the task.  If we are doing what the Lord is asking us to do, we can't fail.  He won't let us.The second story teaches us that we should trust in the Lord.  Jesus was on the boat with them.  He is the son of God.  They could have just asked him to calm the waves and He would have.  They could have prayed to God, and He would have calmed the waves as well.  Every time I hear the words “you of little faith” in the Bible I wince a little.  I wonder how many times God has said this in heaven when he watches me do something, or when he hears my thoughts.  We all find ourselves in situations when we feel like the waters are rising and we can't see a way out.  I think this second story is teaching us to turn to God.  Trust that he will take command of the situation.  This is not easy.  Sometimes the way out seems so impossible and though we know that God can do anything, we have trouble imagining that He would do that.  Also, sometimes we may feel alone as if God is not with us during the storm.  This second story also teaches us that God is always there.  We don't have to be afraid because God is right there in the storm with us.  He knows what we need and is just waiting for us to ask Him for it.I think the third story is maybe a little more subtle.  I think the lesson from the third story can be found when we look at Peter's interactions with Jesus.  Everyone on the boat was afraid of this man walking on water towards them.  They thought he was a ghost.   “Lord, if it's you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”   “Come,” he said.  Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus.   But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”  Peter was walking on water, even though he had never done it before, even though it was windy.  Jesus told Him to come and Peter did.  So, what happened?  Peter looked away from Jesus.  He shifted his focus.  Once he looked away and started thinking about something else, other than Jesus, he started to sink.  Isn't this what happens to us?If you look at the storms in your life, the times when you felt like you may not survive, where was your focus?  Was your focus on all of your problems and all of the ways that you felt like you were drowning?  If you are like most of us, yes, that is exactly what you were focused on.  It's so easy to get wrapped up in our problems and spend all of our time trying to come up with a way to get ourselves out of the storm.  This third story teaches us where our focus needs to be.  We need to turn our focus toward Jesus.  He is the solution to all of our problems.  God already has the answers worked out for every problem or situation that you can get yourself into.  We just have to turn to Him and ask Him to save us.  If He can command the waves in the sea to settle down, then he can certainly calm the waves in your life.   If we keep our focus on the Lord, we will walk right through the storms in our lives.  God will calm the storms if we just ask.  Dear Heavenly Father, I ask that you bless all those listening to this episode today. Lord, I ask that you help us do the things you ask us to do without trying to avoid them. Lord, I ask that you help us not run from my problems, as it never makes the problems go away. Heavenly Father, help us to keep our focus fixed on you. Help us to turn to you when the storm is raging and the waves are rising. Lord, we know you were always there with us in the storm, and we thank you for that. We know that you can fix all of our problems. Please help us remember this when we forget. Lord, help us to be like Peter and jump out of that boat to walk towards you. We thank you so much, Lord, for all you have done in our lives. 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

Your Nightly Prayer

 "And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob." Exodus 2:24 Have you ever noticed that “The darkest nights produce the brightest stars”? It's during our most challenging times that we often find glimmers of hope shining through. Just as the night sky reveals countless stars, our struggles can unveil the strength within us. As we navigate life's storms, let us hold onto the promise that we are never truly alone. “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord (Jeremiah 29:11). In Exodus 2:24, we read, "God heard their groaning and remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob." This powerful reminder reassures us that in our darkest hours, God remembers His promises. When the Israelites were oppressed in Egypt, they felt abandoned, yet God was at work behind the scenes. He had not forgotten them, just as He has not forgotten you in your trials. Reflect on times you felt forsaken; how does knowing that God holds steadfast to His commitments strengthen your faith? “Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase,” said Martin Luther King Jr. Embracing this truth encourages us to trust in God's unwavering presence, even when the path ahead seems unclear. Just like the Israelites who eventually found freedom, we too will experience breakthroughs when we place our trust in Him. Remember, "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit" (Psalm 34:18). As we move forward, let's keep in mind that God's love surrounds us like a warm embrace. In moments of despair, turn to Him for comfort and guidance. God will never leave you nor forsake you; therefore, renew your courage and hope. Remember, you are cherished, and your journey matters to Him. Deuteronomy 31:6 says, "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you." Amen. Prayer for the Day! Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for Your unending love and faithfulness. Holy Spirit, help us to remember that even in our darkest moments, God is with us, guiding us toward the light. Lord, strengthen our faith as we lean on Your promises. May we always find hope in knowing that You never forget Your people. In Jesus' name. Amen. 

The Peace of GodPhilippians 4:6-7 "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”The other night was very hard. I knew it was going to be a long night, and so I decided, while it was quiet, I would write a devotional. I only got as far as asking the Lord for a scripture verse that would get me through the night. One that was just what I needed for the situation I was in. When I have done this before, I have had my Bible with me, and I would ask the Lord a question, then ask Him to show me the answer in His Word. Then I would randomly open the Bible and read the pages until I found my answer.Tonight I didn't have my Bible. I mean, I could have gone upstairs to get it, but honestly, I didn't really have the energy to move. So, I wondered how I could randomly search an online Bible, as I did have my computer. I decided to type into the search bar “A scripture verse to help me make it through the night.” And I told the Lord that He knew my exact circumstances, and I asked if He could give me the verse I needed to read or hear.Today's verse is the one that appeared in the search results. "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” I laughed at first because I thought that was a pretty tall order. Not to be anxious in this situation was definitely difficult, as one of my sons was making poor choices, and there wasn't much we could do about it. However, when I really thought about it, I realized I wasn't anxious. I was mad and I was sad, but I wasn't anxious.This reminded me of a conversation I was having with a friend the day before. When I told her all that was happening, she asked how I was dealing with it all. She asked how I was getting out of bed in the morning. I stopped and thought about it, and the answer was through the grace of God. This is not just something I was saying because I didn't know what else to say. I truly mean it. I can look at the situation and know that God's grace is helping me through it. I can see His hands all over this situation and that makes it easier for me to turn it over to Him.I could absolutely be worrying about my son all day, every day. I could be trying to fix it and trying to make sure all goes smoothly, and I may be doing that more than I need to. I could let this get to me so much that I stay in bed with fear of what might happen or sadness of what has already happened. Yet I am not, and I know that is because God prepared me for this moment. He prepared me for difficult times. There have been so many really hard things that have happened in the last 21 years, and I know that they were all preparation for this moment.I know God will get me through this hard time because He has gotten me through so many other hard times.I know that this addiction will not destroy my son because God has promised me that it won't, and I can trust in His promises. I can wait for God's timing on this because I have waited a really long time for things in the past, and although the wait was never easy, it was always worth it in the end. I always say that I don't know how I developed a deep trust in the Lord. I don't know why I am not more worried about my son. I think this is because we all expect it to be complicated. We expect some difficult formula to show us how to trust in the Lord. I think it is actually so simple that we don't want to believe it. Kind of like the story of Naaman in 2 Kings 5.Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Aram, was a great man and in high favor with his master, because by him the Lord had given victory to Aram. The man, though a mighty warrior, suffered from leprosy. He found out about a prophet in Samaria who could cure him. Long story short Naaman came to Elisha's house.  Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go, wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored and you shall be clean.” But Naaman became angry and went away, saying, “I thought that for me he would surely come out, and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and would wave his hand over the spot, and cure the leprosy!  Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them, and be clean?” He turned and went away in a rage. But his servants approached and said to him, “Father, if the prophet had commanded you to do something difficult, would you not have done it? How much more, when all he said to you was, ‘Wash, and be clean'?”  So he went down and immersed himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God; his flesh was restored like the flesh of a young boy, and he was clean.We think it must be complicated to follow the Lord. It must be complicated to hear his voice and to know what He wants us to do. It must be complicated to figure out how to hand things over to him and how we can get Him to answer our prayers. We search for the perfect formula or what to do and what to say to make God happy. We search and search for the next thing we can do to earn his love. And yet, it is not complicated. God tells us so simply what to do and yet we don't listen. Jesus told in Matthew 22:37-40, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Love is the answer.I say it is simple, but I don't think it is easy. Loving others is hard, I get that. I know that, trust me, I do. I have loved some people who were doing some pretty terrible things for a very long time. However, the breakthrough didn't happen when I followed all the steps laid out to me in all the various books that I read. A breakthrough also didn't happen when I did all the things the experts and counselors said I needed to do. The breakthrough happened when I did what Jesus said to do, and I poured so much more love into the situation.This verse gives us a formula for peace, and yet I think many of us dismiss it because it isn't more complicated. Let's review the verse again, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” In every situation where you are struggling right now, are you doing all that this verse tells us to do? Are you praying to God about it? Have you asked God for exactly what you need? Have you talked with Him about it? Yes, God knows what you need, and yet He also wants us to turn to Him and ask. What about the Thanksgiving part of it? Have you been grateful in this situation? Not necessarily appreciative of the problem, but while going through hard times, there is always something for which we can be thankful. Then it says to present your requests to God. Don't be afraid to ask God for help. Your request is neither too big nor too small. Bring it to Him!The verse ends with “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” This is how I get out of bed in the morning. This is how I can watch my kids struggle and yet not let it take over every thought in my mind. This is how I can make it through hard times. That doesn't mean I don't have hard days. That doesn't mean I didn't spend a week watching TV recently, just to take my mind off the situation. I am not doing this perfectly, I know that. Yet, I firmly believe with 100% of my being that this will not be forever. This addiction will not get the best of my son. There is a whole, amazingly bright future for him, and God's timing is better than mine. So by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, I will present my requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard my heart and mind in Christ Jesus.Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless all of us today. Lord, help us to come to you with prayer and petition. Help us to know that you are the creator of the universe, so whatever our problem is, you can handle it! Help us to obey your simple commandments to love God and Love one another. Help us to open our ears, minds, and hearts to you and to truly hear what you are saying to us. Help us not dismiss it because it is too easy. Help us be obedient, Lord. We love you 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. I pray you all have an amazing Fourth of July tomorrow for those of you who live in America! 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 January 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, “Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful. And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the day approaching.” 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

Your Nightly Prayer

God's Heart is Not Hesitant—It's JoyfulLuke 15:10 “There is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”We are closing out out month on Repentance in mentoring and I think this verse is an important one for us all to know about. God's Heart is Not Hesitant—It's JoyfulWhen we think about coming back to God after failure or sin, we often imagine Him standing at a distance—arms crossed, disappointed, waiting for us to prove we're really sorry. But that is not the God of the Bible. God doesn't forgive reluctantly. He doesn't roll His eyes when we repent. He rejoices. He celebrates. He runs to meet us.Repentance isn't just about our sorrow. It's about God's joy.1. Heaven Celebrates When We ReturnLuke 15:7 “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.”This verse is from the parable of the lost sheep, part of a trio of parables Jesus tells in Luke 15: the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son (or prodigal son). In each story, something precious is lost, then found—and each time, there's celebration. Jesus wants us to know that repentance isn't the end of joy—it's the beginning of it. God is not waiting to shame us. He's waiting to rejoice over us. He loves us and wants us to come home. He is so happy when we come home. He is not thinking about what we did when we went away, He is happy that we made the decision to turn back to Him and to come home.2. The Father Doesn't Just Accept the Prodigal—He RunsLuke 15:20 “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.”In the culture Jesus was speaking to, fathers didn't run. Running was undignified. But here, the father represents God Himself, and He breaks cultural norms to embrace His child who is coming home. The verse says that while he was still a long way off…God doesn't wait for us to do all the hard work and then come to us. He sees us trying and making the effort, even if that effort is very small, and He comes running!! He sees us turn to Him, even if it is just the slightest turn, and He comes running. The father doesn't wait for the son to finish his apology speech. He sees his heart, and that's enough.We might think we must explain ourselves and jump through hoops to be accepted back into the family. We, like the prodigal, don't even think we are worthy to be let back into the family. So we come up with a whole justification of why we are asking for forgiveness and explaining why it is ok if we aren't fully forgiven. It is ok if our loved ones want to keep us at a distant.eGod's joy is not based on how perfect your repentance is, but on your desire to return. He knows the moment your heart turns toward Him—and He moves first.3. God's Joy is Greater Than Your GuiltMany people struggle to believe God can be happy to see them after what they've done. They may think: “Sure, He'll forgive me—but He won't be happy about it.”But Scripture paints a different picture.Zephaniah 3:17 “The Lord your God is with you… He will take great delight in you; in His love He will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.”God delights in you. He doesn't just tolerate you. He doesn't forgive you because He has to—He does it because He wants to. His joy is rooted in love. And repentance restores that relationship, which is cause for celebration.4. God's Kindness is What Draws Us to RepentRomans 2:4 “Do you show contempt for the riches of His kindness, forbearance, and patience, not realizing that God's kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?”God's mercy is not weakness—it's a strategy of love.
He's not trying to trap you in guilt. He's trying to lead you back with compassion, knowing His joy will become your healing.5. Joy Is Mutual: God Rejoices, and So Do WeWhen we repent, God rejoices—but we're invited into joy, too.Psalm 51:12 “Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.”True repentance leads to freedom, not fear. The weight of sin is lifted. Relationship is restored. Joy is revived. God's joy becomes your joy.What Does This Mean for Us Today?If you've wandered, God is not angry—He's waiting with joy.If you feel ashamed, know that God's delight is greater than your past.If someone else is returning to God, don't question their worthiness—celebrate with heaven.If you're leading others, reflect God's posture: compassion, welcome, and joy over repentance.Dear Heavenly Father, I ask that you bless each one of us today. Lord, we want to believe that you rejoice when we repent. Please help us. Please soften our hearts towards you and allow us to see you as the loving father instead of the angry judge. Help us to turn to you when we mess up. Help us come back to you every time. 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 want to thank you also for your patience as I navigate this difficult season we are in right now with one of our sons. Things are stressful and unpredictable, and I appreciate your patience if I need to replay an episode instead of recording a new one or if I miss a day here and there due to all that is going on. I am doing my best to release new episodes, and when I'm unable to do so, I use ones from when the podcast first came out, as many of you weren't listening back then. Hopefully, they are still new to you. I also wanted to mention my annual retreat in October. It will be at the same place we had it for the last two years. It will be the same weekend, the second weekend in October. However, this year it will be from Saturday morning until Sunday night. Just one overnight. People hit a lot of traffic coming in Friday night last year so this year we will hopefully avoid all that traffic. I will get the registration site up and running soon so you can check out all the details. I will let you know when it is ready! 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.Today's Word from the Lord was received in November / December 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, “There are lights everywhere, but I ask you to be my light, to share me with others. Tell them how much I mean 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

What's Your Story?Psalm 28:7 “The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me.  My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him.”The Lord is my strength and my shield.  This is something that I am not sure we always realize.  I think most of the time, we know that the Lord is our strength.  Or, at least we know that we can ask Him for strength and He will give it to us.  I think when we think of the Lord, we most often think of Him as our strength vs. our shield.  But, did you know that He is your shield as well.  This is the part of the job that probably goes most unseen and most unrecognized.  If we are weak and God gives us strength, we can usually tell.  We are usually aware that He is helping us.  But, what about the times when He shields us from things that we didn't even know about?  This is when we don't know how to thank Him because we didn't even know that He did anything.  I think about this when I get stuck in traffic or hit a red light when I am running late.  I wonder what God is protecting me from.  I wonder what would have happened if I had left 5 minutes earlier that day.  I'm not saying that every time you get stuck in traffic, God is shielding you from something, but sometimes He might be.  Have you ever had a morning when no matter what you did, you could not leave the house on time?  Have you ever had a series of strange things happen that caused you to switch up your routine?These could be times when God is shielding you from something.  The next time that you have an experience where everything seems to be going wrong and you don't know why, try thanking God for it.  I know that may sound weird, but you will be surprised how much better you feel.  Having a day or even just part of a day when everything is going wrong is very frustrating.  We can get into a really bad mood, dwelling on the fact that nothing is going right for us. Our mood can start to spiral downward quickly.  However, if you view this terrible start to the day as a gift from God, your mood will change.  Instead of thinking that everything is going wrong and the world is conspiring against you, you can thank God for protecting you from something worse happening.You probably will never know whether God was protecting you from something or not.  However, the mindset change will be great. Most of the time, our mindset is based on our view of things.  There is a saying that we view things not as they are, but as we are.  This means that we view everything through our own lens.  This lens is made up of our past experiences.  Everything that you have been through up until this point is what makes up how you view the world.  Two people with different experiences in life can go through the same experience and yet view it very differently.  My husband and I often encounter that.  We have different views on life and different experiences.  We can both be experiencing something at the same time, and yet we feel very differently towards it.  For instance, we can both be in the same car, stuck in traffic.  He can be angry and frustrated, and I can be happy and grateful, same situation, different mindset.  Also, we can both be sitting at the same football game, and he can be happy and cheerful, and I can be bored and frustrated.  What we are feeling in any given situation is based on the thoughts that we are telling ourselves about that situation. I am not sure what you think of all of this.  Maybe it makes sense to you, and maybe it doesn't.  I know when I learned about it, I was slow to believe it.  However, the more I read about it, the more it made sense.  Also, the more I read, the more I paid attention to my feelings and my thoughts.  I played around with my thoughts and observed whether they affected my feelings or not.  How about you give it a try and see what you think.  Think about a circumstance where you recently got upset.  Think about why you were upset.  What were the thoughts in your head when you were upset?  Can you remember the story you were telling yourself?  Let's use the example of traffic for me to try to explain what I would like you to do.  I would think about the last time I was upset.  It would be when I was stuck in traffic.  I was upset because I was going to be late for work.  The thoughts in my head were: I should have left earlier.  I shouldn't have taken that extra-long shower.  My boss is going to be so mad at me.  How stupid I am for leaving late for work.  I might get fired for being late.  I think you can get the gist of my thoughts.  The story I was telling myself was that I was wrong for taking a long shower, and now I was going to lose my job.  Can you tell how this story was driving my feelings?  Can you see how these thoughts would inevitably lead to upset feelings?Now, what about if I changed my thoughts?  What if, when I saw traffic, I told myself a different story?  What if I told myself that this was the perfect time to get caught up on that podcast I loved?  What if I told myself that the traffic was a small price to pay for the happiness that a longer shower brought me?  What if I reminded myself that I am always on time to work and that being late one day is not the end of the world?  I could change my story to one where I give myself grace for being late and enjoying a longer shower.  Do you think this story and these thoughts would make me feel differently towards the traffic? What about your situation that made you upset recently?  Can you change those thoughts and that story to feel better about it?  The thing about the stories we tell ourselves is that we make them up, and we have control over them.  Most of the time, these stories are not something we are consciously thinking about.  Our stories tend to default to whatever we are used to thinking or what our past experiences have taught us about a certain circumstance.  However, when you become aware that your stories are controlling your emotions, then you can pay attention and consciously choose to change your stories.  It is not easy, but it is so great when you are able to do this.  One reason knowing this is so powerful is that a lot of times, we can't change our circumstances.  When you are stuck in traffic, you can't change that. Most of the time, you can't do anything about the traffic except wait it out.  Your attitude and emotions while you wait it out can make all the difference in the world.  If you had a choice, would you rather wait in traffic, be upset, or be happy?  Would you rather spend the time thinking about how much you hate traffic or how much you love the song on the radio?   Once you realize that your emotions are a choice, a whole new life opens up to you.  One where you are in charge of your emotions instead of your emotions being in charge of you.  It is an awesome feeling!!I was not intending to talk about this when I started writing this episode.  I thought this episode was going to be about Joy, which I love talking about.  However, it's funny what happens when you let the Holy Spirit take over.  I will address the second half of this verse in tomorrow's episode.  For today, take some time and think about your emotions, the story you are telling yourself, and how you can change that story to one that better serves you.Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless everyone listening to this episode today. I ask that you fill us with love today. We ask that you help us to recognize the stories we are telling ourselves that are unhelpful and not serving us. Lord, we ask that you help us replace those stories with better stories. We ask that you help us change our mindset and outlook on life. Help us to see the ways in which you are our strength and our shield. Heavenly Father, we thank you for the million ways that you protect us every single day that we don't even know about. Lord, we know that you are amazing, and we're so very thankful for all that you do for us. We love you, Lord, 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

The Lord Rejoices When You Repent!Luke 15:7 “Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.”The topic for tonight's mentoring session is God's joy over repentance. This verse is an excellent example of how much God loves us and how happy He is when we repent. Many of us think God is just waiting for us to mess up so he can say, “I told you so,” and then punish us. The truth is that God is waiting there for us with open arms, just waiting for us to repent. When we do, He rejoices.The verse says there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance. I think it is essential to know this because we tend to put righteous people on a pedestal. We look at people who seem to be doing it all right and think that God likes them more than us. We believe they are highly favored, and we are not. We could never compare to them, so why bother trying to be as good as they are?This verse is telling us that this is not true. It tells us that God rejoices more over us sinners who repent and turn back to Him than He does over the 99 that didn't need to repent. God loves you in the middle of all of your mess. He loves you even when you mess up. He loves you even when you don't feel lovable. He loves you even when you are sure you finally did it this time. You finally did something that is so bad, He will never be able to forgive you. He loves you even then and is just waiting for you to repent so he can forgive you, pick you up in His arms, and give you a big hug. God loves all of his children, even those of us who mess up and sin. Even if we mess up and sin a lot, He still loves us.This is such an important thing for us all to know. Actually, not just know, but to fully embrace. The enemy loves to take up space in our heads. Did you know another name for the devil is the accuser? Revelations 12:10 says, “Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night.” Satan is constantly telling God how bad we are and accusing us of all the things he thinks are so terrible that God shouldn't forgive us. Even satan doesn't understand the Lord. He doesn't understand why the Lord would forgive us. It makes no sense to him. And I kinda get it. I mean, we can be pretty awful to the Lord sometimes. We can say and do some pretty mean things, especially when we are mad.I mean, think about how we feel when our kids do unkind things to us. My sister and I were just talking yesterday about how we don't understand how kids can go from being so sweet one minute to saying the most cruel things the next. This can be us with God sometimes. When things aren't going our way, when we are stressed out, when we are frustrated, or when we feel like we are at the bottom of a deep, dark pit, we may lash out at the Lord and say very unkind things. We don't usually mean them, but in that moment, we say them anyway.We can also hurt the Lord when things are going well. We do this by taking credit for all the good in our lives. We do this by thinking we can do things by ourselves and that we don't need God. We only call upon him when we need him and forget about Him when things are going good. I am sure this is also painful to the Lord. I know it is painful to me when my kids only come to me when they need something. He wants to be there celebrating with us in the good times, too. He wants to give us a revelation about how we got to where we are, but we need to go to seek Him. We need to look back at where we were and where we are and see all that God has done to get us where we are today.God is so good and so faithful. He patiently waits for us to see the error of our ways and repent and turn back to Him. And when we do, he rejoices, and so does the rest of heaven!Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless all those listening today. Lord, we are grateful that you love us and that you forgive us. We are sorry that we offend you so often and are grateful that you never give up on us. We are grateful you keep patiently waiting for us to get it together and repent and turn back to you. We love you, Lord, and we ask all of this in accordance with your will and in Jesus's holy name, Amen!Today's Word from the Lord was received in November / December 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, “I am here with my joy, my children. Come and have your fill. Let the rhythm of my joy spread to one and all. Announce to the world that the Lord has come.” 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

There is Light, Even In The Darkness!Isaiah 9:2 “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness— on them light has shined.”This verse was received at my prayer group on Thursday. I thought it would be a good one because several of you have felt like you are in the dark lately. You feel like the waves keep coming, and you can't seem to get your head above water. I know many of you are suffering from illness and are waiting on the Lord to fix them. You have done all you can do, and now it is up to the Lord. You know He is capable of healing you, and so you are trying to hold on to the hope that He will. Yet, each day that goes by without the healing, you find it harder and harder to hold onto that hope.I know some of you listening are struggling financially. You are praying that you will be able to pay your bills at the end of the month. You are worried because someone is coming out to repossess your car any day now. I am sure that is a really scary feeling and one that you don't want to have anymore. I know growing up, my parents struggled financially. I remember my mom calling the water company and the electric company and letting them know that she wanted to pay her bills, but she just didn't have the money. The best she could do was send them $20 now and pay the rest at a later date. I am sure there were times when my mom felt like she was in the dark because they went so long without having any money.Others are not struggling financially or medically, but you have loved ones who are, and that is really tough too. This is where I am at right now. One of my sons is really struggling, and I am working hard to figure out how to help him without enabling him. I am trying to find my boundaries and still be there for him with all that he needs. You may be taking care of a spouse, a child, or a parent. Caring for aging parents can be really tough.  I wish I knew what to say to you to make your situation easier. I wish I knew what to say to heal you or your loved one. I wish I could say some magic words and you would instantly have all the provisions and money you needed for the month.  I do not know what to say. However, I do know what this verse says and what it promises us. The verse for today says, “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness— on them light has shined.” You may be walking in darkness, but you have a light shining on you. God is shining a light on you. You may feel like it is too dark to see that light, but it is there. God is always right there with you, trying to light your way. We just need to be looking for His light.This light doesn't have to literally be a bright shining light, although for some it might be. I have a friend, Bruce, who has gone blind slowly over the last 10 years. He had a conversation with the Lord back in August. He cried out to God and told Gold that he was so tired of being in the dark all the time. He just couldn't take it anymore. Guess what God did next? He did not heal him of his blindness, but he did provide him with a light in that darkness. It was truly remarkable. If you have some time, you can go back and listen to his testimony on episode #836. You won't be sorry you listened. It is a great witness to how good our God is and shows what can happen if we are brave enough to ask.For some of you, the bright light might be feeling good enough to get out of bed today. It might be getting a chance to sit outside and feel the sun on your face. It might be feeling good enough to eat something or to sit up and watch TV. Your bright light might be different than my bright light. However, the verse says that the people who have walked in darkness have seen a great light. So, what does your great light look like? Where can you see light in your darkness? If you don't know what that great light is, that is ok. You are not alone. There are many of us who can only see the dark, especially if we have been in it for a long time.One way to start to see some light is to look for things you can be grateful for each day. It's ok to just start with one thing. If all you see is the bad stuff all around you, then try to take a moment each day to intentionally find something good around you. It doesn't have to be something good about your situation, it could just be that you are grateful for the sun shining, for a good cup of coffee or tea. You could be grateful for a nice text message from a friend or the perfect song coming on the radio when you needed it the most. Gratitude is a great way to start to bring a little light into your situation.The verse also says, “those who lived in a land of deep darkness— on them light has shined.” If you are feeling like you are living in the land of deep darkness, the verse says that a light has shone on you, too. There is light in every situation. God is light, and He never leaves your side. No matter how dark you feel your situation is, God is promising us that there is light in it. It is not pitch black. There is always some light because God is right there with you. Sometimes the light is hard to see, and that is why I suggested the habit of looking for things to be grateful for each day. The more you look, the more you will see. It can be easy to tell ourselves that we have nothing to be grateful for. However, the more we look for things to be grateful for, the more we will see, and then the more light we will see in our situation. There is light in every situation, we just have to look for it and we will find it!Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless each person listening to this episode. Lord, so many of us feel we are in the dark, please help us! Please help those who are in the dark find even just a glimmer of your light, Lord! We know you are in every situation, and yet sometimes it is so hard to see you. Please help us see you in every situation. 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 look forward to meeting you here 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 November / December 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, “Surrender all the worries, anxieties, tests, and demands of this world during this season to Me. The most important thing you can do is surrender to Me, my sacred heart. This is the most important gift to Me, to yourselves, and to others.”  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

Your Nightly Prayer

Are You Living Up To Your Potential?Jeremiah 29:11  “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”The Lord has planned out your life.  Before you were even formed, He had a plan for your life.  Isn't that crazy to think about?  His plans for your life are good plans.  He tells us directly, we don't even have to guess, “Plans to prosper you and not to harm you.”  If we know that God has plans for us to prosper, then why do we sometimes run away from these plans?  God's plans are to give us hope and a future, so why do we question these plans?  Why is it so hard for us to believe that God has plans for us?I have been doing a lot of personal development, and I am in a Christian mentoring group called Big Life Mentoring.  In all of the personal development books, as well as the mentoring, they talk about how we have a God-given potential.  They talk about how we were all created to live an exceptional life.  God wants nothing but the best for us.  Does this mean that we will never have challenges? Nope.  It does mean that He will be with us in those challenges and He will use those challenges for our good, not for our harm.  I have talked with numerous people over the last several years about my belief that God created us all to live a big life.  It is usually met with some opposition.  I have been told that some people were created for a big, amazing life, and some people were not.  Some people were created to have an “ok” life.  Where they just go about their day, and nothing special happens.  They were not created to do great things.I disagree with this.  I do not think that God created any of us to just go through our days, day in and day out, just existing.  I do not believe He wants that for any of us.  I am also not saying that every person was created to be a movie star or make some huge impact on the whole world.  I do think that we all have the same potential for doing great things with our lives.  How we use that potential could look very different for everyone.  Someone could use that potential to be a movie star, a priest, a mom, a lawyer, a doctor, anything you desire. I don't think it's the career you choose or the role you play that defines you.  I think it is more about how you are showing up in that career/role.  You do not have to go on a mission trip to another country to change people's lives.  If you are a parent, you are impacting lives every day with your parenting.  People are always watching you, and you could be changing lives in the grocery store when someone watches you handle a complaint respectfully.  There are many ways that you could have a positive impact on the world.  The opposite of this is true as well.  If you are walking through life angry and taking it out on all that you see, this will also be observed by others and could be changing lives, but not for the better.  If that is you, that is not the life that God has planned for you. I wonder sometimes how many of us are actually living up to our potential.  Are you living up to the potential that God has placed within you?  A lot of people that I talk to are settling for mediocrity.  They are not truly happy with their life, and they think that is just how life is.  They don't seek to change anything because they don't feel they deserve more, or maybe they don't think there is anything better out there, or perhaps they don't feel they're capable of having more.  I want to tell you right now that if you are unhappy with where you are in life, there is more.  God has more planned for you.  Where you are now does not have to be a final destination.  It could be a resting place until you are ready for the more that God has planned for you. What is it that you really want to do?  What is it that makes your heart light up when you talk about it?  This could be something big, like start a non-profit, write a book, change careers, or it could also be as simple as seeing my grandkids more, being in nature, going to daily mass, or spending more time in prayer.  Whatever it is deep inside that you're longing for, go get it.  God has given you the potential to achieve all your dreams.  Are you living up to your potential?  Is there more you could be doing?  You may be listening to this and thinking that I am wrong, that not everyone was made for an extraordinary life.  That you were made for an ordinary life and nothing more.  I would argue that your outlook might be the difference between an ordinary life and an extraordinary life.  Two people may have very similar lives, as far as marriage, kids, career, income, etc.  Yet one may be living an extraordinary life, and one may be living an ordinary life. What is the difference?  The one living an extraordinary life has a positive outlook on their life.  They are on the lookout for the miracles that occur every day and are willing to acknowledge them.  They are also looking for ways that they can excel in the roles that they have.  They are looking for opportunities to improve the life they have.  The one living an ordinary life is on the lookout for all the ways his/her life is ordinary, and so that is all they see.  They do not see opportunities to improve their life and assume that what they have is the best it is going to get.  God wants amazing things for you and your family.  It is not too late.  You are not too young.  You are not too old.  You have not been out of the game too long.  You are not too inexperienced.  You are strong enough.  You are smart enough.  You have so much potential.  That thing that you have always wanted to do, it is not too late.  Philippians 4:13 says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”  You can do all things through Christ.  Do that thing, that thing you have been putting off, that thing that you have been too scared to do, that thing that you are convinced you can't do.  Why do you think you have that desire deep inside of you?  Who do you think put that desire there?  And if God put that desire there, don't you think he will equip you with all you need to achieve it?  Are you living up to your potential?  Dear Heavenly Father, I ask that you bless everyone listening to this episode today. Lord Jesus, we ask that you help us live up to our potential. We thank you for putting these desires in our hearts and for equipping us to achieve them. Lord, we ask that you give us the motivation and strength we need to live the life you want us to live. Lord, if we are not living the life you want us to live or if we're not living up to our potential, we ask that you shine a light on this and convict our hearts on what you want us to do. Lord, we want all that you have to offer, and we willingly accept it.  You are amazing, Lord, and we are so very thankful for all that you do.  We love you very much 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 seeing you again 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

Evidence of True RepentanceMatthew 3:8 “ Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.”Repentance is the theme for mentoring this month. This week, we are focusing on Evidence of true repentance. When researching this, I came across this verse. I dismissed it as a very short verse, and I didn't think it said too much. However, it kept coming up, so I sat with it and asked the Lord what He wanted to share with you about this verse. Repentance is not about just saying sorry. It is about truly being sorry, returning to the Lord, and changing our ways. If we go to confession one day and then return to living our lives the same way we had before, then is that really repentance?I know there are some sins we struggle with, sins we might confess week after week or month after month. We can be genuinely sorry for something and yet struggle to change it. However, we do need to be trying to change it. God is very patient, and He knows our hearts. He will help change our hearts, habits, or whatever we need to change, as long as we invite him into that struggle.The verse above says to produce fruit in keeping with repentance. Matthew 17:15-20 says, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.  A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore, by their fruits you will know them.” It says twice in these verses, you will know them by their fruit. What does your fruit look like?Is everything going wrong in your life right now? Is it one bad day after another? Do you feel a lot of anger, unforgiveness, and anxiety? Have you repented lately? Have you turned away from sin and back to God? God does not cause bad things to happen in our lives. I am not saying that God is causing these bad things because you have not repented. What I am saying is that our choices can definitely cause bad things to happen in our lives. Our choices can make us miserable, and sometimes we can end up blaming God for the bad results of our choices instead of taking responsibility for them and examining our lives to see where we might need to repent and turn back to the Lord.We ask the Lord why we are so unhappy, and then we decide to drink all night because we are so sad. Then we wake up the next day feeling like crap and so we are unhappy that day too. This cycle repeats over and over again until we stop, repent, and turn back to the Lord. We ask the Lord why our family is falling apart, yet we choose to watch TV and numb our feelings instead of hitting our knees and praying about the situation. We are turning everywhere for answers except for God, who has all the answers.One of the people in mentoring gave an example last week of a sin she had been struggling with. She repeatedly confessed this sin each week during confession. She desperately wanted to get rid of this sin in her life, and yet she continued to struggle with it. She felt so embarrassed and so ashamed every time she had to go and confess this same sin, week after week. However, she continued to bring it to the Lord and confess it. Because she continued to repent of this sin and tried to change it, and invited God in to help her change it, she no longer suffers from this sin. He has healed her of it. God changed her heart and her mind. He is so good. He can do this for you, too! But first, you have to bring it to Him. First, you need to repent and invite Him into it.If things are particularly hard in your life right now, take some time, sit with the Lord, and ask Him if there is any unrepented sin in your life. Ask God to show you where you might need repentance. This can be hard to do, as we might be afraid God might tell us to change something we don't want to change. God has our best interests at heart. He knows what is best for us, even when we can't see it. He knows the whole picture, even the things we can't see.Think about all you did when you were a kid. Did you always know what was best for you? Did you always do what was best for you? I am sure in the moment you thought you were doing what was best, but really, you were doing what felt best. What feels good in the moment isn't always what is best for you. I am struggling with this with my boys. They think some of the things they are doing are not that bad. Everyone does them, and it's no big deal. What they can't see is the long-term effects or the long-term damage. Yes, smoking probably feels really good in the moment, yet how good do you think lung cancer will feel when you are older? They can't see the future, but God can.The same is true for us. We can't see the results of everything we are doing now. Just because something feels good in the moment doesn't mean that it is good for us in the long run. This is why it is important to take time to examine our life, our actions, and ask the Lord to show us anywhere that we might need to repent. God knows more than we do. God sees more than we do. God knows our hearts, and He doesn't want to lose a single one of his children. He can't help us if we don't let Him. He can't help us if we don't ask for help. If we don't search our own hearts, lives, and actions and see where we might be sinning. Where we might need to repent.I read something this morning that said real repentance shows up in your lifestyle: humility, growth, peace, love, and ongoing transformation. Look at these things in your life. Are you growing in humility, or are you very prideful? Are you growing in your relationships, life, job, etc, or are you stuck where you have always been? Are you growing in peace, or are you anxious, worried, angry, fearful, always? Are you growing in love, or are you closed off, refusing to trust, or let others in? Is there an ongoing transformation where you are constantly evolving and trying to be more holy, trying to live more and more like God is calling you to live?Can people look at us and tell by our lifestyle that we have real repentance? The verse from Matthew 17 said, “You will know them by their fruits.” What do the fruits of our lives say about us?Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless all those listening today. Lord, help us to repent of our sins. Please help us to know how to repent. Help us see our sins, not so we can feel shame or regret, but so that we can bring them to you and help us repent and turn back to you. Please show us the ways we have turned away from you. Please show us the ways we need to repent. Lord, help us to look at the fruit of our lives and see where we need to make changes. Help us to see where we can grow more in humility, growth, peace, love, and ongoing transformation. Please help us to invite you into all of it, Lord! Help us to invite you into the mess because that is the only way things will change. 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 looking forward to meeting you here 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 November / December 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, “I am your strength of every day. I am your hope. I am all that you will ever need. The more you trust, the more you will grow in my ways, for I am the Lord your God who loves you till the very end. Take my hand and never let it go. Come to me, for I love you so.” 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

Submit Yourselves to God (Replay)James 4:7-8 “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”This is another one of those things that sounds much easier to do than it actually is.  Submit ourselves to God.  That doesn't sound too hard, right?  It doesn't sound hard, but have you tried it?  It is not easy to submit to God.  What does it even mean to submit ourselves to God?  Google's dictionary defines submission as "the action or fact of accepting or yielding to a superior force or to the will or authority of another person.”  I think there are two parts to this.  First, the action of accepting or yielding to a superior force.  This means that we would accept that God is in control.  We would do as He tells us to do because He is our superior force.  He created all things, and He gives us a set of rules to live by, so we must live by them.  The second part of this definition is accepting or yielding to the will or authority of another person.  Submitting to God would be accepting His will as our will.  It would mean that we accept His will for our lives.  There are times when this is very easy.  When we get the job we really want, it is easy to accept it as God's will.  When we meet the love of our life, we can accept that it is God's will for us to be with this person.  However, what about when things aren't going our way?  What about when God's will differs from our will?  What about if we don't get a job because He has something better in mind for us?  Can you think of a time when you really wanted something to happen and it didn't?  What about when you didn't want something to happen and it did?  How easy was it for you to submit to the Lord's will?  This verse tells us to submit ourselves to God.  If we want to do this, we need to figure out where we are struggling and then ask God for help.  We can ask Him to help us submit.  He will always help when we ask.  If we are struggling to see how God wants us to submit to Him, then we can always just ask Him.  My spiritual director told me one time to model St. Teresa of Lisieux and explain to God that I am just a little child and I need Him to show me the way.  I need Him to show me or tell me what He wants me to do.  I want to follow His will, I just need directions, just as a child would. This really spoke to me.  I sometimes, oftentimes, if I am being honest, I think I need to know what God wants from me.  I think I am just supposed to know.  It seems like everyone else knows, but why don't I know?  So, I try to guess, I try to listen, and I try to do all the things just in case that is what He was wanting.  However, what I try to do now is to ask the Lord to help me understand.  I ask Him to explain it to me as though I were a child.  I ask Him to make it clear to me and to give me the courage and strength for whatever He wants me to do.  We are all just little children in the eyes of the Lord.  In Matthew 18:3, Jesus said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” God wants us to become like children.  I think he wants us to be like children because there is something so pure about a child's faith.  Children don't get caught up in understanding every little detail.  They don't ask all the questions.  Miracles are miracles because there is no explanation.  If there were an explanation as to exactly how it happened, it wouldn't be a miracle.  Adults don't really like to believe in things that they can't see.  Children, on the other hand, love to play make-believe.  They have no problem believing in things they can't see.  If you are struggling to submit to God, ask Him to show you how.  He has assured us that if we ask, He will answer, so let's ask.  The next part of this verse says to resist the devil, and he will flee from you.  Again, something that sounds so easy and yet is so difficult.  I would love to say I resist the devil.  The problem is, the devil is always disguised as something else.  For instance, he will be disguised as temptation.  You know that you should spend time in prayer or in silence, and suddenly your favorite TV show is having a marathon and showing episodes all day.  You decide to give up sweets for Lent, and someone drops cookies off at your house.  You decide you are going to start running, and it rains for a week straight.  Do you see how it is hard to resist the devil in these circumstances because you don't know it is the enemy attacking you?  Another way the enemy might show up is through distractions.  You decide you want to spend more time with your children, and suddenly everyone in the family has something else to do, or your work suddenly gets really busy.  You may want to spend more time with your parents, but something comes up to prevent you from spending more time with them.  We find it hard to resist the other things that are getting in our way, and so family time gets put off or pushed aside.  The enemy might also show up as anger.  We want to be peaceful and to not get upset over little things.  Then the enemy comes along and presents one little thing after another until you can't take it anymore and get angry and you lose it.  The enemy doesn't want us to grow in holiness.  He will do whatever it takes to prevent this from happening.  He certainly does not want to flee.  If we want the devil to flee, we have to figure out a way to resist him, all his temptations and lies.  How do we resist something that we don't know is there?  One way we can resist the devil is to keep turning our eyes to the Lord.  We can keep asking Him what He wants us to do and asking Him to help us do it.  We can ask the Lord to open our eyes to see the devil and all his tricks.  We can try to be on the lookout for different ways the enemy may be interfering in our lives.  If things are not going well and you are not acting like you want to, the devil is probably involved.  If you feel you are growing further from the Lord, the devil is probably involved.Another way to resist the devil is to do what the verse above says, “Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”  In my prayer group every week, the Lord calls us closer to Him.  He is calling all of us closer to Him.  If we come closer to God, He will come closer to you.  Then the verse says, Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.  I wasn't sure what double-minded in this verse meant.  When I looked it up, it meant that our heart is split between God and the things of this world.  This is the devil's way in.  This is his back door.  If we love the things of this world as much or even more than we love God, then that is all the devil needs to attack us.  The more we release our attachment to the things of this world, the less of a hold the devil has over us.  If we want to resist the devil, we can ask God to help us, we can turn to Him and grow closer to Him, and we can try to release our attachment to the things of this world.  Releasing our attachment to things of this world is not easy.  We all have our favorite TV shows or our favorite foods we like to eat, and that is ok.  I am not saying that you can't like anything that is of this world.  I am saying that our priorities should be God first and then everything else.  If anything is getting in the way of us doing the things we know we need to do, then that is the devil at work, and we need to resist.  I have been attacked by the spirit of distraction lately.  I will have time to write this book I am writing, or work on my podcast, and the spirit of distraction will come and show me all these other more fun things to do.  I must resist.  Did you know, in a weird way, when the devil attacks you, it is sort of a compliment.  It is confirmation that you are walking on the right path.  The reason I say this is because the devil doesn't mess around with the lukewarm; he doesn't mess around with those who are already headed to see him.  He only concerns himself with those who are headed to see the Lord, those who are favored and are trying to walk the right path.  If you are feeling like the devil is attacking you, take comfort in the fact that you are doing something right, or he wouldn't bother with you.  Then turn to the Lord and keep trying to do the next right thing.  God is on your side, and He will be your refuge and your shield if you ask Him to.  Come in close to the Lord, and He will come in close to you.  He will put his arm around you and protect you from all harm.Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless all those listening to this episode today.  Lord, we want to resist the devil, and we want him to flee. Please help us.  Please protect us, Lord, and shield us from all harm.  Help open our eyes to see the devil and all of his tricks in our lives.  Lord, we want to put you first, help us to see what is getting in our way.  Open our eyes to anything that is preventing us from growing closer to you.  Help us to know what you want us to do and help us to become like children.  Lord, you are amazing, and we love you so very much.  We are grateful that you are our God and that you take such good care of us.  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.  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

The Holy Spirit Lives In YouActs 2:38 “Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins.  And you will receive the Holy Spirit.”I think when most of us read this, we focus on the repent and be baptized part of this verse.  Repentance is so important, and it is something that we can read about all throughout the Bible.  God is always calling His people to repentance, and sometimes they repented and other times they did not.  In the case of Sodom and Gomorrah, they were a wicked people and they refused to repent.  God sent fire down to destroy the towns.  However, when God sent Jonah to Ninevah to tell them they needed to repent, they did, and God saved them.  Did you know that Jonah was angry at God for saving Nineveh?  We read in Jonah 4:1-2, “But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry.  And he prayed to the Lord and said, “O Lord, is it not this what I have said when I was yet in my country?  That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster.”  Jonah ran from the Lord when the Lord asked him to go to Ninevah.  I had always thought he ran from the Lord because he was afraid of the people in Ninevah.  However, this verse says that he ran because he knew God would have mercy on them, and he didn't want them to be saved.This is a somewhat common thing for us to do.  Maybe not running from the Lord, but definitely wishing people get what they deserve.  Have you ever wished that someone got what they deserved?  Have you ever seen a car speed by you, or weave in and out of traffic, and think to yourself, “I hope there is a cop ahead.” Or do you see someone cut in line and hope that someone notices and that they get kicked out of the line?  Why do we do this?  Why do we wish ill on other people?  Maybe you are thinking that you are justified in thinking that you want the driver to get pulled over because you want them to learn their lesson and drive better.  But, what if they did get pulled over and they just got a warning, would you be ok with that?Sometimes we can do this with our kids as well.  Jonah felt that these people needed to be punished, and he knew that God would have mercy on them.  Sometimes we can default to the thinking that when our children do something wrong, they need to be punished, and maybe that is true sometimes.  But do we take the time to think about the situation first?  Do we even consider giving them mercy?  Sometimes our children need our mercy.  Sometimes they messed up, did something they weren't supposed to do, and they know it was wrong.  They are truly sorry, and they learned a lesson from it.  Times like these are times when we should consider mercy.  Sometimes we think our kids will only learn if we punish them; however, I think they can learn a lot from mercy as well.As I said earlier, we tend to focus on the first part of this verse, Repent and be baptized.  However, I wonder how many of you also think of the ending of the verse?  How many of you truly know what it means?  The verse ends with “and you will receive the Holy Spirit.”  I am not sure that everyone, or even most people, knows how powerful a statement that is.  Did you know that the power of the Holy Spirit is what raised Jesus from the dead?  Did you know that the same power resides in you?  Romans 8:11 "If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.”When you are baptized, you are baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. This means that when you are baptized, you receive the Holy Spirit.  If you are Catholic, then you receive the Holy Spirit again when you are confirmed.  This is all amazing to me.  The power that raised Jesus from the dead lives in me.  I just can't get over that.  I think if we all knew the power that we had through the Holy Spirit, and then used that power for good, the world wouldn't know what was going on.  Jesus said in John 14:12-14, “Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I do and will do greater ones than these, because I am going to the Father. And whatever you ask in my name, I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything of me in my name, I will do it.”Did you catch that?  Jesus said we will do greater works than He if we believe.  This is only possible because of the Holy Spirit.  We have the Holy Spirit inside of us; we just need to call on Him.   We need to believe in Jesus and believe when He tells us that He sent us the Holy Spirit to guide us.  The Holy Spirit raised Jesus from the dead.  That same spirit lives in you.  What are you going to do with it?  Are you going to just sit around and let all that power pass you by, or are you going to use your newfound power for good?  Who do you know that could use some extra blessings?  I am sure that I have talked before about how important repentance is, and yet this will likely not be the last time you hear me talk about it.  Repentance is so important for so many reasons.  This verse just mentions one of the many: if you repent and are baptized, you will receive the Holy Spirit.  Now, after talking for a bit about how awesome the Holy Spirit is, wouldn't you do anything to be close to Him?Most, if not all, of you listening already have the Holy Spirit inside of you.  Call upon Him and you will see how powerful He is.  Don't be afraid to talk with Him and ask Him for things.  That is why God sent Him to us, to help us.  Anything that happens as a result of the Holy Spirit glorifies God.  Jesus is with the Father, so when we ask God for things in Jesus' name, the Holy Spirit comes through for us, and the results glorify the Lord.  It is a win-win for everyone.  One of the easiest prayers to remember, and yet one of the most powerful, is, “Come, Holy Spirit, come.”  When you ask, God answers.  Anytime you are in need of a little assistance, or even a lot of assistance, pray, “Come, Holy Spirit, come.”  I truly feel you will be surprised at all the ways He comes through for you.  Dear Heavenly Father, I ask that you bless all those listening to this episode today. Lord, I ask that you send the Holy Spirit to everyone listening to this podcast. Lord, we ask that you open our eyes to how the Holy Spirit is working in our lives. Lord, we ask that you remind us to call on the Holy Spirit when we forget. Lord, we are so very thankful that you sent down the Holy Spirit to guide us in your ways.  Lord, help us to see the places in our lives where we need to repent, and then give us the courage to do so. We want to receive the Holy Spirit, Lord Jesus, we are open to it. Lord God, you are amazing. We are so very thankful for all you do for us.  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 want to let you know that there may be more replays in the upcoming weeks. A few things are going on in our family that are requiring more of my time. However, I don't want to not post something for you, and many of you were not listening at the very beginning. So, hopefully it will still be new to you! I will still post a new one when I can, and a replay when I don't have the time. I appreciate your patience and your support during these next few weeks. I also appreciate your support in listening to this podcast. I am honored you listened. I look forward to meeting you here again on Monday! 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 November / December 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, “Today is a new day, my people. Today is the day I renew all my mercies and my graces, and I pour them out freely on each one of you, on your families and your friends and your co-workers and your churches and all the world. Today is a day in which you need to praise and worship me from your heart for the many gifts that I have given you so that I can continue to pour out on you grace upon grace upon gift upon gift, that you may be my ambassadors, that you may be the signs to the world that I am alive, that resurrection is real, that it is a grace that I give to each one of you. All you need to do is call upon my name. Call upon the name of Jesus, the Lamb of God who gave his very life, that you might have life forever and ever. My greatest desire is to love you forever. Listen to me, my people. Listen to me and share that good news with those you meet. I love you. My heart is always yours, and you are always mine.” 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

You Are Loved By JesusJohn 13:23 “One of his disciples, the one whom Jesus loved,* was reclining at Jesus' side.”This scripture verse was given at my prayer group, and the following words of prophecy were given:  “You are also the one whom Jesus loves.  So, your place is to be listening to his heartbeat when you pray. So, put your head on his chest and listen to his heartbeat.  Say I love you and be at peace.”  Is there anything more calming than putting your head on someone's chest and listening to their heartbeat?  I pictured when I was little and if I was scared and I went to lie with my parents.  Just putting my head on their chest and listening to their heartbeat would make me feel better. It seemed so rhythmic and soothing.“You are also the one whom Jesus loves.”  How many of you believe this?  Like truly in the depths of your heart believe this?  You are also the one whom Jesus loves.  Sometimes, it is easy to say that Jesus is love.  It is easy to say that Jesus loves everyone.  And yet, even as we are saying it, we are discounting ourselves from that love.  We know He loves everyone and yet we don't believe that he loves us?  We don't feel that love or even understand why He would love us.  Who are we to be loved by Jesus?You are the son or daughter of the one true king. That is who you are.  You were made in the likeness and image of God.  You are deeply loved by Him.  Why do you discount yourself from that love?  Or maybe you put a lot of pressure on yourself to be worthy enough of God's love.  Maybe you think if you just do things perfectly, then God will love you.  If you attend weekly mass and volunteer for every fundraiser, you will be worthy of God's love.  Are you constantly feeling like you are not good enough for God's love?Guess what? None of us are.  None of us are worthy of God's love, yet he lavishes it freely anyway.  You do not have to do anything to earn God's love.  Well, as I wrote that, what came to mind was we do have to accept it.  God can tell us all day long that he loves us, but if we don't accept it, then it doesn't matter.  Yesterday, I talked about abiding in God's love and how abiding means acceptance.  Can you accept God's love?  Can you accept that he loves you just as you are, with no strings attached?This is a new kind of love for so many.  Some people have never had someone in their lives who loved them completely, with no strings attached.  Unconditional love is not a thing they even new.  If you are struggling to believe that Jesus loves you, just as you are, think about your childhood and your past relationships.  What do you think of when you think about love?  Did you have to earn love growing up?  What did you feel you had to do to be loved?  For instance, did you have to get good grades,  be a certain weight, be quieter, etc?  Did you feel like your parents' love was conditional on your behavior?  If so, don't worry. You are not alone.  We live in a broken world and don't know how to love each other unconditionally like our heavenly father does.  I think everyone is doing the best they can.  We can only love others to the extent that we are loved.  If your parents do not know unconditional love, they can't pass it on to you.  The good news is, that you can learn to let Jesus's love in.  The good news is that Jesus does love us unconditionally.  If we can learn to accept Jesus's love, then we can learn to pass this love on to others, even if that is not the love we were raised with.If you struggle with accepting God's love, I would love to give you some practical tips for how to begin to accept God's love.  I went online to see if others had already written about his subject.  I found an article written by Kara J. Lovett called “5 Keys to Accepting God's Love.”  I would highly suggest you read this article.  I will put a link for it in the description of this episode, but you can easily find it by googling 5 Keys to Accepting God's Love.  https://karajlovett.com/5-keys-to-accepting-gods-love/  In the article she goes into what God says about love and then a section on understanding God's love.  Her article mentions five was you can accept God's love.  They are as follows: Accepting God's love with scripture, prayer, grace, and quietness & in unexpected places. Kara says in her article that “by digging deep into Scripture and spending time with God in prayer, I realized that I need to stop striving for love and instead strive to accept God's love, which He has already graciously bestowed on me.”  As I mentioned yesterday, reading the bible is a great way to get to know God's love. You can see all sorts of examples of God's love in the bible.  1 John 4:7-10 is a great example of love.  It says, “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God because God is love. In this, the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”The second way she mentions is prayer.  When we turn to God and ask for His help, he wants to help us and is just waiting for us to ask.  God knows what we are going through and what are struggles are, and yet he loves it when we talk to Him about them.  Just sit down with a cup of coffee or tea and talk to God like you are talking to your best friend at the kitchen table.  You will be surprised how much closer you get to God when you start having chats with Him regularly.  They can be informal chats about your day, your struggles, and your successes.  God wants to share in all of that with you.The third way she mentions is Grace.  Learning about grace over these last few years has been huge for me.  Learning to be graceful with yourself is so important.  Kara says that grace is the free, unearned gift of salvation that God has bestowed upon us.  When I looked up the definition online, it said 1a: unmerited divine assistance given to humans for their regeneration or sanctification. b: a virtue coming from God. c: a state of sanctification enjoyed through divine assistance.  We are saved and redeemed through God's grace.  It is unmerited, meaning we don't deserve it; we can't do anything to earn it; it is just bestowed upon us.  How amazing is that?  The third definition is a state of sanctification enjoyed through divine assistance.  We can't forget this.  We are made holy through divine assistance.  God is always there to help us.  We can't do any of this on our own.  It is always a partnership.  God has so much grace and mercy for us.  He doesn't expect us to be perfect, so cut yourself some slack.The fourth way to accept God's love is through quietness.  Spend some quiet time with God.  There are so many ways that you can do this.  Maybe you are someone who likes to meditate every morning.  That is wonderful! Maybe you are like me, and every time you try to quiet your mind, all it wants to do is talk to you.  That's fine, too.  Maybe your quiet time is spent in nature, going for a walk, or sitting outside listening to the sounds of nature.  Maybe your quiet time with God is spent journaling all your thoughts.  There is no right way to spend quiet time with God.  Your relationship with God is like any other relationship; the more time you spend together, the closer you will be.  The fifth key to accepting God's love for Kara was letting go of control.  Even though we know at some level that we don't have to earn God's love, we still try to prove to Him that we love Him.  We put all these rules and regulations on ourselves about how we have to do this, and we have to do that.  We tend to put a lot of pressure on ourselves.  Once Kara was able to let go of control and remember that Jesus already secured our freedom on the cross, she decided to let go of all the pressure she put on herself and just tried to abide in Jesus's love.  God loves you!  He truly does.  I hope that if you are not currently able to accept God's love, you will spend some time working on learning how to.  I can't tell you how amazing it is to know that I am always loved.  To know that there is nothing I can do that would make my heavenly father stop loving me.  It gives me so much more confidence in life.  It brings me so much joy.  It breaks my heart when I talk with people who don't know how much God loves them.  I know it is hard to let love in sometimes.  I have been there before.  It can be hard,  it can take a lot of work, and it is so worth it.  There is so much more waiting for you once you accept and really come to know God's love for you.  It is there for the taking, free, with no strings attached.  All you have to do is say yes and accept it!Dear Heavenly Father, I am so thankful that you love us unconditionally.  You love us so completely.  Lord, some of us are struggling to feel this love.  We ask you right now to come into our hearts and fill them with your love, perfect love.  We ask that you begin to break down any walls that we have put up to keep love out.  Lord, we want all the love that you have for us.  Lord, I ask that you bless everyone listening to this with a supernatural feeling of love today.  That the Holy Spirit descends on all of them and that they can physically feel you giving them a hug today.  Lord, you are so amazing.  We are in awe of all that you do each and every day.  We pray that you help our loved ones to open up and feel your love.  Lord, we pray that you shower your love on all the teenagers.  Being a teen is so difficult, and many do not feel any love.  Please show them how amazing your love is, Lord.  We ask all of this in accordance with your holy will and in Jesus's name, Amen.  Thank you 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 or leave a review, that would be great also. 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

God's Mercy & ForgivenessPsalm 51:10-12 “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.  Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.  Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.”These verses come within a series of verses addressing God.  The person talking to God in this psalm is David.  This psalm takes place after David had been visited by the prophet Nathan.  Nathan came to him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba.  This psalm includes a lot of David asking God to forgive him for his sins.  One thing I love about David is that he is so good at realizing he did something wrong and then turning back to the Lord.  He messed up pretty badly sometimes.  It was not as if he was anointed, and so he always followed the Lord and never strayed.  He broke some pretty big commandments.  Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, thou shalt not commit adultery, and thou shalt not kill, being a few of them.No matter how big the sin was, David never seemed to feel too ashamed to turn back to the Lord.  This is so great.  This shows such a deep level of understanding or trust, or both.  I think he was never afraid to turn back because he knew how much he was loved by God.  I wish we all knew and could trust God's love like David did.  How great would it be to know with every fiber of our body that no matter what we did, God would still love us and welcome us back?Have you ever done something and then not turned back to the Lord because you didn't think you deserved forgiveness?  Have you ever thought that you did something so bad that there was no way that God would forgive you?  I think that most people have probably thought this at one time or another.  I wonder if we would still think it if we remembered in that moment all the things that God has forgiven over the years?  David saw a woman bathing on the roof of another house in his town and called for her to be brought to him.  Then he had relations with her.  I doubt she had much to say about it, as that was not really the culture back then.  After he did this, she was pregnant, and he was worried her husband would find out what he had done.  He tried to trick her husband, and when that didn't work, he sent him to the front lines to be killed in the war.  Then he took Bathsheba for his wife.Take a moment and think of the thing that you have been trying to hide from God because you think there is no way he will forgive it.  Is it worse than what David did?  If God could forgive David, He will forgive you.  What if it is worse than what David did?  What do you do then?  Is it worse than what Saul did when he was going around stoning to death those who believed in Jesus?  Was it worse than what the soldiers did when they whipped Jesus and hung Him on a cross?  Because if Jesus can forgive them, He will forgive you.Why is it that we worry so much about God forgiving us?  We know He loves us, and yet we don't want to turn to Him when we mess up because… why?  Maybe we are ashamed and we don't want Him to see that we messed up?  Guess what, he has already seen your mess-ups and already loved you through them.  Maybe we don't want to bother Him with our mess-ups because we feel we should have known better in the first place.  Guess what?  He loves it when we turn to Him and ask Him for help to clean up our messes.  Maybe we don't feel like we are good enough to turn back to the Lord.  Guess what?  He is your Heavenly Father, and He made you in His likeness and image.  You are better than good enough; you are perfect just as you are.In the verse, David asks the Lord to create a pure heart in him.  He knows what he did was wrong, and he wants to do what is right. I think we all want to do what is right.  I don't think that any of us walk around all day wondering how we can sin against God.  I don't believe it is our intent to damage our relationship with God in any way.  If we want to do what is right in the eyes of the Lord, we can all pray for the Lord to create a pure heart in us.  God knows what is in our hearts.  As much as we may try to purify our own hearts, God is the one who can help us with this.It goes on to say, “Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.”  I think this statement can be an example of David's humility.  It shows us that even though David was brave enough and trusted God enough to turn back to the Lord, even after David did some pretty awful things, David was humble enough not to assume God would forgive him.  In this verse, David is asking the Lord to please not cast him away or take the Holy Spirit from him.  God loves humility.  It says in James 4:10, “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.”  This is what David was doing.  He was humbling himself and asking the Lord not to depart from him.After David asks the Lord not to abandon him, he goes on to say, “Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.”  David knows that he is doing the things he does not want to do and not doing the things that God wants him to do.  This is why he is asking the Lord for a willing spirit to sustain him.  He knows that following the Lord's word is the way to go, and he also knows that he can get off track sometimes.  David did a lot of good things, and he spent a lot of his time following the Lord; however, when he veered off course, he did it in a big way.  If you feel like this is you, I hope that David's story can bring you a little bit of comfort.  I hope that if you are feeling like you did something wrong and that it was so bad you can't turn back to the Lord, that you will remember David and how he was able to turn back to the Lord even after he did some truly terrible things.  And you know what, God always forgave him and kept loving Him.  He does this for you, too.  God will always love you, no matter what it is you do.  He will always be hoping, no matter how much you think that you messed up, that you will turn back to him. He is your Heavenly Father, and you mean the world to Him!Dear Heavenly Father, I ask that you bless all those listening to this episode today.  Lord, we ask that you help us to remember to turn back to you every time we mess up.  No matter how bad a thing we think we did, help us to know that you still love us and forgive us.  Help us to know that you are always there for us.  Lord, create a clean heart in us and grant us a willing spirit.  Lord, we want to follow you, and we don't know why we get off course sometimes.  If you create a willing spirit in us, we hope to use that spirit to follow you more closely.  Lord Jesus, you are amazing, and we are so thankful that you always forgive us and that you continue to love us, even with all of our faults.  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. Tomorrow night will be week #2 of mentoring. This week we are address this very topic, God's Mercy & Forgiveness. I hope you will join us! 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!Today's Word from the Lord was received in November / December 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, “Come to me. I have given you a gift, spirit to spirit. You use it less and less. I want you to be strong in my love. Use your gifts.” 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

A Conversation With The Lord About Mercy (replay)Isaiah 55:6-7 “Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake their way, and the unrighteous their thoughts; let them return to the Lord, that he may have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.”Today I have something a little different for you. Yesterday at prayer group, my good friend Louise did a teaching on God's mercy and Justice. She talked about something she had heard in a sermon years ago. The priest said something his spiritual director told him, “God's Justice is God's mercy.” After the Lord brought the sermon back to her mind, they had a little back-and-forth conversation, and I am going to share that conversation with you as I feel God was giving us a glimpse into how He thinks and who He is. God's ways are not our ways, and His thoughts are not our thoughts. So, when He gives us a glimpse into his ways, I feel we should all pay attention. Here is what she shared with us.“I am merciful. I pour out mercy and forgiveness in torrents upon all of you, my children. I rain down mercy on every one of my children with no exceptions.” At that point, I found myself getting an image and looking at torrential rain. We've all seen torrential rain, and when it comes down, it comes down in buckets. It is heavy, and the Earth doesn't really have time to soak it all in. What can happen if it's a lasting rain is that things will accumulate, and it can create a little river and start really moving with a swift current. That is what I was picturing when the Lord said to me, “My children who love and praise me, honor me by their lives of holiness, know how to flow with the swift current. By the power of the Holy Spirit, they abandon their attempts to fight this current. And flow freely with it. Its power and speed may seem frightening, but they remain afloat by practicing the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The Isaiah gifts can be found in Isaiah 11:2-4a. “The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide by what his ears hear; but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth.” and the charismatic gifts can be found in 1 Corinthians 12:4-11, “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit;  and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord;  and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone.  To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit,  to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.  All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses.”Those who don't know me or refuse to accept my existence. Those who no longer have faith in me, those who believe worldly philosophies are the way to live, and those deeply embedded in sinfulness struggle in this river. They fear they will drown. They fight the current of mercy and forgiveness, trying by their own strength and power to stay afloat. I need you to help them, my children. So I asked the Lord how do we do this? What are you asking of us? And he gave me two things. First, he said, "be an example of them of how to float in this current. Show them lives abandoned to God and his love and power, especially in your interactions with them." Then second thing he said to me was, and this I found way more challenging was, "Reach out your hand to them as they pass by you in this current. Help them to stop struggling in this current of mercy and forgiveness. Help to steady them by companioning to them as you float together to the large lake of my calming love that is the river's end.Wasn't that powerful? There is more I want to say about listening to the Lord's voice, but I don't want to detract from His message on Mercy, so I will talk about hearing the Lord's voice on Monday. Today and this weekend, I hope you re-listen or re-read the Lord's word and really let it sink in. There is a transcript of the message in the show notes, so you can read through it slowly and really absorb what God is telling us about His mercy.Dear Heavenly Father, I ask that you bless each and every person listening to this episode today. Lord, I thank you so much for the blessing Louise is to me personally, to our prayer community, and to all who know her. I thank you for her faithfulness, not only in listening to your word and writing it down but also in sharing it with others. Lord, help us all to hear your message today. Help us to take this message to our hearts and to apply it in our lives. Lord, help us to reach out our hand to those drowning in your mercy. Help us to steady them. Lord, show us how to be an example to them. Help us to be an example of your calming love. We love you, Lord, and we are so grateful you don't give up on a single one of us. We are grateful for your mercy for each and every one of us. Lord, 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 on Monday. Remember, Jesus loves you, and so do I! Have a blessed weekend! 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

Confess & Be Forgiven (Yes, it is that simple!)1 John 1:9 " If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”This week, we have been talking about repentance. On Monday, we talked about how God is calling us to repent and turn back to him. The verse said, “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out.” The verse tells us that if we repent and turn back to the Lord, our sins will be wiped out. God literally forgets about your sins when you repent of them. I feel as though if everyone knew this, we would be more likely to repent of our sins.Today's verse tells us that God will forgive and purify us if we confess our sins. I think these are two very important things, so I will address them individually. First, the verse says if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins. That is something to pause and really take in. If you confess, you will be forgiven. Can you hear that? Can you believe that? I mean, really believe that? If you confess, you will be forgiven.This goes against what we tend to believe. This definitely goes against what the enemy tells us. We are accustomed to thinking that our sins are too bad to be forgiven. The enemy tells us that although it is true that God does forgive sins, He won't forgive our sins because they are too bad, or they are too many in number.  This we can believe. The world is always telling us how bad we are and how perfect God wants us to be. There are impossible standards set, and so we fail them time and time again. All this so-called failure makes us give up on trying to be good. We figure we will never make it, so what is the point?We know we have messed up. We know that even if we confess our sins, we will just mess up again, so why bother even trying? This is all the enemy talking. He is trying to convince us that God wants us to be perfect, and if we stray from that, then we might as well give up because God won't forgive us. We are not worthy of forgiveness. We keep messing up, and we aren't changing. We will always be the same person who did that bad thing. We will keep doing the same things forever. Does any of this sound familiar? Do you find these thoughts going through your head? Yeah, me too.The good news is that we don't have to listen to them. We know that God does forgive us because it says it right here in this verse, and we can believe all we read in the Bible because it is the Truth. It is not even complicated. It doesn't say that if we jump through three hoops, stand on one foot, hop up and down, and then run around the building twice, we will be forgiven. It doesn't say if we promise God we will never do it again, and then we are perfect from now on, we will be forgiven. It doesn't say that you will be forgiven as long as you are a first-time offender. The only condition put on our forgiveness is that we confess our sins.I know it can be hard to confess our sins. The enemy makes us feel so much shame about things we have done. Then there is also our pride, which tries to convince us that we don't have to admit what we have done, God saw it, He already knows, and if He wants to forgive us, He doesn't need us to do anything. The enemy is good at using half-truths to confuse us and to take our focus off God. Yes, it is true that God already knows what we have done. However, that doesn't mean we don't have to ask for forgiveness. If we ask, God forgives us. It is that simple. However, we do need to ask. We do need to be sorry for what we have done. But that is it. That is the extent of the conditions put on our forgiveness. If you ask me, that is a small price to pay for my sins to be forgiven. I just have to tell God, that's it? That seems pretty simple.However, depending on what we did, it could be hard for us to confess. God is patient with us, and He will wait until we are ready. If we need His help, He will help us. We can ask the Lord to come in and help us confess our sins. We can ask Him to help us know and see our sins, as we might not even know all the ways we have offended Him or others. This is a big one. Sometimes we might do or say something to someone, and we have no idea the effect it has on them. We have no idea what is going on in their own life that may cause them to take offense at something you did, even though you didn't mean it. It is good to check in with the Lord sometimes and ask Him if there is anything you need to confess.The verse next says that God will purify us from all unrighteousness. How great would it be to be purified? Imagine if all your sinful or wicked ways were purified. I would love to be free of my wicked and sinful ways. Those ways that get me stuck in sin. Those ways that get me stuck in choosing the wrong thing. Being purified sounds pretty nice to me. Again, this verse says God will do this if we confess our sins. Even though it may be hard, it seems like the good far outweighs the bad. So, what are we waiting for? Let's confess our sins today and be forgiven and purified!Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless all those listening. Lord, we want to confess our sins. Please help us to have the courage to do so. Please help us ignore the enemy's voice. Please help us to believe that if we confess our sins, you will not only forgive us but also purify us. We want to be forgiven, Lord! We need to be purified, 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! 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!Today's Word from the Lord was received in October 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, “Know this, my children. As your praises rise up to meet me, my blessings are poured out upon you to protect you, to help you to grow closer 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

Repent & Have Your Sins Wiped AwayActs 3:19 "Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out”Peter is preaching repentance in this verse. He is not the first to preach about repenting and turning back to the Lord. There were many prophets in the Old Testament who preached about repentance. The one that comes to my mind first is Jonah. He knew the power of repentance, and he was asked to go and preach this message to Ninevah. However, Jonah didn't want to preach this message to Ninevah because he didn't think they were worthy of God's mercy. He didn't want God to save them. He thought they were too far gone for God to save.Have you ever felt like this? Have you ever felt like you were too far gone for God to save? Maybe you have felt like someone else was too far gone for God to save. Jonah knew how great God was. He knew if they repented and turned back to the Lord that He would save them. Yet, he decided that they didn't deserve this. He decided they were terrible people and they deserved what they had coming to them, so he fled this calling. He tried to run from the Lord. As much as I would love to judge Jonah and say how wrong he is, I think we can all relate to him.I think we have all had times when someone has done something and we don't think they deserve forgiveness or mercy. We almost don't want them to say sorry because we don't want to have to forgive them. I think we have all also been in a place where we feel God is calling us to do something, and we don't want to do it, so we try to run from that calling. We might try to hide from that calling. We know on some level that we can't really hide from God, but on another level, we really don't want to do what we are feeling called to do, so we try to hide anyway.Hiding from God won't get us anywhere we want to be. When Jonah tried to run away from his calling and hide from the Lord, he was thrown overboard from the ship he was on, swallowed up by a huge fish, and stayed in the belly of that fish for three days before he was spit out onto shore. I don't think the same would happen to us, but as you can see, nothing good will happen, that is for sure. A better idea is to talk with the Lord. Explain to Him why you don't feel you can do what He is calling you to do, and then listen to what He tells you. God is smarter than we are. He sees everything, and we only see a small fraction of things. If he is calling us to do something, there is a very good reason, and who are we to judge it? Who are we to question it?Let me get back to the verse, “"Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out” There are three things this verse is pointing out to us. The first is to repent. What does this even mean? According to the Oxford language, Repent means to feel or express sincere regret or remorse about one's wrongdoing or sin. The word repentance in the Bible literally means “the act of changing one's mind.” True biblical repentance goes beyond remorse, regret, or feeling bad about one's sin. It involves more than merely turning away from sin. Eerdmans Bible Dictionary includes this definition of repentance: “In its fullest sense it is a term for a complete change of orientation involving a judgment upon the past and a deliberate redirection for the future.”As you can see, when Peter is talking about Repentance, he is not just talking about saying I'm sorry for my sin. He is talking about changing our minds. He is talking about realizing that what we did was wrong and then changing our behavior so we don't do it again. It doesn't do us any good if we apologize to God for our sin and then go back to doing the same thing. It also doesn't do any good if we say sorry, but we don't actually think we have done anything wrong.I feel a prompting from the Holy Spirit to take a quick moment to talk about what happens when we feel the Church has rules that we don't believe in. Maybe you don't agree with all of the Church's teachings. You do your best to follow most of their rules, but some you don't understand or don't agree with, so you ignore those. You don't bring them up in confession because you don't feel you are sinning, because you don't agree with that rule or that teaching. At my retreat in April, we had a speaker who was in this boat. She was a devout Catholic and followed all the rules and teachings. However, she did not agree with the teaching on contraceptives. She felt that the church had no right to tell her what she could do with her body.If you want to hear her talk, you can find it on her website, pattyschneier. It is called Prove it God… and He did. I put a link to it in the show notes. Click Here. I don't have time to recount her whole talk to you, although I really encourage you to listen because it was so good! Even if that is not the thing you don't agree with, her talk gives you a way to talk to God about the things you don't agree with and let him teach you. Patty was set in her ways and was convinced of her stance. However, over several days, or maybe weeks, God came in and gave her an understanding she couldn't ignore. He completely changed her life, her marriage and her family in just a short time once she was ready for Him to show her the truth.God will do this for you, too! If there are teachings you don't understand, bring them to the Lord. Ask Him to show you why, help you understand, and renew your mind. You will be surprised at How He works. You will be surprised by the way He responds to you. God doesn't want our empty promises to change. He doesn't want us to say what we think He wants to hear. He wants us to truly repent, and if we think we have no reason to repent, then bring that to Him and ask Him to show us where we need to repent. If you ask, He will answer.He will show you where in your life you need to repent, or what in your life needs to change. An amazing thing about God is that He will show you where you need to change, but He will do it in such a gentle and loving way. He doesn't usually show you all the places at once. He will begin change in one area, and as you grow in that area, He might show you change in another area. Also, He won't make you do all the work on your own. If you ask God to help you make the changes, He will. What just came to mind was one of the saints. The Lord told him that He needed to change, and he told the Lord he would change, just not yet. The Lord still used him powerfully when he was ready to change.Be honest with the Lord. He knows your heart. You can't hide anything from Him. If there are things you are struggling with, bring them to Him and ask for help, knowledge, or guidance. He will help you. You don't have to do this alone. He will be happy to help you and to guide you. He is not asking for perfection. God is just asking that you try to do your best. He has so much mercy. He is so patient and so forgiving. All He wants is for us to try and for us to invite Him into the struggle so He can help us.The second thing the verse is asking us to do is to turn back to the Lord. This can be hard if whatever we did was so bad that we think we don't deserve to turn back to the Lord. God is always waiting for us to turn back to Him. He is waiting for us to come back to Him, and He is waiting with open arms. There is nothing you can do that would prevent you from coming back to the Lord if you want to. If you are sorry for what you have done, He forgives you. It is that simple. It is not complicated with the Lord. Maybe in the Old Testament, it might have been a bit harder because there were all these rules about what you needed to sacrifice in order to be forgiven. That is not the case anymore.When Jesus died for our sins, He paid the ultimate sacrifice. He fulfilled all the requirements for sacrifice. We no longer have to do anything except be sorry, change our ways, and turn back to the Lord. Some might be wondering what “turn back to the Lord” means. Does that mean I have to instantly follow all the rules and the teachings of the church? I think my answer may vary from others, but what I feel the Lord has put on my heart is no. If you are far from the Lord, if you have been away from the Church for a long time, if you aren't sure what you believe, but you want to know more. I think it is ok to invite God in and then ask Him to lead you to where you need to be.Many of us think we need to be perfect to invite God in. Many of us feel we aren't ready to go to church each week. We aren't prepared to be all in, so we can't invite God in. We think we will just disappoint Him because we aren't ready to do everything yet. God knows your heart. He knows where you are at and He is very patient. Please don't wait until you are ready to be all in before you invite God in. He wants you to invite Him into the mess. He can help you grow. He can help you overcome all the things that are standing in the way of you being with Him. He can help you, but only if you invite Him in, only if you give Him permission to work in your life. God is a gentleman, and He will not come in where He is not invited.The last thing this verse talks about is that when you repent and turn back to God, your sins will be wiped out. Did you know that God does not remember your sins once you have repented of them? Hebrews 8:12, "For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.” God is merciful towards us, and He does not remember our sins. Isn't this amazing? I know you may not be able to forget all you have done, but God wipes them away.  He does not remember them. Wouldn't it be great to have your slate wiped clean? Wouldn't it be great to just start fresh?This is exactly what happens when you repent and turn back to the Lord. When you go to confession, or when you sit with the Lord and tell Him all you have done, and let Him know you are sorry for all the ways you have hurt Him. In the Catholic Church, after we confess our sins, we say an Act of Contrition, and there is one line that always gets me. Here is one version of the Act of Contrition, “O my God, I am sorry and repent with all my heart for all the wrong I have done and for the good I have failed to do, because by sinning I have offended you, who are all good and worthy to be loved above all things. I firmly resolve, with the help of your grace, to do penance, to sin no more, and to avoid the occasions of sin. Through the merits of the Passion of our Savior Jesus Christ, Lord, have mercy.”The line that gets me every time is when it says, “but most of all because they offend you, my God, who are all good and deserving of all my love.” There is another version that says, “But most of all because they offend you, my God, whom I should love above all.” Every time I say that, I am reminded of how much love God has for me and how, when I sin, I am choosing something else above God. It is a pretty powerful reminder to me to choose God first. To put God first. That doesn't mean I always do, because I am human and I mess up a lot. But I love going to confession and saying the act of contrition to remind myself.Whether you go to confession with a priest or you take your sins directly to the Lord, He wants us to repent, He wants us to turn back to Him, and as soon as we do, He forgets our sins. He wipes the slate clean. It can be scary to go to confession. It can be scary to sit and think of the ways we have offended the Lord, especially if it has been awhile, or if we have never done it, and yet, once you do, you will feel this weight lifted off your shoulders. Wouldn't it be nice to have that stuff wiped clean? What are we waiting for?Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless all those listening. Lord, help us understand repentance more. Help us to see all the ways we are hurting you, and help us to change. Help us to have a renewal of our minds. Help us to turn back to you, Lord. Give us the strength to turn back even if we don't feel we are worthy. Help us to repent 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. I want to invite you all to mentoring this month. The theme is “Repentance.” We will dig deep and talk about God's call to repentance, God's mercy and forgiveness, Evidence of true repentance, God's joy over repentance, and how repentance leads to new life. There are five Tuesdays in June, so it is a great month to join because there is a bonus week! If you have been thinking about joining for a while, or you have been wondering what it is all about take this as your sign that you should click on the link below and check it out. Or go to the website WalkboldlywithJesus.com and click on the mentoring link.  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!Today's Word from the Lord was received in October 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, “My children, do not live in the shadows. Come into the brilliance of my light, and you will see life as it is.” 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

Your Nightly Prayer

A Place Of AbundancePsalm 66:10-12 “For you, O God, have tested us; you have tried us as silver is tried. You brought us into the net; you laid a crushing burden on our backs; you let men ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water; yet you have brought us out to a place of abundance.”This month in mentoring, we have been talking about what to do when we have to wait a long time for the answers to our prayers. I know a lot of people who have been sick for a long time, and there doesn't seem to be an end in sight. I know others who have been struggling for a long time, and there is no deliverance from that suffering in sight. Yesterday's podcast addressed this, and I feel as though the Lord gave me a deeper understanding as to why sometimes our prayers aren't answered immediately.Then I saw this verse this morning, and I thought it was a good one because of the imagery and because of the message. It begins with, “For you, O God, have tested us; you have tried us as silver is tried.” The first thing that comes to mind is that not everything is a test from God. You are not sick because God is testing you. You did not get divorced because God is testing you. God does not create bad things in our lives so that He can test us. This is important to remember. Just like if you have children and they are going through hard times, you may let them struggle a bit so they can learn from the situation, but you did not cause the situation.God is for you; He is not against you. This is an important fact that can be easy to forget when all seems to be going wrong in our lives. If you are struggling to believe this, I urge you to write it down on a piece of paper or a sticky note and place it somewhere where you will see it multiple times a day. It is the truth. God is FOR you, He is NOT against you. He does not create illness, He is not the author of bad things happening in your life.All of that being said, God does allow us to go through illness; he allows us to go through hard times because He knows we will be stronger on the other side. He knows we will become different people in that struggle. Who we become in the struggle is up to us. We have to make a choice, or many choices, throughout our struggle to become who we want to be. Going through a really difficult season can help us rely on the Lord more. It can help us become more compassionate to others who are struggling. It can teach us patience and resilience. It can teach us to slow down and to pray more. A lot of good can come out of having to struggle. We have to choose that, though.Going through a really difficult season can also have the opposite effect. Some people turn away from the Lord when they are struggling. They are angry, they don't understand why it is happening, and instead of leaning in, they turn away. It can also harden people's hearts and make them angry and bitter. It can make them resentful because they are suffering and others aren't. They might be frustrated that they can't do all the things they want to do and they take it out on others.As I said, if you want to come out better on the other side, you have to make a choice. Actually, you will need to make a lot of choices throughout the difficult season. All day, every day, you will be faced with choices to lean into God or to turn away. You will be faced with choices of developing more compassion towards others or hardening your heart towards others. You can search for things to be grateful for, or you can find reasons to be jealous of those more fortunate. You can be bitter or you can be joyful.I want you to know that I am not saying any of this will be easy. It is not easy to choose to believe in God when you feel like He is taking everything away from you, or you feel as though He made you sick. It is not easy to be joyful when you are stuck in bed and are in so much pain, and you have been this way for months with no end in sight. It is not easy to find joy in the pain. It is not easy to be grateful when you feel like your whole life is falling apart. I know this, I have been in really difficult seasons when I had to make these choices too.Do you know what, though, it is also not easy to be miserable. It is not easy to be bitter and resentful. It is not easy to have everyone avoid you because you can't seem to be kind to anyone. It's not easy to have everyone avoiding you because you are so negative, and all you do is complain. It is not easy to turn away from the Lord and block all the healing, strength, and love He has for you. Life is not easy. No matter what choices you are making, life is not easy. You just have to decide if you are going to make the hard choices that will benefit you or the hard choices that will hurt you. What will you choose?The ending of the verse today is the part that I wanted you to hear the most. It says, “You brought us into the net; you laid a crushing burden on our backs; you let men ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water; yet you have brought us out to a place of abundance.” We can all probably relate to this verse. We are either in a time like this right now, or we can remember when we have been. We have been in a situation where we felt like the burden was crushing us. The weight alone of what we were going through was too much to bear. Maybe you felt like you had gone through water and fire.What I want you to know is that God will bring you out of where you are now and He will bring you into a place of abundance. Can you look back on some difficult times that God has already brought you through and see that time of abundance? Abundance means a very large quantity of something. So, it doesn't mean that you will come out of a difficult situation and suddenly win the lottery. It doesn't have to be an abundance of money. Maybe you will come to the other side of this hard time, and you will have an abundance of faith or patience. Perhaps you will have an abundance of understanding, love, wisdom, and strength. Maybe you will come out of all of this with an abundance of gratitude or an abundance of people surrounding you. I am not sure what your “place of abundance looks like, but I know it will be there waiting for you. If it is in the Bible, then it is true. If you are still in a difficult place, you can look forward to the place of abundance. If you have been through a hard season and have made it to the other side, look back and try to remember or see that place of abundance.Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless all those listening. Bless them and bless their families. Lord, please help us to choose the right path. Help us to make good choices in our suffering and in our pain. Please help us all make good choices throughout the day, even if we aren't suffering right now. Lord, help us choose you and only things that bring us closer to you. Please help us to focus on the positive and not the negative. Please help us grow closer to you and not turn away. Please help us to be grateful and not bitter. Please help us, Lord! We love you 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. Yesterday, I mentioned my newsletter email list, where you will get all the information about upcoming retreats, books, and other news. Today, I want to remind you that you can sign up for the Word of the Day emails. Every day, I email the Word from the Lord that I post at the end of each podcast to the email list. I create an image for the word, and then I send it out 7 days a week. Wouldn't it be great to start your day with a word from the Lord? CLICK HERE to sign up for Daily "Word from the Lord" emails. You can unsubscribe at any time by just clicking the unsubscribe button at the bottom of the email. I look forward to seeing you again on Monday. 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 October 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, “My children, let not fear take hold of you. Let it not paralyze you. Move beyond your fear, for I am there. I will help you overcome.”   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

What Is Expectant Faith?Galatians 6:9 “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.”I heard this verse on the Elevation Podcast this morning. It was not this week's sermon; it was from May 4, 2025. The episode was titled, “All You've Got To Do Is Don't.” It was a really great sermon, and I invite you to check it out. There were a lot of things that he covered today, but one of them, especially this verse, spoke to my heart and answered a question that I had just been talking to God about while I was at Eucharistic Adoration. I was sitting there talking to the Lord about my disappointment when prayers aren't answered when I think they should be. This is something I think we all deal with. Yet, I am not sure we all know it is ok to be disappointed.I am going to share my struggle with you this morning in case anyone else has been struggling with a similar issue. I have spent a long time getting to know God and learning about all of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. I have spent a long time trying to understand what it means to have the Holy Spirit living inside of me. Trying to understand how to use the power that God sent to us with the Holy Spirit.  I have been learning about the gifts of the Holy Spirit and how to use them for at least 7 years now in the Charismatic Renewal. I have just spent 2 years becoming equipped and activated to use those gifts through the Encounter School of Ministry, Boston Campus.I tell you all of this to say that I have come to know God well over the last 8 years. I have come to know how much He loves us and how he wants us all whole and healed. He doesn't want any of His children to suffer. He doesn't want a single one of us to be lost or separated from Him. I know all of this, and so when I pray with someone for healing or for something else, and I don't see results, I get confused. This may seem prideful, and this may seem like I am trying to take credit for the healing. I am not sure what this says about me. I am just being honest with you and letting you know how I feel.Here is what I wrote in my journal this morning when I was coming to the Lord for answers. “Lord, why do I get so upset waiting for your timing? Why do some people have to wait so long for relief? Why does my friend still need to have nightmares, and why is my other friend still blind? Why lord? What am I missing? I feel we do believe. I feel we are coming to you in expectant faith. We are asking in Jesus' name. So why the delayed answers? Why isn't everyone healed? Am I doing something wrong? Am I not doing something I should be? Is something else getting in the way? Please help me to understand.”Here is what I felt like the Lord said back to me. "My dearest daughter, it is not you. You are not the one healing. I am. I can heal through imperfect people. I can heal even if you don't say or do the right thing. I can use you even though you weren't perfect.”I replied in my journal, “What about when Jesus ' apostles couldn't get the demon out of that man's son, and Jesus said Oh, faithless generation, how long will I be with you? This is confusing to me because it does seem like it was the disciples' fault, almost. It seems like Jesus was saying that they didn't have enough faith or they didn't pray enough. What am I missing, Lord? Please help me to understand this better.” I also wrote down two verses from this section. Mark 9:23 “Jesus said to him, ‘If I can! Everything is possible to one who has faith.'” and Mark 9:24 “The boy's father said, ‘I do believe, help my unbelief.”This is when my hour of adoration ended, and I needed to get home to wake Ryan up for school. I figured I would talk to the Lord about this later, as I was still not sure what I was missing. Then I heard this verse on my way home; I felt like the Lord was speaking it directly to me. Here is the verse again, “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” The words that the Lord highlighted for me were IN DUE SEASON. I felt like the Lord was telling me that only He knows when it is the right time for something to happen. I know his timing is best. I know He knows all, and that He can do all. I know all of this, and yet when I am praying for someone, I am expecting immediate results because I know God wants everyone healed. I know He doesn't want to see His children suffer.I know all of this, and that is why I get so confused. I don't understand why He won't just take this from them. I know He can use it for good, and yet I also know He can do anything, so He could teach them what He wants to teach them in a different way. I just don't want to see people suffering. I want God to take this from them. I feel the Holy Spirit putting on my heart that this is the same in my own life. I want to take the suffering away from my kids or my loved ones, and yet sometimes that is not what they need. Sometimes they need to go through it to get to the other side. Sometimes, when we keep people from suffering, we are robbing them of the lessons and the blessings they will gain by going through the suffering.God doesn't need my friend to have the nightmares in order for her to learn a lesson or gain the blessings, yet this might be better than the alternative. Or the blessings might be greater than if she didn't go through this. For instance, maybe He will use this experience to help her be a more powerful intercessor for others who are tortured in this way. My friend doesn't need to be blind in order for God to accomplish what He is doing, and yet God has a plan, and as much as I don't understand it, it is much better than my plan, and it will all make sense one day.Let's look at the verse again. "And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” Let us not grow weary of doing good. This is something that Steven Furtick addressed in the sermon he gave, and it really spoke to me. What he said can help us not to grow weary and not to give up. He said it is not the work, or the doing good, that makes us weary. It is the expectations. Man, this hit me right in the heart. Praying for people does not make me weary. My expectations of the outcome of those prayers can sometimes make me weary.I feel as though the Lord was speaking to me about expectant faith this morning with this message. I mentioned in my journal entry that my friends I mentioned above and I are coming to the Lord with expectant faith, we know God can heal them, and we are asking in Jesus' name, so why aren't they being healed? First, as I wrote, I realized that they are being healed in so many ways, just not the way I thought they should be healed. He is working on so many things with them. They feel His presence so much more than they did before all the prayer. He is working. Second, I feel the Lord was convicting me that expectant faith isn't attached to a timeline. For instance, expectant faith doesn't mean that I wake up expecting to be healed today. Expectant faith is knowing that my healing, or their healing, is coming in due season. Knowing that we have asked for it, and when we ask, God answers. I feel as though the Lord was convicting me this morning that expectant faith is knowing that God will heal me or them at the right time, and that until that healing comes, He will continue to give me all I need to make it through this difficult time. Expectant faith is knowing that God has this all under control, and although I want it to be over today, I know that God's plan is better than my plan.  I feel strongly that God is telling me that my expectations of time are what I need to let go of. God's ways are higher than my ways, and I won't understand them, and I don't need to understand them. I feel as though He is telling me to let go of my expectations of time. I feel He is telling me that expectant faith is praising him for the healing, even though I don't see it yet. Praise Him for delivering my friend from her nightmares, even though she hasn't been delivered yet. Not because I see proof of that delivery. Not because I see proof of that healing. Praise Him because of my expectant faith that the healing and the deliverance are coming on His timeline and that if we don't give up, if we don't grow, we will reap the harvest.I pray this is for someone else besides me this morning. I pray that if you are waiting for answers to your prayers, this will bring you some comfort. I pray you will join me in releasing the expectations of “when” and start praising the unseen answers. I pray you will start praising the Lord with expectant faith that He will answer your prayers, in due season, and that you will eventually reap the harvest of all those prayers and all that expectant faith!Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless all those listening. Lord, please help us to have expectant faith and to release our expectations of timelines. Lord, help us to know that your time is better than our time and your plan is better than our plan. Help us to be humble and to release our expectations of when and how. Lord, let us praise you for answering our prayers in any way you want. Let us not grow weary of doing good, and let us not give up. Let us trust that you will give us whatever it is we need to get through this hard time. We love you, Lord, and we ask all of this in the name of Jesus! Amen.Thank you so much for joining me on this journey to walk boldly with Jesus. I am trying to get my devotional book about Identity out into the world by the end of June, so be on the lookout. If you are not already signed up to get my email newsletter so you can stay informed of any books, retreats, talks, etc., please click on the link below. I don't send a lot of emails, just one per week with all the info.  CLICK HERE to sign up for my newsletter & receive a free audio training about inviting Jesus into your daily life.  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!Today's Word from the Lord was received in October 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, “The pillar of fire by night was not only to enable my people to move forward. As they moved forward, it was also a shield impenetrable by their enemies.” 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

Your Nightly Prayer

Oh Death, You Are Dead To Me!Isaiah 25:7-8 "On this mountain he will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples,the sheet that covers all nations; he will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove his people's disgrace from all the earth. The Lord has spoken.”This morning, I was thinking about using a song that I have heard a lot lately, which I thought would be really good and go with the theme of mentoring for this month. Then, while I was driving my son to school, this other song came on the radio, and I felt like it was a song we all needed to hear. The song is called “Oh Death” and is sung by MercyMe. I will go into the song in a bit, but first, let's talk about this verse.It begins by saying, “On this mountain He will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers the nations.” It was believed that there was a veil of sorts over the whole land that prevented people from seeing and following the Lord and living the way He wants us to live. I would say this is still true today. The enemy tries to put a veil in front of us so that we don't want to live the way God wants us to live. He tries to separate us from the Lord.Before Jesus died on the cross, there was a veil separating us from the Lord that was put there by God. After Adam and Eve ate from the tree, they could no longer have free access to God. From then on, only certain people could see God and talk with the Lord. However, once Jesus died on that cross, that veil was torn in two, literally. (Matthew 27:51). Now we have free access to the Lord. There is nothing separating us from talking with him. He did not want that separation anymore.However, the enemy likes to put up walls and make us believe that the Lord is too busy for us or that God is too great and we are not worthy to talk with Him. There is definitely some sort of veil over the world that tries to dim God's light and separate us from Him. The enemy wants us to feel separate from God because when we feel apart from Him, fear can creep in and try to turn us away from God. This verse is reminding us that God will destroy that veil just as he did the other one.The next line is the one that reminds me of the song. It says that the Lord will swallow up death forever. I know so many people who are afraid to die. And that makes sense because we don't want to leave our loved ones and our friends. We aren't ready to say goodbye yet, or maybe we aren't sure our loved ones are ready. Will they be ok without us? Will they be ok on their own? These are all questions that go through our minds when we think about death.We also might be worried about death because no one knows for sure what it is all about. No one knows quite what to expect. We hope that we will be in heaven with God, but then we have the enemy whispering in our ear, telling us we won't be. He reminds us of all that we have done wrong and tells us there is no way that we will get to be with God, not with what we have done. The enemy is a liar! Don't believe him. Yes, you may have done some pretty bad things, we all have. Yet, Jesus took all of that to the cross with Him, so don't let the enemy pile it onto your shoulders again.The verse above also says, “The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove his people's disgrace from all the earth.” God is so gentle and caring that He wipes away the tears from our faces. He not only takes away our pain, but he wipes our tears too! He also removes all disgrace that we have. The devil wants us to keep our disgrace and our shame. He reminds us of it so often that it seems like we will never forget. However, verses like this remind us that God does not hold onto the things we have done after we repent for them. So, if God isn't holding on to it, why are we?I wanted to share this song with you today because I know a lot of people who are pretty sick. Several people listening to this podcast are chronically in pain. There are several who are listening who worry about loved ones who are sick. What I love most about this song is the upbeat music and the lyrics. When you feel down, or when you feel like you might be scared of death, or scared that the enemy might be winning the fight, listen to the lyric video of this song and sing along with it. I bet your fear will disappear. The song begins:You said my fate was sealed, you said my days were numberedCase closed with no appeal, my future six feet underMessin' with my head in ghost fashionMy heart was holdin' its breath (holdin' its breath)Terrified of takin' my last oneOh death, you scared me to deathThis is what the enemy does. He whispers all these lies in our ears and he does it so often that we start to believe them. This is why it is so important to spend more time reading the scriptures, and surrounding ourselves with people who speak light and truth into our lives. If we hear the lies more often then we hear the truth, of course we are going to believe it. We have to make sure we are hearing the truth more often!Whoa, you ain't my king thoughWhoa, where did your sting go?Oh death, I will not be afraidIn the end, you will loseI will dance on your grave with the one who buried youYou ain't nothin' but a stone that my savior rolled awaySet you straight and set me freeOh death, you are dead to me(Oh dear, you are dead to me)This chorus is great because it shows the enemy that we are not afraid. God is our King; He is the one who decides everything. The enemy has no say. If we can stop thinking of the enemy as this giant thing that can take us down and start thinking of him like it talks about him in this song, I am sure we would feel stronger. This song says, “I will dance on your grave with the one who buried you. You ain't nothin' but a stone that my savior rolled away. Set you straight and set me free.”God already defeated death and sin when He sent His only Son to be sacrificed for us. We don't have to be scared of death. Death was already defeated when Jesus rose again. We don't have to be scared of it! God already won the war of good vs. evil and death vs. life. I love how the song says that we will dance on the devil's grave with the one who buried him!My faith don't flinch, it's alrightDevil, come get off of my shoulderYou thought you had the last laughYou thought this song was overWhoa, you ain't my king thoughWhoa, where did your sting go?Oh death, I will not be afraidIn the end, you will loseI will dance on your grave with the one who buried youYou ain't nothin' but a stone that my savior rolled awaySet you straight and set me freeOh death, you are dead to meOh death, you are dead to meThe enemy always thinks he has the last laugh or the last word. He refuses to accept that he has lost the war. We need to be on guard to protect ourselves from the enemy but we don't need to be afraid of him. If we are constantly turning back to the Lord. If we are rooted in the Lord and His love for us, then the enemy doesn't stand a chance!The song goes on to say:Yeah, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of youI know I'm just passin' through, oh yeahThough I walk through the valley of the shadow of youI know I'm just passin' through, oh yeahOh death, I will not be afraidIn the end, you will loseI will dance on your grave with the one who buried youYou ain't nothin' but a stone that my savior rolled awaySet you straight and set me freeOh death, you are dead to meI like this last verse too because it reminds us of something very important. It says, “Yeah, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of you. I know I'm just passin' through.” This is important for us to know. Yes, we will be in the valley sometimes. Yes, the enemy will attack us sometimes, and yet the Lord is always there with us. He will always be there to save us. We are stuck in that valley, and no matter how much it feels like it, you aren't going to stay there forever. You are just passing through to pick up whatever you need for your next adventure in life. Maybe you need more perseverance, resilience, strength, peace, healing, whatever it is that this valley is teaching you. You are just passing through to level up so you can make it through the next season of your life.I pray this song makes you smile. It makes me smile when I hear it on the radio. It makes me smile when I imagine myself dancing to this song on top of the devil's grave with Jesus. It makes me smile when I think about how God rolled away the stone and rose so we could be forgiven. It makes me smile to remember I am just passing through this valley, and even though it seems like I have been here forever, I will get out of it. I invite you to look up this song on YouTube, Spotify, or wherever you listen to music and hear this song today. It really is a great song with a great beat.Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless all those listening to this episode today! Lord, we love you. Please help us to remember we are just passing through this valley. Please help us to see that you have already defeated death, and we have nothing to be afraid of. Please help us to walk in your light and not in the darkness. Please help us to stand firm in the truth that you are our Lord and you have defeated evil. We thank 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 look forward to meeting you here 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 October 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, “Be bold. Be not afraid to speak my words to those you meet. Be courageous in times of trouble. I am your God, and I am there to help 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

Your Nightly Prayer

Your Nightly Prayer

There Is Still Good Ahead1 Kings 19:3-9 ““Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, while he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush, sat down under it, and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.” Then he lay down under the bush and fell asleep. All at once, an angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.”  He looked around, and there by his head was some bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again. The angel of the Lord came back a second time and touched him and said, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.” So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. There he went into a cave and spent the night.”I heard an episode of the Big Life Podcast last week, and it reminded me of the story about the prophet Elijah that I just read to you. As soon as I heard it, I felt the Holy Spirit wanted me to share it with all of you this week.What came to mind when I heard this verse is that it might be helpful to know that Elijah wanted to give up. In case you don't know who Elijah is, let me summarize who he was. Elijah was a prophet of God in the Old Testament, known for his bold faith, miraculous acts, and deep emotional struggles. He lived during the reign of King Ahab in 9th century B.C. Israel, a time when the nation had turned away from God to worship false gods like Baal. Here are some Key Highlights of Elijah's Life:Confronted King Ahab and JezebelElijah boldly declared a drought as God's judgment (1 Kings 17:1) and later challenged the corrupt leadership promoting idolatry.Miracles by God's PowerMultiplied flour and oil for a widow (1 Kings 17:14–16)Raised her son from the dead (1 Kings 17:22)Called down fire from heaven to prove God's power on Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18:36–38)Ran for His Life and Struggled with DespairAfter his great victory, Queen Jezebel threatened his life. Elijah fled, became discouraged, and asked God to take his life (1 Kings 19:4).God met him in a gentle whisper, showing that God's presence isn't always dramatic—it's personal and close (1 Kings 19:11–13).Taken to HeavenElijah never died—God took him to heaven in a chariot of fire (2 Kings 2:11), making him one of only two people in the Bible (with Enoch) who didn't experience death.Symbol of the ProphetsElijah later appears with Moses during Jesus' Transfiguration (Matthew 17:3), representing the prophets alongside the law (Moses).Elijah did a lot for the Lord. He was close to the Lord, and the Lord used him to do amazing things! He knew how mighty the Lord was, yet he felt he wanted to die. He felt like what the Lord asked him to do was too great. Sometimes, when we feel like giving up, we feel weak. We feel like we have failed or let the Lord down because He trusted us, yet we feel we can't go on anymore. If you feel this, I want you to know that you are not alone. There are several people in the Bible—deeply faithful, even heroic people—who reached a breaking point and felt like they couldn't go on. Some even asked God to take their lives. These moments show that God isn't afraid of our despair—He meets us in it, and He restores. Here are some of those people and where you can find their stories in the Bible in case you want to look them up and read more about them.Throughout Scripture, we see that even God's most faithful servants reached moments where they felt like they couldn't go on. Elijah,1 Kings 19:4 “He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. ‘I have had enough, Lord,' he said. ‘Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.'” Elijah, after boldly confronting false prophets, fled in fear and isolation, collapsing under a tree and begging God to take his life. He felt completely alone—yet God met him not with punishment, but with rest, nourishment, and a quiet whisper of presence. Like Elijah, when we are drained and overwhelmed, God offers compassion, not condemnation.Moses, Numbers 11:14–15 “I cannot carry all these people by myself; the burden is too heavy for me. If this is how you are going to treat me, please go ahead and kill me…” Moses, exhausted by the emotional and logistical burden of leading a complaining people through the wilderness, cried out to God, saying he'd rather die than continue carrying the weight alone. God didn't take his life—He sent help. For us, this reminds us that we don't have to carry everything ourselves; God provides support in community.Job, Job 3:11 “Why did I not perish at birth, and die as I came from the womb?”Job, who lost everything—his children, health, and livelihood—wished he'd never been born. He poured out bitter questions and deep grief. And yet, God patiently listened, answered with presence and power, and ultimately restored him. Like Job, our suffering doesn't disqualify us from God's love.Jeremiah 20:14, 18 “Cursed be the day I was born! … Why did I ever come out of the womb to see trouble and sorrow and to end my days in shame?”Jeremiah, known as the weeping prophet, was mocked, beaten, and ignored. He cursed the day of his birth, feeling like his life was wasted. But God never revoked his calling—He reassured Jeremiah that his voice still mattered. When we feel like our lives have no impact, God sees eternal value in our faithfulness.Jonah, Jonah 4:3 “Now, Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.” Jonah, bitter that God showed mercy to his enemies, sulked under a plant and asked to die. God responded not with wrath, but with a question, inviting Jonah to see the world through a lens of compassion. This shows us that God works with us even when our attitudes fall short.Finally, Paul, 2 Corinthians 1:8 “We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself.” Paul confessed that he and his companions were burdened beyond their ability to endure—so much so that they "despaired of life itself." And yet, this deep despair drove Paul to deeper reliance on God. His story reminds us that feeling overwhelmed is not the end—it can be the beginning of a deeper trust. In every story, God meets brokenness not with rejection, but with grace, purpose, and presence, offering the same to us today.The point of the Big Life podcast that I listened to is that there is life after this hard season that you are going through. None of the people listed above stayed in the difficult season forever, even thought it might have felt like they were going to. They had moments when they called out to the Lord saying they couldn't make it any longer, and yet they all made it through the hard time. God showed up for each one of them and showed them how loved they are. He will do the same for you.After their breaking points, each of these men went on to live with renewed purpose, proving that God can bring beauty out of despair. Elijah, after begging God to take his life, was gently restored by God's presence and went on to train Elisha, his prophetic successor, leaving a lasting legacy. He even became one of only two people in Scripture who never died—he was taken to heaven in a chariot of fire.Moses, after pleading for death under the burden of leadership, received help through 70 elders and continued to lead Israel toward the Promised Land. He experienced God's presence in deeper ways, even speaking to Him “face to face,” and was honored at the end of his life for his faithfulness.Job, after cursing his birth, encountered God in a deeply personal way. God didn't just restore what Job had lost—He blessed him with double what he had before and gave him a new chapter of joy, family, and peace.Jeremiah, though weary and rejected, faithfully kept speaking God's truth. His words endured, and we still read his laments and prophecies today—proof that even painful obedience has eternal value.Jonah, despite his anger and desire to give up, still completed his mission. The entire city of Nineveh repented and turned to God, one of the greatest mass revivals in Scripture, even if Jonah struggled to celebrate it. God still used him, flaws and all.Paul, after saying he “despaired of life itself,” continued his missionary journeys, wrote most of the New Testament, and encouraged countless believers, many while in chains. His despair didn't disqualify him—it became the soil on which deeper trust and greater impact grew.These stories remind us that our lowest moments are not the end of the story. God doesn't discard us when we're weak. Instead, He draws near, strengthens us, and leads us into a future still full of purpose, impact, and hope. There is life after the breaking point—and with God, it can be more meaningful than before.Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless everyone listening. Lord, I ask you to come in a special way to all those who feel like they can't go on. To all those who feel like life is too hard, or what you are calling them to do is too hard. We ask you to send the Holy Spirit to strengthen them and renew their hope. Show them that there is life after this challenging season. Please show them you are there with them and that they can do everything through you. Lift them, Lord, and help them persevere through whatever they are going through until they get to the other side. Help them climb this mountain they are facing. 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. It is that time of year again when I start to mention the retreat I will be holding in October. It is not open for registration yet, but I would like to mention it early so people can start thinking about it. It is always the second weekend in October. This year's theme will be Identity: Who does God say you are? It will be great, and I hope you can join me! More details to follow. I look forward to seeing 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 October 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, “Give yourself to me always. I will renew you each day. You are mine and I 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

A Personal Relationship With GodPsalm 91:4 “He will cover you with his feathers.  He will shelter you with his wings.  His faithful promises are your armor and protection.”I love this image.  I picture the Lord as a giant eagle and He puts his wing over us like we would put our arm around a child.  When I think of this I am filled up with a sense of love that I just can't explain.  Sometimes I think we think of the Lord as this all mighty being that is so magnificent and is so busy that He doesn't really have time for us.  I guess I don't really mean that he doesn't have time for us.  I think that we all know that He is listening to our prayers.  I think we know that He spends lots of time on us.  I guess what I mean is that we don't really think that He knows us personally, if that makes sense.  I don't know, maybe I am wrong.  Take a minute and think about your impression of God.  What comes to mind when you try to picture Him.  Do you think of a loving father, do you think of an almighty God that is kind of intimidating, do you think of someone that answers your prayers, but does not know you personally?  How do you picture God?  I think the reason I am asking this is because I think that many of us think of God as someone that is unapproachable.  Yes, we can pray to Him and He will answer our prayers, but that is the extent of the relationship.  I wonder how many of us know that God longs to have a personal relationship with each and every one of us.  Yes, even you.  God wants to have a personal relationship with you.  When I first heard this, I thought, what does that even mean?  How does one have a personal relationship with someone that they can't see, hear, touch, talk to, etc.  This is when I began my journey to have a personal relationship with our Heavenly Father. (Actually with all three members of the Trinity) So, how does one begin something when they have no idea how to do it?  Lots of ways I guess.  What I did was try to learn what it means to have a personal relationship with God.  I read some books and talked to lots of people.  Here is what I have learned so far.  Although I am still very much in the learning phase.First, you can talk to Him.  You can talk to God anytime you want to.  He is always willing to listen.  You can talk to Him about anything.  Sometimes I think we feel as though God is busy and so we come to Him when we really need Him, but we don't want to bother Him with our day to day stuff.  Or at least that's how I felt.  God has time for you whenever you want.  He is not bound by the same limits we are when it comest to time or attention.  He can be there for each of us all of the time.  He is not only willing to listen, but He wants to listen.  He loves to hear about your day.  If you are a parent, think about how happy you are when your children, no matter what age they are, take the time to tell you about their day.  This is how God feels when you take the time to just sit and talk with Him about whatever is on your mind.  Second, get to know who God is.  If you are trying to develop a personal relationship with someone one you would learn as much about that person as you can.  The same is true with God.  The best way you can learn more about God is to read the Bible.  Reading scripture and spending time in God's word is a great way to feel closer to Him.  The more you read about and learn about our Heavenly Father, the more you will begin to see Him in a different light.  You will begin to see how much He truly loves His people.  How much He has done and continues to do for us, even when we don't deserve it.  Reading scripture will help you to get to see several different sides of God.  You will get to learn so many different things about Him.  Yes, God is all mighty and He is also very compassionate.  Trust me, if you want to feel closer to the Lord, spend time daily in scripture.  Another way you can develop a personal relationship with God is to listen to what He has to say.  Once you start to talk with God and tell Him all about your day, then you can also spend some quiet time just listening to what He has to say.  You will most likely not get an audible voice that you can hear, however, some people have had this extraordinary gift.  What I hear about most often is that you get a sense or a thought that comes to mind.  For instance you are sitting there quietly and you tell God that you are available and listening.  Then sometimes you will get a thought in your head from God.  A sentence, a statement, some people get visions.  It could be whatever you are open to.  God is not going to force this on you.  He will talk with you if you want to listen but only when you are open to it.  I have had words of prophecy come to me in this way occasionally.  How I usually listen to God is that I write Him a letter in my journal and then I tell Him that am listening and then I write down any thought that comes to my mind.  I do not sensor it, I do not ask myself if this is really God talking, I just trust that I have told Him I am listening and so He is talking.  That being said, I understand that I am new to listening to God and also that I may have heard something wrong or added something I wanted to hear.  So, I do not take everything I write down as gospel, but I have found it is a great way for me to take time to listen to the Lord.  I learned this letter writing technique from Fern Gorin at the Life Purpose Institute.  Those are just a few ways you can develop a personal relationship with God.  I had no idea I was going to talk about that today.  I thought for sure it was going to be about how God is our shield and our refuge.  The Holy Spirit is funny like that.  We think we have a plan but He knows best and so He just takes over.  I love it when that happens.  I think it is important that we develop a personal relationship with God so that we can truly understand how much He loves us.  Also, so that we can truly understand how much he knows us personally.  We are not just another person to Him.  We don't get lost in the shuffle.  He calls each of us by name.   I will leave you with a word of prophecy from my prayer group that shows you just how much God wants to have a personal relationship with you.  “I have called you by name into life. I have called you every day by your name because I know you, I love you, because you are my friend.”Dear Heavenly Father, I ask that you bless all those listening to this episode today. Lord, we ask that you help us develop a personal relationship with you. We pray that you help us to understand how much you love us and how much you know each one of us personally. We thank you so much, Lord, for that personal attention.  We thank you for all the countless times you have listened to us, and we pray that we can teach us how to quiet our minds and listen to you.  We love you, Lord, and we long to have a personal relationship with 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 seeing 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 October 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, “Choose me all the time. Choose my light, choose my truth, choose my word. There is no trial greater than me. I conquer all things. Choose 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

What If I Don't Want To Forgive?Matthew 19:26 “Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.'”Jesus is our guide.  He came down to earth to show us how we should be acting.  He came down to teach us that the Lord our God is love.  He is trying to guide us to springs of the water of life, but we keep wanting to do our own thing.  We don't want to follow in his foot steps.  Why don't we?  Because  it is hard.  Jesus said to love everyone, even our enemies.  Is this even possible?  Jesus wants us to forgive, but aren't there some people that just can't be forgiven?  Shouldn't be forgiven?  I wonder if we all realize what forgiveness is? Forgiveness is not telling the other person that what they did was right, or ok.  It was not ok what they did.  It is not forgetting what happened or excusing it in anyway.  Forgiveness is admitting to yourself that this terrible thing did happen, that you can't change it, so you are releasing any hold that it has over you.  I know forgiveness is hard.  In some cases it seems impossible.  However, it is so necessary.  God tells us right in the Our Father Prayer, Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.  God is going to forgive us to the same extent that we forgave others.  Think about the things or the people that you are unable to forgive.  Do you really want the inability to forgive them to get in the way of God forgiving you?  There are some things that no matter how hard we try, we can not forgive.  This is ok, we don't have to do this on our own.  God can step in and help us forgive.  The only thing we must do is to ask him.  To give Him permission to work in your heart to forgive.  We had a word or prophecy given at our prayer group that I feel is so important to share.“I ask you to forgive my children.  I know that is a difficult command and at times may seem very impossible for you to do.  But I remind you that I am with you always, and with me nothing is impossible.  Bring your inability to me.  Allow me to work with my grace through you, so that you can be my forgiving heart for all the world.”In this word, the Lord is asking us to forgive.  He is reminding us that even though we feel it is impossible, nothing is impossible in Him.  In Matthew 19:26 Jesus said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”  It also says in Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”  We are not in this alone.  We have God on our side and with that we can do anything.  I love how God always shows up to remind us of things when we forget.  I like how God is reminding us that He is always with us and then asking us to bring our inability to him.  He is asking us to allow Him to work with His grace through us, so that we can bring His forgiving heart to all the world.  How beautiful is that?  How great is it that God not only wants to use his grace to heal our heart, but he wants us to be His forgiving heart for all the world.  God gave us free will.  Can you imagine how frustrating it must be for Him to sit by and watch us squander all that he has provided for us?  He would love nothing more than to rain down graces on us and yet we can't be bothered to let him.  God is not going to step in if we do not ask Him.  He does not want to force us to love Him.  The only way to ensure it is true love is to give us the choice to love him or not.  Every day we have a choice to make.  Are we going to choose God or are we going to choose something else?  God has so much grace and so much mercy to give.  He does not leave us alone to make these decisions.  He is there for us every step of the way.But we do need to make that choice.  Once we do make that choice, He will be there to help us overcome all of the obstacles.  And there will be obstacles.  The life that God is asking us to live is not an easy life.   Especially in this world right now.  Forgiveness and love are two things that we are being called to do that are not the norm in society today.  We live in a culture that does not want to forgive.  We want to stay angry, blame other, and not even talk to someone that doesn't think as we think.   This is not what Jesus wants for us.  Jesus did not come to earth to be with people just like Him.  He did not just hang around with those that believed like he believed.  He didn't find all the people that were getting it right in life.  He came for those that were struggling.  He came for those that needed Him.  When he met these people, he did not meet them with judgement and unforgiveness.  He met them with love and forgiveness.  He accepted them as they were and encouraged them and helped them to become better.  How great would it be if we could do the same.  If we could greet everyone we meet with the same love and acceptance that Jesus had.  You may be thinking that you are different.  Jesus could do that because he was man and God, so he had the Holy Spirit inside him to help him make the right choice.  Guess what?  So do you.  You have the Holy Spirit inside of you and if you let Him, He will guide you to make the right choices as well.  Just remember what Jesus said in Matthew 19:26, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”  You can do this!  It is possible!  Just take a moment and ask God for help.Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless all those listening to this episode today.  Lord, we really want to forgive and yet we also don't really want to forgive.  Please help us.  We give you permission right now to come into our lives, into our hearts and help us to forgive anyone we are struggling to forgive.  Lord we want to be free to be forgiven by you.  We want nothing in the way of that forgiveness.  Dad, Abba, Father, please come to our aide and help us.  Show us how to forgive.  Prepare our hearts to forgive.  Give us the strength and the grace to forgive.  We trust you Lord.  We love 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 meeting you here again tomorrow.  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

Jesus Came To Seek & Save The Lost!Luke 19:10 “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”I felt led to share with you this morning a quote from our new Pope. It was one week ago today that the Holy Spirit chose a new Pope. Tony was asking me last week about the Pope. What do we know about him and his beliefs? What kind of Pope will he be, etc. I explained he had only been Pope for a few hours, and we should maybe let him get settled in a bit before we start trying to decide what kind of Pope he will be. The other day, I read this quote on Facebook, and I fell in love with it. This is exactly the message I feel the Lord wants to get out there. This is the message I think He wants us all to share. One that many may not like. Here is what Pope Leo XIV. said:" Brothers, sisters…I speak to you, especially to those who no longer believe, no longer hope, no longer pray, because they think God has left.To those who are fed up with scandals, with misused power, with the silence of a Church that sometimes seems more like a palace than a home.I, too, was angry with God.I, too, saw good people die, children suffer, grandparents cry without medicine.And yes… there were days when I prayed and only felt an echo.But then I discovered something:God doesn't shout. God whispers.And sometimes He whispers from the mud, from pain, from a grandmother who feeds you without having anything.I don't come to offer you perfect faith.I come to tell you that faith is a walk with stones, puddles, and unexpected hugs.I'm not asking you to believe in everything.I'm asking you not to close the door. Give a chance to the God who waits for you without judgment.I'm just a priest who saw God in the smile of a woman who lost her son... and yet she cooked for others.That changed me.So if you're broken, if you don't believe, if you're tired of the lies...come anyway. With your anger, your doubt, your dirty backpack.No one here will ask you for a VIP card.Because this Church, as long as I breathe, will be a home for the homeless, and a rest for the weary.God doesn't need soldiers.He needs brothers.And you, yes, you...are one of them."Robert Prevost (Leo XIV)I felt like the Lord wanted me to read this to you today as a reminder that God is merciful. His mercies never end. God wants us to call back His children. He wants them to know His love. He wants them to know how special they are. He wants them to know how much they are wanted. We live in a culture that always wants the newest and the best things. We live in a throw-away culture. We live in a world that thinks it is ok to sell people. Men, women, and children are stolen and sold into slavery. Marriages and families are under attack. Our children are sold drugs. Children at younger and younger ages are vaping nicotine. Before they are even out of middle school, they are addicted to Nicotine, and they don't even want to stop because they are in love with the flavors, cotton candy, and sour apple.The world is searching for God. They just don't know that He is the answer. The world is searching for love, and yet they can't seem to find it. We need to show them the love they are searching for. We need to show them the unconditional love that God shows us. The love that does not judge. The love that accepts them for who they are, right where they are. This is what we are called to.  We are called to be the face of Christ to those we meet. Are we doing this? Are we letting those who are not perfect know that they are welcome at church? Are we letting those who are struggling know that God is with them through it all?Do we let others see our flaws? Are we real with people? Sometimes we don't want others to see that we aren't perfect. We put on a good front. We let others see only the very best of us. We never let others see that we struggle. We never let anyone know that we have questioned God, or that we wrestle with some of the teachings of the Church. We don't let anyone know that there have been times when we have felt abandoned by God, or that He wasn't hearing our prayers.Jesus didn't have a perfect life. He didn't have an easy life. Sometimes I think we can get caught up in thinking that we have to be a perfect example of a Catholic in order to be an example of Christ. We have to show everyone how much we pray and how much we go to church and how religious we are, so that they can see we love Jesus. People don't need to see our perfect lives to know we love Jesus. They need to see that we can still love Jesus when things are hard. They need to see that we can turn back to Jesus when we mess up, when we fall away, when we do things we are not proud of.People need to know the church is not full of perfect people, but that it is filled with people who are trying to be better. People who get back up when life knocks them down, not because they are strong but because God lives inside of them and He is their strength. They need to see that even the priests struggle with trusting the Lord, or understanding His plan. They need to see that even people who go to church every single day still go to confession because they still sin. They are not getting it all right.One thing I love that the Pope said that I think a lot of people might not like is, “I'm not asking you to believe in everything. I'm asking you not to close the door. Give a chance to the God who waits for you without judgment.” We can sometimes get caught up in what those around us believe or don't believe. We can nag them about not believing what we believe. We do this with the best intentions. We do this because we want them to be up there in heaven with us. We do this because we love them. I love how Pope Leo is giving us permission to not worry so much if our loved ones believe all the things that the Catholic Church teaches. He is giving us a starting point to reach out to them and just show them love. That statement can be an open door.Maybe your loved one doesn't believe all that the Catholic Church, or any Church, teaches. That's ok, but can they at least open the door to the possibility that there is a God that loves them? Are they open to learning more about a God who loves them and waits for them without judgment? Is there a way that instead of harping on the things we wish our children were doing right in the Church, we could focus on just reassuring them that God loves them? He loves them even if they aren't going to church. He loves them even if they are living with their boyfriend or girlfriend before marriage. He loves them even if they are drinking too much or doing drugs. He loves them even if they are in prison, have hurt people, or have done terrible things. God still loves them and is waiting for them without judgment.What if we all looked at how we are living our lives, how we are interacting with others, and asked ourselves if we could change anything we have been doing to be more open to others? Is there anything we could do differently to help others know that we are not perfect and they don't have to be either? What is one thing you can do today that will show someone how loved they are by a God who is waiting for them without judgment?Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless all those listening. Lord, thank you so much for giving us a new Pope to take over for Pope Francis. Lord, you are so good to us. Please help us to be your face to others. Help us let others know how loved they are by you. Help us to make people feel welcome at church. Help us to be real with people so they can be real with us. Help us to help people see that you are waiting for them without judgment. You love them just as they are and you meet them right where they are. 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 look forward to meeting you here 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 October 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, “Come, beloved children of mine, come. Come to me and be mystified by what I will tell you. Only if you come will you know the deeper secrets of life.”  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

Catch Me When I FallPsalm 13:4-5 “How long, Lord? Will you utterly forget me? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I carry sorrow in my soul, grief in my heart day after day? How long will my enemy triumph over me? Look upon me, answer me, Lord, my God! Give light to my eyes lest I sleep in death, Lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed,” lest my foes rejoice at my downfall. But I trust in your mercy. Grant my heart joy in your salvation, I will sing to the Lord, for he has dealt bountifully with me!”The theme for mentoring this month is “How Long, Lord?” I chose this title because I know so many people who are suffering right now and who have been for quite some time. They have been sick for so long, and they can't see an end in sight. Some have been going through struggles with their family, and they can't see a resolution. It feels like things might always be like this. Many I know are struggling with a prodigal child, and they are waiting for them to come home, but feel like it may never happen.In today's verse, David addresses this same sentiment. It begins with “How Long, Lord? Will you utterly forget me? How long will you hide your face from me? How much I carry in my soul, grief in my heart day after day? How long will my enemy triumph over me?” I am sure that is exactly what my friends who are suffering are asking the Lord. I am sure they are struggling to understand why they are still suffering, what the purpose is, and when they will be through it. In mentoring this month, each week, I am going to examine a song that deals with these exact feelings. I really like music; it speaks right to my soul. I also like to use songs because you can always go back to them and listen to them and hopefully they will bring you comfort."When I Fall" by Katy Nichole is a song written out of desperation, reflecting a time when Nichole felt mentally, spiritually, and physically drained. She describes the song as a desperate prayer, expressing her exhaustion with trying to be "okay" and her desire to be honest with God. I think this is great. We should all be honest with God. I don't know why we think we can hide things from Him. He is all-knowing. That thing you are too afraid to tell Him about, He already knows. That thing you don't want to bother Him with, He already knows. There isn't anything we can hide from God. Here are the lyrics for the song:Lord, I can't find You right nowAnd everything is crashin' downI'm losin' faith and fallin' into my doubtsHow long will I have to fightJust for me to stay alive?This is a true and honest song. This is something that I know those who suffer with chronic pain are asking the Lord. I am sure at times we all wonder where God is. We wonder why He is letting us go through the things we are going through, and when He is going to pull us out of it. It is hard to keep having faith and fighting, not to let our doubts get the best of us when we are so tired from all the fighting we have already done.I know You're there, God, pleaseJust meet me here tonightMy God, I'm tired of tryna be okayI've prayed all the prayers I have to prayPlease don't leave me lonelyMy God, I need You to hold meThis is the desperate plea of so many of us. We know God is there. We just need Him to hold us, even if it's just for a minute. We are all tired of trying to be okay. We are tired of having to pretend to everyone that we are ok. One of my favorite sayings is, “It's ok to not be ok.” I wish more people knew this. I wish more people would speak out and let others know they are not ok. I know so many people who seem so happy on the outside and yet are not ok on the inside. This world is a lonely place. Which may seem weird, as there are so many ways to keep in touch with friends and family. However, a lot of the relationships we have these days are superficial. We “like” or “love” people's posts on social media, but we aren't reaching out and having meaningful conversations. And, if we are being honest, we probably aren't making posts that accurately reflect how we feel inside or what life is like on a day-to-day basis.My God, I'm losin' all the hope I gotI'm far beyond the point of bein' lostI've tried, but I can't let go'Cause God, You catch me when I fallYou catch me when I fallThis is like so many I know. They don't want to lose their hope, but it is hard day after day when it feels like their prayers aren't being answered. When you look around, and no matter how hard you try, you can't seem to find God. What is really good is that she knows that God will be there to catch her when she falls. If she can let go of all that she thinks is supporting her and holding her up, and just fully surrender to God, then He will catch her. He will always be there to catch us when we fall.There's hardly air in my lungsWith all the damage that's been doneLord, please sustain me nowI know You are enoughMy God, I'm tired of tryna be okayI've prayed all the prayers I have to prayPlease don't leave me lonelyMy God, I need You to hold meThe thing to remember about God is that He can repair the damage that is done. We think we need God to act now, before it is too late. However, it is never too late for God. God can replace your damaged lungs. He can repair your kidneys. He can do whatever needs to be done. God is our provision. He is our rock. Katy says in the song that she knows God is enough and is asking Him to sustain her. He will sustain you, too. I know it may feel like you just can't keep your head above water right now. God's got you. He is your arm float. He will not let you drown. He hears your prayers.The last line of today's verse says, “But I trust in your mercy. Grant my heart joy in your salvation, I will sing to the Lord, for he has dealt bountifully with me!” Sometimes we need to sing to the Lord before the breakthrough. Sometimes we need to thank God for all the unseen work He is doing. Praising when we don't feel like we can will actually make us feel better, and it will make the enemy flee. Praising can lift us up out of the darkness, even if it is only for a little while. David was asking the Lord to give him joy in his heart. He was asking for the Lord's help. We can do the same.Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless all those listening to this episode. Lord, you are so good. Help us to remember that when we feel lost in our own pain or our own troubles. Help us to remember how good you are. Lord, help us to remember you do catch us when we fall. Help us to remember you never leave our side. Lord, we need you to come and let us know you are here with us. We love you so much, and we need you now, Lord. Help us to hang in there, help us to never give up hope. Please provide us with the strength and provision we need for today 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. If you love this podcast and want more, join me in mentoring and see how much more there is to learn. How much deeper you can go. The Lord is calling you closer. Will you answer his call? I look forward to seeing 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 October 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, “I call you each by name, my children. I invite you constantly to come to me. The more you come, the more I will reveal my secrets. You will know the deeper things in life.” 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 Will AnswerPsalm 20:6-7 “Now I know that the Lord will help his anointed; he will answer him from his holy heaven with mighty victories by his right hand. Some boast of chariots, and some of horses; but we boast of the name of the Lord our God.”I am increasingly realizing that this is hard for many of us. I know a lot of people who have lost loved ones lately. They prayed for their loved ones, they had expectant faith, they asked in Jesus' name, and yet their loved one still died. Has this happened to you, too? I was telling a friend that I would pray for her, and she said that it didn't work for her friend who died, so why would it work for her? She is not the only one who feels this way.I also had another friend who said she almost felt like she wanted to tell people to stop praying for her because she felt like things got worse every time someone prayed for her. She is not alone either. God is a mystery to us. We don't understand why He does the things He does. We don't understand why He allows the things He allows. There are some very specific things in the Bible that tell us how to pray and even what will happen when we do. For instance, John 14:12-14 says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I go to the Father.  Whatever you ask in my name, I will do it, that the Father may be glorified in the Son;  if you ask anything in my name, I will do it.”When I read this, I think that anything I ask, “In the name of Jesus,” will be done. Jesus healed people when He was on Earth. So, when I read this, and it says that I will do the works that Jesus did, and even greater works than that, I believe that if I ask in Jesus' name, then God is going to heal the person I am praying for. Yet, sometimes that doesn't happen. Sometimes the person I am praying with and praying for still dies. This can be hard to accept and hard to understand.I am very much a follow-the-rules, follow-the-recipe, follow-the-directions kind of person. I like to do things correctly, even if there isn't one correct way. I don't like it when my mom tells me to put a little of this or a little of that into the recipe. I want to know exactly how much to put into it. I didn't like it in my Dance Club when they would tell us to improvise for these next eight beats. I wanted someone else to tell me what to do.  Our God is so good, and He has been gently working on this with me. I do better now with adding new things into my recipes or adding a little of this and a little of that. The other day, I was at a “Paint & Sip” event where we were supposed to ask the Lord what to paint and then paint it. I got the words “Heart on Fire,” so I looked it up online and found a great image to paint. However, I couldn't get it to come out the same. My painting does not look like the original, but I can see what I was trying to accomplish when I look at it.I love that the Bible tells us things like this verse from John 14, which says, “Whatever you ask in my name will be given to you.” I like it because it gives me a framework of how to ask for things. However, I also get stuck at times because when I ask for something in Jesus' name and it doesn't happen, I get so confused as to why. I did what you asked me to do, and it didn't work. Why not? I did what I was supposed to do, but why didn't God do what He said He would do?The truth is, I don't know. The truth is, God is so much smarter than we are. Sometimes we ask for things that won't be good for us, or won't be good for our loved ones. God knows the bigger plan. He knows better than we do what we need and what our loved ones need. For instance, we might not be ready for our loved one to leave us, but maybe they are ready. Maybe they are tired of fighting this disease. Maybe there are worse things coming for them down the road, and God is preventing them from that suffering. Maybe they are just holding on for us.My grandfather had a stroke at a young age. He was bedridden for a long time. He was alive, but I don't think he could even talk. On Valentine's Day 1996, my grandmother told my grandfather how much she loved him. Then she told him that he didn't have to hold on for her. She told him that she would be ok and that if he wanted to stop fighting, it was ok. My grandpa died that day.Today's verse says, “Now I know that the Lord will help his anointed; he will answer him from his holy heaven with mighty victories by his right hand. Some boast of chariots, and some of horses; but we boast of the name of the Lord our God.” I think what the Lord wants to tell us today is that He does answer our prayers. He doesn't always do it in the way we want him to, and so sometimes we can miss the fact that He has answered our prayers. When we wish someone to be healed and they die anyway, this doesn't look like an answer to prayers. However, there is no illness in heaven. So, even though they were not healed this side of heaven, they were definitely healed. They are no longer in pain, and they are in a better place.I know that doesn't make it easier on our end. We are still left with the pain. We are left with the loss of a loved one. We are lonely. I think God wants us to know today that you are not alone in this grieving process. He is right there with you. This verse reminds us that even though at times we could turn to other things for the answers to our problems, God is the one true God, and He is the answer to all of our problems. He will help us, and He will answer from His holy heaven with mighty victories by his right hand.Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless all those listening today. Lord, we love you and we thank you for all the answers to our prayers. We are sorry that we get so angry and confused when you don't answer our prayers like we want you to. Please help us to see things through your eyes. Please help us to trust in you and your ways, even when we don't understand them. Please give us more and more understanding of your ways, Lord. Please be there to strengthen us when our prayers are not answered the way we thought they would be. 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. This month's theme for mentoring is “How Long, Lord?” It is perfect for anyone who feels they have been waiting for a long time for answers to their prayers. This month, we will learn some things we can do while we are waiting for the answers to our prayers, and we will gain a deeper understanding of why we need to wait sometimes. I hope you will join us! I look forward to seeing you here 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 October 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, “I see Jesus on the cross and He is crying. He is crying and He is saying, “Who is hear with me? With my last breath I think of you and I call you by name because I know you would help 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

Wake Up!Revelation 3:1b-3 “I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God. Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know when I will come to you.”Yesterday I started to read the book of Revelation. Over the last few months, I have heard people reference it, and I don't remember ever reading it. I know I have at least listened to it because I have been through the Bible in A Year  Podcast with Father Mike twice, and about 12 years ago, I did a study program with my friend called Read the Bible in 90 days. We read the Bible, I listened a lot as I bought the audio Bible, and then each week we would meet and watch a video explaining all about the part we had just read. Because of all this, I know I have heard Revelation before, and yet I had no idea what my friends were talking about when they mentioned things in Revelation. So I decided to check it out this week.A little side note here, if you have never done a Bible Study, can I invite you to give one a try? There are online ones, and I am sure there is a church in your area that also has one going on right now. Bible Studies are amazing for so many reasons. The Bible is complex, and it is deep. There are so many layers to everything you read in the Bible. It can also be confusing because of the language it uses and because of the difference in Biblical times vs now. I love learning about the Bible and what is actually being said in the various chapters. A lot of times, the people who are doing the Bible study will also tell you what the various words meant in Hebrew or Greek. It is fascinating!Back to today's verse. I chose this verse because it scared me a little. The first line in today's verse says, “You have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up!” This really hit me. I think it hit me because I think most people think they are pretty good people. I think if we asked most people if they thought they were going to heaven or hell, they would say heaven. I want to believe that most people are going to heaven. Yet, in the Bible, that is not what it says. Matthew 7:13-14 says, “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate, broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.  But small is the gate, and narrow is the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”I don't think it would be good to constantly be thinking about whether we will be going to heaven or hell or not. I do think we should think of it from time to time and evaluate our lives. There are a lot of different opinions about what you need to do to get into heaven. Some believe you need to receive the Eucharist in order to go to heaven. Some believe you need to say out loud that Jesus Christ is your Lord and Savior. Some believe you need to be born again. These are all found in different parts of the Bible. There is so much found in the Bible, and I definitely am not an expert.All I know is what the Lord is putting on my heart. I feel the Lord wants me to tell you today to remember what Jesus said in Matthew 22:36-40, “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'  This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Are we doing this? Are we loving God with our heart, mind, and soul?That question is much easier to answer than the second question. Are we loving our neighbor as we love ourselves? This is something to think about. We must remember that when Christ says love your neighbor, he doesn't just mean the person who lives to the right and left of you. He means, do you love everyone else in the world? Do you love those in your town and your state? Do you love those who run the country? Do you love those who run the churches? Do you love those who are hard to love? Luke 6:32 says, ““If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them.”This verse made me sit up and take notice this morning because plenty of people in the past have had a reputation for being a good person, a holy person, and yet later it comes out that they were not. This could be all of us. Maybe we haven't done some truly terrible things, but are we harboring unforgiveness in our hearts? Are we despising some people who live in this world? Do we struggle to love those who are hard to love? Struggling to follow the Lord's word is ok. We can bring Him that struggle and He will help us with it. I think we run into trouble when we aren't struggling with it because we have decided not to pay attention to it, or we have given ourselves permission not to follow certain things the Lord says.God is always available for us to talk to. He is available for us to ask questions to and for us to receive guidance from. However, often we think or we assume that we know what God is thinking, even though we haven't asked him. We assume that God is ok with us not forgiving the person who attacked us or our loved one because He knows how hurt we were and how hard that would be. God wouldn't want us to forgive someone like that anyway. We think God is ok with us not forgiving our family members because He knows all they put us through. He knows how terrible they were to us, and he couldn't possibly expect us to forgive them.God is calling us to love our neighbors, all of them. Even the ones who have hurt us. Even the ones who did terrible things. Even the ones we disagree with. Loving them doesn't have to mean we spend time with them. Loving them doesn't mean letting them back into our lives to hurt us again. Loving them means you don't wish ill for them. Loving them means forgiving them. Forgiving them isn't about condoning someone's actions or saying "it's okay." It's about releasing the burden of resentment and anger, and entrusting the consequences of their actions to God. It's a decision within you to let go, not a declaration that their actions were acceptable.If you struggle to forgive someone, I want you to know you are not alone. You don't have to do it alone either. If you struggle to forgive someone, bring it to the Lord and ask Him to help you. Ask Him to soften your heart. Forgiving someone is not a feeling; it is a decision. You may decide to forgive someone, yet you might not feel any different. That is OK! If you are willing to say yes to forgiving someone, God will do all the hard work in your heart to help you forgive that person. He just needs your yes and your willingness.Today's verse says, “I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God. Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know when I will come to you.” This verse is telling us to wake up! Sometimes we can go through life on autopilot. That is what the enemy wants. He wants to lull us into a false sense of security. He doesn't want us to question our behaviors. He doesn't want us to examine our lives or hearts.However, the last line in this verse will hopefully give us cause to wake up. It says, “Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know when I will come to you.” None of us is guaranteed tomorrow. We don't know when we will take our last breath. What if we never get the chance to forgive or love that person? We are called to love everyone. Look at your life, are you doing that? Search your heart, have you said unkind things about people this week? If so, don't dwell on it, repent, and start over. If there are people you don't like, ask the Lord to give you his heart for them. If there are people you can't seem to forgive, or you don't want to forgive, bring it to the Lord, tell him your struggles, and ask Him for help.We don't know when the Lord will come like a thief, and we want to be ready. We want to always be prepared. If today were the last day on earth, would you be ready to go and meet our Heavenly Father? God doesn't just want us to be good people. He wants us to be good people who love Him with our whole hearts, minds, and souls and who love all of His other children as well. Can we do that? Can we work on that? Can we search our hearts and ask the Lord where we need to work in this area? We can ask God to show us anything that might be blocking us from Him. Anything that might be getting in the way of us going to heaven.Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless all those listening. Lord, we want to be with you for all of eternity. If something we are doing or something we have deep in our hearts is going to keep us from that time with you, please show us. Lord, it is hard to love others in this crazy world. We all bring our own baggage and our own wounds to the relationship or to the encounter. Please help us to love others like you want us to. Help us to forgive others, not because they deserve it, but because we deserve to be free from the pain, guilt, shame, and anger they have left us with. 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 look forward to meeting you here again on Monday. Remember, Jesus loves you just as you are, and so do I! Have a blessed day!`Friday: Today's Word from the Lord was received in October 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, “The time is now for a change in your lives. Come to me. Know that I am ready to help you at all times in your life.” 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 Quench the Spirit1 Thessalonians 5:19-22 "Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise the words of prophets, but test everything; hold fast to what is good; abstain from every form of evil.”I was looking through my prayer group notes this morning to see which Bible verses from the prayer group I had already used in a previous devotional. When I looked, I could see that I used 1 Thessalonians 5:18 in one episode and 5:21-22 in another. However, I have not used 19-20 before. When I looked at it, I saw that it said, “Do not quench the Spirit.” I figured I didn't use it because I didn't understand it. I tend to skip over things I don't understand or avoid things I don't know how to do. Do you ever do this? I am sure I am not the only one.However, when I started doing this podcast, I promised myself that I wouldn't skip over Bible verses that I didn't understand because if I don't understand it, then other people probably don't understand it either. This podcast isn't about me telling you all the things I know about God, scripture, and everything else. It is about us learning about those things together and encouraging each other to keep walking boldly with Jesus.I was intimidated by this scripture verse because of the word "quench." The only context I have ever really heard or used that word in is when talking about thirst. We want to quench our thirst. It is a good thing. So, when I saw that the verse said, “Do not quench the Holy Spirit,” I was confused and skipped over it. Then I reminded myself that I don't do that anymore. I pause and take a few minutes to look up the things I don't understand online. There are plenty of people out there who have made it their life's mission to study the Bible and to have a deeper understanding of what it says. Luckily for us, some of them have decided to share their findings online.There are many ways that technology is bad and not good for us. This is an exception. This is one of the fabulous things about technology. It took me less than a minute to understand what this verse was saying. And now that I know what it means, it makes so much sense. I guess I just didn't stop and think about what that word meant. The word quench has two meanings. The first one, according to Oxford language, is to satisfy (one's thirst) by drinking. This is the definition I was thinking of, and didn't understand how that applied to the Holy Spirit. However, the second definition is to extinguish (a fire). This makes sense in the context of the verse above. Basically, it is telling us not to extinguish the fire of the Holy Spirit. Or another way you can look at it is to not stifle the works of the Holy Spirit.How can we stifle the works of the Holy Spirit? Was that your next question? I am such a rule follower. When I read something in the Bible that tells me not to do something, I instantly want to know how to avoid doing that thing. I think the answer to this question is found in the rest of the verse. The verse says, “Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise the words of prophets, but test everything; hold fast to what is good; abstain from every form of evil.” If we want to make sure that we are not quenching the Holy Spirit, then we need to pay attention to what the prophets are saying. We can't ignore what they are saying because we don't like it or we don't agree with it. We can't ignore what they are saying because it might  be hard.For instance, this morning I was reading the first two chapters of Revelation in the Bible. In these chapters the Lord is giving John a message for the 7 churches. He is praising them, but he is also telling them what they are doing that is wrong and calling them to repentance. Repentance and changing our ways can be hard. And yet if we don't then we could stifle what the Holy Spirit wants to do in us and through us.In the verse, it says, “Do not despise the words of the prophets, but test everything.” This means that while believers should be open to receiving prophetic messages, they should also discern if those messages align with God's word and are edifying for the church. Paul is advocating for a balanced approach: respect for the Holy Spirit's guidance through prophecy, but also a discerning heart that evaluates the validity and authenticity of those messages. "Do not despise prophecies" (1 Thessalonians 5:20): This emphasizes the importance of valuing prophetic utterances, which are understood as words of instruction, exhortation, or warning from God. It cautions against dismissing prophecies as silly or unimportant. "Test all things" (1 Thessalonians 5:21): This instruction highlights the need for discernment. Believers are not to blindly accept all prophetic words, but rather to examine them carefully. Why test prophecies? There's a potential for false prophets or messages that are not aligned with God's will. Testing helps to ensure that the prophetic messages received are authentic and edifying to the church. How to test prophecies? Several approaches can be used, including:Aligning with Scripture: Prophecies should not contradict established biblical teachings. Spiritual discernment: A believer's spiritual understanding can help identify if a message is of God. Edification: A true prophecy should build up the church and encourage believers. Seeking confirmation: Seeking guidance from church leaders can help in discernment. The verse ends with, “hold fast to what is good; abstain from every form of evil.” Once you have discerned if a prophet's word is true and is of God, we need to hold fast to all that is good and abstain from every form of evil. This might not seem that hard, yet we live in a world constantly making evil things seem good. Tony and I just finished a series about a serial killer. However, the way the killer was portrayed, we almost found ourselves rooting for him in the end. Actually, we also watched Dexter, which is also about a serial killer. However, this man is only killing people who have done terrible things, and the police don't have enough evidence to arrest them.I know murder is never ok, and I know that God should be the only one who gets to decide who lives and who dies. Yet, watching this TV show, you find yourself rooting for Dexter and not wanting him to get caught. TV is not the only time this happens. You can read books, magazines, or listen to podcasts where you know something is bad, and yet, the way they are spinning it, you start to believe it is not bad. This is probably what happened in the church throughout the years as well. We look at the world around us, and there is so much evil and evil is so commonplace, we start to forget that it is evil. In the book of Revelation, the Lord reminds the churches of what is right and wrong and calls for repentance. This verse reminds us that we need to remember what is right and wrong. If something is in the Bible, it is true and right, and we need to obey it even if we don't want to.If we want to obey this verse and not quench the fire of the Holy Spirit, we need to pay attention to what we are doing. We need to not just coast through life on autopilot. We need to examine what we are doing, what we hear the Lord say to us, and then pay attention to all of it. The Lord is talking to us, and He will guide us and show us when we are doing something we shouldn't be, but we will only hear it if we are listening. Let's all try a little harder this month to “hold fast to what is good; abstain from every form of evil.”Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for all those listening. I am so grateful you brought each one of them here today. Lord, I ask you to bless them. I invite you to open our spiritual ears so we can hear you. I ask you to soften our hearts so that we want to do what is right and avoid what is wrong. I invite you to help us, Lord. Please show us right from wrong and help us to choose wisely. Please help us not quench the fire of the Holy Spirit that is at work in us and through us. 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! Have a blessed day!Today's Word from the Lord was received in October 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, “Yes, my children, you will work hard. And at times you will work as to what you perceive is in the dark. But I am the light, and there is no darkness in me. And I will help you to continue to reap the harvest that I have assigned for each of you, even in what you perceive as dark, because I am the light of the world.” 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

Give Someone Else A ChanceActs 5:38-39a "So in the present case, I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone; because if this plan or this undertaking is of human origin, it will fail;  but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them—in that case you may even be found fighting against God!”I read this verse in the daily readings today, and it reminded me of the time I spent at retreats at the Schoenstatt Retreat Center in Vallendar, Germany.  Here is a bit of background on Schoenstatt. Schoenstatt is an apostolic Movement of renewal, born in the bosom of the Church. Its spiritual center is the Schoenstatt Shrine, where Mary shows herself in a special way as the Mother and Educator who gives birth to Christ in us, conforming us according to her image.The Schoenstatt Movement encompasses various communities that form the Schoenstatt "Family". As a renewal movement, it has a marked apostolic and lay character; its pedagogy and spirituality are particularly suitable for those who live in the world and must face an increasingly de-Christianized and materialistic environment. Its purpose is to form a new community based on a new person who overcomes the massification of our times and forges a new culture permeated by the spirit of Christ.The reason today's verse reminds me of Schoenstatt is that this principle was applied to the founder. His name is Fr. Joseph Kentenich. He was exiled from the church for a while, and from what I was told, it was similar to the thinking of this verse above. From what I understand, the church wanted to see if the Schoenstatt movement was of God or not. They figured if they removed Father Kentenich from the head of the movement, and it was not of God, then the movement would dissolve and go away. However, if it was from God, then even though the leader was gone, the movement would still continue to grow and flourish. This is what happened: the movement started spreading to other countries. In 1965, Pope Paul VI restored him to leadership, just as the Second Vatican Council was drawing to a close.I am not sure why the Holy Spirit reminded me of this story today. I do know that this verse can apply to our individual lives as well as the Church as a whole. In our lives, we can look at the things we are doing and we can ask if they are from God or not. Is God in all that we do? We can use this verse as a good measure to see if the things we are doing are from God or not.  Do you often over-commit yourself to helping out? Do you sign up for things you don't really want to do because you think, or maybe you know, that if you don't sign up, then no one will? If this is you, then this verse might be life-changing for you.If you struggle with over-scheduling, I want you to reread the verse above. “If this plan or this undertaking is of human origin, it will fail;  but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them.” I know that you are worried that if you don't sign up or if you don't volunteer, then no one else will. If you don't say yes, the project or the event will not happen. However, that is putting a lot of responsibility on your shoulders. It is not your job to ensure every event goes off without a hitch. If the plan or the undertaking is of God, then He will make sure to get the people needed to make sure it happens. If it is of God, then it will not fizzle out because of a lack of participation.Also, maybe our always saying yes is hindering someone else from saying yes. I had a project once, and we needed to have a leader. We were all just sort of looking at one another, and no one really said anything, so I said I would be the leader. I had zero desire to be the leader for this project, as the leader had to submit all the paperwork. However, I assumed no one else wanted to do it as no one else was speaking up. I then found out that someone else wanted to do it, but felt funny saying they would do it. To them, it felt like nominating themself, and they felt that was wrong. So luckily they mentioned it in a roundabout kind of way, and I didn't have to lead the group, and they got to lead the group. I am sure this is happening more than we think.I think there are people who would volunteer more, but they don't feel they have anything to offer. They need others to call out what they see in them. They need other people to reassure them they can do the job, especially if they are stay-at-home moms. Often, we, as stay-at-home moms, tend to forget that we did lots of stuff before we were moms. Since being a mom is our full-time job, we tend to see ourselves as “just moms.” When someone looks at us and personally invites us to volunteer in a position that they think we will be great at, that means a lot.Who do you know that you could be inviting to join you in your tasks? What job do you know you have to give up, but are afraid no one else will take it on? Trust that God has a plan. Trust that He has the perfect person in mind. Then ask God to highlight someone for you that you could invite to take over your position. Or, you can just invite them to give it a try and see how they like it. Whether they take the position or not, I believe they will be honored that you believed they could do it. Just by noticing them and inviting them, you will have made them feel seen and more confident. We all need to be seen.Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless everyone listening. Lord, we want to trust that you will find the people to replace us, but why is it so hard? Why do we feel we have to do it all? Lord, we ask that you help us see that you don't want us to do everything. Help us to see that you have the perfect person lined up when we step aside. Help us to train up a new generation. Help us to pass the love of you and serve you onto others. Help us to step aside and let others know the amazing feelings that come along with doing your work. Help us to trust that if it is of you, then we can't break it. You will always provide. 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 look forward to meeting you here 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 October 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, “I am the God of joy, love, and wonder. Go out there and spread it to one another.” 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 Is Not Punishing You!Psalm 103:8-10 “The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.”This month's theme for mentoring is “How Long, Lord?” The reason I feel the Lord gave me this theme is that I know a lot of people who have been waiting a very long time for their prayers to be answered. Some of them are in excruciating pain while they wait. I am really struggling to understand this. I am struggling to understand why they have to wait so long. I don't think I am the only person who is struggling with the question and other questions like it. I asked ChatGPT what kids of questions people were asking when they are feeling like their prayers aren't being answered and over this month in mentoring I will answer some of those questions. Today's episode is about the first question I addressed. That questions is:Is God punishing me? I might not know the answers to all the questions that come up throughout this series, but I am 100% sure of the answer to one. The answer is No! God does not punish us. God is only good. If you want proof that God does not punish us, you can look at Psalm 103:8-10, “The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.” God does not create the bad things that are happening in our lives. You did not get cancer because you had an affair. You did not have a miscarriage because you don't go to church. God is not punishing you. God did not do this bad thing to you.God is all-powerful and all-knowing. If he wants you to learn a lesson, he can teach it to you in a million different ways. He doesn't have to have you get sick before you turn to Him. Just because God can use this awful tragedy or the illness for your good doesn't mean He gave it to you. God does not create illness. He is a healer. God is love and mercy. God blesses people, He does not curse them.If you need another scripture verse, look at Romans 8:1, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Condemnation (punishment) is not for those who belong to Christ. God does not punish His children—He saves and restores them. John 3:17 states, "For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. The central message is that Jesus's mission was not to judge and punish humanity, but to offer a way to be freed from sin and its consequences.It is easier for many of us to believe that Jesus wouldn't punish us, but harder for us to believe that God does not punish us. God is a good and loving Father. Regardless of what our own father was like, God is always good and always loving. It is hard for us to believe things if we have no frame of reference for them. I think part of the reason I can believe that God is a good Father who loves me and doesn't want to punish me is because my own father was a good example of God's love to me. I am not saying I never got into trouble as a kid. I did occasionally do things that weren't ok. I did get in trouble. But my parents did not condemn me or make me feel shame for what I did. They gave me consequences so I would learn not to do it again, but they didn't punish me.I know that I am lucky and that so many kids don't grow up with a loving, caring example of a Father. In the United States, 1 in 4 kids grows up without a dad in the home. That means 25% of kids in America are growing up without a dad. In the 2020 Census, there were 18.4 million kids who were living without their biological dad. It is easy to see how the view of God got so distorted. We are living in a world of broken people. We are all just doing the best we can, and yet the best for so many of us is not good enough. These are just the kids who grow up without a dad. We also have the kids who grow up with an abusive dad. If so many people have no reference for a father who loves you unconditionally and who would never hurt you, then how are they supposed to understand that God could actually love them like that?If none of those other scripture verses convinced you that God is not punishing you, hopefully this one will. Isaiah 53:5 “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.”Jesus took the full punishment, so we don't have to. What we receive now is peace, not wrath. Do we deserve to be punished? Absolutely. Every single one of us has done something wrong, deserving of punishment. However, that is why God sent Jesus to us. Jesus came to save us from the punishment we deserved. "Jesus died the death we deserved, so we might live the life he earned.”Why would God send his only Son to earth to die a gruesome death if he was just going to punish us for all we did anyway? If God is punishing you for your sins, why did Jesus die on a cross? When you are wondering if God is punishing you. When the enemy is whispering in your ear that you deserve this because of all the things you have done I want you to take a look at a crucifix and ask yourself this question, “If that is true, if God is punishing me for all I have done, they what did Jesus die for?”Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless all those who are listening to this episode. Lord, please help us in the wait. Help us to believe you are not punishing us. Help us to believe you are with us while we wait. Help us to keep faith and hope that things will get better and that we won't be in this forever. We love you Lord and we ask all of this in accordance with your will and in Jesus's holy name, Amen!Thank you for joining me on this journey to walk boldly with Jesus. As you heard earlier in this episode, this month's theme is “How Long, Lord?” If you are suffering, if you have been waiting a very long time for your prayers to be answered, this might be the perfect month for you to join mentoring. If you have a loved one who has been waiting for a long time for answers to prayers, and you don't understand why they need to wait so long. This might be the perfect month for you to join mentoring. It is Tuesday nights at 8 PM Eastern Time on Zoom. I hope to see you there. 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 October 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, “Sing, my children. Sing as you have never sung before. You say, Oh, Lord, I don't have any voice. I can't sing. I tell you, you can, because the very air you breathe that fills your lungs is filled with power and grace from on high. And when you open your mouth, you will sing. The words that come forth from your mouth will bring harmony and joy and a song of restoration and healing to all those that you will sing my name to.” 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