Walk Boldly With Jesus

He Is Series Elohei Tzur Yishi- God, the Rock of Our Salvation When You Long for God’s Safety but Keep Him at a Distance

He Is Series Elohei Tzur Yishi- God, the Rock of Our Salvation When You Long for God’s Safety but Keep Him at a Distance Psalm 18:1-2 " I love you, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my rock in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” Today, we are talking about Elohei Tzur Yishi—God, the Rock of Our Salvation. This verse starts with, “I love you, God—you make me strong,” what a great opener. We can’t tell God enough how much we love Him. I don’t think He ever gets tired of hearing it from us. Also, what a great thing to remember. God is our strength. It doesn’t matter what kind of strength we need; it can be found in the Lord. Next, it says that the Lord is my rock. We all know how solid Rock is. Some versions say He is the Bedrock under our feet. Bedrock is the solid rock underneath loose rock or soil. We rely on many other things before God. There might be various ways we try to protect ourselves; these are the loose rocks or soil in our lives. Maybe they work for a bit, but eventually, you will slip, or you will fall on that loose gravel. Underneath it all is our real protection. God is the solid rock that we stand on. With God as our bedrock, we can rest assured that our footing is solid and we will not fall. It also says that God is my fortress. God is a safe place for us to not only rest but also to live. He is not just a stopping point, like a safe bench to sit on. We can live in his safety and security. It is always around us, just like the walls of a fortress. If we are in a fortress, we are surrounded by walls of stone so thick that we are safe from the enemy. The Lord protects us from all our enemies. We just have to live with Him. We just have to let Him surround us with His walls of protection. We just have to ask Him. Next, it says God is my deliverer. How many times have you seen this in your own life? When we are struggling, God comes in and rescues us. He loves us that much. He doesn’t always come in right when we want Him to, and He doesn’t always save us in the way we want Him to. This is because He is so much smarter than we are. It is also because He sees the whole picture, and He thinks way bigger than we do. We believe our idea is the best. But what if what we are thinking is way smaller than what God is thinking? What if He has much bigger plans for us, but they require us to trust Him in these first few steps because we are not ready for the amazing life He has planned for us? We are still growing. We are still learning. If He had just plopped us into this new, amazing life, we wouldn’t have been ready for it, and we might have ruined it. God knows what He is doing. The last line in this verse says, “my God, my rock in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” This is another way to show us how safe we are with the Lord. We can run to Him with anything, yes, even if our lives are in danger. This means when we are sick, when we are scared, when we are in danger. We can run to Him, and He will be there for us. He will ALWAYS be there for us, which makes me wonder why we don’t go to Him more often. Why don’t we run to Him at the first sign of trouble? Why don’t we hide behind His Rock and stay safe behind His shield? I received a word at prayer group, and then at the end, we had a bit of a discussion about it. What my friend said might be why we don’t always run to Him. The word I received was, “I want to be close to you, but you are keeping me at a safe distance. You are keeping me at arm’s length away from you. What are you afraid of? What are you afraid I'll see? Open it up to me. Let me in.” After the meeting, my friend said she thinks she is afraid of rejection. She is afraid that if she lets the Lord into the innermost parts of herself, He won’t like what He sees. She knows this is not true in her mind, but is having trouble convincing her heart. She said she felt like she heard the Lord ask her, in a very gentle and loving voice, “Why would I reject you? I made you. I made every part of you. I have loved you since before you were born. I would never reject you.” Sometimes we feel like we want to hide things from the Lord. I don’t think my friend is the only one who fears rejection. We wonder what it would be like if God knew the REAL us. The one we don’t let anyone see. What if He knew the ugly thoughts we have sometimes? What if He knew about those things we did when we were younger? What if he knew the demons we are still struggling with? What if… I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but He already knows. He knows everything about you. Every thought you have, every single thing you have ever done, and yet He loves you anyway. He loves you just as you are. He wants to love and protect you just as you are. You don’t have to clean yourself up first. You don’t have to be perfect or have all the right answers. He loves you because He is your Dad and He created you. He knows all the things you don’t like about yourself, and He thinks you are wrong. He loves those parts of you. He thinks you are handsome and beautiful and loves you with an unconditional, unending love that we can’t even comprehend. Take a moment to think of the thing that you love most in the world. The thing you can’t live without. The thing that you would sacrifice all other things for. If you had to put a number on how much you loved that thing, what would that number be? Now take that number and multiply it by a million, and you wouldn’t even be close to how much God loves you. His love is overflowing for us. So, let’s take some time today in silence and answer God’s question. Let’s have a conversation with Him about “What are we afraid of?” Why aren’t we coming closer? Why aren’t we turning to Him at the first sign of trouble? Why aren’t we living in His safe fortress? Dear Elohei Tzur Yishi, I ask you to bless each person listening to this episode today. Lord, we want to come close; please help us. Lord, we want to trust you and to let you into the secret places of our hearts; please help us. Show us what we are afraid of, and then help us overcome that fear. We don’t want anything preventing us from coming closer, Lord! We love you so much! You are the Best! Thank you for your love and your protection. Please open our hearts and soften our hearts so we can accept them both. 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 back here 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 October 2025 by a member of my Catholic Charismatic Prayer Group. If you have any questions about the prayer group, these words, or how to join us for a meeting, please email CatholicCharismaticPrayerGroup@gmail.com. Today’s Word from the Lord is, “Everyone of you is exquisite in my eyes.” 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

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Episode #1208 He Is Series- Adonai (Lord/Master) - When You Don’t Understand God’s Ways but Still Long to Trust Him

Apr 300:08:09Tap to summarize

Episode #1208 He Is Series – Adonai (Lord/Master) — When You Don’t Understand God’s Ways but Still Long to Trust Him Isaiah 40:10 “See, the Sovereign Lord comes with power, and he rules with a mighty arm. See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him.” The name Adonai means “Lord” or “Master.” It means God has authority over our lives—but not in a harsh or distant way. He is a loving Lord, a good Master who leads, protects, and cares for His people. In this verse, Isaiah says, “The Sovereign Lord comes with power, and He rules with a mighty arm.” I think we can all agree that we like the part about God coming with power. Many of us have seen God’s power in our lives. And if we haven’t noticed it, it may just be that we haven’t been looking—because God is always at work. But the part that says He “rules with a mighty arm” can feel harder to understand. It can even feel intimidating at first. When we read the Old Testament, we see moments where God corrects His people. Not because He is harsh, but because He is leading them. He is teaching them how to trust Him and how to live in the freedom He created them for. For example, in Numbers 21, the Israelites complained and spoke against God and Moses. They had seen God perform miracles—He had freed them, provided for them, and stayed with them in the wilderness—yet they still struggled to trust Him. There were consequences. But even in that, we see God’s mercy. When the people turned back to Him, He provided a way for them to be healed. We see something similar in Numbers 13 and 14, when the Israelites were afraid to enter the promised land. Even though God had promised to give it to them, they doubted Him. Again, there were consequences—not because God wanted to harm them, but because He was forming them. He was teaching them what it means to trust Him as their Lord. This is what it means for God to be Adonai. He is not just powerful—He is Lord. He has authority over our lives. But His authority is not something to fear. It is something we can trust. Just like a loving parent sets boundaries for their children, God gives us guidance so we can grow, learn, and live the life He created for us. God is just, and He tells us how He wants us to live. Then He lovingly gives us the choice whether to follow His ways. If we choose not to, there are consequences. Not because He wants to punish us, but because that is how we learn. If there were no consequences, we wouldn’t really have free will—God would be choosing for us. The next part of the verse brings so much hope: “See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him.” Even though God rules with authority and lovingly corrects us, He also rewards us when we live according to His will. 1 Corinthians 2:9 says, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard… what God has prepared for those who love him.” The verse also says His recompense accompanies Him. Recompense means to make up for loss or harm—to restore. I love this. I love the idea that God restores what we have lost and rewards what we have endured for Him. Romans 8:17 reminds us that if we suffer with Christ, we will also be glorified with Him. We suffer with Him so that we may be glorified with Him. I don’t know about you, but I am looking forward to that. Yes, there may be suffering here, but it is temporary compared to eternity with Him. Trust in the Lord. He comes with power, and He will reward you for your faithfulness. Adonai is not just the Lord over our lives—He is the Lord we can trust with our lives. Dear Heavenly Father, I ask that you bless all those listening today. Lord, thank you for being a just and loving God. Thank you for giving us clear direction. Help us follow your ways. Help us see when we are about to make a mistake and give us the strength to stop. Lord, you are amazing, and we thank you for all you do for us. We love you and ask this 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 2025 by a member of my Catholic Charismatic Prayer Group. If you have any questions, please email CatholicCharismaticPrayerGroup@gmail.com. Today’s Word from the Lord is, “I am the Lord, there is no other. I am the beginning and the end.” 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

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He Is Series- El Olam (Everlasting God) — When You Need to Know God Won’t Give Up on You

Apr 200:12:30Tap to summarize

He Is Series- El Olam (Everlasting God) — When You Need to Know God Won’t Give Up on You Isaiah 40:28 “Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.” Today was are talking about the name El Olam. This name did not come from this passage. I just thought this passage was a good one to help us understand the name better. The name actually comes from Genesis 21:33, which says, “Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beer-sheba, and called there on the name of the Lord, the Everlasting God.” Abraham planted this tree after he and Abimelech made a covenant that God would deal with Abimelech loyally, since that is how Abimelech dealt with Abraham. I thought that today’s verse gave us a bit more context as to how the Lord is everlasting. However, I did look up in the Enduring Word commentary online to see if I was missing something about the original verse where we heard El Olam. It said two things. First, after the successful treaty, Abraham did something that looked forward to the coming decades and generations. A tamarisk tree takes a long time to grow, but Abraham knew God had promised the land to him and his descendants forever. This is a powerful point because sometimes we can be afraid to plant roots somewhere or to let people in because we aren’t sure what will happen next. We don’t trust that we will stay there long or that the people will be in our lives long enough. We put up walls to keep people out so that we don’t get hurt. Abraham could have done this, too. He could have done any number of things to commemorate this event, but he didn’t. What he did was plant a tree that takes a long time to grow, with the expectation that it will be around for generations, and his ancestors will also be there to take care of it. Abraham knew that God had promised the land to him and his descendants forever. He was trusting in this promise and moving forward as if it were already true, even though they were currently living as aliens in that land. Second, even through this time of conflict in Abraham’s family and among his neighbors, Abraham kept a real, live walk with God. Conflict did not drive him away from God; rather, it pushed him closer to the Lord. Earlier in Chapter 21, Sarah and Abraham finally had their long-awaited son, Isaac. I am sure there was so much happiness and celebration, as I believe they had to wait 20 or 25 years after God promised them this son before they had the son. Then, in the middle of chapter 21, Sarah sees her son playing with the slave girl’s son, Abraham’s other son, and Sarah tells Abraham he has to send that woman and his son away. Abraham is upset about this, but the Lord told him not to worry and to do as Sarah had said. That is a lot that Abraham was going through. Yet He never turned away from the Lord; He just kept growing closer to Him. Wouldn’t it be great if it were the same for all of us? Wouldn’t it be great if hard times pulled us in closer to the Lord, instead of driving us away? Wouldn’t it be great if we believed in his promises as Abraham did? The promises in Scripture are for all of us. We can count on them. We can have expectant faith that God will follow through with them. We can plant trees that need lots of time to grow because we know that God is with us forever, not just for a short time. Let’s look at today’s scripture, “Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.” El Olam, God is everlasting! God is the creator of the ends of the Earth. He is the Beginning and the End. He was always here before anything else, and He will be here long after we are gone. He will be here long after the Earth is destroyed. God will always be around. I know this can be an overwhelming thought. I used to be very scared of eternity and living forever. I used to worry, what if I get bored, what if I just want it all to be over, what will I do if I can’t handle doing something forever? This is not what we are talking about here in this verse. I think in this verse, we are talking about what the rest of the verse talks about. “He will not grow tired or weary.” I thought of two things when I read this. The first was, " Wouldn’t that be nice? Wouldn’t it be nice not to grow tired or weary? I know a lot of us have been feeling tired and weary lately. A lot is going on in our world, and we are ready for a break. This is why my first thought was, "Wouldn’t that be nice?” My second thought was, do we believe this? Do we believe that God doesn’t grow tired and weary? I wondered this because I feel as though we often treat God as though this is not true. We treat God as if He is not the almighty and powerful Lord who does not grow tired or weary. I say this because we tend to be cautious with our prayers. We save up our prayers for the really important times, as if we only get so many, and we don’t want to run out. This may sound silly, but you know you have all thought that at one time or another. Maybe you didn’t think that exact thought, but you did hold back from asking God for something because it wasn’t that important, and He had bigger things to think about. We have all done this. We want to pray that our child wins the football game, but then we feel guilty because there are people with real problems, and we are taking God’s attention away from them to ask Him to help our kids win a football game or to help me find a parking spot. This verse tells us something we already know on some level but have trouble believing. God does not grow tired or weary. God can help you with your small request and help someone else with their giant request all at the same time. He can do it all and still not grow tired or weary. He is that amazing. Another thing that just popped into my mind when I read that last part back was that we may feel that God will grow weary of us. In this world, we all have our own insecurities, and we are all in relationships with other humans, and that means none of us is perfect. We may have people in our lives who feel as though we are weary with them, or maybe we are the ones who feel our loved ones are weary with us. If you feel this way, you are not alone. Also, God does not ever grow weary with you! Please hear me when I say that. You are not bothering Him; you are not a bother to Him. God loves you, and He loves every single time you come and talk with him. He doesn’t care if you are coming and asking Him to heal your hang nail or if you need Him to cure cancer. He just wants you to come to Him. The next line in the verse says that no one can fathom his understanding. We can’t even begin to understand all that the Lord knows. We see how He is working in our lives, and we think He is a little crazy, or that He is upset with us because things aren’t going our way. We don’t understand that all these things are happening so that His plan for us to have ridiculous goodness can come to fruition. We needed to lose that job to get this better one. We needed to lose that sense of security to appreciate it when we regained it. We needed to go through that hard time to show someone else they can get through it, too. We can’t fathom the Lord’s understanding. It’s just like it says in Isaiah 55:8: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. The Lord knows what He is doing. It is ok if we don’t understand. It will all make sense one day. Can you see how both of those things, His not growing weary and the fact that He has a plan for each one of our lives, help show us that God is Everlasting? When I looked up the word everlasting I got three definitions. First, it said, “Lasting forever; eternal.” I think we can all agree that the Lord fits that first definition. The second one was, “Continuing indefinitely or for a long period of time.” This one goes along with the fact that God does not grow weary. He can go on and on, and he never gets tired, he never grows weary. God never needs a break. The third one talks about persistence. I think we can definitely say that the Lord is persistent. We tend to make the same mistakes over and over again, and yet the Lord is so patient with us, and He is persistent in his mission to bring all of His children home to heaven. God is everlasting! Dear El Olam, I pray you bless all those listening to this episode. Lord, we love you, and we are so grateful you are Everlasting. We are grateful that we never have to go through a day without you. We ask that you help us understand what this really means to each one of us. How does our life change once we realize you are Everlasting? Your love and mercy are Everlasting. That you are always with us. We ask all of this in accordance with your will and in Jesus’s holy name, Amen! Thank you so much for joining me on this journey to walk boldly with Jesus. 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 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, “Ever know my children that I love you.” www.findingtruenorthcoaching.comCLICK HERE TO DONATECLICK HERE to sign up for Mentoring&nb...

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Witness Wednesday #203 Catherine D. (Airplane trip)

Apr 100:14:13Tap to summarize

Witness Wednesday #203 Catherine D. (Airplane trip) Today, I want to witness to you about how much God is in the small things. We’ve had so many wonderful witnesses, and they have all been so different. Some have shared God’s presence through miracles in their day-to-day lives, while others have shared extraordinary miracles. That is the reason I created “Witness Wednesdays”—so everyone can see all the different ways God is working in our lives. I have asked several people if they would like to give a witness, and many have said they don’t have anything to share. They know God is working in their lives, but not in any dramatic way. They say their lives are ordinary or even boring. I understand what they mean. They haven’t had angels appear or miraculous healings to report. But that doesn’t mean there is nothing to witness about. Today, my witness is about an ordinary experience where God showed up in many small ways. I love the miraculous ways God shows up—healings, angels, supernatural moments. I love hearing about all of it! But there is also something really special about noticing God in the small, everyday details. When God performs big miracles, we praise Him and clearly recognize His hand. But how often do we praise Him for the little ways He steps in to help us? Do we even realize it’s Him, or do we call it a coincidence or luck? God’s presence in the small moments shows that He isn’t doing it for praise—He does it because He truly loves us. Today I want to tell you about the time I took a space-A flight home from Germany with my three boys by myself. At the time, they were six, four, and two years old. My husband wasn’t traveling with us, so we were at the bottom of the flight list. We spent several days waiting at the airport, unsure if we would get on a flight. It was stressful at times. The first way I saw God working was in how well my kids handled it. There were other kids to play with on the base, and instead of being bored and overwhelmed, they were having fun. The parents were calm, and everyone was patient. It may seem like a small thing, but I truly believe God orchestrated that whole week. Eventually, I got tickets—but was told I had to move my car to long-term parking. I had no idea how I would do that with three kids, car seats, and luggage. I stood there completely overwhelmed. Then a man I didn’t know offered to move my van for me. That moment still brings tears to my eyes. God saw my need and provided help exactly when I needed it. Then came boarding the plane. I was told I had to hold all three of my children’s hands, but I only have two hands—and I was also carrying everything. I didn’t know how I would do it. Before I could even figure it out, another woman traveling with her teenage children stepped in. Without hesitation, each of her kids took one of my children’s hands and helped carry their things. We were able to get on the plane together. Even when we landed, they helped us again. Looking back, it would be easy to call all of this coincidence or luck. But what are the chances? Out of so many flights and so many people, everything lined up perfectly. God knew exactly what I would need. What could have been a very stressful trip was made easier by all the small ways He stepped in. Sometimes it’s easy to overlook God in our everyday lives. We celebrate the big miracles but miss the quiet ones—the perfectly timed help, the moments when everything just works out. God is working in our lives every single day, even in the smallest details. I want to encourage you to think about the ways God has shown up in your life—not just the big moments, but the small ones. Think about times when everything came together in a way that felt almost impossible. That is God. The more we notice His work, the more we can praise Him for it—and the more we will see it. I love you all! Thank you so much for listening, and I can’t wait to hear your story. 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

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He Is Series Immanuel (God with us) — When You Feel Far from God but He Never Left

Mar 3100:12:30Tap to summarize

He Is Series Immanuel (God with us) — When You Feel Far from God but He Never Left Matthew 1:23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel.” Every time I think about this, I am still amazed. I still can’t believe God loves us so much that He sent his only Son to die on a cross for us. What makes it even more remarkable is that when God created us, He knew this was going to have to happen, and He created us anyway! Doesn’t that feel crazy to you? I can definitely understand a parent doing something extreme to get their child out of a difficult situation. We have all heard the stories of the incredible things parents have done to save their children. However, they didn’t know they would have to do it in advance. God did. God knew exactly what was going to happen in the garden. He knew the betrayal before it even happened. Yet, He created us anyway! I love to think about Adam and Eve and how they got to walk in the garden with God. I can’t even really picture it, as I don’t know what God looks like or how that worked. However, it is a great thing to sit and meditate on. Was God just a voice in the wind? Did he have a body when He visited them in the garden? What was that like? No one knows, but we can sit with the Lord and ask Him to help us visualize it. I feel as though that would be a calm and peaceful exercise in feeling the Lord around us. I can think of so many ways that God is with us. He is with us in church in so many ways. His Word is proclaimed during Mass. His body and blood are contained in the Eucharist. He is consumed by each person who approaches communion. God also sent the Holy Spirit to be within us all the time. It was really important for God to be with us. So important, He sent Jesus. After Adam and Eve betrayed Him, He separated Himself from them and from His people. Yet, he still looked after them and protected them. He was still their God, but it was more from a distance. They could no longer see Him as they did in the garden. Before Jesus came, God stayed separate from his people. When they built the temple, they built a special place called the “holy of holies,” where God’s presence could dwell in a special way. However, only one person could enter this area, only once a year on the day of atonement, and it was only to make a sacrifice. God would talk to his people through a prophet. Everyone couldn’t hear God’s voice; only a select few whom God trusted passed along his messages or performed his signs of wonder. No one was allowed to see His face. All that changed when Jesus arrived on the scene. Another amazing thing is that God revealed his plan to his people over 700 years before Jesus was born. In Isaiah 7:14, it says, “Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” This is such a good example of God knowing when the right time is. He mentioned Jesus coming a long time before He came. However, He did promise to come. He did promise that He would walk among them again. I think the 700 years are important for us because they show that God has a plan for everything. God wasn’t just waiting in heaven for a random day and time to bring Jesus to earth. He was in all the details. He was arranging everything perfectly. He picked Mary out specifically. He ordained her for this task, and she said yes! His timing was and is perfect. We don’t know why God picked the time and place that He did for Jesus to come into the world. We don’t know why he picked Mary or Joseph. We do know that Mary and Joseph were the perfect parents for Jesus. We know God’s plan worked, and we are not reunited with Him. Do you remember when I told you about the special room in the temple where the presence of God was kept? It was called the Holy of Holies and was separated from the rest of the temple by a curtain. Did you know that the curtain was torn in two when Jesus died? In Matthew 27:50-52, it says, “And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit. And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split.” God wanted us all to know that there was nothing in between us anymore. He is no longer separated from us! I think most of us know this on some level, and yet I am not sure we are internalizing what that really means for us. I think most of us know that we can talk to God anytime we like. I think this has always been the case. However, did you know that you can hear the voice of God as well? God is talking to each one of us, and if we sit and listen, we will hear Him talking to us. This is very different than the people in the Old Testament. Before Jesus came, direct communication with God was pretty limited to the Priests, Prophets, and Kings. The Priests mediated between God and the people through sacrifice and the law. The Prophets, men like Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Elijah, received direct divine revelation from the Lord. The Kings, like David, were anointed and guided by the Spirit of God. The ordinary people, like you and me, could encounter the Lord through the Torah and sacred Scripture, the liturgy of the Temple, and the prophet’s public proclamations. But direct, personal, intimate access to God was not the common experience. The Holy Spirit would come upon people for a specific purpose, then would withdraw. Aren’t you so excited that you came into the world after Jesus did? After Jesus died on the cross for us, everything changed! God sent the Holy Spirit to dwell within each baptised person. Not just for a purpose, or a season, but ALWAYS. We now also have direct access to the Father through Christ. (Hebrews 4:16). Prayer is no longer just a petition from a distance. According to the CCC#2564, prayer is a living relationship- a covenant relationship between God and man in Christ. It is life, not merely words. Here is an analogy to help you see the difference. Before Christ, it was like writing a letter to someone across the ocean, hoping they would read it. After Christ is like having a conversation with someone sitting right next to you. We are so lucky to have the opportunity to have such a close relationship. My prayer for each one of you is that if you didn’t know this was possible, you do now. I hope if this information is new to you, you are so excited to see what is possible for your relationship with God. Did you know you can sit down and have a conversation with Him, and He will talk back with you? He also talks to us through Scripture, other people, songs, visions, and so many ways. God is with you. He is right there next to you. He is in every situation you are in. He is rooting for you. He is protecting you. He is guiding you. He loves you. He is with you in the good times and in the bad times. I know sometimes we feel alone. We all do. The truth is that we are never alone. God is always with us. If we can’t feel his presence, it is not because he is hiding from us. Many things can get in the way of feeling God’s presence. They are things we put there, though, not Him. Here are some of them. Unconfessed sin busyness and distraction, a false sense of self-sufficiency, treating prayer as a technique instead of the gift that it is Physical and emotional exhaustion Spiritual dryness (this is not always caused by us; this could be God’s invitation to love Him for who He is, not merely for the consolations He gives. Interior Distractions Anger or Bitterness towards the Lord Not taking Spiritual experiences seriously Unforgiveness I am not going to go into detail about each of those. I just wanted to show you that if you are not feeling God’s presence, you are not alone, and also, it is not because God is not there. Also, if you want to feel God’s presence more, you can do the opposite of those things. For instance, if you have unconfessed sin, you can confess it and remove that barrier. If you have unforgiveness, you can learn to forgive and remove that barrier, too. The CCC#45 says, “We are created to live in communion with God, in whom we find our happiness.” Dear Immanuel, I ask you to bless everyone listening to this episode today. Jesus, we are so grateful you are with us. We are grateful that you walk with us through all the fires of our lives. We are grateful you are there to celebrate the good times. Lord, we ask you to help us to feel you more in our lives. Help us notice you more in our lives. We want more of you and less of 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. If you are enjoying this podcast, please share it with a friend. Also, if you could help me out and leave a review that would be great. 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 October 2025 by a member of my Catholic Charismatic Prayer Group. If you have any questions about the prayer group, these words, or how to join us for a meeting, please email CatholicCharismaticPrayerGroup@gmail.com. Today’s Word from the Lord is, “My children, let your hearts know that I am with you until the end of time. Let my words resonate through every trial. Let my presence soothe you. Let my presence go beyond any circumstance.” www.findingtruenorthcoaching.comCLICK HERE TO DONATECLICK HERE to sign up for Mento...

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He is Series Day #13 Or HaOlam (Light of the World)— When the Darkness Feels Heavy, and You Just Need Light

Mar 3000:11:46Tap to summarize

He is Series Day #13 Or HaOlam (Light of the World)— When the Darkness Feels Heavy, and You Just Need Light Psalm 18:28 “It is you who light my lamp; the Lord, my God, lights up my darkness.” This is one of the verses that is great to copy down somewhere and look at often. This is a great verse to refer to when you are in times of trouble or when you are confused as to what you should do. It is a short verse, so it is easy to memorize. Whenever we are struggling or feeling like we need some direction, Scripture is a great place to turn to. There are so many answers and reassurances to be found in the Bible. The problem can sometimes be that we don’t know where to find those answers. This is why it is a good idea when we hear a verse that we think can provide us comfort, we write it down somewhere we can easily find it again when we need it. This verse talks about how God lights our lamp. He lights up our darkness. You are not an exception to this. Are you currently going through a dark time in your life? Are you struggling with something and wondering if you will ever get through it? I have so many friends who feel like they are in a really dark place right now. Many are chronically ill, and they are so tired of being sick. It seems like it is never-ending. I also have friends who are struggling with money and with basic needs, and they don’t know what to do. Do you know someone going through a similar darkness? This seems to be a very difficult time for so many of us. We all feel so alone, and yet when we are brave enough to talk about what we are going through, we find out that we are not alone. I hope this verse can bring them and you a lot of comfort. They are not in this darkness alone, and neither are you. The Lord is with you. He is always with you. There is never a time when you are going through anything alone. God is with you each and every step of the way. He will never abandon you. Sometimes, when we are in the darkness, it is hard to see the light. I am sure that when my friends are up late at night and in pain or worried about finances, they feel alone in the darkness. I am sure they are wondering if it will ever end. Yes, it will end. There is a light at the end of the tunnel, and that light is our Lord. Or HaOlam, The Lord is our light. When you are in a period of darkness or when you are unsure what to do, turn to the Lord, and He will light the way. Sometimes, he will shine a bright light and provide some sort of solution that renews your hope and brightens your whole day. Other times, he may just shine a flashlight. He may not illuminate the whole way forward. He might just give you the next right step, and then He doesn’t illuminate the next step until you take that first one. This can be frustrating. We often want to know the whole plan before we take any steps forward. Moving forward on our journey, one step at a time, takes a lot of faith. Where is the path leading us? What if we start down it and then we don’t like where we are going? We hesitate to take that first step because we are afraid. The Lord has our best interests at heart. He would not lead us down the wrong path. He has amazing things planned for each one of us, but we have to be brave enough to keep taking the next right step, even when we can’t see where our steps are leading. Even if we feel like we are walking in the dark. The Lord is our light. Do you know where all of our fear and questioning comes from? The enemy! He puts these questions in our hearts because he is afraid of what would happen if we all followed the Lord’s light. Can you imagine if everyone on earth were following the Lord and living up to the potential that God gave them? Imagine what an amazing world this would be to live in if we all just did the next right thing. The enemy has imagined that, and it didn’t make him happy. He loves it when we are at odds with one another. I am sure he and the rest of his evil spirits have been celebrating a lot over these last few years. The way we have been treating our fellow Americans over the last few years is crazy. I am sure it is not just the last few years; I know racism has been a problem since the creation of the country. However, these last few years, everything seems to have spiked. The country is so divided on so many issues. It reminds me of Luke 12:52-53, which says, " From now on, five in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three; they will be divided father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.” Why are we so at odds with one another? Because the enemy wants us to be. He is a liar and a troublemaker. He whispers things in our ears all the time. Our loved one can say something to us that isn’t a big deal, and yet we can blow it up into a huge thing, all because the enemy tells us we shouldn’t let them get away with it, or he keeps reminding us of it over and over again. He may point out annoying things about those around us just to keep us arguing. He points out the differences between us and everyone else rather than showing us how we are alike. The enemy is awful, and we can’t let him into our minds. It says in 2 Corinthians 10:3-5, “Indeed, we live as human beings, but we do not wage war according to human standards; for the weapons of our warfare are not merely human, but they have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every proud obstacle raised up against the knowledge of God, and we take every thought captive to obey Christ.” This verse shows us how to live in the light God provides. It reminds us that we are not really fighting ourselves; we are fighting the enemy and all his evil spirits. The verse is also reassuring because it says that our powers are not merely human but can destroy strongholds. Does the enemy have any strongholds against you? Is there something he has been telling you for a long time that you keep believing? Or maybe it is an illness or an addiction, and the enemy keeps feeding you all kinds of lies about how it is never going to go away. He may be telling you God can’t take it from you or God won’t take it from you. The enemy may be telling you that you have always been like this, so you will always be like this. Don’t believe him; the enemy is a liar. This verse tells us how to defeat the enemy. It says, “We take every thought captive to obey Christ.” Take your thoughts captive. Right now, the enemy has hijacked a lot of our thoughts and is feeding us misinformation. He is taking some kernel of truth and twisting it to fit his purpose of dividing all of us, turning us against each other, and convincing us that the Lord doesn’t love us. We need to stop listening to him, take captive our thoughts, and remember that our God lights up our darkness. It is the Lord who lights my lamp. God will light your path and show you which way to go. He will help you make your decisions if you ask Him. This is where a lot of us go wrong. We forget to stop and ask the Lord what He thinks we should do. I am not a betting person, but if I were, I would bet you that if you stopped and asked the Lord what you should do before you made any big decisions, you would see Him in your life so much more. He is right there, waiting for an invitation to lead you to the life you have always been waiting for. Are you ready to invite Him in? Are you ready to trust Him, even if you can see only the next right step and don’t know the final destination? Are you ready to finally step into the light? Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless all those listening to this episode today. Or HaOlam, help us to follow you, wherever you are leading us. Help us to invite you into our decisions. Actually, Lord, let’s invite you in right now. Lord, we invite you into our decisions, and we ask you to guide us in all future decisions we need to make. Let us know what you want us to do, and then give us the strength to do what is right, even if it is hard and even if that is not what we want to do. Lord, light our way and shine a light so brightly that we can’t do anything else except follow it. You are so wonderful, and you always save us, even when we do the wrong thing. We are so grateful for all the times you shone a light through the darkness. We wouldn’t have gotten through it without that light. We love you, Lord, and we ask all of this in accordance with your will and in Jesus’ holy name, Amen. Thank you so much for joining me on this journey to walk boldly with Jesus. I look forward to spending time with you again tomorrow. Remember, Jesus loves you, just as you are, and so do I. God is for you, not against you. Have a blessed day! Today’s Word from the Lord was received in October 2025 by a member of my Catholic Charismatic Prayer Group. If you have any questions about the prayer group, these words, or how to join us for a meeting, please email CatholicCharismaticPrayerGroup@gmail.com. Today’s Word from the Lord is, “I see this golden path or rug. It's gold, and it's very shiny. And Jesus is at the head of the path. And all of us are white, and there's a great crowd staying on that golden path with him. We're all pure white.” www.findingtruenorthcoaching.comCLICK HERE TO DONATECLICK HERE to sign up for Mentoring CLICK HERE to sign up for Daily "Word from the Lord" emails<a href="https...

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He is Series Day #12 Jehovah Nissi (The Lord is my Banner)— When You’re Tired of Carrying the Battle by Yourself

Mar 2700:10:53Tap to summarize

He is Series Day #12 Jehovah Nissi (The Lord is my Banner)— When You’re Tired of Carrying the Battle by Yourself Exodus 17:15 “And Moses built an altar and called the name of it, The Lord Is My Banner.” Today’s name, Jehovah Nissi, The Lord is my Banner, was one that I didn’t really understand. Many of them I haven’t heard before, and yet this one, even after reading the verse and even the context around the verse, I didn’t understand it. I had to go to the Enduring Word commentary online to get a bit of an explanation. After reading that it made more sense, and maybe I could have gotten it from the context. Let me read you Exodus 17:8-16. “Then Amalek came and fought with Israel at Rephidim. So Moses said to Joshua, “Choose for us men, and go out and fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand.” So Joshua did as Moses told him, and fought with Amalek, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. Whenever Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed, and whenever he lowered his hand, Amalek prevailed. But Moses' hands grew weary, so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it, while Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side. So his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. And Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his people with the sword. Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write this as a memorial in a book and recite it in the ears of Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven.” And Moses built an altar and called the name of it, The Lord Is My Banner, saying, “A hand upon the throne of the Lord! The Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.” What the enduring word commentary pointed out is that a banner is like a flag. Usually, the person who wins the battle will hold up their banner and run around the area. For instance, when you are watching the Olympics, you will always see the winners holding the flag of their country. When Moses was saying The Lord is my Banner, he was letting everyone know that the Lord is the reason that they won that battle. This is important because Joshua and his soldiers could have easily taken credit for the victory. They could have felt like they were the ones who defeated Amalek. However, as the verses state, when Moses put his arms down, the other team started to win. So it was not the soldier alone winning the battle. God’s favor on them is the reason they won the battle. It is also so great that Moses did not think he had won that battle. It can be easy for us to confuse our victory with that of the Lord’s. Moses could have felt like he had the power because it seemed that the position of his hands decided who was winning the war. Are there times in your life when you felt like you were in control? Were there times when you felt the whole weight and responsibility for the situation or the outcome of the situation? If so, this is a great verse for you. It is a great verse for all of us. This verse reminds us that God is in control. No matter what is going on within the situation, God knows about it and is working behind the scenes. God is in control. When Moses put his hands up, Israel prevailed, and when he lowered them, the enemy started to win. However, it was not because of Moses hands. It is because that is what God had decided. I love that God told Moses, “Write this as a memorial in a book and recite it in the ears of Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven.” I love that God wanted Joshua to know that God was going to take out Amalek for good. I love that he specifically wanted Joshua to know what had happened, as Joshua was the one who let the army into battle. Something that was mentioned in the enduringword.com commentary that I really like is that he pointed out that this chapter is a great example of Man’s work and God working together. Joshua led the people into battle, and Moses prayed for God to give them victory, but only God could give the victory. I think this is so important to remember for a few reasons. First, I think often we can act in our own will and in our own strength, and we can forget to pray and ask God into the situation. If we do this, God will allow us to go at it alone because He loves us enough to respect our wishes. However, if we go at it alone, we won’t get nearly as far as we will if we invite God into it. Second, we sometimes pray really hard about something, and yet we don’t do anything about it. We might see a problem, pray to God to fix it, and just expect that he will fix it without us having to do anything. Sometimes we need to do something besides pray. Don’t get me wrong, God does not need our help, but often he does ask us to help him. He does usually want us to do something. There have been times in the Bible when the army's leaders have prayed for victory, and God has given them victory without them even having to fight. However, God usually asked them to do something. One example of this is 2 Chronicles 20, when Jehoshaphat learned that a massive army was marching against him. He knew they were outnumbered and unprepared, and so he called for a nationwide fast and gathered people to pray. The next morning, he sent singers ahead of the army to praise the Lord. As they sang, God caused confusion among the other army, and they killed themselves. In this case, the people fasted and prayed to the Lord. Jehoshaphat also listened to the Lord and trusted that the Lord would protect them, so he sent out the singers to go before the army to praise the Lord. Do you see how God likes to work with us? Yes, at times He will do all the work. He will definitely be able to do things we can’t even dream of or aren’t strong enough to do. One great question to ask the Lord when we are praying for something, especially if it feels really big and has been going on for a while. While you pray, you can say something like this, “Lord, how can I help you in this situation? Or Lord, what is it you are calling me to do in this situation?” He will let you know if there is something you can do. It is important to check in with the Lord with questions like this because although God often loves to work together with us, sometimes, we can get in the way. Sometimes what can feel to us like taking action is really us trying to take over the situation or take control of the situation. We disguise our trying to take our problem back from God so we can fix it ourselves as being helpful. It is important to examine our hearts and our motives when it comes to stepping in to help God. The more we sit and listen to what God wants and ask how we can help, the more we can actually be helpful and not go against His plan. The Lord is our Banner. He can win this battle we are facing. He can win the war. He has already won the war between good vs. evil. Spoiler alert: Good wins every time! If good has not won in your life yet, that just means the war is not over yet. If you are fighting in a battle right now, whether is it is a physical one, a mental one, a spiritual one, know that you can call upon the Lord. The Lord is our Banner! He will save you. Dear Jehovah Nissi, we ask you to bless everyone listening today. Lord, be our banner. Protect us from all the fires of this crazy world we live in. Protect us from the enemy. Protect us from ourselves. Show us the way through the battle. Show us you are here with us in the battle. Please show us we are not alone. That seems to be a theme of how people are feeling these days, and it is not true. You never leave our side. Please help us to feel that! We love you Lord and we ask this in accordance with your will and in Jesus’s holy name, Amen! Thank you so much for joining me on this journey to walk boldly with Jesus. I look forward to meeting you here again tomorrow. Remember, Jesus loves you, just as you are, and so do I! God is for you, not against you! Have a blessed day! Today’s Word from the Lord was received in October 2025 by a member of my Catholic Charismatic Prayer Group. If you have any questions about the prayer group, these words, or how to join us for a meeting, please email CatholicCharismaticPrayerGroup@gmail.com. Today’s Word from the Lord is, “I have brought you all this far, and I will take you the rest of the way.” www.findingtruenorthcoaching.comCLICK HERE TO DONATECLICK HERE to sign up for Mentoring CLICK HERE to sign up for Daily "Word from the Lord" emailsCLICK HERE to sign up for my newsletter & receive a free audio training about inviting Jesus into your daily lifeCLICK HERE to buy my book Total Trust in God's Safe Embrace

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He Is Series Day #11: Abba (Father) — Why It’s Hard to See God as a Loving Father (and What to Do If You Can’t)

Mar 2600:11:25Tap to summarize

He Is Series Day #11: Abba (Father) — Why It’s Hard to See God as a Loving Father (and What to Do If You Can’t) Romans 8:14-16 “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received a spirit of adoption when we cry, “Abba! Father!” it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God.” Today we are talking about Abba, Father. I love scripture verses that talk about how we are the children of God. I love the image of God being our father. At the same time, I understand how that image can be hard for some people. I had a wonderful father. I had a dad who wasn’t perfect. I am sure he feels he made a lot of mistakes, but he learned from them and then changed. I am from a large family, and I know he was a different father for us, the younger kids, than he was for the older kids. That is to be expected. None of us knows how to be parents before we become parents. The younger kids benefit from having parents who have learned from making mistakes with the older kids. Even the older kids would agree that our dad is pretty great. He is such a great example of walking in the faith. Both of my parents are. He also made sure we felt loved. I never questioned if my parents loved me. I know not everyone can say the same. The idea of God as our Father makes it easier for me to feel loved by God. I know a Father’s love, and since He is God, I can believe that His love is ever greater than any love we could receive from a Father here on earth. However, what about those who didn’t have a great father? What about those whose father was mean, abusive, absent, unloving, cold? There are all kinds of people in the world and all kinds of fathers. If you did not have a loving father, if you did not have a kind and generous father, then it may be hard for you to see God as your Father. If this is the case, I would suggest you read the verse about God the Father. Read scripture and get to know who God truly is. Another way to learn more about God as your Father is to ask Jesus to reveal who God is to you. Jesus says in Luke 10:22, “All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father or who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” Guess what? Jesus chooses to reveal God the Father to you; all you have to do is ask and then sit and listen. God knows all you have been through. He has been there every step of the way with you. He is not surprised that you struggle to see him as your Father because you struggle with the idea of a Father. He knows all of this. Take your struggle to Him, and talk to Him about it. Talk to Jesus about it. Ask Him to help you see God as your Father. God is not a Father like anyone of us has seen before. Even if we had great dads, they still can’t compare to the love of our Father in heaven. His love for us is complete and immovable. There isn’t anything we can do to make Him stop loving us. I know it is hard for us to believe this, but it is 100% true. He loves us even when we are choosing evil over good. He loves us when we turn away, he loves us when we are weak, and he loves us when we are strong. He loves us when we repent and come back, and yet he loves us just as much even if we don’t come back. What I love about this verse is that it says, “For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received a spirit of adoption.” We don’t have to fear anything because God is our Father and He is taking care of us. We fear things because we think we are on our own. We fear things because we forget that God is in control. We think we have to be in control of everything, and when we think like that, it makes sense that we would fear things because who are we to solve all of our problems? However, we are not in control and we were never meant to be. We don’t have to fear things because we know that our Father in heaven is looking out for us. We know He is arranging all things for our good. We have been adopted by God the Father, and we are His children. He is our protection and our refuge. We do not have to fear anything. I also love when the verse says, “When we cry, ‘Abba! ' " Father!” it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God.” I am not sure most of us think we have a close enough relationship to call God Father, Abba, or Dad. When I hear most people pray, and when I pray, I mostly say Lord, although I do tend to start my prayers with Heavenly Father. I think if we want to have a more intimate relationship with God, it is up to us to ask for it and begin to cultivate it. God wants to be closer to each one of us, and yet He will not force it on us. If you want to feel comfortable calling God Abba, or even Dad, then it is up to you to start. I wanted to think of God more intimately as my Dad. I wanted to feel that closeness as if I were a little kid, and I could just climb up on his lap and fall asleep. I didn’t really know where to start. In my journal writing, I decided to address the daily entries to God more informally. I started with “Dear Father” because I felt “Dad” was too informal, and I didn’t want to be disrespectful. As I continued to write to Him daily, or as consistently as I could, I felt I was growing closer to Him, and I no longer felt uncomfortable with calling Him Father, and then I switched to Dad, and that feels right now too. I have grown a lot closer to Him, and I do think of Him as my Father. It is not difficult for me to believe that I am loved by Him and that He delights in me. Do you know that He delights in you, too? He does, it’s true! Your heavenly Father delights in you, and you bring Him joy, unspeakable joy. That doesn’t mean He likes everything you do, or say, but it does mean that He loves you always. I heard something at a conference last night from Peter Herbeck that I want to pass along because it was so good. He woke up one morning, and he opened his eyes, and he felt as if he could see God smiling at him. Kinda like when a parent watches their child sleep. He felt as though he “caught” God watching him sleep and smiling at him. He asked God if He wanted to tell him anything, and he felt God said, “It’s really good you exist, Peter. You were my idea, and I don’t have any bad ideas.” This message is not just for Peter; it is for each and every one of us. It is really good that you exist, Joanie, Peggy, Nancy, Kelly, and everyone else who is listening. Put your name at the end of that statement. For instance, it is really good that you exist, Catherine. God is saying that to you today, He wants you to know He is so happy you are here. I also think it is great that He said, “You were my idea, and I don’t have any bad ideas.” Sometimes we can think it was a mistake that we are alive. We can think we don’t belong here, or that no one wants us here. However, if we ever start to think this way, we can remember that it was God’s idea to put us here, right now, in this time and in this place. God doesn’t have bad ideas, so what is the good in all of this? I am meant to be here; I am here for a purpose. God loves me and is happy I exist. Dear Abba, I ask you to bless all those listening to this episode today. Father, I ask you to heal all of our hearts. I ask you to help those who didn’t have loving fathers see you as the loving Father they missed out on. I ask you to show them all the ways, over the years, that you were there, loving them through the difficult times in their lives. Lord, open us up to seeing that you are our Dad, our Abba. Soften our hearts so we can allow your love in. Open our hearts so we see that you did not give us a spirit of fear. Help us grow closer to you, Dad. Help us want to grow closer to you; help us seek you. 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 spending time with you tomorrow. Remember, Jesus loves you just the way you are, and so do I! Have a blessed day! Today’s Word from the Lord was received in October 2025 by a member of my Catholic Charismatic Prayer Group. If you have any questions about the prayer group, these words, or how to join us for a meeting, please email CatholicCharismaticPrayerGroup@gmail.com. Today’s Word from the Lord is, “Never forget or become complacent with that power within you. I am the power, and my presence in you can transform those you encounter and bring them into my heart of love and mercy.” 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

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Witness Wednesday #202 Catherine D. (Holy Spirit)

Mar 2500:11:35Tap to summarize

Today I want to witness to you about a really cool experience I had with the Holy Spirit. I was at a retreat, and I was new to going on retreats. This was one of the first ones I went on. I wasn’t really sure what to expect. I was also pretty new to Eucharistic Adoration. I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to do during adoration. I had heard people at the retreat say that they could feel the Holy Spirit at the retreat. I didn’t know what they were talking about. I wanted to feel the Holy Spirit, too. When I went to Adoration, I asked God to help me feel the Holy Spirit. I asked Him if He could do something so I would know that the Holy Spirit was actually there with me. I asked God this, and then I just sat for a few minutes and waited. I sat expectantly waiting for something to happen, but not really knowing what would happen. I closed my eyes, and a bright white dot of light appeared. My eyes were closed, but I could see this bright dot of light dancing around, almost as if it were on the back of my eyelids. I was afraid to open my eyes because I didn’t want it to leave. I knew this was the answer to my prayers. I knew that light was the Holy Spirit showing me that He was there with me. I can’t really explain how I knew; I just knew without a shadow of a doubt that it was the Holy Spirit. This happened about 10 years ago. I have thought about it since then, but not too often. Last Thursday night, I was at a Conference put on by Encounter Ministries. It was an amazing conference, and the Holy Spirit was definitely there. There was a time on Thursday evening when we had a talk about the baptism of the Holy Spirit. We had prayed, we worshiped, and then we called the Holy Spirit to come down upon all of us. When I was sitting in the pew, I closed my eyes, and instead of seeing a bright white dot of light, my whole vision was filled with that same blinding light. I felt like my body was full of that light. The Holy Spirit reminded me of that time back at that first retreat, and I felt as though He was telling me, " See how far we have come. I started as a small light inside of you, and my light is filling you up. It was such an amazing feeling. I was filled with so much joy, and love. The other time I wanted to talk with you about today is when the Holy Spirit asked me to step way outside of my comfort zone. I am an extrovert. I love to be around people. Being around people fills my soul with joy. At the same time, I am shy. I do not like to walk up to people I don’t know and talk to them. I am always self-conscious and think, what if they reject me? What if they don’t want to talk to me? What if I am bothering them? I get super nervous, and when I get nervous sometimes, oftentimes, I cry. I am not sad, I am just so nervous I cry. Then I feel dumb for crying, and so I cry more. I don’t know if some of you relate to this or not, but it is something that is true for me. I decided about three or four years ago that I wanted to go on a retreat. I hadn’t been on one in a little while and I felt I needed it. I looked online one day and found out there was a silent retreat the very next weekend. I was so excited. It felt like it was meant to be, as what are the odds that I would look right then and find one that was coming up so soon and was so close. When I arrived, we had a quick meeting to meet the other people on the retreat and meet our advisors, and then we went silent. The only time we could talk was at our meeting with the spiritual advisor we were assigned once or twice that weekend. At this initial meeting, we all told why we were there and a little about ourselves. There was a man there who was suffering from some illness, and if I remember correctly, they weren’t sure what it was. I think his wife was sick too. I just remember feeling bad that he was sick. Before going on this retreat, I had been to a life in the spirit seminar and had been attending a charismatic prayer group. I had a baptism in the Holy Spirit, but at this point, I could not speak in tongues. While I was out for a walk on the grounds, I was having a talk with God about how I couldn’t speak in tongues. I was explaining to God how I wanted this gift, I was open to it, and so I didn’t understand why I hadn’t received it yet. Then I heard God say, well, not heard like heard His voice, but heard in my soul, “It’s not me, it’s you.” I instantly knew what God was saying. I understood that He was saying He wasn’t keeping me from receiving this gift; I was keeping myself from it because I didn’t believe I was good enough to receive it. I was thinking, "Why would He give the gift to me?" and He was saying, "Why wouldn’t I?” Once I realized I was the one holding myself back, I finally submitted and accepted that God wanted to give me this gift, even if I wasn’t good enough for it. We are worthy of the gifts of the Spirit not because of anything we have done, but we are worthy because of what Jesus did for us on the cross. I went to the chapel at the retreat center, started praying, and received the gift of tongues. I was so happy. Later that night, I was reading a book, and I felt the Holy Spirit tell me I needed to pray for the guy who was sick. I instantly answered with a no. You know me, I don’t just walk up to people and ask them if I can pray over them. I know lots of people who do that, but I don’t. The Holy Spirit was not letting me off the hook. I tried to explain that I couldn’t talk; it was a silent retreat, and it just wasn’t going to work. But then the Holy Spirit reminded me we could talk after mass on Sunday, before we left. Once I realized that the feeling I needed to pray over this man wasn’t going away, I started to pray. I explained to God, like He didn’t already know, that I was really afraid to just go up to people and ask them if I could pray over them. What if they said no? Then I would feel dumb, probably start to cry, and be embarrassed. As you can imagine, God already knew this, so He wasn’t swayed. I explained to God that if He wanted me to do this, I would try, I really would, but He was going to have to give me some extraordinary courage, and He was going to have to arrange a meeting that was somewhat natural. Meaning we would have to run into each other when it was appropriate. For instance, I couldn’t interrupt the mass to do it. Writing this for you now, I can see how silly this sounds. How silly it is for me to be telling God exactly what I need, like he doesn’t already know, but this is what I did. The next day was Sunday. I went to church, and it was a weird feeling because I wanted to run into this man, and I didn’t at the same time. I really wanted to pray over him, but I didn’t want the awkwardness of asking him. Also, I was new to praying over people, and I didn’t want to screw it up. I was walking down the hallway, and I saw the man. It was the perfect setup, right? I mean, with God orchestrating things, how could it not be? So I went up to the man and asked if I could pray over him, or that is what I wish I had done. But I didn’t. I walked right past him, I walked into the restroom, and I had a little chat with God. Ok, I am sorry. I know that was the perfect chance, and I blew it. I wanted to, but I just couldn’t. If you give me another chance, I will try again. Later, after lunch, we were all getting ready to go, and I saw the man in a different hallway, and we were alone. I said, “I know this may sound weird, but I really feel as if the Holy Spirit wants me to pray over you. Would you mind?” He was very nice and said he didn’t mind. I started to pray over him, and of course, I started to cry because I was so nervous. He felt bad that I was crying and told me not to worry, it wasn’t as if he was dying. I felt silly for crying as I wasn’t sad; I was just nervous. However, I was happy that I had done what the Holy Spirit asked me to do, and I knew the next time I said yes, it would be a little easier. I still struggle when the Holy Spirit asks me to pray over people I don’t know, and I still have times when I argue and try to convince the Holy Spirit that I am not the right one for the job. However, I am growing and learning and getting stronger, and as I always say, God is looking for progress, not perfection. I believe He remembers the times I said yes more than the times I said no. I hope by sharing this witness, you will see if you ask the Holy Spirit to show up, He will show up. Also, although the Holy Spirit may ask you to step outside your comfort zone, He will always be right there with you and give you the strength and boldness you need to do what He is asking. All we need to do is say yes, and He will take care of the rest. 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

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He Is Series #10 Jehovah Shalom (The Lord is Peace)

Mar 2400:11:31Tap to summarize

He Is Series #10 Jehovah Shalom (The Lord is Peace) Philippians 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.” Today’s name for the Lord is Jehovah Shalom. The Lord is peace. We often hear that Jesus is the Prince of Peace, and this is just reinforcing that for us. This verse reminds us that the peace of God transcends all understanding and will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. I know firsthand how powerful the peace of God can be. I have experienced it many times before. Raising my boys has not been easy. I don’t think raising any kids is easy, but we have had challenges that I hope most people don’t have to face. I was in the middle of one of these challenges when the Lord gave me this verse, so I want to share that experience with you to help you see how God can bring you peace no matter what you are facing. One night, 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 being 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 meant it. I could look at the situation and know that God’s grace was helping me through it. I could see His hands all over this situation, and that makes it easier for me to turn it over to Him. I could have absolutely been worrying about my son all day, every day. I could have been trying to fix it and ensure everything ran smoothly. I could have let it get to me so much that I stayed in bed, fearing what might happen or sad about what had already happened. Yet I did not, and I know that is because God prepared me for that 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 that moment and the ones to follow. I know God got me through that hard time, just as He has 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 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, and yet, it is not complicated. God tells us so simply what to do, and yet we don’t listen. This verse gives us a formula for peace, yet I think many of us dismiss it because it isn’t complicated enough. 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. Jehovah Shalom, 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 open our ears, minds, and hearts to you, and 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. 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 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, “Every place you go, every room you enter is enriched when you enter because you carry me, the light of the world, your savior and redeemer.” 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 life<a href="https://www.amazon.com/TOTAL-TRUST-Gods-Safe-Embrace/dp/B0BM3SWNB...

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All episodes

He Is Series Elohei Tzur Yishi- God, the Rock of Our Salvation When You Long for God’s Safety but Keep Him at a Distance

Episode #1208 He Is Series- Adonai (Lord/Master) - When You Don’t Understand God’s Ways but Still Long to Trust Him

He Is Series- El Olam (Everlasting God) — When You Need to Know God Won’t Give Up on You

Witness Wednesday #203 Catherine D. (Airplane trip)

He Is Series Immanuel (God with us) — When You Feel Far from God but He Never Left

He is Series Day #13 Or HaOlam (Light of the World)— When the Darkness Feels Heavy, and You Just Need Light

He is Series Day #12 Jehovah Nissi (The Lord is my Banner)— When You’re Tired of Carrying the Battle by Yourself

He Is Series Day #11: Abba (Father) — Why It’s Hard to See God as a Loving Father (and What to Do If You Can’t)

Witness Wednesday #202 Catherine D. (Holy Spirit)

He Is Series #10 Jehovah Shalom (The Lord is Peace)

Walk Boldly With Jesus

All episodes

He Is Series Elohei Tzur Yishi- God, the Rock of Our Salvation When You Long for God’s Safety but Keep Him at a Distance

Episode #1208 He Is Series- Adonai (Lord/Master) - When You Don’t Understand God’s Ways but Still Long to Trust Him

He Is Series- El Olam (Everlasting God) — When You Need to Know God Won’t Give Up on You

Witness Wednesday #203 Catherine D. (Airplane trip)

He Is Series Immanuel (God with us) — When You Feel Far from God but He Never Left

He is Series Day #13 Or HaOlam (Light of the World)— When the Darkness Feels Heavy, and You Just Need Light

He is Series Day #12 Jehovah Nissi (The Lord is my Banner)— When You’re Tired of Carrying the Battle by Yourself

He Is Series Day #11: Abba (Father) — Why It’s Hard to See God as a Loving Father (and What to Do If You Can’t)

Witness Wednesday #202 Catherine D. (Holy Spirit)

He Is Series #10 Jehovah Shalom (The Lord is Peace)