Walk Boldly With Jesus

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.

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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 [email protected]. 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.”

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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 

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 [email protected]. 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.”

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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

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 [email protected]. Today’s Word from the Lord is, “I have brought you all this far, and I will take you the rest of the way.”

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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)

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 [email protected]. 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.” 

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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.

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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 [email protected]. 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.”

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He Is Day 9 Jehovah Rapha "The Lord Who Heals You"

Exodus 15:26 “He said, “If you will listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your God, and do what is right in his sight, and give heed to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will not bring upon you any of the diseases that I brought upon the Egyptians; for I am the Lord who heals you.”

Today’s name for the Lord is Jehovah Rapha. In this verse, the Lord says, “I am the Lord who heals you.” There are so many examples in the Bible of when Jesus healed people. There are also examples in the Old Testament of God healing people. My first instinct is to talk about some of the many examples of God healing people in the Bible, and I will mention a few. However, I think if many of us know the stories in the Bible of where Jesus healed people. What I think we struggle to believe is that He is still healing people today. However, Scripture says that Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and always. This means if he was healing people back then, He is still healing people today. I will show you some extraordinary examples of different ways God is still showing up and healing today.

First, let’s look at the Bible. In the Old Testament, God usually healed people through His prophets. One example of this is 2 Kings chapter 5, when Naaman was healed of Leprosy. Naaman had leprosy, and he went to Elisha to be healed. Elisha said, “Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed.” Naaman reluctantly did so and was healed. Another one is found in 1 Kings chapter 17 when Elijah raises the widow’s son. Her son became ill, and he died. She was upset with Elijah and asked why he had caused her son to die. Elijah took her son and healed him.

In the New Testament, there are plenty of stories of Jesus healing the blind, the deaf, those overcome with demons; He even brought at least two people back from the dead. He cured a woman who had been bleeding for 12 years. She had gone to all the doctors, all those who said they could help, and no one helped. Yet, she was healed when she touched the garment that Jesus was wearing. If you read any of the four Gospels, you will encounter miracle stories of the amazing things Jesus did to heal people. The Gospel in mass on the morning I am writing this was the story of how Jesus brought Lazarus back from the dead. It wasn’t like he had just died and Jesus revived him. He had been dead for days and was buried in a tomb, and Jesus called to him, and he got up and walked out of that tomb. God is our healer!!

If we asked most Christians if they believed that Jesus was a healer when he walked the earth, they would probably say yes. Anyone who believes the Bible would definitely say yes. However, if you asked people whether they thought Jesus was still healing people today in the same ways He did back then, I think most would say no. I want you to know that He is! God is the same yesterday, today, and always. That is what the Bible says, and we know the Bible to be true.  I have read many books about healing, and I have wanted the Lord to use me for healing in the same way He healed through the apostles. He sent them out two by two to proclaim the Gospel and perform signs and wonders. He has commissioned us to do the same. Many of us just don’t know that He has asked us all to do the same.

I went to a conference in October of 2018, and Mary Healy was the speaker. She talked all about healing, and if we want the gift, we can just ask the Lord for it. I heard this, and I felt a calling placed on my heart. I was so sure that I wanted the Lord to use me in this way. I started learning all I could about the healing ministry and reading books by those who had come before me with healing ministries. The more I learned about the Holy Spirit, the healing ministries, and how God was using ordinary people like you and me to perform signs and wonders, the more excited I got.

I started to be brave and ask people if I could pray with them and for them. I prayed with several people, and although they did not receive a physical healing, they did feel peace and the love of the Lord. The conference that got me on fire for the Lord’s healing ministry was in 2018. For the next year, I occasionally asked people if they wanted prayer, and I would pray with them. I did not see anyone healed, but that is ok because God is the one who does the healing. It is not up to me who gets healed; I just need to be obedient when I feel the Holy Spirit prompting me to pray with someone.

Then, at the very end of September 2019, my sister had a baby who was born 3 months early. She was less than 2 lbs when she was born, and I was lucky enough to be at the hospital just after she was born. She was in the intensive care unit because she was so little and they did not think she was going to make it. They allowed me to be in the ICU with my brother in law while they worked on my neice. My sister was also brought up there in a wheelchair, as she had just had a baby. The doctors and nurses told us that my niece was not going to make it. She was too small and too fragile, and she would not make the ambulance ride to the hospital that was equipped to handle such a tiny baby. Every time they tried to move her to the transport bed, her vitals would bottom out. She was too fragile to move.

We refused to believe she wouldn’t make it. I texted everyone I knew for prayers. We prayed over her. I prayed in tongues almost the whole time. We cried out to God for his healing touch, and He came through for us. My niece’s vitals stabilized, they transported her to the other hospital, and four months later, she got to go home. Today, she is 5 and a half years old and one of the most remarkable little girls I have ever known. God is still healing today.

If you still aren’t sold, you can listen to the many Witness Wednesdays I've had on this podcast. They are not all healing ones, but there are many that are. My friend was just on a Zoom call with her Encounter Ministries class, and they were practicing the healing prayer model they had just learned. While on the Zoom call, her one leg grew out so it was the same length as her other one, and her scoliosis was healed. At the healing practicum for the Encounter Ministries Boston Campus, there was a healing of a woman who had had this hip pain her whole life, and after being prayed over, she no longer had it.

There was a woman who attended an Encounter Ministries Conference one year, and right before the conference, she had been told she had stage 4 esophageal cancer, and there was nothing the doctors could do for her. She went to the conference and waited in line for the priest at a healing service to pray over her. He said she needed the kids to pray over her.

At the conference, they had a tract for kids and taught them how to pray over each other. The kids were between 6-9 and she told them what the doctors said and they started to pray over here. She started to feel warmth, and they got excited, as that is often a manifestation of the Holy Spirit. They continued to pray, and she thanked them and went home. At her next appointment with the doctor, they did scans to see if the cancer had spread, and the doctors were amazed. The cancer was completely gone. The doctor said in his whole career he had never seen anything like this happen.

God is still healing today!! If you still aren’t sure, just search online for miracle healing stories, or go to popwe.org and read some of the stories there. You will be amazed at how often God is still healing today. And oftentimes He is using regular people like you and me! If you need a healing, ask God and trust He will come through for you! Also, look for a miraculous healing story that fits what you need; I am sure you will find one. And remember God is the same yesterday, today, and always. So if he did it for someone else, He can do it for you!

Dear Jehovah Rapha, we ask you to bless everyone listening to this episode today. Lord, thank you for continuing to heal the world one person at a time. Thank you for all the miracles you are still commissioning your people to perform each and every day. Thank you for all the healings I have seen with my own eyes and those I have heard about. You are so amazing. Lord, help us to believe that you are still healing today. Help us to see your healing touch in those around us. Help us be brave and call upon the name Jehovah Rapha when we need healing for ourselves and our loved ones. We ask all of this in accordance with your will and in Jesus’s holy name, Amen!

Thank you so much for joining me on this journey to walk boldly with Jesus. I pray each one of you listening calls upon Jehovah Rapha every single time you need Him because He never gets tired of us calling upon Him. I look forward to meeting you all here again tomorrow, and I pray you remember that Jesus loves you just as you are, and so do I! God is for you, not against you, and we are both rooting for you! Have a blessed day!

Today’s Word from the Lord was received in October 2025 by a member of my Catholic Charismatic Prayer Group. If you have any questions about the prayer group, these words, or how to join us for a meeting, please email [email protected]. Today’s Word from the Lord is, “My children, let my power work through each of you. I seek willing vessels, open and be set free. Allow me to touch souls through you, trust, and move forward in my way.”

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He Is Series Day #8 Elohei Ma’uzzi (God of My Strength)

Psalm 105:4 “Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually.”

Today’s name for the Lord is Elohei Ma’uzzi, which means God of My Strength. I thought this was a great one because I know a lot of people who could really use some strength right now.  When we are going through a difficult time, we can often turn to things other than the Lord for strength.  We might start having a drink when we get home from work, or after a busy day with the kids.  We figure that will give us just enough strength to get through the night until the kids go to bed, or it will relax us enough to forget about work.  However, oftentimes one drink turns into two or three, creating another problem.  Sometimes we turn to our friends and family for the strength we need.  However, they can only provide so much strength, as they are human and have a finite amount.  We also might try to rely on our own strength to get us through.  This is not enough.  We need to seek the Lord’s strength.

How can we seek the Lord’s strength?  First and foremost, we can ask for it.  That may sound so simple, and it is, and yet so many of us forget to start there.  We look everywhere else first.  We get upset with the Lord for not giving us the strength we need, and yet we never asked for it in the first place.  God wants to help us.  He is ready and willing.  All He asks from us is for us to ask Him.  Yes, he knows you need help, and also, he is willing to let you try to fix it yourself if that is what you want to do.  Have you ever done this with your children, co-workers, or siblings?  You can see them struggling, and you know they need help, but you don’t help them until they ask?  You give them the chance to figure it out on their own.  God does not do this to punish us, or because He doesn’t care.  Quite the opposite, He does it because he cares.  He cares about what we want and need.  He cares about our growth, and we grow when we do difficult things.  However, He will step in as soon as we ask him to.  

Another way we can seek his strength is by using the tools He gave us.  We can dig into His word and find strength in the scriptures.  We can also seek the various prayers He has given to us.  There are so many prayers out there.  You can say your own prayers or find ones for your specific needs.  Sometimes we don’t know what to pray, especially if we are really upset.  Finding a prayer that someone else wrote and praying it can take a lot of the pressure off.  If you are struggling and you can’t find the words to say, you can also just sit with the Lord. He doesn’t need us to say the right thing. He just wants us to seek Him.  It says in Matthew 6:7, “When you are praying, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard because of their many words.”  Our prayers don’t have to be long and drawn out, they don’t have to be perfect and eloquent, they don’t have to be exact.  What God wants is for us to speak from the heart.  

Another way we can seek strength from the Lord is to attend Mass or a church service.  Being part of a community is great because when you surround yourself with others who share your beliefs, you feel freer to be yourself.  You don’t have to worry that people will mock you or persecute you for your beliefs.  You feel safe.  You have people who will speak God’s truth into the lies that the enemy is telling you. Also, Mass is great because you get to worship God and participate in a sacrament.  Mass is the ultimate way to seek God because you actually receive Jesus, through communion, into your body. At church services, you get to hear the word of God, and then the pastor gives a sermon on that word to make it more personal to each and every one of us.  These sermons help us to take the word of God and apply it to our lives.  The sermons help us understand the Word of God more.

Oftentimes at Mass, there is also praise and worship music, and that is another way to seek strength from the Lord. I have found so much strength from the Lord through the lyrics of these songs. I love to listen to praise and worship music.  If I think back to the one thing I have done consistently since I discovered praise music in 2011, it is listening to it often.  When I am really struggling, I will find a few songs that speak to what I am going through or to who God really is, and I will play them on repeat to remind me of the power I have through Christ, who strengthens me. (Phillipians 4:13)

Another way to be filled up with strength by God is to just sit with the Lord.  At Catholic churches, you can go to something called Eucharistic Adoration.  This is the worship of the Eucharist outside of the Mass. The Eucharistic Host is displayed in a monstrance on the altar so that all can see and pray in the presence of Christ.  The Eucharist contains the body and blood of Christ, and so when you are in Eucharistic Adoration, you are in the true presence of Christ.  Do you have to go to Adoration to spend time with God?  Absolutely not.  God is everywhere, He is all around us, and even inside of us in the form of the Holy Spirit.  If you want to spend time with the Lord, you can do this anywhere.  According to Jesus, it’s good to go away from the crowd to pray.  In Matthew 6:6, it says, “But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”  The Bible also mentions several times that Jesus went off to the Mts. or elsewhere to be by himself to pray.  Whatever works for you is great.  Just spend time with the Lord.  When I sit with the Lord, I often write in my journal as if I were writing a letter to my Father in heaven, because it is difficult for me to sit in silence with Him.  Again, whatever works for you is perfect.  There are no rules to spending time with our heavenly Father; whatever feels right to you.

I have mentioned five ways that we can seek strength from the Lord.  First, ask the Lord for His strength.  Second, use the tools He has given to us.  Third, attend Mass or a church service.  Fourth, listen to praise and worship music.  Fifth, spend time with the Lord, just the two of you. There are many other ways that you can seek strength from the Lord.  Try these ways and see which ones you like best.  One of the many things about God is that He knows we are all unique, and what works for one of us may not work for another.  I promise that if you turn to God and seek your strength from Him instead of from the world, He will give you more strength than you need.  I have seen people get through incredibly difficult, even impossible, situations because they relied on God rather than themselves or the world.  Lean in, God is waiting.

Dear Elohei Ma’uzzi, I ask you to bless all those listening to this episode today.  Lord, help us turn to you for strength.  Help us to see that the world can’t help us as much as you can.  Help us make good choices when seeking strength, and avoid bad habits we will have to fix later.  Lord, if anyone is turning to bad habits for their strength right now, I ask that you send the Holy Spirit to convict them of it and help them turn back to you.  Lord, you are the Lord of Lords and the King of Kings.  You are the resurrection and the life.  We are so grateful for all that you do.  We love you, Lord, and we ask all of this in accordance with your will and in Jesus’ holy name, Amen.

Thank you so much for joining me on this journey to walk boldly with Jesus.  I look forward to spending time with you on Monday. Remember, Jesus loves you just as you are, and so do I!  Have a blessed weekend!

Today’s Word from the Lord was received in September 2025 by a member of my Catholic Charismatic Prayer Group. If you have any questions about the prayer group, these words, or how to join us for a meeting, please email [email protected]. Today’s Word from the Lord is, “My children, I rejoice in each of you. You are all so unique, and yet each one of you is like a star in the sky, dazzling, precious to me.”

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He Is Series: Day #7 The Good Shepherd

Revelations 7:17 "For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; ‘he will lead them to springs of living water.’ ‘And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’”

Today’s name for the Lord is The Good Shepherd. I thought this scripture verse was a good one for this, and there is another one I will mention too. What a beautiful image of God wiping away every tear from our eyes.  I don’t know about you, but I am a crier.  I tend to cry a lot.  God will be busy if He wipes away every tear.  In all seriousness, though, this is a beautiful scripture.  It starts off by talking about the Lamb at the center of the throne, who will be their shepherd.  That Lamb is Jesus.  He is our good shepherd.  It says in John 10:11, “I am the good shepherd.  The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”  This is exactly what Jesus did for us: He laid down His life for us, his sheep.  I heard a story from a friend about an incident that happened when she was walking in Walmart during the pandemic.  She was walking through Walmart wearing a mask because there was still a mandate requiring masks to shop there.  However, a man was walking towards her with two young girls.  When he passed my friend, he made sheep sounds at her.  He was implying that she was a sheep blindly following the others.  

I have heard this analogy often, and despite the popular belief that sheep are stupid, they are actually incredibly intelligent. They have very impressive cognitive abilities, and, just like humans, they form deep, lasting bonds with one another, stick up for one another in fights, and grieve when they lose a friend. They experience the same emotions we do, including fear, joy, boredom, anger, and happiness, to name a few.  We envision the sheep blindly following whoever and going wherever they are told.  This is not the case.  Sheep recognize their shepherd’s voice, and they will go wherever their shepherd tells them to go.  They have complete trust in their shepherd.  The shepherd, in return for this obedience, loves them and is willing to lay down his life for them.  How beautiful is that?

I think this is one way that sheep have an advantage over us.  They recognize their shepherd’s voice, and so they follow it.  I think we have a hard time figuring out whose voice to listen to. The world is so busy and so noisy, and there are so many voices speaking into our lives.  There are the voices of the loved ones around us. They are speaking to us and leading us in a direction they think we should go.  Then there are our friends who may not share our beliefs, and they are leading us in the direction they think we should go.  Then there are all the voices of those around the world who also usually have opinions on how we should and shouldn’t live.  There are so many voices, and we get confused, and we don’t know which ones to listen to.  Oftentimes, the voices and the noises of the world are so loud that we can’t hear the voice of our good shepherd.  The voices of the world are not the ones we need to listen to, and yet they are so loud that we can’t hear any other voices.  

The verse above says that the shepherd will lead us to springs of living waters.  Don’t we want this?  Don’t we want to follow the shepherd who will lead us to springs of living waters?  So, how do we learn to hear the Lord’s voice more?  How do we learn to tune out all the noise of the world so we can focus on the Lord’s voice?  First, we can begin by spending time each day trying to hear the Lord’s voice.  How much time do you spend each day asking the Lord for things in prayer?  How much time do you spend sitting quietly and asking the Lord what He wants to say to you?  The Lord wants to talk to us, but we just don’t give Him the time to talk.  This can be your first step.  Just sit quietly, ask, and let the Lord know you are ready to listen.  At our prayer group, we usually begin by saying, “Speak, Lord, your servants are listening.” (1 Samuel 3:10) You do not have to start off by sitting down and giving God 30 minutes of quiet time to speak to you.  If you have never done this before, 30 minutes is a long time.  Even if you have, it still may be a long time.  Just start out with 5 minutes of quiet time and see what happens.  

The next step that can help you start hearing the Lord’s word more is to write down whatever He tells you in those five minutes.  I struggle to just sit there, think of nothing, and do nothing for 5 min.  So, I do an exercise I learned from Fern Gorin at the Life Purpose Institute.  I ask the Lord to speak to me through my pen, and then I write down whatever comes to mind for the next 5 minutes, or however long I am sitting there.  This is especially helpful because then you can go back and read over it.  Now, is every single thing that comes to mind in those 5 minutes from the Lord, probably not, but it is a start.  I think the more times you do this, the more and more of what you write will be from the Lord.  Also, you are asking the Lord to show up, and when we ask, He answers.  So, why wouldn’t he show up and talk to you through your pen?  The key to this exercise is not to question everything that comes into your mind.  Just write it all down, then read it over later and reflect on what you think the Lord was telling you.  While you are writing, don’t second-guess yourself, don’t let the enemy’s voice come in and get you to question why the Lord would talk to you, block out all the doubt, and just trust that you asked the Lord to show up, and so He will.  

If we want the shepherd to lead us to springs of living water and the Lord to wipe away every tear, then we need to learn to listen to the shepherd’s voice and follow Him wherever He leads us.  The way I suggested above is just one way to begin to hear the Lord’s voice.  If it doesn’t resonate with you, no worries, do something different.  We are all different people, and we all do things differently.  The important part of this message is not that you listen to the Lord’s voice the same way I do.  The important thing is that we all find a way to block out the world's noise and start hearing the voice of our good shepherd.  

Dear Good Shepherd, I ask you to bless all those listening to this episode today.  Lord, we ask you to help us hear your voice.  We want you to lead us to the living waters and to wipe away all our tears.  Help us to hear your voice above all others.  Help us to block out the noise of the world and concentrate on your voice.  Lord, we are so grateful for all you do for us.  We are so grateful to be counted as one of your sheep.  You are an awesome shepherd, and we love you.  We ask all of this in accordance with your will and in Jesus’ holy name, Amen.

Thank you for joining me on this journey to walk boldly with Jesus.  I look forward to spending time with you again tomorrow. Remember, Jesus loves you just as you are, and so do I! Have a blessed day!

Today’s Word from the Lord was received in September 2025 by a member of my Catholic Charismatic Prayer Group. If you have any questions about the prayer group, these words, or how to join us for a meeting, please email [email protected]. Today’s Word from the Lord is, “Sometimes I catch you running in a different direction, but I stop you because I know the right way for you to go. So listen to the voice that whispers because that is me.”

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