Walk Boldly With Jesus

I have two witnesses for you today. One is from a member of my charismatic prayer group and one is from YouTube. It is from the 700 Club. I will place a link for the video in the show notes. Both of these show how good our God is. The first witness shows how God never forgets our hearts' desires and the second one is a miraculous healing after a heart attack. Let’s begin…

Well, when I hit my 30th anniversary, my husband and I went to Italy. Now, when we got married, we got married in front of the Virgin Mary, the side altar, and it was just family because the wedding was too expensive for me, so that's how we did it. We did have a nice meal afterward, but it was simple. And the thing that I wanted most was to hear the Ave Maria sung by this beautiful vocalist at the church, but she was extremely expensive, so I was very disappointed. I had to forgo it because of the price. So then, when I was in Italy, we were in the dining room

One morning, having breakfast, I kept getting this message from God to get up and to go to the next table where there was a little four-year-old boy sitting with his mother and father, and sing, Santa Claus is coming to town. And I said, well, I couldn't get over it, so it was his birthday. So I put some money in an envelope or whatever I had, and I got up, and my husband was looking at me, and when I started singing, he was like, and I was singing, Santa Claus is coming to town in this dining room with all these people sitting around. So the mother, when I finished, I gave him the envelope, and I said, Happy birthday. So the mother looked at me, and she said,

Wow, that is his favorite song in the whole world. Well, okay. So that night, when I entered the big sitting room that they had in this hotel, the woman came over to me, and she said, Oh, you made my son so happy. I want to do something for you. And I said, well, unless you can sing the Ave Maria, because I happen to be thinking about it, I said, really, I'm fine. And she said, Well, as a matter of fact, I'm an opera singer, and I can sing the Ave Maria. And so I went into the dining room for the acoustic part, and she sang me the Ave Maria.

Wow. Thank you, Lord. You would have missed it, had you not sung. If I had not sung Santa Claus is coming to town. What time of year is your anniversary? June. You're singing Santa Claus is coming to town in June? June 29th, almost the last day of June, yeah. And my husband was like, Are you kidding me? I would have been so embarrassed. What's

wrong with you? Apparently, I don't know. Yep. You're obedient, Mary. Yep, you got what you wanted. He never forgets us. God never forgets the tiniest thing, and He rewards us for our obedience.

Miraculous heart healing (CLICK HERE to watch on YouTube). As the band began to start the worship music, I stood and raised my hand in worship. And a woman that I didn't know, I had never seen her before, she walked past me, turned around, and came back and stood nose to nose with me. She said, Fear not, for the Lord your God says you will surely live and not die. I think both of us were a little concerned.Obviously, you'll live and not die. It kind of tells you something is going to happen soon. So both of us were quite concerned and just kind of, Okay, what's going to happen next? Monday came. I just didn't feel quite right. I just felt kind of out of sorts, tired, and not feeling my best. I was sitting on my sofa with my husband, and something's not right. I can't breathe. I said, I need to go to the hospital. We took her immediately to the emergency room. They came out with a wheelchair, wheeled her inside. The whole time, I'm saying to God, Have your hand on her. My vitals are slipping, and I'm saying, Lord, forgive me for everything I’ve ever done.Anything, Lord, that's not pleasing to you. And I saw our pastor lean down and whisper,  Remember, Dale, you shall live and not die. They came back, and they said, You've had a heart attack, and it looks like a bad one. And she's going to have to have a stent put in. They did the stent, and the cardiologist said, You should be dead right now. 90% of the people who have the kind of heart attack you've had don't even make it to the hospital, or they die in their sleep at night. The heart attack was so bad that it severely damaged my heart. My heart was functioning at only about 20%. They were so worried that I could have another heart event that they fitted me with a life vest. It's actually a defibrillator that they strap around you with all kinds of monitoring devices on it.Coming back to the house was tough. The only way to get her around was in a wheelchair. My husband had to pretty much just kind of take over whatever was needed. He would not leave my side. And when we got home, every night, every night, he served me communion and prayed. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't bend over. I couldn't do anything. All I could do was just get up, go to the bathroom, and go back and lie right back down because I was terribly, terribly, terribly weak. With the amount of damage that I had in my heart, they told me, You need to get used to this life because your life as you have known it is never going to be the same. My daughter had a friend who came over to visit with me.He had gone to seminary under this well-known pastor, and he called him. He said, We have a friend, and she's had a heart attack, and her heart is severely damaged. She's very weak, and she needs a miracle. And this man said, Have her at my church Sunday morning at 930 because God is going to heal her. You know, I mean, we had to wheel her in. She was so weak. And then lifting her up, two people on each side of her, lifting her up. They lifted me out of the wheelchair, and I stood there in front of him. And when he put his hand on the top of my head, it felt like a bolt of electricity just shot through my body. And when it did, it set off the siren on my defibrillator. I mean, the noises and the bells and whistles, everything's happening, you know, and I'm thinking, What is going to happen now? And she was able to get around there and cut it off before the thing, you know, went off. It hit me right then that something special was going on here.The very next day, I had a preset appointment for a follow-up with my cardiologist. No wheelchair. He looks at me and he says, How are you doing? I said, I'm doing great. And I said, But I don't like this life vest on. I want to take it off. He said, Oh, no, you can't take off the life vest. And I said, I want another test. I want to prove to you that God healed me. After the test, he said, Take that defibrillator off because you don't need it anymore.Your heart is back to normal. He said, You've had a miracle. My heart was back to normal, but it was the low end of normal.  they show us the love of God. So this young man calls that pastor back again, and he said, You have her back here Sunday morning. I think God's going to finish what he started. We wound up going back in and kicking it up a notch.He touched her, and I could tell God healed her. Then we went back to the doctor. He said these words after the test, Dale, not only is your heart back to normal, but your heart is at the high end of normal. The Lord had given me a brand-new heart, a brand-new heart. I feel better now than I did 20 years ago. I have more strength. I feel healthier than I ever did. Keep walking and keep believing and hoping and praying and hanging on to God. Sure enough, he came through. There is nothing that he can't do.I love both of these because even though they are different,

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Come As You Are Series- Jonah

Jonah 1:1-3 “The word of the Lord came to Jonah, son of Amittai:  'Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.”  But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the Lord.”

Jonah is a great person to discuss this morning because we can all relate to him for several reasons. The first one is displayed in this verse. The Lord came to Jonah and asked him to do something, and Jonah ran away from the Lord. How many of us have done that before? Maybe not physically run away like Jonah did, but we do not do what God asks. We tell Him no, with a whole host of reasons why we can’t do it. Or, maybe we ignore the Lord, busy ourselves with work and other things, and pretend that he didn’t ask us to do anything. Both of these are similar to Jonah. The Lord asked Him to do something He didn’t want to do, and so He left.

This didn't work out so well for Jonah. He got on a boat headed in the other direction, and God sent a storm to the ship. The other people on the boat asked what was going on. They drew lots to see who was behind this storm, and Jonah drew the short lot. They asked Jonah what they should do, and he said to throw him over the side of the ship into the water. They were afraid to do this, as they knew he was a man of God. They tried to row back to safety, but did not have any luck. So they prayed God would not hold it against him if they killed this man, and then they threw him over the side of the ship.

As soon as they threw him over the side of the ship, the raging sea grew calm. “At this, the men greatly feared the Lord, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows to him.” (Jonah 1:16) These men all became God fearing after God calmed the sea. Even though Jonah was trying to run away from the Lord, God still used that circumstance to bring about the conversion of hearts. God can do the same with our actions. He can take our actions and their consequences and use them for good. He can take them and use them for the conversion of others in ways we can’t even imagine.

When they threw Jonah over the side of the boat, he was swallowed up by a whale or some giant sea creature. While he was sitting in the belly of the sea creature, he was praying to the Lord, and the Lord heard his prayers and had the fish spit him out on dry land. Then the Lord tells Jonah to go to Ninevah to give them the message that God gave to Jonah. So, this time, Jonah goes and does what is asked of him. Jonah tells Nineveh that it will be overthrown in 40 days if they do not repent and change their ways. As soon as the king heard this, he declared a fast in the land, and all of Ninevah repented and turned back to the Lord. When the Lord saw how they repented and turned from their evil ways, He relented and did not cause destruction.

You would think, after all that, Jonah would be happy. He did what the Lord asked him to do, and the people actually listened to him. Yet, Jonah wasn’t happy. Jonah was upset that God spared the people of Ninevah. He thought that they deserved to die, and he wasn’t happy that they took the second chance and turned from their evil ways. We have all been here in one way or another before. Have you ever been upset that someone got away with something that you think they should have been punished for? Have you ever seen someone do something and then wished they would get in trouble for it? One common example I can think of is when we are driving and see someone else driving unsafely, and we hope they get pulled over by a police officer. It is not our place to decide what should happen to others.

God chose Jonah for this task, and Jonah ran from it. How many of us have done that? How many of us have run from a task because we didn’t want to do it? Jonah ran because he knew how good God was. He understood that if Ninevah repented, God would save them, and he didn’t want them to be saved. He didn’t think they deserved it. How many of us have run from a call from the Lord because we disagreed with Him? It might not be the same situation as Jonah, but we disagreed that we were the right people or that we had the skills it took to do what He wanted us to do. We might all have different reasons for running from what the Lord calls us to do.

However, Jonah’s story reminds us of a few things. First, just because we ran doesn't mean God gives that call to someone else. He is still waiting for you to do what He called you to do. Second, he can use bad consequences for good, like when Jonah ran from God, and the others on the ship almost died in the storm until they threw him off the ship. God used that to convert the hearts of all those on the ship. Whatever bad came out of you running from the Lord, He can redeem it. He can use it for good. The important thing is that we turn back to the Lord and that we answer that call. God doesn’t make mistakes. If He is calling you to something, then He will help you do it. If he is calling you to it, then you are the perfect person for the job, even if you don’t see how or why.

Jonah’s story also reminds us that God is sovereign. We don’t know all the things that He knows. Just because what God is doing doesn’t make sense to us, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t make sense. God knows the whole picture. He knows all the details. We only know the few tiny things we can see from the outside looking in. We need to trust that God knows what He is doing. We need to understand that He sees things we don’t see. He knows what we can and can’t do. He knows us better than we know ourselves. So, if God says you can do it, then you can do it. Stop running and face the task He is asking you to do!

Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless each person listening. Lord, we all want to be able to do what you are calling us to do. We want to trust you and believe we can do it. Please help us, Lord. Lord, help us not to run from you but to run towards you. Please help us not to think we know better than you do. You are the almighty one. You are Lord of Lords and King of Kings. You know all things, and we love you. Please help us to continuously come back to you. We pray all this in accordance with your will and in Jesus’s holy name, Amen!!

Thank you so much for joining me on this journey to walk boldly with Jesus. Thank you for all your prayers for the retreat this weekend. It was an awesome weekend. I also want to remind everyone that my new book is out. It is called Walk Boldly With Jesus Devotionals: Who I Am: Discovering God’s Truth About Me. I am very excited about it. CLICK HERE if you want to check it out! 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 May 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 got the image of Jesus as a carpenter coming into our hearts and stripping away all the old wallpaper, layers and layers of crud, and then just replacing it with brand new, shining, you know, immaculate white paint and welcoming the Holy Spirit in.”

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Storm-Battered and Unconsoled

Isaiah 54:11-14 “O afflicted one,* storm-battered and unconsoled, I lay your pavements in carnelians, your foundations in sapphires; I will make your battlements of rubies, your gates of jewels, and all your walls of precious stones. All your children shall be taught by the LORD; great shall be the peace of your children. In justice shall you be established, far from oppression, you shall not fear, from destruction, it cannot come near.  If there be an attack, it is not my doing; whoever attacks shall fall before you.”

When I read this verse this morning I knew this was the one.  So many are struggling right now.  This verse is to show you that God understands.  “O afflicted one, storm-battled and unconsoled.”  He gets it.  He understands how you are feeling.  He’s showing you that He sees you.  You haven’t somehow escaped His attention.  He knows you are suffering and he knows that you are unconsoled.  

Once He has your attention and lets you know He sees you, then He is telling you that he has laid the way before you with precious stones.  “I lay your pavements in carnelians (a semi-precious stone), I lay your foundations in sapphires; I will make your battlements of rubies, your gate of jewels, and all your walls of precious stones.”  Actually the Lord is not just talking about laying the road before you, He is talking about building all around you.  He talks about the pavements, which I was thinking was the path ahead.  However, then He talks about your foundation, your walls, your battlements, and your gates.  We all know that if we wish to get anywhere in life, we need to have a firm foundation.  If our foundation isn’t firm, it won’t support us.  

This reminds me of Matthew 7:24-27, “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”  If we don’t build our house on a firm foundation it will slip away.  

Next, the Lord talks about our battlements made of rubies.  I was not sure what battlements were, so I looked it up.  Battlements are the parapets at the top of a wall, especially of a fort or castle, that have regularly spaced squared openings for shooting through.  Also, our walls are make of precious stones and our gates of jewels.  These are how we defend ourselves.  God is building these things for us out of the finest materials.  He is our protection and He will make sure we are safe.

The next part of the verse says, “All your children shall be taught by the Lord; great shall be the peace of your children.”  This might not be your experience right now.  You may hear this and wonder when that peace is going to come.  I know when I read that line, I thought that is not true for so many children I know these days.  I have heard several people say over the last few months that it seems like the enemy is really attacking God’s faithful ones through their children and their marriages.  There are so many children struggling right now with so many things.  The mental health of our kids is under attack for sure.  Also, with social media and constant access to their phones, our children are being bullied in ways we don’t even know.  

I am surprised at the number of young kids who are willing to send inappropriate photos over the phone because it doesn’t feel like a big deal.  It feels like everyone is doing it.  I think social media also allows kids to say things that they would never say to someone’s face because they just have to type it into a phone.  It gives them a sense that they are somewhat removed from it.  I have three teenagers, and I get how hard it can be.  If you are listening to this and you either have teenagers or maybe you have teenager grandkids or nieces and nephews, I would say pray for them definitely and also remember this promise from God.  “All  your children shall be taught by the Lord; great shall be the peace of your children.”  God always keeps his promises.  He doesn’t tell us when they will have peace, but he tells us they will.  Our job is to keep them going through the hard times until they have this peace.

The next part may be hard to understand as well.“ In justice shall you be established, far from oppression, you shall not fear, from destruction, it cannot come near.”  You will be established in justice, far from oppression, destruction cannot come near.  If you are struggling right now, this may be hard to take in.  It may be hard to see how you are far from oppression.  It may seem like oppression is all around you.  You may feel beaten down at every turn.  If this is you, remember the ending of that line, destruction cannot come near.  Although you may be struggling, this will not destroy you!  You will make it though this.  Whatever it is, you will come out on the other side being better, stronger, and more faith filled.  God is with you through this difficult time.  He is building this protective house around you.  Keep hanging in there.  

The ending of this verse may be the most important to hear for some of you. “  If there be an attack, it is not my doing; whoever attacks shall fall before you.”  This is so important for us to realize.  “If there be an attack is it not my doing.”  I bet we have all wondered or even ask God, “What have I done to deserve this?”  If you have thought this, you are not alone.  The apostles also thought this way.  In John 9:1-3 it says, “As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”  "Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.”

God is telling in both these verses, we didn’t do anything.  This is not His doing.  He did not give you cancer, He did not take away your loved one, He did not cause your spouse to leave, it is not His doing.   I love the last sentence.  He says, whoever attacks shall fall before you.  He is showing us that evil will not win in the end.  Evil will not get the last word.  He will protect us and He will defeat evil.  Whoever attacks shall fall before you.  

There are several promises in this scripture verse today.  If you are struggling, if you feel storm-battered and unconsoled, maybe write this verse down and read it again.  Try sitting with this verse and see how God wants to use it to talk to you.  The things I said about the verse today, actually any day in this podcast is just the way God is talking to be about the different verses.  However, He wants to make each verse personal to you.  If you spend some time after you listen to the podcast to reread the verse, it’s in the show notes, and then ask God what He wants to say to you about the verse, I am sure you will be surprised at what you start thinking about.  If you ask Him, He will answer, you just have to give Him the time to listen.  

Dear Heavenly Father, I ask that you bless all those listening to this episode today.  Lord, we thank you for showing us that you see us in our struggles and that you are there for us.  Thank you for building us a beautiful house of protection.  Thank you for promising peace for our children.  Thank you for letting us know that it is not you that is attacking us and that whoever does attack us will fall before us.  Lord, you are so loving and so merciful and we are so very lucky to have you in our lives.  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. Please keep me and those attending the retreat in your prayers this weekend. I pray it is a fruitful retreat for all who attend. I will be doing the retreat on zoom too. If you want to check it out on zoom, email me at Catherine @findingtruenorthcoaching.com and I will get you the zoom link. I look forward to meeting you here again on Monday. Remember, Jesus loves you just as you are, and so do I! Have a blessed day!

 Today’s Word from the Lord was received in May 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 will fill you with everything that you need. But you must learn to listen. Listen and then act upon it. I just don't want you to listen and do nothing about it, my children. I speak so that you, in turn, may help others, encourage them. ”

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Could You Perform Miracles?

John 14:12-13 “Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these, because I am going to the Father. And whatever you ask in my name, I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything of me in my name, I will do it.”

This is one of my favorite verses in the Bible.  It is one that I read, and when I heard it, I believed it right away.  Some verses are like this in the Bible.  When you read the Bible, some things are easy to take in and others are difficult.  These easy and difficult things are different for everyone.  We all have different experiences when we read the Bible because we have all had different experiences throughout our lives.  There is a quote by Steven R. Covey that I really like.  Steven R. Covey said, “We see the world, not as it is, but as we are.”  This is true for the Bible as well.  We look at and interpret the things we read in the Bible through our own unique lens.  For instance, if we had people letting us down our whole lives, we may read the parts of the Bible that talk about trust and struggle to believe we can trust God because we haven’t been able to trust anyone on earth.  If we have grown up in a very unloving environment, we may struggle with the parts of the Bible that talk about unconditional love. Other things may come easier to us.  

I instantly loved this verse.  I know the Bible is God’s Word and that God chose His words very carefully.  Sometimes, when we are reading the Bible, there may be a question in our minds about why they used this word vs. that word.  One thing I have learned from doing Bible studies is that there is always a reason why certain words were chosen.  Also, if you have done Bible studies, you have had the benefit of hearing all about the original Greek or Hebrew words that were used in the original translation and what those words meant.  Sometimes, when translated, we don’t have an exact word to mean what they were saying. I find Bible studies fascinating because you gain so much more insight into what the verses are really saying.  Anyway, back to the verse.  I heard this verse, or read this verse, and I believed Jesus’ word to us.  I have never really been one to struggle with trust.  I grew up in a loving family, I had great friends growing up, and I am blessed to be able to say I was not let down by those I know and care about, often growing up.  Therefore, I trust pretty easily.  

But what if you don’t trust easily?  What if you look at that verse and say there is no way we could perform the works Jesus did, Jesus was God, of course, He performed miracles.  Also, the apostles were right there with Him for 3 years during His ministry; of course, they could do miracles too.  We can all usually agree that Jesus did miracles when He walked the earth, and we can also usually agree that the apostles were sent out and they performed miracles, too.  Where we run into trouble is trying to believe we could do signs and wonders in the world today.  Who are we?  We are not holy enough, we are not worthy of that power and authority.  I agree with both of those statements, and yet Jesus still says we will do the works that He did and even greater works than He did. How is this possible?

It is possible through the Holy Spirit.  Did you ever realize or notice that there is not a single miracle recorded in the Gospels before Jesus was baptized?  Jesus was fully human and fully God the entire time He walked the earth.  There was nothing stopping Jesus from performing miracles during the first 30 years of His life.  However, He chose to wait until after He was baptized and received the Holy Spirit to start performing miracles.  This is something I recently found out and found fascinating.  It was not a surprise to me that Jesus did miracles in the Bible; He is God after all.  What I didn’t know is that Jesus didn’t use his divinity to perform miracles.  He used the Holy Spirit, working through Him, to perform the miracles.  He chose to put his divinity aside and act from his human nature, with the help of the Holy Spirit, because it would be greater glory for God.  

St. Lawrence of Brindisi explains it like this:

"Christ came into the world to do battle against Satan, to do away with idolatry, and to turn the world to faith and piety and the worship of the true God.  He could have accomplished this by using the weapons of his might and coming as he will come to judge, in glory and majesty… But in order that his victory might be the more glorious, he willed to fight Satan in our weak flesh. It is as if an unarmed man, right hand bound, were to fight with his left hand alone against a powerful enemy; if he emerged victorious, his victory would be regarded as all the more glorious. So Christ conquered Satan with the right hand of his divinity bound, and using against him only the left hand of his weak humanity.”

Is this new to you, too?  Did you know that God performed these miracles and defeated satan without using his divinity?  He relied on the power of the Holy Spirit working through Him.  Do you know why this changes everything?  It changes everything because Jesus gave us the Holy Spirit to dwell within us as well.  If you are baptized, then you have the Holy Spirit living inside of you.  If you have the Holy Spirit living inside of you, then you have the power to defeat Satan and to perform works like Jesus did.  Another one of my favorite verses is Romans 8:11: “ The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you…” I wish we all knew how much power we actually have inside our frail human bodies.

This verse can be scary to many people.  Wait, if I can perform works like Jesus did, does that mean I have to travel all over the world and be a missionary like the disciples were?  No, you don’t have to travel anywhere if you don’t feel called to do that.  What they talked about in my class is ministering to your sphere of influence.  You can start small.  Be an example to your family, your friends, and your coworkers.  Let’s read the verse again, “Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these, because I am going to the Father. And whatever you ask in my name, I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything of me in my name, I will do it.”

If you were able to believe and adopt this verse as your own personal truth, how much greater would your life be?  How great would it be to do works like Jesus did?  How great would it be to be able to heal a loved one?  Did you know there are people doing this every day?  Did you know there are lots of people who have read this verse, decided to believe it, and are now living out a supernatural lifestyle with the power of the Holy Spirit?  The last line of the verse says, “If you ask anything of me in my name, I will do it.”  How awesome a promise is that?  God has so much more for us, and we aren’t asking for it.  We aren’t going to God to ask Him what He has for us.  Why are we choosing to live a normal life when God is offering us a supernatural one of signs and wonders?  

You might be thinking, That is great for you, Catherine.  I am glad you believe this verse and you want that life, but I am happy with mine as is.  If this is what you are thinking I challenge you over this next week or so to bring this to prayer.  I challenge you to be brave enough to just talk to God about it.  Tell Him how you are feeling about this verse and ask Him if He has anything to say to you about it.  When we do signs and wonders, we build up people’s faith.  Don’t you think this world needs some faith-building right now?  Look at the day of Pentecost, 3,000 were baptized on that day.  I know this verse can be scary.  I know the thought of us healing or performing miracles is strange to most of us.  I know it is way outside of our comfort zone.  I also know God is calling us all to it.  I also know that this world really needs people who are willing to step outside their comfort zone.  God needs people who will step out in faith, knowing they have the Holy Spirit living inside of them and that He will guide them.  

If this verse is something that you struggle with, write it down and look at it often over the next month.  Bring it to God and ask Him to show you how this applies to your life.  Ask God what He wants you to do with this verse?  Be brave, be bold. If you ask the Holy Spirit for help, He will help you.  Just start small.  Step out in faith and ask a loved one if they want you to pray for them.  If you spend time with God, He will guide this journey for you.  He will lead you to where you need to go.  We just have to be brave enough to say three small words, “Use me, Lord.”  Can you be brave enough to say those words?  Can we be Christ’s hands and feet here on earth?  Remember, we have a good good Father.  He is going to ease you into this lifestyle.  He is going to meet you where you are at and build your faith along the way.  Trust Him and give Him permission to work in your life, give Him permission to use you, and He will.  

Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless all those listening to this episode today.  Lord, we ask you to send your angels to prepare the way for everyone listening to hear this message today.  We pray you give us the courage to believe this verse and to step out in faith, knowing you have given us the power of the Holy Spirit to help us do your work here on earth.  Lord, the world needs you more than ever, and if we can bring you to others, please show us how.  Show us what you want each of us to do.  Reveal to us what this verse means for each one of us in our individual lives.  We love you, Lord. You are incredible.  We are so grateful you gave us the Holy Spirit.  Lord, you are the almighty one, you are the king of kings and the Lord of Lords.  You are the light of the world.  We ask all of this in accordance with your will and in Jesus’ holy name, Amen!

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

Today’s Word from the Lord was received in May 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, hear my whispers of love that I speak to you each day. Take the time to be quiet. Hear them. Hear my whispers of love. I speak with whispers of love throughout the day. You only need to listen. The more you listen, the happier you will be.”

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Welcome to Witness Wednesday. Today’s witness is from the KLOVE.com website. I love their radio station. Their Music and their DJs are the best. I have been hearing them mention for a while now that they have a tab on their website that is titled God Stories. I thought I would bring you one of these stories today. It is about a woman who started an organization called HER campaign. Here is what I found about this organization on their website.

HER Campaign began with a simple but profound mission: to help survivors of human trafficking heal, grow, and find purpose. Since our founding in 2016, we have walked alongside survivors and their families, offering a continuum of care that includes crisis intervention, emergency stabilization, and transitional living programs.

Our roots are in Billings, Montana, where we started with a single safe house. Over the years, we’ve expanded to include emergency stabilization programs and advocacy efforts. We believe every survivor has inherent worth, and we are committed to serving them with dignity, respect, and love.

Today, I am sharing with you part of a podcast episode she did. CLICK HERE for the link to the website. You can also just go to KLOVE.com and click on God stories. Here is her story.

Britney Higgs is one determined woman and a determined follower of Jesus Christ. On foot, she traveled nearly 600 miles from Billings, Montana, to Denver to raise awareness and support for the fight against human trafficking - and the important need to care for those who have been trafficked.

“Walking that route was significant on many levels. That interstate corridor is a well-known trafficking route. Traffickers exploit highways and transportation systems for control, from recruitment to moving victims across state lines, especially in areas like Montana, Wyoming, and Colorado, where remote roads and interstate access offer anonymity and opportunity for those who traffic people in darkness. And so, this walk for me wasn't just between two cities. It was to take back ground and prayerfully asking that the Lord would stop the trafficking that is happening between these two areas.” 

Britney rates the severity of human trafficking in the U.S. as an eight-out-of-ten  “It's more widespread than most people realize. It happens in cities, suburbs, and rural areas. But the encouraging part is that God is raising up his church every day, believers to answer this issue in their own communities.” 

She explains the route she walked and prayed over “is between our two HER Campaign locations, two sanctuaries of healing connected by a road that sadly sees human lives treated like commodities. So, we just made sure that we were walking and partnering with the Lord to say, ‘this will not happen here anymore!’” 

Britney is deeply involved in the ‘take back’ process as founder of the HER Campaign, which has created two safe homes, one in Billings, the other in Denver, with plans for another location in the Nashville area. The non-profit provides a critical gap service: emergency stabilization programs that offer survivors immediate safety, medical care, counseling, and holistic support.

“The first thing a survivor experiences in one of our safe homes is safety. Imagine a woman stepping into a home where, for the first time in a long time, she has a community that is working towards her safety in the mind, body, and spirit to where she can truly rest for the first time… in usually years. We meet her immediate needs. We provide food, clothing, and medical care, and then we surround her with counseling, case management, full body health practices, and prayer. We are at the cutting edge of a program that looks at survivors comprehensively, providing those medical, clinical, and spiritual aspects to really come alongside her and help her to heal, grow, and find purpose.” 

"HER Campaign is my ‘yes’ to him [God] that is creating safe places for women to experience his healing love," Britney explained the origins and core mission of her organization as a response to a personal call from God.

HER Campaign Mission: Bridging the gap between rescue and freedom

"We do hear that there is an estimated 300,000 children who are trafficked every year in the United States, and that is not even hitting the adults who are being trafficked. So, we know that this is a huge issue, but that is one that we are called to come alongside right now."

She highlighted a severe lack of resources in communities, noting there were only about 2,600 beds available nationwide specifically for trafficking survivors.

Combating human trafficking requires collective action and awareness from the entire community, particularly the church, explains Britney.

At HER Campaign's safe homes, there are numerous success stories. “One mom came to us broken, having been trafficked since she was a teenager. She went through her emergency stabilization program and a drug recovery program, and today she's reunited with her children and has stepped into a job she loves. Another woman stabilized in our emergency shelter down in Denver, Colorado, and then she entered into a long-term program and is thriving as she works on healing. Through that continuum of care, we have seen so many women graduate from our programs who get married, have children, and build careers they are passionate about. These stories remind us that these women are made in the image of God and that nothing is wasted and he is seeking after each and every one of them to remind them of who they truly are and to help them walk into the destiny that he set before them before the beginning of time.”

“I am a firm believer that God speaks to us today, whether that is through his word or the way that he speaks to us personally. And since the moment that we started on our own healing journey, God has shown up in the most miraculous ways to help us keep us on this path. And it is in the moments of turmoil when we ask the Lord and we start to doubt God, ‘Did you really ask me to do this?’ I can go back to those pillars of knowing that he spoke in that moment. And it was undeniable. We have seen God provide dollar for dollar what we needed exactly when we needed it. Miraculously, we've had people show up at our doors with checks who have never met us before, but knew that because God told them we needed provision for something. 

We've had divine appointments with just the right person at just the right moment, and at the very beginning of the HER Campaign, we were walking out in the hills in eastern Montana with our kiddos and out of nowhere I felt like I had this lightning strike in my heart and I got this vision of what a safe house would look like and I just knew that we needed to start it!”

(Richard asks) Going back to the very long walk, the 580 miles, I understand your husband was with you for protection with the RV, but you also had a 'friend' named Freedom?

(Britney) "Yes. Freedom is a miniature Nigerian goat. And when we were sitting down talking about this walk and how to really raise up a nationwide movement to get people's attention, somebody jokingly shot out, 'Hey Brit, I think you should carry a baby goat.' And we've had goats at our residential programs before. I absolutely love goats. We've raised them. And so what became a joke actually became reality or what was a joke became reality. And so yes, I had freedom walk with me. We took major precautions to make sure that she only walked what her little legs could handle during the day, but we trained her to follow me. And I can tell you that she is thriving, she's doing great. Now that the walk is over, she is just grazing and living her best life at her property in Denver.”

Thank you so much to Britney and her organization for doing such important work and for making such a difference in so many people's lives. Thank you for being a light when all they have seen is darkness. Thank you to KLOVE for sharing this and other God stories with the world. We all need to have a little more light in our lives and you are doing your part! Thank you!

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Come As You Are Series - The Hemorrhaging Woman

Mark 5:25-34 “Now there was a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years. She had endured much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had; and she was no better, but rather grew worse.  She had heard about Jesus, and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak,  for she said, “If I but touch his clothes, I will be made well.”  Immediately, her hemorrhage stopped, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease.  Immediately aware that power had gone forth from him, Jesus turned about in the crowd and said, “Who touched my clothes?” And his disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing in on you; how can you say, ‘Who touched me?’” He looked all around to see who had done it.  But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling, fell down before him, and told him the whole truth. He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.”

I don’t usually use a whole story for the verse of the day. However, it seemed right this morning. This is a powerful story for this series because it not only shows how powerful this woman’s faith was, but it also shows us how much she needed Jesus. This series is all about how Jesus wants us to come to Him just as we are. I am trying to help you see that you don’t have to get all cleaned up and fix all that is broken before we come to Jesus. Jesus wants us to decide to come to Him just as we are, and then He can help us change. He can help us fix all that is broken. He can help put us back together again.

The woman in this story had been bleeding for 12 years. According to Jewish Law, if you are bleeding, you are unclean and therefore must be separated from other people. You could not participate in worship or be a part of the community. Normally, this would just be for a few days during a woman’s menstrual cycle. However, this woman had been bleeding straight for 12 years. That meant she was cut off from the community for 12 years. Imagine all the lies the enemy was telling her. I am sure she felt unworthy, alone, dirty, not pretty, not feminine, and not wanted. She had been to all the doctors, and they kept taking her money but could not find a cure for her. She was tired and alone and felt hopeless.  

Then she heard about Jesus and how He was healing people. She heard about Jesus and knew He could help her. She needed a healing so bad that she believed even if she just touched his clothes, she would be healed. Imagine that? We, or at least I, get all caught up in what prayer to say, how to word it, what to do before and after I pray. I get all caught up in what I am doing instead of the power that Jesus has. She was focused on the power Jesus had and that if she could just touch His clothes, she would be healed.

Have you ever needed Jesus that badly? Have you ever been so desperate for a healing or for love, or for something that you felt you could come to Jesus and all would be well, you would instantly be healed? I know a lot of people who are desperate for healing right now. They would do anything for it and I think if Jesus were walking the earth today, they would have the faith to touch his garments. However, He is not walking the earth today, so now what do we do? That is a great question. How can we be like this woman who touched Jesus’s garments, when He is not physically here.

It is important for us to remember what Jesus said to her. He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.” Her faith made her well. He didn’t say, Daughter, your actions have made you well; go in peace and be healed of your disease.” She wasn’t healed because she touched his garments. She was healed because she knew with her whole being that she would be healed if she could just get close enough to touch Jesus.

She wasn’t thinking about how she wasn’t worthy enough to touch Jesus. She wasn’t thinking about how it was against the rules to touch Jesus. She wasn’t thinking about all she “should” do before touching Jesus. For instance, all the rituals to purify herself. The only thing she was thinking about was that Jesus had what she needed and that He was so powerful; if she only touched his garments, she would be healed. When is the last time we believed we didn’t have to do anything but be near Jesus for us to be healed? Have we ever thought that? Have we ever believed that we didn’t have to do anything except be near Jesus in order to be healed?

I don’t know about you, but I often feel like I have to do the right things. I have to pray the right way. I have to go to church each Sunday. I have to go to confession. I have to read my Bible. These are not bad things. These are great things, and I do believe they will help me be closer to Jesus. However, I don’t think they are required to have a relationship with Him. I don’t think we need to be doing things perfectly in order to come to Jesus and ask for His help. The church has hurt many people, and therefore, attending Mass each week only makes some people angry or resentful. That is not what God wants. However, what if instead of going to church, you brought your hurt straight to God and started talking to Him about it? Don’t wait until you work out all your problems with God, religion, and the world before you come to God. Come to Him now and let Him help you work all that out.

Are you desperate for something right now? Are you lonely and desperate for a friend? Are you sick and desperate for a healing? Are you searching for a job and can’t find one? Are you in need of a car, an apartment, anything? Have you come to the Lord and talked to Him about it? Have you asked the Lord for whatever it is you need? He is a good father, and He will give you what you need. He may just be waiting for you to come and ask. Come today. Don’t wait! He is waiting there with open arms to give you a big hug and listen to all you have to say. Just give it a try. Just start talking to Him and see what happens. Don’t worry about all the reasons why you don’t think you should talk with Him. Forget all the reasons you don’t think you are worthy or that He won’t want to talk to you. Push through all of that and just start with a conversation. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless all those listening to this episode. Lord, we are sorry we are not coming to you. We are sorry we let the lies of the enemy keep us away. Please help us to recognize those lies and come to you just as we are. Help us to come to you with the faith of the woman in today’s verses. Help us to come to you with that urgency and that conviction that if we are just near you, then you can help us. We love you so much, and we are sorry if we let our need to do things get in the way of trusting that we don’t have to do anything but be near you for you to heal us. We believe, Lord, help our unbelief. 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 wanted to share with all of you that my book is out on Amazon now. At the beginning of the year, I did a series of podcasts on who God says we are. I have taken those episodes and put them all in a book called “Who I Am: Discovering God’s Truth About Me.” If you are interested in checking it out, you can search Walk Boldly With Jesus devotionals on Amazon. CLICK HERE for Amazon link to the book. 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 May 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, “When times feel like you're not gaining, it is my love that is purifying you. So fear not. Call on my love. You will never be burned. You will only be closer to me.”

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Come As You Are Series - The Centurion

Matthew 8:5-8 “When he entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, appealing to him and saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, in terrible distress.” And he said to him, “I will come and cure him.” The centurion answered, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; but only speak the word, and my servant will be healed.”

When asking the Lord who to talk about next in this series, the story of the centurion’s servant came to mind. The story is short, so I will read it to you in case you aren’t familiar with it. Matthew 8:5-13:

“When he entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, appealing to him and saying, 'Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, in terrible distress.” And he said to him, “I will come and cure him.” The centurion answered, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; but only speak the word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and the slave does it.” When Jesus heard him, he was amazed and said to those who followed him, “Truly I tell you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith. I tell you, many will come from east and west and will eat with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, while the heirs of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” And to the centurion, Jesus said, “Go; let it be done for you according to your faith.” And the servant was healed in that hour.”

This story is similar to the one we previously discussed, the Canaanite Woman. What is interesting about both stories is that the faith that healed their loved ones came from people who weren’t even Jewish. This is important for us to see because oftentimes we think we are not holy enough to pray for healing for our loved ones. In my family, everyone goes to my dad for prayer. Actually, it isn’t even just in my family. Everyone who knows my dad will ask him for prayer, even if they aren’t Catholic, and sometimes they don’t even believe in God, but if they need a miracle, they will ask my dad. It seems as if my dad has a direct connection to God. He and my mom are both powerful prayer warriors. I think they go to do my dad more than my mom because he is a deacon in the church. We tend to think that priests and deacons have more clout than we do. We tend to think their prayers are heard more than ours.

This story is showing us that we don’t have to be super religious for God to work miracles in our lives. It shows us God is not only healing the loved ones of those who are in church every single Sunday. This story is showing us that anyone can come to God. The centurion soldiers weren’t always kind to the Jewish people, and yet Jesus still healed his servant. We can come to the Lord, no matter where we are in our faith, and He will help us. We don’t have to wait until we go to church every week. We don’t have to wait to come to the Lord until we know exactly what we think and what we believe.

This soldier knew that Jesus had authority and that if Jesus said that the servant would be healed, his servant would be healed. The Jewish people were struggling to see that Jesus had authority. They had expected the Savior to look a certain way and to do things a certain way, and Jesus was not what they had expected. The centurion and the Canaanite woman hadn’t heard all the prophecies of what the Savior would look like, where he would come from, and what he would do. They didn’t have expectations. They saw what Jesus was doing for others, and they wanted Him to do it for them, too.

This is an important lesson for us too! What if we let go of our expectations of who we think God is, what we think we need to do, and who we think we need to be before we come to God? What if we let go of our expectations of how we think God can help us and when He will help us? What if we accept the fact that God has authority and can do anything whenever He chooses? He doesn’t need us to say the right thing or to do the right thing. He doesn’t need us to ask the right people to pray. We can go to Him, just as we are, and we can ask Him ourselves. We can decide to trust that if God has done it before, He will do it again. If He has done it for others, He will do it for us.

We don’t have to worry if our faith is enough. Jesus said we just need the faith of a mustard seed. Think about the Canaanite woman and this centurion. They did not know the Bible. They did not know Jewish law. They didn’t really know anything other than what they saw Jesus do and maybe some things they heard Him say. You don’t have to be a Bible scholar for God to heal your loved ones. You don't have to have all the answers to come to the Lord. He will give you the answers you seek when you come. You don't have to figure things out on your own. He is here to help with all of that. We just have to come to Him and He will do the rest.

Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless everyone listening. Lord, we want to come to you. We want to believe that you want us just as we are. We want to believe we don't have to do anything before we come to you. We believe, Lord, help our unbelief. Lord, please help us to come to you. Please help us to trust that you are who you say you are and that you do what you have always done. Help us to truly know that you love us as we are. We love you, Lord, and we ask all of this in accordance with Your Will and in Jesus’s Holy Name, Amen!

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

Today’s Word from the Lord was received in May 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, “When you feel tested, my little ones, and things are going wrong, without the fire or the flame of my love to put it out, you cannot go further with me. So draw closer to me.”

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Come As You Are Series - The Canaanite Woman’s Faith

Matthew 15:28 “Then Jesus answered her, “Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” And her daughter was healed instantly.”

I have heard this story in the Bible many times and I am sure you have too.  Right before this verse is the story of the woman who was asking Jesus to heal her daughter. Here is the story found in Matthew 15:21-28 “Jesus left that place and went away to the district of Tyre and Sidon. Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came out and started shouting, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a demon.”  But he did not answer her at all. And his disciples came and urged him, saying, “Send her away, for she keeps shouting after us.” He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.”  He answered, “It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” Then Jesus answered her, “Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” And her daughter was healed instantly.

I have heard several sermons on this story.  The focus always seems to be on why Jesus spoke to her the way that He did and why He said the things that He said.  I think those are important things to discuss because it sounds like He is being very rude.  If you have not heard any sermons or any explanations of why Jesus said the things He said, I recommend you look them up, as it is very interesting.  However, what the Holy Spirit highlighted for me for this series is the very last line in this story.  Jesus said, “‘Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.’ And her daughter was healed instantly.”

This came right after the woman said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.” What the Holy Spirit told me is that we don’t have to be perfect to receive healing. This woman was not one of the chosen people, and yet she believed that even the crumbs left over after the chosen people had been healed would have enough power to heal her daughter.  She knew she wasn’t one of the chosen people.  She knew she didn’t have a right to speak to or ask Jesus for anything, let alone a miracle, and yet she was brave enough to ask anyway.  

It’s interesting, when I read the words, “even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from the master’s table,” I heard the Holy Spirit say, you are like the crumbs.  I had no idea what he meant by this.  Then I felt like he was saying, we think we need to be perfect to either ask for healing or pray for others for healing.  The Holy Spirit was telling me we don’t have to be perfect.  This woman was not perfect, and yet she knew she needed a miracle, and although she didn’t really know Jesus, she believed in His power and knew He could heal her daughter.  She knew, without a doubt, that He could heal her daughter.  She even said when she called out, “Lord, son of David.” Even his apostles were struggling to see who He truly was, and yet this woman could see.  

If we want to be used by the Holy Spirit to pray for others, then we don’t need to be perfect; we just need to be willing and humble.  This woman humbled herself and knelt before Jesus.  She begged Him to heal her daughter.  She did not get caught up in what she should or shouldn’t do.  She didn’t get caught up in what He was saying or how He was saying it.  She needed Him to heal her daughter, and she kept asking and persisting until He did.  We can all learn a lot from this woman.  Her faith was so powerful that it saved her child.  

Whom do you know that could use some prayers like this?  This woman knew she had nothing to lose and everything to gain by begging Jesus to heal her daughter.  Are we playing it too safe with our prayers?  Are we holding back when we ask Jesus for healing, or not even asking Him to heal our loved ones, because we don’t want to bother Him, or we don’t feel we are worthy?  Are we asking for things, but not the big things, not the things we really want, because we are afraid we won’t get them?  Are we protecting ourselves from the letdown of our prayers not being answered, so we don’t ever ask?  

I know this is for someone today because it is very strong in my thoughts right now.  God wants me to tell you to stop holding back and stop playing it small with your prayers.  God has some amazing blessings for you, and yet He is waiting for you to ask.  He is waiting for you to trust that He will answer your prayers, even if they seem a bit impossible, even if they seem extremely impossible.  God is telling us to ask Him anyway! I feel as though He really wants us to understand that we are not bothering Him with our prayers.  We honor Him when we pray to Him and ask Him for help, especially when we ask Him for big, bold, audacious things.  That is not a word I use often, but I felt that was the word I was supposed to use there.  

Wouldn’t it be great one day to be sitting there, or standing there with Jesus, and then He turns to us and says, “Woman, or man, great is your faith!” I long for that day.  That image, that vision, is enough for me to do all I can to increase my faith.  The image of Jesus saying that to me gives me the strength and fortitude to pray the litany of trust and the litany of humility often.  That image gives me the strength to call on the Lord whenever I need Him.  The woman in the verse today had great faith.  She believed He was who He said He was, she believed in His power, and she wasn’t afraid to ask Him for help. How about us?

Dear Heavenly Father, I ask that you bless each and every person listening to this episode.  Lord, we want to have great faith. Please help us.  We want to come to you when we are in need.  We want to ask you the big, bold, audacious prayers.  We believe, Lord, help our unbelief.  We love you, Lord, and we ask all of this in accordance with your will and in Jesus’ holy name, Amen!

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

Today’s Word from the Lord was received in May 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,“Life swiftly moves by like a shadow, my children. It's like a vapor that swiftly goes away. Think more of me, and you will act differently.”

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Come As You Are Series (The boy who gave up his lunch)

John 6:9 “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are they among so many people?”

This verse is just before the Lord does something amazing! Jesus is speaking to his disciples, and a large crowd has followed Him. They saw all the amazing things Jesus was doing with curing the sick and wanted more. Jesus told his disciples to have everyone sit down and asked how they would feed them. One of the disciples said there was no way they would have enough money to feed that many people. There were 5,000 in all. Then another disciple said that there was a boy who had five barley loaves and two fish. Jesus took those five barley loaves and two fish and broke them up and instructed the disciples to hand them out, and when everyone had their fill, the disciples gathered what was left over, and it filled 12 baskets.

I am sure most of us have heard that story before. If you haven’t, you can read the beginning of Chapter 6 in the Gospel of John. It is great. Today, since this series is Come as You Are, I want to focus on the boy who gave up his lunch. We know very little about this boy. They do not talk about him other than that he gave us his lunch, and yet, he was the only one. I wonder why this boy was there that day. Was he with family or friends? How old was this boy? I would think if he were with his parents, they would have said, There is a family with five barley loaves and two fish. So, it doesn’t seem like he was there with family.

I wonder if his mom made him that lunch. I wonder why he wanted to go see Jesus. Did he need a healing? Did he have a loved one who needed a healing? Did he just really like what Jesus had to say? Was he drawn to Him? There is so much I would like to know that I never really thought of before now. This story is mostly focused on the miracle, as it should be. Jesus took a very small amount of food and fed 5,000 people with 12 baskets to spare. That is truly incredible!

Jesus did not need the boy’s lunch to make this miracle. He could have made bread out of thin air. He made the whole universe. He could certainly have made food for everyone to eat. What I love is that Jesus included this boy in his miracle. He didn’t do it all by himself. He allowed the boy to take part in it by offering his lunch. Imagine how special that boy felt? I am sure that is a day he will never forget. I am sure no one there will forget that day, but this boy especially. He willingly gave up his lunch so that Jesus could feed everyone.

Jesus uses people like you and me every day to help Him with miracles. Not because He has to, but because He wants to. He does not use people who are ideally suited for what he needs to accomplish. He uses people who are willing to be used by Him to build up His Kingdom. This boy was not perfectly suited to help Jesus. We don’t know anything about him. He could have been Jewish, but he also could have been a Samaritan or some other nationality. We don’t know. The Bible doesn’t tell us. We don’t know if he was a sinner or not. All we know is that when Andrew asked what the boy had for food, he gave him all he had.

The boy said yes. That is all that Jesus requires of us. He just wants our yes. I know you think that you are not who God is looking for. I know that you feel you are too old or too young for God to use you. I know you think you are not enough or too much for God to use you. I know you feel you are not smart enough or holy enough. I know you think there are a million other people out there who are more qualified than you are to do what you believe the Lord is calling you to do. I know you are nervous, and you don’t feel like you know how to do what He is calling you to do. I know because I feel all those things too. We all do.

This is the reason I am doing this series. I am praying that by the time we are done with this series, you will begin to see that you are exactly the kind of person God uses. You are perfectly suited for what He is calling you to do. He knows your strengths and weaknesses. He knows what you can and can not do. He actually knows much better than you do what you can and can’t do because He created you. We don’t always know what we can and can not do because sometimes we have had other people telling us that we can’t do something our whole lives, and yet they were wrong. We actually can do it. Or, maybe we have been telling ourselves we can’t do something even though we have never tried it.

If God is calling you to it, He will equip you for it. God knew Jesus was going to need to feed 5,000 people on the mountain that day. It was not a surprise to God that all those people followed Jesus. Why do you think that boy was there at the specific moment in time? Why do you think, of all those people, he was the only one to bring food. I wonder if his mom packed him that lunch? I wonder if he argued, as my kids would. No, Mom, I don’t need food. I will be fine. It's just a talk, I’ll get food with my friends after. I will figure something out. I don't want to carry that around all day, and so on. Whatever happened, the Lord allowed the boy to have that food and to donate it to the cause. He allowed that boy, who isn’t even named in the Bible, to be part of that miracle.

What about you? Will you be a part of God’s miracles? Will you say yes and allow Him to use you even though you don’t feel like you are worthy? Even though you don’t seem like you have anything to give. I am sure when asked, the boy thought to himself, What can my five barley loaves and two fish do to feed all of these people. I am sure he felt like his contribution was not enough. Yet, with Jesus, He can always make our little into enough. He just needs our “yes” and He will do the rest. Will you give Jesus your “yes” today?

Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless all those listening today. Lord, we love you and we are so grateful you use us even though we don’t feel worthy. We are grateful you allow us to participate in your miracles even though you could do them without us. Lord, we ask for you to reform our hearts and help us to be more willing to say “yes.” We ask that you give us the holy boldness we need to step into all you are calling us to be. We ask that you give us the strength to pursue you relentlessly just as you pursue us. We love you and we ask all of this in accordance with Your Will and in Jesus’s Holy Name! Amen!

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

Today’s Word from the Lord was received in May 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, “Expect the unexpected. I am doing amazing things in each one of your lives. Look for those amazing things. Focus on the things I'm doing. Look for the things that I might be doing. Expect the unexpected.”

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Today’s Witnesses are both from the Encounter Ministries YouTube Page. The first one I just learned about today, and the second one I have had on here before. However, someone in my Big Life mentoring group was asking for prayers for her daughter, who has stage 4 cancer. It is easy to believe the doctors when they say there is nothing they can do about it and that stage 4 is terminal. However, only God gets to decide when we enter and exit this world. I wanted to find some testimonials of people with stage four cancer who have been healed, as it is easier to believe God will do it for us and our loved ones if we hear how he did it for someone else and their loved ones. God is still healing today. We need to keep believing. He needs to keep hoping. Hope in the Lord does not disappoint. (Romans 5:5) I pray that after hearing these testimonies, your faith will grow, even just a little. All we need is the faith of a mustard seed.

Hi, my name is Roxanne, and I was healed of inoperable ovarian cancer. I had excruciating pain in my abdomen, and they rushed me to the emergency room. I had emergency surgery. I woke up and I asked my husband, Okay, how did it go? And he just said, You have cancer. The doctor came in and they said, No, it's not colon cancer, but it's ovarian cancer. That spread. That had spread. I'm like, okay, well, there's still hope. And she looked at me, and she's like, No, you have stage four cancer. There's no hope.There were some big tumors, but it actually kind of looked like there was

confetti of all the tumors. It wrapped around the colon, which is what caused the pain initially, and then wrapped itself around other vital areas like blood supplies, was very close to the pancreas, the stomach, everything. Her husband was in a really, mentally, a really bad place, really negative, very, very angry. And we thought, okay, let's just lean into this. Let's go to the healing service.

It was November 3rd or 4th. At the healing service, the priest said, “Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus because in his eyes is the history of his passion for you.” And, you know, he calls out different ailments, and then he called out cancer. Stand up if anyone has cancer. I stood up, and it felt like everybody in the church came over and prayed over me. And then we got in line to do individual healings, and we ended up with Father Jason, another individual. We didn't know Father Jason. I've never seen him before. So he did start praying over me, and then Eric started praying over me. And as he was praying over me, I felt this burning in my side, which was where the inoperable tumor was. Father Jason said, “So when Roxanne and Eric came for prayer, I was like, God's got this, you know, let's go for it. And so we prayed for the Holy Spirit to come down. I prayed that the Holy Fire of the Holy Spirit would consume the cancer in Roxanne's body. And she said that she felt heat. And when I heard that, I was very encouraged. And I said, that's a good sign. And let's press into that. Let's keep praying more, Lord, more Holy Spirit, more fire.”

Father Jason continued to pray, Holy Spirit, burn the cancer out. It really got intense with the Holy Spirit, burn that cancer right out. You know, all the anger and where her husband’s head was at before that, it seemed like it cleared out. He felt like God has this in some way. I don't know how, but just stop being angry about it. And then December 12th was the Feast of the Holy Day of Guadalupe, which we're having surgery on your feast day for a reason. Please, you know, help, help, help us, right? Help us get through this. Help Roxanne get through this. And then I just sat in the waiting room and prayed.

And nine hours later, uh, the surgeon actually comes out. But good news. We were able to reverse everything. And I said, What do you mean? And she said, Well, yeah, we didn't, we didn't see any visible cancer in Roxanne's body. Sorry. We didn't see any visible cancer in Roxanne's body. So we were able to reverse everything. Anything that looked suspicious or like scar tissue, we removed it. They called it dropped all the ostomies, so her bag was gone. The colorectal surgeon comes in. She's like, yeah, it was very successful. And all we saw was a lot of scar tissue. That's why they took hours and hours just to pull, pull apart, and separate the, uh, the bowels because they were trying to search and find anything. Right. They spent hours just searching, and all the scar tissue made it difficult. She's like, yeah, we always saw a lot of scar tissue and burned-out tumors. And I was like, what? What did you say? Yeah, scar tissue and a burned-out tumor. And immediately I thought, well, you know, the words had come out during the healing service. I just couldn't comprehend it at that point. I was blown away. Right. A gynecology oncologist came in, and she's like, Did you see the pathology report? No. She's like, I wanted to come down and tell you. We didn't see any cancers or any of the biopsies or anything. Everything came out negative. How is that possible? Right. Because when you first heard that it spread throughout your, uh, your abdomen, like confetti or like rice at a wedding, you know, it’s a, you may hear like all the biopsies they did. I don't know how many they did, but they said there were all negative. Again, just floored by that. She was very surprised. Father Jason said, "And I was just like, thank you, Jesus. What a testimony to our prayer and the power of the Holy Spirit, His Holy fire consumed that cancer and just left the scar tissue as evidence of his power.”

Hi, my name is Angel Fox, and I was fully healed of stage four esophageal cancer. I was basically told by my doctors that I didn't have much time. I had attended an encounter conference, and I waited in line for Father Matthias. I get up there, and Father Matthias at this Encounter conference says, Angel, you should have the children pray with you. Very resistant because I just waited in line for him. Uh, but I listened, and I went, and they had a kids' track where they had taught children how to pray with others. And I found these little kids, they were like six, seven, eight years old, nine. And I was like, Hey, you know, could you offer me some prayer? I've got really bad cancer, and

the doctors say they can't do anything about it. And this little nine-year-old, I'll never forget her face. She looks up and she goes, well, they just don't know who Jesus is.

And they all, all these little children, they put their hands up and they are just praying away. I literally felt this heat up in my lungs. I shared that with them, and they just started laying that prayer on Lord Jesus, heal, heal angel in the name of Jesus. We called the Holy Spirit. I mean, they were just bringing it. It was so beautiful. A couple of months later, I was scheduled for my CT scan. The doctors were looking, and he started stuttering; he couldn't believe it. He stands up. He's like, What is going on? This is all new territory. I was just like, we are in Holy Spirit territory. The CT scan was completely clear, and it has been clear for years. They kept me on chemotherapy for the longest time. Finally, they were just like, We're taking you off chemotherapy. So no more palliative care. And I've been off any kind of cancer treatment for over three years now. And my scans keep coming back clear. There's no medical explanation.

And I'm telling you, the only explanation is the power of the Holy Spirit and the power of prayer. So I just offer you the same blessing. I'm just going to ask the Lord to open up the heavens and to bring full healing, full healing to his loved child, to his beloved.

That's who you are, and you are worthy. And that you be fully, fully healed and fully restored of any affliction that you are suffering. And I pray this in Jesus' name.Amen.

Thank you both so much for sharing your stories! When we share our story, it helps others know that if God can do it for us, He can do it for them.

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