Walk Boldly With Jesus

Be Bold & Experience Signs & Wonders

Matthew 10:7-8 “As you go, proclaim the good news, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Cure the sick; raise the dead; cleanse those with a skin disease; cast out demons. You received without payment; give without payment.”

I saw this verse this morning, and I thought it was a great verse for today. As you can tell from a lot of the verses I have been sharing with you lately, the class I am taking talks a lot about the supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit.  I would love to share this information with you because I am not sure how many of us really know or believe that the Holy Spirit is still working in a supernatural way in this world.  I am sure we all believe in the signs and wonders that occurred when Jesus walked the earth and the ones the apostles saw and did.  However, it seems most people do not believe these things are still happening today or that they have been happening ever since Pentecost.  

Through the ages there have been times when the supernatural signs and wonders were less and less.  However, there was never a time when there weren’t any signs and wonders.  If you read about the Saints, you will see the miracles they performed all throughout the ages.  I think because the Saints are attributed to a lot of the miracles that we hear about we assume that only Saints can perform miracles.  Do you want to know a secret about Saints?  They weren’t always Saints.  At one point, every saint was just a regular human like you and me.  They didn’t always know they were going to be a Saint.  You may be on your way to Sainthood and you might not even know it. All they knew was that they loved Jesus and wanted to do all they could to follow Him.  Do you love Jesus? If so, you are well on your way!

In the verse above, Jesus tells us what we need to do. Remember, the Bible is a living document; what we are reading in the Bible is just as much for us today as it was for the apostles 2000 years ago.  Jesus is telling you and me to go and proclaim the good news, “The kingdom of heaven has come near.”  People need to hear this, even today.  Today, the enemy wants to fill us with worry and anxiety.  He wants us to spend our time looking around the world and seeing what a mess it is.  He wants us to look around the world and feel like things are hopeless because that is what it looks like right now.  There is so much violence, so much hatred, so much craziness.  It is easy to get lost in worry and anxiety when we are looking at the world.  This is why we need to affix our eyes to Jesus.  He is our savior. He is our peace.  Only when we take our eyes off of Him that we get wrapped up in worry and even fear.  

It seems more and more people are giving in to fear and anxiety these days.  They are taking their eyes off of Jesus and turning them to the news, to social media, and to the newspapers.  We need to be proclaiming the good news of Jesus.  We need to be helping people turn their eyes back to Jesus, and what better way to do that than to show them signs and wonders?  Signs and wonders will not necessarily be enough to change the hearts toward Jesus. However, signs and wonders might get their attention, and once we have their attention, we can tell them all about Jesus’ love.  I think a lot of people are disillusioned with the Church these days.  They see all the division and the scandal, and they think that is all the church is.  The Church is made up of people, and since we are a fallen people, there will always be people who don’t do as they are called to do.  This isn’t a reason to take our eyes off Jesus; if anything, it should be more of a reason to keep our eyes fixed on Him so He can help us not make those same mistakes.  

Be honest, when I mention signs and wonders, do you instantly count yourself out?  Do you think the Saints could do them because they were Saints, but that isn’t something we ordinary humans can do?  Me too!  I used to think like this, too.  Well, actually, if I am being honest, I still have doubts, but they lessen with each step out in faith that I take.  If you are like me, you don’t have doubts that God could do miracles through you; God is God; he can do anything.  However, when I think of God doing signs and wonders through me, I think, “Why me?”  The enemy gets in my mind, and he tells me God wouldn’t use me.  He tells me I am too boring, too weak, too sinful, not holy enough, not good enough, and so on.  The thing is, Jesus doesn’t usually use those who are perfect.  He didn’t come to find “perfect” people to start His church.  He used 12 people who most of us wouldn’t have picked.  One of the reasons the Gospels start with the lineage of Jesus is to show us that Jesus did not come from a perfect line of people.  There were plenty of people in Jesus’ lineage who weren’t holy enough, weren’t good enough, weren’t even close to perfect by the world’s standards, and yet they were chosen out of everyone to be part of the lineage of Christ.  

Besides proclaiming the good news, Jesus is calling us to “Cure the sick; raise the dead; cleanse those with a skin disease; cast out demons.”  This is a pretty tall order. However, Jesus will not call us to do something and not equip us for the call.  John 14:12 says, “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these because I am going to the Father.”  When Jesus went to His Father, he sent us the Holy Spirit, the power we need to do even greater works than Jesus did.  It says in this passage, “Whoever believes in me.” This is a tricky statement.  I say that because the faith required to do signs and wonders is not something we can manufacture on our own.  That type of faith is a gift from the Holy Spirit.  

This type of faith can be built up by reading the scriptures and seeing all the signs and wonders Jesus and the apostles performed. It can also be built up by witnessing or hearing about miracles that are happening today.  The more you witness these miracles, the more your faith will be built up. This is another reason for doing Witness Wednesdays.  Hearing about how God is still working miracles today helps you believe it could happen in your life.  When you see it happening to regular, every day people like you and me, you start to think, “If it could happen to them, why couldn’t it happen to me.”  

There is a documentary called “Fearless,” and this is what the executive producer said about the movie, “We have come to realize it is more than a movie. It is more of a movement that the Holy Spirit is using to spark an awakening among ordinary Catholics, like you and me, to be able to live their Catholic Faith in an extraordinary way, in an extraordinary, fearless way.  It has launched thousands and thousands of people on their own God adventures. You can watch this documentary for free by going to fearlessdocumentary.net. You can also watch it on YouTube.  I will put links for both in the show notes. If you get a chance, check it out.  

I will continue to talk about signs and wonders, and I pray that something I say will be the one thing you need to hear to get you started on your journey to discovering what signs and wonders God wants to give you. God wants to call us to greater things.  No matter who you are, where you are, or how old you are, God has more for you.  That will look different for each of us, but He is calling you.  Abraham was 100 when He had Issac.  Whatever age you are, you are not too old to build the kingdom of God.  However young you are, you are not too young to build the kingdom of God.  There is a young boy from Italy who was only 16 when he died, and He is blessed and is being considered for sainthood.  This is the first millennial to be venerated.   God can use you for His purposes. All you have to do is say yes.  It may feel scary to say yes to something when you don’t understand it completely, but He will use you in amazing ways if you say yes to the Lord.  

Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless everyone listening to today's episode.  Lord, we are so grateful for all the signs and wonders you have done and are still doing.  We ask you to show us how you want to use us, Lord.  We ask you to give us the strength to say yes even if we don’t understand what we are saying yes to.  We ask you to give us the courage to step out in faith and trust that we are doing what you called.  Lord, if we can’t hear your call, we ask that you help open our ears, hearts, and minds to whatever you call.  We ask that you help us be open to you and your will.  Confirm our will to your will, Lord.  We love you. You are amazing.  We are so grateful for all you do for us, 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 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 2024 by a member of my Catholic Charismatic Prayer Group. If you have any questions about the prayer group, these words, or how to join us for a meeting, please email [email protected]. Today’s Word from the Lord is, “Let my glory shine through the darkness of this world. I send you as my messengers. Let your light shine so all may see that you belong to me. Be not afraid to confront the enemy. Do not be afraid, for I am with you, and I am powerful. I am your God, and I will defend you.”

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Be Bold & Do the Works Jesus Did!

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 immediately believed it.  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 with 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.  

For me, 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, I am blessed to be able to say I was not let down by those I know and cared about often growing up.  Therefore, I trust them 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.  We run into trouble by trying to believe we can do signs and wonders in today's world.  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 no single miracle was 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 unsurprising to me that Jesus did miracles in the Bible; he is God, after all.  I didn’t know 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 used 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 also gave us the Holy Spirit to dwell within us.  If you are baptized, then you will 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 as 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 worldwide 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.  They talked about ministering to your sphere of influence in my class.  You can start small.  Be an example to your family, your friends, and your co-workers.  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 could 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 of 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 talk to God about it.  Tell Him how you feel 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 needs people willing to step outside their comfort zone.  God needs people who will step out in faith, knowing they have the Holy Spirit inside 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 and 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 you on this journey.  He will lead you to where you need to go.  We must 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 will meet you where you are 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 of us in our lives.  We love you, Lord; you are incredible.  We are so grateful you gave us the Holy Spirit.  Lord, you are the almighty one, 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, and so do I.  Have a blessed weekend!

Today’s Word from the Lord was received in September 2024 by a member of my Catholic Charismatic Prayer Group. If you have any questions about the prayer group, these words, or how to join us for a meeting, please email [email protected]. Today’s Word from the Lord is, “When I told you to walk the extra mile with the soldiers, their sacred duty was to only have a person walk a mile. If you walk another mile, they don't know what to do. It throws them off their game. Respond in love, and they will not know what to do, except understand where my word is coming and the special gifts that I have given to you.”

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Today’s Witnesses are from the Encounter Ministries NorthEast Regional Conference that I just attended this past weekend. I had the privilege of being on a prayer team with someone who I had never met before. This is how they usually do it. If you are selected for prayer teams, you are assigned a partner that you do not know. I like this because you get to meet someone new and also because you get to learn from that person. We all pray a bit differently, and we all hear the Lord differently. it was really great to experience praying with my partner, Lynn.

We were asked to pray in three different ways. The first time we prayed, it was for a baptism in the Holy Spirit. I have done this type of praying before but not very often, and I was nervous I wouldn’t know what to say. However, the Holy Spirit came through, as He always does, and it was great. The first person we prayed over was slain in the spirit. I had never prayed over anyone who was slain in the Spirit before. If you don’t know what that means, it means that they are so filled with the Holy Spirit that they can no longer stand, and they fall backward and lay on the ground. Of course we have people catching them so they do not get hurt. They are not passed out, but they are not really awake either. Those who I have talked to who have been slain in the Spirit said it is really peaceful. When they get up, they are so full of peace and the love of the Father.

When we asked people how they were feeling at the end of our prayer, most said either “really good” or “very peaceful.” God is so good. He gave each person exactly what they wanted. There were over 600 people attending the conference, and there were only about 30 prayer groups. So, we prayed over a lot of people each time.

The next section was the Prophetic Sections. So when someone would come up to us for prayer, we would ask if they had anything specific they would like us to ask God about for them. Many of them said that they didn’t have anything specific, and then some of them did. What we do when we pray for a prophetic word is we ask the Lord what He would like to say to the person, and then we are quiet and listen. Then we tell the person what we heard the Lord say, and then we ask them if what we said resonates with them or makes sense to them. This last part is mostly to help us grow in our gifts. The more we know about how accurate our prophetic words are, the more we can know what is the Lord’s voice and what is not.

It was exciting because everything we said seemed to resonate with the people we prayed with. God is so good, too, because He must have known that we were nervous that we might not hear His voice, so oftentimes, He would give me and my partner very similar messages so that we were able to be confident it was from the Lord. We also had several people who said that the word we gave them Friday morning during the prophetic part actually confirmed what their prayer team had told them the night before during the Baptism in the Spirit section.

We had one person who told us He wanted God to confirm something for Him. He wanted us to pray that God would give him a message that would confirm either something he heard the other night or something he had been thinking about. He did not tell us what he wanted to be confirmed. He didn’t have to because the words we were getting were coming from God, and he knew what this young man wanted to hear. We said we would ask the Lord and then tell him what we heard. We couldn’t guarantee it would be what he wanted to hear.

I closed my eyes, and I immediately got an image of a cross on a hill. At first, I couldn’t tell if it was Jesus’s crucifixion or not. Then I saw Jesus on the cross, and I heard very clearly, “Even if you were the only one, I would have still died for you. That is how much I love you.” The young man was shocked and started to cry. He said that did confirm what he was thinking. He said for some reason, this whole conference, he had been running away from God’s love. He wasn’t sure why. He felt God was trying to tell him how much he loved him, and he seemed to be running away. But now he was sure that God loved him. How amazing is that? We had no idea what this young man wanted to hear, but God did!

We had so many beautiful experiences just like this. It is such an honor to witness people hearing what the Lord wants to say to them. It is an honor to be used as an instrument for the Lord to pass along His words, His encouragement, and his love to each and every person we prayed with. Each person left our prayer session feeling loved and seen. That is another superpower of the Lord. When you receive prophetic words, you are able to feel seen, truly seen, and known in a way that you have never felt before. God is so good!!

The last thing we prayed over was for physical healing. There was a healing service first, and then we did individual healing. During an encounter ministry healing service, they always start with corporate prayer. During this section of the healing service, everyone is involved in prayer for those who need it. The person in charge of leading the healing service calls out a part of the body, and those who need healing for that part of the body raise their hand. Then those who don’t need healing for that particular part of the body stand up and go find someone with their hand raised, and they pray with them.

The leader of the healing service calls out what we are to say, and we all repeat after him or her. He or she calls our commands to our body, such as, “In the name of Jesus, I command all bones, ligaments, joints, and muscles associated with this pain to be healed now.” or “In the name of Jesus, I command all pain to leave now.” Everyone who is praying with someone will repeat what the leader says. Then, the person who was receiving prayer will take a moment and check it out and see how they are feeling. They check if the pain is gone. They check if they can do something they couldn’t do before. Often, this is when we see the breakthrough. Once they step out in faith to “check” and see if they were healed, they notice they were healed.

During the corporate part of the night, there were so many people who were healed at least 75% or better. There were two people who had stage 4 cancer who said their cancer hadn’t been healed but that they did have healing from some of the symptoms.  One woman, Rolanda, has stage 4 cancer. It started as breast cancer but is now in her bones. She was in a lot of pain, but after the prayer, she said her knee pain and her back pain were completely gone. She still had some pain in her neck, but all the other pain was gone. Praise God!  I prayed with Rolanda during the prophetic, and I am praying that she is completely healed of her cancer and that she doesn’t have to leave her children. Please, Lord, heal her!!

During the corporate prayer, there were several college students sitting in front of us. One was healed when we prayed for all legs, hips, ankles, knees, toes, and anything else in that area. She had pain in her ankle, and after prayer, it was gone. She was so surprised she was crying. She couldn’t believe the Lord loved her enough to heal her ankle. Next, two other college students suffered from TMJ in their jaw. One of the young ladies said it was very painful, and she had a constant click in the jaw. She was stunned that after prayer, she had no pain and almost no clicking. She decided to test it out by chewing a piece of gum. She said for a few seconds that her jaw would have usually locked up by now, but it didn’t! She claimed healing, and when I saw her the next day, she said she was doing great!! The young man who suffered from the TMJ was also healed. He no longer had any pain or clicking. He was the boyfriend of the young woman whose ankle was healed!

Another healing happened with a friend of mine who attended the Boston Campus of the Encounter Ministries. His name is Hugh, and he had surgery on his knee sometime last year in the spring. He is out of the cast and has been doing much better. However, earlier that day, we went to pick up pizza for our whole group. He was carrying some of the pizza down the few stairs in the park, and he said his knee was bothering him. He requested prayer during the corporate prayer section, and the pain was gone. He tested it out by showing us he could walk up the altar stairs without pain!! There were so many other people who were healed. It was amazing!!

God is so good! He healed so many people that evening, whether it was when we were all praying in a group or when they went to the individual prayer teams. The whole weekend was amazing, and I am so glad I went I am so glad I volunteered to be on the prayer team. It was a truly wonderful experience. I can’t wait until the next time I get to go!

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Be Bold & Do It Anyway

Esther 4:14  For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”  

I think we can all agree that the world is a pretty crazy place right now. In America, there is so much disagreement and arguing going on right now. I am not sure there has been a time when the country was more divided. Although, as I say that, I am reminded of the Civil War, and I think that was probably a time when this country was more divided. In the world, there are wars going on in several countries. There is famine; there are still 1 in 4 people who do not have access to safe drinking water. How is that possible with all the technology we have today?

Thinking about how crazy this world is can lead us into an emotional spiral, especially if we feel there is nothing we can do about it. I want to encourage you not to get stuck in negative thoughts and to watch less news if you find yourself starting to spiral or getting stuck in those negative thoughts. If you read the stories of the Saints, you will see that all of them mention how the times they are living are the worst that they have ever been. I think we all feel this way because we live in a broken world, and when we compare that to the world God wants us to be able to experience, we see such a stark contrast.

However, what if God has been preparing us for such a time?  There is a story in the Bible about Esther.  She was a young Jewish woman who found favor with the king and became the queen.  Her uncle Mordecai adopted her as his own when she was young, as both parents died.  Mordecai had told Esther before meeting the king not to reveal that she was Jewish, and she listened.  This story tells about how a powerful vizier to the king, named Haman, wanted to kill all the Jews living in the Persian Empire in one day.  He was angry because Mordecai refused to bow down to him.  Mordecai explained he only bows down to God and this angered Haman—who told the king that there were people living throughout his kingdom that did not obey the same laws of the king and that he should not tolerate them.  He convinced the king to issue a decree that would destroy the Jews, and upon doing so, Haman agreed to put ten thousand silver talents into the royal treasury.  When the Jewish people heard, they went into mourning with prayer and fasting.  Mordecai got word to Esther and explained the situation.  He asked Esther to talk to her husband, the king, and beg for the lives of her people to be spared.  Esther explained that if anyone goes in front of the king while he is in the inner courtroom without being summoned, they will suffer immediate death unless he offers them the end of the scepter.   Mordecai wrote back the following in  Esther 4:14: “For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”.  Esther risked her life to go in front of the king, and because of her bravery, she saved her people, God’s people.  We do not usually know why we end up where we end up or why we go through the things that we go through.  God is a mystery, and only he knows what he is doing.  He can see the whole picture: past, present, and future.   We can only see the past and present.  I once heard a quote that I liked and found comforting when I was going through some hard times.  The quote said, “You were assigned this mountain to show others it can be moved.”  I found it comforting to think that by making it through the situation, I would show others that they could make it through, too.  I also used the quote in reverse and thought, “Ok, then I just need to look for someone who has made it through this type of situation to show me that I could make it through as well.”  There is a song by Christina Perri that’s called "I Believe."  In that song, she says, “I believe that you fell so that you would land next to me.”  Have you ever been in a situation where you can tell God arranged it?  Sometimes, we can tell what God is doing.  Sometimes, we can feel it in our bones that we are exactly where we were meant to be at that precise moment.  God placed us here in this moment, and what if everything we have done up to this moment has been getting us ready for whatever is going on in our lives right now?  What if all the scripture readings we have done, bible studies and prayer groups we have attended, and all the praying we have done were specifically to help us get through these tough times?  What if all those days at the gym, long walks, or yoga classes were to prepare us for the mental and physical challenges of these past few months?  What if all the past experiences we have had with friends, families, and coworkers were to prepare us for this extraordinary time in history?  Take a few minutes and think of all the experiences you have had in your life that have taught you persistence and resilience.  Can you see how they may have prepared you for all of this?  Consider your qualities, strengths, and what you have to offer in this difficult time.  If God placed you here and made you exactly who you are for this time, why did he do this?  What is it that you, with your unique background and experiences, can offer to others at this time?  Maybe you are great at reaching out to people and making sure they are ok, or maybe you write great poetry that can help give people hope and make them smile right now.  Maybe you are really great at praying for others and can hold us all in prayer right now.  I don’t know what your circumstance is, but I do know that if we lean into God during this difficulty, he will lead us through it.  Look at the circumstances the Israelites were facing when God led them out of Egypt.  There are so many examples in the Bible of really hard times, yet God saved them when his people called. So, let’s call out for him, and while we are waiting, let us ask ourselves why God has put us here at such a time.

Dear Heavenly Father, I ask that you bless everyone listening to this podcast. Lord, we thank you for making us who you made us to be. We thank you for all of the training you've given us up until this point in everything you help us to learn in the future.  Lord, we ask that you show us what we are good at and what we can contribute in this difficult time. We ask that you be with everyone who is struggling right now.  Lord, we ask that you give us the strength and perseverance to keep going. We ask that you show us those who have come before us they have overcome similar circumstances and give us the knowledge that we too can overcome them. Lord, you are amazing, and we're so very thankful for all you do for us.  We love you, Lord, and we ask all of this in accordance with your will and in Jesus's holy name, Amen.

Thank you so much for joining me on this journey to walk boldly with Jesus. We are starting a new series in mentoring tonight, “For Such A Time As This.” Have you ever wondered why you had to go through the things you have had to go through? Why does God put you in certain places at certain times? Or in certain people’s lives at a certain time? We are going to explore that this month and see why God made us “For Such A Time As This” and what we have to bring to the table. I pray you will join us and see if mentoring is a good fit for you. 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 September 2024 by a member of my Catholic Charismatic Prayer Group. If you have any questions about the prayer group, these words, or how to join us for a meeting, please email [email protected]. Today’s Word from the Lord is, “My little one. My children come and stay for just a short time only. I give you much to do, but I support you every step of the way. You are my mighty ones. I rely on you every day.”

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Be Bold & Be An Ambassador For Christ!

2 Corinthians 5:20-21 “So we are ambassadors for Christ since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake, he made him to be sin who knew no sin so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

I love this verse because it reminds us that we are all ambassadors for Christ. This is true whether we want to be or not. The fact is that when you are Catholic and when you are Christian, people are always watching you. They are watching what you are doing and what you are saying. They are watching to see how “Catholics” or “Christians” act. If you are a Christian, your life is a witness to Christ. What type of witness are you?

Everything we do and say is evaluated. I had a friend who said she stopped going to church because she was tired of going for fellowship after mass, and it would just turn into a gossip session where they would talk about all those who weren’t there. Or sometimes, those who were there but just not in earshot of their conversation. She got tired of these people who said they were Christian and went to church each week and yet were so full of judgment and gossip.

Unfortunately, my friend’s story is not all that uncommon. There are plenty of people who have left the church for things that have either happened in the church or at the church. I know several people who have left the church because of the abuse scandal that was going on within the church. I do not blame those who left. The priests and those who follow Christ are held to a higher standard. This is because we represent Christ. We are His followers and also his ambassadors.

It is our job to represent Christ. When people look at us, we want them to see Christ. We want them to look at us and say, “I want what they have.” Instead, a lot of times, others will see us getting angry and lashing out, gossiping, or treating others disrespectfully, and instead of saying, “I want what they have,” they say, “If that is what it is like to be Christian, then I don’t want any part of it.” We are all human, and we all make mistakes. However, the more we can be Christ-like, the more others will recognize that there is something different about us, and they will want to see what that is.

I had the opportunity to witness the peace of Christ this weekend at a conference I went to. I was in charge of booking the Uber to get us to and from the conference. It was a somewhat easy job, and I didn’t mind at all. The conference went from Thursday after until Saturday night. We didn’t really have any issues Thursday. Friday morning, the Uber came as scheduled, and our day was off to a great start. Each time we got out of the Uber, we asked the Uber driver if he needed us to pray for anything for him, and they always thanked us and told us what prayers they needed. Mostly, they just said for their health and or their families.

This morning was no different. As I gave the Uber driver the tip money, I asked what he wanted prayer for, and he said for his health, he was having some problems. We said we were headed into the church and we would pray for him. He thanked us and drove away. As soon as we got into the church, I looked for my phone and realized I must have left it in the back seat of the Uber. This is typically not too much of a problem as Uber has a great way to let them know you forgot something in the car. However, it was my Uber account we were using, and I didn’t have my phone.

I couldn’t just report it on the app because I didn’t have my phone. I tried to sign into the app on my friend's phone, but Uber sent a code to my email to ensure it was me. I tried to sign into my email on my friend’s phone, but they sent a code to my phone number to ensure it was me. So, long story short, I could not get ahold of Uber without my phone. Then, I remembered, I am sure the Holy Spirit reminded me, that I had my computer back at the hotel, and I was signed into Uber and my email both on that. So, I just let go of all the worry and stress and reached out to Uber when I returned to the hotel that night.

I also asked those around me to pray that I get my phone back. However, the rest of the day, I just let it go. I did not really worry about it or stress about it. There wasn’t anything I could do to change it, so I turned it over to God. When I returned to the hotel, I contacted Uber through their website. They contacted the driver, and he called the following day. He had to drive to an airport not too far away, so he dropped my phone off at the hotel at 9 AM Saturday morning. I was already at the conference for the day, but I got it when I got back to the hotel at 11 PM that night. Aside from being without it for two days and the fee I needed to pay for having the driver come and return it, it all worked out.

I am telling you this story because I could have freaked out about losing my phone, yelled, screamed, and cried, letting it ruin my entire two days at the conference. I could have gotten angry and lashed out at those around me. However, I didn’t. I accepted the situation I was in. I accepted that there was nothing I could do to change it until I returned to the hotel. I turned it over to God, the only one who could do anything about it, and I let it go. I was at the conference with about 13 other people. They all mentioned how well I was handling the situation. They mentioned that they didn’t think they would have been that calm. I could say that I could do nothing and that God would take care of things. I was able to be a witness to Christ through that circumstance.

We all have difficult circumstances in our lives. How are we responding to them? Do we remember that God is in control and uses all things for our good? Do we remember that we are children of God? Do we remember that there is someone bigger than ourselves at work in our situations? Do we remember that others are watching to see if what we say is really true? They are watching to see if we truly believe what we say. If we tell others that things will be ok and that all they need to do is trust in God, and then when something falls apart in our lives, we don’t trust in God. Then, of course, they are not going to believe us.

We need to be bold and stand by what we say. We need to be bold and live the Gospel. We need to trust in the Lord, even when it is hard. We need to forgive others even when it is hard. We need to love our neighbors even when we don’t want to. Whether we like it or not, God is counting on us to be His face to the world. He is counting on us to be His ambassadors and His examples. If we, the ones who love God and know how much he loves us, can’t live the Gospel, how can we expect others to? Be Bold and be the face of Christ to others.

Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless everyone listening to this episode. Lord, we love you, and we want to be your ambassadors. Please help us! We want to be the face of Christ to all those we meet. We want others to look at us, see all the gifts You have given us, and want what we have. We want to bring others to you, Lord; show us how. Help us to live the Gospels in a way that encourages others to live the Gospels, too! 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 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 September 2024 by a member of my Catholic Charismatic Prayer Group. If you have any questions about the prayer group, these words, or how to join us for a meeting, please email [email protected]. Today’s Word from the Lord is, “My children, you may look like a ragtag bunch, but there's a glow coming from your face. And when you assemble together, that glow is brilliance. And that glow is still there when you walk into your individual lives. That is me. And you are touching people just by being yourself. You are my tool for reaching others. I send you forth. I am always with you. Be courageous.”

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Be Bold!

Deuteronomy 31:7-8 “Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel: “Be strong and bold, for you are the one who will go with this people into the land that the Lord has sworn to their ancestors to give them; and you will put them in possession of it. It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”

I thought it was interesting that this was a verse that I read this morning. Yesterday at prayer group, we stayed after and did our monthly bookmark meeting. What this means is that we take a look at the bookmark for the month, and we each say what stands out to us. The bookmark is the discerned word for a particular month. Each week at prayer group, we get several words of prophecy from the Lord. We record these words that are given, and there is a team that discerns the words given and picks one: Call, Proclamation, Promise, and Directive for the month. One of our members then types them up and puts them on a bookmark so we can share them with the entire prayer group.

Yesterday we did the bookmark from February 2023. That was almost a year ago, and yet the bookmark was similar to the words that we received yesterday. For the most part, the Lord is not saying new things to us. He is saying the same things we have heard time and time again. Sometimes, He says those things in a new way, and sometimes, He uses very similar words. What is striking to me today is how this passage says, “Be strong and bold,” and this is the same thing He was telling us last February and the same thing He told us yesterday.

In the February bookmark, the Lord said, “Do all to make me known and proclaim my Name. Be bold and step out. Serve me with all you are each and every day. Go now. Do not delay.” The passage talks about being strong and bold so they can take over the promised land. The passage in the bookmark talks about being bold so we can proclaim the Lord’s name. The apostles prayed for this boldness to preach the word of the Lord at a time when it was very dangerous to preach about Jesus. In Acts 4, Peter and John talk to people about Jesus and His resurrection. The rulers, elders, and scribes didn’t like what they were teaching, and they threatened Peter and John as to what would happen to them if they didn’t stop talking about Jesus.

Instead of cowering and obeying when they were told to stop talking about Jesus, they prayed for more boldness to do it anyway. Acts 4:29-31 says, “And now, Lord, look at their threats, and grant to your servants to speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”  When they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God with boldness.” They asked for boldness, and they were given it. It is the same for us. All we need to do is ask. God is calling us to be bold in our faith. We sometimes worry that we will be alone in this boldness. Sometimes, it can feel like it is us against the world, and when we think about being brave, we aren’t sure we can do it.

In the verse above Moses reminds Joshua that God will be with Him when they go into the promised land. It says, “It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” This is reminding Joshua that God will not let them down. He is reminding them that they do not have anything to be afraid of. It is not up to them to defeat the enemy. God will be with them, and He will help them! In the February bookmark, before God told us to be bold, he reminded us, “I am the Lord of the universe.”

God is not calling us to be bold on our own. He is right there with us. He goes before us to prepare the way. For instance, if God is calling you to be bold and step out in faith and pray over someone, then He has already prepared that person’s heart to accept that prayer. If God is asking you to be brave and ask for something then He has already softened hearts and prepared them for you. God says 365 times in the Bible, some version of “do not be afraid.” This is another way to say, “Be bold.”

My friend Peggy at prayer group yesterday was saying she has learned to be bold just by hearing the title of this podcast. She said it reminds her that she can be bold with Jesus by her side. She said she has gotten much bolder since listening. She gets a daily devotional from another friend of ours. She forwards it to many people. She was brave and took a step in faith and gave her grandson a Max Lucado book called “Fearless.” She wasn’t sure how he would respond. He is a teenager and, in the past, has been resistant to faith. However, recently he said he has been reading the Bible. She took this book off of her shelf and said she thought he might like it and gave it to him. Her grandson sent her a text message when he got back home to FL saying that he read the book the entire plane ride and he really liked it.

Do you see how God works? He is helping us to be brave by preparing those we encounter to receive us. I don’t think that means it will always work out as well as it did when Peggy gave her grandson the book. We may encounter some opposition when we step out in faith. We may encounter some people who say no to what we are asking. That is ok. The apostles saw this too. Our job is not to allow these times when people say no to deter us from our mission. That mission is the same for each one of us. That mission is for us to bring the love of Jesus to each and every person that we meet. We can do this because we have Jesus. He is on our side! He is leading the way. Be bold and step out in faith. Bring Jesus’ love to someone you know and love today!

Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless each and every person listening. Lord, help us to be brave. Help us to look for opportunities to share your love with others, and then give us the courage to do so. We love you, Lord, and we ask 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 hope over these last two and a half years of listening you have been able to walk a bit more boldly in your faith. I look forward to seeing you here again on Monday. Remember, Jesus loves you, and so do I! Have a blessed day!

Today’s Word from the Lord is, “Do not let the news of the times you live in wear you down, upset you, depress you. I am a God of victory. I have conquered all by giving my life on the cross and allowing the gift of my Father to raise me from the dead. A gift that He has given you through me. Do not be afraid. Do not be afraid no matter what things look like, no matter how they feel. Trust, Trust in me. Trust in the Father’s tremendous love for all of you and for all of His creation. Trust in the power that can be given to you through the Holy Spirit. Continue daily, daily, every moment you breathe to worship, to praise, to adore, for we are your God, One in three. Holy, undivided, blessed, glorious God. And we love you and give you the victory that is in us

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Be Bold & Turn To God (Be Bold Series)

Psalm 138:7-8 “Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life. You stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes; with your right hand, you save me. The Lord will vindicate me; your love, Lord, endures forever—do not abandon the works of your hands.

When I read this passage, I got the picture of a football player holding the ball in his right hand, with his body turned away from the opposing player and his other hand out to block.  However, instead of being a football player, it is God.  He has His right arm around me, shielding me from danger, and His left hand out to shield me from the anger of my enemies.  To me, this is a beautiful image.  I am so thankful that I know that God is out there protecting me.  I have heard some incredible stories of this protection.  I think that sometimes we can think that God can protect us from things by helping us avoid them or making sure we are in the right place at the right time.  And He does do this.  However, He can also protect you from danger at the moment as well.  

The verse above starts with the statement, “You preserve my life.”  I would like to tell you a story that is an excellent example of this.  The story is from the book “How To Live Like A King’s Kid."  by Harold Hill.  If you have not read this book, I can’t recommend it enough.  It is so good and will definitely boost your faith. Here is a short excerpt of how God can save you from real physical danger at the moment.  

“Recently, I was driving down a divided highway to a meeting. The dividing strip was maybe 20 feet wide. Suddenly, a car coming from the other direction, going about 70, the same speed I was traveling, started to cross the strip. It was headed straight for me. A 140 mph impact was in the making, with me in the middle.  Mincemeat.

I was glad I didn't have to wait to get into the high gear of praise and Thanksgiving because I wouldn't have had time. It all happened so fast. Walking in the light has to do with all circuits being tuned up by praise and Thanksgiving all the time – in everything, giving thanks for everything. I have been walking in the light all day. So I thanked God and prayed in the spirit for the people in the other car all in the same breath, realizing it could be my last one. But I was singing the songs of Zion, knowing that King's kids don't have to graduate on Satan's terms.

The car hurtling at me was less than 20 yards away when suddenly it shot straight up in the air and turned upside down. It was a convertible, the top was down, and people flew in all directions. Then, the car crashed flat right alongside me.

"Lord, do you want me to stop?" I asked him then. “No. Don't stop. You intercede,” was is the message I got. In my rearview mirror, I could see other cars and trucks stopping. They wouldn't need my physical presence there, but God needed me to be an intercessor.  And so I kept on praying, praising God, praying in tongues. I was aware of raw power, rivers of living water, flowing from my innermost being directly to the throne of grace as I interceded in the spirit.

Before I was half a mile down the road, I had God's assurance that he had taken care of everything, and I went to my meeting satisfied. That was Friday. On Sunday morning, I was invited to speak at the Kent Island Methodist church near where the accident occurred. I shared my experience from the pulpit and said that if anyone present knew the outcome of the accident, I'd like to hear about it. I knew something good had taken place. Sure enough, three people came to me at the church door after the service and said they were at the scene just a few minutes after the accident happened because they lived close by. The car had blown a tire, going at high speed, and had gotten completely out of control. The people in the convertible had fallen clear of the car, and everyone had walked away from the accident! The car was demolished, but no person was injured. It was a miracle.

A car coming straight at you on a level Road does not suddenly jump straight up in the air. From straight forward motion to vertical motion is impossible unless you hit something curved to change the course. And that's what happened in that accident. The car's course was changed when it hit a curved surface – the curved circle of light that prevented darkness from entering to annihilate a king's kid.  There were millions of foot-pounds of energy involved, but that's nothing for an angel of the Lord. Hallelujah! When we call upon the king, he works supernaturally to deliver us from trouble.”

I always get emotional when I hear stories like this because I am reminded of how much God loves us and that He will go to any lengths to save us.  I also get emotional because of how touching it is.  These people all seemed to be headed for death.  Their lives could have been over in an instant.  And they weren’t.  Satan meant for that tire to go out and for the situation to end badly.  If Satan had gotten his way, those people would have died.  You and I don’t know the state of their souls, but even if they went to heaven, what about the effects of their deaths on those still living?  Unexpected death of a loved one often brings with it anger.  It can cause some to question God and why He would let such an awful thing happen.  Some people get angry with God and they don’t let it go.  However, it says in Genesis 50:20, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.”  God takes Satan’s plan for evil and uses it for good.  

Harold Hill has sold over 1,000,000 copies of his book.  He has also probably told that story to thousands of people or more.  Instead of this story ending in tragedy, it is a story that has probably given people faith that they did not have before and definitely strengthened the faith of those who were already believers.  How incredible is that?  

Dear Heavenly Father, I pray that you bless all those listening to this episode today.  Lord, we thank you for your protection.  We thank you for all the miracles you make happen every single day, the big and the small ones.  Lord, we thank you for all the times you protected us from something that we didn’t even know about.  Lord, we ask that you help us learn to make a habit of praising you so that if we are in a situation like Harold was, we will be prepared.  We love you, Lord, and we ask all of this in accordance with your will and in Jesus’ holy name, Amen.

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

Today’s Word from the Lord was received in September 2024 by a member of my Catholic Charismatic Prayer Group. If you have any questions about the prayer group, these words, or how to join us for a meeting, please email [email protected]. Today’s Word from the Lord is, “Continue to be humble before me, letting my power be your strength. Letting my power and my wisdom guide you and guard you. The victory is mine. And I give it to you. I raise a victorious people. Keep your eyes on me, for I am the victory.”

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Be Bold & Be Content!

Philippians 4:11-13 “Not that I am referring to being in need; for I have learned to be content with whatever I have.  I know what it is to have little, and I know what it is to have plenty. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being well-fed and of going hungry, of having plenty and of being in need.  I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we all learned this invaluable lesson?  Paul said that he has learned to be content with whatever he has.  If we could all learn this, there would be so much less fighting in the world today.  A lot of fighting seems to begin when someone has something and someone else wants it.  It can be a material thing, like oil, food, or water, or it can be something else, like power, fame, or good fortune.  When we see others with these, we tend to get jealous and want what others have.  Some people feel they deserve to take what others have and try to take what they want.  

Can you imagine a world in which we are all content with what we have?  I think it is hard in this country because we have access to so much, and the American dream seems to be wanting more and more.  Climbing that ladder of success no matter what it means for you personally or in your relationships.  It seems that there are few people in this country who are content with what they have.  I think social media makes it even harder to be content with what you have because everyone is always posting photos about their new car, their vacation, their house, or whatever exciting new thing just happened to them.  Back in the day, if your neighbor got a new car, you would see it outside their house, but you wouldn’t be reading about it online.  You probably wouldn’t always see everyone’s photos of their vacations.  It would be if you happened to be at their house when they developed their film.  

However, with digital cameras and phones in everyone’s hands all the time, we tend to document our lives and live more publicly than we used to.  This is not necessarily a bad thing as I am very happy that I get to keep in touch with my friends from all over the world.  I like that I can spend 30 minutes on social media and catch up on most major events in my friends' lives instead of having to email, snail mail, or call all of them.  Technology has been a lifesaver in many instances.  Especially when we couldn’t leave our houses during the pandemic.  My family had many Zoom calls during that time, and it was great to be able to see everyone's faces.

As much as technology can be a lifesaver, it can also be a major source of envy for many people.  It can be hard when you are going through a particularly hard season of parenting, and all you see on social media are these posts that make it seem like everyone else seems to be a superstar parent.  Maybe you have been struggling with health, yet everyone you look at online seems so healthy, and it appears to come so naturally to them.  Maybe you just lost your job.  I know this is a very real possibility for many people today with all that is happening.  It is hard if you lost your job not to be jealous of those who have jobs and are posting about their jobs.  

You can tell people are not content with what they have when you hear them constantly complaining.  When you are content with what you have you don’t complain much.  You are happy with the way things are, and you are grateful for what you do have.  The definition of being content is being in a state of peaceful happiness.  This does not mean that you never strive for more, but it does mean that you are happy with what you have at the moment.  One thing we can do that could help us be more content is to focus on the things we do have instead of the things we don’t have.  It can be easy to get stuck in a rut thinking about all the things that we want and yet don’t have yet.  However, if we shifted that focus to thinking about all the things God has blessed us with, we would be much more content.  We may even be grateful.  I think being grateful is one of the keys to being content.  

You may be complaining about something that you have while someone else is begging God to have that thing. For instance, you may be complaining because your hair is too thick, too thin, too long, or too short, all the while someone who is going through chemotherapy is praying for God to give them hair again.  You may be complaining because your car is older than you would like, and someone else is praying for a car so that they can get to work.  You may complain because your spouse or children drive you crazy.  Meanwhile, there are so many out there who are still struggling to find a spouse or to have children.  Thinking about what we have in this manner makes it much easier to be content with what we have.  

I have heard stories of people from other countries that have far less available to them than we do, yet they are completely content and grateful for all they have.  I have heard of people going on mission trips to other countries and bringing candy to the children.  It is not a lot of candy, but they said the children are so excited just for one piece of candy.  I have also heard that they bring pens and paper and the children are so excited.  I don’t think my children would be excited if I gave them a pen and paper.  These are things we take for granted.  Think about how much time and anguish we would save ourselves if we could be content with what the good Lord has given us.  If we could view everything, we have as a gift from the Lord.  

In this verse St. Paul says, “In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being well-fed and of going hungry, of having plenty and of being in need.  I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”  What is this secret that St. Paul found?  He found that he can do all things through Christ, who strengthens him.  When we rely on the Lord, He will give us the strength we need to get through any circumstance.  Whether we are hungry or not, whether we have all we think we need or not.  When Jesus Christ is by our side, we will be strengthened to face the circumstances, no matter what they might be.  St. Paul knew this, and he is sharing it with all of us.  

Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless all those listening to this episode today.  Lord, help us be like St. Paul and content with what we have.  Help us not to be envious of what others have.  Help us appreciate and be grateful for what you have given us.  If we strive for more, let us do so with a gracious and humble heart.  Let us not complain but instead shift our focus to gratitude.  We are grateful Lord, help us to show you.  We love you, Lord, you are awesome, 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 am headed down to St. Nicholas of Tolentine church this weekend for the Encounter Ministries North East Regional Conference. I just want to let you know that I will bring all of you with me in my prayers to the conference. I leave on Thursday afternoon, so please keep me and all those traveling to the conference in your prayers. 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 September 2024 by a member of my Catholic Charismatic Prayer Group. If you have any questions about the prayer group, these words, or how to join us for a meeting, please email [email protected]. Today’s Word from the Lord is, “Continue to follow me. Continue to bring love, healing, goodness, forgiveness. Because those weapons cannot be defeated. Those weapons will bring the love of my Father. Those weapons will bring the peace to the world that it so seeks.”

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Be Bold & Be Purified (Be Bold Series)

1 Peter 1:6-7 "I know how great this makes you feel, even though you have to put up with every kind of aggravation in the meantime. Pure gold put in the fire comes out of it proved pure; genuine faith put through this suffering comes out proved genuine. When Jesus wraps this all up, it’s your faith, not your gold, that God will have on display as evidence of his victory.”

In Tuesday’s episode, we talked about 1 Peter 1:6-7. This verse ends with, “The Day is coming when you’ll have it all—life healed and whole.” This is where today’s verses pick up. I had to go back and look because today’s verse begins with, “I know how great that makes you feel,” and I couldn’t remember what made us feel so great. Now that I look back, I agree that thinking about a day when we have it all—life healed and whole- makes us feel great. Today’s verse talks about why we have to go through some of the things we need to go through. Or, maybe not why we have to go through them, but the result of going through them.

The verse says, “Pure gold put into the fire comes out proved pure; genuine faith put through this suffering comes out proved genuine.” I remember I was at a prayer group meeting once, and the leader was talking about the process of refining silver. I am unsure if the process is the same for refining gold. I think this story will give you a good idea of why we must all go through a refining process. Here is the story:

The Refiner’s Fire

As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest so as to burn away all the impurities. The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot; then she thought again about the verse that says: ‘He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver.’ (Malachi 3:3) She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined. The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver were left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed. The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, ‘How do you know when the silver is fully refined?’ He smiled at her and answered, ‘Oh, that’s easy — when I see my image in it.’

I love this story because it explains why we have to go through some of the things we have to go through. My favorite part is the very last part. I love that the silversmith said it is done when he can see his image in it. Isn’t that beautiful? Isn’t that the same with us? God is refining us and helping us to become not just better versions of ourselves but actually to become more and more like Jesus. God can tell when He is done refining us because he can see his reflection in us. I think that is a beautiful thought.

Today's verse says that when gold is put in the fire, only the genuine gold remains. It also says that when genuine faith is put through suffering, it proves genuine. Can you see how this would be true? Can you think of a time when your faith was tested? A time when you were sure you believed God worked all things for good. A time when you felt you really trusted in the Lord. Then, it seemed like your whole world came crashing down. Maybe you lost your job? Maybe you lost your house? Maybe you lost a spouse or a child? Maybe you lost your parent?

Whatever it is that happened, it shook your world and tested your faith. You struggled to understand how the God you loved so much could allow this terrible thing to happen to you and your family. You struggle to trust that He will be there with you through it all. This is hard for all of us. It is easy to have faith when all is going well. It is easy for someone who is doing great in life to tell you to trust in the Lord, to turn to Him, and He will help you. Those are easy words to say to others when all is going well. However, it is very different when you are the one going through it.

This is what this verse is trying to tell us. When we go through a difficult struggle, we can keep our faith through it. Our faith is proven when we can turn to the Lord in our confusion and anger and talk with Him. That is how we can prove our faith is genuine. This isn’t just proving it to the Lord either; it is also proving it to us. We may wonder if our faith is true and genuine, and when we have a hard time, we get to see if it is.

The last line of this verse says, “When Jesus wraps this all up, it’s your faith, not your gold, that God will have on display as evidence of his victory.” This can be a very important thing for us to remember because it is so contrary to how the world thinks. The world only seems to care about how much stuff you have. Do you have the nicest house, car, job, etc? However, this verse tells us that it is our faith, not our gold, that God will display as evidence of his victory. We tend to think we will know we have been successful in this life if we have given our family everything they wanted. We think our status in life will show how successful we have been; when we think like this, we are missing the point. We are missing what makes us great. It is not our stuff. It is our God and our faith in our God.

There is one part that I didn’t really notice until I wrote that last line. It says God will have our faith on display as evidence of his victory. It will not be our victory. It will be his. I think I will take this to prayer and ask the Lord to go deeper into this. I didn’t understand why it would be his victory. If we messed up and didn’t have faith, would it be considered His failure? I know with kids, they tell us not to internalize our kid's wins and losses. It is not our fault if they lose; it is not because of us if they win. What came to me when I just prayed about his was that our faith is evidence of God’s victory over evil. When we were in those difficult times, evil attacked us. We could have given in but didn’t because God is on our side. God will always triumph over evil. When Jesus died on the cross for us, death and evil were defeated once and for all. When we turn to the Lord, believe in the Lord, and trust the Lord, He will deliver us from our hard times. It just might now be at the time that we would like.

Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless all those listening to this episode today. Lord, we love you, and we want to trust you. We want our faith to be strengthened, yet we don’t want to have to go through the trials. Lord, give us the strength and the fortitude to believe even when we are tested. Help us go through the testing and come out stronger on the other side. Help us care more about our faith than we do about our status or our material things. We love you so much, Lord, and we ask all of this in accordance with your will and in Jesus’s holy name, Amen!

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

Today’s Word from the Lord was received in September 2024 by a member of my Catholic Charismatic Prayer Group. If you have any questions about the prayer group, these words, or how to join us for a meeting, please email [email protected]. Today’s Word from the Lord is, “My children, I am raising up an army. You are that army. But you are not dressed in conventional gear. Your weapons are weapons that will change hearts. Your weapons are humility and love and healing and forgiveness. Don't be afraid that you don't seem to be clothed in protective army gear. Because my protection covers you each and every day.”

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