Walk Boldly With Jesus

We All Stand On The Same Ground Before God

Ephesians 3:4-6 “As you read over what I have written to you, you’ll be able to see for yourselves into the mystery of Christ. None of our ancestors understood this. Only in our time has it been made clear by God’s Spirit through his holy apostles and prophets of this new order. The mystery is that people who have never heard of God and those who have heard of him all their lives (what I’ve been calling outsiders and insiders) stand on the same ground before God. They get the same offer, same help, same promises in Christ Jesus. The Message is accessible and welcoming to everyone across the board.”

I really liked this verse when I read it in the Passion Translation, and then I read it in this Message Translation, and I felt like it expressed it in a way we could all understand. Let me read you the passion translations. “So that whenever you read it, you will be able to understand my revelation and insight into my secret mystery of the Messiah. There has never been a generation that has been given a detailed understanding of this glorious and divine mystery until now. He kept it a secret until this generation. God is revealing it only now to his sacred apostles and prophets by the Holy Spirit. Here’s the secret: The gospel of grace has made you, non-Jewish believers, into coheirs of his promise through your union with him. And you have now become members of his body—one with the anointed!

When I first read it I was wondering what the secret was. I was wondering if I knew the secret. They when I read that the secret is that we are all coheirs to the promises through union with Jesus it got me thinking. I don’t think we do all know that. This is why I like the message translation. It says, “The mystery is that people who have never heard of God and those who have heard of him all their lives (what I’ve been calling outsiders and insiders) stand on the same ground before God. They get the same offer, same help, same promises in Christ Jesus. The Message is accessible and welcoming to everyone across the board.”

What great news that is, especially for those of us who have loved ones that don’t know Jesus. Doesn’t it give you a bit more hope to know that even those who have never heard of God and those of us who have all stand on the same ground? Before the apostles it was believed that the Jewish people were God’s people and the rest were not. Then Jesus came to reveal that God’s wants all His children saved, not just one group of them. What I love about God is that He truly loves us all equally. He loves the sinner just as much as He loves the Saint. He loves those who don’t know Him just as much as He loves those who visit Him in church each and every day.

This is hard for us to wrap our heads around. We like to think that we are special because we go to church, we pray daily, and we do all the things we think God is calling us to do. We believe that this makes God love us more. One of the most freeing things I have learned is that there isn’t anything I can do to make God love me any more or any less than He already does. God doesn’t love me more because I go to church or because I spend time with Him each day. He doesn’t love me less because I eat too many cookies and sometimes choose to watch TV instead of spending time with Him. God loves our children who don’t go to church just as much as He loves us. This can be very freeing if we let it. This means we don’t have to strive to earn God’s love. We can rest in the fact that no matter what we do, God will still love us just as much as He did before we were born.

Another thing we tend to think is that God favors some people more than others. For instance, if we need prayers for something important, we all have that one or two people we will ask because we feel their prayers go straight to heaven. We feel their prayers are more powerful. Yet, we all have the same Holy Spirit living inside of us, and so we all have the same power living inside of us. The people we go to for prayer do not have more power to pray than you do. What they have is the confidence to go to God and ask for what they need. They have faith that God answers their prayers, and they have this because of the fact that they keep going to God and asking Him. We tend to think their prayers are answered because of how holy they are. I have heard testimonies of people who are brand new to the faith and yet obediently prayed over someone when asked and they were healed.

One instance was when a woman had breast cancer. She was at an Easter Vigil mass where the RCIA candidates were being confirmed. She felt like the Lord told her to get prayed over by one of the people who were just confirmed. She waited until after mass and then went up to a young woman, newly baptized into the faith, and asked her to pray for her healing of the breast cancer. She was cured right then and there. Another one was at an Encounter Ministries conference. This woman had stage four cancer in her throat, and the doctors said there was nothing they could do. She went to this conference and waited in line for the priest to pray over her. When she got up to the priest, he said he felt like she needed to have the children pray over her. She was discouraged as she felt like he would be better, more powerful. However, she was obedient and found a few 8-10-year-olds that had just learned that day how to pray over people. They started praying, and she started to feel all warm inside. She told them this, and they got all excited as they knew this meant the Holy Spirit was working. They started to pray more. The woman left the conference, and at her 3-month doctor's, they did a scan to see if the cancer had spread. They couldn’t find the cancer anywhere. She was completely cured! Praise God.

She was not cured because those children had special powers. She was cured because she was brave enough to ask for someone to pray over her and because those children were brave enough to say yes. If you need prayer, be brave enough to ask people to pray for you. If you know someone who is sick and needs healing be brave enough to pray over them. Taking that step out in faith is not saying you feel you have any special gift. It is saying that you trust the Holy Spirit is powerful enough to work through anyone, even you. The Holy Spirit is the one with the power. We are just the vessel. We can’t be a vessel if we don’t say yes. If we don’t try, if we don’t let Him use us.

You don’t have to know anything to pray for people for healing. You just have to understand that you are powerful not because you are special but because the power of the one who raised Jesus from the dead lives inside of you. Be brave. Pray over those who you know who are sick. God will reward your faithfulness, your boldness, and your trust. If you look through the Bible, God tends to use the broken people, those who have sinned, those who are not perfect. Is that you? Have you sinned, do you get it wrong more than you get it right? Yep, me too. Guess what? That means we are exactly the kind of person God will use.

I know several of you listening have family members who have cancer or other life-threatening illnesses. Step out and faith and pray over them. Ask the Lord what He wants you to say, and then just say it. If you don’t know what to say, just say, “In the name of Jesus, I command all pain to leave. In the name of Jesus, I command all sickness to be healed. In the name of Jesus, I command all cancer to be gone. In the name of Jesus, I command all organs to be restored. It doesn’t matter what you say. It just matters that you say it. I think it is best to say it out loud so the person can hear it so that the body can hear it, but if you need to start praying quietly, then do that. Just start. Can you imagine what this world would look like if we all started standing in our identity as children of God who have the power of the Holy Spirit living inside of us? Can you imagine how great it would be if we all just walked around with confidence that Jesus will heal the sick through us? We can, and He will. We just need to step out in faith. He might not heal every person you pray over, but that is all the more reason to pray over more people. Your odds go up with each person. Honestly, though, just start with that one person you can’t live without—that one person who needs healing today. Believe more in the power of God to work through you than you do in your inadequacy. It is not you who has to heal them. But it is you who can say the words.

This podcast is all about walking boldly with Jesus. If you have been listening to this podcast for any amount of time, then I believe you are braver now than you were when you started listening. I believe that the Holy Spirit has been working within you this whole time. Let’s take a risk and ask our loved ones if we can pray for them. I know not everyone listening to this episode feels called to the healing ministry. That doesn’t mean we can’t pray for our loved ones. That doesn’t mean we can’t step out and ask the Lord to heal those who need healing. You don’t have to feel like you can do it. You just have to trust that the Lord can work through you. If you do pray with someone, ask if they feel anything. If they don’t, it is not on you, as you are just the messenger. God is the one who is responsible for making our prayers fruitful. Sometimes, oftentimes, that is when the person is healed, when they test it out to see if they feel any different.

A great example of this is in Matthew 12:9-13 “He left that place and entered their synagogue; a man was there with a withered hand, and they asked him, “Is it lawful to cure on the sabbath?” so that they might accuse him. He said to them, “Suppose one of you has only one sheep and it falls into a pit on the sabbath; will you not lay hold of it and lift it out? How much more valuable is a human being than a sheep? So it is lawful to do good on the sabbath.”  Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and it was restored, as sound as the other.” The man’s hand was not healed until he trusted in faith and tried to stretch it out like the other one.  If your loved one is in pain, ask them if the pain has decreased in severity. If there is a rash, check to see if it is gone. You won’t be able to test all things, but if there is something you can test, that will help.

I know this is a lot of information all thrown into this one episode. I had no idea I was going to go here today, but so many of you are on my heart because you are praying for loved ones who need healing. I guess the Holy Spirit wanted me to encourage you to pray not only for them but over them. Pray for healing over them. Also, I feel God wants you to know that He is in this with you. Whatever it is you are going through right now, He is in it with you, and you will be ok.

Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless all those listening to this episode today. Lord, please be with all those who are either struggling with cancer or who are praying for a loved one with cancer. We ask that you give us the courage to ask those loved ones if we can pray over them. We ask that you give us the words to say. We ask that you help us in our current situations. Lord, show us what to do, how to pray. Lord, we ask you to fill us with your hope, your love, and your peace. We ask that you take away all worry and anxiety and replace it with your peace and your assurance that with you, we can do all things. We ask all of this in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen!

Thank you so much for joining me on this journey to walk boldly with Jesus. If you need prayers for a loved one, if you want me to pray over your loved one, reach out on social media, my website walkboldlywithjesus.com or my email [email protected] I would be happy to do that. There is a link for my website at the bottom of the show notes. My prayers are with each of you listening. I look forward to seeing you again tomorrow. Remember, Jesus loves you just as you are, and so do I! Have a blessed day!

Today’s Word from the Lord was received in January 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, “I am the all-powerful, the almighty. With me, you can do it. Just move. Move with my grace, move with my power, and miracles will happen."

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Today’s witness is a friend, Bruce & his wife, Alice, whom I met through email back in November of 2023. The Holy Spirit led Bruce to my podcast, and as he listened, he heard the call for people to share their stories, and he decided to do a Witness Wednesday. His first witness is episode #619. If you haven’t heard it, I invite you to listen to it today. It is really good. Bruce has made a career for the past thirty years as a head scenic artist, art director, and designer in the professional theatre business.  For the past five years, he has also had a studio on James St. N., where he produced his own artwork.  He is known and loved by many in the community for his work teaching the PMC art class for over a decade, as well as a more recent class for seniors at the YWCA.  

In the first witness, Bruce talks about how he lost his sight sort of gradually, and then he went to a healing service and was healed. However, in the morning, he could no longer see again. After hearing his witness, I asked Bruce if I could pray over him. He said yes, and I called him and his wife and prayed with them. His sight was not restored, but he felt encouraged by the Lord. I continued to pray for Bruce, and we kept in touch.

Several months later, while talking to the Lord, I felt like the Lord told me it was time to pray for Bruce again. I had prayed that the Lord be with Bruce as he was frustrated and confused. I heard the Lord tell me that He would heal him, both his eyesight and his Spirit. He said that Bruce would have a personal encounter with Jesus, and then He would heal him, and He would go on to use his painting to bring God’s love to others. I asked the Lord if He could give me a word of knowledge, anything I could share with Bruce and Alice to build their faith. I heard that Bruce would wear blue pants and a red shirt.

The Lord went on to tell me about what Bruce could do if he gained his sight back and then lost it like the last time. The Lord told me several things to tell Bruce to help put his mind at ease that this wouldn't happen again, yet if it did, what Bruce could do to get it back. I shared all of that with Bruce, and he was very encouraged. Below is His testimony as to what happened the night that I prayed over him for healing. In March, Alice and I were on an evening phone call with Catherine. Previous to this call, a week or so earlier, I asked the Lord if there was any information or help he could reveal to me as I was feeling somewhat stuck spiritually. 

 I asked for something from scripture, a word of help, or knowledge from someone. I would then be open to receiving something in the near future.  Within a few days, I received an email from Catherine in which she said she had received some knowledge to pass along to me.  God had told her that I would have an encounter with Him regarding my healing. 

He also told her what color I would be wearing as a means of verifying the truth of this knowledge. We agreed to have a follow-up phone call. My immediate thought was to wear a red tartan shirt during the phone call, but I changed my mind because I second-guessed that God would not choose such a shirt. I went with a green shirt instead. On the phone Catherine said " red" and I explained my change of mind to her. I should have trusted my first choice. We then prayed. Catherine called on the presence of Jesus. Alice and I were sitting in our living room. I felt a change in the atmosphere in the room.  I knew Jesus was there in spirit, and I had a sense that He was in front of me. Catherine's praying faded away as I entered a meditated state. I sensed someone sitting beside me. I leaned my head and shoulder into this presence beside me. It felt like a cloak around me. I was overwhelmed by a feeling of peace and love and felt like I was leaning into the safest place of all. It seemed to last for several minutes before it faded, leaving me in a state of joy. Although God did not speak to me audibly, He gave me great assurance of faith and presence with me. 

      No, I was not healed of my blindness, but I have learned in faith to continue believing for healing with hope in the Lord. It is important for us to remember that God's ways and time are not the same as ours. 

    I have been so blessed by these demonstrations of faith and love, which God gives me just when they are needed. I wish this to be everyone's experience as well.  

Wasn’t that an amazing witness? Imagine having the presence of Jesus sitting right next to you. Imagine being able to lay your head on His shoulder. I remember Bruce saying it was such an amazing experience that he didn’t want to move. He just wanted to sit right where he was. I was very happy for Bruce as he told me that he had always longed to have this sort of experience with the Lord. He knows God is always around, but he longed to feel his presence or to see him as others had. Tonight, that dream came true.

I am going to be honest with you. As happy as I was for Bruce, I was also disappointed. I truly felt like the Lord was going to heal his eyesight. I felt like the Lord had told me that he would, so I was upset that Bruce still could not see. The next morning, when the Lord and I were talking, I was honest with Him. I explained that I was disappointed because I felt like He told me that Bruce would be healed and He wasn’t, and I didn’t think that was fair. I felt like He let Bruce down because I told him he would be healed, and then he wasn’t.

God replied most gently. He said, Catherine, go back and read what I told you. I always journal our conversations so I can go back and re-read them. When I went back to reread, I saw that God had told me that Bruce would have a personal encounter with Him and he would be healed. I assumed the two would happen at the same time, but God did not say that. He assured me that Bruce would be healed but in God’s timing, not mine. This was reassuring, but I still wish it could have been at the same time. I know Bruce will see again. I know God’s timing is perfect, and yet I just want it to be now. I just want him to be able to see and paint again. I will continue to pray, and I ask all of you to join me in that prayer as well. Bruce and his wife Alice are coming to MA in the summer. I get to meet them in person for the first time in July, and I am so excited to get to meet them and hopefully get to pray over them in person. Thank you, Bruce and Alice, for reaching out and for staying in contact. Thank you for being amazing people and for spreading the light of Christ to all those you meet. I look forward to meeting you this summer! What I look forward to even more is when you give your witness as to how the Lord healed your eyesight! I can’t wait to celebrate with you on that momentous occasion!!

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Miracles Do Happen!

Joshua 3:13 “When the soles of the feet of the priests carrying the ark of the Lord, the Lord of the whole earth, touch the waters of the Jordan, it will cease to flow; the water flowing down from upstream will halt in a single heap.”

This is a story that I don’t remember from the Bible. I have gone through the Bible in a year twice with Father Mike, so I am sure I have heard it; I don’t remember it, so I thought we would take a look at it today especially because I know a lot of people who need some reassurance that miracles do happen. God will take care of you no matter what circumstances you find yourself in. God is not surprised you are in these circumstances. He knew you would be in them, and He has prepared you for them. He has a plan to help you through them. Trust Him.

This verse is taking place when Joshua is trying to get the Isrealites to cross the Jordon River to go into the promised land. Let me read to you this part of the story so you can see how it all unfolded. Remember Moses led the people out of Egypt but was not able to live to lead them into the promised land. This was left to Joshua as He was faithful and trusted God could conquer the people who occupied that land currently. I will read you Joshua 3:7-17 “Then the Lord said to Joshua: Today I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with you.  Now command the priests carrying the ark of the covenant, “When you come to the edge of the waters of the Jordan, there take your stand.”

 So Joshua said to the Israelites, “Come here and listen to the words of the Lord, your God.”  He continued: “By this you will know that there is a living God in your midst: he will certainly dispossess before you the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites, and Jebusites. The ark of the covenant of the Lord of the whole earth will cross the Jordan before you.  Now choose twelve men, one from each of the tribes of Israel. When the soles of the feet of the priests carrying the ark of the Lord, the Lord of the whole earth, touch the waters of the Jordan, it will cease to flow; the water flowing down from upstream will halt in a single heap.”

The people set out from their tents to cross the Jordan, with the priests carrying the ark of the covenant ahead of them. When those bearing the ark came to the Jordan and the feet of the priests bearing the ark were immersed in the waters of the Jordan—which overflows all its banks during the entire season of the harvest— the waters flowing from upstream halted, standing up in a single heap for a very great distance indeed, from Adam, a city in the direction of Zarethan; those flowing downstream toward the Salt Sea of the Arabah disappeared entirely. Thus the people crossed over opposite Jericho. The priests carrying the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood on dry ground in the Jordan riverbed while all Israel crossed on dry ground until the whole nation had completed the crossing of the Jordan.”

Wow, the Israelites crossed on dry ground again! Remember, these are the ancestors of those who crossed the Red Sea on dry ground. These people were not actually there, but I am sure they heard all about it. So, why do you think God needed to show them again? Why do you think God parted the Jordan River for them to cross? It says above that it was to show the people that God was with Joshua the same way that He was with Moses. This miracle, like many others, is a testament to the power and faithfulness of our God.  It amazes me how often we can see signs and wonders and yet still doubt the Lord will come through. The Israelites had seen miracle after miracle while they were in the desert. Their food miraculously showed up each morning. When they complained about not having meat to eat, Quail miraculously showed up. They walked across the Red Sea on dry land, and this is to name a few of the big ones.

So, why would they need to see another miracle? I think it is because we sometimes think it is the person doing the miracle instead of God doing the miracle through those people. God knew the Israelites knew God was with Moses because He was the face of most of the miracles they had received. However, God also knew they weren’t sure if God was with Joshua. He was young and new to leading them. God understood that these people would need a sign to show them that He was with Joshua.

How many times have we been like this? How many times has God called us to cross our own Jordan Rivers, and we have been hesitant because we don’t know that He is with us? How many times has He given us a sign, and yet we require another one? If we look back upon our lives, I bet we can all see how the Lord has been right here with us in each of the hard times. If we can see this, why do we still doubt He will be with us in this hard time? I am sure we have all seen miracles in our lives. If we haven’t, then we are not looking hard enough because the Lord is working in each of our lives.

The news doesn’t like to talk about the good stuff going on in the world as that doesn’t sell as much as the bad stuff. However, you don’t have to look too far to find the good things going on in this world if you want to. You can find articles and videos on the internet. We can actually be a beacon of light to those around us. If you see someone you know struggling, you can give them hope and peace in Jesus Christ. If someone you know needs a miracle right now, relay this one to them. Relay other ones from the Bible. Look on YouTube for testimonies from others who have been healed from what they have or gone through what they have gone through.

Sometimes, seeing is believing, so pray for God to show them a miracle. Pray for a miracle in your life. Miracles are not reserved for certain people. They are not reserved for perfect people, people who pray a lot, or those whom God loves the best. Miracles come to those who ask for them, those who seek them, and those who believe they will happen. We believe, Lord. Help our unbelief.

Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless all those listening today. Lord, we love you, and we know you are there with us in the hard times. We are sorry we sometimes forget. We ask you to be with all those struggling in a special way today. We ask you to give each one of us a renewed sense of awe and wonder. We ask that you give us a renewed faith and belief that miracles are not only possible but that they will happen in our lives. Open our eyes to the miracles that are happening in our lives every day! We love you, Lord, and we ask all of this in accordance with our will and in Jesus’s holy name; amen!

Thank you so much for joining me on this journey to walk boldly with Jesus. Tonight is week 3 of our topic, “Come As You Are.” I hope you will join us live this evening on Zoom at 8 EST. If you haven’t joined yet, there is a link in the show notes. I also want to remind you that I send out a daily email with the words of prophecy included at the end of the episodes. I don’t include the words of prophecy on the Witness Wednesday episodes, and I don’t do weekend episodes, so if you are not receiving the emails, you are missing out on some of the words of prophecy. If you want to sign up for that, the link is in the show notes. 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 January 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, “There is no more time for looking back. Look only to what is ahead. Look up, and you'll see the glory of God.”

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A Spirit of Sonship

Acts 1:8 “But you will receive power when the holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Yesterday was Pentecost. I have often thought about It and what it would have been like to be in that upper room. Whenever I prayed the glorious mysteries of the rosary, I would ask the Lord for my own Pentecost. I can’t imagine being that overcome by the Holy Spirit. I can’t even imagine the excitement in that room and then spilling out of that room to all those they talked to. I do know I have the Holy Spirit living inside of me. I have definitely seen it working through me. I have seen it give me boldness when I needed it. Often I wish I had more boldness. I wish I could say and do all the things I want to do without my insecurities getting in the way. I will keep praying and asking for more, and I know the Lord will provide exactly the right amount of courage that I need to do what He has called me to do.

This morning I want to talk with you about something I just learned yesterday. In his homily yesterday, the priest explained the difference between the Holy Spirit of the New Testament and the Holy Spirit of the Old Testament. I thought this was really interesting because I knew the Holy Spirit was around in the Old Testament, and I thought some people were filled with it, but then I wasn’t sure. I wondered how the prophets could know what they knew without the Holy Spirit. But I also knew the Holy Spirit didn’t come upon all of us until Pentecost. It was confusing, and I never really understood it. So, in case you are like me, I thought I would give you the explanation the priest gave at mass yesterday as it was a great explanation. I will do my best to relay His message.

The priest explained that it was a Spirit of Assignment or a Spirit of Function in the Old Testament. In the New Testament, it is a Spirit of Sonship. He meant that in the Old Testament, everyone was not filled with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was reserved for a select few people, such as the prophets who were spreading God’s messages. Those who were in charge of leading the Lord’s people, such as the kings and the judges. The Lord would give the Spirit to some people, and then He would also take it away. For instance, 1 Samuel 16:14 says, “But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him.”

Everyone wasn’t blessed with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was only given to some; if they misused their power, it would be taken away. This is why in Psalm 51:13, King David says, “Do not drive me from before your face, nor take from me your Holy Spirit.” David is aware that He is who He is because of the Spirit of God. He knows without that, He would be nothing. He would not be an effective king or an effective warrior; he wouldn’t be able to do anything without the Holy Spirit within him.

In the New Testament, Jesus died on the cross for us. He took our sins to the cross, and there, He restored our relationship with the Father. Now we are adopted sons and daughters of God. When Jesus went to Heaven to be with Father, Jesus asked His Dad to send us the Holy Spirit, the advocate. An advocate pleads another's cause and helps another by defending or comforting him. Can you see why we would need this? Can you see what the apostles would need the Spirit? They were being sent out. Actually, we are all being sent out to proclaim Jesus to all those we meet. Can you see why we might need help defending our case?

The Holy Spirit emboldened the apostles. They were hiding in a locked upper room when the Holy Spirit came to them. They were afraid and unsure of what to do or say. They were afraid their lives would end just as our Lord’s life ended. Yet, after the Holy Spirit came upon them, they were not afraid of anything. They boldly proclaimed the good news of Jesus. The Holy Spirit not only gave them boldness, but they were able to speak in languages so everyone could understand them. They could do signs and wonders. They were given all the tools they needed to do the task the Lord gave them.

You and I, my friend, have this same Holy Spirit living inside of you—the same one Jesus has, the same one the apostles had, the same one that raised Jesus from the dead. It still boggles my mind when I try to wrap my head around it, but it is true. What can we do with this Holy  Spirit living inside of us? I think a better question is, “What can’t we do?” The answer to that is nothing. There isn’t anything we can’t do when we rely on the Holy Spirit living inside of us. If you want the Holy boldness the apostles had, ask for it, and the Lord will give it to you.

Right now, I am asking for the gift of being able to speak Spanish so others will understand me. Actually, when I think about it, He was probably giving it to me because I was doing really well with Duolingo. But then I stopped. Whatever gift you are looking for from the Lord, He will give you if you ask for it. I remember hearing Mary Heli speak at a conference once, and it changed how I asked the Lord for things. I am not even sure what she said, but I remember how I felt after she said it.

I felt like nothing was impossible. She said something about how there are definitely people who are given the charism of healing, and they are really fruitful in it. However, even if you don’t have that charism, if you want to be used by God to heal others, ask Him for it. As the Lord for that gift, keep stepping out and praying over people, and you will see fruit in that area. From that moment on, I started to pray over anyone who would let me. I read all kinds of books on healing and what to say or do. I asked the Lord every day to help me be fruitful in some sort of healing ministry. I prayed over lots of people, and not too many felt much of anything when I prayed. However, I kept praying.

Now, I ask people how they feel before and after, and oftentimes, they feel better. They may not be all the way healed, but they feel better. I believe it is because of my persistence in asking the Lord to use me for healing. The Holy Spirit comes where He is wanted, invited, and expected. When I pray, I invite the Holy Spirit into that prayer and expect Him to come. Many times, if a physical healing didn’t occur, the person will still feel the presence of the Lord or will be encouraged in the Lord in one way or another. I am not telling you this because I think I am special. I am telling you this so you can see that if you ask, God will answer.

What is it that you want from the Holy Spirit? Is it more boldness in your life? Do you want the gift of wisdom or Knowledge? Do you want the ability to pray over others for healing? Do you want to help people know the Love of God? How do you want the Lord to use you? If you have never thought of that before or have never asked yourself that question, maybe spend some time today giving it some thought. The Lord has so much He wants to give to us, and we aren’t asking for it. He tells us that at prayer group all the time. He often says, there is so much more I have to offer, but you are not asking for it. Take time today and ask the Lord for whatever you would like. If you don’t know how you want to be used by Him, then give Him permission to decide for you. I know that may seem scary, but He is your Dad and knows you best. Trust me, you will not be sorry you opened up to Him and invited Him in.

Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless everyone listening to this episode. Lord, we are so grateful you gave us the Holy Spirit. We are sorry so many of us just let it lie dormant and don’t use it. Lord, help us to rely more on the Holy Spirit and less on us. Help us turn to the Holy Spirit when we don’t know what to do. Lord, I want to pray for a holy boldness for all those who were listening. Lord, I ask that you show each and every one of them where you are calling them and how you want to use them. 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. If this podcast is blessing you somehow, please share it with others and consider donating. The link is below or on my website, walkboldlywithjesus.com. Tomorrow is week #3 in our May mentoring series, “Come As You Are.” I hope to see some of you tomorrow night on live. Remember, Jesus loves you just as you are, and so do I. Have a blessed day!

Today’s Word from the Lord was received in January 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 come today to empower you, to enrich you, to make you realize that with me all is possible and with my help you can do whatever task that I ask you to do.”

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Don’t Change! Become!

Today, I felt led to start with this poem I read the other day because it beautifully demonstrates that we don’t always understand what God is doing. We think we are a mess, we feel like we are falling apart, we feel like God has abandoned us, and yet God is ALWAYS right there in the middle of it all! He knows exactly what He is doing and wants us to trust Him in the process. This poem gives us some insight into that process.  I feel it makes it a little easier to trust when we have a bit of understanding. This conversation is between someone and God.

Me: Hey God.

God: Hello.....

Me: I'm falling apart. Can you put me back together?

God: I would rather not.

Me: Why?

God: Because you aren't a puzzle.

Me: What about all of the pieces of my life that are falling down onto the ground?

God: Let them stay there for a while. They fell off for a reason. Take some time and decide if you need any of those pieces back.

Me: You don't understand! I'm breaking down!

God: No - you don't understand. You are breaking through. What you are feeling are just growing pains. You are shedding the things and the people in your life that are holding you back. You aren't falling apart. You are falling into place. Relax. Take some deep breaths and allow those things you don't need anymore to fall off of you. Quit holding onto the pieces that don't fit you anymore. Let them fall off. Let them go. 

Me: Once I start doing that, what will be left of me?

God: Only the very best pieces of you.

Me: I'm scared of changing.

God: I keep telling you - YOU AREN'T CHANGING!! YOU ARE BECOMING!

Me: Becoming who?

God: Becoming who I created you to be! A person of light and love and charity and hope and courage and joy and mercy and grace and compassion. I made you for more than the shallow pieces you have decided to adorn yourself with that you cling to with such greed and fear. Let those things fall off of you. I love you! Don't change! ... Become! Become! Become who I made you to be. I'm going to keep telling you this until you remember it. 

Me: There goes another piece.

God: Yep. Let it be. 

Me: So ... I'm not broken?

God: Of course Not! - but you are breaking like the dawn. It's a new day. Become!!!

~Author John Roedel

I know many of you are struggling right now. Whether it is with health issues, money issues, or in the process of losing old friends and making new friends, I think this poem shows us that God can use these hard times to help us step into the person we are meant to be. The person He knows we are capable of being. There are several things I love about this poem. The first is the gentleness of God. He is so good. I think this poem demonstrates the love that God has for us. He didn't say no when she asked if God would put her back together. He said He would rather not. He then went on to explain why He felt that way. Notice how He didn’t get short with her. He didn’t seem irritated or annoyed with her. We often imagine God feels that way about us. We tell ourselves that He is tired of us coming and asking the same thing. We imagine He wondering why we can’t seem to get it together already. If we are honest, we have felt that way about our loved ones before. God is not us. He doesn’t have to wonder why we can’t get it together. He knows. He made us. He knows everything we have ever done and everything we will ever do.

I also love that God doesn’t tell her never again to pick up the pieces that fell off. He tells her to take some time and decide whether she needs them. Maybe you are going through this shedding process right now. Maybe you are losing friends, workers, loved ones, or even material things. God isn’t telling you that they are gone forever. He is saying take some time and see if you need them. Do they bring joy into your life? Do they make you a better person? Do they help you grow closer to the Lord? Are they helping you on your journey to heaven?

If the answer to some of these questions are yes, maybe you can pick them back up again. Take the time to ask questions. Pay attention to the answers. Don’t pick them back up again because it is hard without them. Don’t pick them up again because it is easier with them or you miss them. It is normal to want to. When you are tempted to pick back up the ones that are not good for you, remember what the poem said, “What you are feeling are just growing pains. You are shedding the things and the people in your life that are holding you back. You aren't falling apart. You are falling into place. Relax. Take some deep breaths and allow those things you don't need anymore to fall off of you. Quit holding onto the pieces that don't fit you anymore. Let them fall off. Let them go.

The last part that I want to draw your attention to is what the poem says about changing. Listen to that part again. “Me: Once I start doing that, what will be left of me?

God: Only the very best pieces of you.

Me: I'm scared of changing.

God: I keep telling you - YOU AREN'T CHANGING!! YOU ARE BECOMING!

Me: Becoming who?

God: Becoming who I created you to be! A person of light and love and charity and hope and courage and joy and mercy and grace and compassion. I made you for more than the shallow pieces you have decided to adorn yourself with that you cling to with such greed and fear. Let those things fall off of you. I love you! Don't change! ... Become! Become! Become who I made you to be. I'm going to keep telling you this until you remember it.”

Isn’t that just like God? He keeps telling us something until we believe Him. And for most of us, He has to tell us a lot. God is telling you, yes you, right now that He is with you in this. He tells you that He sees you, not for who you think you are, but who you really are. He sees the you that He created you to be even if you aren’t there yet. He knows your journey and isn’t frustrated that you aren’t there yet because He knows exactly when you will arrive there. He knows exactly what obstacles you are struggling with. We actually had a word or prophecy at my Thursday morning prayer group in June 2024.  God assured us, “I am there among your trials and your joys. I am the God who loves you, who cares. I am never displeased or impatient with you. I place my hope in you.”

This message is not just for my prayer group. This is a message for all of His children. This is something I believe he really wants us to know. We get impatient with our children. We get disappointed with them. God is telling us He is not like that. He knows our innermost thoughts. He knows everything we are going through. He knows our hearts. He knows how badly we want to do the right thing, and yet we tend to do the wrong thing. This is not unique to you. That is all of us. If Paul, who is credited with writing about half of the New Testament books, can admit to this, we can be sure we all struggle with this problem. In Romans 7:19-20 Paul said, “For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I that do it, but sin which dwells within me.” God knows we are broken. He knows we struggle. He doesn’t get disappointed. Instead, He celebrates every time we don’t give in to temptation. Every time we mess up, we can bring that to God with the assurance that He welcomes us with open arms and celebrates because we came home instead of being upset we messed up.

Dear Heavenly Father, we ask you to bless everyone listening to this episode. Dad, we thank you so much for loving us so much, for always being there for us, for helping us become who you created us to be, for your patience with us as we become that person, and for forgiving us again and again. You are so wonderful. You are our perfect father, and we are so grateful for all you do for us! Dad, could you give us the strength not to pick back up those pieces that have fallen that we don’t need? It is hard to leave them there when our life seemed easier with them. Give us the strength to keep moving forward without them. Dad, could you also fill us up to the tipitey top with hope that things will be ok because it doesn’t always feel like it will be. Help us to feel you right because of us. Maybe hold our hand as we walk side by side. That way, we know you are there. We love you, Dad, and we ask all of this in Jesus’s mighty name; amen!!

Thank you so much for joining me on this journey to walk boldly with Jesus. If this podcast has blessed you in some way, would you consider making a donation or sending it to others? Also, check out the link below for my mentoring group. Today’s devotional is a small part of last week’s mentoring session. Our topic for this month is Come As You Are. I would love to see your face on Zoom next Tuesday. 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 weekend!

Today’s Word from the Lord was received in June 2023 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 worship me each and every moment. Worship is your strength. I will give you the courage, wisdom, and power you need. I am with you until the end of your time and the beginning of our time together.”

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Waiting At Wisdom's Doorway

Proverbs 8:34-35 “If you wait at wisdom’s doorway, longing to hear a word for every day, joy will break forth within you as you listen for what I’ll say. For the fountain of life pours into you every time that you find me, and this is the secret of growing in the delight and the favor of the Lord.”

Man, I really love the Passion Translation of the Bible. It really speaks to me. If we are paying attention, God will highlight things for us. This is something I didn’t really know much about until I went through this Encounter Ministries class. I can look back on my life and see that He was doing it all throughout my life. I just didn’t realize it. I didn’t know it was Him drawing my attention to things. When the Holy Spirit highlights things for you, it just means that He brings them to your attention. For instance, we could both be watching the same movie, and yet different things might stick out to you and other things to me.

I was surprised last year when a few of my fellow Encounter students and I got together after the conference to compare notes and talk about what we had learned. Listening to the ladies explain what stood out the most to them was interesting. It was as if I hadn’t even been to the talks they were discussing. Some of the things they felt were most impactful weren’t even in my notes, and the most impactful to me weren’t in their notes. I love how God does that. He can have an auditorium full of thousands of people and speak to each of us individually. He can speak right into our current situation. It is so amazing.

The Lord has been highlighting wisdom for me lately and how I need to be asking and searching for it more. We had two speakers in Encounter, and they were both amazing, and they taught us so many good things. Yet, I remember most when they said to keep asking God for wisdom. God has also been highlighting the Saints to me. I feel as though I need to read so many books so I can gain more wisdom. The Lord tells me to come to Him, and He will give me wisdom. He points to our Saints like Thérèse of Lisieux and Saint Catherine of Sienna. Both of these saints were doctors of the church, and yet they did not have a lot of formal education.

What they did have, was an amazing relationship with the Lord. They had an intimate relationship where they spent a lot of time in solitude with Him. I think this is what the Lord is calling me to, more time in solitude with Him. Yet, I don’t think this is just a call for me. I think He may be highlighting this for me so that I can share it with you too! Even yesterday in Witness Wednesday, the thing that was highlighted for me was when she said she is trying to get her knowledge for the Bible and not the world, social media, or personal development books.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I love personal development books. I have read most of them and probably almost all the parenting books ever invented. Personal Development and self-help books can be amazing and really helpful. I am not saying you shouldn’t read them. However, the Lord told me several years ago that I was relying on those books more than on Him. I would bring my problems to Him, ask Him for help, and then go try to solve the problem myself. What God was calling me to do was spend more time with Him. He wanted me and still wants me to come to Him with my problem and then actually sit and listen to what He thinks I should do.

I say He still wants me because I struggle with this, and maybe you do too. I struggle with listening to the Lord. I have been intentionally doing this for over 4 years now, so I am getting better at hearing Him, but I am not sure if I am better at listening to Him. I am grateful I can hear when God is talking to me. I am grateful I write down what He says so I can go back and look at it. Yet, I struggle with actually doing what He asks me to do, which is crazy to me because He has such good ideas, and they are solutions to problems I want solved. So, why don’t I do the things?

This is why I love the famous verse from St. Paul in Romans 7:15, “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.” This is so true. I am not sure a truer thing has ever been said. I ask God what I should do, and then He actually tells me, and then I don’t do it. It amazes me every time I look back at my prayer journal and highlight things that God told me to do that I still haven’t done. These are not difficult things to do either. For instance, spraying holy water in my kids’ room while they are in school and blessing their rooms. I went to the store and bought the spray bottle months ago. Then I went to the church and filled it with Holy water a month or two after that. It has been sitting on top of my filing cabinet in my office for over a month, and I still have yet to do it.

I say all of that to let you know that you are not alone if you are struggling to do what the Lord tells you to do. If you are one who doesn’t struggle to do what the Lord tells you to do, please call me, and you can tell me how to get my act together. I have found a few things helpful in listening more often, so let me pass those along. First, I have started to ask my guardian angel to help me remember to do things. I ask my angel to nudge me if I am about to forget. I ask my angel to push me out of bed in the morning and not let me go back to sleep. I also invite the Lord into my day and ask Him to keep me on track. I ask Him to keep me focused and to keep away any distractions. I ask Him to give me the strength to ignore any distractions and to put first things first. Both of these are relatively new practices that I forget to do some days, but when I remember them, they have been really helpful.

I can’t believe I said all that and haven’t addressed the verse above yet. Although since I invited the Holy Spirit to write these episodes, I think all of that needed to be said. The verse above says, “If you wait at wisdom’s doorway, longing to hear a word for every day, joy will break forth within you as you listen for what I’ll say.” Why I think the Holy Spirit highlighted this verse to me is because He wants me and you, too, to wait at wisdom’s doorway, longing to hear a word for every day. He wants us to come to Him first.

Yes, you can read your books too, but first go to His Word. What does He say about it? Sit with Him in solitude and see what He has to say about your situation. I am not sure why I have it stuck in my head that God is great to talk with but that He won’t give me practical direction or exact answers to my questions. When I look back at my journals, I can see He gives very practical answers to my questions and sometimes very precise answers. God is telling me over and over again, come to me. I have all the answers you need. I know that is a message for me and also for you! The verse says joy will break forth within us as we listen to what He says. Who doesn’t need more joy?

I love that the verse above says, “For the fountain of life pours into you every time that you find me, and this is the secret of growing in the delight and the favor of the Lord.” I love that image of finding God. I also would love to have the fountain of life poured into me. Who doesn’t need more life poured into them? It ends with this is the secret of growing in the delight and the favor of the Lord. I don’t know about you, but I definitely want to grow in the favor and delight in the Lord. I love any secrets that help me grow closer to the Lord! Let’s make a pact, you and I. How about we both start turning to the Lord first and ask Him what He thinks we should do? How about we wait at wisdom’s door, longing to hear a word for every day? Imagine how much more amazing our world would be if our every step and every decision were guided by our heavenly Father. Now, that is something to work towards!

Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless everyone listening. Lord, we want your wisdom. We want to seek you more and spend more time in solitude. We want this, yet we don’t make time for it. Please forgive us and help us to change. Lord, help us to bring all of our problems to you for your wise solutions. Help us to rely on you more than we rely on others. Give us the courage, strength, and perseverance to do the things that you tell us to do. Help us listen, Lord. Help us block out the noise and all the shiny things of this world that distract us and help bring our focus back to you. We love you so much, and we ask all of this in accordance with your will and in Jesus’ holy name, Amen!

Thank you so much for joining me on this journey to walk boldly with Jesus. If this podcast has blessed you in some way, would you consider making a donation or sharing it with others? Also, since the verse talked about seeking a word for each day, I want to remind you that I do have an email that goes out daily with a Word of Prophecy from the Lord. I can’t tell you how many times I have heard it was exactly what someone needed that day. There are links for that and a few more things at the end of the episode notes or you can find them at my website walkboldlywithjesus.com. 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 June 2023 by a member of my Catholic Charismatic Prayer Group. If you have any questions about the prayer group, these words, or how to join us for a meeting, please email [email protected]. Today’s Word from the Lord is, “I  have ordained to work through you for the salvation of the world. Day by day, you empty yourself of your self-will, and I fill you with my will, my power and might. This is my way. I want to use you, and I will triumph.”

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Where the Spirit of the Lord Is, There Is Freedom!

2 Corinthians 3:12-18 “ Since we have such a hope, we are very bold,  not like Moses, who put a veil over his face so that the Israelites might not see the end of the fading splendor. But their minds were hardened; for to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away. Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their minds; but when a man turns to the Lord the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.  And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being changed into his likeness from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.”

This verse powerfully reminds us of the stark contrast between our lives today and the time of Moses. When Moses communed with the Lord, his face radiated with divine splendor, an overwhelming sight for those around him, prompting him to veil his face. However, when Christ came, this veil was lifted. There was always a curtain between God and His people in the Old Testament. They couldn’t have direct contact with Him. There was a separation. This separation was necessary because of the fall of man.

When Adam and Eve were created, God walked among them. Nothing was separating them. They were as close as they could be. However, when Adam and Eve ate the apple and betrayed God’s trust, they had to leave the Garden, and then there was a separation between us and God. This is not why God created us. He didn’t want there to be a separation between us. He didn’t want anything to keep us apart. This is why He sent Jesus to die on the cross in reparation for our sins so that there wouldn’t be anything between us and God.

This verse mentions that the Lord is the Spirit and that there is freedom where the Spirit of the Lord is. We all need to hear that again. Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. Guess where the Spirit of the Lord is? It is inside of you and me. It is inside of all of us. That means that there is freedom inside of us. So, why don’t we feel free? Why are so many of us living under the weight of our sins and judgments? Why do we feel like we are held captive by our past or those who surround us? Why aren’t we living in this freedom?

I wonder if we aren’t living in freedom because we aren’t cooperating with it? Is it possible that our chains are made by us? Is it possible that we aren’t free from our sins because we haven’t accepted that freedom? God makes it clear over and over again in the Bible that our sins are forgiven when we repent and turn back to Him. So why do we struggle so much to believe that? Why do we insist on holding onto our sins? Is God a liar? Does He tell us things that aren’t true? If God says we are forgiven, why can’t we accept that? Why can’t we believe Him?

God sent Jesus, his only son, to die on the cross for our sins. Then He raised Jesus from the dead and sent the Holy Spirit to live inside of us. God thinks we are worth it. He wouldn’t have done all of that if He didn’t want us to be free to have a relationship with Him. He wouldn’t have done all of that if he didn’t think we were worthy enough.

This verse goes on to say, “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being changed into his likeness from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” The Lord is changing each one of us little by little. Looking around, it may seem that the transformation is happening quicker with some people than with others. I have found that the more we cooperate with what the Lord is doing, the more quickly the transformation happens.

When we fight God the whole way, it tends to take much longer. The process of becoming more and more like God means that we are becoming less and less like our worldly selves. God is trying to purify us, and that process can be painful. That process can consist of turning away from things we like that are not helping us grow closer to the Lord. It may mean we must walk away from situations or even people who are constantly leading us into sin. Or, maybe they aren’t leading us into sin, but they are definitely encouraging it.  

It may also take longer because we are unaware that the Lord is trying to lead us. If we aren’t paying attention to what the Lord is saying, we might miss it. That is not to say the Lord can’t get our attention; he definitely can. However, he honors our free will. So, if we want to continue to ignore his requests, then He will let us. God has so much more available for each of us. He really does. We have to want it. We have to be looking for it. If we expect more, we will get more.

God is talking to you each and every day. Do you hear Him? Are you listening? How different would your life be if you turned to God more throughout the day and asked what He thought or what He wanted you to do? What if we paid more attention to the promptings of the Holy Spirit? The Holy Spirit is that still small voice inside of you. You know the one I am talking about. The one that tells you when you shouldn’t be doing something you know is wrong. The one that urges you to make that phone call to that friend. The one that prompts you to apologize when you really don’t want to. Yes, that one. I know each one of you listening has had an experience with the Holy Spirit, even if you didn’t know that was what was happening.

If you heard the verse above, especially the part that said, “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being changed into his likeness from one degree of glory to another;” and thought to yourself that you wanted to be changed faster into a greater degree of likeness, then you need to pay more attention to what the Holy Spirit is doing inside of you. It is not a question of if the Holy Spirit is working inside of me. This verse tells us it is. If we want the transformations to happen more quickly, we need to ask ourselves, “What do I need to do to cooperate with the Spirit more?”

Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless everyone listening to this episode. Lord, we want to be transformed by you. Please help us. Show us how to follow your promptings. Encourage us to sit and listen to you more. Lord, we want to live in the freedom that comes with your Spirit. Please help us. Give us the strength we need to cooperate with your will more. Help us be more and less of you each day, Lord. We love you, and we ask all of this in accordance with your will and in Jesus’s holy name, Amen!

Thank you so much for joining us on this journey to walk boldly with Jesus. If this podcast has blessed you in some way, would you consider sharing it with others or making a donation? I have placed a link to donate below, or you can go to my website, walkboldlywithjesus.com. Also, mentoring is tonight! Week 2 of our Come As You Are Series. Come and learn what the Bible says about coming to the Lord just as we are. I look forward to meeting some of you tonight on live mentoring and the rest of you back here in the morning. 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 June 2023 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]. We meet in person and on Zoom. Today’s Word from the Lord is, “It is trust you must have with faith that never ends. I am the Lord your God. Do not fear. I am with you. I arrange everything in your life. I am in control. Do not obsess yourself with what happens.”

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Do We Trust Jesus?

Luke 5:4-5 “And when he had ceased speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word, I will let down the nets.”

I like this verse because it reminds me that I am not the only one who argues with the Lord. I am not the only one with a reply other than “Yes” when Jesus asks me to do something.  Simon had been out fishing all night and had not caught any fish. He was tired and, I am sure, very discouraged. Then Jesus asked him to push his boat back into the sea a bit so that Jesus could stand on it and talk to all those on the shore. Simon did so.

Then, after Jesus had finished teaching those on the shore, He told Simon to go out into the deep and let down his nets for a catch. Can you imagine how frustrated Simon felt and how tired he probably was? He was washing his nets out to call it a day when Jesus climbed on His boat, and who knows how long Jesus preached before telling Simon to go out into the deep. Then He tells Simon to put his net out into the water again. Jesus is a carpenter, and Simon is a fisherman. I am sure He didn’t understand why He should do what this man said, and yet He did it anyway and yielded more fish than their nets could hold, and the nets began to break. There were so many fish that they filled both boats so full that the boats began to sink.

Have you ever been in a situation like this before? Have you ever felt like God or Jesus was asking you to do something you really didn’t want to? There could be many reasons why we don’t want to do what He asks us to do. Simon was tired and frustrated. He might have also felt that his efforts were in vain. But despite all these, he obeyed. This story reminds us that even when we are tired, frustrated, or feel like our efforts are in vain, we should still obey God's word, for He has a plan that we might not understand.

In this verse, the Lord knew that if Peter obeyed him, he would catch more fish than He could have imagined. God knows the same thing about you and me. He knows that if we obey Him, he will provide more than we need, whether in our jobs, families, or friends. Where is God calling you?  What has He been asking you to do, and yet you have been ignoring Him because you have tried it before many times, and so you figure it won’t work this time either? What areas of your life are you desperate to see change?

In this verse, Peter is desperate to catch some fish and has tried all night with no luck. When he listened to the Lord and then saw how many fish they caught, he finally recognized Jesus for who he really was. Peter recognized Jesus as Lord. It says in verse 8, “But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” Has Jesus ever helped you come face to face with your sinfulness? Has He ever answered one of your prayers in a way that there was no question it was God who answered that prayer?

I have had this happen many times. I am grateful to my parents because they told us about times in their lives when this happened to them, and so I began to be aware of when it was happening in my life, too. We miss so much when we are not looking for it. When you intentionally try to see God working in your life, you will see God working in your life. Notice I didn’t say you might see God. I am 100% confident that you will see it if you intentionally look for where God is working in your life. This is the main reason why I do Witness Wednesdays on this podcast. If you hear how God works in other people’s lives, you will become more aware of how He works in your life, too!

I can see how God worked his miracles in my son Noah’s surgery and recovery. Actually, how we even discovered he needed surgery. Noah was having headaches, and they were treating them with medicine, and that wasn’t really working. The neurologist ordered an MRI to ensure it wasn’t too serious. If she hadn’t ordered the MRI, she would have never found out that he had a Chiari malformation. You can only see them on an MRI. Then we were supposed to have surgery at a hospital that was an hour and 40 minutes away from our house. The surgeon could not get Noah on his surgical calendar until July. Noah wants to go to college in Europe at the end of the summer.

We asked if they could put in a referral for Mass General Hospital, as it is less than an hour's drive. They put in the referral, and after we got the records transferred, they set up a pairing with a surgeon who does both pediatric and adult surgeries. They were able to get him scheduled within a few weeks. Also, they scheduled him for after spring break, so I was able to take Noah to England to look at some colleges. It was amazing timing that only God could have arranged.

Then, on the day of the surgery, Noah had an awesome nurse who happened to be his birthday twin. She was so kind and distracted him from thinking about the surgery. The surgeon said it was an excellent surgery, and he thinks Noah will be very pleased with it. Noah was in the hospital for four days and was not really in much pain at all. He could walk the halls, get up and use the restroom, talk to the nurses. He thought he would be in bed for the first week or two when he came home. But he has felt great. He has had to sleep more than he wanted also, yet he was happy he was able to sit up in his computer chair for long periods of time without pain. He said he felt much better than he thought he would and that he is glad they did the surgery as he can feel that there is more room in the back of his head now.

Praise God—He is so good. He not only helped arrange the surgery, the timing, and the doctor, but He also ensured a successful surgery and a painless and speedy recovery—just what we prayed for! I don’t know what you are praying for or what you are waiting for. Whatever it is, I want you to know that God knows what it is, and He is working on it for you. He is figuring out how to get that for you in His perfect timing and also in accordance with your plans as well.

God knew that Peter needed fish that day. He knew he was discouraged, tired, and probably angry. God cared about Peter’s needs and Peter’s wants. This miracle happened for two reasons. First, God cared about Peter and his needs and wants. Second, Peter let down the nets. Peter said yes. He didn’t understand why he was doing it. He didn’t know what Jesus knew. He did it because Jesus asked Him to, and because of that obedience, Jesus made it fruitful.

What is Jesus calling you to do? Has He given you the answer to your problem, and yet you are afraid to let down your net? What if the answer to your prayers is on the other side of your obedience to do what Jesus is telling you to do? What if the thing getting in the way of you catching all the fish is your reluctance to obey Jesus? What if you took that step today and did what He has asked you to do? What could you catch in your net?

Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless everyone listening to this episode today. Lord, please show us what things you are calling us to do and then give us the grace to accomplish them. Help give us the courage to take that step of faith, trusting that you will fill our nets. We love you, Lord, and we are sorry for not doing as you ask. You are Lord of Lords and King of Kings, 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. Week 2 of our “Come as You Are” mentoring series is tomorrow. Last week, we looked at several scriptures showing that Jesus does not want perfection before He wants us to come to Him. He wants us to come to him just as we are. If you join mentoring today or tomorrow, you can join us for Week 2 of this series, and you will also get a link to watch previous mentoring sessions as well. I hope you will join us today! We had a great discussion after the mentoring session last week. 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 June 2023 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, when you are full of worry and fear, come to me. Give me your hand in trust, and I will help you. All your cares that you give to me I take care of in my time, not your time.”

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Invite God Into Your Heart

Psalm 24:7-8 "Lift up your heads, O gates! And be lifted up, O ancient doors! That the King of glory may come in. Who is the King of Glory?  The Lord, strong and mighty, the Lord, mighty in battle!”

Psalm 24 was given at Prayer Group last night. Then, afterward, someone gets a word or prophecy that goes along with it. The word of prophecy is, “The Lord was just saying, yes, He is the King of Glory, and He deserves all the praise, all the honor, adoration, all the worship, all the fanfare that we would give in worship. But that He desires something even a little more than that. And what He desires is that He wants each of us to invite Him to be the King that sits on the throne of our hearts.” Psalm 24 came at the beginning of the meeting, and this Word came a bit later. I honestly didn’t put the two together.

One of our other members confirmed this Word and said she didn't quite get those exact words, but she had a real feeling about that individual invitation to the Lord into our hearts. If the Lord takes the time to tell us the same message through three different people, we should probably pay attention to that message. The message the Lord wants us to hear is that we need to open the doors of our hearts and invite Him in. The Lord is a gentleman who will not come unless you invite him.

In my Encounter Ministries Class, we looked at this method of evangelization called Jesus at the Door. There is a picture of Jesus at the door, and yet there is only a door knob on the inside of the door. Jesus can not come through the door unless you open it. There is a heart around the picture. When we show it to people, we tell them that Jesus is knocking on the door to their hearts. We ask if they want to invite Jesus in. That image is really powerful, and it is also very anointed. Many people have accepted Jesus into their lives just by looking at this picture and answering the few other questions that are asked with the picture.

One thing we ask them to do after they see the picture is to imagine they have a backpack on their back. Now we tell them to imagine the backpack is filled with their sins. Would it be heavy? Most of us can say yes to that question. Then we asked them to imagine they owed the bank $100,000. What would happen if we gave them a check for $100,000 and they took it to the bank and deposited it? Their debt would be gone, right? This is what Jesus did with our backpack full of sins. He paid the price. He wrote a check out for our sins and signed it with His blood. Our sins have been forgiven, and we are no longer in debt.

Isn’t that an incredible way to explain how our sins are forgiven? Jesus paid our debt for us. He took our sins to the cross with Him. So, why are we so afraid to come to Jesus and invite Him into our hearts? We were talking about this yesterday at prayer group, and we said that sometimes we don’t want to invite Jesus into our hearts because we know that Jesus will call us to live our lives differently, and we may not be ready to do so.

If this is you, or if you know someone who might be struggling with this, you can take heart and remember St. Augustine of Hippa. He was an amazing Saint. He was also infamously known for saying, “Lord, give me chastity and continence, but not yet!” This infamous prayer of the young Augustine of Hippo (354-430) reflects the inner conflict of any soul who recognizes the virtuous thing to do yet fears the demanding struggle against human urges and passions.

The first step is to invite the Lord into our hearts. He will take care of the rest. God is gentle with us, and He will not instantly expect a 180-degree change from you. Or, if He does, He will give you the grace and the power to do it. Look at Saul from the Bible. One day he was headed to a town to round up any Christians and put them in jail. Then he encounters Jesus, is blind for a few days, and completely transforms. He is a completely different person. His name was even changed. I don’t think this is the way that it works for most of us, though.

Most of us struggle with the temptations of this world. We know what we should do, yet we don’t. God understands this. He knows that we get caught up in the wrong things and make the wrong choice more than the right one. He understands this, yet He calls us to invite Him into this struggle. He is calling us to invite Him into our hearts.

Last week for mentoring, I was studying what scripture says regarding coming to the Lord as we are and not feeling that we need to change before we can come to God. This is what I talked about yesterday in the devotional as well. One scripture verse I found goes well with this idea that we want to follow Jesus, but we don’t want to stop doing everything we want. Jeremiah 13:23 says, “Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard his spots? Then also you can do good who are accustomed to do evil.” What the Lord revealed to me when I heard this verse is, why would we think we could change without Him? In other words, we think we will wait until we want to give up our current lifestyle until we invite God in, and God is saying, you will need my help to give up that lifestyle. You will need my help to stop drinking. You will need my help to stop sleeping around. You will need my help to be a better mom or dad. Whatever it is you think you need to change before you invite God in, He is saying, it will go quicker if you invite me in first. You don’t need to change on your own. I can help you. I can give you the strength you need. I can be there for you.

The verse above says, "Lift up your heads, O gates! And be lifted up, O ancient doors! That the King of glory may come in. Who is the King of Glory?  The Lord, strong and mighty, the Lord, mighty in battle!” The Lord is calling us to open the gates, the ancient doors we have closed in our hearts, and invite the King of Glory in. Who is this king of glory? He is the Lord. He is strong and mighty. He is mighty in Battle. God can help you fight your battles. He is not expecting you to invite Him into your life, and you instantly become a Saint who never does anything wrong. God knows us. He knows us better than we know ourselves. He isn’t expecting more from us than we can give Him. We are the ones who put crazy expectations on ourselves, not God. He wants us to come as we are and invite Him into the mess that is our life. Can we invite Him in today?

Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless each one of us listening to this today. Lord, I know so many people who are afraid to invite you in. So many who know you and yet haven’t invited you into their hearts and lives. Lord, please help them trust you. Please give them an encounter with you that changes their lives as you did for Saul. Lord, so many of us think we have invited you in; we walk with you every day, and yet we still have secret places that we haven’t invited you into. Help us to invite you in Lord. Help us to see those places and those situations that we haven’t invited you into, and then give us the courage to invite you into them. 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. If this podcast has blessed your life in some way, would you consider making a donation? There is a link below in the show notes, or you can also go to my website, Walkboldlywithjesus.com. I appreciate you and your faithfulness in listening to this podcast. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow. Remember, Jesus loves you just as you are, and so do I! Have a blessed day!

Today’s Word from the Lord was received in January 2024 by a member of my Catholic Charismatic Prayer Group. If you have any questions about the prayer group or about these words please email [email protected]. Today’s Word from the Lord is “I ask you, bring them (your roots of brokenness) to me, so that my faith in you will grow, and people will see, not only hear, but see. You have more to do for me, but I want you whole. Come, ask, and we will grow closer and closer. I need my only strong part of my army. You are the captains that will show up. Give me more of you, and allow me to heal more of you.”

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