Walk Boldly With Jesus

Our Father’s Love (Part 11) Endless Love, Unbroken and Unrelenting

Psalm 103:17-18 “But Lord, your endless love stretches from one eternity to the other, unbroken and unrelenting toward those who fear you and those who bow facedown in awe before you. Your faithfulness to keep every gracious promise you’ve made passes from parents to children, to grandchildren, and beyond. You are faithful to all those who follow your ways and keep your word.”

Today’s verse is uplifting, especially after yesterday’s verse which had us thinking about how short life is. Today we get to go back to thinking about how much God loves us. We could think about this all day, every day, and would still never really comprehend how vast His love for us is.  The other day we talked about how God separates us from our sin as far as the sunset is from the sunrise. Today we are talking about how much He loves us. The verse says that His “endless love stretches from one eternity to the other, unbroken and unrelenting.”

This world doesn’t seem to understand endless love. Love seems to end every day. The divorce rate in this country is so high. Actually, it is high all over the world. We live in a throw-away society where we want the newest and the best things, and we get rid of the old things. We don’t seem to want to work to keep the things we have. When things get difficult, when they get broken, we throw them away and start again instead of trying to fix them. This is not the same with God. His love is endless.

Can you even imagine what that would look like? Endless love, love that doesn’t end. Does that mean He still loves us after we mess up and hurt Him? Yes! Does that mean He still loves us even after we keep doing the same stupid things over and over again? Yes! Surely He will stop loving us once He can see that we are unfixable and unredeemable? Nope! There will never be a time when God’s love will stop. He loves us when we can’t even love ourselves. He loves us even when we don’t deserve it. He loves us even when we don’t want Him too! He created us with this endless love that goes from one eternity to the other. I love the adjectives this translation uses. They are unbroken and unrelenting.

I love unbroken because that is such a difference from our love. We live in a broken world, and so our love is broken. We struggle to love unconditionally. We struggle to love each other the way the Lord loves us. If I’m being honest, sometimes we struggle with just liking other people, never mind loving them. We love people when they do this or that. We love people who act like us, talk like us, look like us. Sometimes we love people because of what we can get from them, which is not actually loving them but using them. God’s love is not broken. He loves us unconditionally. He loves us for who we are, not what we do. We do not have to do anything to earn His love.

I love unrelenting because it is such an active word. When I hear the word unrelenting, I don’t think about a God who sits up in heaven just waiting for us to come to Him. When I hear that word, I picture a God who will stop at nothing to save His children. I picture a God who chases after them and does not let anything get in the way of finding them. God loves us, He wants us to be with Him forever in paradise. He is unrelenting in that pursuit. Why do we fight it so much?

The second part of this verse says, “Your faithfulness to keep every gracious promise you’ve made passes from parents to children, to grandchildren, and beyond. You are faithful to all those who follow your ways and keep your word.” There are two really important things in that first sentence to highlight. The first is that it reminds us that God is faithful and He keeps His promises. It doesn’t just say that God keeps promises, but it says that He is faithful to keep EVERY gracious promise He made every promise! This means when you read a promise in the Bible, you can be assured that God will keep that promise.

The second important thing it says is that those promises are passed down from parents to children, to grandchildren, and beyond. This shows us that the promises made in the Bible aren’t just for those people who were living at the time they were made. They are for you and for me too. It can be easy for us to read through the Bible and think of it as a great story about something that happened a really long time ago. We can think it has nothing to do with us, especially if we are reading a translation that is hard to understand. There may be a lot of words for things, and we don’t know what they mean.

The Bible is not just talking to those who lived back then. It is talking directly to each one of us, you and I. Before we sit down to read the Bible, we should ask the Lord to show us how what we are reading that day applies to our lives. I bet if we all did that before we read anything, we would be surprised at what we learned. The Lord wants to reveal the secrets in the Bible to us, we only need to ask Him. The Bible is not only relevant today but it could be called our handbook for how to get through life. It tells us what we should and shouldn’t do. It tells us all about the Lord. The book of Proverbs teaches us right from wrong. The Gospels tell us all about Jesus and are also full of parables that teach us how we should live our lives. We get to read stories of what happens when we don’t live according to God’s ways.

The verse ends with, “You are faithful to all those who follow your ways and keep your word.” This is a nice reminder to read the Bible and make sure we are following the Lord’s ways and keeping His Word. There are plenty of examples in the Bible to illustrate this point as well. You can look back throughout the Bible and see what happened to people who did not follow His ways. When we do not follow His ways, He allows us to feel the consequences of our actions, and sometimes that can be a pretty painful lesson. The good news is as soon as we turn back and repent, God is right there to welcome us back home with open arms.

Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless all those listening to this episode today. Lord, we love you, and we are so grateful for your endless love. We are thankful your love is unbroken and unrelenting. Thank you for pursuing us. Thank you for chasing us down until you find us. Thank you for all you do to save us. Lord, help us accept your love. Fill us with your love, and help us pass that love on to others. Lord, help us to follow your ways and keep your word. Help us to read the Bible, put in our hearts a deep desire to read the Bible. We want to know your promises, we want to know how you want us to live. 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 apologize for my voice these past few mornings. I have been struggling with a cold. Usually, as soon as I start to feel better, my voice starts to sound worse. I think I am almost through with the cough, so hopefully, my voice will come back soon. I look forward to meeting you here again tomorrow. Remember, Jesus loves you, and so do I! Have a blessed day!

www.findingtruenorthcoaching.com

CLICK HERE TO DONATE

CLICK HERE to sign up for Mentoring 

CLICK HERE to sign up for Daily "Word from the Lord" emails

CLICK HERE to sign up for my newsletter & receive a free audio training about inviting Jesus into your daily life

CLICK HERE to buy my book Total Trust in God's Safe Embrace

Our Father’s Love (Part 10) What If This Time, Was The Last Time?

Psalm 103:15-16 “Our days are so few, and our momentary beauty so swiftly fades away! Then all of a sudden, we’re gone, like grass clippings blown away in a gust of wind, taken away to our appointment with death, leaving nothing to show that we were here.”

Wow, I was surprised to read that when I sat down to write this episode. It is something we all know, and yet we really don’t like to think about it. It is also strange that this is the verse for today because I just turned off the TV after watching an episode of The Closer. In this episode, a man helped get his son and daughter ready for school and then had to go to work. After he left, someone came in and shot his wife, mother-in-law, and two children. It turns out the person who shot them went to the wrong address. This man had a normal morning with his children and left to go to work, just like he always does, and yet his life will never be the same again.  At the end of the show, they showed the chief detective at her house. The day before, she had left for work, and her cat was eating breakfast. When her husband came home at lunchtime, the cat had thrown up the breakfast, so her husband brought the cat to the vet. The cat was not doing well. She couldn’t understand how she had just seen the cat eating, and now she may never get to see the cat again.

This seems like a strange way to begin a devotional, and yet I think it demonstrates an important fact that we really don’t like to think about. We never know when it will be the last time we get to do something. If we knew it was the last time we were going to get to do something, we would probably do it very differently than we did. For instance, if you knew it was the very last time you were going to breastfeed your baby, you probably wouldn’t have been in such a rush for them to finish so you could get on with your day. If you knew it was the last time you were going to talk to your loved one, you probably would have said very different things. If you knew it was the last time you were to get to eat pizza, you would have savored it more. Do you see where I am going with this?

If we knew it was the last time, we would do it right. However, we rarely know it is going to be the last time. There are things we are blessed to get to know. For instance, if we get to be sitting with a loved one right before they pass on. At the end of the year, we know it is the child’s last day of whatever grade they just completed unless they get sick that last day. We don’t usually know when it’s the last time we will get to see our child crawl or the last time they will say that cute phrase they always say. We don’t know when it'll be the last time we will get to hug them or kiss them. Anything can happen at any time.

There are a couple of important things this verse can bring to our attention. The first one is that life is short, and we need not to take it for granted. What if we started approaching every interaction we had with people as if it were our last? What if we stopped leaving things unsaid? What if we were deliberate with our interactions and stopped to think before we acted and definitely before we spoke? Imagine what it would be like to leave each interaction with others without any regrets. Imagine being so present every single time you were with your loved ones that if that were the last time you saw them, you would be proud of your interactions. What is one way you can take what this verse says and apply it to your life and/or your interactions with others?

The second thing this verse shows us is how short this life is. The verse says, “Our days are so few, and our momentary beauty so swiftly fades away! Then all of a sudden, we’re gone, like grass clippings blown away in a gust of wind, taken away to our appointment with death, leaving nothing to show that we were here.” Our days here in this world are so few. We think we are here for a long time, so we do what we can to fit into this world. We focus on things that aren’t important, as this verse points out. Our momentary beauty so swiftly fades away. Yet that can be our main priority at times. Often our focus is on things of this world even though we are just here for a short amount of time. We spend a tiny amount of time in this world and, hopefully, eternity with our heavenly Father. So, why are we spending all of our time focusing on the things of this world when this is not where we will stay?

We need to keep our eyes fixed on the one above. When we put God first in our lives, we not only please him but also improve our lives here on earth. When we make time to pray or add prayer to the things we are already doing, our lives are blessed beyond measure. Usually, when things start going sideways in our lives, we can see it’s because we stopped putting God first. For instance, we stopped asking God to lead the way, and we took over the driver’s seat. If we want to take the lead, God will let us. That is how strongly He believes in free will. He will let us make a big old mess of our lives, and then He will be there to help us put it back together again. Wouldn’t it be great if we didn’t have to keep putting it back together again, though? This is where prayer comes in; this is why it is so important to put first things first. When we put God first and we stop to talk with Him before we make decisions, then life goes so much smoother. If we want to spend eternity with God, we need to remember this in all of our interactions here on Earth.

The last thing I don’t want to miss is the very last line that says that we are “taken away to our appointment with death, leaving nothing to show that we were here.” We all have an appointment with death, and yet none of us know when it will be. I just want to mention something that my mentor Pamela Crim mentions a lot. You need to be in the photos. This verse says we are taken away, leaving nothing to show that we were here. This is only true if you are not getting in any of the photos. Many of us listening are the ones that usually take the photos. Sometimes, it is because we really like to, sometimes because no one else will, and other times it is because we are too ashamed or embarrassed by our bodies to be in the photos. Regardless of what you look like, your family will be happy you got in the photos. When you pass on, these photos will tell the story of your life. They can’t do that if you are not in any photos. I am not going to go on and on about this. However, I felt I should prompted to mention it. Get in the photos, be intentional with each interaction you have, and put God first. I believe if you do these three things, you won’t have to worry about not knowing when it will be the last time you do something or see someone. You will be prepared.

Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless each person listening to this episode today. Lord, we love you, and we appreciate you. We are sorry we take so many moments you give us for granted. We are sorry we take people for granted. Please help us change this, Lord. Help us to put you first. Help us to pay attention and be in the moment and intentional with each interaction we have.  We are so grateful that you love us and you protect us. We are grateful that you don’t take us for granted. You are so wonderful, and we are so blessed by you. We thank you for all the graces you have given us, and we ask you to continue to bless us as we try to figure out this crazy thing called life. We ask all of this in accordance with your will and in Jesus’s holy name. Amen!

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

Today’s word of prophecy from our prayer group is: "How precious you are each and every one of you. I know every detail of your life and I hold it deeply in my heart. I hear your prayers in the silence of my heart. They echo and reverberate through me. Fear not; I am always with you, thinking of you and leading you.”

www.findingtruenorthcoaching.com

CLICK HERE TO DONATE

CLICK HERE to sign up for Mentoring 

CLICK HERE to sign up for Daily "Word from the Lord" emails

CLICK HERE to sign up for my newsletter & receive a free audio training about inviting Jesus into your daily life

CLICK HERE to buy my book Total Trust in God's Safe Embrace

Our Father’s Love (Part 9) Can We Be Angry With God?

Psalm 103:13-14 “The same way a loving father feels toward his children—that’s but a sample of your tender feelings toward us, your beloved children, who live in awe of you. You know all about us, inside and out. You are mindful that we’re made from dust.”

This verse probably means different things to different people. I can feel the love and tender feelings that our heavenly Father has for us because I know how loving fathers can be. I had an amazing example of a father. I always knew my dad loved me, and I knew of his tender feelings towards us. I wonder if this verse means as much to those who did not have a great father. What if you didn’t know your father loved you? What if he didn’t show you any tender feelings? Are you still able to feel the love coming from this verse?

If you did not feel loved by your Father while you were growing up, I want you to know you were loved by your heavenly Father. He created you and loved you before you were even born. Before your parents even thought about having you, God knew everything about you. The verse above says, “You know all about us, inside and out.” This is something we forget sometimes. We try to hide things from the Lord as if He doesn’t already know. This is especially true when we are angry with the Lord. We don’t think it is okay to be angry with God, so we hide it from him. We actually try to hide it from ourselves as well. We pretend we are not mad, or we tell ourselves we are not angry. When we do this, our anger festers under the surface, and I believe it blocks some of the graces God wants to give us.

When we are holding this anger in and just ignoring it, then we aren’t dealing with it, we aren’t processing it, and we certainly aren’t bringing it to God. These are the exact things we need to do to get rid of the anger or really any feeling that we are having. I understand why we don’t think we can be angry with God. I mean, He is God. He knows what He is doing, and He can prevent things from happening. Nothing happens that he didn’t allow to happen either with His perfect Will or His Permissive Will. We know God uses all things for our good, so how can we be mad at God when He will use whatever we are going through for our good? I understand where these feelings come from, and yet I don’t believe they are complete. Yes, God allows all things to happen, and yes He will use all things for good. That doesn’t mean you won’t have to go through some really hard times. That doesn’t mean that we won’t get ourselves into some pretty serious trouble.

Just because God can use it for good doesn’t mean He wills it for us. It doesn’t mean it was His plan for our life. None of us listen to God perfectly. None of us follow His plan perfectly. Sometimes we will do things to mess things up, and God will allow the consequences of that for some reasons we can understand, like to help us learn and grow, and for some reasons, we will never know about this side of heaven. However, sometimes our painful situations are not a result of something we have done. Sometimes bad stuff just happens, and we have no idea why. No matter how we look at it, we can’t seem to make sense of it.

The reason for this difficult time you are going through or have been through doesn't matter; it is still okay to be angry with God. If there is anyone who can handle our anger, it is the Lord. If you want to have a real relationship with Him, you have to be honest with Him. Think about the people in your life that you have the best relationships with. Why are you so close to them? What makes it a good relationship? The people I am closest to are the people with whom I can be completely honest. I don’t have to watch what I say, and I don't have to pretend to be ok when I am not. They are also the people who know me the best, and I know them the best as well.

Do you have people in your life like that? Do you have someone in your life who can just take one look at you and know that you are not okay? They know you so well that when you say I am fine, they can tell just by the tone in your voice that you are not really fine. Do you have someone in your life who you can tell you you are angry with something they did, and yet you guys are still friends, and you still love each other? I know I do, and it is such a blessing in my life. If we can have friends and loved ones who are capable of loving us even when we are angry with them for something they have done, why do we think we can’t have the same thing with our Heavenly Father? If your friends can tell when you are upset, don’t you think God can tell too? The verse says that He knows all about us, inside and out. That means He knows your feelings too. He has intimate knowledge of every part of you, even more so than your friends or family members do.

Here is the reason I believe it is okay to be angry with God. There were plenty of people in the Bible who cried out to the Lord. I also believe that anger is an emotion, and we can’t help our initial emotions. However, we can decide what we do with those emotions. Are we being angry with God, turning away from Him, and never looking back? Are we angry and crying out to Him and asking Him to help us? Are we asking Him to give us strength? Are we asking Him to give us some understanding? If we get angry and turn away from God, I don’t believe that is ok. However, if we are angry with God and then we try to figure out what to do with that anger, and we take that to God and ask for His help, I think that is ok.

We get to decide if we allow the anger to push us away from God or pull us closer to Him. We can have control over our emotions by having control over our thoughts. Our emotions are caused by the story we are telling ourselves. For instance, if I am angry at God for something, I need to examine what I believe about that thing. For instance, if I am angry with God for taking my child, I would need to examine what I am telling myself. Why am I blaming God? What is the story I am telling myself about what happened, why it happened, and who caused it? If I do not know the answers to these questions, I should bring them to the Lord. The why it happened may be an answer that we don’t ever get this side of heaven. That doesn’t mean we can’t ask the Lord. He wants us to come to Him, He wants us to ask questions. He wants all that we go through to bring us closer to Him, not further away. Our heavenly Father loves us and has tender feelings towards us. He can handle your anger and yet does not want you to stay there. He wants you to take it to Him and then lay it at His feet and let Him pick it up and carry it for you.

Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless all those who listen to this episode today. Lord, we love you, and we don’t want to be angry with you. We also don’t understand why you allow bad things to happen to good people. We don’t understand why kids get cancer, why there is human trafficking, why there is domestic abuse, and why people lose their kids or their spouses. There is so much we don’t understand, Lord, please help us. Help us to turn to you when we are confused and when we are angry. Help us to ask you for understanding. Help us to control the story we tell ourselves. Help us not to stay in that anger. We love you so much, Lord. We know you love us, and you know us better than anyone else, and we are so very grateful. We are so grateful for all the unknown things you have protected us from. You are so powerful! We ask all this in accordance with your will and in Jesus’s holy name. Amen!

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

In Part 7, I mentioned that I felt the Lord was calling me to end each episode with a Word that He has given to our prayer group. The point of this is so we can all get used to hearing how the Lord talks to us, and so we will recognize when it is Him and when it is the enemy. Here is the word: I ask you to look at your brothers and sisters in the world and recognize that I love them. I want you to be a tangible instrument of my love to them. Do not judge or be impatient. Love them with the same love that I have for you. Be vulnerable as I am vulnerable.

www.findingtruenorthcoaching.com

CLICK HERE TO DONATE

CLICK HERE to sign up for Mentoring 

CLICK HERE to sign up for Daily "Word from the Lord" emails

CLICK HERE to sign up for my newsletter & receive a free audio training about inviting Jesus into your daily life

CLICK HERE to buy my book Total Trust in God's Safe Embrace

Our Father’s Love (Part 8) Get Intimately Familiar With The Real One 

Psalm 103:12 “Farther than from a sunrise to a sunset, that's how far you've removed our guilt from us.”

Today’s verse goes right along with the past few days, and yet it confirms it a bit stronger. For the last few days, I have been talking about God’s love and God’s mercy. We now know how much God loves us. We know He is not just sitting in heaven waiting for us to mess up so he can punish us. We know he does discipline us at times, but not never as much as we truly deserve. We also know from the previous episode that the Lord wants to talk to each and every one of us. When he talks to us, He is gentle and loving. We know He also has different ways of talking to us. If you did not know any of these things, or you struggle to believe any of these things, you can go back and listen to the last 2-3 episodes. However, if you have missed any in this series about the Father’s Love, then I would recommend going back and listening to them all, as I am really loving Psalm 103.

Today’s verse says, “Farther than from a sunrise to a sunset, that's how far you've removed our guilt from us.” Do you understand what this verse is saying? Do you understand the magnitude of this verse? God is separating us as far away from our sins as the sunrise is from the sunset. These two things never touch. They are as far apart as they can be. The sun rises in the East and sets in the West. Wherever you are in the world, take a moment and think about the most eastern point in the world you can think of. Then think of the most western point in the world you can think of. This is how separated you are from your sins.

We tend to think our sins are part of us. Oftentimes we take those sins on as our identity. For instance, I am a liar, not someone who has lied before. I am an adulterer, not someone who had an affair. I am a cheater, not someone who cheated in a game. Do you see what I am talking about? What is the sin that you are claiming as your identity? This is so common. I used to do this when it came to my children. I would say he is a liar. He said x, y, or z. My counselor would always correct me. He might have lied about this thing, but that is not his identity. This is hard for us. We find it easier to claim the sin and make it part of us.

I wonder if that is because when we do that, we also turn over our responsibility. If I am a liar, then it makes sense that I lied. I don’t have to take responsibility for it, and I don’t have to change it because it is just who I am. I have heard this a lot over the years. People justify the ugly things they say or do by saying, “That’s just who I am.” Or they justify their loved ones’ behaviors by saying, “That is just who they are.” Your sins and your behaviors are not who you are. They are not your identity. You are who God says you are. God says we are special (Eph 2:10), loved (Jer 31:3), redeemed (Gal 3:13), important (1 Peter 2:9), lovely (Dan 12:3), forgiven (Psalm 103:12), family (Eph 2:19), strong (Psalm 18:25), not alone (Matt 28:20), treasured (Deut 14:2), Protected (Psalm 121:3), created for a purpose (Jer 29:11), accepted (Rom 15:7), a new creation (2 Cor 5:17), chosen (John 15:16), a child of God (Rom 8:17), precious (1 Cor 6:20), empowered (Phil. 4:17), unique (Psalm 139:13), and cared for (Eph 3:17-19). The scripture references for each and every one of those words is listed in the show notes. Where is the scripture verse for the things you are taking on as your identity?

We think the Lord sees us as a sum of all our sins because that is how we see us. However, our ways are not like His ways, and our thoughts are not like His thoughts. If you listened to the previous episodes in this series, you remember Father Mike said truth can’t contradict truth. We know what is in the Bible is truth. So, if your idea of who you are contradicts the above identity, it can’t be the truth.  The verse above confirms that God does not identify us as our sins. It says He separates us from our sins. How great would it be if we could do the same?

Why is it so hard to see ourselves through God’s eyes? I think part of it is because we don’t really know God. If we aren’t reading the scriptures, if we aren’t reading faith-filled books, and if we aren’t spending time with God, then how can we know Him? In the last episode of this series, we talked about hearing the Lord’s voice and listening to what He wants to say to us. If we aren’t doing this, if we don’t know how He talks to us, then how can we possibly know the difference between His voice and the enemy's voice?

I heard a story the other day, and I think it is a great analogy/example for this. The woman speaking is a banker. She no longer works with physical money. However, she used to. She asked us if we knew how they teach bank tellers to spot fake bills. We had several ideas of the differences between real and fake, and she said yes, there are definitely ways to tell them apart. However, she said when you are learning how to tell the difference between the real bill and the fake bill, they have you get intimately familiar with the real thing. They don’t teach you all the various characteristics of fake bills because there are so many differences, and they are constantly changing as counterfeiters get better. What they have you do is learn all about the real bill. What does it look like, what does it feel like, what is the weight of it, what is the texture, what does it smell like? They have you spend so much time with the real bills that when a fake comes into your hands, you instantly know it is different.

I loved this story the moment I heard it. It is a perfect analogy for listening to the Father’s voice. If you listen to your heavenly Father, talk to you each and every day. If you read about Him in the scriptures and you spend time with Him, then you will know when the enemy starts whispering lies into your ears. You will know it is not from God because it doesn’t make you feel the same way it does all the other times you have talked with Him. You will know it is not God because what is said contradicts the promises you have read in the scripture. If you want to start recognizing the enemy, you need to get more familiar with the Lord. Become intimately familiar with the real thing, and you will recognize when the lies start creeping back in. You are not your sins. God separates us from our sins, so why do we cling to them so tightly? Isn’t it time we loosen our grip and let them go?

Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless all those listening to this episode today. Lord, help us to release our sins. Help us to separate ourselves from them. Help us bring them to you and lay them at your feet for your infinite disposal. Lord, thank you for separating us from our sins. Thank you for taking our sins to the cross. Lord, any time we cling to our sins and claim our sins as our identity, it reminds us of the cross. Remind us that your sacrifice was big enough to cover our sins. It was ENOUGH. We love you, Lord. Help us to get to know you so intimately that when the enemy comes around whispering in our ears, we instantly spot him as a fake and what he is saying as lies. We ask all of this in accordance with your will and in Jesus’ mighty name, Amen!

Thank you so much for joining me on this journey to walk boldly with Jesus. I hope you all have a very special Thanksgiving Day today! If you don’t celebrate, I still hope you have a special day! I look forward to meeting you here again tomorrow. Remember, Jesus loves you, and so do I!

I mentioned in Part 7 that I felt the Lord is calling me to end each episode with a Word that He has given to our prayer group. The point of this is so we can all get used to hearing how the Lord talks to us and so we will recognize when it is Him and when it is the enemy. Here is the word: “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 in your time. It is trust you must have with faith that never ends.”

www.findingtruenorthcoaching.com

CLICK HERE TO DONATE

CLICK HERE to sign up for Mentoring 

CLICK HERE to sign up for Daily "Word from the Lord" emails

CLICK HERE to sign up for my newsletter & receive a free audio training about inviting Jesus into your daily life

CLICK HERE to buy my book Total Trust in God's Safe Embrace

Today’s witness Wednesday will be a bit different than usual. Today I am going to read you two blog posts written by Father David Barnes.  He was the Spiritual Director at St. John’s Seminary in Boston in 2014 when these posts were written. He was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Boston in 1997. The two blog posts were written about a Eucharist procession that took place in 2014 from MIT to Harvard. It was in response to a “black mass” which was to be held that same night and the administration at the college refused to intervene. There are a few reasons I wanted to talk with you about this today. First, there is a Eucharist Procession this weekend right here in Lowell, MA, for anyone who is listening to this and who lives locally. It is on November 26th at 11 am at St. Rita’s Parish. The other one is because I have heard this story at least twice over the last month, and I feel it is one that should be repeated. We tend to get scared watching the news. We feel as though evil is taking over, and we can sometimes feel helpless. This story shows us we are not helpless. It shows us good defeats evil. The Lord has already won the war of good vs. evil. He will always be victorious!

The First Blog article is titled A Beautiful Night to be Catholic in the Archdiocese of Boston and was written by Father David Barnes on Tuesday, May 13, 2014.  CLICK HERE to go to Father David Barnes' Blog

It’s a little after Midnight, and I am just getting in after participating in a magnificent evening.  Hundreds of Catholics joined in a Eucharistic Procession down Massachusetts Avenue in Cambridge from the MIT chapel to St. Paul's in Harvard Square.  There, we spent a period of time in prayer.  The purpose of the evening was to pray in reparation for a planned Satanic Mass on the campus of Harvard University.  

The procession, which passed MIT and Central Square, was a site to behold.  People were coming out of restaurants--some kneeling on the sidewalks, others blessing themselves, and some just staring in bewilderment.  Many of the servers who organized the procession were from Juventutem Boston.  That is the Traditional Latin Mass Community of young people.  They did an impressive job.  It's not easy to keep us priests organized.  

The procession ended at St. Paul's in Harvard Square. When we arrived, the church--which I suppose holds about 1000 people--was already filled to capacity. So hundreds of those who walked in procession were left standing on the street outside of St. Paul's. 

As I looked out at the congregation, I saw many people from my previous assignment in Beverly.  They traveled a good distance to be there.  It makes me proud to have been in a parish of people who love the Eucharist so much that they would come to this event.  In the procession, I saw many students from Boston University (where I serve as Chaplain).  It was so inspiring to see their witness.  

The unsung hero of the event, in my opinion, was Fr. Richard Clancy, who is the Chaplain at MIT and who is the Director for Catholic Campus Ministry in the Archdiocese of Boston. He was the one who came up with the idea of a Eucharistic Procession.  Although he doesn't look for accolades, he deserves some today. 

Tonight, I spent several hours with Catholics from all over the Archdiocese of Boston--young and old, students, married people, priests, seminarians, religious men and women, lay people--who all love the Eucharist.  That's what being a Catholic is.  I'm grateful to have experienced their powerful witness tonight.

The second blog article is titled The Harvard Eucharistic Procession Was Beautiful . . . But Now What? This was written on Tuesday, May 13, 2014.  CLICK HERE to go to Father David Barnes' Blog

The decision of a student group at Harvard University to host a "black mass" on its campus precipitated a massive response from Catholics around Boston, the United States, and even the world.  I've heard of parishes all over the United States that held Holy Hours at the time of the scheduled event at Harvard.  As I mentioned previously, I participated in a magnificent Eucharistic Procession from the campus of MIT to St. Paul's in Harvard Square.  Hundreds of Catholics followed the Eucharistic Lord down the main street in Cambridge, where thousands of onlookers witnessed the flock following the Eucharistic Good Shepherd.

I'm not always a huge fan of "big events" because I feel like those things can be used as a substitute for true faith.  Sometimes, they feel as though the effort that goes into planning and executing them far outweighs the benefits.  They sometimes feel designed as a publicity stunt or as a way of evoking a strong emotional reaction, but the effects seem short-lived.  Last night's Eucharistic Procession had a different feel.  As I looked about and saw the many young college students from area universities participating, I was touched by their love for the Eucharist and their sincere desire to follow Christ. 

During the past year, one thing that has really struck me about the college students whom I encounter every day is their Eucharistic Faith.  Quite often, as I am standing outside of church on a Sunday before Mass, I am asked, "Father, do you have time for a quick confession?"  Similarly, for thirty minutes each day before Daily Mass, I hear confessions.  It is rare for there to be a day that nobody comes.  I also noticed this at Mass itself.  At every Sunday Mass, there are young people who come up in the communion line and ask for a blessing rather than receive the Eucharist.  Presumably, having examined their conscience, they do not want to receive the Eucharist until they have received the Sacrament of Penance.

I find all of this very striking.  These young people are not scrupulous or legalistic.  They are not tied up in knots.  Instead, they strike me as being young people who simply love the Lord and who want to approach Him and receive Him with devotion and love.  Their love for the Eucharist and the ease with which they approach the Sacrament of Penance is a beautiful witness to Christ and His Grace.  I benefit from their example.

All of this comes to mind for me today as I think about the "big event" of the Eucharistic Procession and the blasphemous "satanic mass" that precipitated it.  I am reminded of my own need to deepen continually my devotion to the Eucharist.  These events beckon all of us to examine ourselves and to renew our love for the Blessed Sacrament.  Do I love the Eucharist?  Do I live a life that is coherent with the Eucharist that I receive?  Do I humbly examine myself before approaching to receive the Eucharist?  Do I spend time in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament and make visits to be with the Lord in the Eucharist?  Do I receive the Eucharist with reverence, or am I distracted, careless, or even willful?  

In this instance, the "big event" ought to cause all of us who are Catholic to become more coherent in our lives.  While we were rightly outraged at the intended sacrilege of the Eucharist by others, we ought to make certain that we do not simply become "protesters" in our relationship to the Eucharist. Instead, we ought to become more Eucharistic in our daily life.  This "big event" ought to deepen our desire to grow in Eucharistic intimacy.  We want to make sure that we ourselves are not sacrilegious, blasphemous, or careless.  

I think the "big event" of the Eucharistic Procession will bear the most fruit if it is followed by Catholics everywhere examining our own consciences and humbly confessing our sins and receiving absolution.  For me, the Eucharist Procession was an amazing witness of people showing their love for the Eucharist.  In my life, however, the far more powerful and convincing witness of Eucharistic Faith is seeing the daily procession of college students making their way to the confessional. 

Both of these articles demonstrate how powerful the Eucharist is and also the power of taking Jesus, in Eucharistic Form, to the streets. People recognize and can feel His presence even if they don’t know what they are feeling. If you have not participated in a Eucharistic Procession, I recommend you try to find one. They are so powerful, and it is so beautiful to see Jesus processing down the streets. It is one thing to love Jesus in the comfort and security of our churches. It is quite another to love Him out on the streets. I have placed a link to a video of the procession in the show notes. CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO If you have a few minutes, I know you will be blessed by watching it. I hope you enjoyed hearing about this amazing event and the effect it had on so many!

www.findingtruenorthcoaching.com

CLICK HERE TO DONATE

CLICK HERE to sign up for Mentoring 

CLICK HERE to sign up for Daily "Word from the Lord" emails

CLICK HERE to sign up for my newsletter & receive a free audio training about inviting Jesus into your daily life

CLICK HERE to buy my book Total Trust in God's Safe Embrace

Our Father’s Love (Part 7) God’s Mercy Extends Higher Than The Highest Heavens

Psalm 103:10-11 “You may discipline us for our many sins, but never as much as we really deserve. Nor do you get even with us for what we’ve done. Higher than the highest heavens – that's how high your tender mercy extends! Greater than the grandeur of heaven above is the greatness of your loyal love, towering over all who fear you and bow down before you!”

Yesterday I talked about how much God loves us. I talked about how He gave His only son for us while we were still sinners. Today, we are talking about God’s mercy. We talked about how God is not just waiting up there for us to sin so that he can punish or hold that sin against us. Today’s verse confirms and reinforces this for us. It states that the Lord “will discipline us for our many sins, but never as much as we deserve.” We might hear this and worry because we all have different opinions of what we might deserve. We might look at all we have done and know we do not want the discipline we deserve. This is another time when it is important to remember that “God’s ways are not our ways, and His thoughts are not our thoughts.”

Just because we know that we deserve a severe punishment does not mean we will get one. God does not think like we think. Most of us are way harder on ourselves than God would ever be. We are harder on ourselves than we would be on other people. If you take a minute to think about something you are hard on yourself for and then ask yourself if your friend did that thing, would you be hard on them? For instance, when I talk with my friends, and they are complaining that they didn’t do something they should have done, I remind them that we are aiming for progress, not perfection. However, when I look back at all I haven’t done throughout the week, I can start to give myself a hard time.

God is not looking at all that we have done wrong. He is looking at all that we do right. He is not looking for our downfalls. He is looking at all of our progress, growing closer to Him. God has told our prayer group many times that the littlest thing we do to praise Him or to spread His love or his Word to others makes Him so happy. Think about a child that you know and love. When they come to you with a picture they made, do you look at all the ways that picture falls short of what it was supposed to look like? Do you focus on all the places they went out of the line and all the ways you would have done it differently? I doubt it. We would look at that picture and see all the love they put into it. We would see how hard they worked at it. We would see how hard they tried to do something beautiful for us. This is how the Lord looks at us.

Man, I wish each one of you could be in our prayer group meeting, even just for one day! I wish you could hear the way the Lord talks to us. By us, I mean you and me. When the Lord gives words of prophecy, they are meant to build up the community. They are not for one person. Even when the content is specifically for one person, the word builds up those who are giving it as well. When God is giving words to our prayer group, they are meant to be shared. Maybe I will start sharing one of his words at the end of each podcast. That way, you will begin to get used to hearing how the Lord talks to us. You will begin to see His mercy and His love.

If you spend time listening, you can hear the Lord’s voice. He does not talk to our prayer group because we are special or because He likes us best. He talks to our prayer group because we invite Him in, and we listen to what He has to say. One of the speakers at our Life in the Spirit Seminar mentioned a quote by St. Bonaventure that I think speaks to this. St. Bonaventure said the “Holy Spirit comes where he is loved…Where He is invited… and where He is expected.” Do you love the Holy Spirit? Have you invited the Holy Spirit into your life? What about your day? Do you expect the Holy Spirit to show up every time you ask?

This last one can be really difficult at times. I believe the Holy Spirit will show up. He has in so many instances that I can’t even count them all. I still question that he will show up sometimes. When someone asks me for a word of knowledge or when I need a scripture verse, I ask the Holy Spirit for it, and at the same time, my brain is telling me I won’t hear anything. After all the times I have heard from the Holy Spirit, I know this is ridiculous, yet it still happens. If you are having trouble listening to the Spirit, know you are not alone. Keep loving Him, keep inviting Him, keep trying to expect Him. When you invite Him in, take a few minutes of silence to see what He wants to tell you.

I think it is hard at first because we don’t know what the Lord’s voice sounds like or what kinds of things He wants to tell us. First, God’s voice usually sounds like your voice. At least in all those I have talked to who hear a voice in their heart, it sounds like their voice. Also, it might not be a voice. You may just get a thought that pops into your head out of nowhere. It could also be a feeling. For instance, you could feel an overwhelming peace about something. He also talks to us in visions and dreams sometimes. He can talk to us in and through Scripture, and He can also use other people. God is not limited. If He wants to tell you something, He will find a way, especially if you are inviting and expecting Him.

God says all types of different things. When discerning the words of prophecy for our prayer group, we look for four kinds of words. The first is a Call. Sometimes, God is calling you to do something. Usually, this is calling you deeper into your relationship with Him. The second is Proclamation. These are usually “I Am” statements where God tells us who He is or other essential things about Himself or His relationship with us. Third is Promise. These usually talk about how great God is and what He does for us. The fourth and final one is the Directive. This is when God is giving us a directive to do something. You can usually tell these ones because the language used is God telling us what to do. This is different from a call in the way that directive is usually God sending us to others. The call is generally calling us towards Him, and the directive is Him sending us out to others.

In our prayer group, we record all words of prophecy that are given in a month, and we have a team of four who read through all the words given and ask God to give us one call, proclamation, promise, and directive for the month. We put this on a bookmark so that everyone can have a record of what God told us that month. Here is an example of the latest bookmark we reviewed at our meeting.

Come beloved children of mine, come and feel my joy and my love. Once you feel it go and spread it to all those around you. Let them know that I am a God of love and hope. Come and be fully mine. Remember I am the I AM and you are mine. I am pleased with what you do for me, and I will love you to the Kingdom. You cannot contain me with your limited expectations. Even the tabernacle does not contain me. I am near you; I am everywhere. You will see and hear me. Open your eyes and ears. Expect me. I am there. Proclaim my word and my compassion. Proclaim it through your smile, words, with your arm around a shoulder. Take time to listen, and give up doing what you feel is urgent in that moment. Let my call be urgent, and proclaim me through your actions of love, forgiveness, and peace.

This is one example of the bookmark that we hand out each month. Do you see how loving the Lord’s words to us are? If you heard the Lord talk to you like this each and every week, do you think you would still think that the Lord is disciplining us more than we deserve? Do you think you would picture Him sitting up there waiting for us to sin so He can get back at us?

The verse above ends with, “Higher than the highest heavens – that's how high your tender mercy extends! Greater than the grandeur of heaven above is the greatness of your loyal love, towering over all who fear you and bow down before you!” I was thinking that I went off topic above, and yet I think this confirms what was said. The Lord loves us. His tender mercy extends higher than the heavens. He is more loyal to us than the grandeur of heaven.

I really feel as though the Holy Spirit wants you to know that the Lord wants to talk with you. He wants to sit and have conversations with you. He doesn’t want to be someone you see at church and someone you talk to when you need something. He wants to be a part of everything. I also feel very convicted that He wants me to share the words we receive at prayer group with you on this podcast. So, I will start tomorrow by ending each episode with a Word from the Lord. This way, you will begin to understand what His voice sounds like and will hopefully start to recognize His still, small voice inside you as well! I invite you all to take a moment and invite the Holy Spirit into your life right now. I invite you to give Him permission to work as much or as little in your life as He wants to. After you do that, expect Him to come and just see where He shows up! Not if He shows up, where and when He shows up.

Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless all those listening to this episode today. Lord, we invite you in. You are welcome here. Lord, show us how to recognize you in our lives. I know you are already in all of our lives. I pray you show each and every person listening where you are in their lives, Lord. Help us feel your presence. Help us learn to trust you. Help us learn to listen to you. Help us all to listen to you better. Thank you so much, Lord, for showing up in such a big way today. I truly felt you wrote this episode and that it would touch the hearts of all who listen to it. I feel so much joy writing this. I feel as though you are talking faster than my fingers can type. Thank you, Lord, you are so good. Thank you for this message and for all those who will hear it. I pray lives are changed through your words today, Lord. I pray your children take a step to grow closer to you. We love you so much, Lord, and we thank you for being so amazing!! 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 hope you were touched by the Lord’s words to you today, and I hope they help you begin to see that the Lord is talking to you, too! I look forward to bringing you another witness tomorrow. Remember, Jesus loves you, and so do I! Have a blessed day!

www.findingtruenorthcoaching.com

CLICK HERE TO DONATE

CLICK HERE to sign up for Mentoring 

CLICK HERE to sign up for Daily "Word from the Lord" emails

CLICK HERE to sign up for my newsletter & receive a free audio training about inviting Jesus into your daily life

CLICK HERE to buy my book Total Trust in God's Safe Embrace

God Is So Kind, Tenderhearted, and Patient!

Psalm 103:8-9 “Lord, you’re so kind and tenderhearted and so patient with people who fail you! Your love is like a flooding river overflowing its banks with kindness. You don’t look at us only to find our faults just so that you can hold a grudge against us.”

Today’s verses are ones I think we all need to hear over and over again. They speak such truths in them, yet they are often forgotten, or we simply don’t believe them. The first line says, “Lord, you’re so kind and tenderhearted and so patient with people who fail you!” God truly is patient with us. If you need evidence of this, look back at the Old Testament in the Bible. Look how many times God’s people turned away from Him. Look how many times he did miraculous things for them, and they repaid Him by worshiping idols. It wasn’t one or two times. It was often. Look at when He saved them from Egypt, where they were slaves, and then they complained because they didn’t have meat to eat. He gave them this miraculous substance called manna daily to eat, but they wanted more.

The Lord often told them to do something, and they did the opposite. They had so many kings who wanted to rely on other nations to protect them instead of relying on the one true God to protect them. Ever since the fall, when Adam & Eve ate the apple, man has failed the Lord. You can see even in the New Testament where we failed the Lord. The worst is when we crucified the Son of God. However, the apostles failed to trust Jesus or understand what He was saying all along the way.

God is still so kind and so patient with us. Even when you fail, and we all fail. Romans 2:23 says, “ For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Then the very next verse says, “and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” Can you see how kind, tenderhearted, and patient He is with us? Even after all the times we turned away in the Old Testament, God still sent His only Son to be crucified for our sins. This also brings us to the next part of today’s verses: "Your love is like a flooding river overflowing its banks with kindness.”

Take a moment, close your eyes, and imagine a river overflowing its banks. Imagine how much water there must be in that river. Image what it looks like for that overflowing water to cover the river's surrounding land. Can you picture water covering the grass, the rocks, the dirt, everything? This is what the Lord’s love is like. It covers us with kindness. His love covers our dirt, our sins, and all of our weaknesses. What I love about this imagery is that you can’t control the water overflowing from a river. It can’t be contained. There is just too much to stay contained it the river. It just overflows to everything around it. This is what God’s love does for us. It fills us up and then overflows to all those who surround us.

The following line says, “You don’t look at us only to find our faults just so that you can hold a grudge against us.” This is a very common belief. I have talked to many people who admit that they think of God as a judge sitting up in heaven, looking down on us, and just waiting for us to screw up so He can punish us. I have known in my heart for a long time now that this is not true, and now I have a Bible verse to confirm it. It’s interesting that this line comes right after the line about God’s love overflowing with kindness. God doesn’t have to wait up in heaven, just waiting for us to mess up. He already knows what we will do before we do it. He knows when and where you will mess up. And guess what? He loves us anyway. He forgives us anyway.

I think it is hard to picture God as a good and loving father if we don’t have a good and loving father.  If our father was always waiting for us to screw up so he could punish us, then we can transfer that to God. Also, if we grew up with this image of God in our minds, it can be tough to switch our thinking. If we struggle to believe that our heavenly Father is loving and doesn’t just look at our faults, we don’t need to look any further than the cross. God sent Jesus to pay for our sins. Ellen Gould White said, “Christ was treated as we deserve that we may be treated as He deserves. He was condemned for our sins, in which He had no share, that we might be justified by His righteousness, in which we had no share. He suffered the death which was ours, that we might receive His life. 'By His stripes, we are healed.”

Does that sound like a Father who is just looking for our faults? Does it sound like someone looking for a reason to hold a grudge against us? If God wanted to hold a grudge against us, He wouldn't have to sit around waiting for us to sin; we sin daily. We turn away from God frequently. God has plenty of reasons to hold grudges, yet He doesn’t. Romans 5:8 is also reminds us of this, “ But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” God didn’t wait for us to stop sinning to save us. Luckily, because I don’t think that is possible on this side of heaven. He saved us, knowing we would keep sinning. Jesus chose to die on that cross, not just for the sins of that day, but all the sins before that day, on that day, and all future sins.

When we hear all of that, it is hard to view our Lord as someone just sitting up in heaven waiting for us to sin so that he can punish us. Viewing Him like this doesn't make sense when we think about all He has sacrificed to save us. Father Mike always says truth can’t contradict truth. The words in the Bible are truth. They are the Words of God. The Bible is telling us plain and simple that God is not someone who looks at us only to find our faults, just so that you can hold a grudge against us. The facts in the Bible show us just how loving God really is. If you struggle to see what a loving Father in heaven we have, I urge you to read about Him in the Bible. Read the Psalms, the New Testament, and the Song of Songs. Read pretty much any part of the Bible, and you will be able to see how great God has loved us over the years. Looking back at our lives through the lens of “What had God done for us over the years?” we will see all the amazing things He has done for us. He really is a good, good Father.

Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless all those listening to this episode today. Thank you for loving us so well. Thank you for showing us what true love looks like. Lord, we ask that you show us what a good Dad you are. For all of us struggling to get an accurate image or feeling of you, we ask that you help us, Lord. Please show us what to read and where to learn more. Lord, show us who you really are. Give us a renewal of our mind. Teach us to see the real you! 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, and so do I! Have a blessed day!

www.findingtruenorthcoaching.com

CLICK HERE TO DONATE

CLICK HERE to sign up for Mentoring 

CLICK HERE to sign up for Daily "Word from the Lord" emails

CLICK HERE to sign up for my newsletter & receive a free audio training about inviting Jesus into your daily life

CLICK HERE to buy my book Total Trust in God's Safe Embrace

Our Father's Love (Part 5) "Giving Justice To The Defenseless"

Psalm 103:6-7 “You're a God who makes things right, giving justice to the defenseless. You unveiled to Moses your plans and showed Israel's sons what you could do.”

The Lord’s timing is always perfect, although it doesn’t always feel perfect. I read this verse yesterday, and that timing was perfect because I felt it confirmed a friend’s situation. I have a friend struggling with workers comp for over a year. It has been so stressful, and he wants it all done and over with. I texted him on Wednesday of this week because he was supposed to have a Zoom meeting, which was sort of like a hearing to see the next steps. Several people told him he should have a lawyer present so he didn’t get taken advantage of during this hearing. He didn’t have money for a lawyer, and he didn’t want a lawyer. He said the Holy Spirit would be his lawyer.

I prayed over him on Monday that everything would work according to God’s plan. We prayed for God to give him the words to say. We prayed the truth would come up somehow. Then, on Wednesday morning, I sent him another prayer to fill him with peace about the situation. To give him courage and strength and again for the Holy Spirit to guide his words. He sent a text back saying the hearing was canceled, the insurance company dropped the suit, and no further actions needed to be done. That same day, I read the verse above, “You’re a God who makes things right, giving justice to the defenseless.” God is so good! He took care of everything for my friend. He answered our prayers.

He will do the same for you. Sometimes, we limit the scope of what we think God can do. We will go to Him when someone needs healing or if we need strength. We go to God when we have family issues, or our marriage is in trouble. However, when it comes to some things, we don’t go to Him because we can’t see what He could do in this situation. For instance, if we are in a legal battle, we might pray for strength but not for God to fix the problem because we can’t see a solution. We can’t see how God could do anything to fix it. It is difficult for us to understand that God doesn’t not have the same constraints that we have. He is not bound by anything. There is nothing He can’t do. If He can create the entire universe, He can get you out of whatever situation you find yourself.

I read this book called How To Be A Kings Kid. The author tells of a time when he was the president of a company. He put in a bid for a contract on a large government project. He was sure He knew all the details, so he didn’t read the fine print. After he signed the contract and committed the company to everything they owned, he saw that in the fine print, it required them to do something impossible for them to do. The out-of-town contractor sent them registered letters to inform them that the following communication they received would be the institution of a lawsuit for all they owned. The government was involved, the army engineers, seven contractors, hundreds of people—Top priority. Penalties on top of penalties—There was no way to undo what he had done.

The author said he panicked and asked God what he should do now. He said it seemed like God said, “It’s a little bit late to ask that question. You didn’t ask Me before you signed the contract.” The author said although he messed up he knows that our Heavenly Father has provided all kinds of latitude for His kids to goof, and then what we do about it is what determines the outcome. What does God say to do? If we confess our sins, He is faithful and will forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. The author prayed, “Lord, I have goofed. I have really made a boo-boo. How are You going to get us out of this mess? Hallelujah!”

Next, instead of worrying about this problem, he headed to a retreat. The retreat started out by asking everyone to confess their faults to one another. So he stood up and told them what he had done. He said, “God’s kids never give up. Praise God. We don’t know how our God’s going to get us out of it, but He’s promised to do it. He said in Psalm 50: ‘Offer unto God thanksgiving and pay thy vows unto the most high and call on me in the day of trouble, I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.” Then he said, “Lord, I’ll be glad to give You the glory because no man can deliver me.”

All of the people at the retreat gathered around him laid hands on him, and prayed in tongues over him. The interpretation of the prayer was beyond anything he would have had the nerve to pray: “Lord, make this whole transaction as though it had never existed.” It was a ridiculously impossible prayer, but it had been prayed. No way to call it back. And so he waited day after day for the lawsuit for his breach of contract to begin. Satan kept needling him daily, “It’ll come tomorrow.” But tomorrow, it didn’t; days passed, weeks, and finally, years without mentioning a lawsuit. During that time, he had to learn to praise Jesus all the time or else fall into the hands of the tormentor.

He doesn’t know what happened. The contractor still has his signature on the paper. And he is entitled to hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages unless God changed the minds of many people. He can’t explain to you how it happened. He is just reporting. God is in charge. The author said, “He used to be my partner, but no more. Since I’ve started to live like a King’s Kid, He’s Head Man. Hallelujah!

This situation seemed like a situation for the courts to figure out. The author didn’t even know how to pray for this situation. This brings me to something mentioned in the book, but everyone might now know what it meant. The book mentioned that the people prayed over him in tongues. Praying in tongues or praying in the spirit is a special prayer language and is a gift of the Holy Spirit. When you pray in tongues, the Holy Spirit is praying through you. The Holy Spirit is praying directly from your heart to the Lord’s. The Holy Spirit’s prayer is the perfect prayer. Sometimes, we don’t know what we actually want, or in this man's case, he wouldn’t have had the nerve to pray this prayer. Yet, the Holy Spirit knew his heart's desire and prayed for it. Many people do not want the gift of tongues. They think it is weird. I get it. It does sound weird. However, if you could pray a perfect prayer to the Lord for the deepest desires of your heart, wouldn’t you want to? One reason I love to pray in tongues is because it takes the pressure off me to know what to say. I just open my mouth, and the Holy Spirit speaks to the Lord for me straight from my heart.

The verse ends with, “You unveiled to Moses your plans and showed Israel's sons what you could do.” I think God is still showing us what He can do. We are lucky because ever since Jesus died on the cross, there is no longer a veil separating us from the Lord. We can approach Him. We can be close to Him. Nothing is separating us from the Lord. Well, we can put walls up, we can put blocks up. However, the Lord has removed all that is in our way. Now, it is up to us how close we want to get to the Lord. There is no question in my mind that the Lord is still showing us what He can do. Almost every day, I am blown away by His goodness. It would be every day, but sometimes I am not paying enough attention to be blown away. Sometimes, I get wrapped up in my own stuff. There are so many miracles that happen each and every day. We need to be paying attention to see them. If you have a problem, no matter the size or the type, bring it to the Lord. He will help you! It would be even better if we brought our decisions to the Lord before we made them and asked what He thought. I bet we would find ourselves in a lot less trouble that way.

Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless all those listening to this episode today.  Lord, you are amazing and we are so grateful you take such good care of us. We are grateful you give justice to the defenseless. We are grateful you fix our problems even though we really don’t deserve it. Lord, help us to bring our decisions to you in advance so you can help us make the right decisions. Help us to turn to you, even in the impossible decisions. You are the God of the impossible. Remind us of that often, Lord. We love you, and we ask all of this in accordance with your will and in Jesus’ holy name, Amen!

Thank you so much for joining me on this journey to walk boldly with Jesus. Remember to sign up for my newsletter if you want all the details on my upcoming coaching program, retreats, and any other information. You can find the link to sign up on my website walkboldlywithjesus.com I look forward to meeting you again on Monday. Remember, Jesus loves you, and so do I! Have a blessed day!

www.findingtruenorthcoaching.com

CLICK HERE TO DONATE

CLICK HERE to sign up for Mentoring 

CLICK HERE to sign up for Daily "Word from the Lord" emails

CLICK HERE to sign up for my newsletter & receive a free audio training about inviting Jesus into your daily life

CLICK HERE to buy my book Total Trust in God's Safe Embrace

Our Father’s Love (Part 4) “You’ve Supercharged My Life”

Psalm 103:5 “You satisfy my every desire with good things. You’ve supercharged my life so that I soar again like a flying eagle in the sky!”

Last quarter, my Encounter Ministries class was all about intimacy with Christ, and I have to tell you, I am really feeling it. I can feel myself falling deeper and deeper in love with Christ, God, and the Holy Spirit. I have read the Psalms before and listened to the entire Bible three times now, yet things are hitting me differently this time. I am finding the words in the passion translation so easy to understand. I am being drawn into this relationship with the Lord in the most gentle way. It is not as if I have to spend time with Him. It is as if I can’t wait to spend time with Him.

Now, that doesn’t mean I am doing this perfectly. I have found that I love to sit in the church when it is just me and the Tabernacle and spend time with God. I feel so close to Him. Yet, I am simply not making the time to do that. I say this because I want you to know I struggle to do the right thing, just as many of you are. We want to spend time with the Lord, say all the prayers, and have all the devotions, yet life keeps getting in the way.

Guess what, my sisters, my brothers, life is not getting in the way. Life is the thing we were put here to do. Some people, very few people considering, are sent here to seclude themselves and spend almost all their time communing with God. God has called them to that task, and they have accepted. I always think that would be such a great way to live. Nothing getting in the way of my time with God. Then I remembered that if it were just me and God, I wouldn’t have my husband. I wouldn’t have my kids. I wouldn’t see my siblings or parents as much. They were called to that life and get to spend a lot of time with the Lord, but that doesn’t mean their life or their decision is easy. They are sacrificing a lot to live that life. I am so grateful to those who answered that call because we all benefit from their sacrifices, loyalty, devotion, and prayers.

Most of us are called to live in the world but not be of the world. We are called to live out our lives in various professions. We are called to live and interact with people. We are not called to be alone. This, too, comes with its own set of challenges. We have to navigate having to be in the world and yet not of the world. We have to figure out how to be a reflection of Christ to those around us. This is not always easy to do. It is easy to get caught up in the world and our lives and forget to make time for the Lord. So many people I know feel frustrated with their lack of time and energy. Most people I know seem tired and feel like they have no more to give. They have used up all they have been given.

We feel this way because we are not making time for the Lord. He is our strength. He is where our power and energy comes from. I love the part of the verse above that says, “You’ve supercharged my life so that I soar again like a flying eagle in the sky!” When we feel weak, worn out, and completely helpless, we can turn to the Lord, who can fill us back up again. I think I love this translation because it shows the power of the Lord. The power of the Holy Spirit, which we are blessed to have living inside of us. I remember hearing a testimony of a little girl about seven or so. She was laying hands on her aunt to pray for healing. She said she felt this heat and this electricity go through her hands just before she put them on her aunt. She said it felt like her arm was plugged into an electrical socket or something. That is the power of the Holy Spirit.

The wording of this verse says, “You’ve supercharged my life so that I soar again like a flying eagle in the sky.” How many of us could use our lives to be supercharged? How many days at 3:00 in the afternoon do you wish the Holy Spirit would come and supercharge your life so you can be awake for the rest of the day? How many of us are just going through the motions day after day, and we need the Lord to come in and supercharge our lives? We need the Holy Spirit to jolt us awake to truly live our lives. So often, it takes a tragedy to help us wake up and see how vital and precious life is. Don’t wait for a tragedy. Wake up and see the beauty of each new day today.

The first part of this verse says, “You satisfy my every desire with good things.” Did you know the Lord is the one who puts the desires down deep in your heart? Don’t you think He will help you achieve them if He gave you them? The hard part in all of this is waiting for them. We live in a world where we get instant gratification. Have you ever stopped to think about what it was like before all the modern inventions we have today? Have you ever thought about how long it must have taken to cook things back in the day? Today, we look for the next thing to make our lives easier. We want an Instapot because we don’t want to wait 40 minutes for our chicken to cook in the oven when an Instapot can cook it in 10 minutes. I hate waiting 30 minutes for the heat to warm up a room. Imagine lighting a fire and waiting for that to heat the whole house. Imagine having to light candles to have light in the house.

I say all of this to show you why it makes sense that we struggle to wait for God’s timing. It makes sense that we would be impatient when things take a while because we are used to having what we want when we want it. I ordered a canister of tea online the other day, which was delivered to my door the next day. Sometimes, we can have a desire placed in our hearts, and it can be there for a very long time, and we get so tired of waiting. This might be you right now. You might read this verse or listen to it and think, “God is not satisfying my every desire with good things.” If this is your reality right now, I want to ask you to take that to God and ask Him about it. Don’t feel as though you should just be grateful for what you have. Yes, be grateful for what you have, and also ask God for the desires you are still waiting for. In our prayer group, God tells us repeatedly that we are not asking for too much. We are asking for too little. God wants to grant us our heart desires.

This thought keeps coming up in the back of my head, so I think I am supposed to address it. What about the mom who constantly desired to have children of her own and didn’t? What about the mom who wanted a big family and only had one child? What about the man who wanted to get married and yet never did? Honestly, I don’t know. I am not sure why those desires went unfulfilled. So many things about God and how He does things remain a mystery to me, and they probably always will. I don’t think we will be able to ever fully understand the complexity of God while we are still living. I think the Holy Spirit put this on my mind to let you know that if you have desires that have been unfulfilled, know that God sees you. He knows your desires and is right there with you while you wait.

If you have deep desires that have gone unfulfilled, bring them to the Lord. It is ok to seek understanding. It is ok to express your frustration, disappointment, and even anger to the Lord. He already knows you are feeling it anyway, so why not take it to Him and ask Him for help processing it? Taking all of that to the Lord and asking for help instead of trying to process it on your own will help you to grow closer to Him instead of further away. He wants to talk to us. He wants to be a part of everything we do.

I really wish I had a better answer for you. I wish I knew why this says He satisfies every desire, yet it doesn’t seem that way to some of us. I do know that the Holy Spirit would not let me get that thought out of my head, and I feel I was supposed to mention it even though I don’t have an answer. Maybe I was supposed to bring it up so you would know you are not alone, you are not forgotten, and that it is ok to bring it to God and ask for understanding and wisdom into your circumstances. I pray you get the understanding you seek. The Lord says to ask, and it will be given; knock, and the door will be answered. Seek, and you shall find. What is on my heart right now is that we need to seek more. Don’t just be content with the disappointment. God is not a God of disappointment. Seek understanding, seek clarity. God has more for us if we just seek Him more.

Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless all those listening to this episode today. Lord, we thank you for fulfilling our deepest desires with good things. Thank you for supercharging our lives, Lord. We will take all you want to give us. More, Lord, more! Lord, some have deep desires that have not been fulfilled, and it doesn’t look like they will be filled. We ask that you give them understanding and clarity into your ways. We ask that you heal their hearts. We ask that you be with them; when they come to you, they gain the understanding they need. We love you, Lord, and we ask all of this in accordance with your will and in Jesus’ mighty 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, and so do I. Have a blessed day!

www.findingtruenorthcoaching.com

CLICK HERE TO DONATE

CLICK HERE to sign up for Mentoring 

CLICK HERE to sign up for Daily "Word from the Lord" emails

CLICK HERE to sign up for my newsletter & receive a free audio training about inviting Jesus into your daily life

CLICK HERE to buy my book Total Trust in God's Safe Embrace

Introduction

Today’s witness is from my new friend Bruce. Bruce found my podcast randomly, and when he heard the call for people to share their stories, he reached out to me through email and shared his story with me. I asked him if I could share it, and he said yes. 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.  This is his story of losing sight but finding a new depth of faith.

Backstory

I’ve been a believing Christian since the age of ten, but at some point in the past few years, I began to notice a growing sense of spiritual restlessness.  I felt like I never had the kind of spiritual life that you read and hear about.  I always felt there could be a better experience.  I wanted that closeness to God and that shower of blessings that the scriptures describe, but I always figured I was not worthy of it—or else I would have known it by now.  

A few years ago, pastor lane spoke about being “haunted by God.”  This began happening to me.  I would wake up in the middle of the night thinking someone was there.  I was never afraid, even though it felt surreal or supernatural.  It was as if someone was trying to tell me something, but no words were heard.  Someone was there.  It was the Holy Ghost haunting me.  

This was a good haunting.  I was quite moved by this and began to pray for something to happen that would make me a better person and Christian.  I asked myself what I would want from God as a spiritual blessing or gift if I had the chance.  I decided that my greatest spiritual weakness was a lack of courage, so that is what I prayed for.  I honestly believe that my answer came in the form of the trial I would soon go through.  I learned that when you ask God to do something, you had better stand firm and be prepared.  

Spring 2016

In the spring of 2016, I started to notice my eyesight slipping.  It was harder to focus.  I got new glasses prescribed, and by the time I picked them up, they failed to work for me.  The doctor determined that I had low eye pressure.  The doctor tried some treatments, but every treatment failed.  Sometimes, my vision would return, only to fail again shortly afterward.  I was coasting up and down with hopes and disappointment.  

Summer 2016

In the summer of 2016, Pastor Lane was teaching a series of sermons from the Book of Job.  This was never a favorite story of mine because I always looked at Job as someone with special favor from God.  Each Sunday, I would take my seat on the balcony and listen to the woes of Job while at the same time in noticing that my sight was diminishing a little more each week.  

I’ve never been known to have a quick temper, but one night, lying in my bed, I felt a real anger at what was happening to me.  I was never a person who got angry at God, but now I was asking God, “How could you let this happen to an artist?”  I had just turned sixty-five.  I was looking forward to launching into more painting, more teaching, and a rewarding time ahead.  Instead, my retirement gift was blindness—received with some bitterness toward God.  

August 16, 2016

Taking what I thought was the mature approach to my anger, I decided that anger was not the right path and that it would only lead to my own misery.  As Christians, we are always taught to look for the good purpose in all things, including our troubles and trials. I struggled to see where there was any good in an artist losing his vision.  I was at a dead end and could not imagine my life without sight or the ability to do my artwork.  I was forced to challenge God.  

I prayed, “Lord, I know I can’t be angry at you about this.  I don’t believe you would allow this to be cruel or to punish me.  I do believe you must have some purpose in these awful circumstances you have placed me in.  I am helpless and unable to understand any purpose for goodness here.  Show me what you want me to know."  

August 17, 2016

The next morning, as I was checking my email, I saw a message from a man I had worked with in previous years in the theatre business.  I was a little surprised because I didn’t remember getting any messages from him before, so I was curious what he had to say.  There was no text in the email, just an image of a stone tablet with the words “Psalm 73” carved into it.  I had never known this man to talk about God or scripture, so this was a surprising message.  

At this time, my vision was poor but still good enough that I could read using a magnifying glass.  I had a Bible in my studio, which Pastor Mike Mileski had given me.  It was a special edition with beautiful abstract artwork and a very easy-to-read text.  I read from it every day before I set to work on my painting.  

On this day, I decided to read Psalm 73, hoping to discover why my colleague had sent it to me.  I started reading about Israel and the ungodly prospering.  This didn’t seem to have anything to do with my situation.  Reading further, the Psalmist expresses frustration and admits his unworthiness to God.  I could relate to that more.  The next verse was one which I had heard and read many times before without too much notice:

“Nevertheless, I am continually with thee. You hold me by my right hand.  You guide me with your counsel and, afterward, receive me to glory.  Whom have I in heaven but you, Lord, and there is nothing on earth that I desire more.  My heart and my flesh fail me, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.  It is good for me to be near God...I will put my trust in the Lord God that I may tell of his works.”

I was reading while standing at my drafting table, but when I read these words, I slumped down into a chair because I felt my knees weaken.  I was so overcome by the words I read; it was as if I had never read or heard them before.  At that moment, as I sat in my studio, it felt like someone put a cloak around me.  A wave of peace and reassurance washed over me.  I felt peace I had never known before.  This was the “peace that passes all understanding,” which comes only from God.  This was the Holy Spirit answering my prayer.  Psalm 73 told me what I needed to know.  

The Lord is with me, always at my right side, holding my hand.  He will guide my footsteps and prevent me from falling.  When my life on earth is over, I will stand with him in heaven because I am just as worthy in God’s sight as Job.  I have no doubt of all this because the Lord has given me the courage to believe it fully.  

After reading and taking in the words of Psalm 73, I said out loud in my studio, “What more could I possibly want?”  I re-read Psalm 73 several times right after.  I had never had a verse that I might refer to as my “life verse.”  Now I had my own life verse because Psalm 73 changed my outlook on life forever.  

Fall 2016

In the days and weeks that followed, I read psalm after psalm.  I discovered that I could listen to someone read the psalms on YouTube, which was easier than struggling with my sight.  I was amazed that the theology that weaved its way through the psalms.  Several of them bolstered my faith and my reverence for this great book.  I always read the daily devotional reading and commentary by Charles Spurgeon.  His insight into the human condition, combined with his knowledge of theology, is remarkable.  Many days he would offer up a psalm which would prove to be exactly what I needed to have that day.  

In the year that followed, there were many efforts to fix my sight.  I underwent four surgeries and received countless injections in my eyes.  With a newfound peace and courage, I was able to go through all these ordeals knowing that the Lord was always with me.  With the help of excellent, caring doctors, I didn’t need to worry.  

Spring 2017

By the spring, it seemed at first that the surgeries had succeeded.  The relief was short-lived.  The pressure problem had been fixed, but a new problem appeared in the form of calcium deposits on my cornea, which were clouding my vision.  I was just ready to get new glasses after waiting a year, only to find out it was not possible until the calcium was dealt with.  This involved another specialist and more delays.  I had been dealing with my life very well up until this time, but the combination of everything seemed to drag me down ‘til I felt depressed and very discouraged.  
August 17, 2017

One particularly bad day, I went to see what my friend Charles Spurgeon had to say.  I was really counting on something meaningful to help me see my way out of this depressed state.  

Instead of a psalm, this day’s reading was from John: the story of Lazarus.  “Why Lazarus?” I thought.  That didn’t seem to offer any help on this day.  Spurgeon told how Christ is telling us that our trials, troubles, and illnesses are not forever, that there is a time for these things to end.  That promise from God changed my mood from discouragement to hope and promise. I now had the promise that my long series of troubles with my sight would have an end.  That was good enough for me.  I had made it through the past year, and I knew I was a better person than before.  I don’t think the old me would have come through the year as well.  

The story continues

In September of this year, I had an operation to remove the calcium from my cornea.  It was successful, but the condition has quickly returned since then.  Once again, I find myself unable to get new glasses, parked on the sidelines with hazy vision.  I am disappointed, but not without hope.  I have hope because of the many prayers on my behalf and the peace and courage that get from my Saviour, who holds my right hand.  

I am in awe of what God has done for me this past year.  I am in awe of how God has moved in my life since I asked him to do something for me.  I am richly blessed with a loving wife, daughters, and a family who care about and for me.  I have a church filled with caring people who have prayed for me.  I have everything I need; I know not everyone is blessed the same way.  I don’t know if I will have my sight restored to where I can read and write and create art again.  Even if I don’t, I know that God will have a plan for me, and I will never be left without him.  

I once asked what the Lord wanted me to do.  I found my answer in Psalm 73, which says. “I will tell of thy works.”  This is why I am telling my story.  I have yet to meet a person who did not face some sort of trouble, trial, illness, fear, and so on.  I want people to know that you can be deeply blessed and assured by just opening your heart and asking God to do something for you.  If you read Psalm 73 and do what the psalmist says by putting your trust in the lord, your life will change more than you can imagine.  Whoever you are—rich or poor, young or old, you and I can be as richly blessed and stand as worthy as Job in God’s sight.  

I just read a blog post that Bruce wrote for his church in November 2017. The following is part of an email to me summarizing his story and explaining about a miraculous event that happened in 2018.

Hello Catherine, I listened to your podcast, " If You Only Knew The Power You Had In You", the other day. I came across it by chance and was so taken with it that I listened to several more of your podcasts. You asked people to send you their stories and prayer requests. I recently retired after 30 years as a professional artist in the Live theatre business. I had my own studio for painting and designing. I taught art classes for 13 years at my church as well as the YWCA seniors centre. For several years I was dealing with glaucoma which was under control. In 2017 after 14 eye operations I lost my sight and was told there was nothing more that can de done. In November 2018, I went to a healing service in Toronto, not knowing what to expect. I had a miraculous encounter with the Holy Spirit and recovered my eyesight. That was a Sunday night. However, Monday morning, when I woke up, I was blind again. I could have been angry but was not because I was so amazed at what happened and knew in faith that the Lord was with me on this. I have been to several healing services since then but have not received my sight. My faith is stronger than ever and I am unable to give up hope. However, I have had occasional times of real sadness. Lately, I told God I don't know what to pray or do anymore. I don't understand why I am left this way. I have asked Him to help me out of this state I am in. When this happens, God always answers my prayer. I have listened to hundreds of podcasts and sermons. Your messages have answered so many of my concerns at just the right time as none other have. I have felt so akin to your thinking and way of explaining things. I would so appreciate your prayers for healing and restoring my eyesight. I already know that God has done it once, and will do it again. With my thanks and blessing on your ministry. Sincerely, Bruce Repei

Once I received this email I wrote back and asked if I could pray with Bruce over the phone. Two nights later I talked with Bruce & Alice on the phone for quite awhile. Bruce explained all about the healing service he went to and how his sight was restored. He could see all around the church, he could see Alice, he just looked around in awe the whole way home because he could finally see again. He looked all around his house when they got home. He didn’t go to bed until 2 or 3 in the morning. As he stated in his email, his sight was once again gone when he woke up. Bruce and Alice were both very upbeat and positive about the journey. When praying over Bruce, he could definitely feel heat, which is a manifestation of the Holy Spirit. He did not regain his sight but we are all hopeful it will return. I will continue to keep him in my prayers and hopefully continue to pray with him over the phone. I ask you to keep Bruce & Alice in your prayers as well. I am looking forward to the Witness Wednesday when I get to have Bruce on here telling you in his own words what it was like to finally have his sight back once and for all. That is going to be a glorious day. Don’t worry; whatever day it happens, I will be sure to tell you all about it! I won’t wait for a Wednesday!

Thank you Bruce for being brave enough to reach out to me and share your story with me. I am so honored you allowed me to pray with you and I can’t wait to do it again! I hope I get to meet you both in person when you come to MA in July. I hope every single person listening now understands a little better why I always say it is important to share our stories. My faith has grown after hearing Bruce’s story. People need to hear your story too. As Bruce said in his article, everyone has gone through something. Sometimes just hearing that someone else went through it and was able to trust in God makes it a little easier for you to trust in God. Thanks again Bruce! I can’t wait to celebrate with you!

www.findingtruenorthcoaching.com

CLICK HERE TO DONATE

CLICK HERE to sign up for Mentoring 

CLICK HERE to sign up for Daily "Word from the Lord" emails

CLICK HERE to sign up for my newsletter & receive a free audio training about inviting Jesus into your daily life

CLICK HERE to buy my book Total Trust in God's Safe Embrace