Never Underestimate Prayer ~ Episode 281

Do you think your prayers never get answered? I believe you should never underestimate prayer! In this podcast, Felice discusses ways we can shortchange the Lord and what a blessing it is to realize that our prayers have been answered.

Thanks to our sponsor – Media Angels, you can find curriculum as well as books such as One More Child and A Few Minutes with God.

Before you ask, no, my prayers do not always get answered, well–let me rephrase that. They do get answered but not how I would like them to be answered. I hope that makes you feel better. But that is no excuse to underestimate the power of prayer. We can pray, sometimes for years (or it seems like years), with no results.

Never Underestimate Prayer

If you haven’t done, so already, I invite you to listen to a previous podcast I did that is on the topic of forgiveness. What does this have to do with prayer? Well, I prayed for many years, and it turned out to be seven years, for a situation that happened in my life. Basically, I was praying for a person who had hurt me. Every time I was upset or felt helpless, I asked the Lord to bless this person. Did I feel like praying was a blessing? No, but felt led by the Lord to pray it anyway.

I invite you to do this. If you are upset with a person or hold a grudge against them, it is always best to go to the Lord in prayer and to pray for this person. The reason is that the enemy dislikes it when we pray for someone. The enemy wants us to be upset and unkind in our thoughts and in our actions, and when we reverse that and pray for a person who we believe has wronged us, then the enemy has no power over us and usually leaves us. In my case, a chance meeting showed me that all of that animosity and hurt feelings and everything else that I was feeling was gone.

This was truly a miracle, and seven years–wow! That’s why we should never underestimate prayer! I didn’t even realize it had been so long. However, the outcome was such a blessing in my life and one that I wanted to share with all of you. It isn’t always easy to admit when we are at fault, and holding grudges and unforgiveness in my heart is an example of being at fault. None of us are exempt from sin.

I learned through perseverance and prayer that the Lord always answers our prayers, and we should never underestimate prayer or his power in our lives, we feel defeated and alone and that no one hears us or understands us, and I think that’s what leads so many people into sin —they think that no one understands them, that God doesn’t hear them until finally a situation crops into their lives that they feel is an answer— but instead the situation becomes worse than the solution.

Friends, we must be steadfast and continue to pray. When I look at the lives of the Saints, those holy men and women who’ve gone before us. I see their lives are marked with struggle, yet they continue on and persevere. What a wonderful example that is for each one of us. Can you imagine if Abraham had given up or if David had stopped worshiping God after sinning? Sure, it took him some time to repent, but eventually God, God wants our hearts and minds to be single, focused and living the best life we can keep him at our center. The key is repentance and prayer.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

That is a scripture we should commit to memory!

One of my sons started listening to a podcast from a businessman.  He has been very successful, and he wants to share his success with others who are striving to live lives that he calls “striving for excellence.” I may have mentioned this to you in a previous podcast, but it’s worth mentioning again, especially since it has encouraged my son to strive for excellence. I explained that when we strive for excellence we’re striving to put on the mind of Christ. Excellence only comes from God, the same way we receive grace or blessings in our lives. It is a pure gift.

When we strive to live each day the best way we can, we should offer up our day to the Lord. Otherwise, are attempting the impossible, especially with daily temptations.  Striving to do something on your own is a recipe for failure. How can we strive to put on the mind of Christ? One way is to focus on what is important each and every day to our day to the Lord and ask him to come into our lives in a deeper way. I often pray this prayer. I don’t know how successful I am, but I do ask the Lord to come into my life in a deeper way.

We should set aside some time for prayer. How often you can do this depends on what is going on in your life; I know people like the idea of downtime, but what better way than spending time with God? On the days that I can’t spend time with God, I offer my day to him. I try to focus on what is important that day and give it the rest to him.
We can make our lives a prayer to God, and in that way, even if we are not verbalizing our intent, God knows our heart and perhaps will bring a scripture verse to mind or maybe a song of praise. Challenge yourself to memorize a scripture verse this week. Then another one next week. Soon you will have four verses memorized by the end of the month. Can you imagine if we did that monthly?  We’d have 48 verses memorized by the end of the year.

Colossians 3:16 (Read on air.)

Gratitude And Prayer

Can we sing gratitude? I’m sure if we were all in a room together and sharing about how the Lord has answered our prayers, we would be amazed at each of our stories. Each one of us has hardships that we bear, but each one of us has been blessed whether or not we realize it. If not, perhaps you can pray for an attitude check. Praising God in all things, seeing the good in our lives and those around us. This takes prayer, and it takes grace!

One way we can see how we are doing in our faith walk is to look at our lives as a glass that is half full or half empty which is it? Is your life half full, or is it half empty? If you believe your life is half full, meaning that you are blessed, rather than half empty, meaning you are lacking, that is one indication. No, it’s not an exact science, but it is an illustration that shows how we can look at things optimistically or pessimistically. The choice is ours. Believing that God hears all of our prayers is really Important.

Ultimately, when we pray, it is up to the Lord; if he answers the way we would like him to answer or not, if it is a prayer that is important to our salvation, those are the ones that are answered the most. For example, Lord, give me more faith, our Lord, bring me closer to you. Remember, when we pray, it is not a feeling; it is a decision we make. We make a decision to pray similarly to making a decision to forgive ourselves as well as others as we are closer and closer to the Advent season. As I record this, and it will probably play for the first time during December, the season of Advent, let us call to mind how important it is to pray to the Lord and offer our daily struggles to him.

Your challenge this week is to look at answered prayer as a gift and give God all the glory that He rightly deserves.

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Celebrate Christmas and Advent – Episode 280

When you celebrate Christmas, does it include Advent? Advent is the time before Christmas. It is the 24-day countdown to the blessed event, the birth of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Advent helps us to put the holiday in perspective. In this podcast, Felice discusses ways you can celebrate this joyous time, whether you are living alone or celebrating as a family.

More podcasts on Celebrating Christmas here:

Countdown to Christmas

Christmas Blessings

Christmas is Real

Advent deals with the coming of Christ, yes, but also the openness of our heart to receive our Lord and Savior, as well as the more profound meaning of recognizing he came for a purpose: to open the gates of heaven and to set us free from sin.

In my church, Advent brings in the Christmas season or the start of what is called the liturgical year. This is the season of Christmas and ends in January with the feast of the Epiphany is celebrated—the coming of the wise men to visit Christ.

The liturgical year is also celebrated with special colors worn by the priests at church. They are as follows:

• White: joy and purity, and the resurrection
• Green – hope and perseverance the call to continue to listen
• Purple – penance, waiting and morning
• Red – martyrdom of Jesus and the sayings
• Blue is in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary
• Pink —solemnity
• Gold – royalty

Suppose you had to pick a color which would you pick to celebrate Advent. You would think white, possibly, but it is purple. Advent is a time of waiting and morning. It is a time of joy because we know the end of the story, but it is a time of hope and sorrow for what had to be because of the sinfulness, the free will choice of man. When we celebrate Christmas, we can follow the Lenten practice of prayer and fasting. This is difficult to do unless you live alone. But, some families do make this their practice.

One idea is to fast from a particular bad habit or from overeating during the holiday when it seems that cakes, cookies, and parties are abundant. It does not have to follow the strictness of Lent, the 40 days before Easter. The importance is to recognize the Christmas season as a time of reflection.

What can you do to celebrate Christmas? Decorations, sure. But keeping the focus on the “reason for the Season,” the Christ child. In our decorations, be sure to add a Nativity scene or two, a picture of the Holy Family, or something that reminds you of the coming of our Savior.

Isaiah 7:14 (read on air).

Or we can read the geology of Jesus in Matthew 1 – again a reminder of the prophecy of God the Father to Abraham, Genesis 26:4 (Read on air).

While we love the Christmas season for so many reasons, it is also a time of hardship for many. It is difficult because of the loss of a loved one, financial hardships, or perhaps illness. Yet, the key to the season’s joy is not on the external but the internal, the focus on Christ.

Isaiah 9:6-7 (Read on air)

Who doesn’t want to celebrate the season with joy after hearing that? We can each celebrate in a way that makes sense for your individual family. For us, it begins with nightly prayer. This year, Advent begins on December 3. We will begin early because everyone will be home on Thanksgiving. So we will do the first week twice. Each evening, we light one candle and pray from my favorite book.

During the Advent season, we use a round advent wreath with four candles, three purple and one pink. The pink candle is lit on the third Sunday of Advent to remind us of the momentous occasion that is to come the following week. It is a time of prayer and scripture readings, and our family adds the prayer of thanksgiving. We share what we are the most thankful for each evening after our prayer time. It is wonderful and I celebrate this time with joy with my family.

I’ve given the children advent wreaths to take to college with them so they could celebrate on their own until we gather at Christmas time. It is called the Season of Light: Daily Prayer for the Lighting of the Advent Wreath. I have purchased other books but do not like them as well. The readings are not very long, but they are heartfelt. The suggestion is given to do this during or before a meal.

However you celebrate this Christmas, I pray you are surrounded by joy. Your challenge this week is to think about how you want to prepare in the coming weeks and, as always keep Christ in your heart.

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Blessed Be The Lord ~ Episode 279

This is a time of Thanksgiving and being grateful. But honestly, we should be singing, Blessed be the Lord” from the rooftops. Too much? At the very least, we need to realize where our blessings come from. In this podcast, you will be encouraged and leave with hope!

How do you feel when someone says, great job? Or, thanks so much for what you are doing, or you were so helpful. We enjoy being recognized. And while humility is a virtue, it is still nice to receive praise. It makes us want to strive to do better.

Here are some podcasts you may enjoy.

• Hearing the Shepherd’s Voice
• God’s World Revealed

How much more should we be thanking and praising God? He, after all, gave us our lives. He is the Creator of the Universe; He is the Almighty, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords! The scriptures are filled with verse after verse of the words, “Blessed be the name of the Lord.” These are words of worship.

One of my favorite scriptures is Psalm 113:2 – Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time forth and forevermore!

Blessed Be The Name of the Lord

How do you feel hearing this? It fills me with joy. When we are thanking God, we may think we are doing it for Him, but we are doing it for ourselves. God is perfect, and we can do nothing to make him “more perfect.” He does not need our praise, but he deserves it.

Just like we don’t need to be thanked or praised for a job well done, it is still nice to hear it coming, especially from our family. Why is it that we take our own family for granted at times, just like we take the Almighty God and Father for granted?

We feel the eternal, heartfelt joy in the words in Ephesians 1:3 (Read on air.)

What is more important than spiritual blessings? Nothing. That is the greatest gift we can receive. By glorifying God, we are doing the little thing. It is a form of love of obedience, and what God gives us back is joy. An abundance of joy!

There is no way we can outgive God; try it. Anything we do to praise and glorify Him is given back tenfold. Just think of singing praise and worship music. The song, “Blessed Be The Lord God Almighty,” gets stuck in my head when I hear it and sing along. It is as if the Lord is reminding me of that—link to lyrics of the song. 

Singing the refrain reminds us of what is important; it gives us a chance to let go of the cares of this world and the stresses in our lives. It allows us to see the bigger picture, the end goal, and what we should strive to focus on. When we let go and let God, as the saying goes, we allow Him to work in our lives. Amen? For me, music helps. I can’t listen to music and work on anything at the same time because I tend to want to sing along. It’s a good thing the Lord doesn’t care what we sound like.

At church, I often see people who are not singing. We are taught that singing is praising God twice. Even if you can’t sing well, try it- you can sing low!  It is uplifting to sing, and singing prepares you. It opens your heart to hear the Word of God and what the pastor is teaching. It is also helpful to praise God before you open the Bible. When my children were younger, and I didn’t have time to go to church daily, I would pray the one-hour prayer. Not all at once but during the day as I had time. I thought I did a podcast on the one-hour prayer, but I have not. I will do one soon because it was beneficial and so helpful.

In a nutshell, the point of the one-hour prayer was to praise the Lord, repent from sins, and prepare our hearts for reading the Scriptures. It is an abundance of blessings–for us. What a wonderful and merciful God we have.

Today’s topic is probably not anything you don’t already know. Most of you have a relationship with the Lord, most praise the Lord, and most of you listen to praise and worship music, but it is a reminder to us all. First, do not take God for granted. He is worthy of all praise. Second, fill our hearts and minds with glory and praise, and we will find our hearts uplifted. It may even combat fear and depression. And, third, take it to heart. Make it your goal this week to thank God, saying, Blessed be the Lord—amen~and halleluiah. Jesus reigns yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

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All In For God ~ Episode 277

What are your priorities? Somewhere in that list, does God make it to the top? In this episode, we will explore how we can be all in for God today and always. It is an easy way to restructure our priorities.

Thanks to our sponsor, Media Angels, with books, self-paced classes, and printables. Check out the website for more information.

I belong to a women’s ministry, Magnificat. It is an international ministry that brings women together within the context of a meal. We pray, praise, and worship, and host a speaker who tells us how they have grown in the love of the Lord and how they got to the point they were all in for God. Most of the time, it is a call to action. A call to change our lives for the better and to focus on the most important thing: our faith.

In prayer recently, we felt the Lord was calling us to go deeper, yes, but to be single-minded in our focus on Him. The time of excuses, dear friends, is over. We all have them. I’m too busy; I have too many people who need me, my job, my home, my faith community. All are excuses. I know. I use them. Often.

The Lord is steadfast in love, yes – but he is a jealous God. Exodus 20:5 – You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents, to the third and the fourth generation of those who reject me…

and then we read in Exodus 34:6 (Read on air).

The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness. 

Are we willing to reject God? We may not worship false idols in the sense of the people of Israel, statutes that they sacrificed even their children. Yet, today we see abortion is a type of sacrifice. It is a sacrifice of free will, an offering to evil in order. Parenting is hard work, and it is sacrificial. It is the element of self-sacrifice that has been lost. It is self sacrifice that will lead us closer to the Lord, not away from Him. When we die to self we

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Peace Within Families Episode 118

Next to world peace, we want peace within families! I’ve heard horror stories of siblings not talking to each other for years, and in this episode, we will pray for broken families and those who are lost to the hope of Jesus.

Thanks to our sponsor – Media Angels, Inc. and don’t forget to download our Prayer Journal free for subscribers on this website.

Peace on earth – peace be with you – peace within families goes hand-in-hand. I sometimes marvel that we want world peace, but those born with the same parents sometimes can’t get along! Of course, there are many psychological reasons that this happens, but truthfully, the real reasons are not so complex if we think about it.

I’ve created podcasts on forgiveness, and sometimes, it is the hurt and the unforgiveness that keeps people apart. One of the biggest problems I see among families is the inability to communicate.

We get upset, our feelings get hurt, we can’t understand, we are floored, and we are … well, fill in the blanks. We’ve all had arguments with those we love – and the more you love, the harder it is sometimes to keep from getting hurt. We wear our hearts on our sleeves, especially those of us who are parents, and we hope that our kids and our grandkids will see that we love them. But seeing is often tricky when our actions may show something different.

How do we show we love? For different people, it is in different ways – two quick examples for me are doing something, baking you cookies, having you over for a meal, opening my home, or well-doing. For my husband, it is time – and it is kindness. But peace is something that transcends doing!

John 16:33

Peace is the feeling of being protected and safe, and, most of all, it happens when we feel people understand us. That is why, without good communication within families, it will fall apart! With God, we talk, and He listens – very rarely do we hear the Lord … but when we do, whether through the Word, a friend, or in prayer, it may not be what we want to hear.

God is our haven. In God, we are guaranteed peace. Matthew 11:28: “Come to me, all weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

But back to peace within families – how do we achieve this? Especially in the toxic climate in which we, as Americans, live – and at the time of this recording! I’ve heard of family members who avoid getting together for the holidays because they do not want to get into heated discussions!

So, friends, here are some things to pray about if we want peace!

1. Pray for the Lord to shower those you love and are family members with love that surpasses all understanding. Philippians 4:7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
2. Listen: when others talk, listen and pray for discernment – and Proverbs 1:5 Let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance—
3. Pray to do God’s will – whether that is to comfort or love. We don’t have to agree, but we can do what God would do – maybe not agree but love.

Only God can love unconditionally, but I believe that as family members, we have a special grace from God to forgive if we allow ourselves to be humbled and realize we are not perfect! I know hard to do and easy to say –

So, Let’s Pray for His Divine Grace.

Dear Jesus, I pray for peace within my family. I know You love me all the time with your unconditional love, and I ask for the Divine grace to love those who have hurt me and ask that those I have hurt forgive me. Lord, I don’t want to conform or be less than I am; I want to be a shining star that shows Your love to others. I want to reflect Your light, and I want to be the one who plants the seeds for You to reap. I ask my God that you bless those I pray for and specifically for their needs … Thank Jesus for all you have done for my family and for the peace and joy that we will feel – and I pray this in Jesus, precious Name. Amen.

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Keys to Unlocking Your Faith ~ Episode 276

The keys to unlocking your faith are not complicated, yet often missed in our hectic lives. In this podcast, we discuss the key elements of faith and ways we can be open to receiving more of Him and less of us.

Everyone likes keys, and what’s not to like? They unlock previously blocked or locked items and often treasures. What is more important than the treasure of faith? For those of you who are lifelong Christians, the answer may be obvious, but still, when was the last time you asked the Lord to come into your life and unlock those places you’ve previously blocked?

You may enjoy these previously recorded episodes:

• Faithful Christian
• New Eyes of Faith
• 7 Keys to Sharing Your Faith

Think about this. Many of us pray and have an openness to God. We read the Scriptures, pray our prayers, and maybe even confess our sins. But, there is the place we ignore, we don’t think about, and we won’t release to the Almighty.

One time, I felt strongly in prayer that God was calling me to do more. He was asking me to give Him my all — but in a way that made me pause. “Lord, I’ve given you my heart, mind, intellect, all of me.”

But what about your health, your family, your finances?

Do we release everything to Him and say – Your will, Lord, not mine? Sure, within reason or what we believe is reason. We worship God, but what do we leave on the table? There is a saying in business that often we leave money on the table. That means we do not maximize our investment or profit to the fullest. We are, in essence, short, short-changing ourselves.

The same can be said in faith; we give God everything except everything.

The key to unlocking your faith is a complete surrender, and some of you listening are just not ready. Join the club. We are rational human beings. God gave us intellect, He gave us reason, He gave us free will (which often gets us in trouble). But He has also given us everything.

Jesus gave me everything by lowering Himself to come as a babe, live among us, suffer, and die to atone for my sins and the sins of humanity. He opened the gateways of heaven for me. He loves me. And I can choose to deny Him.

We walk around with heaviness and a lack of joy because we carry the burdens of life. We live in a world of war, strife, anger, and deceit. How do we see the silver lining in this world? Yet, we hold on and cling to life, don’t we? On occasion, I suffer from migraines. The pain is excruciating, but it is debilitating. For those of you who are fellow suffers out there, you know. I can do nothing, but I hope and pray it ends soon. Amid the suffering, the thoughts are disjointed as they believe there would be respite in death. How many suicides are there? The number has grown exponentially, especially among our young people. That is a lie from the evil one, and I rebuke it in Jesus’ Name. There is death, yes, when God wills it and only then.

If you are struggling, you can figure out the cause in this way. Try to listen to praise and worship music, try to watch something that is faith-based, and try to read Scripture. Does any of this bring a struggle in your mind or make you want to turn it off or away? If so, you are in the midst of a spiritual struggle. It happens to all of us from time to time. We want to bury ourselves in fluff, entertainment, and veg out occasionally. And, of course, there is nothing wrong with this. However, remember, the enemy wants to keep us in a loop of entertainment to rob us of the joy of a genuine faith infilling (Come Holy Spirit) and the joy that only comes from God.

There is good news! The good news is that true faith comes from releasing our will freely to the Almighty God.

So, back to the keys. The keys to unlocking your faith, what are they?

1. Surrender to God’s will in your life—all of me, Lord, for all of you.
2. Know that God will provide no matter what you cross if you lean on Him.
3. Fill your mind with all that is good; listen to praise and worship music.
4. Join a faith community. There is power in praying with other faithful Christians.
5. Go to church.

Friends, the truth is that the struggle, while real, can be overcome with the simple keys to unlocking your faith. Come, Holy Spirit, come and fill each person listening today! Your challenge is to pray this week for more of Him in your life, and if you are ready, surrender all to Him. Amen!

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Deliver Us From Evil ~ Episode 275

In the Lord’s prayer, we recite the words, “Deliver us from evil now and at the hour of death,” but what does that mean? As Christians, we avoid evil as much as possible, but that does not mean we aren’t tempted. In this podcast, we discover the scriptures do more than warn.

Sin can paralyze us. We can feel under attack. In some cases, it is difficult to break out of this hold, this attack. We live in a culture of self-indulgence, instant food, and easy access to things most countries can only dream about. Yet, we hear that many people feel empty and alone.

Many people are drawn to the prosperity scriptures, such as in Jerimiah. What is not to love? Jerimah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

You may enjoy these podcasts on combatting evil.

• Resisting Evil
• Evil Tactic
• Drenched with Joy

The Lord wants to shower us with an abundance of grace, but often, our hands are firmly in our pockets, or we sit with our arms crossed. We crave prosperity, but we realize it isn’t that easy to receive because of all the blocks we place in the way. God knows our hearts, and often we are found lacking. God wants to bless, heal, and restore us, yet it is up to us to open our arms to the Lord—your will, not ours. Deliver us from evil, Lord, as you will it to be. That should be our prayer.

The Gospel message is not for the faint of heart.

Psalm 9 – The Lord will judge the world with justice. Read all of Psalm 9, but the first (read on air)

Jesus is the Lord; he came and lived among sinful men when they yearned for a Messiah. These people did not recognize him even with all of the miraculous happening. Jesus cast out demons, yet the people of the day said he could only do this because he was evil. Whatever were they thinking? This is what we would call faulty thinking today.

In the Gospel of Luke 11:15-26, we read that the people were complaining about the Lord. They said Jesus casts out the ruler of the demons, but the only way he could do this was because he was evil. In verses 17-22, Jesus says, (Read on air)

And that, my friends, is the crux of the issue — whoever is not with God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit is against him. There is no time to be lukewarm. Lukewarm will not only get us into trouble but also allow evil to come back with a vengeance. It was difficult for the men then, as well as people now, to give Jesus credit, to believe, and to turn back from sin.

The really scary part is that while the demon was expelled from the man, not only did it come back.

The Return of the Unclean Spirit

Luke 11:24-26 (Read on air.)

Spiritual warfare doesn’t take a break; those who get free of addictions, if you get free of the evil, you need to change your lifestyle to maintain that freedom. Turn to a life of prayer and a sacramental life. We are made as a spiritual vessel for the Holy Spirit, and if it is not filled by the Holy Spirit, it gets filled by other spirits. We can not leave it empty.

How do you avoid evil? Recognize it.

Even as Christians, the lure for understanding or knowing the future is prevalent in our society. Two years ago, I was in New Orleans for a conference and visited St. Louis Cathedral. The church had erected a high metal fence in front of it, which I found strange until I saw, little by little, people in colorful garments coming and setting up shop in the open, public space in front of the church. Who were these people? They were the “sellers” of evil. There were fortune tellers and palm readers, to name a few. Some people took tours to talk about the ghosts that inhabited many of the buildings and had been “seen” in years past.

Where there is good, evil abounds. You may think I am exaggerating, but the truth is that the enemy will do anything for your soul. The enemy is allowed in through a gateway, but always with our permission.

One way that evil enters is through occult practices; many are unaware of items such as occult games, for example, the Ouija board and tarot cards. Or activities such as seances and mediums,  which is how evil gets in, because people welcome and allow it, believing it is just for fun or not real. Friends, it is real. Evil does have power, but only what we give it; God is greater, He is Almighty, He has dominion over evil. Who will we serve?

Deliver Us From Evil, Scripture Warns Us

The scriptures warn us. The Old Testament is filled with worship of idols, of false gods. The true God, the Creator of heaven and earth, gave warning after warning. The 10 Commandments, the prophets, and what happened? All of the twelve tribes of Israel fell because while two of the twelve (in the south) worshipped the true God, they would not remove the “idols from on high” that the people worshiped. We can not be divided in our worship.

A verse that should give us pause is in Isaiah 47 – in verses 10-11 (Read on air.) Leviticus 20:6  (Read on air.)

Deliver Us From Evil – Five Easy Steps

1. Renounce your sin, ask the Lord to call the sins to mind, and rebuke them in the Name of Jesus.
2. Renounce permission you may have given the evil one to enter through the sin. Spiritual warfare prayer.
3. Claim in the Name of Jesus that you are a child of God.
4. Pray with a spiritual advisor or clergy.
5. If you are Catholic, go to confession and receive the sacraments often.

Praying, reading the scriptures, asking for more of the Holy Spirit, and confessing are ways to avoid evil.

Spiritual Warfare Prayer

1. Renounce sin – in the Name of Jesus, I give you dominion over my life and renounce the sin of *** ____________________ (pray and quietly wait on the Lord to reveal sin to your mind.)
2. Put on the armor of God Ephesians 6:10-18.
   • RIGHTEOUSNESS: Girdle of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, shoes of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, flaming arrows against the evil one, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit.
   • WHOLE ARMOR: In verses 13-18,” Therefore take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.
   • TRUTH: Stand, therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness.
   • PEACE: As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace.
   • FAITH: With all of these, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
   • SALVATION: Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
   • PRAY: Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints.Pray in the Spirit – come Holy Spirit, and keep alert.

***Once you have prayed against evil – for example, the spirit of lies, ask the Lord to fill you with the opposite, “the spirit of truth.” Always pray the opposite of the evil and ask God to fill you with His grace. If you do not know the opposite, pray, Come Holy Spirit.

Remember, the battle has been won! Alleluiah. Alleluiah. Jesus lived, died, has risen, and has broken the bonds of death. We must be open and vigilant and recognize that we can pray, “Come Holy Spirit, Come…fill my heart today and always.”

Your challenge this week is to pray the spiritual warfare prayer and take back any areas you have given over. Amen! May God be praised.

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Faithful Christian ~ Episode 274

Do you want to be known as a faithful Christian? What about a faithful and prudent Christian? What does faith mean to you, and how can you use this calling to believe and bless others?

Media Angels is a publishing company dedicated to bringing good books, curriculum, and materials to Christian families. Check out the website for more information.

In the Bible, we read about wisdom and discernment. We also learn that a prudent person uses discretion and makes good decisions. We can’t do this all of the time; alas, no one is perfect, but with the help of God, we can live a life as faithful Christians.

Faithful Christians study the Word, learn from experience, and try to apply Biblical and Church principles to their lives. It is deciding each and every day that I will serve. Isn’t it interesting that those who are opposed to Christianity are those who seek self before others?

We must look outward instead of inward. I find that I can be critical of myself, and that is because I hold myself to a high standard, and when I don’t, measure up to what I think I should do, I can feel let down. I feel a sense of accomplishment when I have time to pray each day, spend time in church or just in quiet with God. I also love to learn and listen to teachings whenever I can, usually taking notes.

Do you feel like that?

But what about those days when we get so busy or without any accomplishments? How do we feel then? Do we give ourselves some slack or allow ourselves to regroup? If we don’t, we can become a slave to lists and requirements without being true to our calling.

What is our calling? To serve God, yes, but to know the mind and heart of God. God is righteous. We see this very clearly in the book of Jonah. We read that one of the lesser prophets, Jonah (and he wasn’t a very good prophet, we come to find out), was sent to Ninevah to warn the people to stop worshipping false Gods or they would be wiped out.

Every child learns of the story of the unrepentant Jonah and how he disobeyed God, went the wrong way, got on a ship, and was thrown overboard by the sailors because he admitted the storm was probably due to disobedience. Once he was thrown over and the seas calmed, the sailors praised and worshipped the one true God and changed their ways.

Jonah was eaten by a large fish, as the scriptures tell us, and finally, he was thrown up on the shores of Ninevah. He warns the people we read in Jonah 3:4-5 – read on air.

Jonah did everything he could not to follow what God asked him. He went the wrong way, barely giving instructions to the people of Nineveh, the bare minimum, yet the people believed. Even the king wore sackcloth and repented from worship to the false Gods. God changed his mind, and this city was not destroyed.

The other prophets at the time went to warn the tribes of Israel, but Jonah was sent to Assyria, which made Jonah angry – he was upset because he didn’t think these people should be saved. In Jonah 4:1-2 we read:

First, Jonah didn’t think they should be saved, and secondly, he knew …it says, “…for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love…”

We may shake our heads at Jonah. Seriously? Why would he disobey God? But consider this: how often do we think we know better than the Almighty? How often are we angry if others prosper and don’t deserve it? This is not how a faithful person should act. We should act in a way that knows the heart of God.

1. God is merciful.
2. God is slow to anger.
3. God is abounding in steadfast love.

God forgives, and yes, He can change His mind because He is God.

Faithfulness means trusting in Divine Providence, even when we don’t want to. It also means that salvation is not just for the elect – it was not just for the tribe of Israel, especially after they continually worshipped the true God of Israel. But then they would not destroy the altars to the false idols and gods.

Salvation was available to the sailors on the ship that almost drowned; it was available to the people of Nineveh when they repented. It is available to you and me and to anyone who wants to follow the teachings of God.

Imagine this…we, as Christian people, decide to repent for humanity. We put on sackcloth, fast, pray, and repent. Can you imagine how we could change the world if we could do this? God would take pity on us and deliver us from evil.

2 Corinthians 5:7, we read, “for we walk by faith, not by sight.” let’s, yes — walk by faith, but let’s also open our eyes to the true God and how to better show others by our obedience and action that we are followers of truth.

This week, look at verses that discuss the heart of God and let’s all try to be more like Him.

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Hunger for God ~ Episode 273

Where can you satisfy your hunger, that is, hunger for God? There is only one place, and that is in Him. In this podcast, we will discuss ways to combat that emptiness that we feel from time to time.

Thanks to Media Angels, the sponsor of this episode. You will find more information on the website at MediaAngels.com. Check out the Character Planners for families.

There is a saying that people look for love in all the wrong places; the same can be said about looking for fulfillment that we can only find in God.

Check out the Wholeness and Holiness Podcast on this Network and two episodes I enjoyed.

Coping with stress as well as Greater Peace, Joy, and Freedom.

Hunger For God

Ultimately, when we struggle, we must find fulfillment because of a need. We can only find satisfaction in God. That hunger that we have, that restlessness, that unquenchable thirst is because something is missing. As a Catholic, I memorized the questions and answers in the Baltimore Catechism as a kid. The first question was, “Who made the world.” The answer was, “God made the world.” It went on to establish that God was the creator of heaven, earth, and all things and that man was a creature composed of body and soul made in the image of the likeness of God. But the fourth question asked, “Why did God make you? The answer is God made me to know, love, and serve him.

We find we are unfulfilled when we know, love, and serve the wrong things.

A hunger for God is the desire for what is good and holy. It is not in the New Age sense or the false gods. Just like food is nourishing for the soul, God is nourishing for the spirit, and the heart cannot be quenched with the things of this world.

We read in Jeremiah two verses 11 through 13 (Read on air)

In the imagery of these verses, we see the warning of God, and this morning is that God has pointed out that the people of Israel have turned their backs on the one true God, and when they do that, they will find spiritual hunger.

Psalm 81:10 states I am the Lord, your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt; open your mouth wide, and I will fill it

Furthermore, we read in Matthew 5:6 (read on air) and John 6:33-35 (read on air).

And that is the only way, my friends, that we can fulfill our hunger for God unless we totally rely on him, unless we totally ask him for forgiveness, unless we pray “your will” be done in my life, God, we will always be hungry and will remain and satisfied.

Recently, I have changed my prayer petitions. Instead of praying specifically for something I’ve asked for repeatedly, I’ve been praying, “Your will be done, God.” In this way, I am releasing my prayers to him and the stress and anxiety accompanying it. That doesn’t mean I expect God to answer my prayer the way I had initially asked it, although that would be nice, but I can rest assured that whatever happens, it is within God’s will.

In a world where we can’t trust the things we see because how do we know if it hasn’t been manipulated or photoshopped or some other wonders of photography haven’t misled us, we can’t seem to trust words because many times those are skewed to fit a specific agenda, we can’t rely on or trust the government entities and many times we can’t even rely or trust on those. We love those who have hurt us.

But we can trust in God. We can trust in his perfection. Trusting when we are hungry for that spiritual infilling, we can rely upon God if we find ourselves struggling or empty or depressed or lonely. If this happens to you, think about why and analyze what you have put your faith into. What is not filling you up? What is not satisfying your would?

If we are not filling up on the Word of God, if we are not filling up on prayer, if we are not filling up on good videos or books, we may find hopelessness and despair. This creeps in, the enemy is just waiting to prey upon us in our time of weakness.

The hunger for God is a hunger, for the good things. It encourages us to fill up with grace and allows us the tools against the evil one.

John 4:13-14 (Read on air) The hunger for God can only be fulfilled as Jesus says, and in John 6:35 He reminds us of this again.

Dear friends, I challenge you to look at your lives to see ways to regain that joy, regain that hope, and be fulfilled. Do not go hungry another day. Look to the Lord for your needs, and share the good news with others.

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Christian Example ~ 272

What is a good Christian example? We can point to the saints, people like Mother Teresa and others. But, truly we can be an example to others by asking the Lord for His grace and His help.

Sponsored By: CTCMath.com a curriculum for students grades K-12 with online tutorials and help. Visit the website for more information.

Sadly, we, as Christians as a whole, are not the best examples of how to live. The promises of the gospel message show others, especially those who are suffering, that there is faith, hope, love, and compassion from the Lord.

God gives us many examples through the scriptures of how he expects us, his people, to act, and we fall short. Sometimes we fall short by word, sometimes by deed, and most of the time, just because we’re too lazy to do what is right truthfully, sometimes we can be so hard on ourselves or as one of our pastors says we have Christian scrupulosity. We care more for the letter of the law rather than the law itself. When we read the scriptures, we see it plainly, and yet how many of us take it to heart I know I’m guilty of this myself.

In Luke 7:31-35 we read, (on air).

Now, if we read the gospel of Luke Chapter 7, we will see before this happened, Jesus had been very busy. He was curing many who had diseases and sicknesses and casting out evil spirits. He gave sight to the blind and cured those who had leprosy. Those who were lame walked, but yet Jesus was reprimanding the people because even though they saw these miracles, they were not ready to change their lives

As Christians, we know the end of the story. We know what it is we should do God had compassion on those, and on those who were suffering, he brought people back to life. This is an example to us today of the gift that God gives us as Christians. We have the opportunity for everlasting life with him, so how are we going to be an example as Christians? How are we going to live our lives in a way that is pleasing to the Lord?

I can give you a list, of five or ten things you can do. But, my list might not be the one that is right for you. And, in doing this good thing, being a Christian example, it can cause us to be boastful, or to congratulate ourselves that we are not like those sinners over there. Friends, we must be cautious.

I did a podcast sometime back that I titled Judgmental Christians, and I’ll put a show a link I’ll put a link in the show notes. (Tell the story on air)

To summarize the other podcast, I explained how I should live my life according to the gospels I should improve my life, and I needed to forgive those who hurt me and ask forgiveness for those I had hurt. Friends, we are all flawed! It is difficult to show an example of Christianity to others when we are hurting, and as my mother used to say we need to get our own house in order before we can try to fix the houses of others

In giving others an example of what it means to be a Christian, we are following the example Christ gave us. However, when we pray, when we give alms, we do this because we should out of obedience, it is a free-will decision

Being a Christian is a free-will decision, and acting like one means we show others humility, love, and compassion, especially if they are hurting and especially if they feel rejected by others. When Jesus walked the earth, he called his disciples, I love the phrase “Come follow me” This is an example of what it means to follow and to be called by God.

But we know we are all called by God, the Scriptures tell us, He has called us by name…(Isaiah 43:1). Knowing someone’s name held great importance in Biblical times and even today. Aren’t you happy when you remember someone’s name or they remember yours? The significance is import. Even more, God knows the “number of hairs on my head– And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.” Matthew 10:30.

In Matthew 9:9-13 we read (on air).

Wow! God is calling us; he is calling all of us. Not the perfect, not the ones that have it all together, but us. The sinners.

As a Christian, our example may be flawed, but it is at least an attempt, not at perfect but of example. All of these things show us that there is a right and a wrong way to act, but one thing we know, we should not be judgemental like the Pharisees.

Think about everyday life, driving in traffic trying to find a parking spot or maybe returning something at a store when the clerk is very frustrating. We can use these everyday opportunities to say thank you or some other greeting that is welcoming. Or, “I appreciate the excellent job you have done or appreciate how hard you’re working if they haven’t done an excellent job.” You know what I mean.

Sometimes it only costs us a few minutes of our time, and sometimes it costs us much more. It is a sacrifice, and that is a small price to pay. If we can all show just a little bit of grace to others because God has given us grace, we should. Jesus asks us to follow him. It is not a call we should take lightly. It is those baby steps that take us closer to Christ.

Let’s all pray and ask the good Lord to give us the grace we need to be a Christian example because only by his gift of love and grace can we possibly show others just a tiny bit of the goodness of God. My friends rejoice and are glad because he is there for us not just today but every day, and I just pray that this week your challenge will be, can you guess it that’s right, to be a Christian example to either yourself or to others in your life and beyond take care and may the Lord bless you today and always.

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Suffering Christians – Episode 271

We know there are suffering Christians worldwide, but what about in your home? We often suffer silently and become depressed when we can turn that suffering into something more that will enhance our own lives and the lives of others.

This podcast is brought to you by our sponsor, Route 60 the Biblical Highway- check out the website for information about tickets and how to watch this fantastic film.

As a Christian, suffering is part of the package. Anyone who comes to Christ learns quickly that salvation does not mean we are free from pain and suffering. As I may have shared in another podcast, a personal situation put me off from deepening my faith. (Listen to the story on air.)

Check out these podcasts for those who suffer:

1. Power of Praise here.
2. Worship and Thanksgiving here.
3. Blessed Assurance here:

When can we hope to be free from suffering? Sadly, not in this lifetime, however, joy can be had. How? Easy – changing your mindset. How do we do this? We look to the life of the saints. These may be holy men and women elevated by what they did in their lives, but they can also be the everyday people we meet.

We can learn much from those who have struggled and come out on the other side. While we struggle to put food on the table or pay for gas these days, or when someone struggles with a medical diagnosis, those moments take our breath away. How do we cope? What do we do?

Mother Teresa ~ True Inspiration for Suffering Christians

Mother Teresa was the most inspiring nun of our day who showed us that life was too short to sit by and watch people suffer on the streets. She said she would never have started her ministry if she had not picked up her first dying man on the roadside. Mother Teresa said that her “yes” to God was what he needed from her to begin her ministry, which continues to this day. She had many quotes, such as “God doesn’t require us to succeed; he only requires that you try.”

That means a mindset change. We look at our struggles and say, “What can I do?” Instead of “I can’t do this.” God requires us to try. It is difficult, I know, yet there is not one person listening to this podcast who has not suffered at one time or another. How did you cope?

When you are suffering, how do you try? How do you try to help others? Is it with prayer, physical help, or another way that God has called you? We can’t all be Mother Teresa. But we can be ourselves. And God knows, loves, and hears you. Do you hear him? In the quiet, we can find the answer by seeking God in prayer and turning to him.

Combat Feeling Down or Depressed

On a trivial note, I have been combatting a cold for over a week, and the cold was not the issue. It was the headaches, which I am prone to anyway. When my head hurts, there is not much that I can do, and I found that in my pain, I started feeling down, discouraged, and annoyed with my lack of bouncing back. I also know that those feelings were not from God. And, so, I took charge, and I began to pray in earnest. What did I find? It was a God-incident. I found a Catholic Catalog containing books, other religious items, and more in the junk mail pile. Just looking through that catalog gave me hope, peace, and joy. It was filled with holy reminders of God’s love and His providence!

Do not think your prayers are in vain – Mother Teresa said, “Prayer is not asking. Prayer is putting oneself in the hands of God, at His disposition, and listening to His voice in the depth of our hearts.”

Holy Reminder

I can not imagine those in chronic pain; what a field day the enemy can have in your life. He is a destroyer of peace and can cause a suffering Christian to suffer some more! When people are suffering, we often say things to encourage them, like “God will not give you more than you can handle,” but as Mother Theresa said, “I know God won’t give me anything I can’t handle. I just wish he didn’t trust me so much.”

First, let me dispel the notion that if you love God and are a Christian, you will not suffer. This is not true. If anyone has told you that you need more faith or must have done something bad to lose God’s favor, ignore them. Better yet, pray for them because they are misguided. Yes, the Old Testament is full of the times when God has commanded his people to do something, and they turned their backs on him. What happened? They often perished, and their tribes and nations were overcome and overtaken by others. Why? They were not repentant.

What Suffering Christians Know

1. We know that God knows what we are going through.
2. We know that no matter what happens, God will not forsake you.
3. God is trustworthy. His Word has stood the test of time.
4. You are not alone.
5. There is an entire Christian community out there. (Discuss chronic illnesses.)

When people we know are suffering, be there for them. Show them, Jesus. Ask them how you can pray.  One of the best ways to combat suffering is to have a go-to list of scriptures, praise, and worship music. I did several podcasts on praising God in song.

My List of Scripture Verses For Suffering Christians:

1. Romans 8:28
2. Philippians 4:13
3. Matthew 11: 28-30
4. 2 Corinthians 1:3-5
5. Psalm 34:18-19
6. John 14:27

Your challenge this week is to look back on ways you may have overcome suffering in the past. How did you cope? Was it successful? If so write it down and share it with others who suffer. Also, make your list of scriptures that are helpful!

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Promises of Christ ~ Episode ~ 270

How can we believe anything Jesus said? Why are the promises of Christ real? Why should you care? This podcast will explore whether this is true and how we can apply it to our lives?

Sponsors keep us on air! Thanks so much to ROUTE 60: The Biblical Highway Airs for two days only. September 18 and 19: Visit the website for more information.

We know that words have power. We know that manipulation comes from those who are good with words. Words are used for good, and words are used for evil. The value of a word depends on who is saying those words. Is it someone you trust, respect, or hold dear? Or is it a stranger? If it is the latter, you can be sure you will consider the weight of those words less effective. How do you feel when you hear the news or something on social media? That’s right, we are suspicious, especially since we’ve been lied to and let down.

However, we know, especially as Christians, that there is someone who will never let us down, and that is Christ. Jesus is man and God, totally. He came into this world and lived, followed by apostles. Jesus preached to the people, healing and casting out demons.

We can trust the words of our Lord. Jesus did not have a sinful nature; he never sinned and can not lie; he only speaks the truth. God is righteous, and He does not change. We are taught He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. There is no time with God the Father, Son, and Spirit. God has infinite wisdom. And God loved his creation so much that he taught and warned them when they sinned.

Promises are powerful, and those promises come within words that can be used to convince and change our hearts, which is why the Holy Bible is a powerful tool. We read Scripture, and we are changed. There are entire books on the promises of Christ, but in this podcast, I want to focus on three.

First, what happens when Almighty God speaks a word? When God spoke, the world came into being. We read this in the account of Genesis. Genesis 1, take out your Bibles and read the words of Creation. “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth…”

We read repeatedly that when God spoke, amazing things happened. John 1:1-3  one of my favorite ever Scripture verses (read on air).

There are so many more promises of God throughout the Old Testament. Yet, time and time again, the covenant with Abraham is remembered through Moses, the descendants of David, and so forth. Yet, through all of these examples, what do we learn? That men are tempted to sin and disregard the promises of God.

There are so many things we can read about the promises of Christ – here are a few of my favorites.

Promises of Christ -Hope and Everlasting Life. A gift to humanity

John 3: 16-21 (read on air). “For God so loved the world…” This is such a fulfillment of good vs. evil, which will we choose. Jesus promised us many things, but we continue exposing ourselves to darkness instead of light. The lure of darkness is great. I once heard a teaching about the Christian law of physics that it is easier to be pulled down by a non-Christian than for a Christian to lift a non-Christian. Impossible, no, challenging, yes. This scripture explains why in a nutshell.

Christ is our Good Shepherd –

Read all of John 10:1-15 – Jesus promises to be the gate through which we enter, to save us, to give us life and have it to the full, he promises to lay down his life for us, and that he knows us. Wow. to be known, to be seen; that is what our Lord does for us.

John 10: 7-15 (Read on air) Jesus is the Good Shepherd!

The Father is revealed to the Son:

In Matthew 11 – we read about Jesus as he instructs his disciples, but what is eye-opening is that in the place where there were so many miracles performed, we read in Matthew 11; 5-6

Yet further down in Matthew 11:20, Jesus condemns the towns that even though they witnessed these miracles, they were unrepentant. They did not change, so there would be a judgment upon them.

Jesus gives us rest:

If we do change and are repentant, what are we promised? Matthew 11: 28-30. Jesus asks us to come to Him! (read on air).

Jesus gives us eternal life:

John 10:25-30 – Jesus promises to give us eternal life

He promises to make a place for us in his Father’s house

Are we guaranteed heaven? Jesus gives us a roadmap of belief in Him with an ultimate goal of heaven.

John 14:1-5 (read on air) “Do not let your hearts be troubled…”

So what can we do? We can believe that Jesus promises to be the Good Shepherd, to see us, really to see us and know us, to give us rest when we are struggling, to give us eternal life, and to go ahead of us and prepare a place for us in heaven. What a beautiful gift. And this is just a tiny bit of the promises Jesus gives us!

The following podcast is about holding on to our faith when we struggle and have problems.  We keep reminding ourselves that God is righteous and He does care. We cast our worries upon the Lord. In Matthew 6:31-34 we read (on air). Isn’t that right? Each day does hold its troubles, but with Jesus, we are assured help.

In this, we remember, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” While we do not put God into a neat and tidy box, we believe the Words to be true. First, we seek God’s kingdom.

This week, list the promises in Scripture that resonate with you and will sustain you through this life. It helps to memorize them and remind yourself when you are low or feeling down that God is the God of life and truth, and we must have faith.

Friends, we are not alone. God has promised us everlasting life, and I believe. Amen.

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Christian Strength ~ Episode 269

We have tools and resources available to us; what about Christian strength that comes from the grace of God? In this podcast, we will discuss the tools God has given us to combat the evil one.

Have you visited CTCMath.com for an award-winning curriculum designed for the entire family? It is a great math program for ages K-12, and we are thankful for their sponsorship.

One of my sweet friends, who gets our emails, sent me this quote, “If you get on the scale and don’t like your weight, remember that you are carrying the full armor of God!” Thanks, Carolyn Wright, for sending me this quote. I love it! It is the little things that remind us we are not alone. Our strength comes from the Lord.

Nehimah 8:10 – “Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” How can we have this strength?

1. If we love and worship the one true God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, that is half the battle.
2. We must remember to put on the armor of God, Ephesians 6:10-18 (Here is a podcast on the Armor of God.)
3. We are in good company! We are adopted children of the Almighty God, so we should rejoice.

Today, I was filled with joy that surpasses all understanding. There was no reason for this; in fact, before I went to church, I was burdened. I was praying for my family and felt a weight pressing on me. Whenever I felt this weight, I gave it to the Lord; in my mind, I said,  “Your will, Lord, not mine.” Then, I kept praying. When I finally arrived at church and knelt down to pray, I felt an overwhelming sense of the love of God.

Have you realized that as Christians, we have powerful tools given to us through Baptism by the Almighty God? Not only are we claimed during our Baptism, but for some of us, we were infants claimed through the intercession of our parents and godparents, and at other times as adults, for those who convert to Christianity. But there is more. God knows everything about us, and we are worth so much in the eyes of God. We are worth much more than any animals. In Mark 5, we see that Jesus restores one man, casts out the evil spirits, and puts them into the swine, who proceed to go off the cliff.  One man was worth so much more than all of the swine!

The concept of exorcism shows us that God is greater than evil. There is more to this world than just what we see; there is a spiritual world. There are principalities and powers, and ever since the fall, we see this brokenness and disobedience of man. Yet, God is light and continues to shed His goodness on a fallen world; we have the choice, and God gives us this free will. After the fall, the world belongs or is under the dominion of the evil one. Jesus came not just to teach, heal, and forgive sins but to fight. We see this with the verses in Ephesians about the armor of God. People looked at Jesus as a prophet; they expected Him to lead an army and wipe out the evil of the day, but He did this in the way that God works. God does not work by outward force. He works by word and deed. He only has to utter a word and evil was cast out. He instructed His disciples to go forth and to command evil to leave in His Name.

After the Baptism of Jesus with John the Baptist, he went into the desert to prepare for the trials to come, and he did it with a fight to take back what belongs to God, and that dear friend is you and me! Praise God, what fantastic news. If that does not give us a boost of faith, remember that the exorcisms that occurred then and now were to reclaim what belongs to the Almighty God.

During the Rite of Baptism (in the Catholic church, I’m not sure about other denominations), there is a right of exorcism; it happens in every Baptism. We are claimed for the Kingdom of God, but we must be delivered from the evil one before this can happen.  Wherever the gospel has been proclaimed, wherever Christ is proclaimed, it is accompanied by exorcisms. We have stories of exorcism from the beginning of the New Testament. When missionaries went to various countries, they also had to do exorcisms to deliver the people from bondage.

I heard a teaching on the topic, and there was a man, a priest who was from Spain and a renowned exorcist, who wrote a book on the topic and studied it extensively. In his studies, he found so few exorcisms during the Middle Ages, and he wondered why, but he concluded that the amount of Baptisms had risen. They were transferred from the kingdom of the evil one; they were brought into the Kingdom of God.

Today, there is a rise in exorcisms; why? Well, for many reasons, one is that people are not having their children baptized, and another is that those baptized deny faith in God, in Jesus as the true Savior; those in sin are choosing the evil one. It is their choice. Therefore, this leaves them open to evil. It is a gateway, if you will, an open door.

Fear not! If you are baptized, you have been transformed into the Kingdom of God! Jesus says do not be afraid. We have strength in God through the Holy Spirit. In the book of Romans, particularly Romans 1, we read about the early church and their struggle but, more importantly, how they were encouraged. Romans 6:1-2 “What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? ² By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?” 

We have been saved, in fact Romans 6 heading states Dead to Sin Alive in Christ. What good news.

Romans 6:23. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

This reminds me of a podcast I did on the present moment on being mindful. Link here. God provides for us today. In the present, when we need Him most. We torture ourselves with regrets from the past and the fear of the future, yet we only need to focus on today.

So, friends. Rejoice. Today, as always, the Lord will provide for me and you. He will provide for your family. Continue to pray, continue to storm heaven for what we need. This week, your challenge is to pray for Christian strength for the Lord to provide the grace we need when we need it!

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Christian Care ~ Episode 268

As Christians, we care for many things, but we also have a responsibility. Christian care means more than thinking about a situation and praying; it means taking action when possible. In this podcast, we will discuss the responsibility of being a Christian and the blessings that come with this knowledge.

Thanks to our sponsor: ROUTE 60: The Biblical Highway Airs for two days only. September 18 and 19: Visit the website for more information.

Are you ready to rejoice, praise the Lord for all that is good and holy and feel uplifted? Well, that is the goal of this session today. I feel that the topics have been heavy of late, which is not my intention in these podcasts. I want to be to my original mission, which is to encourage all of us to spend time with God but also to understand that we are children of God and so loved beyond what we can comprehend.

Do you have a family? Think about what that looks like and who is in your family. For most of us, we are protective of our family, care for them, and acknowledge that while no one is perfect, we are quick to defend our family members from outside forces. As I get older, my extended family has grown smaller with the progression of age and death. Life happens. Yet, our love for those who are gone has not decreased in some cases, it has increased, and our memories (hopefully) are good ones. We attended my husband’s family reunion, and I watched as people who often live nearby visited with each other and enjoyed good food and company. We were handed an SD card with old family movies that are now digital to view and enjoy. There we see the love and care of children, now adults.

We care for our family with love, but how much more does God care for us? It is so much that we can not imagine.

Romans 8:28 is a scripture many of us know, but what about Romans 8:26-27? I shared this scripture with you last week.

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our times of weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. ²⁷ And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.

God the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity, intercedes for us in our weakness. The Spirit searches our hearts and knows! God knows us intimately. That is why the next verse, Romans 8:28 is one of my life verses that blesses me each time I read it:

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who^[a] have been called according to his purpose.

We, you, and I, have been called to His purpose. You are listening to this podcast, me writing this talk with prayer and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit; we do these things with a heart for God. We want to know more, to learn more, and to be inspired.

When we have an eye to the future, in the end, we can see that many of the things we struggle with daily are not as important as the bigger things. One of my friends and co-author of a series of books we wrote for homeschoolers used to tell me not to “sweat the small stuff,” and she was right. She died in her 40’s, and yet she was prepared. She was one of these people that had the joy of the Lord in her heart; people would ask her, “What is different about you?” She would then share the love of God with them and, more times than not, lead them to the Lord. One person was our account manager at the company where we had our books printed. My friend didn’t have an easy life, in fact she suffered bankruptcy and a failed marriage. Yet, through it all she persevered and loved God.

Do we realize the end is near and pray? We read in 1 Peter: 4:7-11 (Read on air).

The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray. ⁸ Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. ⁹ Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. ¹⁰ Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. ¹¹ If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

That verse is beautiful and a perfect example of Christian care…” each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others as a faithful steward of God’s grace in its various forms.” We use our gifts for others, not for ourselves. This is selfless love. This is the goal of a Christian to care for others. We care when we are hurting and when others are hurt. We are there for each other, to serve and to love. Sometimes we ask the Lord to give us the grace to love those unlovable in our lives, yet even with that prayer, He listens and answers us.

Our challenge this week is to show Christian care for others, to love others as God loves us and to pray that the Lord gives us opportunities to use the gifts He has given us to bless others. Amen!

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Are You Awake? ~ Episode 267

Spiritual awareness is a blessing, and the question, “Are you awake,” comes in part as a nod in that direction and toward the world we live in. How are you awake, and what precautions are you taking to notice what the Lord brings to mind? In this episode, we learn not to be afraid but to be prepared.

Thanks to our sponsor: ROUTE 60: The Biblical Highway Airs for two days only. September 18 and 19 Visit the website for more information.

When we see the things happening in our world, we want to stay asleep! Are you awake to what is happening today, and if so, what will you do? In previous episodes, I have shared with you that I have insulated myself from stressing about worldly issues by turning off the television and social media and ignoring videos that explain the horrible tragedies and oppression in our world. One of the main reasons is that I feel helpless, and I am a doer. I like to accomplish and get things done. When I see something wrong, I prayerfully consider how to help. Yet, I tend to shut down when overexposed to unrighteousness and unfairness. Especially now that I am inundated with it everywhere I look. It makes me think the end is near because our Almighty God will not let this rampant sin go unpunished. Read the Bible, there is a warning, and when ignored, there is justice.

How can we prepare? When we pray, we must ask the Lord to open our eyes to what He wants us to know. One reason is for the knowledge, another for the ability to beseech God in prayer, and another is to prepare in any way we can.

Just this week, while gathering with the ladies in my prayer ministry, several alerted me to things I had missed. I was upset, and rightly so, yet praising God because He has provided for me in my need; he has allowed me the knowledge to pray and be aware. Being awake means taking action when possible; for most of us, that means prayer and sacrifice. What is God calling you to do? Has he allowed your eyes to be opened to a specific need?

These are the questions we must ask ourselves daily. How do we pray? How should we pray?

Romans 8:26-27 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. ²⁷ And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.

That is beautiful – we do not know how we ought to pray, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us! Praise God.

Sometimes I have spiritual awareness, and sometimes I am spiritually blinded. What does this mean? Having spiritual awareness in the Christian sense is different from the pagan. If you want to be freaked out, search for the term spiritual awareness to see what I mean. Much of it points to self-awareness that is unrelated to the true God. It talks about a sense of consciousness and understanding and the interconnectedness of all things without saying that the author of our awareness is the Trinity, God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Pagan awareness centers on self and a force we can control. Christian awareness points to God and good and eyes that are open to see sin. We see that the greater power is within Almighty God. It is not in the pagan sense that we can become gods. That is a new-age fallacy.

To be spiritually aware in the sense of true Christianity means to see with eyes that are open and aware. Many scriptures attest to this, some beginning in Genesis. When Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, they became spiritually aware. Genesis 3:7 states: Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.

Sin does not go unpunished, and we further read that they were banished from the Garden of Eden that God prepared for them. We must never forget that God is in control, we love the Lord, and He loves us, but we are held accountable for the knowledge he has given us. Adam and Eve had the knowledge they did not have the will to follow it, and they suffered, as well as all of us, their descendants.

Being spiritually aware of sin is critical. Those not spiritually aware can not see the sin; they do the same thing repeatedly, thinking there is nothing wrong with it. It is an evil that permeates our world and the hearts of those who seem to have lost all sense of what is true.

Ephesians 6:12  For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

The fight is against us, yes, but it is not a human fight. It is an evil deception and lies. Let’s call it what it is.

Opening our eyes and being awake gives us a sense of fear of the unknown. And fear is a tool the enemy uses to wreak havoc in our lives. That is why putting on the armor of Christ daily is essential. Here is one of my previous podcasts on the topic. The armor of God, His word is His protection.

Let’s pray that God protects our souls, hearts, and bodies from all the evil in this world. That, my friends, is something we can do, and that is pray. We must pray daily for protection and that God opens our eyes to the light. He has good in store for us if we follow His will.

1 John 7:9: (Read on air.) ⁷ But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all^[a] sin.⁸ If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. ⁹ If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

We have hindsight which we are told is 20-20. We can read the Bible and learn from the mistakes of those before us. The Holy men and women of God failed to continue to follow in the light and eventually were led to darkness. A past podcast dealt with the sins of King Solomon, who we read was given the gift of wisdom, but somehow common sense escaped him. He started as a wise person and ended up in a terrible place. He ended up foolishly worshipping false gods, the gods of his wives, first by marrying women of tribes he was warned not to marry. He made bad decisions, and others (his sons and the nation of Israel) were punished for his bad choices. King Solomon crossed the line – the scriptures list the false gods he set up shrines to worship, and one of them required child sacrifices. Horrible. His decisions had consequences.

Yet, so do mine. My decisions have consequences, and they don’t only affect me but others in my family and generations to come. Wow. What a responsibility. Many of us know what is right and what we should do, but often we do not have the will to do it. But we can pray for that strength; praise God!

Being awake means putting on the mind of Christ so that we are aware of the sinfulness in our own lives before we point out the sinfulness in others.

Praise God. We can repent and pray to the Lord to be spiritually awake.

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Fill Up Your Spiritual Tank ~ Episode 266

What happens when the well runs dry? We all need to fill up our spiritual tanks; for some, that means more often than others. In this podcast, we will delve into ways to receive abundant joy from the simple pleasures God has in store for us!

Thanks to our sponsor CTCMath.com – please visit the website; you will be pleased you did.

Are you burdened? Are you overwhelmed? Do you feel that if you are asked to do one more thing, you will… (Fill in the blank.)

None of us on this side of heaven escape from feeling overwhelmed, and if you care for a family and an elderly family member or are involved in work or volunteer, you know what I mean. When was the last time you laughed for the sake of laughing or spent time with a family member or a friend and walked away feeling freer and happier? For some, it has been a while, maybe a long while.

By its very nature, Christianity is joyous, and we forget this fact as we navigate the busyness of our daily lives. The joy of the Lord is our strength, and we need to remember this verse; Nehemiah 8:10 Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

Can you allow the Lord to be your strength and fill you up? What do you have to lose? Let’s see…

1. You can lose the idea that you are alone.
2. You can lose the idea that no one cares.
3. You can lose the idea that life is insurmountable.

Of course, we are sometimes alone, feel like no one cares, and have problems that never seem to end. Yet, allowing God to fill your spiritual tank is one way. God created us for Him and Him alone; when we feel down, it is often our own doing. We’ve decided we can do it alone; we are capable; after all, God gave us intellect, ability, and the will to accomplish many things. Yet, all of the success in the world (or lack of success) will not leave us happy or fulfilled. Only God can give us the fulfillment we crave.

In the Old Testament, we read about the Exodus and the journey of Moses and the people of Israel out of Egypt and into the desert to the promised land. Yet, two of the multitude of people crossed into the promised land. It was the descendants of this race; even Moses never made it. Why? In a nutshell, it was the lack of obedience and trust in the Lord.

God punished them, and rightly so. He said that the reason they would not enter the promised land, the land flowing with “milk and honey,” was in direct relation to their hardness of heart, their disobedience. Can we see that in our own lives?

Think about it. These people were saved from slavery only to complain and rely on their understanding rather than trusting that Moses, the messenger of God, was telling the truth. They wanted what they wanted. This was not only worship of false Gods but their memory of the life they had. They complained about being free from Egypt.

We read this, and it appears that the punishment from the Lord was harsh, but was it?

Have you felt punished in your life? Maybe you’ve prayed for something and don’t feel the prayer has been answered.  Join the club!

It has taken me many years to realize that I must first trust in God, that He knows what is best, and that I must thank God for all of the blessings, those I see and those I do not see.

We should remember the verses like Romans 5:1-5 … it is a verse of hope and faith – a great way to fill our spiritual tank!

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we^[a] have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ² through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we^[b] boast in the hope of the glory of God. ³ Not only so, but we^[c] also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; ⁴ perseverance, character; and character, hope. ⁵ And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

Filling up our spiritual tank can be done in so many ways.

1. Listening to the Word of God by reading the Bible.
2. Appreciating the blessings God has given you – write them down. (Praise Journal)
3. Going to church, attending daily Mass if at all possible.
4. Read about the saints, the lives of holy men and women of God who overcame great obstacles.
5. Listening to praise and worship music and allowing the words to penetrate your heart.
6. Sitting with the Lord and just listening. Even if you hear nothing, the Lord is with you. One of the prayers I learned early on is this prayer – Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful, and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.
   O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, Through Christ Our Lord, Amen.
7. Surrounding yourself with like-minded friends. I volunteer and serve on the Magnificat Ministry – a ministry for women, and we celebrate prayer breakfasts at least four times a year. This is an uplifting event to join in with other women to praise and worship the Lord and hear testimony from someone whose life has been transformed by God.
8. Praying. Offer your day to the Lord in the morning and the evening. Ask the Lord to fill you with every good thing.
9. Avoid anything negative or anti-Christian.
10. Turn off social media and the television.

I’ve noticed that the times I need filling up are when I’ve let my eyes stray from the Lord and my mission, which is to love and serve the Lord and others he has placed in my care.

We can become discontent when we think other people are doing so much better than they are, and maybe they are; rejoice and be glad because we are already heirs of the Kingdom of God.

Friends, let’s pray for each other that we are filled to overflowing by the grace of God, and that is your challenge this week; pray for an infilling of God’s love, peace, and joy. Fill your spiritual tank to overflowing, and I will pray this for you this week.

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Christian Comfort Zone – Time To Get Out! ~ Episode 265

Do you have a comfort zone as a Christian? Is your faith private? Is it personal? Is it something you do not want to share? If you want more from your faith walk, join Felice for this episode of A Few Minutes with God Podcast.

CTCMath.com is the sponsor of today’s episode, I want to thank them and encourage you to check out their products.

As Christians, we have our own way of expressing our faith. For many, it means attending church weekly and praying privately in their homes. Others share their faith with friends that are like-minded. Still, others have friends they’ve met at church.

And why not? All of these ways are acceptable. In fact, we should not brag, are we not taught this in scripture?

Scripture talks about not making a show of faith like the hypocrites. In Mathew 6:5-15 (read on air).

Then the Lord goes on to teach us how to pray, and He gives us the Lord’s prayer, encouraging us to forgive our trespasses as He has forgiven us.

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Spiritual Sandpaper – Episode 264

Spiritual sandpaper describes the events that happen in our lives that purify us and make us better than before, yet they are painful. In this episode, Felice shares how this can actually cause spiritual growth if we open our eyes to the possibilities.

Visit our sponsor CTCMath.com for all of your family’s math needs. My own grandchildren use this curriculum and I’m excited they are sponsoring our network.

Have you heard sermons about being tested in faith? The longer you follow the Lord, the more you understand this concept. At various times in our life, we strive for goodness, honesty and perhaps even holiness. Yet, our faith deepens not by all the good things that happen in our lives but through our trials.

In the book of Job 23:10 we read, “But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.”

Our resolve goes one way or another. After being tested, or purified we are not lukewarm but either for or against God. Proverbs 27:21 speaks truth in the verse, ”

The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but people are tested by their praise.

We’ve discussed praise and worship on my past episodes, and praising God in our daily walk can make the difference between happiness and strife. In fact as I write this the Lord has reminded me of a private matter of which I have been praying and beeseching God and I am now going to thank God for the situation. I am not thankful, but if it is God’s will – or God’s permissive will then I will be thankful out of obedience.

Is this true faith to blindly follow? Not at all. It is faith that understands that while we have free will, God’s will is for us to join Him in heaven at the end of our life, and a life of ease and comfort rarely gets us to that destination. The areas of our life that are unchecked lead to temptation. This can look different for each one of us.

Spiritual sandpaper is that time in our life when things are uncomfortable, and yet we see, after the trial, that the outcome is better than we could have hoped and prayed. We had some years of reduced income due to the economy. We never lived over our means, but even our savings accounts and investments did not prevent the outcome. After this very uncomfortable time, the Lord allowed us to keep our home when many around us with deeper pockets went bankrupt, and we were able to pay off our debt in a difficult yet fulfilling way. This time has taught us to value money in a better way than would not have happened without this uncomfortable time in our life.

I praise God for the outcome, which was so much better than I could imagine. In prayer I kept getting those words, they would pop into my mind, “It will be better than you imagine.”

We know sandpaper can be gritty and abrasive, but what happens afterward? The surface is primed and smooth. The sandpaper in our lives was reduced income, it was not a life and death situation, even though it felt like it at that time. Many of you have had a situation with someone who has been abrasive in your life, and it has been a challenge.

Our pastor talks about a husband and wife being sandpaper to each other and it works out our flaws and shortcomings. Our family is also our spiritual sandpaper.

The scriptures talk about being tested many times. The most notable in our spiritual sandpaper focus today is Proverbs 27:17, “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.

How are we sharpening each other? Are we helping each other in our walk toward the Lord –that is what we should be doing, but we often fall short. I don’t want to come off as preachy when I talk to my children about spiritual matters. Yet, sometimes I do. I send them videos of good sermons, Scripture verses, or encouragement. That helps in ways that are beneficial without me using a bunch of words.

Our job as parents is to aid our children. Our job as a husband or wife is to aid our spouse. The same goes if you are dating. We are to help and not antagonize each other.

Matthew 5:43-44:

“You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!’”

God commands us to love as He loves, which is difficult and sometimes impossible. That is why I have prayed, “Lord, I can not love this person right now, but I know you love them; please bless them abundantly.”

MOST OF THE ANIMOSITY WAS LIFTED whenever I prayed this prayer or something similar. Sometimes it took years, but the Lord was victorious in teaching me to forgive.

Why should we love even when people hurt us? Even when we are chafed, annoyed, or persecuted? Because the Lord asks it of us. I love how Jesus explains the main purpose of this command to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us in Matthew 5 verse 47, he says:

“If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that.”

Do we want to be compared to pagans? Of course not; as believers, we want to do better than those without belief or those who believe in false gods. And that is our challenge today or this week. It is three-fold.

1. First, to be aware of situations where we are sandpaper – that is, abrasive to others without cause. (Not sure there is ever a cause to be abrasive!)
2. Be aware of situations where others have been abrasive to us, and we harbor unforgiveness. Remember the Lord’s prayer.
3. Look at the spiritual sandpaper in our lives as a good thing, one that will help us to grow spiritually.

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New Eyes of Faith – Episode 263

As a Christian, it is important to practice our faith. But what does your faith look like? The new eyes of faith is an awakening. In this episode, we explore the meaning of faith and how we sometimes deceive ourselves.

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Faith can be subjective. Your faith is naturally based upon your experiences, your understanding, and even your denomination. Even two people sitting next to each other in church can have a different take on faith. This lends itself to an interesting question. Where is your faith, and can you say you practice what you believe?

This may be a hard question to answer and one that will take some time and thought.

Do we love the One who gave us life? The one who loves us beyond anything we can imagine. Let’s take a moment and think about that. You. Are. Loved. That alone should open our eyes and give us new eyes of faith. That should fill us with such love that we want to share this love with others.

That is the crux of the issue that many of us face in our world today. Those who say they have faith and those who do not practice what they supposedly believe. Listen, we all fall short, but by the grace of God, we flounder. Thankfully Jesus came into the world to redeem us. We read in 2 Corinthians 12:9 (Read on air).

Our eyes can be opened to greater faith and a deeper walk with the Lord, and at times it takes something catastrophic to happen before we can see the light, so to speak. Many things we consider important no longer are, and those things we hold onto, we find we can do without. Has that happened to you? You find that what was previously important is no longer an issue or of great concern. It is as if the blinders were removed; now, we can see clearly.

In Genesis 3:5, the tempter tells Adam and Eve a lie; the scripture reads:  “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

So, what did they do? Genesis 3:6-7 (read on air).

What did they receive? New eyes of faith, but it was not a positive outcome for the pair. The eyes of Adam and Eve were opened when they ate the forbidden fruit. God warned them. His perfect will was for them to live with Him forever in the place He had created for them. Instead, they made a choice, and we see it perfectly in hindsight –

Scripture often talks about finding “favor in your eyes,” with many references to finding favor in God’s eyes. That should be our goal, to find favor in the eyes of God. How do we do this? How do we deepen our love for God? One way is by spending time in His presence. We have many reasons why this can’t happen. We have family responsibilities, work, school, and other obligations. And, it is a choice.

New Eyes of Faith

Just like Adam and Eve had a choice. This is the first lesson we learn in the Bible about good vs. evil. It is the enemy against us, the evil one. He hates what God created. God created and said, “It is good,” and that is what the evil one wants to destroy. He wants to destroy our families and us. An increase of faith helps us weather the storm of life, but we need that connection to each other and God.

Faith is a connection to the Almighty. We are made for connection. One of the podcasters on this network, Margaret Vasquez, who hosts the Wholeness and Holiness Podcast, talks about connection. As a trauma specialist, she knows that a lack of connection often causes dysfunction.

We can become disconnected from ourselves, those around us, and those we love the most. And a disconnection from God can lead us to other less desirable things!  We can find we lack direction, and worse. Who we are is important, but who we are in Christ is important to renewing faith. Do we witness the gospel message? How can we when we are struggling ourselves? It is time to take a deep refreshing breath and look at our faith with new eyes.

As a business owner, I know that I better fulfill that promise when I promise to do something. No one cares about our excuses. Thankfully my job is not life and death, but it is important to keep websites up, bills paid so that the podcast stream doesn’t stop on your app and other things that we do to keep the business running. All of our behind-the-scenes work is invisible, but it is necessary for our customers. Many of my decisions were based on troubleshooting better options.

The worse thing we can do is not admit when we are wrong. We can all improve. Isaiah 2:10-12 (Read on air). Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight.  (Talk about humility)

Isaiah 5:20-21  (Read on air)

In this way, we should troubleshoot our options when it comes to renewing our faith and praying to the Lord to open our eyes.

We can ask that the Lord gives us the new eyes of faith to:

1. Identify areas where we have sinned.
2. Make better choices.
3. To choose God first above all others.
4. To make time to pray.
5. To get our priorities right

Remember, faith is a choice. It is a free-will option given to us by an Almighty God who loves us and who loves you beyond anything we can comprehend. It is perfect love, and no one can love you the way God can. We are created in His image. We were created for a specific purpose. We were created to love and serve Him, but He gives us so much more than anything we can do for Him. Our challenge this week is to pray that the Lord opens our eyes to areas we need to improve and gives us a deeper faith.

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Solomons Downfall – Episode 262

Solomon’s Downfall. In the Bible, there are definite lessons to learn but one for the ages is King Solomon’s Downfall. What can we learn and how do we apply this to our lives today?

Visit CTC Math for more information about a wonderful Math curriculum for students from grade school to high school.

When we first read about Solomon we learn about his wisdom, and how he has been blessed by the Lord with his father, King David’s blessing. 1Kings:2-4 (read on air).

2 When David’s time to die drew near, he charged Solomon his son, saying, ² “I am about to go the way of all the earth. Be strong, and show yourself a man, ³ and keep the charge of the Lord your God, walking in his ways and keeping his statutes, his commandments, his ordinances, and his testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn; ⁴ that the Lord may establish his word which he spoke concerning me, saying, ‘If your sons take heed to their way, to walk before me in faithfulness with all their heart and with all their soul, there shall not fail you a man on the throne of Israel.’

This was God’s will, that Solomon should rule keeping God’s statutes, his commandments, and his ordinances. He had a dream where he spoke to the Lord. 1 Kings 5-9 (Read on air)

“At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream^[k] by night; and God said“Ask what I shall give you.” ⁶ And Solomon said, “Thou hast shown great and steadfast love to thy servant David my father, because he walked before thee in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward thee; and thou hast kept for him this great and steadfast love, and hast given him a son to sit on his throne this day. ⁷ And now, O Lord my God, thou hast made thy servant king in place of David my father, although I am but a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. ⁸ And thy servant is in the midst of thy people whom thou hast chosen, a great people, that cannot be numbered or counted for multitude. ⁹ Give thy servant therefore an understanding mind to govern thy people, that I may discern between good and evil; for who is able to govern this thy great people?”

This pleased the Lord because Solomon did not ask for a long life or riches, he also didn’t ask for victory over his enemies. He wanted discernment something we all should pray for and that we desperately need!

The Lord gave Solomon specific instructions on how to build his house and the worship that would happen there. It took many years to build not only the house of worship but his own home, as God instructed. 1 Kings: 7: 51 states, “Thus all the work that King Solomon did on the house of the Lord was finished. And Solomon brought in the things which David his father had dedicated, the silver, the gold, and the vessels, and stored them in the treasuries of the house of the Lord.”

So, Solomon was blessed with wisdom that was renowned. People came from all over to hear his wisdom and one of the most famous stories is about the two women with the baby. Both women had given birth, yet only one had a child who survived. The woman whose child died claimed the living child was hers. They went before the King and he said that since they both claimed the child. Solomon then ordered that the child be split in two so that each mother should get half. The true mother cried out to give the baby to the other woman, while the false mother said the baby should be killed. Solomon then ordered the baby be given to the woman who cried out for the child’s safety. We all know the story and the wisdom illustrated. It was truly a gift from God.

He would live a long life and his household would be blessed and it should have all ended happily ever after. But as with the humanness of man, unfortunately, it didn’t. And what was his biggest downfall? One of the biggest downfalls was that Solomon took many foreign wives.

Maybe it started out well at the beginning and these women left their practices behind, but as tends to happen the old habits do not change and Solomon wanting to please his wives allowed them to worship their gods, these were the gods that the Lord warned about. These women, which we read about in detail in 1 Kings 11:1-4 were from the tribes that the Lord warned against.

Sadly Solomon too began to worship these false gods as his wives did, and the Lord warned him repeatedly to stop. Why didn’t he? Why would Solomon who was wise and gifted by God with this amazing kingdom over which to reign and given every blessing turn his back on God’s commands? Was it the lure of sin? Solomon’s wives were a great temptation to him. We read warning throughout the scriptures. 1 Corinthians 15:33 “Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.”

That is a scripture we should memorize and take to heart. It is difficult to stay strong when we are around those who do not hold to the same moral code, who do not believe in God, or who hold to His teachings. The lure of sin for Solomon in this case was too many women, women from places he was forbidden to marry, false gods, and too much temptation.

Yes, Solomon was fair and righteous and wise for a period of time in his life, but this counts for nothing since we read that at some point he faltered the lure of temptation too great. Hebrews 4:11 states “Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, that no one fall by the same sort of disobedience.”

Sin does not go unrewarded. For there is recourse for all who sin. 1 Kings 11:11

“So the Lord said to Solomon, ‘Because you have done this, and you have not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you, and will give it to your servant” (1 Kings 11:11).

Have you ever wondered why God would allow the Bible’s elite, the men and Kings of old to have multiple wives, some bordering on the ridiculous? I believe the keyword here is God allows but he does not sanction this, in other words, this is not God’s will. He created man and woman for each other beginning in the Garden of Eden.

We know this because in the book of Mark Jesus is asked this question and he answers this clearly:

Mark 10:2-10

And Pharisees came up and in order to test him asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” ³ He answered them, “What did Moses command you?” ⁴ They said, “Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of divorce, and to put her away.” ⁵ But Jesus said to them, “For your hardness of heart he wrote you this commandment. ⁶ But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’ ⁷ ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife,^[a] 8 and the two shall become one.’^[b] So they are no longer two but one.^[c] 9 What therefore God has joined together, let not man put asunder.”

¹⁰ And in the house the disciples asked him again about this matter. ¹¹ And he said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another, commits adultery against her; ¹² and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.”

Pray and ask the Lord what lesson he wants you to take from this, what does God want for your life? The biggest sins are the ones we commit when we know they are wrong. But praise God we can return to Him, we can repent and sin no more. Why didn’t Solomon who was wisdom itself not realize his sin? The question is why do we not recognize our own sin?

But rejoice! Tomorrow is a new day we can live this life without guilt by keeping our eyes firmly set upon Him – the God of second, third and often more chances! Our challenge this week is to recognize areas of weakness and strive, through prayer and grace to sin no more!

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Mirror of Scripture Episode 261

When was the last time you read a passage in the Bible, and it was as if the Lord was showing you a mirror image? I call that the Mirror of Scripture! In this episode, we’ll look at scripture verses that highlight areas that need our attention.

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Everyone wants to hear, “Well done,” or “Great job,” or better yet, “You are on the right track!” Yet, often the response we get when praying is silence. A silence of mind and of our hearts. How are we doing in our spiritual walk, and what does the Lord have to say to us in the words of scripture?

When we least expect it we hear God, it can be in reading a Scripture verse that we feel is powerful or just for us. Or, it can be in the words of a friend or something we hear at Church, maybe in a sermon but often in the Word being read. At my church, we hear readings from the Old and New Testaments each week. The readings may be ones I’ve read many times before yet they are powerful, and more so when it hits me as if a mirror is held up and I see my reflection.

Spiritual Mirror

I can say with assurance that many of us do not like what we see in the mirror. In fact, we possibly avoid looking into it other than getting ready for our day, in the morning. A mirror shows all of our flaws, the spots on our faces, the bad hair day, or other things we’d rather not address. By looking in the mirror we see how we look to the world.

Having a good body image and being happy with our own worth, inside and out is important. The point I’m making is that as a mirror shows our flaws and imperfections so too does a spiritual mirror. It shows us areas of faith we should work on to gain a better sense of where we are going. Hopefully toward a deeper faith.

Mirror of Scripture

Matthew 5:14-18 (Read on air.) ¹⁴ “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid. ¹⁵ Nor do men light a lamp and put it under a bushel, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. ¹⁶ Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

I love this verse! There is a Bible Song, “This Little Light of Mine,” we taught our children, and they sang it at Bible camp. It further illustrates that the light of Christ should shine through us to others. Alone we do not shine light but with God we do, and if we have this holy light we have work to do for the Kingdom.

If we hide our light we are not sharing the good news. God knows our situation, He knows what is happening in our lives. He understands our trials and He doesn’t call us to do anything He is not preparing us for ahead of time. A friend of mine didn’t want to embrace faith strongly because he was afraid God would send him to Africa on the mission field. He was a doctor, and he was seriously worried about this! But, when he finally opened his heart to the Lord, He was ready to go anywhere God called him. He and his wife lead our prayer group for many years, and they are some of our closest friends. God never did lead him to the mission field, but God allowed him to pray with his patients and at times allowed healing.

What is the weakness of our lives? Do we make excuses so that we don’t have to go to the mission field as well? Opening our hearts to God allows Him and only Him to work in our lives in a powerful way if we allow Him.

James 1: 22-24 (Read on air)

²² But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.^[a] 23 For if any one is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who observes his natural face in a mirror; ²⁴ for he observes himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. ²⁵ But he who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer that forgets but a doer that acts, he shall be blessed in his doing.

Powerful! We can be doers with the grace of God, and His providence. Friends, God so loves you. And we can spread that love to others. Today I was at a store and something I purchased was way cheaper than I expected. I told the lady checking me out that God was blessing me. I hadn’t paid too much attention to her, other than to say hi and ask how she was since I was busy loading up the items on the conveyer belt. When she smiled back at me after hearing me say, God was blessing me she said, “I wake up each day and thank God for it, each and every day.” As I looked at her, I was smiling and agreeing with a hearty, Amen! This lady was missing some teeth and fairly elderly, and working, but praising God.

Some of us have harder lives than others and yet if we can praise God in the midst of our trials that is using our lives in a positive way.

By looking at Scripture as a mirror, exposing our shortcomings and ways we have not pleased God, we can offer this to the Lord with a heartfelt purpose and that is to change. By continuing to show God we are dooers not just listeners we can better align our will to His. This week your challenge is to pray to the Lord before you read the Scriptures. Ask Him to use the Word to be a mirror. Let this help you grow closer to Him and in your faith. I will do this as well. May God bless you today and always.

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