Living God’s Plan on Purpose: Saying Yes to God Every Day

Living God’s Plan on Purpose: Saying Yes to God Every Day

A Few Minutes with God Podcast | Episode 375

Have you ever wondered, “Am I really living the purpose God has for me?”

We all want our lives to matter. We want to know that the ordinary things we do each day are part of something bigger—and that we are following God’s plan for our lives.

But busy schedules, responsibilities, disappointment, distraction, and seasons of weak faith can make it difficult to see that purpose.

In this episode of A Few Minutes with God, Felice Gerwitz shares how living with purpose often begins with something surprisingly simple: choosing God today.

God has already chosen you, created you, and prepared good works for you. Our response is to continually say, “Yes, Lord. I choose You today.”

What Does It Mean to Live on Purpose for God?

Living on purpose doesn’t necessarily mean making a dramatic life change, starting a ministry, or accomplishing something the world considers impressive.

Often, it means faithfully following God in the life you are already living.

It is choosing Him while raising children, homeschooling, working, caring for your family, driving through traffic, doing laundry, running errands, or entering a new season of life.

As Felice shares in this episode, God opened doors for her to proclaim the Good News through podcasting later in life—not necessarily when she expected it.

God’s purpose works according to His timing, not ours.

God Created You for a Purpose

One of the enemy’s most damaging lies is that you have no purpose or that your life doesn’t matter.

Scripture tells us otherwise.

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” — Ephesians 2:10

You are God’s workmanship.

He has given you gifts and talents, and He has prepared opportunities for you to use them. Our job isn’t to measure our lives against someone else’s accomplishments. Instead, we can thank God for what He has given us and ask how He wants us to use it.

Choose God Every Day

Felice shares something her husband often tells the engaged couples they work with at their church:

Every day, he makes a conscious decision to choose God and to choose his wife.

Faithfulness is a daily decision.

When we become trapped in irritation, anger, hurt, disappointment, or distraction, those emotions can consume our attention. Instead of remaining stuck in that cycle, we can turn our attention back to God.

Sometimes the prayer can be as simple as:

“Lord, help me. I choose You today.”

That small prayer of surrender can redirect an entire day.

God’s Plan Isn’t Finished

Maybe you feel as though your opportunity has passed.

Perhaps your children are grown, your career has changed, you’re retired, or life simply doesn’t look the way you expected it to look.

God is not finished with your story.

Jeremiah 29:11 reminds us:

“For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

There is still purpose in today.

5 Simple Ways to Live God’s Purpose Every Day

You don’t have to completely reorganize your life to begin living more intentionally for God. Start with small, faithful choices.

  1. Offer your day to God.
    Begin the morning with a simple prayer: “God, I am here to do Your will. I choose You today.”
  2. Keep Scripture where you can see it.
    Place a favorite Bible verse on your desk, refrigerator, mirror, or phone screen as a reminder of God’s promises.
  3. Offer ordinary tasks to God.
    Laundry, errands, commuting, homeschooling, caring for children, and serving your family can become quiet acts of love.
  4. Fill your surroundings with reminders of Him.
    Listen to praise and worship music, pray throughout your day, and intentionally redirect your thoughts toward God.
  5. Look back with gratitude.
    At the end of the day, ask: Where did I see God working today? Where did I walk in His purpose? What can I thank Him for?

Then take it one step further: encourage someone else in their faith. Tell another person what God has done in your life.

Living on Purpose Isn’t About Perfection

Living God’s plan isn’t about getting everything right.

It’s about returning to Him again and again.

It is trusting His timing when yours looks different.

It is remaining faithful in ordinary moments.

And it is waking up each day willing to say:

“Yes, Lord. I choose You today.”

God has already chosen you.

Will you choose Him today?

Scriptures Mentioned in This Episode

  • Ephesians 2:10 — We are God’s workmanship, created for good works.
  • Jeremiah 29:11 — God has plans that give us a future and a hope.

In This Episode

Felice discusses:

  • How to know whether you’re living according to God’s purpose
  • Why God’s timing may look different from your own
  • Choosing God intentionally every day
  • Breaking cycles of discouragement, anger, and distraction
  • Finding purpose in ordinary responsibilities
  • Using the gifts and talents God has given you
  • Practical ways to keep God at the center of your day
  • Why age or season of life doesn’t eliminate your purpose
  • Encouraging others by sharing what God has done in your life

A Question to Consider

What is one area of your life where God may be asking you to simply say “yes” today?

Take a few minutes to pray about it and ask Him to help you recognize His purpose—even in the ordinary moments.

Thank you for spending A Few Minutes with God. May His peace and purpose fill your days, today and always. Amen.

 

Journaling: Proof That God Answers Prayers

Journaling sounds simple — until you try it. In this episode of A Few Minutes with God, host Felice Gerwitz issues a challenge that she calls life-changing: start writing down what God is saying to you.

Journaling: Proof That God Answers Prayers

 

Felice opens her own journal to an entry dated May 2, 2015, where she had recorded Judith 9:11 — “Your strength is not in numbers, nor does your power depend upon stalwart men, but you are the God of the lowly, the helper of the oppressed, the supporter of the weak, and the protector of the forsaken, the savior of those without hope.” She had claimed that verse in prayer over her son during what must have been a hopeless situation. Years later, when she showed him the entry, neither of them could remember what the crisis had even been.

That, she says, is the point. When we wonder whether God hears us, a journal answers back. Felice shares how she taught her children that God always hears — He says yes, He says no, or He says not right now — and reflects on the humbling truth that we can only describe God in our own feeble, human words. One of her pastors taught her to pray, “Lord, I praise You and I thank You and I love You as You know Yourself to be.”

She also shares the news she received that day: the passing of a close high school friend who had been ill for twenty years and belonged to a faith that did not believe in medical intervention. While Felice doesn’t share that belief, she was struck by her friend’s unwavering testimony that God could heal her — a reminder that God heals in many ways: through miracles, through the hands of doctors, and through the medicines He created. The episode closes with a prayer of praise and blessing over every listener and their family.

A companion episode covers the practical how-tos of setting up a journal.

Key Takeaways

  • Journaling lets you look back and see answered prayer you’d otherwise forget.
  • God always hears — He answers yes, no, or not right now.
  • We can only speak of God in human words; He is far greater than our understanding.
  • Praying Scripture over your children is a powerful way to intercede for them.
  • As Christians, we are never without hope — our hope is God Himself.
  • God heals in many ways: through miracles, through doctors, and through medicine He created.
  • Free will means our decisions are our own — trust is what we bring to God.

Scripture Referenced

Judith 9:11 — “Your strength is not in numbers, nor does your power depend upon stalwart men, but you are the God of the lowly, the helper of the oppressed, the supporter of the weak, and the protector of the forsaken, the savior of those without hope.”

Quotable

“When you journal, you can go back, you can look at past entries, and then you will be so amazed at all of the times that the Lord answered prayer.”

“He always hears your prayers. And He either says yes, He says no, or He says not right now.”

“Lord, I praise You and I thank You and I love You as You know Yourself to be.”

Sponsors

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CTC Math — A comprehensive K–12 math curriculum built around short, engaging video tutorials that break complex topics into bite-sized pieces. Built for real understanding, not memorization, and flexible enough for homeschooling or after-school support. Start your free trial at ctcmath.com.

Connect

Call to Action

Start journaling this week — even one line a day. Then come back in a year and read it. If this episode encouraged you, share it with a friend and leave a review so more listeners can find A Few Minutes with God.

The Greatest Prayer

The greatest prayer that Jesus prayed is not what you think. In this podcast, Felice Gerwitz explains the High Priestly Prayer and how we can use this to grow closer to the Lord each day.The greatest prayer that Jesus prayed is not what you think. In this podcast, Felice Gerwitz explains the High Priestly Prayer and how we can use this to grow closer to the Lord each day.

The Greatest Prayer: John 17 Episode 373

High Priestly Prayer & Obedience to God’s Will | A Few Minutes with God

What if the greatest prayer Jesus ever prayed could transform your daily relationship with God?

In Episode 373 of A Few Minutes with God, host Felice Gerwitz explores the High Priestly Prayer of John 17—known as the longest and most profound prayer recorded in Scripture. While the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13) gives us a perfect model, John 17 reveals Jesus interceding directly for Himself, for His disciples, and for every believer who would come after them.

What Is the Greatest Prayer in the Bible?

In the Gospels, we see Jesus modeling prayer again and again. He taught His disciples the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6, a beautiful, concise prayer we often pray daily. Yet there is another prayer of Jesus that stands out as the longest and, many believe, the greatest recorded prayer in the entire New Testament. It’s found in John 17—the High Priestly Prayer Jesus prayed in the upper room the night before His arrest.

Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer in John 17 Explained

You’ll discover three key movements of this prayer: Jesus’ request for glorification and unity with the Father, His heartfelt plea for protection and sanctification of His disciples, and His powerful prayer for the oneness of all future believers “so that the world may believe.” (John 17:21, RSVCE)

This episode is an invitation to pray with Jesus, to let His words shape your heart, and to walk more closely with the Lord who intercedes for you every day.

Three Key Movements of the High Priestly Prayer of Jesus

First, Jesus prays for Himself. He asks the Father to glorify the Son so the Son may glorify the Father. He speaks of completing the work the Father gave Him to do. In that moment of obedience and surrender, we see the perfect unity between Father and Son.

Second, Jesus prays for His disciples. He asks the Father to keep them in His name, to protect them from the evil one, and to sanctify them in truth. He knows they will face trials in the world, yet He does not ask that they be taken out of the world—only that they be kept faithful.

Third, Jesus prays for all of us—every future believer. He prays for our unity so that the world may believe. What a profound invitation! Jesus wants us to share in the very love and oneness He enjoys with the Father.

How Obedience Becomes Your Best Daily Prayer

For me, the takeaway is that our best prayer is obeying the Lord. That is the greatest gift we can give God. By obeying the Lord we are living in His will. I’ve prayed so many times to be in God’s will, yet in my heart I often know what that looks like and still ignore it. I get busy with the things of the day and forget that the main to-do each morning is spending time in prayer.

We are also called to be obedient, as we are able, to the laws that do not contradict moral decency and Christian principle. This includes those difficult areas many of us overlook—such as living together out of wedlock. It has become commonplace, but it is not God’s design for us.

God gives us the model of a prayer life, obedience to Him, and the mission to share the good news with others. How can we keep this to ourselves? We must live, as much as we are able, like the disciples who glorify God through faithful obedience and bring others to Christ. We can begin by praying for those who are lost, those who do not yet know the Lord. Ask Him for the strength to be bold and to cherish every moment in prayer. This is the closest we get to heaven on earth. May God be blessed today and always.

Practical Takeaway: Living in God’s Will Through Prayer and Obedience

Open your Bible to John 17 this week. Read even a few verses daily and pray them back to the Father. You’ll be amazed at the peace and closeness you experience.

Related Episodes You’ll Love from A Few Minutes with God

Be infilled, entertained, and equipped as you press play today.

Share this episode with a friend who longs to pray more deeply and live in God’s will, and subscribe so the next A Few Minutes with God finds you right when you need it.

All Scripture quotes are from the Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE).

Be infilled. Be entertained. Be equipped. Then go live the prayer Jesus prayed for you

Unworthy Of God

Feeling unworthy of God or God’s love? You’re not alone. In this episode of A Few Minutes with God Podcast, Felice Gerwitz explores God’s mercy and how it transforms our hearts. Learn how to overcome feelings of inadequacy with these powerful scriptures and practical steps. Don’t miss this uplifting message—read on and share with a friend!

Unworthy of God's Love | Feeling unworthy of God or God's love? You’re not alone. In this episode of A Few Minutes with God Podcast, Felice Gerwitz explores God’s mercy and how it transforms our hearts. Learn how to overcome feelings of inadequacy with these powerful scriptures and practical steps. Don’t miss this uplifting message—read on and share with a friend!Unworthy of God? Discover His Boundless Mercy ~ Episode 353

Welcome, friends, to a reflection inspired by the latest episode of A Few Minutes with God Podcast! Today, we’re tackling a topic that many of us know well: feeling unworthy of God. If you’ve ever felt like you fall short or wondered if God could possibly love you despite your flaws, this post is for you. Let’s explore the beauty of God’s mercy and how it lifts us up, no matter where we are. If you love this message, please share it with a friend and subscribe to the podcast for weekly encouragement! I also want to remind you to take out your Bible and prayer journal if you have one.

Sponsored by CTCMath.com

Do You Feel Unworthy of God?

As a Christian, I often wonder if God is frustrated with me. I try to serve Him through prayer and obedience, but let’s be honest—I’m human, and I stumble. Maybe you feel the same way. You want to live for God, but those moments of doubt or failure creep in, making you feel insignificant. The good news? God doesn’t need our perfection; He desires our hearts. His mercy is boundless, and it’s available to us every single day. Praise God for that! Every day is a new day.

There are four powerful scriptures that remind me of God’s love and mercy, even when I feel unworthy, which is often. As I get older I feel less worthy, but the good news is that when this happens I rebuke it in the precious Name of God! The enemy does not want us to think or believe that God is merciful, and often this misinformation creeps in. So, today I’ll share practical ways to embrace His grace and love into your daily life.

Scripture 1: God’s Mercy Is Steadfast

Let’s begin with a verse that shows us the character of the Almighty God. In Psalm 103:8, we read:

“The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.”

This verse is a reminder that God isn’t quick to judge or condemn us. Yet He is a merciful and just God. He is there, waiting for us, ready to meet us no matter where we are in our faith walk. Maybe you are just getting started in your faith journey, or maybe you’ve been on this road a long time. Either way, we can feel like we have fallen short. When you feel unworthy, hold onto this truth: God’s love for you is unwavering.

Application: Write down Psalm 103:8 and place it somewhere you’ll see it daily, like your mirror or workspace. Let it remind you of God’s patience and love.

Scripture 2: You Are Valued by God

In my little corner of the world, I sometimes feel so small. But God sees me, and He sees you. Our efforts, no matter how small, matter to Him. Luke 12:7 says:

“Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.”

God knows every detail about you. You are never insignificant in His eyes. When feelings of unworthiness creep in, remember that you are precious to Him. I love this verse because it reminds me that we are not only important, but we are seen. That is a big buzzword right now: “feeling seen” and recognized for who we are. But how much more important is it to be the person God created you to be? And how wonderful that God sees us. Sure, we all need to improve, yet He is there waiting.

Application: Take a moment to thank God for His personal love for you. Journal about a time when you felt seen or valued by Him. If you can’t think of anything, thank Him for the gift of life!

Scripture 3: God is Waiting

Can you believe that? God is waiting for you and me? And the best thing is we don’t have to earn His love. The image of the Father running to us, as in the Prodigal Son, or Jesus knocking at the door, waiting for us to invite Him in, reminds us of His relentless love.

A fitting verse is Revelation 3:20

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any one hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.”

This verse beautifully captures the imagery of Jesus, knocking at the door of our hearts, waiting for us to open it. The handle is on our side, symbolizing our free will to invite Him in. God’s love is always there, but He waits for us to respond, to show we care by opening our hearts to Him. When we do, He doesn’t just enter—He comes to dwell with us, sharing an intimate relationship. God is a gentleman. He doesn’t push Himself on us; instead, He is patient and kind.

This scripture reminds us that even when we feel unworthy, God’s arms are open wide. We don’t have to earn His love; we simply need to turn to Him.  For more on God’s constant presence, check out my episode Not Abandoned, where I explore how God never leaves us.

Application: Take a moment to pray and ask Jesus to help you open the door of your heart. Journal about what it means to you to know He’s waiting to come in.

Scripture 4: Mercy Brings New Life

Finally, let’s look at Ephesians 2:4-5:

“But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ.”

God’s mercy doesn’t just bring us forgiveness. It gives us new life, a spiritual life of abundance and grace. When you feel like you’ve failed, His grace restores you. This is the heart of the Gospel! God’s love for us is renewed daily and when we are open to it, wonderful things happen.

Application: Each morning, pray a simple prayer of gratitude for God’s mercy. Ask Him to help you live in the freedom of His love.

How to Respond to God’s Mercy

So, how do we live in light of this incredible mercy? For me, it’s through prayer and striving to obey God’s teachings, even when I don’t get it right which is more times than I care to admit. Another verse, 1 John 1:9, offers hope:

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

This verse is like a reset button. When we mess up, we can come to God, confess our sins, and trust in His forgiveness. Feeling unworthy doesn’t disqualify you from God’s love—it’s an invitation to lean into His mercy. How often? Daily.

Next Steps:

  • Pray: Spend a few minutes each day thanking God for His mercy. Use my book, A Few Minutes with God, for guided reflections.
  • Journal: Write about how God’s mercy has shown up in your life. What scriptures encourage you?
  • Connect: Join our A Few Minutes with God Facebook group (facebook.com/groups/AFewMinutesWithGod) to share prayer requests and praise reports.

More Encouragement from A Few Minutes with God

If this message resonated with you, I invite you to listen to the full podcast episode, Unworthy of God, at ultimateradioshow.com. For more on God’s constant presence, check out these favorite episodes:

  • Not Abandoned: Discover how God never leaves you, even when you feel far from Him.
  • Calm in the Storm: Learn how God’s peace sustains you through challenges.

These episodes, along with others at The Ultimate Christian Podcast Network, are designed to encourage your faith journey.

Let’s Pray Together

Let’s close with a prayer: Lord, thank You for Your mercy that never fails. When I feel unworthy, remind me of Your love and forgiveness. Help me to trust in Your grace and live for You each day. Amen.


Thank you for joining me, friends! I pray this post has encouraged you to embrace God’s mercy and let go of feelings of unworthiness. If it blessed you, please share it with a friend and follow us on Instagram. For more resources, visit mediaangels.com.

Call to Action: Subscribe to A Few Minutes with God Podcast on Spotify, iHeartRadio, or your favorite podcast app. Let’s grow in faith together!

 

Peace Works Against Fear

Remember, peace works against fear, it really does, and we must unite as Christians against the bombardment of fear mongering.Remember, peace works against fear, it really does, and we must unite as Christians against the bombardment of fear that permeates our airwaves. Fear is one of the mechanisms that can keep us in bondage. In this podcast, I’ll share how peace works against fear, and in the Name of Jesus, we can be shielded and protected.

Peace Works Against Fear ~ Episode 372

Fear is one of the enemy’s most effective tools to keep us in bondage, but the peace of Christ Jesus shatters its hold. In this episode of A Few Minutes with God, we explore how God’s peace actively works against fear, shielding and protecting us in His holy Name.

Sponsored by CTCMath.com

The Influx of Fear in Our Daily Lives

Inboxes and headlines often direct our attention to topics that stir anxiety. Recent years (especially 2021–2023) brought isolation, loss, confusion, and psychological pressure that many still feel today. History will judge this era harshly, yet the daily drip of bad news continues. Bad news sells, but it robs us of peace. Our bodies remain in a constant state of fight-or-flight when we consume fear-driven media.

As Christians, we are called to something greater. Peace is not the absence of trouble—it is the presence of Jesus Christ in our hearts. Perfect love casts out fear (1 John 4:18), and God offers us that perfect peace. Yet, it is easier said than done! Getting the head knowledge down to the heart is another issue altogether. Stress seems to follow me around, and it translates into a feeling of doom when I don’t allow myself the time to pray to attend Mass or, at the very least, thank and praise God.

If you can make a list of your favorite Bible verses that focus on peace. You can refer to this in your prayer journal when you are overwhelmed. If you don’t have a prayer journal, start one today. It doesn’t have to be massive. It can be a small book with a side pen that doesn’t take up much room. I take mine to church to jot down notes and highlight Bible verses I want to read later. This is, once again, a great reference for the times I forget that God is with me. I’ve listed five in my show notes. Use those as a jumping-off point and list five of your own.

Scripture Verses: Peace Works Against Fear

Here are powerful truths from God’s Word to arm you:

  1. 1 John 4:18 — “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and he who fears is not perfected in love.”
  2. John 14:27 — “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”
  3. Isaiah 41:10 — “Fear not, for I am with you, be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.”
  4. Philippians 4:6-7 — “Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
  5. Psalm 27:1 — “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”

A list of Bible verses is not empty words—they are living promises. Take them to heart through daily prayer and meditation.

Two Simple Actions This Week to Replace Fear with Peace

  1. Examine Your Routine: Identify what robs you of peace—news feeds, certain conversations, social media, or worries about the future. Replace those triggers with thanksgiving and uplifting content from trusted sources. I have my favorites; once again, make a list of your own.
  2. Seek the Lord Daily: Ask Him each morning to direct your path, fill you with joy, and shield you from fear. Praise and worship lift us into the heavenly realm even in our homes. Try playing Gregorian Chant or sacred music in the background—notice the shift in your spirit.

Thanking the Lord daily for His blessings is a powerful weapon against fear. In this podcast, I’m focusing more on external forces that rob us of our peace and joy.

Why This Matters Today

In a world pushing fear as a constant companion, we can choose the peace that surpasses understanding. I reject the spirit of fear in the precious Name of the Lord, and I can embrace the joy of the Lord! Does that always work to restore my peace and joy? No, but I will fight for it daily. I know that my prayers matter. I know that God hears me. I know, that I know, that I know that He died for me, rose from the dead in three days and is reigning in heaven. This temporary world is a place I can live, but ultimately my goal is heaven. Therefore, I know that while I pray, I must avoid the needless bombardment of fear-mongering and lies, so that I can keep my eyes more fully on Him.

Dear Lord, I pray for those listening today that you fill them with discernment to root out the lies of the enemy, to focus on the ways that the enemy has deceived them, and to give them the strength and fortitude to turn to you in times of need. I come against the spirit of fear in the Name of Jesus and ask You, Lord, to send Your angels to combat it alongside us. And  I pray this in Jesus Name. Amen.

Listen to the full episode on the Ultimate Christian Podcast Network and share it with someone battling anxiety. God’s peace is available to you right now.

More Encouragement from A Few Minutes with God Podcast

May the Lord bless you with His unshakable peace. Spend a few minutes with God today—He is waiting. Until next time, walk in faith, not fear.

 

Transformed Family (Replay)

AFMWG Family Transformed

Family Transformed – Episode 217

Are you ready for a transformation within your own family? How about a challenge for a transformed family? This is a follow-up to the last episode of Heart Transformed 

Thanks to our sponsor, CTC Math a wonderful math curriculum for kids K-12

Why is it we can see the faults in other people so much easier than we can see the faults in ourselves? Did you know when we focus on ourselves first (the opposite of what we have been taught), and get our own spiritual house in order, the rest of the family will see the change and want to be a part of what you have? If you didn’t catch the last episode, Heart Transformed  be sure to check it out.

St. Paul reminds us in Colossians 3:1-4 [ Read on air]

When our family is at peace, when we are serving the Lord as a group, we will all get along so much better. I taught my children that God put us together as a family on purpose. There are no mistakes in Lord’s plan for family life. Each person was selected to be together because of what they could learn from each other. It is a beautiful thing when it works the way God designed. If we focus on the things above we are so much happier.

The best teacher is the example we set If we want our family to read the Bible, we need to read the Bible. If we want our family to pray, we need to lead in prayer. Years ago I wanted my husband to be the spiritual leader of our home, and he is in so many ways, but not in the way I wanted him to be. I wanted him to lead the Bible studies and the prayer sessions we had as a family and while he contributed to these, he is not a leader. So we became co-leaders, I would initiate the studies and he and I would contribute to the discussion. We can become upset or bitter because things do not go our way rather than take on the leadership ourselves if that is what God leads us to do. Don’t box yourself in with your own ideas, but rather what works best for your family. Never, never compare your family to other families. That will surely set you up for failure. Many people put up a good front when everything is falling apart. So don’t judge by exteriors.

Here are some simple things to do, for yourself if you do not have a young family and with a family, if you do:

  1. Start each day by giving thanks. By doing this we are giving God all the glory (Colossians 4:4 – When Christ who is your life is revealed, then you will also be revealed with him in glory.”) That is enough for us to rejoice daily.
  2. Family prayer. Begin each meal with thanks to God. Keep it brief. Have a nighttime routine that includes prayer.
  3. Encourage each member of the family to have their own time to pray.
  4. Participate in helping. Whether it is each other or contributing to the family needs. Meals, cleaning up, helping when needed.
  5. Participate in ministry outside of the home. Volunteering, visiting the elderly (neighbor), etc.

Talk to your family members and add to this list. As the children grew and left home we had a big gap in our lives, and my husband and I found we were no longer praying together because our nightly routine was changed. Even when our children were younger, the two of us would pray each evening together. This habit changed as our lives became busier. For anyone who has children, you always think you will have so much time when the kids grow older, but soon find that our lives just change and often become even busier. We must make the time to pray together.

If you are alone in your home and have a good prayer life, that is wonderful, now invite a friend. I pray with my friends often. Sometimes it is in church, sometimes it is a friend in need. I am part of several email prayer groups that send out prayer requests. I set up a Facebook group – A Few Minutes with God years ago for prayer requests. It was used to help people who needed prayers and also to post their praise reports.

And that is really the crux of the transformed family, and that is you will have so many praise reports! A praise report is where we thank God for the blessings in our lives. My son was hit by a falling object that was large and metal off of a single-story roof. The injury could have been so bad, but it turned out that while it bled profusely, the damage was minimal and mostly a scrape. That was a miracle. No swelling, no concussion, no brain damage, or worse! So thank you Lord for your blessings. If you think about it each day you can come up with so many things to thank the Lord for and to praise His Name. But, it takes time to stop and think.

What do you do when you enter a church? Is it a time to be social, or is it a time to listen and pray? Can we pray and be social? Of course! But I feel that often church is used as a social outlet rather than a time of worship. Going to church for me is a time to get on my knees, for as long as I am able, and begin by thanking and praising God, asking His forgiveness for the ways I have offended Him, and petitioning Him in prayer. However, you serve to worship it is an individual choice.

This week I challenge you to work within your own family no matter how big or how small and make positive changes. Small to begin with and grow as your family grows and adapts to a time of prayer, worship, and growing closer to the Lord. I pray this is a blessing to you and your family.

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Holiness Is Possible

Holiness isn’t just for saints in history books — it’s possible in your everyday life. In Episode 368 of A Few Minutes with God, discover how striving for holiness begins with simple obedience, guarded speech, quiet time with the Lord, and daily surrender. Be encouraged that sanctification is God’s will for you — and His grace makes it possible.Holiness Is (Im)Possible: Striving for Sainthood in Everyday Life ~ Episode 368

Have you ever considered becoming holy? What about becoming a saint? Do you believe it’s possible, or do you think holiness is impossible? Maybe you believe we can’t be holy—only Jesus, or perhaps some of His followers, or subsequent martyrs and saints became holy. But you and me? No way. My friends, this is a diabolical lie, and many Christians believe it. Therefore, they don’t strive for holiness because why should they? We’re striving for a goal that doesn’t make sense or isn’t possible, especially in the day in which we live today. But holiness is possible.

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Scripture on God’s Call to Holiness

As Scripture reminds us in 1 Thessalonians 4:3: “For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from immorality…” God desires us to be holy, set apart for Him. This verse encourages us to pursue purity and dedication in our daily walk with the Lord. But we can’t do it alone, and when we try to do it without prayer, without seeking God, we will fail. So many times I read a scripture verse and think there is no way I can do it, but then I remember I don’t have to do it without help!

Additionally, in 1 Peter 1:15-16, we read: “But as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.'” These words further remind us and confirm what we know intellectually, that holiness is not just a distant ideal but a calling we can embrace through God’s grace. Sometimes getting things from our heads to our hearts can be a challenge.

Why Striving for Holiness Matters

I used to think that striving to do good—well, good enough—was a decent goal. I didn’t think anyone needed to strive to be great because that’s an unattainable goal. Plus, it’s kind of vain thinking that what we do or who we are is great. But truly, if we are sons and daughters—adopted sons and daughters of God—then by definition, we are heirs to the kingdom. We should strive for holiness not so we can boast but so we can give all the glory to God.

Friends, we get distracted by semantics and we think that holiness isn’t possible this side of heaven. In fact, we very rarely say the word or think that we are working toward holiness because again, that goal seems too far off or unattainable. It’s like saying I’m going to be part of the Olympic team and I’ve never even trained—which brings us to the fact that if we want to be holy, one of the things we must do is train. And the way we can train depends on our situation in life.

Holiness in Your Unique Life Situation

The reason I’m qualifying it by saying your situation in life is because we all have responsibilities. Maybe you are a mom of young children, a student with lessons and responsibilities, or maybe you are middle-aged and a caregiver to elderly parents. We all have situations in our lives that may prevent us from striving for holiness in the way of, let’s say, someone who’s in seminary or someone who’s in religious life.

But that doesn’t give us a pass on doing some basic things. As I shared from the book The Forgotten Way by Matthew Kelly, one of the ways to strive for holiness is to watch what we say. As he puts it, “You can become a saint just by governing your speech.”

You may be thinking, but that’s just too basic.

But is it really? Think of the number of times that we have spoken and hurt someone or have spoken and not thought our words through. Very rarely do people apologize when they should, or maybe they over-apologize, as in the case of my sweet granddaughter Samantha. She often apologizes even when it’s not her fault. But holiness is possible, and that is a purpose that we should strive for. We can start today—it isn’t too late, even if you are overwhelmed, busy, have a huge workload, or have multiple deadlines to meet. You can start being holy just by saying, “Lord, I want to be holy,” and I want help in guarding what I say.”

I’m guilty of talking without thinking and hurting those I love the most. I used to chalk it up to transparency, that there was no need to wonder what I was thinking because I would tell you. Honesty is a virtue, but talking before thinking of the results of those words is not charitable. Something I wish I had learned earlier in life.

Finding Purpose Through Holiness

So many people have lost their life’s purpose.

Young people, especially, don’t seem to have life goals. I saw a recent post by a dad talking to his children about higher education, and they were wondering which jobs they could get that wouldn’t be replaced by AI in the future.

Without purpose, goals, or hope, we find people living in despair, discouragement, and disappointment. But what if our goal is to strive for heaven, to strive for the love of God, to strive to be a child of God? Does this change our despair? Yes! Realizing that there is more than what we can physically see and touch, and the goal is greater, is a blessing and leads to true freedom.

The first step would be asking the Lord, “Lord, what do you want from me?” What do you want from me today, right now? It doesn’t have to be a huge declaration. It can just be an acceptance of His will in our life for that day.

Sometimes our lives are not our own. We’re not in control, even when we think we have everything organized, scheduled, and perfectly mapped out. It doesn’t work that way—it doesn’t even work out at times when we’re trying to do good for the sake of another. It doesn’t always work out, but each day we get to see the glory and hand of God if we can just thank Him. If we can thank Him in the midst of the adversities, if we can thank Him even when we break a glass jar five minutes before we have to leave the house, or we’re going to be late to an appointment that is 30 minutes away, we can be thankful that no tile was chipped and the jar was not valuable.

Overcoming Distractions and Embracing Discipline

Sometimes these little issues take us away from our purpose, and our purpose is to serve God and to bless others by works of charity, even when we pat ourselves on the back, and then something like this happens to take away our peace.

None of us is perfect, and that’s not what holiness means. It doesn’t mean achieving perfection. I think that holiness means striving to be the best that we can be, given our life situations. Again, when I share things like life situations, it’s because I don’t want to put a burden on people. I know that as a young mom, I would hear people share testimonies and think, “Gosh, I want to go to that. I want to share the glory of God with other people,” but I couldn’t. It was not my time; it wasn’t my station in life. Yet I could work with what God gave me: raising my children, homeschooling, being there for my husband, my family, and my friends.

Striving for holiness means guarding our speech, but it also means being deliberate in our speech. You know, speech can either make people happy or miserable, and sometimes we lash out and say things we don’t need to say because we’re upset. Yelling makes us feel better because we’ve gotten it off our chest, but it doesn’t make those who are the recipients of our yelling feel any better. And that is the best time to say nothing—or at least pray before we do.

The Path to Holiness: Practice and Quiet Time

Holiness isn’t easy. Holiness doesn’t have a direct formula either. I’ve read uplifting articles that if you did X, Y, and Z, then the Lord would bless you—that if you wanted that house, you just needed to claim it, or that car. It’s like telling somebody that you have to go through all of these hoops to please God before you’re blessed. We don’t know the mind of God, but that is not the God I serve.

Striving to be holy is a goal that is attainable, but like anything we strive for, it takes practice. The idea of A Few Minutes with God, the title of this podcast, is a testament to the fact that spending time with God in quiet is a step toward holiness, peace, tranquility, and joy. The holiness comes from acknowledging that God is holy, and in the example of Jesus Christ, we have an example to follow, meditate on, and contemplate.

But we avoid the quiet. When things are quiet, what do you do? Do we reach for our phones, turn on the television, or computer? Again, a tool of the enemy to distract us.

Goals:

  • But quiet and sit with God, just for a little while at first. And when we are distracted, apologize to the Lord and move on. Guilt is not from God.
  • Guard our words. Think before we talk, or better yet, remain silent.
  • Add, “Be Holy!” to the top of our to-do list!

By striving to be holy, we focus on the discipline of controlling our speech.

By controlling our speech, we also find we can control our tempers and our reactions to things that don’t really matter in the grand scheme of things. In essence, we have greater control over ourselves and our actions.  Discipline can be trained, and we see it in many athletes, but discipline is something that we need, especially if we are going to work towards striving for holiness.

Think about the fruit that comes from this discipline.

When we exercise self-control over our words we can avoid gossip, lies, harshness, or unnecessary speech. Read James 3:2-12– my goodness, it is eye-opening! Let me just read you a portion, but please go back and study this verse: James 3: 8-10 (Read on air.) but no human being can tame the tongue—a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who are made in the likeness of God. 10 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing.

This is so true; from our mouths come beautiful and sometimes vile things. Let us repent and move on because we all want healthier relationships, inner peace, and godly character. Let us pray to the Lord that He blesses us with the ability to have self-control, gentleness, and kindness, all fruits of the Spirit, that we may praise God in all things, strive for holiness because it is possible, and live in joy. Amen!

Related Episodes from A Few Minutes with God Podcast

For more uplifting content on faith and Christian living, check out these related episodes on the Ultimate Christian Podcast Network:

  1. Called to Be Saints — Embracing Holiness in Everyday Life
  2. The Spiritual Grace From God
  3. Keeping Your Faith Alive
  4. The Gift of Humility
  5. Fruits of Faith

Evil Tactic (Replay)

Evil Tactics | What is an evil tactic? It is something employed by the evil one to take souls to hell. Harsh? Maybe. But, this is something that few of us want to talk about or consider. | #podcast #ChristianPodcast #combattingevilEvil Tactic  – Combatting Evil ~ Episode 225

What is an evil tactic? It is something employed by the evil one to take souls to hell. Harsh? Maybe. But, this is something that few of us want to talk about or consider. In this podcast, Felice will explore the tactics used and how to prevent being led to the dark side.

Visit this month’s wonderful sponsor who helps bring this network to you for free, visit CTCMath.com for a great math curriculum for grades K-12

Few people realize the greatest tool of evil is to convince people that evil does not exist. Everything is fine, it’s good, there is nothing to worry about. Everyone gets a free pass to go to heaven. Don’t worry, proclaim God once, claim Him and go on and live your life in whatever way you see fit. I realize we all come from different faith walks. Some are non-denominational and others adhere to a specific denomination. Some teach it is faith alone and others that it is faith and works.

In the previous podcast, I cited James 2:14-26, Faith without works is dead. With this thought, we must look at the ways that evil sets to destroy not only others but specifically our lives.

Here is a short list of things that are considered evil tactics:

  1. Not believing evil or satan exists. John 8:44 (read)
  2. Fearfulness (in a minute I’ll read from Matthew 10 which helps us to combat fear)
  3. Deception and lies, Confusion, Twisting of words – reproductive freedom, no big deal, not for us to judge
  4. Division – because when we are divided we are weak. John 17:20-24 (read)
  5. Diversion – an overload of information, social media, anxiety, and distractions of everyday life Matt 10:26-32 (read)
  6. Discouragement and depression – personal setbacks, always wanting more, if “this” happens, I’ll be happy. (humility)

There is so much packed into these verses, first, we have nothing to fear, the next is that we should not fear the body because what is most important is our soul, and the only person to fear is what can destroy us -that is giving into evil tactics and ultimately hell. Then there is the wonderful verse about the Father’s intimate knowledge about each one of us because he even knows the number of hair on our heads. We have value to God, my friends more than we know! We must also acknowledge God, we must not be afraid of our Christian faith or deny him unless we want to be denied before the Father in heaven. Powerful words!

5. Humility – the key to discouragement and depression is humility. Realizing we can do nothing without God. This is not a way to push off blame or alleviate our guilt, it is a way however to realize that when we do things under our own steam we are setting up ourselves for failure. Have you ever wondered when your life falls apart, and you can’t seem to handle anymore that you are “doing” it yourself and without God? Sure, we are all gifted in some way, but those gifts should be attributed to the Almighty.

In our humility we ask the Lord for help, to come into our lives in a deeper way (I know – I must sound like I repeat myself over and over) but it is a truth that when we grow closer to God we find things that are so important in our life or that we think are important fall way. All the people who suffer loss realize in the end that these are things they can not take with them when they die. That is why we are taught to look to the end, to look at our lives and when we do, when we grow closer to God we can see the areas where we have sinned.

Evil tactics are lost on those who are grounded, who surround themselves with like-minded Christians, and who immerse themselves in all that is good and holy, beginning with your relationship with Christ and the Scriptures. This week make a list of the evil tactics aimed at you and work at ways (with God, Scripture, and prayer) that you can combat the evils.

 

Finding God Every Day

Finding God in the Every Day with Felice GerwitzFinding God in the Every Day with Felice Gerwitz

Do you have a daily schedule? It’s time to add finding God to your list. The Lord’s voice is something we seek, whether in quiet time or in prayer. What should we do? What does God want us to do? What is God’s will for us, today, tomorrow or next year? How do we find God? In this episode, Felice Gerwitz discusses how we should seek God every day.

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a few minutes with God

Show Notes:

Whether it is finding God in the rainbow, or the beautiful sunset – to finding God in the person sitting next to you in church, your life will become joyful if you look. In addition add journaling time to your day. When you journal you can see, more clearly the Lord’s work in your life. Study the following scriptures in finding God in the every day – 1 Kings 11-12 and Isaiah 41:10

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Check out the book – A Few Minutes With God

Show Notes: Finding God Every Day

  1. Seeking God – praying
  2. Look for blessings
  3. God incidence or coincidence
  4. Seeing God in the people around you
  5. Watching and listening
  6. Showing by example
  7. Ending your day with thanks

 

1 Kings 11-12

The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.”

Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.

Isaiah 41:10

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Called to Be Saints — Embracing Holiness in Everyday Life

Are we really called to be saints? Learn how every believer can embrace holiness through small acts of love in daily life.Episode 362: Called to Be Saints — Embracing Holiness in Everyday Life

Are we really called to be saints… even in the middle of busy, ordinary life?

In this episode of A Few Minutes with God, we explore what it truly means to be called to sainthood—not as a lofty, unreachable goal reserved for monks or martyrs, but as a daily invitation for every believer.

As the holidays approach and life feels increasingly full, it can be difficult to focus on prayer, holiness, or even quiet moments with the Lord. Yet Scripture reminds us that sainthood is not about perfection—it’s about total commitment to God, lived out one faithful step at a time.

Through Scripture, real-life stories, and reflections on well-known saints, we are reminded that holiness often looks like small acts done with great love.

In This Episode, You’ll Discover:

  • What Scripture means when it says we are called to be saints

  • Why sainthood isn’t reserved for clergy or religious life

  • How fear often keeps us from fully surrendering to God

  • Why saints can be described as “rebels for God”

  • Lessons from modern examples of faith lived boldly

  • Encouragement from the life of Mother Teresa and her hidden struggles

  • Practical, manageable steps to grow in holiness today

  • Why there is no “middle ground” when it comes to following Christ

Scripture Featured:

  • James 1:17 – Every good and perfect gift comes from above

  • Romans 1:7 – Called to be saints

  • Joshua 24:15 – Choose this day whom you will serve

  • Philippians 4:13 – Strength through Christ

  • Philippians 4:7 – The peace that surpasses understanding

  • Matthew 6:16–18 – Fasting in humility

  • Ephesians 2:8–10 – Saved by grace, created for good works

Simple Ways to Live the Call to Sainthood:

  • Put God first each day—even with a short prayer

  • Practice daily prayer, morning or night

  • Embrace small acts of self-denial or fasting

  • Make restitution when you’ve wronged others

  • Give generously to those in need

  • Share Christ through both words and actions

Sainthood isn’t about being flawless—it’s about running toward God, especially when life is difficult. Whether you’re a parent, student, professional, or caregiver, your daily vocation is holy ground when offered to the Lord.

“Not all of us can do great things, but we can do small things with great love.” — Mother Teresa

🙏 May this episode encourage you to take one faithful step closer to God today.

🎧 Listen to Episode 362
📌 Find the full show notes and resources at:
AFewMinutesWithGodPodcast.com

Mirror of Scripture (Replay)

Mirror of Scripture | 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 | #podcast #christianpodcast #catholicpodcast #Godandmercy #mercifulGod #mercy #Trust #MirrorofScripture #ScriptureMirror 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.

Visit our sponsor – CTCMath.com, for information about this wonderful math curriculum for kids ages K-12

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.

 

Your God Given Purpose

In this fast-paced, chaotic world, have you ever wondered how to uncover your God-given purpose? With the busyness of life pulling us in every direction, how do we find the quiet moments to truly listen to His voice and discover the path He’s calling us to walk? Today, we’re diving into this journey together, seeking His wisdom and grace to guide us toward the purpose He’s designed just for you. Let’s take these few minutes to draw closer to God and find the clarity we all need! Christian-Catholic-PodcastIn this fast-paced, chaotic world, have you ever wondered how to uncover your God-given purpose? With the busyness of life pulling us in every direction, how do we find the quiet moments to truly listen to His voice and discover the path He’s calling us to walk? Today, we’re diving into this journey together, seeking His wisdom and grace to guide us toward the purpose He’s designed just for you. Let’s take these few minutes to draw closer to God and find the clarity we all need!

Finding Your God-Given Purpose in a Chaotic World

Gosh, what a week. There is always something going on, but this week has been extremely stressful and chaotic. I won’t bore you with the goings on in my life, but I bet you can relate to this feeling or have suffered a similar week yourself. At times, I feel like a firefighter, putting out fires wherever they land. When I am in the midst of chaos, I wonder to myself, “Seriously, Lord? Is this my purpose in life?”

Yet, even while I feel lost in the whirlwind of life, I believe you can still discern your vocation or search for your true calling within what God has planned. Today, we’re diving deep into discovering your God-given purpose, finding peace and direction through faith. How do we do this? By searching the scriptures for reference, and today you will hear verses I love and share with you often, as well as ways I find peace to continue on this path of faith.

Scripture Reflection
No matter where you are, whether you are driving in a car, sitting on a back porch with a cup of hot tea, or doing your laundry as you listen, try to quiet your heart as I read this scripture to you. Let’s pray. Dear Lord, I ask a blessing on all of the listeners today. I ask that you open their minds and hearts to what you want for them. Not their best, Lord, but your best for them.  And I pray this in Jesus, Name. Amen.

Let’s begin with Jeremiah 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.” Oh, friends, these words are ones that I remember as giving me hope. As I’ve shared with you before, we all need hope, and God promises to give us hope and a future. Plans to prosper us. What does prosper mean? If your mind is racing to the next lottery ticket purchase, that isn’t necessarily what the Lord has in mind for our lives. Prosper in this sense can mean well-being and safety. It can mean a deeper faith which brings happiness, hope and peace. These are the things that bring us closer to God and His purpose for us.

Finding Your God-Given Purpose
What are the ways you can discover your God-given purpose? First, listen to God’s voice. The world’s noise—endless tasks, distractions—can drown out the Holy Spirit’s whisper. As Christians, we’re blessed with faith. We can pray and use whatever prayer brings us the peace and joy that surpasses all understanding. What works for you? How do you pray in silence and ask the Lord, “What do you want of me today?” I try to attend daily mass. On the way, I meditate on one aspect of Jesus’ life. Either on His life, His death, or His resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Whether I do this in church, by praying a Rosary or going to Eucharistic adoration, a time of peace and quiet, I try to focus only on Him. Find what works for you. How can you pray?

Here is a suggestion. Spend five minutes or more praying daily, “Lord, show me Your purpose today.”

[In my children’s book, A Few Minutes with God, available on Amazon or at MediaAngels.com, I share a story that brings home the importance of spending time with God. When you purchase the book on my website, you will receive a complimentary accompanying study guide journal.

You can also receive a free journal on the Ultimate Christian Podcast Network by signing up for emails. I share journaling prompts to help you capture God’s guidance. It’s not about perfection but about opening your heart to His call.]

Second, embrace your unique gifts.

Romans 12:6 says, “We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us.” God crafted you with talents—maybe teaching the faith, creating beauty, or showing compassion. In a previous podcast, I shared a story about a listener who found her purpose leading a parish Bible study after feeling unfulfilled. I’m part of the Magnificat Prayer Ministry, and four times a year, we host a prayer breakfast for women to encourage them in their faith journey. We have a book ministry where people come and, for a donation, can take home a book that is virtually free. This ministry enhances our ministry and gives women another avenue to learn more about God’s calling. Do we use these gifts, or do we think that someone else will do the job? Stepping up and volunteering is another way we say yes to the Lord. There is no job too small if you are giving God all the glory for a job well done.

When we read scripture we are exploring our faith and the teachings that have been handed down to us. But be sure to add prayer to the scriptures you read. Ask the Lord for direction, yes, but consider that what brings you joy and serves others—that’s a blessing from the Lord. He blesses us as we try to bless others! If you are not sure about where the Lord is leading you, praying or talking to your pastor can help you discern what gift you have that you can share with others.

Third, trust God in the chaos.

Why? Because we know He has not abandoned us, and we need to remember this! Ephesians 1:11 assures us, “In him we were also chosen… according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will.”  We want to know his will now. We want it all laid out for us, illuminated by a lamp or a large flashing sign. This way.

Unfortunately, life does not work that way. Instead of being a chosen people, we become a stubborn people. My way or no way.

Everything that happens in our lives, the good and the bad, is something that is not a surprise to the Almighty God. He knows everything. So, how do we navigate finding our purpose when faced with all these roadblocks that lead us down the wrong path? By stopping, acknowledging our sins, and confessing that we are wrong and ready to begin again.

Take small, faithful steps toward what you consider God’s calling for you.

And, how do you know it is the correct one? Seek the “peace that surpasses understanding” (Philippians 4:7) as a sign that this could possibly be God’s yes! Still, evaluate whether your actions bear spiritual fruit, such as joy and a feeling of closeness to God.

Additional Recommended Episodes
Deepen your journey with these A Few Minutes with God episodes on Ultimate Christian Podcast Radio Network:

Friends, how is God revealing your purpose?

Maybe a Scripture spoke to you, or a quiet moment brought clarity. True discernment gives us a peace that persists through trials. Many times we soldier on and rarely take the time to think, “Am I at peace?”

If you are on social media, share your story on our A Few Minutes with God Facebook page—your words could inspire another person, truly! Post a prayer request or praise report, and let’s grow as a family in Christ. Visit the Ultimate Christian Podcast Network for more episodes and our weekly Christian podcast newsletter.

Let’s pray: Heavenly Father, thank You for Your perfect plan for us. Help us hear Your voice, embrace our gifts, and trust You in the midst of chaos. Guide all listeners to live Your purpose boldly. Amen.

Answered Prayer Through Journaling (Special Replay)

answered prayer through journalingAnswered Prayer Through Journaling?

Episode 24

Sponsored by CTCMath.com

Only when I began journaling did I see answered prayers. Have you found that by journaling to see answered prayers you can actually see that God has listened to your pleas? In this episode, I discuss journaling as a tool as well as the blessing that I found within the pages.

Thanks to our sponsor, Media Angels, Inc. A Few Minutes with God, The Journey Begins

a few minutes with God

Show Notes: Answered Prayer Through Journaling

In today’s show notes, I want to ask you some questions to gauge your interest in journaling.

  1. Do I feel that God hears my prayers?
  2. Do I know how many times the Lord has answered my prayers?
  3. I have journaled in the past and …
  4. Journaling has been a passion of mine because …
  5. I’ve never tried journaling but would consider it, because…

Have you ever journaled? If so you know the impact it can have on your life and those around you. By documenting the answers to prayers, it helps us to see that the Lord hears us. In addition, it helps us by allowing us a snapshot back in time. Was there a desperate prayer, or one you really wanted answered? Was it answered? Was the answer all you hoped it would be or did it fall short.

No one said Christian life is easy, but it certainly is blessed and by journaling, you can keep an eye on ways you need to improve your relationship with God. There are many different ways you can journal. In the next episode of A Few Minutes With God Podcast, we will explore some of those ways.

Unworthy Of God

Feeling unworthy of God or God’s love? You’re not alone. In this episode of A Few Minutes with God Podcast, Felice Gerwitz explores God’s mercy and how it transforms our hearts. Learn how to overcome feelings of inadequacy with these powerful scriptures and practical steps. Don’t miss this uplifting message—read on and share with a friend!

Unworthy of God's Love | Feeling unworthy of God or God's love? You’re not alone. In this episode of A Few Minutes with God Podcast, Felice Gerwitz explores God’s mercy and how it transforms our hearts. Learn how to overcome feelings of inadequacy with these powerful scriptures and practical steps. Don’t miss this uplifting message—read on and share with a friend!Unworthy of God? Discover His Boundless Mercy ~ Episode 353

Welcome, friends, to a reflection inspired by the latest episode of A Few Minutes with God Podcast! Today, we’re tackling a topic that many of us know well: feeling unworthy of God. If you’ve ever felt like you fall short or wondered if God could possibly love you despite your flaws, this post is for you. Let’s explore the beauty of God’s mercy and how it lifts us up, no matter where we are. If you love this message, please share it with a friend and subscribe to the podcast for weekly encouragement! I also want to remind you to take out your Bible and prayer journal if you have one.

Sponsored by CTCMath.com

Do You Feel Unworthy of God?

As a Christian, I often wonder if God is frustrated with me. I try to serve Him through prayer and obedience, but let’s be honest—I’m human, and I stumble. Maybe you feel the same way. You want to live for God, but those moments of doubt or failure creep in, making you feel insignificant. The good news? God doesn’t need our perfection; He desires our hearts. His mercy is boundless, and it’s available to us every single day. Praise God for that! Every day is a new day.

There are four powerful scriptures that remind me of God’s love and mercy, even when I feel unworthy, which is often. As I get older I feel less worthy, but the good news is that when this happens I rebuke it in the precious Name of God! The enemy does not want us to think or believe that God is merciful, and often this misinformation creeps in. So, today I’ll share practical ways to embrace His grace and love into your daily life.

Scripture 1: God’s Mercy Is Steadfast

Let’s begin with a verse that shows us the character of the Almighty God. In Psalm 103:8, we read:

“The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.”

This verse is a reminder that God isn’t quick to judge or condemn us. Yet He is a merciful and just God. He is there, waiting for us, ready to meet us no matter where we are in our faith walk. Maybe you are just getting started in your faith journey, or maybe you’ve been on this road a long time. Either way, we can feel like we have fallen short. When you feel unworthy, hold onto this truth: God’s love for you is unwavering.

Application: Write down Psalm 103:8 and place it somewhere you’ll see it daily, like your mirror or workspace. Let it remind you of God’s patience and love.

Scripture 2: You Are Valued by God

In my little corner of the world, I sometimes feel so small. But God sees me, and He sees you. Our efforts, no matter how small, matter to Him. Luke 12:7 says:

“Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.”

God knows every detail about you. You are never insignificant in His eyes. When feelings of unworthiness creep in, remember that you are precious to Him. I love this verse because it reminds me that we are not only important, but we are seen. That is a big buzzword right now: “feeling seen” and recognized for who we are. But how much more important is it to be the person God created you to be? And how wonderful that God sees us. Sure, we all need to improve, yet He is there waiting.

Application: Take a moment to thank God for His personal love for you. Journal about a time when you felt seen or valued by Him. If you can’t think of anything, thank Him for the gift of life!

Scripture 3: God is Waiting

Can you believe that? God is waiting for you and me? And the best thing is we don’t have to earn His love. The image of the Father running to us, as in the Prodigal Son, or Jesus knocking at the door, waiting for us to invite Him in, reminds us of His relentless love.

A fitting verse is Revelation 3:20

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any one hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.”

This verse beautifully captures the imagery of Jesus, knocking at the door of our hearts, waiting for us to open it. The handle is on our side, symbolizing our free will to invite Him in. God’s love is always there, but He waits for us to respond, to show we care by opening our hearts to Him. When we do, He doesn’t just enter—He comes to dwell with us, sharing an intimate relationship. God is a gentleman. He doesn’t push Himself on us; instead, He is patient and kind.

This scripture reminds us that even when we feel unworthy, God’s arms are open wide. We don’t have to earn His love; we simply need to turn to Him.  For more on God’s constant presence, check out my episode Not Abandoned, where I explore how God never leaves us.

Application: Take a moment to pray and ask Jesus to help you open the door of your heart. Journal about what it means to you to know He’s waiting to come in.

Scripture 4: Mercy Brings New Life

Finally, let’s look at Ephesians 2:4-5:

“But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ.”

God’s mercy doesn’t just bring us forgiveness. It gives us new life, a spiritual life of abundance and grace. When you feel like you’ve failed, His grace restores you. This is the heart of the Gospel! God’s love for us is renewed daily and when we are open to it, wonderful things happen.

Application: Each morning, pray a simple prayer of gratitude for God’s mercy. Ask Him to help you live in the freedom of His love.

How to Respond to God’s Mercy

So, how do we live in light of this incredible mercy? For me, it’s through prayer and striving to obey God’s teachings, even when I don’t get it right which is more times than I care to admit. Another verse, 1 John 1:9, offers hope:

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

This verse is like a reset button. When we mess up, we can come to God, confess our sins, and trust in His forgiveness. Feeling unworthy doesn’t disqualify you from God’s love—it’s an invitation to lean into His mercy. How often? Daily.

Next Steps:

  • Pray: Spend a few minutes each day thanking God for His mercy. Use my book, A Few Minutes with God, for guided reflections.
  • Journal: Write about how God’s mercy has shown up in your life. What scriptures encourage you?
  • Connect: Join our A Few Minutes with God Facebook group (facebook.com/groups/AFewMinutesWithGod) to share prayer requests and praise reports.

More Encouragement from A Few Minutes with God

If this message resonated with you, I invite you to listen to the full podcast episode, Unworthy of God, at ultimateradioshow.com. For more on God’s constant presence, check out these favorite episodes:

  • Not Abandoned: Discover how God never leaves you, even when you feel far from Him.
  • Calm in the Storm: Learn how God’s peace sustains you through challenges.

These episodes, along with others at The Ultimate Christian Podcast Network, are designed to encourage your faith journey.

Let’s Pray Together

Let’s close with a prayer: Lord, thank You for Your mercy that never fails. When I feel unworthy, remind me of Your love and forgiveness. Help me to trust in Your grace and live for You each day. Amen.


Thank you for joining me, friends! I pray this post has encouraged you to embrace God’s mercy and let go of feelings of unworthiness. If it blessed you, please share it with a friend and follow us on Instagram. For more resources, visit mediaangels.com.

Call to Action: Subscribe to A Few Minutes with God Podcast on Spotify, iHeartRadio, or your favorite podcast app. Let’s grow in faith together!

 

Why? A Powerful Question For Christians

I recently listened to a secular YouTube video, and when the speaker said, “I always go back to my why,” it hit me. Why? A Powerful Question for Christians to ask ourselves. Do we as Christians go back to our why? In this podcast, we will explore this concept of the why behind our faith.

Why For Christians | "I always go back to my why," it hit me. Why? A Powerful Question For Christians to ask ourselves. Do we as Christians go back to our why? In this podcast we will explore this concept of the why behind our faith.Why? A Powerful Question for Christians ~ Episode 352

Are you searching for deeper meaning in your spiritual life? In this episode of A Few Minutes with God, host Felice Gerwitz tackles the profound question of “WHY.” Discover why you pray, what you hope to gain from a relationship with God, and how faith can be truly freeing. Drawing from six powerful Scripture verses from the Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE), Felice explores free will as God’s gift and ways to grow in faith by inviting Jesus into your daily life. Whether you’re a longtime believer or just starting your faith journey, this episode offers insights to strengthen your Christian walk. Exploring Your Spiritual “Why” in Prayer, Faith, and Relationship with God

Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or directly on the Ultimate Christian Podcast Network website.

This episode is inspired by our ongoing journey to deepen our connection with the Lord, and I’ll share some scriptures that you may want to spend time with at a later point. If you’re driving, walking, or just taking a moment to listen in, I invite you to open your heart and let the Holy Spirit speak to you through these words. Let’s pray – Dear Lord Jesus, inspired by the confidence that you hear all of our prayers, I ask Lord that you be with us today and allow us to focus on why we believe, why we pray, and encourage us in our walk closer to you, today and always, Amen.

Why Faith, Prayer, and Relationship with God Matter

Let’s start with the question: What is your “why”? Why do you pray? Prayer shouldn’t be a checklist item; it’s our lifeline to God. It’s how we communicate with our Creator, express our gratitude, seek guidance, and intercede for others. But have you ever stopped to ask yourself why you pray? Is it out of habit, fear, or a genuine desire to draw closer to God? I thought about this very question, and it hit me hard. I’ll share my why with you at the end, but first, let’s look at the scriptures.

This is from James 5:16 (Read on air.) Here, St. James reminds us that prayer has power—not just for our own healing, but for others too. Prayer transforms us, aligns our will with God’s, and unleashes His grace in our lives. If your “why” for prayer is simply to get through the day, I challenge you to shift it toward building that intimate connection with the Father who loves you unconditionally. Remember God loves us.  On the other hand, the enemy despises us, our weakness, and uses every chance to exploit those weaknesses. Prayer helps us to be strong in Christ! 2 Timothy 2:1-3 (Read On Air.)

Now, let’s think about what we hope to receive from a relationship with God. In a world full of temporary pleasures and temporary satisfactions, a relationship with God offers something eternal. It offers peace, (that peace that surpasses all understanding, Phillippians 4:7  (Read on air). Our relationship with God also gives us purpose and profound joy. We hope for His presence in our trials, His wisdom in our decisions, and His love that never fails. But ultimately, what we receive is God Himself—the blessed assurance that He is there for us, is something the pleasures of this world can not withstand or compare with.

In the Gospel of John, we read, “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5 Read on air). Jesus invites us to abide in Him, to remain connected, because without that relationship, our efforts are fruitless. What do you hope to receive? Perhaps strength for today, hope for tomorrow, or the ability to love as He loves. In this, we find fulfillment that the world cannot give.

This leads us to another layer: Is your “why” for yourself or for others? It’s natural to pray for our own needs—health, finances, peace of mind. But true Christian living calls us to look beyond ourselves. Our faith isn’t meant to be self-centered; it’s communal. When we pray for others, we participate in God’s redemptive work, becoming channels of His grace. That is why a faith community, a church, is so important. We join with other like-minded believers to worship and give glory to God.

St. Paul in his letter to the Philippians says: “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others” (Philippians 2:4). This verse challenges us to examine our motivations. Is your “why” only personal gain, or does it extend to lifting up your family, friends, and even strangers? Praying for others not only blesses them but also deepens our humility and compassion, drawing us closer to the heart of Christ, who prayed for us on the cross. It is especially important to pray for our enemies, those whom we don’t like. It is a choice, a decision, and not a feeling. We are told to love others, and faith in action is one way we show this, even if only to ourselves.

In this jaded world, why choose faith? To some, faith may seem outdated or irrational, but it’s the foundation of my spiritual life. Faith isn’t blind belief; it’s trusting in God’s promises even when we can’t see the full picture. It’s what pleases God and opens the door to His blessings. We don’t know the mind of God, and no amount of explaining can ever fully capture Who He is, but when we have faith, true faith, it surpasses anything else. There is nothing we can do for God but everything He can do for us.

Hebrews 11:6 says, “And without faith it is impossible to please him. For whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” Why faith? Because it connects us to the invisible reality of God’s kingdom. The examples we are often given are that you can’t see the wind, but you feel the effects of the wind. While we may not see God, we see the effects of God in our daily lives. Faith assures us that He is real, that He cares, and that seeking Him brings rewards—not material wealth necessarily, but spiritual riches like inner peace and eternal life.

But faith isn’t just about belief; it’s freeing. In a world bound by fears, addictions, and the pressures of society, faith liberates us. It breaks the chains of doubt and despair, allowing us to live in the freedom Christ won for us. Faith reminds us that we’re not slaves to sin or circumstance; we’re children of God, empowered by His Spirit.

Galatians 5:1 states, (and again, this is Paul). “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand fast therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” Faith is freeing because it shifts our reliance from our own strength to God’s infinite power. It frees us from the need to control everything, from the burden of perfectionism, and from the fear of failure. When we embrace faith, we step into the freedom of trusting that God has a plan, even when we don’t know it.

But what is faith without understanding freedom, and this freedom is tied to the gift of free will. Many people believe that faith restricts your freedom and does not allow you to do what they want. On the contrary, God didn’t create us as puppets; He gave us the ability to choose—to love Him or not, to follow His ways or our own. This free will is a profound expression of His love, respecting our dignity as His creations.

The Book of Sirach captures this truth: “It was he who created man in the beginning, and he left him in the power of his own inclination” (Sirach 15:14). Free will is a gift because it allows us to choose God on our own accord, we make our faith authentic by this choice and therefore our love for God is real. But with this gift comes responsibility: We must choose daily to join our will with His, resisting temptations that lead us astray.

Finally, how can we grow in faith by allowing the Lord Jesus to work in our lives? Growth doesn’t happen in isolation; it requires surrender. We grow when we let Jesus prune our us, enlarge our hearts with the capacity to love and to forgive and to guide our steps, and fill us with His grace. Through prayer, Scripture, sacraments, and community, we invite Him to transform us.

Friends, growing in faith means saying “yes” to Jesus every day—yes to His teachings, yes to His corrections, yes to His invitations. It means allowing Him to work through our weaknesses, turning them into strengths for His glory. As we do this, our “why” becomes clearer: We pray, relate, and believe not for temporary reasons, but for the eternal joy of knowing Him.

As promised, I will share my “why,” the reason behind what I do. The reason is ultimately because I can’t stop thanking God for all that He has done for me. In the hardships, in the midst of crisis, in life, and death. I praise Almighty God and the love He has given me, even before I was born. I do what I do because I genuinely believe I can never outgive the Lord. He is my WHY.

Take a moment to consider your “why,” write it down, and ask the Lord to encourage you in your faith journey. If you can, close your eyes and ask God: “Lord, what is my ‘why’? Help me align it with Yours.”

Key Takeaways: Deepen Your Christian Faith Today

  • Prayer Isn’t Just Routine: It’s a powerful tool for healing and connection—make it intentional.
  • Relationship with God Offers Eternal Rewards: Abide in Him to bear fruit and find purpose.
  • Faith for Others: Extend your “why” beyond yourself to bless your community.
  • Faith Frees You: Break free from fears by trusting in God’s plan.
  • Embrace Free Will: Choose daily to align with Jesus for authentic growth.
  • Grow Through Surrender: Invite the Lord to work in your life for deeper faith.

Thank you for joining me today on A Few Minutes with God. If this episode resonated with you, I encourage you to explore these past episodes for more inspiration:

Remember, God is always calling us deeper. Until next time, spend a few minutes with God each day, and may His peace be with you.

Blueprint For Making MAJOR Decisions (Replay)

blueprint major decisionsBlueprint For Making MAJOR Decisions

Episode #14

Using a blueprint for making major decisions.

Every once in awhile making major decisions is a must, and having a blueprint for making major decisions is important. Decisions such as where do I go to college, should I change jobs, should I write a book – should I do another podcast? Those are some of the decisions I’ve had to make in my life. In this episode, I’ll discuss a blueprint for making those major decisions in your life!

Sponsors: NOW PROGRAMS

and Media Angels, Inc. Novels – Truth Seekers Mystery Series available on Amazon. Three novels for tweens!

Thanks to our sponsor, Media Angels, Inc. A Few Minutes with God, The Journey Begins

a few minutes with God

Major decisions can hold us captive! What do we do? Where do we turn? Oh if God would only answer us clearly we could make good decisions, quickly! How does this happen? It happens with lots of perseverance and prayer as well as some of the steps I’ll share with you.

So, if you listened to the previous podcast – episode 13 you will hear some of the same points mentioned except with a few powerful additions. Making a big decision includes those that can impact you for the rest of your life – I remember when praying for a spouse, I finally gave up. The choices were slim and in my town, truthfully with teaching full time I had no time – and my workplace had one single guy who I was not interested in – at all.

It was difficult to think about my future and I finally said, “Lord if you want me to be single forever that is fine with me – your will Lord, not mine.” I gave it to Him. I could not make decisions at that point – such as moving to another town, closer to some college friends.

Well, the Lord took care of it by having my now husband move into the same town to teach school, he and I went to the same college and while I knew him, I did not know him that well. But, I did think he was awfully cute – and I still think that 38 years later!

This blueprint for making major decisions is a process I’ve used with some additions and modifications throughout the from years. The hard knocks of life and real-life experiences have caused me to fine tune my list. When do I use this blueprint for making major decisions? When I had to make those big decisions – what do I do about college, a job – which one to take – what do I do about homeschooling Lord –should I or shouldn’t I? Lord, should I write a book? Lord, should I podcast? I will tell you in those times I did not turn to the Lord first – no, I’m not perfect – often things fell apart!

I’m quick to jump into a new idea and often the Lord is there to catch me. In those big decisions, we need to give our ALL to Him and he will not let us down.

Blueprint Making Major Decisions:

Here are some helpful tools to use in praying for those major decisions.

  1. Pray specifically for your decision.
    • God knows, but do you?
    • Stress creates havoc on nerves, be single-minded in prayer
  2. Be open to God’s will in your life.
    • Sometimes it may not be specifically what you want to hear.
    • Sometimes God’s will is different than our own
    • Sometimes we think we “hear” God, but need confirmation
  3. Give it to the Lord
    • Praying and seeking God means leaving it at His feet
    • Try not to dwell on it further
    • Let go and let God
  4. Ask the Lord’s guidance
    • Pray for guidance
    • Seek outside help, friend or a pastor
    • Look for guidance in the Bible
  5. Read Scripture
    • Pray specifically, and read through Scripture
    • Sometimes the Lord answers prayers in verses you’ve read 100 times before
    • Be open to the Lord’s word and your prayer request
  6. Pray specifically for your need and ask the Lord to give you the gift of knowledge about what to do.
    • Many gifts fo the Holy Spirit
    • Ask the Lord for the Gift of Knowledge, peace, joy
  7. Our subconscious listens and often when we are in tune with God
    • Ideas will come into our minds, miraculously
    • We can pray and think about thoseWrite anything down that comes to you.
  8. Write anything down that comes to you.
    • Keep a journal
    • Be sure to take “co-incidences” with a grain of salt (more in the audio)
    • God-incidences do happen but keep our eyes focused on Him, not just the events
  9. Look into your options
    • Research
    • Be informed
    • If needed visit the place or seek more information.
  10. Seek counsel if you continue to be stuck.
  11. Ask the Lord to direct you
    • We are constantly praying in this situation, however ask for direction if you are still “stuck”
    • Praise Him ahead of time.
  12. Continue to read Scripture
    1. Believe that the Lord talks to us through His word.
  13. Pray about any thoughts
    • Ask the Lord to confirm thoughts that come to mind
    • Confirmation can be through others or the Bible
  14. Do you have peace of mind?
    • Peace is a sign from the Lord that it is right.
    • If you are stressed or agitated keep praying!
  15. Be careful with signs – continue to journal
    • Continue to journal
    • See #8 above.
    • Sometimes we look for those God-incidences and while those are wonderful, we want to use caution.
  16. Make an informed decision.
    • Don’t just go on feeling, especially if this is a major decision.
    • Think wisely with your head – and your heart.
    • Sometimes you just know-that-you-know!
  17. If you can’t make a decision… wait!
    • Satan rushes, God leads
    • Pray and continue to read scripture.
  18. Once you make a decision trust in the Lord and give it to Him.
    • Surrender to God.
    • Have peace about the decision.
  19. Ask the Lord to go ahead of you and prepare the way.
    • Praying for intervention
    • Praying for those involved in your decision.
  20. If you make a mistake learn from this and regroup.
    • Go back to the Lord and ask Him for help – again!
    • God can make crooked paths straight
    • If it was the wrong decisions look at this as a learning tool
  21. Give all the glory and praise to God!
    • God deserves our praise for the little and big things in our lives
    • Praise conquers all! Continue to praise God in all of the success in your life
    • Continue to praise God in all the failures in your life!

 

Make your decision for the glory of God – not for ulterior motives, sometimes we want the Lord to bend to our will – and sometimes the Lord allows those mistakes to teach you that HIS way is best. Use all of these methods as a tool but not a miracle guide – it is a blueprint and blueprints are meant to be added onto and revised. This list can be used to add your own revelations from the Lord.

The main idea here is don’t jump or be hasty with your major decisions – rely on the Lord and He will not only make your paths straight He will guide you along the way!

 


Trusting God In Summer Adventures

Trust God this summer—especially when plans change. Episode 349 shares stories, scriptures, and tips to grow your faith on life’s unexpected paths.Are you trusting God this summer? Embracing God’s plan during your family’s summer adventures can transform your faith journey. In Episode 349 of A Few Minutes with God, we explore why trusting God’s will is life-changing, especially when summer plans take unexpected turns.

Sponsored by Judson College.

Trusting God in Your Summer Journey: Episode 349 of A Few Minutes with God

Are you trusting God this summer? Embracing God’s plan during your family’s summer adventures can transform your faith journey. In Episode 349 of A Few Minutes with God, we explore why trusting God’s will is life-changing, especially when summer plans take unexpected turns.

Trusting God This Summer

Summer is a time for exploration—think family road trips, hiking trails, or new experiences. But what happens when plans go wrong? This episode dives into how summer adventures can deepen your trust in God’s perfect plan. Reflecting on scriptures like Proverbs 3:5-6, we share a heartfelt story of a family camping trip that didn’t go as planned but revealed God’s guidance in a powerful way.

Listen to the Episode: [Family Size]

Key Bible Verses for Trusting God

These scriptures anchor our reflections on trusting God during life’s adventures, offering hope and guidance for your summer journey:

  • Proverbs 3:5-6: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths.”
  • Psalm 37:5: “Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him, and He will act.”
  • Isaiah 55:9: “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.”
  • Jeremiah 29:11: “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

These verses remind us that God’s plans are always better, even when summer outings don’t go as expected.

God’s Guidance

Imagine a family gearing up for a camping trip, excited to hike along a scenic river. The pop-up camper is packed, the cooler is full, and the trail map is ready. But rain clouds roll in, soaking the trails and dampening their spirits.

Ready to give up, the family returned to the campground. Then, a neighbor invited them for a moonlit walk. Leaving flashlights behind, they wandered through moonlit trees, where raindrops sparkled like diamonds. This unplanned moment was magical—a vivid reminder of Isaiah 55:9, where God’s ways surpass our own.

This story shows how summer adventures, with all their surprises, teach us to trust God’s path over our own plans.

3 Practical Tips for Trusting God This Summer

Grow in faith during your family’s summer activities with these actionable steps:

  1. Pray Before You Go: Begin each adventure with a prayer, asking God to guide your plans and bring peace when things change.
  2. Embrace the Unexpected: When detours or disruptions occur, seek God’s hand. A canceled plan might lead to a meaningful conversation or a hidden gem.
  3. Reflect as a Family: At day’s end, gather to share where you saw God’s presence, strengthening your family’s faith.

Why Trusting God Matters

Trusting God isn’t just for life’s big moments—it’s for every summer road trip, hike, or rainy day. By focusing on God’s will, you’ll discover peace and purpose in every adventure. Ready to deepen your faith? Listen to Episode 349 now and start trusting God in your summer journey.

Subscribe to A Few Minutes with God for weekly inspiration. Share this episode with a friend and leave a review to help others find this message.

Faith In Action: Living Your Faith Boldly

You have faith, right? But is it visible in your daily life? In this episode of A Few Minutes with God Podcast, Felice Gerwitz challenges us to take our faith beyond quiet belief and into bold, loving action. With Scripture as our guide and real-life stories to inspire, learn five practical ways to shine God’s light every day. Plus, join the 7-Day Faith in Action Prayer Challenge and discover how even small gestures can make a big kingdom impact.You have faith, right? But is your faith something you act upon or share with others? Today our topic is faith in action. This is a challenge for all believers. Join me, Felice Gewitz, as we explore the joys of sharing our faith with others.

Sponsored by NOW Programs.

Faith in Action~ Episode 348

Have you ever felt a tug to share your faith but hesitated, wondering if it’s too personal? A recent sermon inspired me to move beyond a private faith and let my love for God shine through my actions. For many of us, faith can feel like a quiet conversation between us and God—especially if we’re new to this journey. But when God works wonders in our lives, the joy often can’t be contained, and sharing it becomes a natural response. So, how do we turn that joy into bold, everyday acts of faith?

Let’s start with James 2:17, which declares, “Faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” This isn’t about earning God’s love—it’s about faith so alive it spills into action. Similarly, Matthew 5:16 urges, “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” Our lives can be a living testimony, reflecting God’s goodness to everyone around us.

Prayer is the starting point. Ask God to open your eyes to opportunities, and trust His gentle nudges. While scrolling through my phone to find a contact from over a month ago, I rediscovered the phone number of a neighbor I meant to call. A quick text led to coffee plans and a heartfelt catch-up. Those small moments aren’t accidents—they are God’s invitation to show care and live out our faith.

God designed us for connection, as 1 John 4:7 reminds us: “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God.” Love doesn’t always mean grand gestures. It’s the text you send to a friend whose parent is ill, the smile you offer a stressed cashier, or the time you spend listening to a child’s story. These acts weave God’s love into the fabric of our communities.

Faith In Action – Not Just Words

Faith in action isn’t just about words—it’s about embodying Christ’s heart. Romans 10:14 asks, “How are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard?” You don’t need a megaphone; your life speaks volumes. Whether it’s forgiving a family member after a disagreement or volunteering at a food pantry, these choices plant seeds of faith. And here’s the gift: acting on your faith deepens your trust in God, drawing you closer to Him and others to His light.

After a painful divorce, one of my friends spent her Thanksgiving celebration at a local food pantry. She and her boys did this for many years. She said instead of feeling sorry for herself, she wanted to help others and considered herself fortunate by comparison. This is faith in action, praising God in all things and being thankful.

Ready to live your faith boldly? Try these five practical steps:

  1. Pray with Expectation: Ask God daily to reveal where you can serve or share His love.
  2. Embrace Small Acts: Send a kind text, help a neighbor, or offer a prayer for someone in need.
  3. Share Your Faith Story: Tell a friend how God answered a prayer or brought you peace in a storm.
  4. Engage Your Community: Volunteer at church or join a local outreach to meet practical needs.
  5. Live with Purpose: Show Christ’s love through patience, kindness, or generosity in every interaction.

Here’s a new way to start: join me for a  7-Day Faith in Action Prayer Challenge! Each day, pray for one person in your life, then take a small action to show them God’s love—a call, a note, or a helping hand. Share your experience on the A Few Minutes with God Facebook page—we’d love to hear how God moves! Not sure where to begin? Try this reflection: Who in my life needs a touch of God’s love today, and how can I reach out? Jot down your thoughts and let the Holy Spirit guide you.

Faith in action is about progress, not perfection. Every step you take strengthens your relationship with God and lights the way for others. So, what’s one way you’ll live your faith this week? Share your ideas or praise reports on our Facebook page and let’s inspire each other to shine brightly for Christ!

Here are some other episodes of A Few Minutes with God Podcast you may enjoy:

Finding Joy On The Road To Calvary

Finding Joy on the Road to Calvary | Growing in faith means taking the time to contemplate the hard issues, one of which is the road to Calvary. Thinking about the title, Finding Joy on the Road to Calvary, we may consider it a bit of a paradox | #AFewMinutesWithGodHave you considered the road less traveled? Finding joy on the Calvary road is a foreign thought for many, but without the cross, there is no Easter Sunday to celebrate. In this podcast, we look at the hope that came out of complete devastation and our hope for today.

Finding Joy on the Road to Calvary

Growing in faith means taking the time to contemplate the hard issues, one of which is the road to Calvary. Thinking about the title, Finding Joy on the Road to Calvary, we may consider it a bit of a paradox.  How can we find joy on a road that leads to suffering on the cross? But that’s exactly what God invites us to explore in our walk with Him. It may take additional reflection, and this podcast will hopefully be the first step toward a closer walk with Jesus.

If you enjoy this podcast or this episode, please share it with someone who might need some encouragement. Thank you so much for listening.

Thanks to our sponsor CTCMath.com – visit the website at CTCMath for more information. Our podcasters allow us to bring you wonderful programming at the Ultimate Christian Podcast Network, where you can find other podcasts on wonderful topics that will bless you.

When we think of Calvary, we often picture the weight of the cross, the pain Jesus endured, and the sacrifice He made for us. Without a cross, there is no resurrection. And that’s all true—it’s the cornerstone of our faith. But there’s another layer to this journey, one that gives us hope and even joy when we think about the hardest moments in our faith journey. The road to Calvary isn’t just about suffering; it’s about purpose, love, and the promise of what’s beyond. How can this be?

Let’s look at John 16:33. Jesus says, “I have said this to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” Isn’t that beautiful? Jesus doesn’t say we won’t have any problems, and we talked about this in the last podcast about dealing with the struggles in our lives. Jesus tells us that trouble is part of life. I work hard to not focus on the negative in this world. Yet, when hard things happen, Jesus doesn’t leave us stranded. Jesus offers us peace, and not just any peace—His peace. On the road to Calvary, Jesus knew what was coming, yet He walked forward with a heart full of love for us. That’s where joy begins: knowing that no matter what we face, He’s already overcome it.

Now, let’s think about that road for a moment. Imagine Jesus carrying the cross—exhausted, mocked, and in pain. And yet, He continues for us because this injustice has a purpose. I’ve often wondered how He kept going. One answer comes in Hebrews 12:11-14 which says, (Read on air.)

The peaceful fruits of righteousness. That stops me in my tracks every time. Jesus saw beyond the cross—He saw you, me, and the reconciliation of the world to God. That joy wasn’t in the moment of suffering but in what it would accomplish. Friends, when we’re on our roads to Calvary through those tough seasons of life, can we look ahead to the praise report at the end? Maybe not right away, but it’s there, waiting. Today’s trial is tomorrow’s praise report!

I’ll be honest. Sometimes, my own “Calvary” moments feel overwhelming. Maybe you can relate to the problems in your life. Maybe it is a health scare, a strained relationship, or the business of everyday life wearing you down. But here’s where God meets us. In Philippians 4:4, Paul writes, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!”  This is the same Paul who didn’t believe that Jesus was indeed the Lord; he was the one who, when he converted, faced all types of trials. He was in prison, facing uncertainty. Yet he tells us to rejoice—not in our circumstances, but in the Lord. On the road to Calvary, joy isn’t about pretending everything’s okay; it’s about anchoring ourselves in the One who never fails us. The King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. When I learn to trust in God to give up my will and unite it to His, I find a sense of peace that carries me through.

So how do we live this out in our lives? For me, it starts with small steps, praying when hardship hits, thanking God for His presence even when I don’t feel it, and trusting Him. And that brings us to one of my favorite verses, Romans 8:28 (Read on air.) This includes all things, including the road to Calvary, and this includes our own struggles. God knows how our life will turn out even if we don’t. Our goal is eternal, and that’s a reason for joy.

Remember this truth, the road to Calvary didn’t end at the cross. It led to the resurrection, to victory over sin, to new life in Christ. The gates of heaven were open, and salvation was a possibility for all of those who believed. Whatever you’re carrying today, know that Jesus walks with you, and there’s joy ahead. Not because the road is easy, but because He is enough. Take a moment right now and spend a few minutes with God. Ask God to show you the joy He’s planned for you, and know that He hears all of your prayers. And I pray this in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Spiritual Grace From God

Spiritual Grace from GodWhat is that gift that is given freely, it is unearned, and it is totally and purely love. It is the spiritual grace from God. In this podcast, we will delve into the topic of grace.

The Spiritual Grace From God ~ Episode 346

Welcome to A Few Minutes with God Podcast. I’m your host, Felice Gerwitz, and today, we’re talking about a topic that is important to me, and that is the spiritual grace God pours out to those who are open to it. This grace is a gift that God is waiting to give us, but often we are too busy to notice, or if we are being honest, to care. A divine embrace is available for those who see miracles in everyday life. We’ve discussed this in other podcasts, highlighting that miracles are all around us and that we must look for them.

I know that many of you listening today are enduring hardships. For those struggling to make it through each day under the weight of financial or medical burdens, I pray that this episode brings you comfort and hope. Let’s spend these few minutes together reflecting on God’s unending love.

Spiritual Grace From God

Spiritual grace is God’s unconditional love that is unearned. In fact, it is probably truthful to say it is often undeserved. It is a gift that flows to us when we open our hearts, even just a crack, to the Lord and His providence for us. In Ephesians 2:8-9, we’re reminded, (Read on air.) This grace isn’t something we work for; it’s something we receive, often in the moments we need it most.

Let’s start with those who are open to seeing miracles in daily life. You know who you are; you are the ones who may go unnoticed, but you see the small wonders in life, and best of all, appreciate them. Think about the way a song comes on the radio, or a child’s laughter cuts through a heavy day, or what about a stranger’s kindness? These all feel like messages of love. I watched a short video about acts of kindness, and it featured a young adult girl with a bandaged leg, which appeared to be broken, and she was using crutches. She had to go down the escalator, and one man actually cut her off and walked in front of her. Another young adult, also a man, noticed her and offered to carry her on his back. I’m not sure I would have accepted; maybe I would have asked him to hold my arm as I navigated the escalator. However, she allowed him to carry her, and he did all the way down.

An act of kindness, however small, is within our ability, and it is something we can do to bless another person. If the person is puzzled or asks why you did what you did, you can answer, “Because God has blessed me.”

Being Open to God’s Presence

When we’re open to God’s presence, we see His hand in the ordinary. During a tough season, I appreciated the clouds in the sky more than ever before. We have amazing clouds where I live, and they are beautiful. The sky is huge, and yet I often hurry to one place or another, so I don’t take the time to appreciate it. Yet, one morning, I saw a rainbow. To me, it was a miracle, a reminder that beauty can emerge even when we feel broken inside. Grace helps us see these signs, and you can remind yourself, “God’s got this.” And He does!

But what about those carrying heavier burdens? To those suffering hardships, perhaps the loss of a loved one, a broken relationship, or a betrayal, God’s grace is there, too. It doesn’t always erase the pain, but it offers strength to endure. I think of Psalm 34:18 (Read on air).

Grace is like a quiet companion, sitting with you in your sorrow, reminding you that you’re not alone. We’ve all heard horrible and heartbreaking stories about people who are ill, or a sudden death in the family, or someone who is disabled and who needs help. Sometimes in these darkest moments, a church community or even strangers will rally together to help with much-needed funds. These people may realize that it is the grace of God working through others to lift them up.

God’s Sees Your Struggle

And to those struggling to get through each day—maybe because of financial strain, medical challenges, or the weight of endless responsibilities—God sees you. Your struggle is not invisible. Grace might come in the form of a moment of peace amidst the chaos, a kind word from a spouse, or a bill that is taken care of quickly through God’s providence. It’s God saying, “I’m carrying you through this.”

My mother had breast cancer in her late fifties, and I was in college at that time. I recall bombing a test, and my professor took me aside to ask what was wrong. I began to cry and told her about my mother. She hugged me and told me she would give me time to retake it. That’s grace—sustaining us when we’re too weary to stand.

So, how do we open ourselves to this grace? It starts with a simple act: turning to God. You don’t need fancy words or a perfect life. Just say, “God, I’m here. Help me see You.” It’s about trusting that He’s working, even when life feels unfair. Grace meets us in our vulnerability, in our willingness to let go of control and lean into faith.

Be Encouraged with God’s Grace

I want to encourage you today: if you’re feeling overwhelmed, look for the small miracles. If you’re hurting, let God sit with you in that pain. And if you’re barely making it through, know that His grace is enough to carry you, one step at a time. In 2 Corinthians 12:8-9, (Read on air.) Your weakness is where His strength shines.

There is so much more I can say, but I encourage you to reflect on where you’ve seen God’s grace in your life. Maybe it’s a moment you didn’t recognize until now. Hold that close, and let it remind you that you are never alone. If this episode has touched your heart, I would be grateful if you could give us a star rating on your favorite podcast app—it helps others discover this message of hope. And please, share this episode with a friend who might need to hear it. Together, we can spread the light of God’s love.

Thank you for joining me today. May you feel God’s grace surrounding you, now and always.

 

 

Renew Your Faith this New Year

It is time to renew your faith in God. Today. There are so many things we renew but often our faith is left behind.Renew Your Faith This New Year~ Episode 211(replay)

It is time to renew your faith in God. Today. There are so many things we renew but often our faith is not one of those things that we think about in that way. In this podcast, we will discuss ways to recharge your faith and how to do this in a way that makes sense for your life.

Visit MediaAngels.com for books, curriculum, and other offerings, just for you. Check out the books One More Child and A Few Minutes with God there as well. Available in print or digital.

When we renew things such as our auto, health or life insurance, it causes us to pause in our lives to do something that is sometimes painful. Shopping for insurance is no fun. What about our faith? Does your faith need renewal or a recharge? When we stop and look at our faith we may see places that need shoring up or other places where we spend much time but maybe do not see as much fruit in the way of change.

Many times we have not matured into our faith. Our years move on but our faith remains stagnant. I can see the evidence of this when I go into a church and see few people in attendance. Sure, you can watch many different services online, but it is different than participating in purpose, especially if there is no physical reason that you can’t. And, on the other hand just because you go to church doesn’t mean you believe. It can be an obligation you fulfill or you go to make someone else happy.

We go and we worship because it is one of the commandments of  God, “Keep Holy the Sabbath,” and the wisdom of God trumps anything else, or it should.

In Christian homes, a child may believe because of their parents, and their faith is their parent’s faith. Faith is a personal decision, it is a fundamental option to choose God, follow God, and live a life that is holy. What does this mean to you?

Take a look at your daily walk with the Lord and ask yourself the following:

  1. Do you wake up praising God or in some way thinking about the Lord?
  2. Do you pray?
  3. Do you spend time in God’s Word, at church or with the Bible, or another app?
  4. Do you spend time in quiet with God?
  5. Do you journal or are you in a Bible study?

If you find yourself falling a bit short, don’t worry. We can look back to see where we want to improve, but then move forward in how we want our lives to look. All of us want joy, peace, and love in our lives, and these come directly from the source of all love, and that is God. Renewing our faith means renewing our dedication to doing God’s will.

Renewing Your Faith ~ A New Beginning

Where do we begin? With a profession of faith. We can start with a prayer such as the Nicene Creed or the Apostles Creed, but I would invite you to take it a step further. Write the Lord your own love letter, a pledge to love, honor, and follow Him. It can look something like this:

“I praise you and I thank you my Lord for all you have done in my life. I want to dedicate my life to you in a new way, in a deeper way, and in a way that is pleasing to You, my Lord. Come into my heart Lord and fill it to overflowing with your love. Jesus, I trust in You. Help me to place You before all else. Help to keep me on the straight path, do not allow me to stray, and keep me from sin, my God. I dedicate all that I do and say to You and ask that You help make it pleasing. And I pray this in Jesus’ Name, Amen.”

You can add or take away anything you want, but make it a heartfelt prayer that tells the Lord you trust in Him and His divine will. When we fill ourselves with thoughts about God the darkness is dispelled. We can not live in fear and faith at the same time. God has already overcome the enemy and we need to place our lives under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

We can easily look at examples in the Bible of people who turned their back on God, the Israelites come to mind. God’s people suffered in exile and yet they continued to be unfaithful. If we trust in God we can not serve two masters.

Examine your life and look at the way that you spend your time. Is there anything you can do to place God first? Is there something you can avoid, or move in your schedule to make more time to learn more about your faith? What can you do to surrender your time to God?

I learned that to be more productive during the week I needed time to recharge. Renewing your faith is like a “recharge” of your faith battery. Keeping holy the sabbath is a way to enjoy the world that God has given to you, to enjoy your life in some small way. Enjoying a beautiful day or finding beauty in a storm with the lightning flashing in the distance. Basically praising God in all things.

While we live in a time of darkness this weariness with the world can get us down to a point that we can not see the light that is God through the sin in the world. We can’t help anyone else if we do not help ourselves first. 2 Corinthians 5:17 “If then any be in Christ a new creature, the old things are passed away, behold all things are made new.”

God can make us new, each and every day. You can renew your faith daily with a quick prayer and ask the Lord to give you the power of the Holy Spirit to overcome the trials that come with each day. Faith or religion without a relationship is hollow. Jesus wants a relationship with us, we know this, but we don’t seem to have the time. We make time for all things except this most important element in our lives.

God loves us with a love that is nothing something we can understand or grasp. Our human love by way of comparison is so inadequate. It falls short of the glory and wonder of God. We look to others for this love and find ourselves disappointed. People will disappoint us, this is one of those things we can count on. Each of our lives has some type of sorrow, tragedy, or hardship. Some of us have harder lives than others. Yet our Father who is in heaven looks to us with open arms.

Read 2 Thessalonians 12 – the entire chapter. It is a teaching to those who suffered, but this verse stands out for me, verse 13: “We also unceasingly give thanks to God because, when we handed on the word of God to you, you accepted it not as a human word but as what it truly is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe.”

Accepting faith, accepting the Word of God as truth, and accepting the truth that belief in God will help us in our lives is just the start of our faith journey, not the end. You see our struggles become insurmountable when we put our trust in others or in ourselves over God. We can do nothing without God. Philippians 4:13 I can do all things in him who strengthens me.”

The best news is that each day is a new day and we can look to the Father for a faith recharge anytime we want or need it. We grow in our faith in the same way as we mature in body. Our faith grows deeper if and when we invite the Lord in, and pray more of you Lord, and less of me.

Read the scriptures and see which verses jump out at you and write them down. Think about them and see what it is that you can learn or what you feel the Lord is telling you.

The challenge this week is to take the time to renew your faith in a meaningful way. Whether it is to purpose to read the Bible each day or spend time with the Lord. What is a way that you can be open to the blessings that can come into your life? This week the focus is on you, not someone else (yes, I know that is hard). Recharge you first and watch the worries and cares fall away! May God be blessed, Amen and Alleluiah!

Thank you to our sponsor, NOW Programs.

Outgive God

Out Giving God, A Few Minutes with God Podcast on the Ultimate Christian Podcast NetworkCan you outgive God? I challenge you to try it. In today’s episode of A Few Minutes with God, we explore this concept and ways we can be blessed, even as we give.

Outgive God ~ Episode 324

The idea of giving makes some people happy, and for others, it becomes stressful. How can you give the perfect present or, if not perfect, a present that someone even wants? Some people don’t like to buy or even give presents. Some people like to give presents but not receive them. Maybe you fall somewhere in the middle or like to give and receive!

[Thanks to our sponsor NOWPrograms. Their philosophy is don’t accomodate, remediate. And it really works.]

The people who are extremely good at giving presents are those who take the time to figure out what makes a good gift and what the person they are buying or making a gift for is. The idea of gift-giving follows this idea:

  1. Who are you gifting?
  2. What does this person like or dislike?
  3. Is this gift idea within your budget?

It’s simple, really. Buy the gift that person likes. Easy, right? That is why gift cards are such a popular option nowadays—the task can be insurmountable or daunting at best!

There are so many symbolic elements to gift-giving that we don’t see in relation to our spiritual walk. The idea of a gift ultimately is the idea of giving of ourselves. We give of our time, our talents, and our money when we gift our family and friends. But what are we giving when we give to God? Do we give our talents? Do we give our time? What is the most valuable part of us that we give to Him who has given us so much?

Let’s look at the same three questions in light of giving to God.

Outgive God – Gift Giving Survey

But, with God, it is easy, right? Let’s ask the same three questions.

  1. Who are you gifting? God.
  2. What does this person like or dislike? He is all goodness and light. He wants us to love Him and serve Him in all we do.
  3. Is this gift idea within your budget? It is everything. Do you have that to give?

Outgive God – Try it.

Giving to God first necessitates having faith. Do we believe in God as the creator of all things? Do we believe in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit? If we know God is all goodness and light, then we know what is expected of us, our whole heart and soul.

Some things we “do” for God would be:

  1. Study the scriptures.
  2. Spend time in prayer.
  3. Praise and worship
  4. Living Godly lives
  5. Going to Church

Yet when we do these things, study the scriptures; for example, who benefits from this? Or spending time in prayer or praise and worship? We are the ones who receive so much more in return. We find we are thankful and in awe of what God has done for us. The blessings that happen are a gift from God. We take every breath and every step because God wills it. Are we thankful for these things?

We can not outgive God. We can trust in Him in humility, that humble trust, that hope that within our failures, the Lord still finds us and loves us—not the sin, but He loves us. When we reflect on the goodness of Our Lord and Savior, we find the gift is totally selfless. God gave us the world in which we live—He gave us our very lives, our family, our friends. God gave us the most important thing, and that is salvation. God did not leave us orphans.

What a gift! The elements of gift giving is taking care of the other person in some way and showing our gratitude of having them in our lives. Yet, God is our Good Shepherd.
Psalm 23, also known as the Psalm of David, is one we may know by heart. Let me read it to you. (Read on air.)

God is there for us in good times, yes — but more importantly, when we think we have been forsaken. Look at what He has done for us and try daily to outgive God. Will we succeed? No. But we will be blessed more than ever! I pray you have a wonderful week and that the Lord blesses you beyond anything you can expect or hope for!

This podcast sponsored by NOW Programs.

Christian Spiritual Inspiration

Christian Spiritual Inspiration: Joy, Forgiveness, and Faith - Podcast Episode 323 Discover daily practices for cultivating forgiveness, finding joy in everyday life, and deepening your connection to God. Join us in Episode 323 for inspiration and spiritual growth through faith, prayer, and the Holy Spirit's transformative power.How do we enjoy spiritual inspiration? We can look within. In our hearts, we crave the love of the Lord, joy, and enjoyment in our lives. Today, we unfold ways to bring inspiration and awe back into our lives.

Christian Spiritual Inspiration ~ Episode 323

The importance of forgiveness, joy, and faith in the spiritual life cannot be overstated. How do we do thi?

Daily practices for cultivating forgiveness must be actively implemented. These practices could include journaling about forgiveness, praying for those who have wronged us, or engaging in acts of kindness towards them.

The benefits are undeniable: emotional healing, strengthened relationships, and a deeper connection to God our Savior.

How do we do this? We can find joy in everyday life, beginning with enjoying ordinary moments. This could be as simple as appreciating the beauty of nature, finding joy in our work, or spending quality time with loved ones. We can transform our routine tasks into worship. View every task as an opportunity for prayer; this mindset change is crucial. This can be helpful if you enjoy praise and worship.

The Holy Spirit’s role is not just powerful; it is transformative. Its potential to bring about profound changes in our lives is a source of hope and inspiration, leading us toward spiritual growth and a deeper connection with God.

2 Timothy 3:16 (Read on air.)

Psalm 46:1-4 (Read on air)

***

The Lord can help you to find like-minded friends and, through prayer, bring those people into your life!

I prayed at a low point in my life and cried out to the Lord for friends who were not only the same denomination as me but also would encourage me. These two dear friends were that and so much more and are still my dearest friends today. We exchanged good Christian and faith-filled books to read, we prayed for each other’s families, and we knew that we were here for each other.

The journey of faith is ever-changing.

Only we can make the decision to forgive if that is needed in our lives—sometimes daily—and also to pray for ourselves because often we pray for everyone else and forget that we, too, need prayer.

Faith and trust in God can grow through prayer, spending time with God, and making it a routine. A few minutes with God, daily

Seeing the beauty of God’s creation, especially when we don’t expect it, means being open to the Holy Spirit’s infilling. How many sunsets have we seen yet never appreciated? How many times have we missed those amazing occurrences of God’s blessings and grace, even in the midst of tragedy? If we recognize the blessings in our lives, we can’t help but forgive others and ourselves as well —

Sometimes, when I write these talks, the Lord leads me in the opposite direction I want to go — this is one of them. Is this Christian spiritual inspiration from the Holy Spirit?

The idea of forgiveness keeps cropping up when I wanted the focus to be on joy – on wonder and awe. Maybe someone needs to hear this; maybe that person is you or someone you know. But, truly the idea of forgiveness is not new, it is what the Lord did for us the greatest gift. It is what the Lord continues to do in our lives – the focus of the Lord’s Prayer is to be thankful for our daily bread, yes — and to forgive as God forgives us! What a challenge in our lives, but what an amazing way to help us to grow, transform, and overcome the discouragement that tends to creep into our lives … we must find strength in God.

As I record, Christmas is coming soon, and the holidays tend to be the most difficult for most people. This is a time when we see joy all around us or the facade of joy. There is so much hardship and challenge in all of our lives, yet with God, all things are possible.

Remember Philippians 4:13. I can do all this through him who strengthens me.

We can receive that strength from the Lord and ask Him to renew the awe and wonder we may be missing in our lives. Let’s look toward Him and only Him for our spiritual needs. Let’s pray for each other. Me for you, the dear podcast listeners. Some of you I know, and many of you I have never met. I pray the Lord blesses you this season of love and joy, that you can see Him in all things, that you have that joy that surpasses all understanding, and that you thank Him from where all blessings flow. Amen!

This episode is sponsored by NOW Programs.

Transformed Family

AFMWG Family Transformed

Family Transformed – Episode 217

Are you ready for a transformation within your own family? How about a challenge for a transformed family? This is a follow-up to the last episode of Heart Transformed 

Thanks to our sponsor, CTC Math a wonderful math curriculum for kids K-12

Why is it we can see the faults in other people so much easier than we can see the faults in ourselves? Did you know when we focus on ourselves first (the opposite of what we have been taught), and get our own spiritual house in order, the rest of the family will see the change and want to be a part of what you have? If you didn’t catch the last episode, Heart Transformed  be sure to check it out.

St. Paul reminds us in Colossians 3:1-4 [ Read on air]

When our family is at peace, when we are serving the Lord as a group, we will all get along so much better. I taught my children that God put us together as a family on purpose. There are no mistakes in Lord’s plan for family life. Each person was selected to be together because of what they could learn from each other. It is a beautiful thing when it works the way God designed. If we focus on the things above we are so much happier.

The best teacher is the example we set If we want our family to read the Bible, we need to read the Bible. If we want our family to pray, we need to lead in prayer. Years ago I wanted my husband to be the spiritual leader of our home, and he is in so many ways, but not in the way I wanted him to be. I wanted him to lead the Bible studies and the prayer sessions we had as a family and while he contributed to these, he is not a leader. So we became co-leaders, I would initiate the studies and he and I would contribute to the discussion. We can become upset or bitter because things do not go our way rather than take on the leadership ourselves if that is what God leads us to do. Don’t box yourself in with your own ideas, but rather what works best for your family. Never, never compare your family to other families. That will surely set you up for failure. Many people put up a good front when everything is falling apart. So don’t judge by exteriors.

Here are some simple things to do, for yourself if you do not have a young family and with a family, if you do:

  1. Start each day by giving thanks. By doing this we are giving God all the glory (Colossians 4:4 – When Christ who is your life is revealed, then you will also be revealed with him in glory.”) That is enough for us to rejoice daily.
  2. Family prayer. Begin each meal with thanks to God. Keep it brief. Have a nighttime routine that includes prayer.
  3. Encourage each member of the family to have their own time to pray.
  4. Participate in helping. Whether it is each other or contributing to the family needs. Meals, cleaning up, helping when needed.
  5. Participate in ministry outside of the home. Volunteering, visiting the elderly (neighbor), etc.

Talk to your family members and add to this list. As the children grew and left home we had a big gap in our lives, and my husband and I found we were no longer praying together because our nightly routine was changed. Even when our children were younger, the two of us would pray each evening together. This habit changed as our lives became busier. For anyone who has children, you always think you will have so much time when the kids grow older, but soon find that our lives just change and often become even busier. We must make the time to pray together.

If you are alone in your home and have a good prayer life, that is wonderful, now invite a friend. I pray with my friends often. Sometimes it is in church, sometimes it is a friend in need. I am part of several email prayer groups that send out prayer requests. I set up a Facebook group – A Few Minutes with God years ago for prayer requests. It was used to help people who needed prayers and also to post their praise reports.

And that is really the crux of the transformed family, and that is you will have so many praise reports! A praise report is where we thank God for the blessings in our lives. My son was hit by a falling object that was large and metal off of a single-story roof. The injury could have been so bad, but it turned out that while it bled profusely, the damage was minimal and mostly a scrape. That was a miracle. No swelling, no concussion, no brain damage, or worse! So thank you Lord for your blessings. If you think about it each day you can come up with so many things to thank the Lord for and to praise His Name. But, it takes time to stop and think.

What do you do when you enter a church? Is it a time to be social, or is it a time to listen and pray? Can we pray and be social? Of course! But I feel that often church is used as a social outlet rather than a time of worship. Going to church for me is a time to get on my knees, for as long as I am able, and begin by thanking and praising God, asking His forgiveness for the ways I have offended Him, and petitioning Him in prayer. However, you serve to worship it is an individual choice.

This week I challenge you to work within your own family no matter how big or how small and make positive changes. Small to begin with and grow as your family grows and adapts to a time of prayer, worship, and growing closer to the Lord. I pray this is a blessing to you and your family.

Thank You to our Network Sponsor – CTC Math!

Spiritual Experience

Spiritual Experience | A Few Minutes with God Podcast with Felice Gerwitz

Spiritual Experience | A Few Minutes with God Podcast with Felice Gerwitz

Episode 308: Exploring Spiritual Experiences Based on Matthew 17

Have you had a spiritual experience? Have you ever felt like you were on a spiritual mountaintop? In this episode of the “A Few Minutes with God” podcast, Felice Gerwitz explores these profound moments. She draws inspiration from Matthew 17, where Jesus is transfigured on the mountain before Peter, James, and John:

“After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light.” (Matthew 17:1-2)

You might be curious about what defines such an experience or blessed to have had one. These moments can come through prayer, music, a powerful sermon, a unique situation, or a special moment from the Lord. In this episode, Felice discusses:

  • Understanding Spiritual Experiences: Felice explains what a spiritual experience is and isn’t, helping you recognize these moments.
  • Common Elements of Spiritual Experiences: Many of these experiences share typical components, such as a sense of immense peace, overwhelming joy, or a deep connection with God.
  • The Joy of Spiritual Experiences: Felice shares insights into the profound joy that accompanies a true spiritual encounter and how this joy can transform your faith journey.
  • Experiencing God’s Grace Anew: This can open your heart to God’s grace in new and unexpected ways. Felice provides examples and personal stories to illustrate this transformation.
  • A New Calling: Sometimes, it brings a sense of new purpose or calling. Felice discusses how to discern and embrace this new direction.
  • What to Do After a Mountaintop Experience: Practical advice on integrating these powerful moments into your daily life and maintaining spiritual growth.

This episode is proudly sponsored by CTC Math. They offer an excellent resource for homeschooling families seeking a comprehensive and engaging math curriculum.

 

 

A Mountaintop Spiritual Experience can contain some of the following elements:

  • a spiritual connection to the Almighty
  • it can be life-changing – you don’t want to continue on the path you are currently on but want to improve.
  • it can contain extreme joy
  • it can come from unexplainable events
  • you feel a strong sense of God’s presence
  • you have a deep knowledge of the truth that God loves you
  • you feel a calling to follow God in a deeper way.

God’s love is something we read about in the scriptures; look up the words “God’s love.”
We read in 1 John 4-6 (Read on air).

and in Romans 5:4-6 we read (On air.)

The trouble is that we understand God’s love only through our own experiences. How can we experience what we have not gone through and do not understand? We can’t. God’s love can only be explained by the fact that we must first have the head knowledge that it exists (because we are here, we live, the Lord had given us life – we are not a mistake, not an accident!

God loves us, and our mountaintop spiritual experience can be realized because God wants this for us. So let’s pray, dear friends, that you recognize when it happens and are open to the love of God today and always.

Tune in to gain a deeper understanding of spiritual encounters and how they can profoundly impact your walk with God.

Evil Tactic

Evil Tactics | What is an evil tactic? It is something employed by the evil one to take souls to hell. Harsh? Maybe. But, this is something that few of us want to talk about or consider. | #podcast #ChristianPodcast #combattingevilEvil Tactic  – Combatting Evil ~ Episode 225

What is an evil tactic? It is something employed by the evil one to take souls to hell. Harsh? Maybe. But, this is something that few of us want to talk about or consider. In this podcast, Felice will explore the tactics used and how to prevent being led to the dark side.

Visit this month’s wonderful sponsor who helps bring this network to you for free, visit CTCMath.com for a great math curriculum for grades K-12

Few people realize the greatest tool of evil is to convince people that evil does not exist. Everything is fine, it’s good, there is nothing to worry about. Everyone gets a free pass to go to heaven. Don’t worry, proclaim God once, claim Him and go on and live your life in whatever way you see fit. I realize we all come from different faith walks. Some are non-denominational and others adhere to a specific denomination. Some teach it is faith alone and others that it is faith and works.

In the previous podcast, I cited James 2:14-26, Faith without works is dead. With this thought, we must look at the ways that evil sets to destroy not only others but specifically our lives.

I see evil glorified everywhere I look during the month of October, whether I am in the grocery store or at a restaurant. Some people celebrate fall with leaves and such, but many, enjoy what they believe is making light of darkness with evil-looking and scary decorations. While spoofs are fine, being surrounded by evil-looking decorations is not something I enjoy. Walking into a hair salon while hearing an evil cackling voice is not my idea of fun, and believe me, I soon went to another hair salon.

Here is a short list of things that are considered evil tactics:

  1. Not believing evil or satan exists. John 8:44 (read)
  2. Fearfulness (in a minute I’ll read from Matthew 10 which helps us to combat fear)
  3. Deception and lies, Confusion, Twisting of words – reproductive freedom, no big deal, not for us to judge
  4. Division – because when we are divided we are weak. John 17:20-24 (read)
  5. Diversion – an overload of information, social media, anxiety, and distractions of everyday life Matt 10:26-32 (read)
  6. Discouragement and depression – personal setbacks, always wanting more, if “this” happens, I’ll be happy. (humility)

There is so much packed into these verses, first, we have nothing to fear, the next is that we should not fear the body because what is most important is our soul, and the only person to fear is what can destroy us -that is giving into evil tactics and ultimately hell. Then there is the wonderful verse about the Father’s intimate knowledge about each one of us because he even knows the number of hair on our heads. We have value to God, my friends more than we know! We must also acknowledge God, we must not be afraid of our Christian faith or deny him unless we want to be denied before the Father in heaven. Powerful words!

5. Humility – the key to discouragement and depression is humility. Realizing we can do nothing without God. This is not a way to push off blame or alleviate our guilt, it is a way however to realize that when we do things under our own steam we are setting up ourselves for failure. Have you ever wondered when your life falls apart, and you can’t seem to handle anymore that you are “doing” it yourself and without God? Sure, we are all gifted in some way, but those gifts should be attributed to the Almighty.

In our humility we ask the Lord for help, to come into our lives in a deeper way (I know – I must sound like I repeat myself over and over) but it is a truth that when we grow closer to God we find things that are so important in our life or that we think are important fall way. All the people who suffer loss realize in the end that these are things they can not take with them when they die. That is why we are taught to look to the end, to look at our lives and when we do, when we grow closer to God we can see the areas where we have sinned.

Evil tactics are lost on those who are grounded, who surround themselves with like-minded Christians, and who immerse themselves in all that is good and holy, beginning with your relationship with Christ and the Scriptures. This week make a list of the evil tactics aimed at you and work at ways (with God, Scripture, and prayer) that you can combat the evils.

 

God’s Word Revealed (Replay)

God's Word Revealed | We often read the Bible and are left unmoved, but through the words of scripture, God's word is revealed. | #christianpodcast | #podcast | God's WordGod’s Word Revealed – Episode 220

We often read the Bible and are left unmoved, but through the words of scripture, God’s word is revealed. Why is that? What are the tools you need to get you into the right frame of mind before praying and delving into the scriptures? Stay tuned and find out.

We are so appreciative of this wonderful company and our sponsor CTC Math – for a math curriculum that is geared to teaching children K-12 visit CTCMath.com our sponsors help keep this show and our network on the air.

When was the last time you read the Bible or listened to the Bible read to you in church and found your mind wandering or the words had less of an impact than you hoped? God’s word teaches and instructs us and it can reveal truths to us that will help us in our daily lives and we are taught are good for our eternal soul. What is revealed in God’s word is more than can we usually unpack on our own and that is where the commentaries are helpful.

A quick guide to reading scripture.

  1. Pray to the Lord for the forgiveness of past sins.
  2. Ask the Holy Spirit for a blessing upon you to open your mind to the words the Lord wants you to hear.
  3. Close your eyes and pray thanksgiving for all the Lord has done for you.
  4. Put on the “mind of Christ,” and pray for understanding.
  5. Open your Bible and read!

As I was preparing this podcast I thought about some of the highlights of which there are many but these were earth-shattering revelations about the sovereignty of God.

God revealed His name in Exodus to Moses in the burning bush – we learn that it was a miraculous event, the bush was not consumed in fire and by the power of God, he sustained it, and revealed Himself with the promise of liberating the oppressed people.

Exodus 3: 1-8 [Read on air] The bush was sustained by the power of God and in this passage, God revealed His name. I AM. What a miracle and one that we wish was happening today – a miracle to set His people free those of us who are believers who are crying out to the Lord for help. Not as I want my God but as you want for me. That too is takes a miracle of faith to trust in God and His insight and knowing what is best for us.

The Lord revealed His plan of a Savior through his prophetic word, and even through Mary. We may not consider the Mother of Christ sharing a prophetic word but she did and we know this because we read her prophetic word in what is known as the Magnificat, in some translations I read Mary’s song but I feel that falls short of the magnitude of her words: Luke 1:46-56 Please read those words and think about them, friends.  My goodness, when I read … my soul magnifies the Lord we should pray for that blessing and grace. To trust as Mary trusted what a gift! Sure, she was visited by an angel of God, but we all know that the punishment for an unwed woman in those days was death. I’m sure she was afraid but still, she went to tend to her cousin, Elizabeth and we further read the baby in Elizabeth’s womb lept for joy. That baby was the future John the Baptist.

I think that is why so many of us feel so strongly about abortion that we never know who the future child that will be born is, and all are gifts from God and created in God’s image. Again, we have to suspend our thoughts and put on the mind of Christ as the scriptures teach.

And another prophetic word by Zechariah – the father of John the Baptist. Because he did not believe the word he received from the Lord when he was in the temple offering the sacrifice of the people, he was struck mute. Yet once his wife Elizabeth argued about the name that should be given to their child, the Lord gave him his voice back. Luke 1:67-80 (this was soon after Mary’s words).  His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied that his son would be a prophet called by God the Most High. The miracle next to that of Elizabeth being barren, and old and still giving birth to a healthy child.

Those prophetic words and the many that the Bible contains are not just for your neighbor, your friend, or the people down the street, no. These words are for you and for me! There are prophets of today some are sound and teach truth and others I believe want to sow fear in our hearts. We do not need to have a spirit of fear but we must be of sound mind and that comes from putting on the armor of Christ!

Your challenge this week is to pray to discern God’s Word in the scripture and to pray to only hear the truth and discern when it is not of the Lord. May you be blessed today and always.

 

Thank You to our Network Sponsor – CTC Math!

Spiritual Cleaning

Spiritual Cleansing podcast from A Few Minutes with GodSpiritual Cleaning ~ Episode 259

When was the last time you did spiritual housecleaning? In this episode, we will explore why many of us struggle daily and the unnecessary burdens we carry around. Many of these can easily be trashed.

Thanks to Media Angels, the sponsor of today’s episode. You can visit MediaAngels.com for books and classes. Many products are available for immediate download.

The Lord gives us such an amazing compacity to feel. We are blessed with five senses, and we use these in our daily lives, often without thinking. However, it is those senses that can get us into trouble. It is time to take stock of our lives and get rid of the trash that does not belong. We can do this in several ways.

The first is to look hard at our lives and happiness. If we are in need of spiritual cleansing, we may feel a burden or heaviness. This is the first sign that something isn’t right in our lives. Before we cast the blame on someone else, let’s look interiorly first and see what we can change. This is not an easy task and may take some serious introspection. It also takes time, a commodity many of us do not have.

By identifying why we carry around specific burdens, we can hone into the issue and then figure out the remedy with the help of prayer. Some baggage is too hard to remove on our own and may take a Christian counselor or therapist. We are blessed to have the Wholeness and Holiness Podcast and Margaret Vasquez on the Ultimate Christian Podcast Network.

For most of us, it may be a matter of identifying an issue, such as turning to food when we are stressed or bored. Watching inappropriate shows or reading inappropriate books. Or a host of other things we do that can lead us into sin and guilt.

The God we serve is the Creator of the Universe, and we tend to forget that! David said it beautifully in the Psalms, and in Psalm 19:1-2 we read…

Psalm 19:1-2
The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day, they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge.

If even the heavens declare the glory of God, shouldn’t we? This righteous God leads us clearly in His word to avoid evil, yet evil can be so tempting. Many of us have John 3:16 memorized. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

But what about John 3:17? “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”

And what do we need to do? John 18-21 (read on air).

And that is why spiritual cleaning is needed. We often need to tune up our faith and belief that God is a righteous, fair, and honest God, but we must believe in Him to have everlasting life with Him and believe He is the redeemer worthy of honor and praise.

John 3:19 goes on, (read on air).

How stark and scary! Jesus is the light, and Jesus came into the world for those chosen by God — the chosen ones of God were the people of Israel. Their leaders were interested in keeping their power rather than opening their eyes to Jesus – who was the fulfillment of prophecy. We are blessed to have the Bible and many Bible studies where we can see this so clearly. The Old Testament and the New mess together, and we see such evidence of this. Yet those people, the Israelites who the Almighty God took out of Egypt and slavery, continued in their slavery, their sinful ways> These religious leaders denied He was the Christ and hated light. Why? Because of the fear that their deeds would be exposed. Not all of them, we learn later that Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, who was a Pharisee and a member of the Jewish ruling council (John 3:1-2) were the ones to take Jesus’ body and place it in a tomb.

John 19:38-42 (Read on air.)

Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jewish leaders. With Pilate’s permission, he came and took the body away. 39 He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night.

So while not everyone denied that Christ was the Redeemer and Savior, their fear kept them from acting. Thankfully we know the end of the story and Jesus rose from the dead, but still, this miracle is denied by many today. If we deny God we can do whatever we want, in theory, but the burden of sin rests on the human soul, and that is what causes the guilt.

Who can hide from God? None of us. He sees all that we do, He knows our hearts and our motivations, and while we can fool ourselves, we will never fool God. When our kids were younger, my husband used to explain to our children when they were denying they did anything wrong that what they were doing was lying to themselves. I thought that was such a great analogy.

When we lie to ourselves, we make excuses or deny that our actions are wrong. Things like, “I’m not that bad compared to other people.” or “I would never do the things that this person or that person does.” We consider that if we work hard enough, we can earn a ticket to heaven. And, while works and faith go hand in hand, they are not exclusive. You can not love God and act in sin; you can not act in sin and say you love God.

Spiritual cleaning is so important to root out those sins that take over like weeds when we are not watching or aware of what is happening in our lives. And like those vines with the tenacles, I have them in my yard; when I pull one stem, five more come up with them. It reminds me to take stock of my life and examine my conscience from time to time.

Take the time to look at your life, if you need some help, I have several podcasts on this topic that may be helpful:

  1. Examination of Conscience here.
  2. Reexamine Your Conscience here.
  3. Avoiding Sin here.

As the scripture says, the reason we don’t want to look into our sinfulness is because then we have a fear of being exposed. But as John 3:21 states – “But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.”

No matter if we fear it or not, it will come out in the end. This life is fleeting, and we consider the ramifications of sin because of our eternal life. Taking the time to clear out unhealthy habits, whether stress eating or binge-watching a show instead of doing something worthwhile, can make us lighter and happier in the end. I don’t know anyone who felt good after overeating, and there is a reason for that! These things while minor (after all, if you are listening to this podcast, you are on the road to seeking a closer walk with God), yet we all need to be an encouragement for each other!

Confession is good for the soul, and I pray that you take stock of your life this week and throw out the trash that has you burdened!

 

 

Integrity and Faith

Integrity and Faith ~ Episode 221

How can we pray in an effective manner? And where did integrity and faith go? So few people have both! Listen in to learn more about how we can pray for our family, our pastors, our church, and those in the world in a powerful way.

Thanks to our sponsor CTC Math – for a math curriculum that is geared to teaching children K-12 visit CTCMath.com our sponsors help keep this show and our network on the air.

What has happened to truth, justice, integrity, and faith? The core issue is that God is removed as much as possible from our lives beginning with our children. The long game by the evil one required the abolition of God from the schools. What better way to change a generation? Begin with the children. Even Christian schools that take government dollars find that they have a specific way they must teach and act, because – you know, you don’t want to offend the non-believers who attend Christian schools.

Why are children disrespectful to authority? It would take me an entire podcast to share my take on this as a past educator, with a degree in Elementary Ed and Early Childhood, but let me share that it is a multi-generational issue. For one thing, parents don’t follow through and teach children that obedience is required or there will be consequences, the second is that children don’t trust authority figures because they have been hurt. If we want to have respect it must be earned. It is not, “do as I say but not as I do.” And that is a major problem.

Christian children don’t know their faith, they are not taught the Bible and they do not know how to pray. If they pray it is often, “please God give me the following”, rather than beginning with praise and thanksgiving for what the Creator, the Almighty, has done for us.

Once we took God out, secular humanism crept in with all that entailed which was a skewed look at humanity with all its depravity. The job of faith was then left to the parents, where it should be. However, parents were overwhelmed with work, home, and raising kids. Many mothers were forced to go to work to help provide for their families.

Then this job of teaching the faith was left at the door of the church, which often was not attended by the very people who needed faith the most. And, let’s face it our pastors and hierarchy of the church have let us down. I was sharing with my son the other day that the evil we see unleashed on this world would not be happening if the clergy stood up in force and united against the push from evil men who want money and power. It use to be the Catholic church that stood up against evil in so many instances throughout history. And with the revision and rewriting of history, we see blame rather than praise where it was due. I don’t normally go on about the evil in this world, because I like to focus on the good and the graces that God gives, but I feel we are at a tipping point. I believe there is more good than evil in the world, but that saying about good people doing nothing rings true today due to fear tactics by the enemy. Think red background, need I say more?

As my son asked, “So what are we supposed to do, pray and do nothing?” My answer? “Absolutely not.” Sure, we could throw up our hands in defeat with the thought that there is nothing we can do but that is not true. Just as I shared in the last podcast on planting the seeds of faith, it is with prayer that we can be led forward and encouraged in what we should do.  What does that mean? It means the connection to our Lord and our prayer life is so important more than in days past.

If I could make a wish list of what I would like to see happen in Catholic, Christian, and other faith communities it would be the following:

  1. Band together in prayer for the end of this hostile takeover of the good in humanity.
  2. Prayer for those who are confused about their own worth in the eyes of God and fall into what the scriptures call Sodom and Gomorrah.
  3. Focus on our own sinfulness and not point figures toward others.
  4. The motto, “As for me and my house we will serve the Lord,” throw out anything that is contrary to a strengthing of your soul toward good.
  5. Live a life of integrity and faith. Do not allow the love of money and it’s lure of evil. Money in and of itself is not evil, it is the love of money that is the root of evil.

By living an example each day for others even if it is for your own family, people at church, your neighbor, and the checkout person at the grocery store, you are doing your part. Some years ago a friend was visiting and asked me to bring her to the local variety store to get a few things she forgot. We decided to get coffee when we arrived at the coffee shop and since we only needed a few things, we decided not to get a cart. Well, a few things turned into more things and both of us had full hands by the end. So, she stuck a small container of deodorant in her pocket. Yes, that’s right, she forgot to remove it to pay until we got home. So, in the next day or so, we headed back to the store to pay for the deodorant, and it took forever. First, she had to explain to the returns that the receipt with her purchase did not include the deodorant (and yes this girl was shocked) then the girl had to call her supervisor – same story, same shock. Finally, it was all sorted out and my friend made the payment and we left. It was an ordeal but one that I believe blessed people’s lives, because yeah, that just does not happen. That is integrity that goes hand in hand with faith.

So, friends, this week let’s join together and pray for all humanity that the shining light of Christ is renewed in each person’s heart. We will do our part in our own corner of the world to make it a better place, to vote responsibly, and to be silent no more. May you be blessed by the love of God today and always.

God’s Word Revealed

God's Word Revealed | We often read the Bible and are left unmoved, but through the words of scripture, God's word is revealed. | #christianpodcast | #podcast | God's WordGod’s Word Revealed – Episode 220

We often read the Bible and are left unmoved, but through the words of scripture, God’s word is revealed. Why is that? What are the tools you need to get you into the right frame of mind before praying and delving into the scriptures? Stay tuned and find out.

We are so appreciative of this wonderful company and our sponsor CTC Math – for a math curriculum that is geared to teaching children K-12 visit CTCMath.com our sponsors help keep this show and our network on the air.

When was the last time you read the Bible or listened to the Bible read to you in church and found your mind wandering or the words had less of an impact than you hoped? God’s word teaches and instructs us and it can reveal truths to us that will help us in our daily lives and we are taught are good for our eternal soul. What is revealed in God’s word is more than can we usually unpack on our own and that is where the commentaries are helpful.

A quick guide to reading scripture.

  1. Pray to the Lord for the forgiveness of past sins.
  2. Ask the Holy Spirit for a blessing upon you to open your mind to the words the Lord wants you to hear.
  3. Close your eyes and pray thanksgiving for all the Lord has done for you.
  4. Put on the “mind of Christ,” and pray for understanding.
  5. Open your Bible and read!

As I was preparing this podcast I thought about some of the highlights of which there are many but these were earth-shattering revelations about the sovereignty of God.

God revealed His name in Exodus to Moses in the burning bush – we learn that it was a miraculous event, the bush was not consumed in fire and by the power of God, he sustained it, and revealed Himself with the promise of liberating the oppressed people.

Exodus 3: 1-8 [Read on air] The bush was sustained by the power of God and in this passage, God revealed His name. I AM. What a miracle and one that we wish was happening today – a miracle to set His people free those of us who are believers who are crying out to the Lord for help. Not as I want my God but as you want for me. That too is takes a miracle of faith to trust in God and His insight and knowing what is best for us.

The Lord revealed His plan of a Savior through his prophetic word, and even through Mary. We may not consider the Mother of Christ sharing a prophetic word but she did and we know this because we read her prophetic word in what is known as the Magnificat, in some translations I read Mary’s song but I feel that falls short of the magnitude of her words: Luke 1:46-56 Please read those words and think about them, friends.  My goodness, when I read … my soul magnifies the Lord we should pray for that blessing and grace. To trust as Mary trusted what a gift! Sure, she was visited by an angel of God, but we all know that the punishment for an unwed woman in those days was death. I’m sure she was afraid but still, she went to tend to her cousin, Elizabeth and we further read the baby in Elizabeth’s womb lept for joy. That baby was the future John the Baptist.

I think that is why so many of us feel so strongly about abortion that we never know who the future child that will be born is, and all are gifts from God and created in God’s image. Again, we have to suspend our thoughts and put on the mind of Christ as the scriptures teach.

And another prophetic word by Zechariah – the father of John the Baptist. Because he did not believe the word he received from the Lord when he was in the temple offering the sacrifice of the people, he was struck mute. Yet once his wife Elizabeth argued about the name that should be given to their child, the Lord gave him his voice back. Luke 1:67-80 (this was soon after Mary’s words).  His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied that his son would be a prophet called by God the Most High. The miracle next to that of Elizabeth being barren, and old and still giving birth to a healthy child.

Those prophetic words and the many that the Bible contains are not just for your neighbor, your friend, or the people down the street, no. These words are for you and for me! There are prophets of today some are sound and teach truth and others I believe want to sow fear in our hearts. We do not need to have a spirit of fear but we must be of sound mind and that comes from putting on the armor of Christ!

Your challenge this week is to pray to discern God’s Word in the scripture and to pray to only hear the truth and discern when it is not of the Lord. May you be blessed today and always.

 

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Plant Seeds of Faith

AFMW - Planting Seeds of FaithPlant Seeds of Faith ~ Episode 219

Do you plant seeds of faith or do you keep all those wonderful blessings for yourself? It is easier than you think and the good news is that not the Lord harvests and not us! In this podcast, Felice Gerwitz shares the joys of faith planting.

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When I became on fire for the Lord, Christian I was so good at sharing about the Lord, yet I also wanted to see the fruits. I had to learn early on we plant, God reaps! I’m not a very patient person and that was a hard lesson to learn, but learn I did. How many times are we are asked to pray and never hear the end of the story? But, that is okay for one reason it encourages us to remember the people and pray for their intentions.

We are called to pray for each other and to share the good news: Mark 16:15-20

15 He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.”

19 After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God. 20 Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.

The Lord gives us the gifts we need when we need them. Sometimes it is that friend who picks us up when we are down, other times it is the person we least expect, and other times it is the Lord who speaks to us through His word. I think that is why when you are filled with the graces that God gives you, you want to share the good news with the world. But what happens when you are rejected? What if you are so filled with the love of God that you want to share it with someone who is close to you and then learn that they don’t want any part of what you have to say? How does that make you feel? We can’t take this as a personal rejection although I am sure that is hard to do, it is not a rejection of us, it is a rejection of God.

The issue is that when we are excited we want others to be excited, but that too is a grace from God. It is freely given but some refuse to accept this gift and would rather rely on their own understanding and their own ability. Because let’s face it, to an unbeliever faith is considered a weakness. They may believe that a Christian can do anything by asking God for help or intercession. But little do they know that calling out to the Almighty is a recognition of that which is greater than us and in humility, we cry out to God in an act of thanksgiving, love, and hope. Faith by its very nature is hope.

When we think about the Lord and how he planted the seeds of faith, we recall Mark 4 – The Parable of the Sower. I will read a portion to you, Mark 4:3-8 and Jesus said:

“Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.”

Then Jesus said, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”

But when reading further we find that the apostles were puzzled.

13 Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable? 14 The farmer sows the word. 15 Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. 16 Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. 17 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 18 Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; 19 but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. 20 Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.”

And that, dear friends, is how we are as well. We as Christians can be so excited when things are working out for us, and other times we fall short because things are hard. Once we received the word with joy we hear, but the roots were too shallow. Maybe we have heard the prosperity gospel that teaches among other things that if you are a believer only good and blessings will come to you. Yet, we know that is a shallow root because what happens when bad things happen to “good” people? We blame God, we shake our fists and say things like, “God, I’ve always followed you and this is how you treat your servant?” I know this first hand because sadly I’ve said that more times than I care to admit. The good news? We can repent and start again, each day is a new day with God. God does not hold grudges, and God is in the present moment as are we, however, we think about the past and it still has a hold on us.

What about the seeds that fall upon the thorns? The Lord teaches that they fall on those whose lives are filled with the goal of wealth and the desires for other things that don’t allow that person to grow in faith, that “choke the word” and become “unfruitful”. Look up the word fruit on any Bible app and you will find many, many references. In Matthew 21:43 we read: “Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.

The production of good fruit is through the grace of God, again freely given but not accepted by some. Lastly, we learn there are those seeds sown on good soil, and those who hear the word accept it and produce crops. The crops are as Matthew declares the fruit of faith. This fruit must be shared. But I want to caution you to wait upon the Lord.

As I shared earlier in this podcast, I was ready to share the good news with everyone and yet it was met with resistance. I think I was at fault in that I was doing this under my own power, my own idea of what the person should hear, and without the grace of God. Because we can plant seeds the best by the way we live our life. And where do you begin? With your family and then with a nudge from the Lord. We know when we should say something and we don’t. You have that feeling that you should say something and you let the moment slip away.

One of our pastors shared that when people would share jokes that were inappropriate, he would say he didn’t want to hear it or walk away. His example to others that as a man of God he was held to a higher standard, but he also shared that often it made a difference and the joke teller would apologize. How we stand up for our faith is a way that we plant seeds. A car weaving in and out of traffic or speeding with a Christian bumper sticker that says, “God Saves,” or “Christian on Board,” or something similar, needless to say, would not be a good example.

Pray about what the Lord wants you to do, and the best thing is to listen in the quiet without the distractions of the world. I know, my mind wanders too, start by reading the Bible, and allow the words to fill your heart. I challenge you this week to pray and seek the Lord and ask Him to bring you people so that you can share the Good News, as he leads you to share. May you be blessed this week and always.


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Word of God

AFMWG - Word of GodWord of God ~ God Speaking To Us – Episode 218

When we think about the Word of God we consider The Holy Bible as the source, as we should. But what about internal thoughts or feelings that God is with you? In this podcast, we will delve into the Word of God not only

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The Great Commission ~ Word of God

Does God talk to you? Think about this. He promised not to leave us orphans, He promised to be with us always until the end of time, and he asked his disciples in what is known as the great commission to make disciples of all nations. Matthew 28:16-20

Many of us go to church weekly at the minimum, and some daily. We hear sermons and we listen to the Word of God read to us as well as reading the Scriptures in our own quiet time. Yet, how often do we stop and reflect on the words we are reading? Do we consider our life a journey? That we are just passing through. When we look at our life as Christians we are elevated to a place that is beyond this world. And having this perspective puts us in the frame of mind to believe.

What do you believe? I believe that God does talk to us. To begin with, we start with His Word and go from there. As we read the Bible and a specific passage, what are the words that resonate with you?

There are so many glimpses of God’s love for humanity, first with the creation of the world, then with the trials of humanity when in opposition to God. I read something that said quit trying to find out God’s will for you and just live your life as a godly Christian. That is a nice meme on social media, but God’s will for our life happens whether or not we are in tune with it, everything in our lives happens not only because of our free will but because God allows it. That is hard to take in, especially because of our own sinful nature and that is why we turn to faith in times of great need and turn our backs when all is going well.

In learning to obey the Word of God we are taking that first step, that action to do God’s will by learning and loving God as He loves us. We can never compare with the love of the Father, Son, or Spirit for us.

Jesus spoke to God the Father and we read about it in John 17:20-26. It is a moving passage and it gives us an example of how we should pray.

Jesus Prays for All Believers ~ Word of God

What resonates with you? Which of those words touches your heart? Write down those words in your own journal and underline phrases that have an impact on you. I love the words, “I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”

What more can we ask for in our life than to have the love of God within us?

Some Bibles have the words of Jesus highlighted or in red. He spoke so clearly in many places and in parables or stories in others. Write down the verses that touch your heart and meditate on them.  You will be filling pages and pages in your journal because you can not help but be touched and changed by His Word.

The Bible is filled with Salvation history but it is also filled with a call to action and to change for the better.

In the book of Hebrews verse 4:12, we read For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”

God’s word changes us. It makes us strive to be the best we can be. When I read the Old Testament I am heartbroken by the choices that many of our ancestors made. Think about the Garden of Eden, think about Moses, think about the Israelites, and think about the call of Jeremiah for change. Now, fast forward to the New Testament and we see that evil man are in power and that the people are crying out to God for relief.

Now, look at today. Evil men still try to rule the world and still try to bend the will of the people. Yet, we know the outcome because of the difference between us and those who lived within the Old Testament time is we have a Savior and His name is Jesus Christ!

We must repent, believe and change for the better, but we must do it with a Christian foundation. We have all been chosen to serve and it is no accident that you are tuned in today. God is not going to leave us stranded and we have His Word. Let me leave you with this thought, Romans 12:2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

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Transformed Family

AFMWG Family Transformed

Family Transformed – Episode 217

Are you ready for a transformation within your own family? How about a challenge for a transformed family? This is a follow-up to the last episode of Heart Transformed 

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Why is it we can see the faults in other people so much easier than we can see the faults in ourselves? Did you know when we focus on ourselves first (the opposite of what we have been taught), and get our own spiritual house in order, the rest of the family will see the change and want to be a part of what you have? If you didn’t catch the last episode, Heart Transformed  be sure to check it out.

St. Paul reminds us in Colossians 3:1-4 [ Read on air]

When our family is at peace, when we are serving the Lord as a group, we will all get along so much better. I taught my children that God put us together as a family on purpose. There are no mistakes in Lord’s plan for family life. Each person was selected to be together because of what they could learn from each other. It is a beautiful thing when it works the way God designed. If we focus on the things above we are so much happier.

The best teacher is the example we set If we want our family to read the Bible, we need to read the Bible. If we want our family to pray, we need to lead in prayer. Years ago I wanted my husband to be the spiritual leader of our home, and he is in so many ways, but not in the way I wanted him to be. I wanted him to lead the Bible studies and the prayer sessions we had as a family and while he contributed to these, he is not a leader. So we became co-leaders, I would initiate the studies and he and I would contribute to the discussion. We can become upset or bitter because things do not go our way rather than take on the leadership ourselves if that is what God leads us to do. Don’t box yourself in with your own ideas, but rather what works best for your family. Never, never compare your family to other families. That will surely set you up for failure. Many people put up a good front when everything is falling apart. So don’t judge by exteriors.

Here are some simple things to do, for yourself if you do not have a young family and with a family, if you do:

  1. Start each day by giving thanks. By doing this we are giving God all the glory (Colossians 4:4 – When Christ who is your life is revealed, then you will also be revealed with him in glory.”) That is enough for us to rejoice daily.
  2. Family prayer. Begin each meal with thanks to God. Keep it brief. Have a nighttime routine that includes prayer.
  3. Encourage each member of the family to have their own time to pray.
  4. Participate in helping. Whether it is each other or contributing to the family needs. Meals, cleaning up, helping when needed.
  5. Participate in ministry outside of the home. Volunteering, visiting the elderly (neighbor), etc.

Talk to your family members and add to this list. As the children grew and left home we had a big gap in our lives, and my husband and I found we were no longer praying together because our nightly routine was changed. Even when our children were younger, the two of us would pray each evening together. This habit changed as our lives became busier. For anyone who has children, you always think you will have so much time when the kids grow older, but soon find that our lives just change and often become even busier. We must make the time to pray together.

If you are alone in your home and have a good prayer life, that is wonderful, now invite a friend. I pray with my friends often. Sometimes it is in church, sometimes it is a friend in need. I am part of several email prayer groups that send out prayer requests. I set up a Facebook group – A Few Minutes with God years ago for prayer requests. It was used to help people who needed prayers and also to post their praise reports.

And that is really the crux of the transformed family, and that is you will have so many praise reports! A praise report is where we thank God for the blessings in our lives. My son was hit by a falling object that was large and metal off of a single-story roof. The injury could have been so bad, but it turned out that while it bled profusely, the damage was minimal and mostly a scrape. That was a miracle. No swelling, no concussion, no brain damage, or worse! So thank you Lord for your blessings. If you think about it each day you can come up with so many things to thank the Lord for and to praise His Name. But, it takes time to stop and think.

What do you do when you enter a church? Is it a time to be social, or is it a time to listen and pray? Can we pray and be social? Of course! But I feel that often church is used as a social outlet rather than a time of worship. Going to church for me is a time to get on my knees, for as long as I am able, and begin by thanking and praising God, asking His forgiveness for the ways I have offended Him, and petitioning Him in prayer. However, you serve to worship it is an individual choice.

This week I challenge you to work within your own family no matter how big or how small and make positive changes. Small to begin with and grow as your family grows and adapts to a time of prayer, worship, and growing closer to the Lord. I pray this is a blessing to you and your family.

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Heart Transformed

AFMWG - Heart TransformedHeart Transformed In The Lord ~ Episode 216

Is your heart transformed in Christ? In the past few episodes, we’ve looked at ways to grow closer to the Lord, with an at-home Christian retreat, looking at nature and seeing the hand of God, serving the Lord, and renewing our faith. But how do you have a heart transformation?

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The heart knows what the heart wants and sometimes that isn’t for our spiritual well-being. In the past months on this network, I noticed that many of the podcasts are focusing on renewal and getting closer to the Lord. I think we all feel that our hearts need to be focused on above and not within. Definitely by turning off the television and turning to your Bible and prayer.

Do you have a list of go-to Scriptures that are helpful when you want your heart transformed?

Psalm 109:26 Help me, O Lord my God! Save me according to your steadfast love.

and Mark 9:23-25 – [ Read on air] Help me in my unbelief – this is the scripture about the Lord casting out the demon from a child.

Psalm 23 – The Lord is my shepherd – that is a wonderful joyous scripture. This is one to have memorized. [ Read on air]

When we want a perspective of not sweating over the small stuff look no further than 1 Corinthians 15:45-49 – [ Read on air]

We are made for heaven, what a wonderful truth we can hold onto, and yet we hold on to the things of this world. Even when they like us will turn to dust!

What is it that you need? Do you need to be uplifted? Do you need to rely on the Lord for all things? Do you need to feel that you are not alone? Turn to the Bible. Our Bibles are the best resource we have to be filled with each and every day. In our lives, we often have things upside down. Man (in general, not you) strives for power and control, greatness and notoriety, and love of self above all others. And does that them happy? No. Money as we know can not buy happiness.

Think about a time when you were the happiest. For most of us, it is when we are surrounded by family and friends. Sure we can be happy when we have a sense of accomplishment in completing a goal or reaching a level that we thought we’d never reach. But it is not the same. One fills our hearts with love that is overflowing while the other is satisfying but different. Even the children’s stories got it right, think about the fictional character the Grinch. He stole Christmas and he realized that the people still sang and were happy. He realized the truth, that the real gift is not the tree and the gifts, it is faith, family, and friends. So, the Grinch’s heart grew three sizes that day. Of course, then he returned everything.

Oh for our hearts to grow to be transformed in Christ. We can be a new creation 2 Corinthians 5:17 – So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! Giving our lives to Christ one time is great, but giving our hearts to God daily is that transformation we all need. Anger can’t stay with us, disappointment can’t stay with us, and judging others can’t stay. Not if our hearts are aligned with God. Acts 8:10 – All of them, from the least to the greatest, listened to him eagerly, saying, ‘This man is the power of God that is called Great.’ and Luke 9:48 – and said to them, ‘Whoever welcomes this child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me; for the least among all of you is the greatest.’

So, friends putting others first is wonderful but if our hearts are not filled to overflowing with the love of God we can’t serve others. If we are a dry well and there is nothing how can we give? I know there are tons of blogs and articles about self-care, and that has unfortunately created an entitled society. But where there is some truth in taking care of yourself in your walk with the Lord in order to serve others. For me going to church daily is the way I fill up.

Let’s face it, some of those God-called saw amazing things. Moses with the burning bush, Elisah, and Elisha with the chariots of fire being taken up to heaven, and the apostles after the death of Christ seeing Him walk among them in the flesh. And, while they were fearful they were not afraid of God. I think sometimes we fear what we don’t know. We are afraid to lean on the Lord because if we do we fear what He will ask of us. The fear of the Lord means awe and reverence for God’s power and might. So, when we are overwhelmed we can lean on the Almighty and hold on to the joy that comes from knowing, loving, and serving Him. We need to pray daily for the Lord to fill us up with fear and awe for Him!

This world needs more reverence for God. It needs more humility. And the wonderful news is we can begin with ourselves! This week fill yourself up with the words of God in the Bible and make your own go-to list of Scriptures that will encourage you in those times when you need it the most!

 

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Serving the Lord

AFMWG _ Serving the LordServing The Lord ~ Episode 215

Serving the Lord is something we are all called to do yet so few answer His call. Surprisingly most don’t realize it begins at home. Are you blessed with a servant’s heart? Are you ready to spend time in witness to others by God’s love for them? Join Felice Gerwitz as she explores this topic in today’s podcast.

Thanks to our sponsor CTC Math – for all your math curriculum needs.

When I realized all that the Lord had done for me I wanted to shout it from the rooftops. I was ready to hit the road and begin evangelizing to anyone who would listen. There was one major issue, and that was I was a mom with small kids. There was no way I could do this and not neglect my family. There is a season for every ministry and I realized (by God’s grace) that my first ministry was to begin at home.

How did my children view me? How did I show them godliness and how did I parent? These few things are important in regard to how my children see Christ represented in me. If we hope to have a family that follows the Lord we have to be the example and oh, how hard this is during different seasons of our lives. It was during such a time that I prayed for a family scripture one that I could hang on the wall and point to and look at for strength. The scripture I loved was found in the book of Joshua.

Joshua 25:15 is a verse many of us have memorized, “As for me and my house we will serve the Lord.” This is one of my life verses and I even have a wooden plaque prominently displayed in my home with the verse. But, what does it mean? To me, it means that nothing entering my home is going to be against what the Bible teaches. And, one step further we will not pollute our minds with the filth that is passed off as television programming. Long ago my husband and I decided if our kids couldn’t watch it we couldn’t either. What we put into our minds can help or hinder our spiritual walk.

It also is a scripture that points to being service minded. How are we to serve others? Not all of us can go to soup kitchens to feed the poor but we can participate in food drives and donate to these causes. Our church has a bin right near the front doors where we can bring in canned and packaged foods to donate. There are poor boxes set up as well for our donations that go to a specific charity set up for the poor in our town. Our church is also known to help people from time to time with their bills, everything from utilities to mortgage payments and more.  We are blessed to have a large parish that is service minded, and best of all the message is solidly Biblical and faithful to the teachings. [More on audio]

The success of the removal of God from the schools was the first step to a pagan culture – the culture that you and I live in today. So, we are called to pick up our cross and follow Him. The road is narrow, it is treacherous and it is not for the fainthearted. How will we share the good news with the unbelievers? Well, let’s start by asking the Lord how He wants to use us.

Years ago I had all of these ideas on how I wanted to serve the Lord, and then I’d meet other people who were already serving the Lord in that capacity way better than I ever could! I would pray to the Lord and thank Him for having such capable people at the helm, but I would also lament, “Lord you don’t need me.” I soon fell into a pity party and felt unneeded by the Lord, until He reminded me that I was telling Him how I wanted to serve instead of asking Him. And here we are today, with a podcast network that spreads the good news, not only for this podcast but for others.

One of our pastors gave a teaching beginning with the words, “Can you imagine being called by God on your worse day?” He was referring to the book of Isaiah and in particular Isaiah 6 where the prophet sees a vision and realizes his sinfulness. 6:3 “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory.’” This is known as the “holiness, sinfulness, grace and service,” chapter. Only after we recognized the Kingship of God can we recognize our unworthiness and then in humility God can use us. God uses the humble of heart not those who think they know all the answers, and for me, this is a wonderful thought because there is hope for me! We see this with the apostles that Jesus called to follow him. Andrew, James, and John were given the experience of the multiplication of the loaves and fish. They realized their limitations and even around the Lord and witnessed miracles they still doubted.

Only after we have acknowledged our own sin, our own unworthiness, can we follow God’s call. We as Christians have a vocation, first to serve in our capacity in our job. Are you a mother, a father, are you a son or daughter, are you a single sister or brother? It is our duty to discern our vocation and to follow as we are led. Where is your gifting? Remember we all begin small and grow as the Lord asks us to grow. Your ministry can begin at home, at church, with a neighbor or friend, at a soup kitchen, or volunteering in some other capacity.

Maybe someday you will have your own podcast (Fill out a form to apply for a podcast here).

One thing I want to warn you about, the enemy always wants to remind us that we are not worthy and can not do it and that we are undeserving. Rebuke this and remember that we are all of those things without God’s calling and grace. If God calls us he will give us the strength the fortitude and the charge to continue on, and hopefully we will persevere. When I began this podcast I had a steady eight downloads, and I think at least half were one of my friends (thank you, Gerry!) But now some episodes are in the hundreds and thousands and thousands over the years. Can you imagine if I had stopped with one? Not too long ago, I was praying about the number of times to release new episodes, I had started with one a week and then dropped back to replays and two new ones a month. I started feeling less than, and why would anyone listen to this show, and I truly felt I was dried up there was nothing else to say. I prayed and prayed and within the span of a week or two I received two different emails that were so encouraging. I showed that yes, the Lord was touching people’s lives through the words He gave me.

Think of the Bible and we are in good company, we are in with the unworthy, the sinners, and those who were humbled by life. Yet we too are given this commission to make disciples of all nations, and in this day we are needed more than ever. You are never too young or too old to share the good news.

And I pray that you too want to serve the Lord in all that you do. And I ask that this week you pray for the Lord to lead you in some way. I pray that you are transformed by faith and do not be afraid! God is with us.

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Personal Journey – Holy Spirit

Personal Journey: The Holy SpiritPersonal Journey ~ Episode 210

I had a podcast I wanted to create on my personal journey closer to the Holy Spirit and deeper faith. Yet, it was scheduled to play a few months ago. But I postponed it. Truthfully, I was stuck. I didn’t know what I wanted to say. However, I prayed and felt that the time was right. So, I’ll share with you a bit about my journey.

Please check out my books, A Few Minutes with God and One More Child as well as the Truth Seekers Mystery Series (for tweens). Visit my website at MediaAngels.com

The Third Person of the Trinity  – Holy Spirit

My personal journey closer to the third person of the Trinity happened when I least expected it and during a very busy season of my life. I wasn’t looking for a closer relationship with God, but as always the Lord seeks us with open arms. When we talk about the Trinity: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit we are referring to one God and three persons. Yeah, don’t ask me to explain it. That is one of the mysteries of the Christian faith. Nowhere does the word Trinity appear in the Bible, but it was a truth that was taught throughout the ages? Just like Jesus asked his disciples to go out and preach to the nations, he left us with a teaching body, the Church to explain those complicated truths.

The Holy Spirit Invites Us

My personal journey began at the library when I saw a friend of mine with a pile of books ready to check out. The children and I made frequent trips to the library and often ran into friends. However, my friend was alone without her children and she also was checking out books with religious titles. Puzzled, I asked her what she was doing and she explained she was prepping for an upcoming talk at church and invited me to come. It was a strange request and how could I say, “No thank you I don’t want to hear you speak at church.” So of course I politely agreed.

I went because I felt an obligation to support my friend, nothing else, so you can imagine my surprise when I arrived at what was called a “Life in the Spirit, Seminar.” I had no idea that this group of men and women were on fire with the love of God and the songs before the talk my friend gave was all spirit-filled and enthusiastically sang, complete with accompanying guitar, and tambourines.

For those of you listening who are Evangelical Christians, this is very common to your gathering, but for me, I was pretty much taken aback but was interested in learning more. My friend proceeded to speak and to this day I can’t tell you the content of the talk, but whatever it was pierced my heart with a hunger for more of God.

Hebrews 4:12 (read on air)

I was invited back the next day for an all-day session. … So once again I went solo and wow, was I blown away. The talks were anointed with the power of God, and I felt that many of the speakers were talking to me in such a clear manner. I wanted what they had, a love of the Lord and a willingness to put aside the ways of this world and join them on the road, that narrow path. Matthew 7:13-14 (read on air)

Before I left, two people prayed over me for an anointing of the Holy Spirit – they lead me through a prayer of asking the Lord for forgiveness, and an opening of my heart to whatever gifts the Lord had for me. We learned about the gifts of the Holy Spirit in 1 Corinthians 12 – and some of the talks I’d heard that weekend spoke about these gifts. I wanted select gifts, for example, the gift of healing or prophesy, or the word of knowledge. Yet, I knew I should be open, and so I kept silent and just opened up myself for God’s power, and received my prayer language or the gift of tongues. Believe me when I tell you that was not the gift I wanted and it is considered one of the lesser gifts.

Some people gauge their spirituality on whether or not they have the gift of tongues (again you can read about it in 1 Corinthians 12), yet that is not a test to see if you have the Holy Spirit or not.  Obviously, that is not how the Almighty works and I can’t tell you why some people have the gift and others don’t. God is willing to give us the gift, but we must be open to receiving it. All I know is that I entered with expectant faith, and God gave me a wonderful anniversary present.

I couldn’t wait to tell my husband (more on air)

I was challenged through this infiling of God’s love to read the Bible every day and spend time with the Lord in prayer and quiet. You could say it was the preparation I needed. Many years later I would have a Christian ministry, I would begin to write books with a Biblical foundation and this podcast network is dedicated to spreading the good news, that Jesus Christ is Lord! I felt led by the Lord and this experience helped me to be open to what God had in store for me.

1 Peter 4:11 (read on air)

in a deeper way, ask the Lord and watch Him provide for you. To begin with, it may just be reading the Bible more often, journaling, and opening yourself up to the power of the Holy Spirit.  In retrospect, it should have come as no surprise to me that it was not that long before this “chance encounter” with my friend at the library that I had been told all I needed to do was kneel down beside my bed and ask God to give me the gift of tongues. I was talking to several friends who attended the Assembly of God church, and her suggestion surprised me. Really, I could just kneel down and ask God for this gift? Truthfully I was a little concerned that God wouldn’t give me this gift. I believed I was unworthy.
Friend, the Lord loves us where we are and I have no doubt now that He knew I needed an entire weekend seminar/retreat to be open to first learning more about the Holy Spirit, but also be surrounded by believers who were willing to pray for me.
I have a challenge for you and it may be something you work on for some time to come. The first is if you are open to the gifts of the Holy Spirit, ask the Lord in prayer to gift you with this infilling of His grace. The second is to write down your own story of your encounter with God, your testimony, or your growth in your faith. We each have stories and God continues to write our stories each day that we walk with Him. You never know when you might share your personal testimony with a friend or on a podcast someday! I pray a blessing on you and your faith journey.

Supernatural Faith

Supernatural Faith - What is supernatural faith? It is faith that surpasses all understanding. Join me as we delve into the topic of faith.Supernatural Faith ~ Episode 209

What is supernatural faith? It is faith that surpasses all understanding. Join me as we delve into the topic of faith especially when times get hard. We are called to live in the hope that is in Christ, but in our humanness, we often fail.

Please visit my website at MediaAngels.com for books and products for Christians as well as homeschooling.

Have you heard is a tragic story and then the person who lived through the trauma thanks God in some way? This should give us more faith but do you feel like you are not enough, or don’t believe enough? Do you doubt and think, “I am not sure I could have gone through the trauma and come out ahead with my faith intact?” What you may not realize or remember is that when God allows these things to happen in our lives, He equips us to handle them, especially if we pray.

Supernatural faith is following when the times get tough. In the sermon on the mount (Matthew 5-7) we learn what it takes to be a follower of Christ. Once we commit there is no going back, and if we do turn back there are consequences. Think about what happened to the Israelites who were freed from slavery in Egypt. They saw miracles, for heaven’s sake the parting of the Red Sea should have been eye-opening, and then the ten commandments, and the manna in the desert. But many turned their backs on God and worshipped false gods. All the time that these people were in Egypt, they saw the worshipping of false gods and pharaohs treated as gods. Did they leave it behind when they left? No. And what happened to the people in the desert? Only their ancestors were able to go to the promised land. They all died beforehand.

Matthew 6:24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

We can not have one foot in both worlds because God’s world is a supernatural world. The gospels reveal the truth and the way of holiness. What is at stake? Only the entrance into the Kingdom of God…heaven. God is calling us, each and every one of us to give 100% and for any of us as Christians, we know that the other side is pulling for our demise.

It is seeing the hand of God in all of the places in our lives that need help and restoration, and it is in knowing that God wants redemption for our world and the hope that comes in that belief. We should not be surprised when we see the evil in the world. The Lord tells us He will save us from evil. The mercy of God is for everyone even those who have done evil if they will repent.

Friends the way ahead for us is very treacherous with the overturning of the law that finally, finally stated that abortion was not a constitutional right. Can killing your child ever be a right? The pagans long ago used child sacrifice to their gods and that was what abortion was, a child sacrifice on the altar of a mother’s right over their child’s right. Should we help those who struggle and are less fortunate? Of course, but the church already does so much for those in need. Sadly, many not connected to churches are the ones who struggle.

Whenever we struggle and look for that supernatural faith, think about the apostles on that boat with Jesus in the midst of a storm. I love that story of Jesus telling them not to be afraid, and he ordered the seas to be calm. This is a wonderful picture of what would we think about when are lives are unsettled, or there is turmoil in our life. We should remember to be calm. The faith we crave takes a connection to Christ. It is a personal encounter with Jesus that will help us in our time of need.

When we have this personal encounter we hope that our lives will be easier. But that is not the promise of a Christian. The promise is that there is hope in our salvation and everlasting life. But, this is not heaven. The last four things are death, judgment, heaven or hell.

Matthew 16:23-28

Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. 25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. 26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? 27 For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works. 28 Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.

The reward my friends is worth it. The reward is life everlasting. When we look for that faith that surpasses all understanding we must remember that the words, “Be not afraid,” are in the Bible over 365 times. We can’t fear and have faith at the same time. We will be tempted and the evil one is really good at making us second guess and overthink.

So, here are a few tips for you to practice this week as we all work toward that supernatural faith that surpasses all understanding.

  1. Every day pray the words, “Jesus I trust in You.”
  2. When we are overwhelmed we thank the Lord for being there with us. (He will not leave us orphaned!)
  3. Take a few minutes daily to rest in God. This means closing our eyes, thinking about the Lord, and allowing our minds to focus on the beauty of God and the hope that is in Christ.
  4. Journal. If you are not keeping a daily journal consider doing one, if not daily then often. Start with what you are thankful for and end with a prayer request. Be sure to thank the Lord for answered prayer.
  5. Remember Romans 8:28 – And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

May God be praised today and always!

Special Replay: Prayer Time – Overcoming Distractions

Overcoming Distractions

Prayer Time – Overcoming Distractions

Spend Time with God

Prayer time and overcoming distractions isn’t easy. Do you want to spend time with God and find yourself overcome by distractions? We all have and we can end our time frustrated and angry or take charge. In this podcast Felice suggests ways to turn that distraction into a praise report.

Sponsor: Media Angels, Inc. Novels – Truth Seekers Mystery Series available on Amazon. Three novels for tweens!

Thanks to our sponsor, Media Angels, Inc. A Few Minutes with God, The Journey Begins

a few minutes with God

Show Notes: Overcoming Prayer Time Overcoming Distractions

  1. Feel left behind
  2. Not enough time
  3. Speed of life is sometimes unmanageable
  4. How do you slow down enough so that you can focus on God?
  5. How do you combat distractions?

Categorize Distractions:

  1. Personal
    1. Something that has been bothering you
    2. Something you struggle with
    3. Something you feel guilt over
  2. Duty
    1. Kids or spouse
    2. Household
    3. Work
    4. Meeting or appt.

 

Set up your prayer time with a methodology – like any of these ways where you feel the most comfortable…

  1. Praise and worship
  2. Proclaiming and glorifying God in words
  3. Singing
  4. Prayer

 

Mini Retreat

A Mini Retreat To Refresh Your Soul with Felice GerwitzA Mini-Retreat To Refresh Your Soul with Felice Gerwitz

Sponsor: Media Angels, Inc. Novels – Truth Seekers Mystery Series available on Amazon. Three novels for tweens!

Thanks to our sponsor, Media Angels, Inc. A Few Minutes with God, The Journey Begins

a few minutes with God

Are you weary with the burdens of everyday life? A mini-retreat might be just what you need in order to become refreshed. In less than five minutes a day you can become renewed and ready to continue onward. In this episode, Felice shares how she breaks up an hour into a time of praise, prayer, Scripture and praying for others. In addition, she shares her unique way to set up a prayer journal, keeping in mind praise and thanksgiving before prayer petition.

 

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Check out the book – A Few Minutes With God

Show Notes: Mini-Retreat

  1. What is a retreat?
  2. What is the perfect retreat for you?
  3. What is one thing that is holding you back?
  4. The power of concentrated prayer.
  5. Listening is the key to finding the answer.
  6. Give it time.

Do you have an hour? This is how I divide one hour of prayer time into a mini-retreat with the Lord.

First fifteen minutes: spend time in praising God, whether it is in prayer or singing, rejoice in the Lord. He is worthy of all our prayers!

Second fifteen minutes: listen… journal your thoughts, jot down scriptures to look up–but not yet! Just be with the Lord… He will lead you.

Third fifteen minutes: Read Scripture. Look up the verses that came to mind during your quiet time. Slowly allow the words to sink in – close your eyes and think about what you read.

Last fifteen minutes: Prayers of petition. Are you praying for something specific? Is there a concentrated prayer request that you bring to the Lord daily? Focus on this prayer and seek the Lord’s wisdom.

End with praising God – praise is important to begin with and end with. In praising God we are thankful for all He has given us and we can begin our day (if our retreat is first thing) or continue our day with happy thoughts about His love and goodness…no matter what is happening in our lives.

Finding God Every Day

Finding God in the Every Day with Felice GerwitzFinding God in the Every Day with Felice Gerwitz

Do you have a daily schedule? It’s time to add finding God to your list. The Lord’s voice is something we seek, whether in quiet time or in prayer. What should we do? What does God want us to do? What is God’s will for us, today, tomorrow or next year? How do we find God? In this episode, Felice Gerwitz discusses how we should seek God every day.

Sponsor: Media Angels, Inc. Novels – Truth Seekers Mystery Series available on Amazon. Three novels for tweens!

Thanks to our sponsor, Media Angels, Inc. A Few Minutes with God, The Journey Begins

a few minutes with God

Show Notes:

Whether it is finding God in the rainbow, or the beautiful sunset – to finding God in the person sitting next to you in church, your life will become joyful if you look. In addition add journaling time to your day. When you journal you can see, more clearly the Lord’s work in your life. Study the following scriptures in finding God in the every day – 1 Kings 11-12 and Isaiah 41:10

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Check out the book – A Few Minutes With God

Show Notes: Finding God Every Day

  1. Seeking God – praying
  2. Look for blessings
  3. God incidence or coincidence
  4. Seeing God in the people around you
  5. Watching and listening
  6. Showing by example
  7. Ending your day with thanks

 

1 Kings 11-12

The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.”

Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.

Isaiah 41:10

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Prayer Time – Overcoming Distractions

overcoming distractions

Prayer Time – Overcoming Distractions

Spend Time with God

Podcast #5

Prayer time and overcoming distractions isn’t easy. Do you want to spend time with God and find yourself overcome by distractions? We all have and we can end our time frustrated and angry or take charge. In this podcast Felice suggests ways to turn that distraction into a praise report.

Sponsor: Media Angels, Inc. Novels – Truth Seekers Mystery Series available on Amazon. Three novels for tweens!

Thanks to our sponsor, Media Angels, Inc. A Few Minutes with God, The Journey Begins

a few minutes with God

Show Notes: Overcoming Prayer Time Overcoming Distractions

  1. Feel left behind
  2. Not enough time
  3. Speed of life is sometimes unmanageable
  4. How do you slow down enough so that you can focus on God?
  5. How do you combat distractions?

Categorize Distractions:

  1. Personal
    1. Something that has been bothering you
    2. Something you struggle with
    3. Something you feel guilt over
  2. Duty
    1. Kids or spouse
    2. Household
    3. Work
    4. Meeting or appt.

 

Set up your prayer time with a methodology – like any of these ways where you feel the most comfortable…

  1. Praise and worship
  2. Proclaiming and glorifying God in words
  3. Singing
  4. Prayer