December 4, 2021
For you this week:
- Reflection for Saturday: God hears you when you cry out
- Inside the Ministry: Personal updates
- New book is READY! The Father’s Heart
- This week’s WordBytes faith-builder: You are important to the Body of Christ
- Footsteps to Heaven podcast: Exciting plans for 2022
Saturday December 4, 2021
Isaiah 30:19-21, 23-26
Psalm 147:1-6
Matthew 9:35–10:1, 5-8
bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/120421.cfm
Podcast:
bible.usccb.org/podcasts/audio/2021-12-04-usccb-daily-mass-readings
Saints Calendar:
gnm.org/saints-find/saints-calendar
The Lord will give you the bread you need and the water for which you thirst. (From Saturday’s first reading)
Reflection for Saturday: God hears you when you cry out
Truly, God hears you when you cry out! Saturday’s first reading assures us that God will be gracious to you when you cry out. As soon as he hears you he will answer you.
But do you have complete faith in that? Hopefully we all know that he hears and answers us, but I have my doubts about the next verse:
“The Lord will give you the bread you need and the water for which you thirst.”
Has the Lord given you everything you need? I’ve been waiting a long time for his miraculous interventions in a few of my thirsts. Having faith in the promises of God doesn’t always mean that our experiences match what faith tells us. Right? It’s sometimes hard to remember that God hears you when you cry out.
For a long time, my morning prayers have included: “Come Holy Spirit, renew me. Come Holy Spirit, increase in me the gift of faith for miracles.” But then I learned that it’s important to add: “Forgive me for disbelieving Your Word. Gift me the gift of faith for miracles and the experiences that will increase my faith and the faith of others.” That’s the reason why I went to Encounter Ministries’ School of Healing a couple of weekends ago. I put myself where such experiences would be available. And, indeed, God increased my faith there.
The training ended with a public healing service. My husband Ralph and I teamed up to pray over three people. God ministered to all three through supernatural words of knowledge and through the laying on of hands for healing. God worked through us to heal lungs, legs, tinnitus, and long-term back pain. We also witnessed several people regain their sense of smell after losing it to Covid. There were other healings, too, but that last one stands out for me because it shows God’s power over Covid — a victory that the world should see every day!
“The Lord will give you the bread you need and the water for which you thirst.” Relying on God for supernatural help is supposed to be normal Christian living. Where people gather to praise and worship the Lord in the power of the Holy Spirit, the results can be like what we read about in the Book of Acts. When the earliest Christians gathered, their faith and enthusiasm were so strong that it converted unbelievers. If you have that available, put yourself into those opportunities often! The world needs the witness of God’s supernatural love.
I’ve been studying the experiences of those who have the level of faith that allows divine intervention to flow freely. They put a lot of time and effort into it. For example, one worship leader and his team fast and pray before every meeting, praising the Lord and doing spiritual warfare while walking the perimeter of the room for at least an hour. Thus, their meetings are so full of the glory of the Lord that even first-timers see angels. What if a prayer team in your parish did that every Saturday for the weekend celebrations of Mass?
Miracles are not meant to be extraordinary events. They evangelize non-believers and build the faith of half-believers. The people of today’s world desperately need this witness of God’s divinity. They need to be reminded that God hears you when you cry out.
See Faith-building Miracles of the Holy Spirit, provided by Rina Manuel, a Good News Ministries member who lives in the Philippines: wordbytes.org/holy-spirit/faith-building-miracles.
To improve your relationship with the Holy Spirit, see my set of three courses (the videos are short yet life-changing): How to Hear the Holy Spirit, Living in the Power of the Holy Spirit, and How to Pray in the Power of the Holy Spirit. These archived courses are available on our Paracletia site: gnm.org/paracletia.
Inside the Ministry: Personal updates
Last week, my 90-year-old mom blacked out, hit her head, and landed in the hospital. It happened while Ralph and I were away (although nearby), on what should have been a week-long vacation, while a friend took care of Mom. This was our second failed attempt this year to take a break from caregiving.
Ah well, this is what it means to lay down our lives for others. Ralph is a very understanding and compassionate man.
Thursday was Thanksgiving in our country. We postponed our holiday until Mom could join us. The hospital discharged her on Friday. On Saturday, a wonderful young lady from church (Liah) helped me begin decorating the house for Christmas to make the place cheerier. Then we all had a yummy Thanksgiving meal together (see photo).
On Sunday, Liah stayed with Mom so Ralph and I could go out to dinner for our 46th wedding anniversary.
This past week has been intense with doctor appointments — including for Ralph and for me. We have to take care of ourselves, too. Everything seems to be happening at once. A nurse comes in to check on Mom, and Mom is getting physical therapy and a slew of other healthcare providers. Meanwhile, Mom’s been tired and thus needs extra help from me. I’ve been tired and thus need extra help from God. Like I said, it’s been intense. I’ve been eating more chocolate; it’s God’s best medicine.
Your on-going prayers are greatly appreciated.
By necessity, I must focus my limited GNM time on raising $40,000 (USD) or else there will be nothing to keep this ministry going and growing. So, please don’t wait. You’ll bless me greatly — and indirectly serve my Mom — if you can give generously now rather than wait to see if enough money is donated by others. Please ease my burdens, encourage Ralph, and put a smile on Mom’s face today. Go to gnm.org/donate.
Last chance to get 20% off my new book “The Father’s Heart”
The book is coming out NOW! This is the last time we can offer the discount.
Very soon, I’ll notify those who sign up for the discount; watch for my email providing the link to make the purchase.
In The Father’s Heart, I want to help you experience the wonderfulness of the True Father’s heart so that your faith can be set free to reach its full potential. This book is an inspirational guide to healing that will enable you to experience God the Father as he truly is by identifying and overcoming the most common misconceptions that interfere with faith in God.
Those who got a sneak peek say, “It’s going to be a best seller!” and, “This is an important book!”
The first 200 pledged orders will get 20% off the $18.50 retail price. What a life-changing Christmas gift this could be! Include extra copies in your order. Hurry before the 200 limit on the pre-order price is reached!
Go to tothefathersheart.com/pledge-your-purchase now.
This week’s recommended faith-builder:
You are important to the Body of Christ!
You are a very important member of the Body of Christ. Worship God as part of the community of believers. Act as Christ in the world in partnership with the community of believers. This is how you can be all that God designed you to be. This is how you can become what your Holy Spirit-inspired dreams beg you to become. This is how the miraculous power of Christ will be manifested for you – and through you!
For more on this, visit wordbytes.org/faith-booster-minis/important-body-christ.
WordBytes is a library of Catholic faith-building articles by Good News Ministries. Come on in and explore! Visit WordBytes.org today.
Exciting plans for 2022
The year 2021 produced two new books (My Soul Shall Be Healed and The Father’s Heart) and, among other new outreaches, a 21-week Faith Muscles Boot Camp. The boot camp is a series of short videos with sharing stories of our progress. It will start again in January. Watch this newsletter to find out when and where.
Eileen says, “This boot camp has changed my life and I am so thankful for this! Thank you!”
Next, I’m going to start a new season of the Footsteps to Heaven show, with a special emphasis on living in the Father’s heart. My book on this is very healing, so I’d like to take it even further. I want you to know that God is your Doting Daddy. He cares about you more than you can imagine.
Sign up for early access to podcasts!
You can get early access to new episodes. Subscribe at gnm-media.org for the podcast videos or at footstepstoheaven.com for the audio-only version.
God bless you!
Every morning, I lift up in prayer everyone who helps Good News Ministries in any way (donors, volunteers, prayer supporters, etc.) and all the prayer requests posted on our site. What can I cover in prayer for you? Post your prayer request.
How else can the team and I serve you today? Visit our homepage.
Thank you for reading this newsletter.
Your servant in Christ,
Terry Modica, Executive Director
Good News Ministries
gnm.org
Let’s connect in GNM’s community: See you there!
Keep your eyes on Jesus!
And when you have to look at others, see them through his eyes.