January 8, 2022

For you this week:

• Reflection for Saturday: Confused trying to figure out God’s will?
• Inside the Ministry: Let’s believe the Word of God
• Next Event: Bible Boot Camp
• This week’s WordBytes faith-builder: What Keeps Us From Knowing God’s Will?
• Footsteps to Heaven podcast: Spiritual exercises for supernatural faith

Saturday January 8, 2022

1 John 5:14-21
Psalm 149:1-6, 9
John 3:22-30
bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/010822.cfm
Podcast:
bible.usccb.org/podcasts/audio/2022-01-08

Saints Calendar:
gnm.org/saints-find/saints-calendar

We have this confidence in him: If we ask anything according to his will, we know he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in regard to whatever we ask, we know that what we have asked him for is ours. (From Saturday’s first reading)

Reflection for Saturday:
Confused trying to figure out God’s will?

Felisha felt very confused when God’s guidance led her to a job she didn’t get.

“I had what I thought was an excellent opportunity,” she says, “for a full-time job with many perks. The greatest perk would have been that my husband and I could live together all the time instead of only on weekends. I did not want the job, but it was a good opportunity, so I discussed it with my husband, and I took it before the Lord.”

She waited on the Lord and prayed and sought his will. “During my prayer times, I received many confirmations from the Word of God assuring me that the battle was the Lord’s, etc. My trust and faith in God were at the highest point. I did my best to prepare for the exam that was required to get the job. I took it very seriously, trusting that God would make the impossible possible.”

When it came time for the test, “I failed miserably. Even though I was the only candidate who sat for the exam, I did not get the job. Since then, I don’t know how to discern God’s will for me. My prayer life has really suffered, and I feel horribly let down by God. When I think about trusting him, I tell myself, ‘Don’t be too sure that he’s going to keep his word.’ A horrible experience! It was such an ordeal and so humiliating.”

Confusion about God’s will often originates with the idea that we have understood his guidance correctly, when in fact we did not. We project our own assumptions or hopes into whatever God is trying to say and do. This happens to me. My thoughts are rich with ideas, and if I don’t hear Abba-Father fast enough or clearly enough, my brain fills in the blanks.

God blesses our confusions. It’s part of the humbling process of realizing that our understanding of God’s guidance is tainted by the limitations of our perceptions. Confusion is a sign that we’re getting mixed messages and we cannot sort out which is the Father’s voice. Not until we repent of choosing for ourselves what we think God “should” do. And perhaps we also need to repent of other sins because our sins give the Devil permission to confuse us.

Even while we are in a state of confusion, we can relax in the security of knowing that Abba-Father is with us and cares very much about us. It helps to remember that God will make good come from everything—including confusion. The question is not: “Why is God confusing me?” Rather, the true question is: “What does God want me to learn from this?” Confusion turns into peaceful joy when we discover the answer to this one.

Think of confusion as a grey fog covering the path that you’re traveling. You’re on the right path, but you can’t see how everything is already in place ahead of you, right where they need to be. The fog hides the trees and flowers that make the journey beautiful. It hides the cottage that the Father has provided for shelter. It hides the destination that he wants you to reach. They are all just beyond your view.

Nor can you see the fork in the road. You’ve asked for Abba’s protection from wrong decisions. Therefore, he’s directing your feet in the right direction, and although the left side of the fork is where you think you should be headed, he’s got you going up the right side of the fork. Something about this doesn’t seem right, and the fog makes this feeling turn scary. But really it is very good!

Then you crash into a hard wall. You didn’t see yourself headed toward it. It’s God’s protection preventing you from going the wrong way! However, this might not become visible to you until later, when you can look back.

In the journey of following Abba-Father through the fog of confusion, we are being tested and tried. The test is for our benefit. We learn from it just how much our trust in the Father has grown (or not).

We gain new spiritual strength only through a process that at times is too confusing to understand. This growth happens not by God making everything easy but by us responding to God’s invitation to walk through the difficulties with him. We need to remember this when we want to run away from the confusion or away from God for apparently causing the confusion. Our Good Father wants us to walk with him through the grey fog all the way to the blessings that he knows are waiting for us. He’s inviting us to a more intimate Father-child relationship.

Inside the Ministry: Let’s believe the Word of God

This year, we’re going to do a major focus on improving how deeply we all believe the Word of the Lord. For example: How do we react to the words of this Saturday’s first reading? Do we know that what we have asked him for is ours? Really and truly know?

To help with this, we can look forward to these faith-building events in 2022:

(1) Currently in development is a new course that answers: If we can ask for anything according to God’s will, how can we be sure what is his will? Knowing God’s Will and Doing it Well will be based on our most popular ebook with the same title (see gnm.org/catholic-digital-resources). My assistant on this project, Karen Mayhew, has joined the team to help get it ready for you. She has already put many hours into it. Watch this newsletter for announcements.

(2) Last November, Ralph and I attended a weekend School of Healing, which was provided by Encounter Ministries (encounterministries.us). We learned a lot and we’re eager to put it into practice and to spread the release of this gift in everyone — including you. As a follower of Christ, you already have it in you, as Jesus says in John 14:12. Stay tuned to the Footsteps to Heaven podcast show.

Revisit these golden goodies:

(3) We just finished giving a new look to our WordBytes.org website. Now it works better on all screen sizes! On this site is an old favorite, one of our most popular pages: God’s Word For You Today, which is a randomly-selected quote. We’ve asked the Holy Spirit to select exactly the right one for you, out of 150 messages. Of course there is no such thing as “random” or “coincidence” when God is in charge! Try it: wordbytes.org/random-quote.

(4) We have also converted our Faith Boosters — short, inspirational messages to give you a kiss of faith — into a random slider. Try it: wordbytes.org/faith-booster-minis.

(5) We’ll re-post last year’s faith-building courses. Did you miss out on any of them? They’ve changed many people’s lives. The first one this year is our Bible Boot Camp (see below for details).

Our mission this year is to help you believe the Word of God in those areas where you still doubt. And your friends, too! Who can you invite onto this mission field? Let’s change the world!

God’s Word is flawless. Reliable. Trustworthy. And it can move those mountains in your life that seem insurmountable.

Bible Boot Camp begins January 17

Bible Boot Camp is an intensive, 21-part telling of THE STORY IN THE BIBLE.

Have you heard of Fr. Mike Schmitz’s 365-day podcast “The Bible in a Year”? My podcast series “The Story in the Bible” will take you through the entire Bible in just 21 days by relaying it to you as a story. This is ideal for those who have already taken Fr. Mike’s course and for those who just want to absorb the Bible faster. Make a commitment to listen to the daily podcast — a half hour a day — and you will be very glad you did!

This boot camp is a thorough over-view of the entire Bible from Genesis to Revelation, in story-telling fashion. It’s the story of Jesus. It’s the story of salvation. It’s also the story of your own life! Find out how it all ties together. Transcripts with maps and illustrations are included.

Sign up today at elists.gogoodnews.net/dada/mail.cgi/list/eclass.

This week’s recommended faith-builder:
What Keeps Us From Knowing God’s Will?

Here are the 10 most common ways that we block ourselves from knowing what God’s will is: Visit wordbytes.org/master-needs-you/what-keeps-us-from-knowing-gods-will.

WordBytes is a library of Catholic faith-building articles by Good News Ministries. Come on in and explore! Visit WordBytes.org today.

Spiritual exercises for supernatural faith (rebooted podcast)

A new season of Footsteps to Heaven will begin soon! Meanwhile, if you want to experience God’s Word alive and well in you — if you want to experience a supernatural faith rather than live a mediocre faith — first you’ll need to uncover the lies that Satan wants you to believe. In this episode, I offer 3 spiritual exercises that strengthen what is weak so that you can become who you really are as a believer in Christ.

Listen to this podcast @ gnm.org/footsteps15.

Or watch the video @ gnm-media.org/spiritual-exercises-for-supernatural-faith. Or if you prefer to read it, download the transcript at this link.

Sign up for early access to podcasts:

New episodes of the podcast show Footsteps to Heaven are published before this newsletter can announce them. You can get early access to both video and audio versions. 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.