What if the biggest obstacle to discovering God’s will isn’t that He isn’t speaking—but that you’re trying to figure it out alone?
Many faithful Catholics worry:
Am I making the right decision? Is this really God’s plan? What if I get it wrong?
The good news is that God never intended you to walk this journey by yourself.
In this powerful episode of Footsteps to Heaven, Terry Modica sits down with Belinda Terro Mooney—Catholic author, life coach, and Secular Carmelite—to explore how God leads us with wisdom, peace, and practical guidance.
Watch this episode today and begin discovering God’s plan with greater confidence.
Subscribe on YouTube and Podbean.
Together, they discuss:
- How to recognize the signs that you’re moving in the direction God intends.
- Why peace, even in the middle of uncertainty, is one of the fruits of God’s guidance.
- How burnout, fear, anxiety, and spiritual warfare can cloud your discernment—and what to do about it.
- Why taking one faithful step at a time is far more important than having your entire future figured out.
- The value of inviting trusted companions into your discernment journey instead of trying to do everything on your own.
Are you wondering?
- How can I tell if something is really God’s will or just what I want to do?
- How do I know if I’m actually following God’s plan for my life?
- Why do I feel so scattered and overwhelmed when I’m trying to do what God is calling me to do?
- How can I discern God’s will when I don’t hear a clear answer from Him?
- What should I do when obstacles and discouragement make me question whether I’m following God’s plan?
- Who can help me discern God’s calling when I’m struggling to figure it out on my own?
KEY TAKEAWAY: Becoming the person God created you to be is the first step toward fulfilling the mission He created you to accomplish.
⏱ Chapters:
02:19 Free Guide to Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes
03:56 How Belinda Terro Mooney Discovered Her Calling
05:01 Preventing Burnout Through Healthy Living
08:50 How to Know You’re Following God’s Will
10:00 Common Sense and Discernment
11:57 When God Opens a New Door
13:21 The Fruits of God’s Guidance
14:22 Overcoming Fear and Spiritual Warfare
16:01 Obstacles Can Confirm Your Calling
17:14 Defeating the Enemy with Prayer
18:18 One Step at a Time Toward God’s Purpose
19:39 Practical Tools for Personal Discernment
21:22 Growing into Union with God
22:47 Setting Goals That Align with God’s Will
24:21 Creating an Ordered, Peaceful Life
25:40 Final Encouragement: Don’t Discern God’s Will Alone
Excerpt:
Terry Modica: In previous episodes in this series, we’ve done a lot of unpacking of how on the front end we discern what God’s plan for us is, but you know, how do we know the difference between it’s God’s idea or maybe it’s just my idea?
What I hear as I listen to your story is about how the fruits of what you’ve done. You’ve made decisions, you’ve gone ahead because you believe it’s God’s will, but the fruits, you know, as I listen to what you’ve said, it’s obvious that the fruits show that you are doing what God planned for you to do, what He created for you to do. So describe some of the fruits, for example, in people who are stressed out or people who are depressed or whatever and still they want to know and do God’s will. What are some of the fruits to look for that they are actually walking in the plan of God?
Belinda: I think obedience is the thing. If you’re not sure if you’re hearing God, but you think that this makes common sense and you don’t see that God would object to it, and you respectfully ask Him if you can just go on ahead and make the best decision because you’re not hearing a voice from Heaven or anything like that. You’re just you’re just doing what you can. Look at your circumstances. Does it make common sense?
It’s like, for me, moving back to teaching which would take me away from my children (less when they’re still homeschooling), and I’m trying to finish that process that I committed to them and God a long time ago — even though I now have to work. It just made sense that I would go into something that would work with what I’m already doing. And it made sense that God would not want me to just sit there and act like I didn’t have to make money, because I needed to make money.
So some things — when you can say something makes common sense to you then you can go forward in confidence that that’s probably God’s will because He gave us the common sense: That’s the Holy Spirit. Our conscience and our common sense are from the Holy Spirit.
We don’t have to sit there and try to discern: “Well, do You really want me to do this?” If this is what makes sense, then we do it.
There’s two good things here. Sometimes, when I don’t hear God’s voice and I’ve listened for a long time — you know, you can do the pros and cons list, you can talk to other people, you can continue to go to adoration, and you continue to pray at Mass and at home, and if it still isn’t totally clear, just what makes the most sense right now? And again, respectfully asking God: “Lord, if it’s just making the most sense, I’m going to go this direction. Would You come with me and show me? Either close a door or open a door, and let me see.” And then you can go from there.
So for me, trying to move from teaching. So there’s two things. One is moving into teaching again and then realizing after seven years that teaching at a secular college is getting more and more difficult. “Could I, Lord, move out of that and do something that’s close to therapy using all the — my gosh, I’ve just had so much specialized training certifications and everything in in therapy and all that stuff! I’ve even taught those things to other people in the classes that I taught in basic counseling skills and addictions. So God, is it okay now for me to do something close to that? Like coaching that doesn’t go back into the past where I don’t have to deal with all the pain that people have had in their past? I’ll let someone who’s practicing as a therapist do that, and I’ll just coach them.”
We start here and we go forward. So it’s a logical path that you took as a prayerful person. But what are some of the fruits when somebody is uncertain? It’s like, okay, I’m moving forward, and what is is common sense to do because, I know, God time and again will confirm that we are doing what He wants us to do by the good fruits that come from it.
Terry: So give some examples.
Belinda: First of all, peace that, while you may feel excitement about what you’re doing, even though you do feel depressed and anxious, you might feel still this excitement. You just have this gut feeling that this is right. You have peace that you don’t think that you’re doing a wrong thing. You know what I’m saying?
Now, the enemy can get in and bother you. Oh, well, who are you to do that? Now, that’s where we do the mindset work. As a coach, I call it mindset work. As a therapist, we did CBT, the cognitive behavioral therapy. But whatever you call it, it works and we get it done. We get the job done and we move past whatever thoughts are preventing you from doing what you think God is doing, and then you feel that peace again.
So some of the those fruits are just, again, the doors that are opening and how that impacts you, how that then encourages you to go and take the next step even though you might be afraid.
So let’s say you’re a writer and you think God has called you to do something. Well, this is what I feel called to do: help writers, Catholic writers especially, to bring forth the things that God has called them to do. Well, they’re just going to have a whole bunch of spiritual warfare when they start this because this is just not what the enemy wants. I’ve been there and had that and still are having it done with the ninth book that I’m trying to get out now. It’s been something else!
But I’m here to encourage the person. I’m here to look at the thoughts that the enemy is putting in their mind and help them to overcome that thought with a different one that’s really the truth. We’re going to see where the grain of truth is. What’s hurting them is the enemy’s lie. And then we’re going to take it and we’re going to reframe that into the truth as to how God sees it and God wants them to see themselves. And then from there led to actions….
📚 Visit Belinda Terro Mooney’s website: https://belindaterromooney.com where you can download her FREE Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes Guide.
Buy her TLC workbook: https://amazon.com/therapeutic-lifestyle-changes…
Connect with her on social Media:
instagram.com/belindaterromooney
facebook.com/belindaterromooney
linkedin.com/in/belindaterromooney
pinterest.com/belindaterromooney
youtube.com/@belindamooney5818
This episode is a companion to Terry Modica’s workbook “Knowing God’s Will and Doing It Well“.
➡️ Support the podcasts of Good News Ministries. We appreciate your help in sharing this video and future episodes with more people.
BTW, if you know someone who is struggling with an important decision or feeling uncertain about the future, please share this episode with them. It could be exactly the encouragement they need right now.
#GodsWill #Discernment #GodsPlan #CatholicPodcast#FindingYourPurpose #PurposeDrivenLife #DiscoverYourCalling #ChristianDiscernment #WalkingWithGod #TrustGod #FaithOverFear #CalledByGod #OneStepAtATime #GodsTiming #TherapeuticLifestyleChanges