You Choose Each Day

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“But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

Joshua 24:15 NIV

God created us with free will

The ability to choose our actions and behaviors

The reason He did this is because a love worth having is love that is chosen

The risk is people can and will choose to reject God

We were created out of love with free will

We can choose how we will live and who we will follow

How do you choose to live this day?

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“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
    for his compassions never fail.
23 They are new every morning;
    great is your faithfulness.
24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion;
    therefore I will wait for him.”

Lamentations 3:22-24 NIV

(This photo was taken along Beartooth Pass in Montana)

God Is Love

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“So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.”

Matthew 7:12 NIV

Love is about more than words or a feeling

Love is about how we treat each other with our actions and our behaviors

In this fallen and broken world we all will make mistakes and need to be forgiven

Thankfully, God is love and put His love into the action by sending His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins

We have been forgiven

Now it is our turn to put love into action

In what relationship or situation in your life is there a lack of love?

Who in your life needs to experience love in action?

Pray about it and ask God to guide you in love

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“Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.  This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.  This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”

1 John 4:8-10 NIV

(This photo was taken near the border between South Dakota and Minnesota)

Ask…Seek…Knock

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7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

John 15:7 NIV

God loves you…He is with you…God cares for you…

All that is good comes from God

How Great Is Our God by Chris Tomlin

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“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”

Matthew 7:7-8 NIV

(This photo was taken in Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado)

Greater Is The One Who Is In You

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“You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”

1 John 4:4 NIV

We are constantly under attack from Satan, the world and the flesh

The Good News includes this one critical point

Greater is the God within you than the one who is in the world

He is with you, He is within you

Greater by MercyMe

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“What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?“

Romans 8:31 NIV

(This photo was taken in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming)

Keep God’s Word In Your Heart

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“But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.”

Luke 2:19 NIV

What are the verses of Scripture that speak to you?

What verses comfort you?

What verses remind you that God has got you?

This is the reason I share this blog “Take Your Faith With You”

Store up God’s Word in your heart and mind so that no matter where you are or what is happening

You have the ability to call on God for strength, courage and comfort

Here are some verese that have guided me on my journey…

“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?”

Psalm 27:1 NIV

“I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
    where does my help come from?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
    the Maker of heaven and earth.”

Psalm 121:1-2 NIV

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“Trust in the Lord with all your heart
    and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways submit to him,
    and he will make your paths straight.”[a]

Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV

(This photo was taken at a lake in central Minnesota)

To Change Everything…Change Your Perspective

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“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 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.”

Romans 12:1-2 NIV

Jesus Christ is alive…the promised Savior has come!

He was born, He lived and taught us how to live

He sacrificed Himself and was crucified and died for us

He has risen and is seated at the right hand of God in heaven

Now what does that mean for us?

What difference is He making in your life?

Are you aware of God’s presence in your daily life?

Believe in Him…seek Him…pray…read God’s Word…pay attention to how God is at work in your life

  Choose to live different from the way of the world

Allow Jesus Christ to impact every area of your life and change your perspective

Different by Micah Tyler

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“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.”

Ezekiel 36:26-27 NIV

(This photo was take in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming)

The New Has Come

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“I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh.”

Ezekiel 11:19 NIV

God renews us…God restores us

He takes away the sin and darkness and makes us new again

All that we have done wrong and messed up, only He can make new again

Our hope is found in Christ alone

If you need a new beginning or change of direction begin by humbling yourself and surrendering your plans for God’s plan

He truly does make all things new

All Things New by Steven Curtis Chapman

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“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:  The old has gone, the new is here!”

2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV

(This photo was taken at a lake place in central Minnesota)

A Foundation Of Faith

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“But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord,
    whose confidence is in him.
8 They will be like a tree planted by the water
    that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
    its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
    and never fails to bear fruit.”

Jeremiah 17:7-8 NIV

Even though the world knocks you down, your foundation in faith will see you through

What Faith Can Do by Kutless

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“Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.  Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.”

Psalms 37:3-4 NIV

(This photo was taken in a neighborhood near Plymouth, Minnesota)

Peace Of God

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“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

John 14:27 NIV

Father God, we often find ourselves overwhelmed by circumstances that are beyond our control

We are easily distracted by things that don’t matter

Please forgive us for not consistently placing our trust in You

Even when we are faced with intense situaitons, You are still near

You are the Creator of peace, and we can have access to Your peace-filled presence whenever we draw near to You

Help us to make room in our hearts and minds to experience the peace You freely give

In Jesus name, Amen

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“And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 4:7 NIV

(This photo was taken at a lake in northwestern Wisconsin)

The Price Of Salvation

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“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”

John 15:13 NIV

Father God, thank You for sending Your only Son to save us

Thank You for creating a way for us to know You personally

Becasue of Jesus’ sacrifice, our sins are forgiven!

Please help us never take that for granted

Help us to recognize and glorify You in every area of our lives

In Jesus name, Amen

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“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Romans 5:8 NIV

(This photo was taken at a lake near Plymouth, Minnesota)