Month: May 2018

Believe

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So often doubts and fears creep in on us and overwhelm us.  We hear things and we read things and it becomes difficult to know who and what we can trust.  This has been true through out all of history.  In the bible the Israelite’s were afraid to go into Canaan except for Caleb and Joshua but everyone listened to those who were fearful and did not go.  During the life of Jesus, many of the actions of people were based in fear.  They had doubts about who Jesus was and they were afraid.  When we let the fear and doubt rule us we are not living the life that God intended for us.  His goodness becomes harder and harder to understand.  As it says in Hebrews 11…

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”

Hebrews 11:1

We must combat the fear when it paralyzes us from moving forward.  Pray to God and offer up to Him what fears you have.  It is okay to have doubts but when doubts arise think back in your life when you had doubts and you were surprised by the results of the situation, that is where God shows up.  Believe in God, believe in Jesus Christ his one and only Son and trust the Holy Spirit as your guide…when you do you will sense His presence, His joy and peace.  May God’s love and peace be with you.

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“He replied, “Because you have so little faith, I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move.  Nothing will be impossible for you.”

Matthew 17:20-21

(This photo was taken in October of 2014 during sunrise on the island of Maui, Hawaii)

The God Of Peace

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Everyone is facing a battle and a struggle of some kind.  It is natural in this broken and fallen world.  Some battles are easy for others to see on the outside and some battles are kept hidden from others yet they rage on inside a person just the same.  We are not equipped to fight these battles alone, the dark forces that exist in and around the human race are very powerful.  Our Creator God knows this and He has promised to never leave you or abandon you.  His presence is even more powerful than the darkness, He is the God of peace.  He will calm your anxious thoughts just like He calms a raging sea.  He has sent His one and only Son to be one of us to reconcile a relationship with us.  And most importantly He loves us with an everlasting love.  Bring your battle to Christ, no matter what it is, invite Him into your heart and mind and trust in God to bring you a peace like nothing you have ever experienced before.  May God’s love and peace wash over you this day.

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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

(This photo was taken in August of 2016 in Glacier National Park in Montana)

Living In God’s Love

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Never give up hope.  Don’t stop believing in goodness.  Trust in God to provide all that you need.  A life that is centered in Christ and honors God looks very different than what the world tells you about living.  The world looks to serve the self, to put me first.  The life that honors God surrenders self and is open to God’s plan first.  This is a significant shift in perspective and it will not happen overnight for most of us.  In fact it is a daily endeavor to stay the course by studying the Word, praying, and serving the needs of those we encounter each day.  Remember God is love.  When Jesus was asked which commandment is the most important in Matthew 22 He stated:

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.  This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it:  Love your neighbor as yourself.  All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

Matthew 22:37-40

That is where we should start.  Loving God with all that we are and loving our neighbors as ourselves.  Once again we are given the answers to the questions and now it is up to us to go out and live it in our daily life and interactions.  May God’s hope, peace and love be with you.

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“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”

Romans 12:12

(This photo was taken in March of 2013 at the Botanical Gardens at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, Nevada)

Sacrifice

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He gave us His everything to restore a relationship with us.  God loves us, God loves you so much that He came down from heaven to be born as a baby among us.  From the moment of His birth different people in the world sought to kill Him.  Even still God has forgiven us.  The world is filled with darkness, anger and shouting about my rights…yet when Jesus was here He spent the majority of His time teaching and helping others.  When He was persecuted He didn’t shout out you have no right to attack me, I am God…instead just before His death He said Father forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.  Jesus has set us an example of how we should live, now it is up to us to choose our attitude and our behavior each day.  May God’s love, joy and peace be with you.

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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

(This photo was taken in March of 2018 while driving through southern New Mexico)

Bring Your Burdens To The Lord

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When something is weighing you down, constantly causing angst and worry, bring it to the Lord in prayer.  Our minds often deceive us that we can take care of things or just distract ourselves long enough and everything will be alright…yet that concern finds its way back to the forefront of our mind and if we are not careful we could continue this cycle endlessly.  When we come before the Lord in prayer and offer these worries up to Him and we trust in Him to guide us we can make our way forward.  We still have a role to play as we need to pay attention and listen for God’s guidance and then we will begin to see a change in that burden or belief.  God is always working for our good, we just need to talk with Him and get out of our own way.  May God’s peace be with you.

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“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

Matthew 11:28

(This photo was taken in August of 2016 near Arches National Park in Utah)

Worship And Praise

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Music is one of the ways I sit in praise and worship of our Lord.  We have so much to be thankful for in our lives.  Take time to be with the Lord.  Some times it is just sitting and listening to songs of praise like one of these…

10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord) – Matt Redman

What A Beautiful Name – Hillsong Worship

I encourage you whatever you do and wherever you go to sense His presence the most, go to that place and thank God for all you have and all He has done and then invite Him to guide you going forward…He is always there waiting for you and He will never leave you.  May God’s love, joy and peace be with you.

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“The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.  The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made.”

Psalm 145:8-9

(This photo was taken in August of 2016 near Glacier National Park in Montana)

God Is With You

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Be at peace.  God is with you.  Everywhere you go, in every part of every day in your life He is with you.  As I continue to my faith journey, I shudder when I think what life would be like if I was still trying to live without my personal relationship with God.  He calms the storms, He lifts me up when I have fallen, He forgives me when I repent and He is the source of the kind of joy that has to be experienced to be understood.  My heart is singing today.  If you are looking for a song to sing in praise check out this song “Forever” by Chris Tomlin.

God created you, He sacrificed His One and only Son to save you, He forgives you for your sins and He goes with you everywhere, everyday…Forever.

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“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.”

Isaiah 41:10

(This photo was taken in June of 2016 near the border between South Dakota and Minnesota)

A Life of Prayer

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Here is a great post on life when your relationship with God is the center of everything. Peace.

mitchteemley's avatarMitch Teemley

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I just found out that yesterday was my country’s National Day of Prayer. The occasion, once widely covered by the media, is now a side story at best. But no matter. For believers, every day is a day of prayer.

I often say,“I am a writer” because that is something I do with great passion. I’m less inclined to say, “I am a weed plucker” or “I am a shower taker” because, even though those are things I do, they are not what I’m about.

But even more than writing, even more than being a husband or a father, I am about following Jesus. God is not one of the things in my life, he the thing. More accurately, he is the focus of my life. Everything I do—writing, filmmaking, husbanding, fathering—is about knowing him.

Hey, he started it.

Forty-two years ago, sensing that God might just exist and…

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Spiritual Growth

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The growth that leads to spiritual maturity is the growth of your inner being.  The inner self is the driver of our attitude and our behaviors.  We all are equipped with a space in our inner being that only God can fill.  As humans we will try to fill this gap with many other things…a professional career, wealth, adventure and adrenalin, alcohol, gambling and many others.  This unique inner self only has one companion that fills us and makes us complete as God intended us to be and that is God Himself.  When we are filled with the Holy Spirit we do not grow tired and weary chasing after other things…we know that we are secure in God’s love, God’s mercy, God’s grace and God’s forgiveness.  Invite the Lord into your life and into your daily routine and activities…after all He designed us in His own image and He knows us better than anyone else ever could.  Seek spiritual growth and see how your life and the world changes from your perspective.  May God’s peace and love and joy be with you.

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“I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.

And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ…”

Ephesians 3:16-18

(This photo was taken in August of 2016 in Glacier National Park in Montana)