Courage

Put Your Trust In God

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What do you put your trust in?  Who do you believe is trustworthy?  Take a moment and think about it.  The dictionary states trust is – firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something.  So, who or what in your life do you trust?  The world is filled with deception, selfishness, lying, cheating, etc… these things were brought into the world by the human race.  There is still hope…there is One who is worthy of trust.  There is One who is reliable, who is the truth, who has the ability and the strength and He is the One who sacrificed himself to save us…Jesus Christ.  He is a Light in the darkness, turn to Jesus and put your trust in God.  Amen.

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“Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you.  Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life.”

Psalm 143:8

(This photo was taken in July of 2016 while traveling through North Dakota)

Safe Pasture

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What does it take to feel safe?  To have shelter, food and water?  These are the physical essentials for life.  When traveling on mission trips, I have met some people who struggle for these things every day and yet they seem to have unique peace about them…for others they have all these things and much more and they are worried, scattered, scared.  This isn’t true in all cases for either group of people, however, there was a noticeable difference sometimes.  The one thing that stood out whenever I met a person who exuded a sense of peace, whether they had little or plenty of worldly things?  It was their faith.  Take inventory of people in your life…who constantly seems to have a sense of hope and who always seems eager to complain and worry?  Now take time to reflect on yourself…how do you typically present yourself?  To say we believe in God and know that He is with us is one thing…to live it out in our everyday life is the next step in spiritual growth.  Trust in the Lord and you will find safe pasture.  Amen.

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

Psalm 37:3-4

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

Strength For The Weary

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One of the amazing things about faith is its power to give us the courage, the endurance, the patience and the perseverance to keep trying, to keep learning and to keep believing in hope.  Out of the most tragic circumstances that happen because of sin…God can bring about the greatest good.  Do you believe it?  No matter where you are, no matter what the struggle is in your life, right now…turn towards Jesus in prayer, seek Him and believe in the Him.  Do it every day and you will find courage, you will find patience, you will persevere and you will find peace.  May we all be strengthened by our relationship with Jesus Christ.  Amen.

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“Do you not know?  Have you not heard?  The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.  He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.  He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.”

Isaiah 40:28-29

(This photo was taken in June of 2013 near Garden of Gods Park in Colorado Springs, Colorado)

Love And Faithfulness

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When we are able to surrender ourselves to God and His plan and we follow Jesus as our Savior and Lord, we will grow and mature spiritually.  We may believe we know a great deal about love and faithfulness and yet there is so much more God wants to show us.  It will not be easy and we should take nothing for granted.  Living in this world where sin and selfishness run wild, where temptations are lurking…we will never be perfect, so that is not a realistic goal and we are not to be the judge of others.  In the Gospel of John 13:34-35, Jesus gives us a new command of love, He is speaking about it at a time when one of His close disciples in going off to betray Him.  Love and faithfulness these are characteristics of the new creation God is making us to be.  Seek the Lord and the life He has planned for you.  Amen.

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“Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.  Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man.”

Proverbs 3:3-4

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

He Knows…

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No matter where we go or what we do…we can be assured God knows us and is watching out for us.  He has a plan for us and it is up to us to seek Him and His Word.

He Knows by Jeremy Camp

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“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Jeremiah 29:11

(This photo was taken in July of 2016 on Beartooth Pass in Montana)

Pray

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God is listening…He has shown His love to us in His Word…You are not alone.

Confidence by Sanctus Real

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“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 4:6-7

(This photo was taken in July of 2018 on the shore of Lake Superior in Ashland, Wisconsin)

Humility And Strength

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It’s not about me…it’s not about how everything affects me or makes me feel…I am not the center of everything.  Each of us is one person, created by God and how we choose to live and interact with others on a daily basis is what we can control more than anything.  Our actions and how we choose to respond to the actions of others is up to us.  Put God first, read His word and pray.  Seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit and give thanks to Jesus Christ for His love, His mercy and His grace…if you are wondering how will I ever do this or get through this…know that strength can be found in weakness.  Amen.

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“…For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

2 Corinthians 12:10

(This photo was taken in March of 2018 in White Sands National Monument in New Mexico)