God Speaks To Us

“Your word is a lamp for my feet,
    a light on my path.”

Psalm 119:105 NIV

God’s Word is filled with His promises to us

If you have questions for God or about God, pick up a Bible and begin to read

I recommend starting with the Psalms or Proverbs and the Gospel of John

The Bible is the Word of God and no matter how many times you read something in it, you will find new learnings or a new understanding unlike anything else

It never changes yet you can be changed forever

Word of God Speak by MercyMe

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For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.”

Hebrews 4:12-13 NIV

(This photo was taken at Sapphire Point near Dillon, Colorado)

He Restores You

“And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.”

1 Peter 5:10 NIV

We need time with God every day

When He is our source of life

We will know peace

We will be able to rest

He will renew us and restore us

If we try to go our own way…we will be consumed by sin

Trust in the Lord

He will restore your soul and give you all that you need

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He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.[a]
    He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness[b]
    for his name’s sake.

Psalm 23:2-3 NIV

(This photo was taken while driving through North Dakota)

Walking With God

Your word is a lamp for my feet,
    a light on my path.”

Psalm 119:105 NIV

Faith is a journey

It begins with belief, confession and prayer

It grows as we read the Scriptures, as we spend time in devotions, as we engage in our communities and serve others

It transforms us with a new attitude centered on God and His will for us

Trust in God, spend time on your relationship with Jesus Christ and pray about everything, every day

God is with you, He is for you

It is up to you to seek Him and choose to walk with God

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He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
    And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
    and to walk humbly[a] with your God.”

Micah 6:8 NIV

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

God’s Word

God’s word is the source of truth and our guide for living in this world

There are so many ways it will help us and support us and it never changes

People will come and go; people will try to twist it and use it for their personal agenda

Stay close in your relationship with Jesus Christ as He is the Truth

Pickup God’s word every day and you will see the many ways God speaks to us

Below are a few situations from my life and how God’s word speaks to me about these things

When I am focused on worry and fear…

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

When I have doubt or confusion…

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

Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV

When I am led astray by temptations…

Create in me a pure heart, O God,
    and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me from your presence
    or take your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation
    and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.”

Psalm 51:10-12 NIV

If you want to know where is God in all that is going on in the world, open up His Word, seek and you will find

May Peace be with you

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“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

John 3:16 NIV

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

His Invitation

After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth. “Follow me,” Jesus said to him, 28 and Levi got up, left everything and followed him.”

Luke 5:27-28 NIV

Jesus invites us to follow Him

God’s love gives us the opportunity to choose to follow Christ and to live eternally in heaven and God’s gift of free will means we have a responsibility to own our choices

God wants a relationship with each one of us and a relationship is a two-way connection

He wants to be in relationship so much that He sacrificed His one and only Son to provide The Way

No matter where you are or what your life circumstances are, you are invited to follow Jesus Christ

How will you choose to respond to His invitation?

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Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.  But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”

Matthew 7:13-14 NIV

(This photo was taken in Badlands National Park in South Dakota)

Daily Living…Inside Out

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. 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

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“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16 Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. 17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

Colossians 3:12-17 NIV

(This photo was taken while on a mission trip in Denver, Colorado)

Be Faithful

May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.”

Romans 15:5-7 NIV

Accept one another…

We spend so much time condemning, blaming and complaining

We all suffer from this condition in this broken world…no one is immune

Be intentional to be different

Trust God…even when circumstances say otherwise

Let the Fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) flow through you

Be faithful to follow Jesus and His teachings

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“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.”

1 Thessalonians 5:11 NIV

(This photo was taken in Mount Rainier National Park in Washington)

Planted And Growing In Faith

“But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord,
    whose confidence is in him.
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

Father God, I want to submit to You

Please fill my mind with thoughts that honor You and other people

Guide me to speak in a way so that my words can bring life and encouragement to others

Transform me into a new person by helping me grow from the inside out

In Jesus name, Amen

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“Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.  But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.

He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither.  Whatever he does prospers.”

Psalm 1:1-3 NIV

(This photo was taken while driving on Beartooth Pass in Montana)

The Word Of God

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God[a] may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

2 Timothy 3:16-17 NIV

“Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”

Ephesians 6:17 NIV

You are my refuge and my shield;
    I have put my hope in your word.”

Psalm 119:114 NIV

Keep God’s Word close to your heart

Read it, memorize it, use it to pray

Let it be in your heart

Let it be on your mind

It will lead and guide you in your daily life

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“For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”

Hebrews 4:12 NIV

(This photo was taken along the North Shore of Lake Superior)

The Word Planted In You

“For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”

Hebrews 4:12 NIV

The Word of God will uphold you and sustain you

It will provide peace and calm in your mind and in your heart

Take time to memorize some verses…whichever ones speak to you

You will know which ones when you read them

Then put them deep in your mind and in your heart where nothing and no one can reach them

Then at anytime and in any situation you can remember them to lead you and guide you

God’s Word is a gift and one of the ways He communicates with us

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But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord,
    whose confidence is in him.
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

(This photo was taken on the shore of Lake Superior near Ashland, Wisconsin)