God’s faithfulness

God’s Faithfulness

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“Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments.”

Deuteronomy 7:9 NIV

Father God, You make all things beautiful in their proper timing

Nothing is too hard for You to accomplish

You are faithful to keep Your promises

So often, we forget this and grow discouraged when our situations don’t seem to change

In those moments, it’s easy to forget that You are not done working

Through Your Holy Spirit, please change the way we think and behave

When we start to grow weary, help us remember that You are near and You are faithful

In Jesus name, Amen

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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.”

Lamentations 3:22-23 NIV

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

Wisdom

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“But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before him.”

1 Corinthians 1:27-29 NIV

We have so much to learn…it is easy to think that we have lived our lives long enough to know what is right for us

We have experiences to draw on and we rely on feelings and emotions

Yet God knew all of these things before we were even born

He is our Creator and He loves us so much that He sacrificed His Son to save us…He knows what is best for us

For example, how many people would believe that Saul of Tarsus could become the Apostle Paul…the greatest enemy of Christians would become one of the greatest disciples?

You can read about it in Acts 9…this is the wisdom of God and it is far greater than any human wisdom

  Trust in the Lord and seek His will for you and your life

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“For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.”

1 Corinthians 1:25 NIV

(This photo was taken in White Sands National Park in New Mexico)

What Matters Most

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“Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.”

John 3:18 NIV

Believe

  In the Apostles’ Creed there are three statements that begin with ‘I believe…’

Those statements refer to God the Father, Jesus Christ His only Son and the Holy Spirit

Faith is a journey and one of the first and most important steps on this journey is to face the question…What do you believe?

What you believe guides your values and your perspective and those will drive your words and your actions

  Every day is a new opportunity to feed your mind information about what you believe

No matter what your past has been…start or continue today to read the Word of God and what Jesus Christ said about life, love, faith and hope

What matters most is what you believe

We Believe by The Newsboys

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“If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Romans 10:9 NIV

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

God’s Presence Is All Around Us

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“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Joshua 1:9 NIV

One of the most difficult things for us to accomplish is change

A change that will last, is sustainable and makes a difference in us and how we interact with others

One of the greatest changes in human history occurred when Jesus Christ changed Saul into Paul, His disciple

We read about this is the Book of Acts, chapter 9

What Jesus did to create and sustain this change was to illuminate His Presence to Saul

To show His Presence and then to give instructions to Saul as to what he must do

God is present in creation and in each of our lives everyday…we just need to do a better job of looking for Him

His Presence exists in nature, the change of the seasons and in the Fruits of the Spirit that we give and receive in our interactions with others

God is with you, He loves you and His Presence is what gives you strength

Thanks be to God

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“The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.  Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”

Deuteronomy 31:8 NIV

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

Gentleness

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Gentleness shows up in the Bible in three places…within the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit…

“You have given me the shield of your salvation,
    and your right hand supported me,
    and your gentleness made me great.”

Psalm 18:35 NIV

“I, Paul, myself entreat you, by the meekness and gentleness of Christ—I who am humble when face to face with you, but bold toward you when I am away!—”

2 Corinthians 10:1 NIV

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“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”

Galatians 5:22-23 NIV

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

God’s Word

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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;
6 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)

Faith Over Fear

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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 NIV

“For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.”

2 Timothy 1:7 NIV

God is greater than anything we face in life

No challenge or difficulty is too much for God to handle

He is the Creator of the universe…He knows you…He loves you

He is with you every day, all the time

Put your faith in God and let your faith be greater than your fear

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“Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. 14 Do everything in love.”

1 Corinthians 16:13-14 NIV

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

When You Pray…

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“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”

Matthew 6:5-8 NIV

Amazing things can happen that only God can do, when you pray

It is not about the right words or the proper position…it is about what you believe!

Prayer is for all circumstances

Prayer is communication with God…and your relationship with God will grow

When you pray…

When We Pray by Tauren Wells

“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”

Mark 11:24 NIV

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

Do Not Worry…God Is With You

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“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life[a]?“

Matthew 6:25-27 NIV

No matter what the circumstances or the possibilities

Turn your worry into prayer

God is with you…God is within you

He will lead and guide you

Every day, all the time…even when you can’t see it

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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 NIV

(This photo was taken in Tettegouche State Park in northern Minnesota)

Compassion

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“The Lord is compassionate and gracious,

    slow to anger, abounding in love.
9 He will not always accuse,
    nor will he harbor his anger forever;
10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve
    or repay us according to our iniquities.
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
    so great is his love for those who fear him;
12 as far as the east is from the west,
    so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

13 As a father has compassion on his children,
    so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;”

Psalm 103:8-13 NIV

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“You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.“

Romans 5:6-8 NIV

(This photo was taken in the Botanical Garden at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, Nevada)