God’s Presence

Listen…Let God’s Word Be Your Guide

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“Above all else, guard your heart,
    for everything you do flows from it.
24 Keep your mouth free of perversity;
    keep corrupt talk far from your lips.
25 Let your eyes look straight ahead;
    fix your gaze directly before you.
26 Give careful thought to the[a] paths for your feet
    and be steadfast in all your ways.
27 Do not turn to the right or the left;
    keep your foot from evil.”

Proverbs 4:23-27 NIV

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
    I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.”

Psalm 32:8 NIV

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

Psalm 119:105 NIV

(This photo was taken in Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota)

Come Near To God

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“Come near to God and he will come near to you.”

Hebrews 4:8 NIV

“The Lord is near to all who call on him,
    to all who call on him in truth.”

Psalm 145:18 NIV

Take time to sit alone with God…pickup His Word and read

Acknowledge Him and give thanks to Him for where you have seen Him…

Give Him thanks for the blessings He has given you…

They are there and you will see them if you look for them

Spend time with your Savior, come near to Him and He will come near to you

“If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,”
    and you make the Most High your dwelling,
10 no harm will overtake you,
    no disaster will come near your tent.
11 For he will command his angels concerning you
    to guard you in all your ways;
12 they will lift you up in their hands,
    so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
    you will trample the great lion and the serpent.”

Psalm 91:9-13 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

God Is With Us by Casting Crowns

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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 in Big Sky, Montana )

He Knows My Heart

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“Search me, God, and know my heart;
    test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24 See if there is any offensive way in me,
    and lead me in the way everlasting.”

Psalm 139:23-24 NIV

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“You have searched me, Lord,
    and you know me.”

Psalm 139:1 NIV

(This photo was taken at the Nakalele Blowhole on the island of Maui, Hawaii)

But God…

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“But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? 20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.“

Genesis 50:19-20 NIV

We reflect and remember this day…evil attacked…thousands lost their lives…this was a great tragedy

We also remember that it is from great tragedies that God can bring about the greatest good

This is the hard truth

Jesus Christ died on the Cross…But God raised Him to life

On 9/11 we honor and remember those we lost and we can say with confidience…But God brought unity to our nation

There are other “But God…”statements about the good that God can bring from tragedy

Think about what your But God statement is in your life

May God’s comfort and peace be with us through all the tragedies we experience in life

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“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

Romans 12:21 NIV

(This photo was taken at the Northern Wisconsin Veterans Memorial Cemetery)

Grateful For God’s Presence

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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

God’s Presence restores and renews us, it comforts us

He provides for us even when we are not paying attention to Him

God meets all our basic needs…our role is to believe in Him and obey His Word

His Word is not a burden or only a bunch of rules to follow…

His Word and His Presence give life, comfort, peace and hope

Think about circumstances and events in your life that have occurred in the last few days, weeks, months and in the past year…

Throught it all, God was with you…so where did you see Him?

Give thanks and trust in the Lord…

Remember He provides for you with His Presence every day, all the time

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“Praise the Lord.[a]

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
    his love endures forever.”

Psalm 106:1 NIV

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

Trust The Holy Spirit

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“But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.”

John 14:26 NIV

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

Romans 15:13 NIV

Holy Spirit by Francesca Battistelli

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““If you love me, keep my commands. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be[c] in you.“

John 14:15-17 NIV

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

Our Help Comes From The Lord

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“God is our refuge and strength,
    an ever-present help in trouble.”

Psalm 46:1 NIV

When things go side-ways or take an unexpected turn…what do we typically do first?

Ask questions, try to figure out what happened, look for ways to get control of what is going on…

All of these are natural human reactions…however, the first thing we should do is turn to the Lord and pray for help, pray for wisdom, pray for guidance

This is where our help really comes from and we typically wait to call on God as a very last resort

As you go through this day or this week try turning to God first for anything and everything

He loves you, He knows you and He wants to give you good things

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“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

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

Contentment…Gratitude

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“Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said,

“Never will I leave you;
    never will I forsake you.”[a]

6 So we say with confidence,

“The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.
    What can mere mortals do to me?”[b]

Hebrews 13:5-6 NIV

God is always with us…

If God feels distant, it typically is because we have wandered off and away from Him

Believe in Jesus, confess your sin and invite Him into your life daily

He will be with you and He will lead and guide you forever

Thanks be to God

Forever by Michael W. Smith

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“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.
His love endures forever.”

Psalm 136:1 NIV

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

Rest And Renew

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“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Matthew 11:28-30 NIV

We are not in control of what happens in the world

The daily news and events make that abundantly clear

The only thing we can control is how we choose to respond to things that do happen

The best thing we can do is turn towards Jesus first

Give thanks to the Lord for the good things

Ask for help and guidance for the difficult things

We don’t know and can’t control what will happen tomorrow

Yet we can trust in Him who sits on the throne of heaven

It is by drawing near to Him that we can find rest and be renewed

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“ 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

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