God’s Promises

Listen

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Prayer doesn’t always have to be about you talking…listening is just as important to your relationship with God.  If we are always the one speaking how can we be open to hearing what God is trying to tell us?  This is an especially hard thing to do if we lack patience.  The world keeps giving us the messages of faster, now, immediate gratification and savings!  Yet God does not exist on our time table.  Whatever is weighing you down, whatever is troubling you or has you worried Today…surrender it to Jesus Christ, ask Him to guide you with it, don’t pick it up again, leave it at the foot of the Cross then wait and listen for God.  Amen.

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“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.”

Revelation 3:20

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

Living Hope

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Hope in this world mostly gets aligned with wishful thinking in general conversations.  This hope is not sure, not firm and is not based on belief.  The hope talked about in the Bible is hope that believes and knows God’s promises for good things.  This hope is supported by our actions and behaviors.  The hope we receive from Christ is a hope that knows that God is for us and working for our good, even when, especially when the visible evidence is against it. The hope from God’s Word tells us to not give up or surrender to sin and doubt, rather know that God is with you and you can trust in Him…not for the things you believe you should have but for the things God knows that you need.  May the God of all hope be present in your daily walk. Amen.

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“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

(This photo was taken in September of 2016 on a lake in central Minnesota)

The Promise Fulfilled

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The birth of Jesus Christ fulfills the promises made in the Old Testament.  In Genesis 3 and Isaiah 7 as well as Isaiah 53 and in other verses the Lord makes known the coming of the Savoir…a new covenant…One who will be a Light for Israel as well as the Gentiles.  Jesus came down from heaven to reconcile us with God…He sacrificed everything He had and His life as a man for you and me.  God fulfills His promises…trust in Him for every area of your life.  Amen.

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“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

John 1:14

(This photo was taken in July of 2016 in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming)

Get Back To God

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When we wander off in the world and go our own way, as opposed to staying connected to God, we eventually will get weary or bored and frustrated.  When what we are pursuing in life is not tied to God’s plan or God’s will for us it will become drudgery.  A personal relationship with Jesus Christ helps our spiritual awareness, we can learn to know when something is not right for us and we will have the courage to speak honestly about it.  Today’s verse below does not say ‘I can do anything I want…’, it is speaking about doing the things that God wants us to do even when we are unsure that we can do them.  Get back to God’s plan and His will and you will have peace.  Amen.

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“I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”

Philippians 4:13

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

Tomorrow

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None of us knows how many tomorrows we have…it isn’t up to us and it never was…the gift of life is about today…how you choose to think, what you choose to say and how you choose to treat others, today.  Because of Jesus Christ we know there is hope, tomorrow…let’s not waste today worrying about what may come.  As they say, we don’t know what tomorrow may hold…but we certainly know who holds us tomorrow.  Amen.

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“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.  Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

Matthew 6:34

(This photo was taken in June of 2013 in Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado)

Decisions…

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Don’t go it alone…don’t assume you have all the information…seek wisdom and knowledge…seek to understand.  So often we fail to speak with God about decisions.  We believe that God doesn’t care about this insignificant decision or event in my life…yet we know we can’t comprehend God’s infinite knowledge and the ways He is working in our life so who are we to say?  I continue to be amazed at where God shows up in life and I only realize it because I am trying to make a conscious effort to pay to attention and ask myself where did I see God today?  God is with you and He is working in your life…seek Him and His plan and ask God to help you see when you are making your decisions.  Amen.

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“Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.”

Proverbs 16:3

(This photo was taken in August of 2016 at Sapphire Point near Dillon, Colorado)

Forever

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Give thanks to God for all that is good.  When we struggle or get frustrated, we can find hope in His love.  We tend to think we know what God’s plan is and we are surprised when things don’t go the way we were heading.  Spiritual growth comes from realizing we are not the leaders; we do not know better and if we are willing to listen and seek the will of the Lord, He will lead us to things we never thought possible.  Thanks be to God for His everlasting love.  Amen.

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

Psalm 136:1

(This photo was taken in July of 2019 at a lake near Plymouth, Minnesota)

A Light

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When we become overwhelmed by sin due to anger, fear, frustrations, discouragement, loneliness, sadness or shame which are all tools of evil and darkness…the first place to look for a light is in God’s Word.  It is our light to find our way through anything life and this world throws at us.  It is knowledge, it is wisdom, it is comfort, it is strength…it encourages us and helps us to see better and most importantly it is the Truth.  We will not get all the answers and understanding until we pass on to be with the Lord…yet we will get all that we need while we are here.  May we all take time to read God’s Word and may the peace of the Lord be with you.  Amen.

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

Psalm 119:105

(This photo was taken in July of 2018 on Lake Superior near the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore)

The Same Power

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If confess your sins and believe in Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord then the same power that rose Jesus from the grave lives in you.  Before Jesus died, He spoke about a Counselor that will come once He ascends and that this Spirit will be our guide.  Take a look at the Gospel of John 14:15-21…we are not left alone to fend for ourselves.  The Lord is with us and we must learn to trust Him and turn to Him regarding every aspect of our lives.  Believe in the power of God, surrender your plans to God and seek His plan and trust in Jesus Christ His only Son our Lord and you will find peace.  Amen.

Same Power by Jeremy Camp

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“And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.”

Romans 8:11

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

The Truth Is In God’s Word

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We can search the whole world over and never find the happiness that the human race is searching to discover…what we seek in not of this world.  True joy, love, peace and contentment can only be found with Jesus Christ.  The Bible has stood the ultimate test…the test of time.  It is based on truth and actual events in history…it is the unchanging Word of God.  It is given to us so that we can learn and live our lives centered on Christ and not ourselves or our personal agendas.  Read God’s Word daily and seek Him, for He is with you every step of the way.  Amen.

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

2 Timothy 3:16-17

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