Heart

It Takes Courage…

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“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.  Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.  For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.  Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.

In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.  Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.  And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.  With this in mind, be alert and always keep praying for all the saints.”

Ephesians 6:10-18

(This photo was taken in June of 2013 at Badlands National Park in South Dakota)

A Personal Relationship

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The words written by Paul in his letter to the Romans…

“But what does it say?  The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart, that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming:  That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Romans 10:8-9

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

In Our Hearts

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“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace.  And be thankful.  Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.

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 3:15-17

(This photo was taken in October of 2014 on the north shore of Maui)

Commitment

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The words of Jesus to his disciples in the Gospel according to Luke…

“Then he said to them all:  “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.  For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.” “

Luke 9:23-24

(This photo was taken in July of 2016 at Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota)

Be The Light

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Paul writes in his second letter to the Corinthians…

“For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.  For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.”

2 Corinthians 4:5-6

(This photo was taken in October of 2014 near Kaanapali Beach on Maui)

Jesus Lead On

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“As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew.  They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fisherman.

‘Come, follow me’, Jesus said, ‘and I will make you fishers of men.’  At once they left their nets and followed him.”

Matthew 4:18-20

(This photo was taken in October of 2014 while driving on the north shore of Maui)

What Is Faith?

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As is it with anything in life the answers are within the Bible, take a few moments to look at the Book of Hebrews, chapter 11.  It begins…

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”

Hebrews 11:1

As it continues it provides several examples of faith represented in the lives of biblical heroes, who despite their circumstances, persevered in faith to trust God even when everyone around them told them differently.

The statement above is simple, living it out is not easy…we need daily interaction and a growing relationship with the Lord in order to stay on course.

Faith is not an event or a destination it is most definitely a journey!  May God’s peace be with you today as you take a few more steps along the way.

(This photo was taken in June of 2013 while driving near Pike’s Peak in Colorado)