Jesus

The Spirit Within Us

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How do you tune in to the Holy Spirit?  The faith journey begins by acknowledging Jesus as the Son of God, our Savior and the confession of our sins…it continues with the desire to turn away from sin in our daily lives.  How can our faith grow?  It must be fed… we should feed our minds and our hearts with God’s word, we should seek to do good things, to help those in need and share whatever we have received in abundance.  We are not equipped to do this alone, none of us are.  So how do we know when the Holy Spirit is guiding us…we need to find the best way to tune in…like back in the days when listening to music meant finding just the right spot on a radio dial that brought in a clear signal with no static…strive to find that place and that time where you can tune in and receive guidance from God’s Holy Spirit.  Amen.

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“For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7 For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.”

2 Timothy 1:6-7

(This photo was taken in July of 2017 at a lake place in northwestern Wisconsin)

Let Go

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The more we fill our lives with fear, shame, guilt, anger, bitterness and all our sins, the less room we have for the Fruits of the Spirit from God.  We must learn to let go of the worldly ways and worldly values that are holding us back and telling us lies.  In order to receive the goodness of the Lord we must open our hearts and minds to Him…it is a journey we all must take and Jesus Christ is waiting for each one of us to turn towards Him, because He is the only One who knows The Way.  Amen.

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“Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”

Ephesians 4:31-32

(This photo was taken in August of 2012 while hiking along the North Shore of Lake Superior)

God’s Promises

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God has made many promises and He keeps His word.  Too often we think God has failed because we expect Him to work on our timeline, when we want or we believe is the right time or way for something to happen.  That is our mistake not God’s.  We are not in control; humankind did not create the world and we do not determine its outcome.  What God has asked us to do is to trust Him and to care for one another.  Read God’s word and learn about His promises, they are the only promises you know will be kept.  Amen.

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“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Jeremiah 29:11

(This photo was taken in August of 2016 while traveling through Utah)

O Holy Night

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The songs of the season for me are the spiritual songs.  Music about the events that occurred in Bethlehem thousands of years ago.  These songs have endured the test of time.  This one in particular was written by a French poet in 1847, the poem was put to music and performed at Christmas Eve service that year for the first time.  My favorite version is below…Let the music of the season soothe your soul and be thankful that on that Holy Night our Savior was born.  Peace be with you.  Amen.

O Holy Night by Point of Grace

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“But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

Luke 1:30-33

(This photo was taken in December of 2018 while traveling to the Bahamas)

Trust

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God knows you…He knows what is happening in your life…He cares for you…He knows the pain, He knows the struggle, He knows about the battle you think nobody else knows about…He knows because Jesus Christ lived as a man on earth and experienced pain and suffering and temptation and He died…but then something wonderful happened…God raised Him from death to life and claimed victory over evil.  Trouble will come to all of us and we have a Savior who is Christ the Lord who can lead us and guide through the difficult times in our lives.  May the peace of the Lord be with you.  Amen.

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“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.”

Proverbs 3:5-6

(This photo was taken in June of 2018 near the border of Minnesota and South Dakota)

Holy Spirit

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Our guide…Our conscience…Comforter…Presence of God…Spirit of truth…Helper.  When we believe in our hearts that Jesus is the Son of God and we confess our sins, God gives us the gift of His Holy Spirit to lead and guide us in our daily lives.  Open your heart and mind to God’s Holy Spirit, seek His wisdom and you will find strength and peace.  Amen.

Holy Spirit by Francesca Battistelli

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“The one who keeps God’s commands lives in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.”

1 John 3:24

(This photo was taken in March of 2018 while traveling in southern New Mexico)

He Understands

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In the bible, Jesus is referred to as the Son of God and also as the Son of Man.  During His life on earth He was God in human form.  He knows what it is like to be one of us living on earth.  If you have ever thought, ‘God doesn’t seem to care about me’ or ‘God is far too busy to care about my problems’…take a look at Jesus, read about His life in the New Testament of the bible…He knows about life on earth, He understands what you are experiencing.  Trust in the Lord and you will find peace.  Amen.

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“Jesus wept.”

John 11:35

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

God’s Formula

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In the Gospel of John chapter 10 we are given an answer to a question.  Many of us haven’t even asked the question because we haven’t gotten very far in our faith journey, yet God knows there will be a time when we will want to know.  That’s the thing about the bible, it really does have all the answers, that doesn’t mean we are going to like all the answers or that the answers are going to always be what we want them to be…still they are in there and it is up to us to choose to learn them.  From my perspsective God’s formula is this (You + A relationship with Jesus = A full life) It’s simple but nobody ever said it was going to be easy.  Peace be with you.  Amen.

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“…I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

John 10:10

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

God’s Presence

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Courage…comfort…strength…persevering…secure…enduring.  In the bible we are told we will have trouble in this world.  All of us will be in a battle of some kind…we are also told that God will be with us every step of the way.  There have never been any promises that life will be easy and even if you think someone has an easy life, they may be fighting a battle you know nothing about.  Thanks be to God for His presence in our lives, in your prayers give Him thanks…if it is hard to see where He is working or what He is up to in your life, pray that you can look at things with new eyes and a new perspective.  No matter what the situation…God is with you and He knows what you are going through, today and every day.  May His peace wash over you.  Amen.

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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

(This photo was taken in October of 2018 at a lake near Plymouth, Minnesota)

Jesus

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Immanuel…Light of the World…King of Kings…Lord of Lords…The Good Shepard…Bread of Life…Living Water…Prince of Peace…Wonderful Counselor…Lamb of God…The Truth…The Way…The Savior of the World.  Amen.

Give Me Jesus by Jeremy Camp

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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 June of 2016 at a lake near Plymouth, Minnesota)