prayer

Trust

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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 NIV

Father God, when I am anxious and afraid, I will put my trust in You

I will rely on You no matter what comes my way because You are my source of strength and safety

You guide me and You fight for me

When I draw near to You, I have nothing to fear, because I know that You are in control

I know You will never leave me or abandon me and so I put my trust in You

In Jesus name, Amen

“But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord,
    whose confidence is in him.
8 They will be like a tree planted by the water
    that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
    its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
    and never fails to bear fruit.”

Jeremiah 17:7-8 NIV

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

The Name Of Jesus

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“Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
    and gave him the name that is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
    in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
    to the glory of God the Father.”

Philippians 2:9-11 NIV

Father God, You gave us Your Son, the Light of the world

Give us courage and strength to call out His name

Jesus, regardless of what we face, we want to experience a personal relationship with You

Thank You for everything You did and are continuing to do for us

We need You, we believe in You, we trust You and we ask for Your guidance in all things and at all times

  Thank You for Your everlasting love.  In Your Holy name we pray, Amen

I Speak Jesus (Unplugged) by Eagle Brook Music

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“For to us a child is born,
    to us a son is given,
    and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
    Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

Isaiah 9:6 NIV

(This photo was taken in Bighorn National Forest in Wyoming)

Allow Christ to Change Your Perspective

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“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

Romans 12:1-2 NIV

Jesus Christ is alive…the promised Savior has come!

He was born, He lived and taught us how to live

He sacrificed Himself and was crucified and died for us

He has risen and is seated at the right hand of God in heaven

Now what does that mean for us?

What difference is He making in your life?

Are you aware of God’s presence in your daily life?

Believe in Him…seek Him…pray…read God’s Word…pay attention to how God is at work in your life

  Choose to live different from the way of the world

Allow Jesus Christ to impact every area of your life and change your perspective

Different by Micah Tyler

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“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.”

Ezekiel 36:26-27 NIV

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

Spiritual Battle

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“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. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.”

Ephesians 6:13-18 NIV

We are caught in the spiritual battle every day

Jesus Christ has won the war and defeated death and evil

Yet darkness is still working to keep us away from God

Be aware the battle continues because of sin

And we know that God will work all things for our good and His glory

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“Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.”

Hebrews 2:18 NIV

(This photo was taken near Arches National Park in Utah)

Love That Can Change The World

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“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.”

1 John 4:7-12 NIV

Jesus came down from heaven and sacrificed Himself on the Cross

He did it for you…He did it because He loves you and wants a relationship with you!

Give thanks to Him, chose to love God and love others

This is what God wants us to do.

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“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”

Colossians 3:12-14 NIV

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

Our Call

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“As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. 15 But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16 for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”[a]

1 Peter 1:14-16 NIV

How do we know what God is calling us to do?

For life decisions and direction?

If we use the world’s measuring stick of ‘what we should do’ we risk missing God’s will entirely

To follow our call is to surrender self-serving desires, to be humble and patient and to have a foundation of a faith that is built on our personal relationship with Jesus Christ

That is what I have learned so far…nobody ever said it was going to be easy

We will face trouble and struggles of every kind in life and if we are willing to stand firm on the foundation of faith, we will persevere

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“For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life.”

1 Thessalonians 4:7

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

Wisdom From God

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“Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. 27 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. 30 It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. 31 Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”[a]

1 Corinthians 1:26-31 NIV

Nothing we encounter in this world is greater than God

Do not be deceived by the wisdom the of the world

Seek God’s wisdom

Read His Word and learn about life from His perspective

He is our Creator

He is our Savior

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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 Glacier National Park in Montana)

Faith Commitment

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

Proverbs 16:3 NIV

Success in life is most often tied to commitment

When you learn the details of a success story there is always a moment or moments along the way that a person had to make a choice to stay committed to a vision or mission in order to see it through

It is a willingness to commit that leads to success in relationships and our everyday life

When we reflect on our lives, we all are committed to something right now…what is it for you?

Ask yourself this question, how do my commitment(s) tie into my faith and my relationship with God?

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“Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be people of courage; be strong.  Do everything in love.”

1 Corinthians 16:13-14 NIV

(This photo was taken near Arches National Park in Utah)

He Restores

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“And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.”

1 Peter 5:10 NIV

We need time with God every day

When He is the source of life

We will find peace

We will be able to rest

He will renew us and restore us

If we try to go alone we will be consumed by sin

Trust in the Lord

He will restore your soul and give you all that you need

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“He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.[a]
3     He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness[b]
    for his name’s sake.“

Psalm 23:2-3 NIV

(This photo was taken while driving through North Dakota)

He Knows

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“You have searched me, Lord,
    and you know me.
2 You know when I sit and when I rise;
    you perceive my thoughts from afar.
3 You discern my going out and my lying down;
    you are familiar with all my ways.
4 Before a word is on my tongue
    you, Lord, know it completely.”

Psalm 139:1-4 NIV

God knows all about you

He is your Creator

He made you to be who you are

You are enough for Him

Whatever you are worried about or struggling to overcome

Whatever ‘it’ is…He Knows

He Knows by Jeremy Camp

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“For you created my inmost being;
    you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
    your works are wonderful,
    I know that full well.”

Psalm 139:13-14 NIV

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