Salvation

Perfect Peace

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“You will keep in perfect peace
    those whose minds are steadfast,
    because they trust in you.
4 Trust in the Lord forever,
    for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal.“

Isaiah 26:3-4 NIV

There is one way to peace

It will not be found in worldly values, events or possessions

Our guide for perfect peace is Jesus Christ

When things are spinning out of control or chaos seems to be ruling the day

Slip away to a quiet place and focus your thoughts on Jesus

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“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we[a] have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ…”

Romans 5:1 NIV

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

It Takes Courage…

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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

Courage is not the absence of fear

Courage is the willingness to move forward without knowing the outcome

To admit we don’t know the answers…to be patient…to share and be vulnerable with another person

Having courage is placing your trust in God ahead of fear

It is about not allowing fear to stop you or defeat you

It takes courage to seek the Light…to surrender your plans for God’s plan

It takes courage to live the life that God has intended for you…and where can you find strength for courage?

In a relationship with Jesus Christ

There you will find joy, peace, patience, and strength for courage

Seek Him and His will and live with hope from God

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“Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. 14 Do everything in love.”

1 Corinthians 16:13-14 NIV

(This photo was taken on Lake Superior near the Apostle Islands)

He Knows My Name

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“But now, this is what the Lord says—
    he who created you, Jacob,
    he who formed you, Israel:
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
    I have summoned you by name; you are mine.”

Isaiah 43:1 NIV

God knows you

He created you and He wants to have a close relationship with you

Do not let the world define your value

You are God’s child…He sent His only Son down from heaven to save you from sin and evil

He is waiting to hear from you

Turn towards Jesus Christ in prayer today…He is with you, He loves you and He knows what you are facing each day

He Knows My Name by Francesca Battistelli

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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

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

Love In Action

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“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

8 Love never fails.”

1 Corinthians 13:4-8 NIV

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“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”

1 Corinthians 13:13 NIV

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

A New Way

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“You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.“

Ephesians 4:22-24 NIV

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:[a] The old has gone, the new is here!“

2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV

Every day brings new possibilities

Trust the promises of God to find a New Way

Our hope is in God and His love

The Wonderful Cross by Michael W Smith

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“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.“

Philippians 4:8-9 NIV

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

He Did It All For You

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“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in[b] Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Romans 6:23 NIV

“But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.”

Isaiah 53:5 NIV

We didn’t earn it

We do not deserve it

Yet Jesus Christ sacrificed Himself for us

This is how much He loves us

This is how much He loves you

Remember what He did to show His love for you

Remember…He did it all for you!

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“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

Ephesians 2:8-10 NIV

(This photo was taken while traveling in northern Colorado)

Fruit Of The Spirit…Faithfulness

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“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”

Galatians 5:22-23 NIV

“Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations…”

Deuteronomy 7:9 NIV

God keeps His promises

We are responsible for how we live our lives and how we treat each other

God has given us free will

If we do our part and put our trust in Him and walk in the Light of Christ

He is faithful and will forgive us our sins and restore us

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“This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

1 John 1:5-9 NIV

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

Believing And Seeing

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“Though the fig tree does not bud
    and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
    and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen
    and no cattle in the stalls,
18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord,
    I will be joyful in God my Savior.

19 The Sovereign Lord is my strength;”

Habakkuk 3:17-19 NIV

Faith is about being certain of God and His love and faithfulness beyond our visible circumstances and surroundings

We Believe by Newsboys

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“We live by faith, not by sight.”

2 Corinthians 5:7 NIV

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

Worry And Anxiety

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The Lord Jesus offers to walk with us through every part of our lives…the past, the present and the future

If we are willing to believe and trust in Him…He will be with us no matter what

Regarding our past…

“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all[a] sin.”

1 John 1:7 NIV

For our current worries…

“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

For our anxiety about the future…

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

Matthew 6:33-34 NIV

These are just a few of the assurances and promises the Lord has made…the Bible is filled with the very words of Jesus Christ telling us how much He cares for us and how far He is willing to go to show us His love

Trust in the Lord, read God’s Word and pray to our heavenly Father regarding all your worries and anxiety

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“Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”

1 Peter 5:6-7 NIV

(This photo was taken in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming)

By His Wounds We Are Healed

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“He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.”

1 Peter 2:24 NIV

Our sins leave a mark on us

Some sins mark our hearts and our minds

Some sins leave a mark on our bodies and some sins leave long lasting wounds that we try to bury deep within us

These wounds occur because we chase after sinful desires that hurt us and may hurt others

The Good News is the healing power of Jesus

Jesus took the punishment for our sins…He sacrificed Himself for us because He loves us and He knows we are not capable of saving ourselves

Jesus Christ suffered, was crucified and died for us and it is by His wounds we are healed

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“But he was pierced for our transgressions,
    he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
    and by his wounds we are healed.”

Isaiah 53:5 NIV

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