Trust God

Nothing Can Separate Us

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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

There is nothing on earth in your life that is more powerful than the love of God…nothing.  There is no situation or life circumstances that can separate us from God’s love.

Trust in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior…He came down from heaven and sacrificed His life to reconcile us with God…this is the greatest gift you will ever receive.  Nothing can separate us from Him, trust Him with every area of your life and you will know peace.

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“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[b] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Romans 8:37-39 NIV

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

Trust In The Lord…Praise Him

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“Trust in the Lord and do good;
    dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
4 Take delight in the Lord,
    and he will give you the desires of your heart.”

Psalm 37:3-4 NIV

Only God can do the things we wish we could control…only He can transform the way people think and change their hearts.  Faith is about trusting His way and His timing…be still and wait patiently for Him.  Keep doing good things according to God’s Word.

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“I will praise you, Lord my God, with all my heart;
    I will glorify your name forever.”

Psalm 86:12 NIV

(This photo was taken in April 2020 at a lake near Plymouth, Minnesota)

Guard Your Heart

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“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”

Jeremiah 29:13 NIV

We all face trials and struggles.  The one thing we can control during these times and situations is how we choose to respond.  Many of us quickly try to gain control and take charge, determined not to let the situation get the best of us…others do an about face and get away from the situation as quickly as they can.

All of us can do better if we start with bringing the situation, the difficult time or difficult relationship to God first.  We need to stop waiting and trying to do things our own way…going into battle against darkness and evil without God is like a soldier heading into a battle without any weapon.  If we turn towards God first, the more likely we will find peace and be able to overcome the troubles of life.

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

John 16:33 NIV

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“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 4:6-7 NIV

(This photo was taken in October of 2013 in a neighborhood near Plymouth, Minnesota)

Worry And Anxiety

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“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life[e]?

28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 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 6:25-34 NIV

The first time I highlighted some verses in my bible many years ago it was Matthew 6:25-34…they stood out to me.  They told me something nobody else has ever told me about worries, fears and anxiety…those verses told me why I don’t need to worry all the time about everything.

God is in control, He knows what we need and He knows what is best for us…now when we get off track and try to live our lives separate from God we end up getting ourselves in some pretty dicey situations…that is not God doing that to us, that it is us and our free will choosing to seperate from God.

So, if we want to see change in our lives and our situations it is up to us to put God first in our lives and to seek His will.  Life will still have trouble but we know with God all things are possible.  Amen.

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“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”

1 Peter 5:7 NIV

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

Wait For The Lord

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“The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him,
    to the one who seeks him;
26 it is good to wait quietly
    for the salvation of the Lord.”

Lamentations 3:25-26 NIV

Hurry and impatience are causing more bad things to happen to us than we are willing to admit.  Why are we rushing around?  This is not how God created us to be.  Look at how Jesus lived on earth.  He took time sit quietly alone with God and to pray.  Filling our life with busyness is a sickness and will cause damage to our bodies and our relationships with others over time.  If you are often tired and weary take a moment to slow down…pick up God’s Word and pray to the Lord.  Remember God’s promises and wait for Him to guide you and lead you.

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“Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you;
    therefore he will rise up to show you compassion.
For the Lord is a God of justice.
    Blessed are all who wait for him!”

Isaiah 30:18 NIV

(This photo was taken in May of 2023 alomg the North Shore of Lake Superior)

The Truth Will Set You Free

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“To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

John 8:31-32 NIV

Faith in God means believing the truth.  The truth that God sent His only Son to save us from our sins.  If we allow temptation and sin to rule our lives…it will keep us away from God and we will be inviting trouble into everything we do.

If we follow the truth and put Jesus in the center of our lives, we will know peace.  Peace that surpasses all understanding.

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“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

John 16:33 NIV

(This photo was taken in September of 2022 at Big Sky Resort in Big Sky, Montana)

God Is Our Refuge

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“God is our refuge and strength,
    an ever-present help in trouble.”

Psalm 46:1 NIV

Worries and burdens will pile up.  We set ourselves up for disappointment and regret when we try to go it alone.  God is our refuge, He is the stronghold of our lives.  There is more to our relationship with the Lord than Sunday mornings or Wednesday evenings…there is more than quickly speaking memorized words before a meal or at bedtime.

Turn towards the Lord and seek Him.  Pray for His presence to comfort you and encourage you…listen for His guidance in everything.  Amen.

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“My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him.  He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.”

Psalm 62:1-2 NIV

(This photo was taken in August of 2016 in Arches National Park in Utah)

Spirit of Truth

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“But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.”

John 16:13 NIV

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth.  Put your trust in the Lord and His will for your life…it may not be what you have always thought about your life yet God is the Creator and knows what is best for you.  Stay close to the Lord and spend time with Him, be in His Word and the Spirit of Truth will guide you.  Amen.

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“If you love me, you will obey what I command.  And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever – the Spirit of truth.  The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him.  But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.”

John 14:15-17 NIV

(This photo was taken in August of 2016 at Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming)

He Will Carry Our Burdens

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“Cast your burden on the Lord,
    and he will sustain you;
he will never permit
    the righteous to be moved.”

Psalm 55:22 ESV

How often do you feel like you have to carry something all by yourself?  That it all depends on you and what you do?  We all have moments and seasons of life like this and God knows we will face them…in fact, He is the one that told us about them in Scripture…

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

John 16:33 NIV

And He is the One who has given us the Way through these times in life…turn towards Jesus…tell Him about the things that you are carrying.  During my morning prayer time with God I give thanks to Him, affirm my belief in Jesus and ask for His guidance throughout my day.  I share my worries and my concerns and I work on changing the way I think in order to trust His way.  Your experience may be similar or different, what is most important is that you do it.

He wants to hear from you and He wants you to know He is walking right along side you…you just have to acknowledge Him and seek Him.  He is with you and He is willing to carry your burdens for you.  May we find peace with the Savior.  Amen.

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“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

John 14:27 NIV

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

Listen…Be Transformed

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“Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.”

Romans 10:17 NIV

Draw near to God…stay close to Him.  Do not allow the world with its values and temptations entice you to drift away from Jesus.  It is easy to start a new habit of connecting with God every day and it is also easy to let it slip away.  Try to attach your new habit to something you are already doing every day.  Start small and it will build naturally as you stick to it.

If you are a ‘I need coffee in the morning’ person…make it a point to spend your first cup reading or listening to scripture.  If you are a ‘I like to read at night person’ give a few minutes to a daily devotional book each night.  Maybe mid-day would work best for you…no matter when or what the important thing is to do it and trust that God will use that time to transform you.

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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

(This photo was taken in September of 2020 at a lake in northwestern Wisconsin)