Scripture Series: Rest in the Lord Center Step Card---Join Us at Word Art Wednesday for our Anything Goes/Inspirational Challenge...

Hello there Crafty Friends!  Wow, we are already at the last month of the year and have survived last week's Thanksgiving and shopping weekend.  Didn't get in line for any Black Friday deals this year but visited some stores.  Some may not like it but I enjoy the hustle and bustle of holiday season.  Christmas and New Year is big in the Philippines (where I originally came from) and everyone is super excited (young and old) when this season approaches.  That is why I cannot sit by and miss all the fun people are having browsing at the stores and checking things out...LOL

Anyway, the past couple of months have been full of trials.  There's always something popping up at the last minute which seems to test and see where my trust truly depends.  When bad reports  (affecting relationships, finances, losses and many others) comes our way, like most people, my tendency is to try and fix things ASAP.  If I lose my favorite teddy bear, it would make me feel good if I can get an exact replacement so that the emotional need is satisfied.  But it didn't take long for me to realize that there are things that are irreplaceable.  When I lost my parents, there's no possible way I can get a replacement that would satisfy the longings of my heart for them. That is where my relationship with my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, is vital.  Having the Lord in my life keeps me going in times where hope seem far away.  Through His Word, He made me understand that everything that happens in my life has a purpose---good or bad!  His Word tell us in Romans 8:28, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." He taught me and still teaching me to completely trust in Him and to let go of any worries, anxiety and stress that accompanies dependence on self.  I remember at one point saying, "God, this is my situation.  I am handing it over to you for this is no longer my  burden."  Jesus took care of all my concerns when He died on the Cross for me and sealed the victory upon His resurrection. Therefore, I will trust in the great love He has for me and leave all my worries underneath His throne.  He is far more powerful than any trials that would come my way!  He has shown me in the past His faithfulness and how He provided a way out in every wilderness of life.  I will live each day knowing that I have a Father in heaven who cares for me so much, I need not worry about anything.   I know this is not easy and I cannot say there were no struggles.  Yet, trusting the Lord is an affair of the Spirit.  We may not see what is happening in the spiritual realm but as we trust in God's Word, our faith brings His promises to life till we see its manifestation in the physical. The Bible declares in John 4:24, "Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”  What we see in the physical are but a shadow of things to come.  Before anything makes manifest on earth, it is first won in the spirit.  So, when we are bombarded by negative thoughts, we have to make a decision to stop it's flow and allow God's Word (His promises) to flood our minds instead.  Jesus told us in John 6:63. "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life." Our hearts and minds are battlegrounds.  We either allow God to comfort and show us through His Word His pathway for every trial that comes our way or we allow the enemy to drown us with hopelessness.  I made my decision to trust in the Lord always.  Want to share with you some of the verses that God has given me in times of trials and despair:

"Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who draws strength from mere flesh and whose heart turns away from the Lord.  That person will be like a bush in the wastelands; they will not see prosperity when it comes.  They will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives. But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him.  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.  The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?" (Jeremiah 17:5-9)

"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.  For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.  So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." (2 Corinthians 4:16-18)

"Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.  I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."  (John 15:4-5)

So, here I am with another inspiration Card for our Challenge at Word Art Wednesday (WAW).  It features the wonderful Word Art by Karen Murray which is free for you to download at our WAW site.  The verse comes from Psalm 37:7a which says, "Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself..."  I love it when scriptures confirm scriptures.  Having shared with you in this post about trusting/relying upon the Lord, this scripture provided another confirmation.  God is awesomely affirming to me His promises to see me through our trials (both present and future), to just rest upon Him for He's got a plan.  He has shown me through a steady flow of scriptures that I need not concern myself with anything---He's got everything under control!  In all these, He's teaching me to be patient---to allow Him to present me with answers as oppose to making things happen on my own.  We ought to learn a great deal from the story of Moses (and Sarah, his wife) when He was promised by God to be the "Father of all nations," in the time when Sarah was barren and both of them were very old.  They thought they can help God by speeding up the process (taking matters in their own hands).  Ishmael (represented man's ways) was born to their slave, Hagar,  but the promised child to Sarah was Isaac (God's way).   Because of man's impatience, the descendents of these two are still fighting up to this time.  God does not need our help to fulfill His promises!  We are to trust in Him! We are to wait and take His lead!  He is able to fulfill His Word in His perfect time, according to His own purpose.  Oh, thank you Lord! For this Card, I used an image from Stamping Bella Rubber Stamp called "Uptown Girl Winnie Peeking at the Window" which I colored with ProMarker/Prismacolor markers.  The base card is a 5.5 x 11 inches white CS, cut and scored to make a center step card.  I used a couple of DP's from Recollections.  I wanted to make sure that the image is highlighted in this creation so, I picked the colors that made it so.  I die cute a lacy square using my Nestabilites, layered some Prima flowers and attached some brads at the center.  I also applied some glitters (Stickles-Crystal) at the center of the image's flowers, adhered some white nail head gems from Imaginisce and stitched all over this card.  I love, love, love how it turned out.

REST IN THE LORD CENTER STEP CARD:

 REST IN THE LORD CENTER STEP CARD SIDE VIEW:

 REST IN THE LORD CENTER STEP CARD LAYERS:

 REST IN THE LORD CENTER STEP CARD INSIDE:

REST IN THE LORD CENTER STEP CARD WITH ENVELOPE-BOX:

This Card is entered into the following Challenges:

Clear It Out---ATG (The layered Prima flowers and brads were in my stash for years now)
Crafting Musketeers---Layer It Up
Crafts and Me---ATG
Flourishes---Stitch It Up!
Loves Rubber Stamps---ATG
My Craft Creations---ATG
Papertake Weekly---ATG
Scrapper's Delights---Make it Sparkle
Stamp and Create---ATG
Stamping Sensations---Free and Easy
Squirrel and The Fox---Summer or Winter
Stamping Chef---ATG
TTCRD---ATG
Tok Bokok---ATG
Pile It On---P is for (Polka Dot, Person, Paper...)
Simon Says Stamp---Make Your Own Background
Delightful Challenges---You're a Gem!
Crafty Girls---ATG
Make It Monday---ATG
Crafty Bloggers Network---Girly
Crafty Creations---ATG except Christmas
Create with TLC---Show it Off Sunday
Wags 'n Whiskers---Things with Wings (there's a little brown bird in the image)
Happy Campers---Glitter It
Stampotique Designers---ATG (No Digis)

  

There you have it friends!  Hope you enjoyed browsing at the pics and reading this post.  Please don't forget to join us at this week's WAW Challenge by linking your "Anything Goes" projects.  You can use the free Word Art I featured here in your entry but it's not mandatory.  As long as your creation is family-friendly, inspirational and uplifting, you can enter up to 5 projects to have more chances of winning.  Our sponsors for this week are Jelly Park (giving away 2 images) and a die-cut border coming from Cherry Lynn Designs.  You don't want to miss out on these wonderful prizes so, make sure to join our Challenge.   Have a blessed day, everyone!