Scripture Series: Lord is that Spirit Card---Make Sure to Check our Inspirational/Anything Goes Challenge at Word Art Wednesday!

It's Wednesday and time to highlight another project for our Inspirational/Anything Goes Challenge at Word Art Wednesday (WAW).  Our free Scripture Word Art (you can download for free at the WAW site) comes from 2 Corinthians 3:17 which says, "Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty."  We have to understand that God is our source of wisdom and understanding.  Before Jesus came to earth, God's people live by obeying the Law of Moses and fulfilling the requirements of the Law for a temporary covering of their sins.  The Law never meant to save anyone but to show us how impossible it is for human beings to gain righteousness on our own without Almighty God making the way for us.  It's supposed to point us to a Savior who will free us from our bondage to Sin and Death and restore us to our original state of righteousness before a holy God for all eternity.   

My Life Application Bible provided a wonderful explanation that includes our featured verse---from 2 Corinthians 3:13-18.  It says, "When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the Ten Commandments, his face glowed from being in God's presence (Exodus 34:29-35).  Moses had to put on a veil to keep the people from being terrified by the brightness of his face.  Paul adds that his veil kept them from seeing the radiance fade away.  Moses and his veil illustrate the fading of the old system and the veiling of the people's minds and understanding by their pride, hardness of heart, and refusal to repent.  The veil kept them from understanding the references to Christ in the Scriptures.  When anyone becomes a Christian (Born-again, John 3:3), Christ removes the veil (2 Corinthians 3:16), giving eternal life and freedom from trying to be saved by keeping laws.  And without the veil, we can be like mirrors reflecting God's glory.  Those who were trying to be saved by keeping the Old Testament law were soon tied up in rules and ceremonies.  But now, through the Holy Spirit, God provides freedom from sin and condemnation (Romans 8:1).  When we trust Christ to save us,  he removes our heavy burden of trying to please him and our guilt for failing to do so.   By trusting Christ we are loved, accepted, forgiven, and freed to live for Him.  "Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom."   The glory that the Spirit imparts to the believer is more excellent and lasts longer than the glory that Moses experienced.  By gazing at the nature of God with unveiled minds, we can be more like Him.  In the gospel, we see the truth about Christ, and it transforms us morally as we understand and apply it.   Through learning about Christ's life, we can understand how wonderful God is and what He is really like.  As our knowledge deepens, the Holy Spirit helps us to change.  Becoming Christlike is a progressive experience (Romans 8:29, Galatians 4:19, Philippians 3:21, 1 John 3:2).  The more closely we follow Christ, the more we will be like Him,"  

Isn't that wonderful to know that the finished work of Jesus Christ at the Cross (with all its power and benefits) lives inside of us?  When Jesus ascended into heaven, He never left us on our own.  He sent the Holy Spirit to teach us His Word and to remind us of our righteous place in the presence of our Father when we placed our faith in Christ Jesus.  The natural mind will not understand this but those who made Jesus their Lord and Savior can see this in the spirit.  I know how frustrating it is when people doesn't get the simple message of salvation and choose the complexity of religion with all it's dead works hoping they get it right with God.  It's double the frustration if they are family members or close friends.  What we can do is to obey the voice of the Holy Spirit when He prompts us to share the gospel to anyone.  We plant the seed of God's Word in them and we may even be asked to follow-up and disciple them.  But understand that it's the ministry of the Holy Spirit that works in a man's heart!  Not our strategies, convincing power or any other abilities we have.  If the man's heart is a good soil, the seed of God's Word will flourish and bear much fruit.  Today, we are bombarded by a whole lot  of craziness all over the world!  Lies by adding or withholding of Truth are so common nowadays to move and deceive people to accept a demonic agenda.  Government leaders, politicians, billionaires and millionaires have often aided these lies and are therefore not the solution to stop the evil that seeks to destroy us.  Many of them don't know God and are blind themselves leading even more to despicable blindness.  This is the time for TRUE BELIEVERS to take a stand, pray and act in accordance to the leading of the Holy Spirit.  Let us intercede for our country, get into every pillars of our society and saturate them with the knowledge of God without apology.  We should run for local, state and national office and refuse to give the leadership to the ungodly.  Times are changing and we cannot sit around and pretend nothing is happening.  Flood social media with God's Word and most of all, refuse to play the game of political correctness to your sphere of influence.  Everything must be done in love without compromising the Truth.  I have an eternal perspective and because of that, I am not intimidated by anyone who can only kill the body but can't kill the spirit.  I know my place in God's Kingdom and I'm here to stay till my Father says it's time.  I hold God's Word in Philippians 1:20-21 close to my heart...It says, "I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have complete boldness, so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain." 

 
For this Card, I used an image from A Day for Daisies called "Daisy Bird Bath" and colored it with Prismacolor colored pencils and Gamsol.  The base is Kraft A7 card that comes with an envelope.  I used a sun rays stencil from Tim Holtz and lots of inking using Tim Holtz Distress Inks.  I also added some glitters (Stickles-Crystal) and finally, some regular stitching.  I am glad I was able to make a card without my usual layering.  I am just so eager to try all the wonderful techniques I've seen from others and it was fun and challenging at the same time.  Anyway, I hope you like it as well.

LORD IS THAT SPIRIT CARD

LORD IS THAT SPIRIT CARD CLOSE-UP

LORD IS THAT SPIRIT CARD INSIDE

LORD IS THAT SPIRIT CARD WITH ENVELOPE

This Card is entered into the following Challenges:

Artistic Inspirations---ATG
Crafts Galore Encore---ATG
Crafting with an Attitude---ATG
Inspiration Destination---ATG
Lil Patch of Crafty Friends---ATG
Paper Creator's---All About Flowers
TTCRD---ATG
Craft Your Passion---ATG
Crafting with Friends---ATG
Penny's Paper Crafty---ATG
Simply Papercraft---ATG
Love to Scrap---ATG
Dragonfly Dreams---Say it with Flowers
Glitter N Sparkle---ATG


Hope you join the fun at our WAW Challenge.  There's wonderful prize awaiting our winner from our sponsor this week, Simon Says Stamp ($25 GC).  You can choose to incorporate the free Word Art (sentiment) you see in my card for projects you wish to make and link with us though it's not mandatory.  You can submit up to 5 projects (Anything Goes) as long as it's family friendly, inspirational or uplifting.  Can't wait to see what you come up with. Have a blessed week and always remember the power that we possess in Christ through the Cross.  Hugs!