CAS Series: Butterfly Flower Birthday Card---Join Us for our December/Anything Goes Challenge at 613 Avenue Create!

Hello, everyone!  Last Sunday, we started our December/Anything Goes Challenge at 613 Avenue Create.  I created a very simple card that features our optional theme of "Use Some Washi Tape" for my inspiration card. Wow, it's already December!  I was hoping I could say how cool the weather is in Texas but it's still pretty hot in the daytime.  But as always I am grateful to the Lord for every day we wake up and experience His blessings. Be it in victory in the midst of trials or rejoicing from His abundance, there's always something to be grateful about.

As we celebrate this season of Thanksgiving and Christmas, what am I truly thankful about?  I can enumerate many things in this world God has blessed me with.  I may not have riches, fame nor power based on worldly standards but I have what is truly important/valuable---I have Christ in me now and for all eternity!  This past week, many of us heard of a well known Christian artist whose recent rise to fame in the Music Pop Charts suddenly compromise God's Truth to avoid a career-breaking backlash on the issue of "Homosexuality as a sin."  After personally hearing the VIDEO of this artist's interview hosted by a secular radio station, here's a reaction/comment I made on Facebook on a friend's page that deals with this artist's worldview on the issue.  I wrote, "Even before I became a Born-again Christian and has very little knowledge of the religion (Roman Catholicism) I was born-in, I knew that homosexuality is a sin as well as adultery, fornication, lying and many more.  The "conscience" (moral compass) witnesses to the statutes of God in our hearts. Many wrote their conscience off when they needed to satisfy their fleshly desires or when they have love ones and friends doing it/in bondage to a sinful lifestyle. I remember the saying that “not because someone invites you to jump off a cliff, you should do it.” Having learned/studied God’s Word personally just solidified my conviction to do what is right in the sight of the Lord. So, the argument that she’s a baby Christian ignorant of this basic Truth doesn’t fly by me. She chose to compromise in order to satisfy a personal ambition. We are to pray for her but we have to expose her error to warn others of what the love for stardom can do to one’s faith.”

There are so many things that the enemy can use to veer us (believers) away from God.  The moment we take our focus away from Jesus Christ and His finished work at the Cross and set our eyes on things of this world (personal ambition that caters to the lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes and the pride of life), we are allowing Satan to target and devour us.  Once we fall on the enemy's trap, darkness takes over----causing deception and blindness in our spirit.  Don't ever think that we have strength in ourselves to battle with the host of spiritual wickedness in high places.  The only reason we can triumph over them is because of our new birth in Christ (Born-again, John 3:3) that allows the Holy Spirit to operate inside of us.  In Him, no power of the enemy can stand!  So, when we're faced with all kinds of temptations (fueled by our selfish ambitions), we are to confront our own flesh by the power of the Holy Spirit through the finished work of Jesus Christ.  Turn our eyes away from ourselves, repent and submit solely unto the Lord.  Luke 10:17-20 tells us, "The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.”  He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” God had blessed me (and every believer) with so many things including the power to trample over the works of the enemy  that I can say "no" to the many temptations that seek to devour me.  But more than that, I am forever grateful that God Almighty chose me from before time to carry out His purpose, writing my name among the redeemed through faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ, My Savior!  So, if I'm stripped off everything in this world today, I will always have a reason to rejoice.  For Jesus Christ is my true hope of glory!


For this Card, I used an image from Inkadinkado Stamps called "Sending Wishes" and colored it with my Prismacolor markers.  The base is white A2 card (comes with an envelope) from Paper Studio, the sentiment from Studio 112 and the Washi Tape from Tape Works.  Truly a simple card that came out so beautifully.

 BUTTERFLY FLOWER BIRTHDAY CARD

BUTTERFLY FLOWER BIRTHDAY CARD WITH ENVELOPE

This it for now, guys.  Make sure to join us at our neighborhood---613 Avenue Create---for an Anything Goes Challenge with an optional theme.  Can't wait to see what you create. The Lord is with you every step of the way so, don't compromise God's Word nor be afraid of the what the future holds based on your faithfulness to His Word.  Great is our eternal reward in heaven for us whose trust in not of the world but in Christ!