Scripture Series: The Lord Directeth His Steps---Join our Inspirational/Anything Goes Challenge at Word Art Wednesday!

Hello Crafty Peeps! It's Wednesday and time for another bi-weekly Challenge at Word Art Wednesday (WAW).  As always, we are featuring a Scripture Word Art (you can download for free at the WAW site) which comes from Proverbs 16:9 and it says, "A man's heart deviseth his way: but the Lord directeth his steps." I was blessed to come across this article from StudyLight.org that gives a wonderful explanation/illustration about this verse.  It truly blessed me so, I decided to share a portion of it in this post.  Here you go:

Man proposing, God disposing

We cherish hopes, we make plans; but there is a higher power that directs our steps. The ideas of fate and chance have been entertained by men in all ages of the world to account for these experiences. Scripture knows nothing of fate or chance. It is the Lord who is directing our steps. Look at this directing work of God overruling our purposes:

---In the success or failure of our daily business. Man uses what discretion and judgment he has, but when he has done all much is left to circumstances over which he has no control. Generally it may be said that the diligent and persevering are the most successful, but there are many cases in which the rule will not apply. Success will sometimes come to the careless. Failure will sometimes come to the most diligent. Perhaps almost the last place in which we should look to find the hand of God is the business of the world.

---In the choice of our occupations in life. What an amount of selecting and rejecting goes on in the mind of many!  There are few who, in choosing their occupations in life, have not had wishes of their own, and there are few who, in looking back, do not find that those wishes have been overruled. God is working out some kind and wise purpose by putting us where we are.

---In the choice of our friendships. An unexpected meeting with a person may alter our whole career. God is as certainly working in the minor as He is in the greater events of our lives.

The plan of man, and the plan of God, in human life

Man’s own plan 

“A man’s heart deviseth his way.” Every man forms a programme of his daily life. When he moves rationally, he does not move by blind impulse. That man’s history is self-originated, self-arranged and is manifested from three things.

---Society holds every man responsible for his actions.

---The Bible appeals to every man as having a personal sovereignty.

---Every man’s conscience attests his freedom of action. If the sinner felt himself the mere creature of forces he could not control, he could experience no remorse. Man feels that his life is fashioned by his own plan, that he is the undisputed monarch of his own inner world.

God’s own plan. 

“The Lord directeth his steps.” God has a plan concerning every man’s life--a plan which, though it compasses and controls every activity, leaves the man in undisturbed freedom. This is the great problem of the world’s history, man’s freedom, and God’s control. “Experience, “gives a demonstrable stamp of evidence even in all the minutiae of circumstances which form the parts and pieces of the Divine plan.” A matter Of common business, the indulgence of curiosity, the supply of necessary want, a journey from home, all are connected with infinitely important results. And often when our purpose seemed as clearly fixed, and as sure of accomplishment, this way of our own devising has been blocked up by unexpected difficulties, and unexpected facilities have opened an opposite way, with the ultimate acknowledgment, “He led me forth in the right way” (Psalms 112:7; Isaiah 42:16). After all, we need much discipline to wean us from our own devices, that we may seek the Lord’s direction in the first place. The fruit of this discipline will be a dread of being left to our own devices, as before we were eager to follow them (Psalms 143:10). So truly do we find our happiness and security in yielding up our will to our heavenly Guide?  He knows the whole way, every step of the way: “The end from the beginning.” And never shall we miss either the way or the end, if only we resign ourselves with unreserved confidence to His keeping, and the direction of our steps.  To read the entire article, go HERE!

You see, God equipped mankind with the ability to plan and make decisions but it was not His plan for us to accomplish things on our own without His guidance and blessings.  Those who rebel against God are slaves to the Sin nature that had been passed on from Adam and therefore would act according to the call of the flesh and the world.  They do what pleases their senses and act upon their own will with no reverence for their Maker.  But those who have placed their faith on the finished work of Jesus Christ at the Cross are no longer slaves to Sin.  Romans 6:6-7 says, "For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin—because anyone who has died has been set free from sin."  Because we made Him our personal Lord and Savior, we are to live in accordance to His plans and purpose in us and through us.  The Holy Spirit of God inside every believer will guide us daily as we communicate with Him through prayer and continuous study of His Word. So yes, I do have many plans in life but each of them is subject for approval by my King.  Whether He approves, rejects or asked me to wait, I can be confident in knowing He wants what's best for me. 

For this Card, I used an image from our sponsor this week, All Dressed Up Stamps called "Girl on a Bike" and colored it with my ProMarker/Prismacolor/Spectrum Noir markers.  The base is an A7-size Kraft card and the DP's are all from Paper Studio.  I layered some flowers from Prima, added a brad from Recollections and blue nail head gems from Imaginisce and added some glitters (Stickles-Crystal) to the flowers and the leaves I die-cut using Fiskars punch.  I also stamped some vines on the top panel of the card from Fiskars.  Finally, I went crazy stitching on this project.  I love it!

 THE LORD DIRECTETH HIS STEPS CARD

 THE LORD DIRECTETH HIS STEPS CARD LAYERS

 THE LORD DIRECTETH HIS STEPS CARD INSIDE

THE LORD DIRECTETH HIS STEPS CARD WITH ENVELOPE-BOX

This Card is entered into the following Challenges:

Addicted to Stamps---Flowers
Dragonfly Dreams---Say It Flowers
Eclectic Ellapu---Midsummer
Lil' Patch of Crafty Friends---ATG
OSAAT---Stitching
Artistic Inspirations---ATG
Crafting from the Heart---ATG
Craft Your Passion---ATG
Get Creative---Bingo (Stitching/Printer Paper/Brads)
Our Crafty Corner---ATG
Simon Says---Summer Garden
Paper Girls---The Great Outdoors
Paper Nest Dolls---ATG
Where the Heart Is---ATG
All Dressed Up---ATG


Have a gorgeous day everyone and looking forward to see your wonderful projects linked at our WAW Blog.  It will be nice to see the featured Word Art in your Challenge project but not mandatory.  As long as it's family friendly, inspirational and uplifting, you are free to link up to 5 projects.  Our sponsors for this week are Paper Smooches and All Dressed Up Stamps.  Just want to tell you how much God loves you and wants you to discover the very reason and purpose He created you.  Get to know Him!  Hugs and blessing, everyone!