Scripture Series: If We Faint Not Card---Join Us for Inspirational/Anything Goes Challenge at Word Art Wednesday!

Hello there, guys!  So, we began another Challenge at Word Art Wednesday (WAW) featuring another Scripture Word Art which you can download for free at the WAW site.  It comes from Galatians 6:9 which says, "And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not."

I often shared to y'all the importance of having an eternal perspective as we walk this life on earth in the Lord Jesus.  From the time we were born, all we care about is our own little world.  We are driven by our desires to get what we want to better ourselves.  And many define/measure success based on the money they possess, how powerful, famous and respected they are in the world.  We do everything we possibly can to fulfill those desires even to the point of stepping on others just to get ahead and accomplish our dreams.  For many  of us, this is what life is all about.   But for some, the seed of God's Word came and regenerated in our fertile (receptive) human heart that all of a sudden, we become aware that things don't really revolve around us.  That we were created by a Creator whose plans and purpose graciously included us to fulfill His will which He predestined us to do from before time.   The closer we get to the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ (depending on our hunger and thirst for His presence),  the more aware we become of what's truly important in this life.  A friend once asked me why I decided to become a Stay at Home Mom (SAHM) instead of pursuing a career using the many talents God has given me.  It was an honest question that requires an honest answer.  Like anyone else, I too had many dreams that I tried (my hardest) to pursue earlier in life.  But the Lord had a different plan.  As I go through triumphs and disappointments (there were many), the Lord never failed to instruct and direct me to a better plan.  Most of the time, the path/task He wanted us to pursue does not generate wealth, power and notoriety.  As a matter of fact, it usually involves hard work and sacrifice but the spiritual benefits (how it builds you up on the inside) gives us so much more (of greater worth).  It's hard to explain but we know (down in our spirits) that that's exactly where He wants us to be for the time being.  

The great rewards promised to us by the Lord in His Word can't be found in this world.  For what we can get here is nothing compared to the true riches we have in Christ Jesus.  Think (or even imagine) of the very best thing you can have in this world yet it will still fail in comparison to what Jesus has prepared for us in the afterlife.  So, Ive made up my mind to pursue the high calling of Christ in my life and to forfeit every earthly and selfish ambition that wouldn't benefit me eternally.  I'm not saying it's wrong to dream but just be careful that such dream doesn't turn into an idol (anything you value, seek, pursue above God).  The Scripture reveals to us everything that is valuable in the sight of God.  Spend time learning and studying God's Word and you'll reap the rewards of your diligence and obedience.  I would like to leave you with the verses in 1 Peter 1:3-9 which says, "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!  In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

For this Card, I used an image from Wild Rose Studio called "Bella with Daisy" and one the images from Art Impressions Try'Folds Stamps called "Garden TF."  I watercolored both images using Ranger Distress Inks.  The base is a white CS, cut and scored to make a 5.5 inches square card.  The blue embossed CS is from Bazzill.  I also added some glitters (Stickles-Crystal) to parts of the images and ran the panels through my sewing machine for wonderful stitching.  I didn't feel like adding any more embellishments to allow the watercolor scene along with the inspirational verse to speak for itself.  I'm very happy with the result.

 IF WE FAINT NOT CARD

 IF WE FAINT NOT CARD LAYERS

 IF WE FAINT NOT CARD SIDE VIEW

 IF WE FAINT NOT CARD INSIDE

IF WE FAINT NOT CARD WITH ENVELOPE-BOX

This Card is entered into the following Challenges:

Aud Sentiments---Cute + Sentiment
Crafting with an Attitude---ATG
Sasayaki Glitter---Flowers
Time Out---Inspired by Words
Alphabet---D is for "Dots"
Colour Crazy---ATG Coloring
Crafting with Friends---ATG
Crafty Catz---ATG/Cute Image
Creative Fingers---ATG
Jo's Scrap Shack---ATG
Pattie's Creations---Flowers
QKR Stampede---ATG
Simply Papercraft---ATG
2 Crafty Critter---ATG with Animals
Perfect Time to Craft---ATG
Artistic Stamper---Backgrounds
Classic DT---ATG
Color Sisters---Color Palette
Crafts Galore Encore---ATG
Crafty Animals---ATG with Animals
Crafty Girls---ATG
Create and Inspire---ATG/Springtime
Createful Heart---ATG/Spring/Mother's Day
CCC---Flower Power
Daisy Chain---Animals
Delicious Doodles---Flowers
Digistamps4Joy---ATG/For Mum
Fabrika Fantasy---Flowers
LeAnns World---ATG
Let's Craft and Create---ATG/Lace. Ribbon or Twine


Make sure you join us at WAW Challenge.  You can use the free Word Art in your creation and link it to our Challenge but is not a requirement.  As long as it's family-friendly, uplifting and inspirational, you can enter up to 5 times this week.  Great prizes to be won from our wonderful sponsors---Pink and Main ($20 GC) and Sweet-N-Sassy Stamps (Digit images).  So excited to see what you come up with.  Anyway, cheer up and let the peace of the Lord overtake you today.  In Christ, we have a very bright and joyful (literally) future!   

Especially Made: Happiness Coming Your Way Card and Crochet Blanket and Toy Set for a Special Friend...

Hi there, guys.  We have a brand new Challenge happening at 613 Avenue Create so feel free to link your Anything Goes with optional theme (Mainly Blue) projects for the fun of sharing your craft.  I'm so sorry this post is coming a couple days late as many things came up that kept me occupied.

Today, I would like to share with you God's Word in 1 John 3:7-9 which says, "Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. The one who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work. No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God."  My Life Application Bible did a wonderful job explaining these verses so I would like to share it here.  It says, "We all have areas where temptation is strong and habits are hard to conquer.  These weaknesses give the devil a foothold, so we must deal with our areas of vulnerability.   If we are struggling with a particular sin, however, these verses are not directed at us, even if for the time we seem to keep on sinning.  John is not talking about people whose victories are still incomplete; he is talking about people who make a practice of sinning and look for ways to justify it.  Three steps are necessary to find victory over prevailing sin: (1) seek the power of the Holy Spirit and God's Word; (2) stay away from tempting situations; and (3) seek the help of the Body of Christ---be open to their willingness to hold you accountable and to pray for you.  "No one who is born of God will continue to sin" means that true believers do not make a practice of sinning, nor do they become indifferent to God's moral law.  All believer's still sin, but they are working to gain victory over sin.  "God's seed remains in him" means that true believers do not make practice of sinning because God's new life has been born into them.  We are "born of God" when the Holy Spirit lives in us and gives us Jesus' new life.  Being born again is more than a fresh start; it is a rebirth, receiving a new family name based on Christ's death for us.  When this happens, God forgives us and totally accepts us; the Holy Spirit gives us new minds and hearts, lives in us, and begins helping us to become like Christ.  Our  perspective changes too because we have a mind that is renewed day by day by the Holy Spirit (See Romans 12:2, Ephesians 4:22-24).  So we must begin to think and act differently.  See John 3:1-21 for more on being born again. "

You see, I planned to share something in the line of what I'm dealing with these days (physical condition) but as I seek God's Word, He took me to a different direction.  I believe it is of utmost importance that I share this message considering the moral and social dilemma prevalent in our society these days.  There is a continuous attack on the Word of God that's determined to move us and our children away from the knowledge of God and towards Moral Relativism.  Moral Relativism (or Ethical Relativism) is the position that moral or ethical propositions do not reflect objective and/or universal moral truths, but instead make claims relative to social, cultural, historical or personal circumstances.  No matter how good one presents this, it is utterly dangerous and demonic in its core.  See more about Moral Relativism HERE.   In case you are unaware of it, our schools are the best place to start this evil indoctrination.  We hear of school board (closed door) meetings that takes away our rights as parents and citizens to have a say in our children's education.  In California, there's an ongoing fight by concerned parents that are opposed to school district's subjecting their kids to controversial sex education courses and gender bending propaganda.  Satan knows the importance of the next generation to secure the decay of our society.  His demonic agenda has saturated all pillars of our society using media, entertainment and politics in the forefront.  It gained access towards many churches as well whose teachers and preachers became traitors to the teachings of Christ and have placed their own understanding above God's Word.  In essence, these people have sold their souls to the devil for fame, power and money.   Them and their congregation had been deceived by the enemy for they refused to check the teachings handed down to them against the infallible Word of God.  Teaching about God's love without stating God's justice and wrath is an incomplete teaching that will send people to eternal damnation (eternal separation from God in the Lake of Fire).  Outside of faith in what Jesus Christ accomplished at the Cross (His death, burial and resurrection), there is no other way for man to be saved.  Jesus' death justified us (legally) and made us righteous before God followed by sanctification by faith (where He sets us apart solely for His purpose).  This sanctification is an ongoing process of being Christ-like and requires our trust, cooperation and dying from ourselves (not us but Christ in charge of our lives).  By the power of the Holy Spirit living inside of us, we learn to battle with our selfish ambitions, emotions and proclivities in submission to the will of God.  Unlike those of the world (unbelievers), we no longer act based on our own advancement/satisfaction but taking into consideration the fulfillment of God's plan as a whole.  And when we make mistakes (acts of sin), we don't justify it but confesses it unto the Lord for forgiveness (1 John 1:9).  

A person that's been truly born of God does not delight in lies but seeks the Truth that can only be found in the Word of God.  Anyone who places their own understanding, feelings, experiences, culture, tradition, skin color, political affiliation, education, talents, and many more above the Word of God is not of God.  All human beings were born sinners (being in Adam) but those who placed their faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ died in Adam and are born-again in Christ.  Therefore, the curse (Sin and Death) that humans carry by being in Adam have already been severed (no longer have power over us) and we possess in us the newness of life (Spirit life) in Christ Jesus.  Though we have to unlearn all the rebellious acts we were used to doing (process of sanctification), we no longer have to do it on our own.  The Holy Spirit (God's seed in us) helps us every step of the way as we yield our lives to Him.  There are many others out there who needs to hear this Truth. While there is time, we have to tell them about salvation by faith in Christ while we battle to destroy the works of the enemy in the lives of our children and the society as a whole.  This is not the time to sit down and relax.  We have a lot of work to do as God grants us a window of opportunity.  If we have to fight against unjust laws to follow the just laws of God in our society, let us do that!  For no man-made laws are above God's laws.  I would like to encourage you with the following verses to inspire you to live for the Lord daily:

"Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For in Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life has set you free from the law of sin and death. For what the Law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful man, as an offering for sin. He thus condemned sin in the flesh, so that the righteous standard of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. Those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh; but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. The mind of the flesh is death, but the mind of the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind of the flesh is hostile to God: It does not submit to God’s Law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are controlled not by the flesh, but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet the Spirit gives you life because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit, who dwells within you."  (Romans 8:1-11)

  
For this Card, I used this wonderful image from Stamping Bella called "Baby Carriage Abella" that I water colored using my Stabilo 68 markers.  The sentiment came from the same set.  I added some glitters to the image using Stickles (Crystal).  I made this for a friend who had her Baby Shower last month along with a wonderful Crochet Baby Blanket and Piggy Buddy Set (pictures below) that I worked with for close to two weeks .  Nothing is worth more than a gift you spent plenty of time to make in order to express how important that friend is to you.  That's how I see handmade gifts.  It's really more than a gift----it's a gift of LOVE!  Anyway, I followed the pattern from a book from Annie's Crochet called "Baby Blankets and Toys."  My friend loves green so, I had to incorporate green with pink for a baby girl (well, with some yellow) to complete this design.   She's very happy with it...

 HAPPINESS COMING YOUR WAY CARD

HAPPINESS COMING YOUR WAY CARD CLOSE-UP

HAPPINESS COMING YOUR WAY CARD WITH ENVELOPE

 CROCHET RIPPLES BLANKET AND PIGGY BUDDY FOLDED

CROCHET RIPPLES BLANKET AND PIGGY BUDDY

The Card is entered into the following Challenges:

Crafting with an Attitude---ATG
Little Miss Muffet---ATG
Creative Fingers---ATG
Simply Create Too---Anything but a Card
Simply Papercraft---ATG
Perfect Time to Craft---ATG
Card Mania---Anything but a Card (Crochet Gift Combo)
Classic DT---ATG
Color Sisters---Color Palette
Crafts Galore Encore---ATG
Crafty Girls---ATG
Createful Heart---ATG/Spring/Mother's Day
Digistamps4Joy---ATG/For Mum
LeAnns World---ATG
Let's Craft and Create---ATG/Lace. Ribbon or Twine


There you have it, folks!  Don't miss the opportunity to join our Anything Goes Challenge at 613 Avenue Create.  Can't wait to see what fabulous projects you're going to link with us.  I hope you have a great week and know that through faith in what Jesus accomplished at the Cross, we have complete victory over the works and schemes of the enemy!  Let us share this hope to countless others in the world.