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Monday, January 20, 2020

Scripture Series: The Soul that Seeketh Him Card---Join our Inspirational/Anything Goes Challenge at Word Art Wednesday!

Hello everyone,  I'm here to share another card that I made featuring our Scripture Word Art for our Word Art Wednesday (WAW) current Challenge.  Like always, you can download it for free at the WAW site if you want to use it for your projects.  It comes from Lamentations 3:25 which tells us, "The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him."

The book of Lamentations holds the details of how God's servant, Jeremiah (known as the weeping prophet) mourn for the fate of his nation and its people who chose to rebel against the One True God who loved, cared and provided for them. As a consequence of their sin, Jerusalem has been destroyed by Babylon and her people killed, tortured or taken captive.  My Life Application Bible shared a very compelling exhortation surrounding our featured verse that I wanted to share with you.  It says, "The horrible scene could have been avoided.  Jeremiah had warned the people for years that this day of destruction would come, and it broke his heart to see it fulfilled.  We are always shocked when we hear of tragedy striking the innocent.  But often innocent bystanders are victims of judgment on a nation.  Sin has a way of causing great sorrow and devastation to many.  In Jeremiah's darkest moment, his hope was strengthened by this assurance: God had been faithful and would continue to be faithful.  Jeremiah saw both God's judgment and God's steadfast love.  In the time of judgment, Jeremiah could still cling to God's love just as in times of prosperity he had warned of God's judgment.  Jeremiah saw one ray of hope in all the sin and sorrow surrounding him. Jeremiah 2:22 tells us, "Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail."  God willingly responds with help when we ask.  Perhaps there is some sin in your life that you thought God would not forgive.  God's steadfast love and mercy are greater than any sin, and He promises forgiveness.  Jeremiah knew from personal experience about God's faithfulness.  God had promised that punishment would follow disobedience, and it did.  But God also had promised future restoration and blessing, and Jeremiah knew that God would keep that promise also.  Trusting in God's faithfulness day by  day makes us confident in His great promises for the future.

My friends, not everyone in a nation judged by God are wicked and rebellious.  There are those (remnants) who know God and live in accordance to His will who continuously warn others to turn away from their evil ways and acknowledge the sovereignty of God in the affairs of the land.  But many would not listen and these people elect individuals who are ruthless and rebellious like themselves to lead/represent them.  This goes for local, state and national elections. And since many believers are not proactively witnessing or afraid to be persecuted by their family and friends, they become closet Christians, hiding God's light to themselves.  So when God judges our nation, we ourselves stand in the midst of the misery and chaos and mourn what's become of our rebellious society.  We see this scenario in places ruled by God-hating, prideful leaders.  If a nation is led by someone who don't have respect for the Word of God, that person will not care to kill the unborn, seek to promote lawlessness (no borders, no accountability), promote immorality/sodomy,  persecute and kill people of faith for they see-through their lies---unable to make them bow down and worship "Government" for only God is their source for everything. The wicked seek riches, power and fame for that is what selfish people easily fall for.  And if we don't speak boldly and witness to many about the consequences of their sin and rebellion, we would see the horrific consequences of sin happening in our land.

Like Jeremiah, I know the grace and faithfulness of God to His people.  When we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior and put our faith in His finished work at the Cross for our eternal salvation (Born-again, John 3:3), we become His children and therefore part of God's family.  When we plea to God, seek His face and ask for help, He will not turn us away.  When we pray for our personal needs, He is there to meet them.  But a believer who has the heart of God also prays for others, our nation and the world as a whole.  For everything is under the control of the One True God who created everything.  There is nothing impossible and too hard for Him as we seek Him with all our hearts.  I have a testimony to share about the awesomeness of God and His miraculous works in our family.  Last Friday, I was awakened from my nap with a phone call from my hubby telling me his car (pretty new) would not shift into any gear coming from work.  By the distress in his voice, this was something unfamiliar to him.  Feeling the pressure,  I didn't know what to do since we had very little time to devise a plan that would not cause my husband to be late for another work happening in the next two and a half hours.  The car needed to be towed to a garage that would close in the next hour.  At home, my mind started to calculate for all the expenses this would entail (towing, repair, rental and missed work).  I went into this emotional roller coaster as my heart beat faster.  And then, the  Spirit of God spoke inside of me saying, "Why are you stressing yourself when You are a child of Almighty God?" Realizing the harm I placed upon myself, I sat down and said a simple and honest prayer that goes like this, "My Lord, I lay unto your feet all these worries.  I don't know what to do but You do.  Take care of our situation like Only You can, in Jesus's Name!"  Right after that, a series of miracles happened:  First, God gave me the wisdom to tell my husband about the emergency service from our insurance that included free towing.  If you know me, I'm the last person to be familiar of those services.  Second,  hubby called them and they said it would take an hour and half for anyone to arrive but walah,---in fifteen minutes, it arrived!  Thirdly, my hubby was given a ride by the tower and they made it to the garage like twenty minutes before it closed.  Fourth, my hubby was originally told that it may take about four days before they can attend to his car but the attendant worked on the car soon as it arrived after hearing the problem which he said was caused by a recalled part (something we didn't know about).  Fifth, there are only 4 of that specific part given to the dealership in a month and there was only one left that time.  So in less than thirty minutes at the garage, hubby was able to drive his car with no deductible to pay (since it's a recall part) and made it home to freshen up with just a forty five minutes delay to his scheduled work that night (hubby informed them of the cause of delay).  But not only that, we found out that the reason why the towing company made it there so quickly was because the driver was near the end of his shift when he overheard the call made by my hubby.  Since it was on his way, he made it his last call for the day before clocking out.  And how about that guy in the garage who took on the repair immediately instead of waiting for several days?  We all know that does not happen very often.  Friends, how awesome is that!  From the time I placed my trust in the Lord, I witnessed how God used people (Christian or non-Christian, we are not sure) to meet our needs---to answer our prayers as we kept the line open between me and hubby throughout the whole ordeal.  Nobody can tell me there is no God for I have many experiences like this one in my lifetime that proves my God is alive and that He cares, loves and is always there for His children.  Notice that God didn't spare us from the problems but He surely provided us with a way out when we seek and call His Name.  Everyday, let us not forsake our time with God in prayer and reading of His Word. Let us intercede not only for ourselves but for our country and the world.  Declare the Word of the Lord and rebuke the works of the enemy, in Jesus Name! Leaving you with this wonderful verse to ponder on:

"Therefore, confess your sins to one another [your false steps, your offenses], and pray for one another, that you may be healed and restored. The heartfelt and persistent prayer of a righteous man (believer) can accomplish much [when put into action and made effective by God—it is dynamic and can have tremendous power]."  (James 5:16 AMP)

For this Card, I used die-cuts from Sizzix Thinlits called "Wildflowers" that I inked with Distress Inks.  The base is a white CS, cut and scored to make a 5.5 inches square card.  I also used a stencil from Dylusions to create the inked background.  The "Promise" sentiment is from Studio 112 stamps.  I also added some brads from Recollections and stitched all over this card.


 THE SOUL THAT SEEKETH HIM CARD


 THE SOUL THAT SEEKETH HIM CARD LAYERS


 THE SOUL THAT SEEKETH HIM CARD INSIDE


THE SOUL THAT SEEKETH HIM CARD WITH ENVELOPE-BOX


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 several times in two weeks.  A great prize awaits our winner from our wonderful sponsor---Neat & Tangled ($15 GC).  So excited to see what you come up with.  Anyway, meditate on the goodness of the Lord and rely on His promises.  As we see the world becoming more deceived each day, let us hold on to the hope and strength that only the Word of God can give.  We serve a good and faithful God whose never going to leave us nor forsake us!  

Saturday, January 4, 2020

Gift Card Holders: The Lord Always Before Me and Rise and Shine Coffee---Come and Join Us for our First Challenge this Year at Word Art Wednesday!

Hi everyone!  Let me start by greeting y'all, A VERY BLESSED AND GLORIOUS NEW YEAR!  I hope you will continue to support us at Word Art Wednesday (WAW) and my Blog (of course) to continue to shine the light of God's Word declaring Jesus is Lord throughout the Crafting world even more so this year.  I truly believe that despite of what is going on around the world, the Lord gave us a window of opportunity to bring as many souls as we can to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ (Born-again, John 3:3).  So as always, we're bringing you the very first Scripture Word Art (you can download for free at WAW) that I featured in one of my project below that comes from Psalm 16:8 which says, "I have set the Lord always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved."

What a wonderful Scripture to start the New Year! Some of you by now are aware of what happened in Iraq on December 31, 2019 when Iranian backed militia "Kata'ib Hezbollah" and their supporters as well as Iraqi militia men attacked the US Embassy in Baghdad in protest of the US air strikes on December 29, 2019 that killed 25 fighters of Kata'ib Hezbollah group in Iraq.  What the fake news media is avoiding to report was the reason why the US had to target them.  That's because two days prior (December 27, 2019), this evil militia group attacked an Iraqi air base hosting US personnel.  They fired with  more than 30 rockets killing a US civilian contractor, injuring four US service members and two Iraqi security forces personnel.  Tensions had been brewing way before that (especially after Trump abandoned the Iran Nuclear Deal made by Obama) but these Iranian terrorists/jihadist think that they can pushed over President Trump.  Big mistake!  They are obviously using Iraq as a base to carry out their plans and are free to go back and forth that country.  So, it's rather curious for Iraq to claim they don't have anything to do with the bombings perpetrated by this terrorist group that happened in their land while condemning the retaliation of the US.  Only a fool would believe Iraq's lie given the history of the tyrants and terrorists that ruled that country spewing hate on everyone they called "infidels."  (You can read more details HERE).

So, why am I sharing this?  It's because Trump haters are using this issue as a backdrop to their comments in social media nowadays.  In one of our POTUS Trump's post at FB which invites people to Miami for the event that happened last night called "Evangelicals for Trump," I wrote this comment to the video post:  "The Lord chose a leader in Trump and I will support him as he exalts the rule of God."  Notice that both the post and my comment has nothing to do with the Middle East conflict.  However,  that statement invited a host of despicable trolls (that has nothing to do but insult and call people names while not stating any facts to their responses) to respond.  I don't allow any of them to get into my nerves but I had to respond to a couple of people that said that God has nothing to do with politics and that by my implying that God chose Trump, they're accusing me of using the Lord's name in vain.  Really?  What immediately came to my mind was the "ARROGANCE" and (to be honest) the "STUPIDITY" of these people to think that GOD is not in control in the affairs of this world.  Who do these people think is in control---THEM (Humans)?  The Scripture tells us in Psalm 19:1-4, "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them. Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world." And for those saying that God has no say in our politics, here's just a few of the many verses that proves otherwise.  In Isaiah 14:24-27, "The LORD of hosts has sworn: "As I have planned, so shall it be, and as I have purposed, so shall it stand, that I will break the Assyrian in my land, and on my mountains trample him underfoot; and his yoke shall depart from them, and his burden from their shoulder." This is the purpose that is purposed concerning the whole earth, and this is the hand that is stretched out over all the nations. For the LORD of hosts has purposed, and who will annul it? His hand is stretched out, and who will turn it back?" 

So, what is the significance of these things I'm sharing to our Scripture verse in the beginning of this post?  You see, I am grateful to Almighty God who created and brought me to this world.  He who knows the beginning from the end goes before me to secure my path.   He directs my step towards the fulfillment of His personal purpose for me and uses me in His overall plan for this world. Every waking moment, I make myself available for Him---to submit and act upon His instructions or conform to His corrections---always in accordance to His Word.  My allegiance is not for any human being but to God alone. When our feet is planted on the solid foundation of God's Word, you will not be moved nor swayed by the things of this world.  But woe to them who reject God for they're easily fooled by the enemy having no roots nor standards.  They're deceived and blinded---without understanding for the things of God.  I truly pray for the Lord to remove the scales in their eyes so that they can see how filthy they are that they may come to the Lord Jesus for forgiveness and salvation.  I tell you the Truth, God appointed and is using President Trump! In spite of the works of the enemy waged viciously on his leadership, he brought incredible growth and development never seen before in the history of this country.  He is not perfect but I tell you, GOD IS WITH HIM!  The Bible is full of imperfect people mightily used by God.  If you contest that and had been one of those that rebels against his presidency, I am telling you boldly, "You are fighting against God and every arrow that you use to target him is aimed at God Himself and will come back to you a hundred fold.  You will never win against God Almighty.  If for the last three years you haven't opened your eyes to the work of the Lord in the Trump's presidency, you are surely part of the deceived.  Repent and ask God to give you wisdom for He alone can break the yoke of the enemy in your life.  This is a warning and God didn't want me to be politically correct in any way for the sake of anyone's feelings.  Those who have ears, let them hear what the Spirit of God is saying.  

For this first Gift Card holder, I used an image from Whipper Snapper Designs called "Leah" that I colored using Prismacolor pencils and Gamsol.  It measures 3.5 x 5 inches with a 1.75 inches flap inside.  I used some of my scrap designer papers and washi tape from Recollections.  I also featured our Scripture Word Art as a sentiment and did some stitching for added dimension.


THE LORD ALWAYS BEFORE ME GIFT CARD HOLDER


THE LORD ALWAYS BEFORE ME GIFT CARD HOLDER LAYERS


THE LORD ALWAYS BEFORE ME GIFT CARD HOLDER SIDE VIEW'


THE LORD ALWAYS BEFORE ME GIFT CARD HOLDER INSIDE


For this second Gift Card holder, I used an  image from Fiskars and paper-pieced parts of the cup.  I am highlighting Stamp Simply Clear Stamps (our sponsor for this Challenge) for the wonderful sentiment that comes from the set called "A Cup of Java" (Coffee).  The holder measures 4 x 2.5 inches (without the gift card).  I used DP's from my scraps, some washi tapes and brads from Recollections and used my rick-rack scissors for the top border.  It's pretty cute!


 RISE AND SHINE COFFEE GIFT CARD HOLDER


RISE AND SHINE COFFEE GIFT CARD HOLDER (CARD IN)



This Projects are entered into the following Challenges:

2 Crafty Critter---ATG with Critters
A Bit More Time---ATG
A Perfect Time---ATG
Artistic Stamper---ATG
Craft-Dee-Bowz---ATG
Craft Galore Encore---ATG
Crafty Animals---ATG with Animal
Craftyhazelnut's---ATG with Patterned Paper
Creatalicious---ATG/Wish
Createful Heart---ATG
Creative Sketchy Girls---ATG
Digi Doodle---ATG with Hand-colored image/Something New (the Image is new)
LeAnn's World---ATG
Lost Coast Portal---ATG
Love to Craft---ATG
Love to Scrap---ATG
Mix-It Up---ATG/Paper Piecing (the cup was paper-pieced)
Morgan's Artworld---ATG
Papercraft Business---ATG
Pearly Sparkles---ATG
Tales from the Craft Room---ATG
Worldwide Open DT---ATG
YSP---ATG


I hope you'd take the time to join us at our WAW Challenge.  It's Anything Goes as long as it's family friendly with uplifting and inspirational messages, you can link up to 5 projects.  Our sponsor this week, Stamp Simply Clear Stamps is giving away one lucky winner two stamp sets or one stamp and a die set.   I can't wait to see your project.  Anyway, don't allow the fake media or just anyone else for that matter to shape your thinking instead, study and search for facts and bring them all to the standard of God's Word, then you will know what is true and pleasing in God's eyes.