Scripture Series: The Lord is Thy Keeper Card Within a Card---Join Us for Inspirational/Anything Goes Challenge at Word Art Wednesday!

Hi there, Crafty pals!  Here to highlight my inspiration project for our newest Challenge at Word Art Wednesday (WAW).  As always, we feature a Scripture Word Art  that you can download for free at the WAW site.  It comes from Psalm 121:5 which says, "The Lord is thy keeper: the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand."  What a wonderful passage...

As believers, we are not guaranteed a life free of storms and trials.  In fact, the moment we surrender our lives to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, the enemy is going to do everything he can to destroy us and the faith that connects us with God.  Romans 10:17 clearly states,  "Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ." So, from the Fall of Man in the Garden of Eden to this day, the devil's main strategy is to pervert God's Word to mean something else. God first mentioned the reality of DEATH to Adam in Genesis  2:17, "And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.” But we see what happened when Satan (disguised as a serpent) discredit God's Word in Genesis 3:1-5 which tells us, "Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’“You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”  Satan appeals to our human nature which is primarily selfish and proud in order to get us to love ourselves more than the God Who created us.  Sad to say but everyone whose focus is not centered in the Lord are easily deceived and manipulated.  But those who continue to love God, His Word and carefully obeys them can't easily be fooled.  The attacks of the enemy could come from every side that targets our body (the five senses), our soul (comprised of our mind, will and emotions) in order to weaken our spirit  (intuition, communion and conscience).  Recently, I've experienced attacks that seeks to overtake me with every kind of phobia (fear of something) in my mind---all centered towards limiting me and to take away my confidence and joy in the Lord.  These are subtle attacks and spiritual sensitivity is needed in order to identify those moments.  I thank God for the presence of the Holy Spirit inside of me that assures and comforts me of who I am in Christ!  Each time I detect the presence of the enemy through every negative suggestions,  God reminds me of these passages in Philippians 4:8-9 which says, "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you." Fear is one of the enemy's tool in order to stop and limit your service to God.  You may not be physically or health threatened but the enemy targets your mind, triggers your emotions to redirect your will.   But the way to conquer fear is to confront it with the very promises of God.  On our own, we are powerless but with God's Word, His power and presence resting upon all of us redeemed by the blood of Christ (Born-again, John 3:3), victory is certain!

I would like to share what my Life Application Bible wrote regarding Psalm 121.  This short and sweet exhortation truly blessed me so here's what is says, "We can depend upon God for help.  Pilgrims must travel through lonely country to their destination; they are protected, not by anything created, but by the Creator of everything.  This song (psalm) expresses assurance and hope in God's protection day and night.  He not only made the hills but heaven and earth as well.  We should never trust a lesser power than God Himself.  But not only is He all powerful, he also watches over us.  Nothing diverts or deters Him.  We are safe.  We never outgrow our need for God's untiring watch over our lives."  I know God saw me through every attack the enemy planted in my life and led me to His victory.  My greatest comfort lies on the fact that I am not alone in the battle and that Jesus Christ is in front of me and all around me to shield, protect and guide me into the same victorious power that raised Jesus from the dead.  Life in general did not spare me from the pain that each battle caused me but in all of them, I experienced the depth of  my Savior's love towards me.  And that makes me love Him more and more.  

For this Card, I used an image from Art Impressions Try' Folds Stamps called "Garden TF" and used watercolor to bring the image to life with Distress Inks.  For the base, I use a white CS, cut and scored to make a 5.5 inches square card.  The gatefold card in the middle measures 3.5 x 4 inches.  The DP is from K and Company, the nail head gems from Imaginisce, the brad from Recollections and the word sentiment is from Heidi Grace stamps.  For added dimension, I stitched all over this creation.  I love it!

 THE LORD IS THY KEEPER CARD

 THE LORD IS THY KEEPER CARD LAYERS

 THE LORD IS THY KEEPER CARD RIGHT PANEL

 THE LORD IS THY KEEPER CARD LEFT PANEL

 THE LORD IS THY KEEPER CARD WITH WORD ART (Sentiment)

 THE LORD IS THY KEEPER CARD INSIDE

THE LORD IS THY KEEPER CARD WITH ENVELOPE-BOX

This Card is entered into the following Challenges:

Art Impressions---Home Sweet Home
Always Fun---Shades of Green
Crafting Happiness---ATG/Green
Incy Wincy---Hand Coloured  Images
Jan's Digi Stamps---ATG
Use Your Stuff---Use your Fave Embellishment (white nail head gems)
2 Crafty Critter---ATG with Critter
A Bit More Time---ATG
A Perfect Time---ATG
Archi-scraps---Create your own Peaceful place
Classic Design---ATG
Craft-Dee Bowz---ATG
Crafts Galore Encore---ATG
Crafty Animals---ATG
Craftyhazelnut's---Patterned Papers
Creatalicious---ATG/Monochrome
Createful Heart---ATG
DL Art---ATG
LTCCB---ATG/Easter
LTSCB---ATG
Mix It Up---ATG/Smooshing
Morgan's Artworld---ATG
Sognando---Waiting for Spring
Worldwide DT---ATG
YSP---ATG

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 each week.  An awesome GC worth $15 will be awarded to our Challenge winner by our awesome sponsor---The Project Bin.  So excited to see what you come up with. For the meantime, serve the Lord with gladness knowing that our labor in Him is not in vain.

Scripture Series: For Them that Love God Card---Join our Anything Goes/Inspirational Challenge at Word Art Wednesday!

Hi there, everyone!  Back again for another Scripture Word Art for our bi-weekly Challenge at Word Art Wednesday (WAW).  As usual, you are invited to link with us your inspirational  (Anything Goes) cards/projects.  Our featured Word Art this Challenge (you can download for free at the WAW site) comes from 1 Corinthians 2:9 which says, "But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him."  

What a message of encouragement to everyone who came under the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ through the Cross.  We become children of the Most High God not of our own merit by placing our faith in the One and Only Savior appointed by God before the foundation of the world.  Jesus was proclaimed/foreshadowed in the Old Testament yet people didn't recognize Him when He came to the world.  I would like to share what my Life Application Bible mentioned surrounding our highlighted verse for this Challenge.  It says, "God's secret wisdom...that has been hidden" was His offer of salvation to all people.  Originally unknown to humanity, this plan became crystal clear when Jesus rose from the dead.  His resurrection proved that He had power over sin and death and could offer us this power as well (1 Peter1:10-12 and the first note on Romans 16:25-27). God's plan, however, is still hidden to unbelievers because they either refuse to accept it, choose to ignore it, or simply haven't heard about it.  Jesus was misunderstood and rejected by those whom the world considered wise and great.  He was put to death by the rulers of the Palestine---the high priest, King Herod, Pilate and the Pharisees and the Sadducees.  Jesus' rejection by these rulers had been predicted in Isaiah 53:3 and Zechariah 12:10-12.  We cannot imagine all that God has in store for us, both in this life and for eternity.  He will create a new heaven  and a new earth (Isaiah 65:17, Revelation 21:1), and we will live with Him forever.  Until then, His Holy Spirit comforts and guides us.  Knowing the wonderful and eternal future that awaits us gives us hope and courage to press on in this life, to endure hardship, and to avoid giving in to temptation.  This world is not all there is.  The best is yet to come."

Are you appalled by the deception/confusion and total blindness of people in the world today?  We all heard of the phrase, "To see is to believe"  and it simply means that if something is seen by our own physical eyes, then we'll acknowledge it.  A crowd of people followed Jesus everywhere in His earthly ministry for they witnessed many miracles and healing.  They were fed not only with physical food but God's Word of life.  In spite of being with Jesus all that time, one of the twelve apostles, Thomas, doubted Jesus' resurrection witnessed by other apostles and stated that he would only believe it he could place his fingers on Jesus' nail pierced hands (John 20:24-31). So, Jesus appeared to him to confirm His resurrection which He had spoken to them before things even took place. Many criticized Thomas to this day for his lack of faith but I tell you, some people in the world today don't even believe in anything good even if it hits them in the head.  In spite of our good economy, the job growth across the board, the defeat of radical Islamic terrorism, more money in our pockets which are just a few of the countless achievements President Trump fulfilled from the promises He made in his campaign prior to taking office, these people have nothing but contempt and rebellion from the day he took office.  Along with their evil political leaders and vast fake media counterparts, they are bent on opposing, destroying and eliminating God's chosen leader for our country.  They made up lies on top of many other lies that without God's covering upon our President, I don't know who on earth can stand against such vicious and demonic minions?  I knew all along that these God-hating progressives/leftist and socialist party called Democrats are up to no good and it was crystal since their leader, Obama, sat at the office for eight years for they led our nation farther towards utter godlessness and gross immorality.  Here's the truth, a godless heart does not acknowledge anything good for it is producing hatred and vile thoughts continuously.  I truly pray that it will not be too late for these people to repent and acknowledge God's sovereignty for they will spend eternity in torment with their chosen master, Satan. However, we cannot wait for these people to change!  We need to move forward and do what is good for our country and be the beacon that God positioned us in this world.  The only way we can keep winning is to be alongside God and His Word always, pray and take bold actions to take back the pillars of our society from their globalists/Satanic strongholds.   God is with us and fights our every battle! 

You see, many in this world placed their faith on other people or in temporal things which only led them to the wrong path.  I would say "faith" is not foreign to us but TRUE FAITH (reliance, trust, believe, dependence, adherence) in the One True God who created everything and to Jesus Christ whom He sent to save the world is what is uncommon even to this day.  We marvel at a glorious scenery while walking at the beach; stand in awe at the majestic mountains towering the skies; reflect on the vastness of the horizon with its countless stars; or take it closer to home when we count the many blessings each day brings---ALL THAT, but still miss the mighty hand of God's presence reflected in all of them.  Instead we insult the Creator who made all things possible for our existence by worshiping the created.  No wonder that "FAITH" is solely the way by which we can approach God.  Faith is the currency of heaven.  Unlike Thomas, God's kind of faith cannot be perceived by relying on our senses.  It is the kind that stems from a heart that is transformed by the Holy Spirit inwardly when a repentant heart acknowledges the Truth of God's Word and chooses to obey.  That no matter what happens in the physical world, our foundation is rock solid for it is laid upon the Truth that is in Christ.  It transgress feelings, emotions, mindset, experience, culture and traditions that forces us to compromise.  John 4:23-24 tells us, "But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.”  GOD NEVER CHANGES!  (Malachi 3:6, Numbers 23:19, Hebrews 13:8, James 1:17) Yes, it's already 2020 but the validity of God's Word and His statutes does not change with the passing of time.  It is the same for eternity.  So, when I see young people try to justify their behavior and worldly choices in life by stating the year and time they lived in, all it really shows is their complete and utter ignorance to the Word of God.  Never ever bow down to the lies of this world under the guise of political correctness.  We point people to the Truth motivated by love and respect but the core message should remain intact and unapologetic.  And for us who are tirelessly running the race Christ-ward, the prize is bigger, brighter and literally---out of this world!  Let us continue to pursue and fight the good fight of faith!

For this Card, I used an image from Art Impressions called "Love Thing Set" that I watercolored using Distress Inks.  The base is white CS, cut and scored to make a 5.5 inches square card.  The DP's are from My Mind's Eye, the layered flowers from Prima, the brads from Recollections and the hearts are from Imaginisce. I used a die cut from Nestabilities for the sentiment panel, a fence punch from Martha Stewart and the leaves punch from Fiskars.  I also added some glitters from Stickels (Crystal) and stitched all over this card.

 FOR THEM THAT LOVE HIM CARD

 FOR THEM THAT LOVE HIM CARD LAYERS

 FOR THEM THAT LOVE HIM CARD SIDE VIEW

 FOR THEM THAT LOVE HIM CARD INSIDE

FOR THEM THAT LOVE HIM CARD WITH ENVELOPE-BOX

This Card is entered into the following Challenges:

Art Impressions---Give it Away (For a Church Friend)
Perfect Time to Craft---ATG
Artistic Stampers---Words
Crafts Galore---ATG
Craftyhazelnut's---Patterned Paper
Creative Craft---Add a Heart
Die-Cut Diva's---Use Die Cuts, Hearts and Flowers
Digi Doodle---It's a Love Thing
Happy Little Stampers---ATG with Dies
Le Ann's World---ATG
Let's Craft and Create---ATG/Mother's Day
Love to Craft---ATG
Scor-pal---More than One Score
Morgan's---ATG
Not Just Cards---ATG
Papercraft Business---Valentine/Love
Sognando---Daily Life
Sweet Stampers---Hearts and/or Flowers
Tales from the Craft Room---Love is in the Air
YSBP---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 per week.  Our wonderful sponsor this Challenge is Seth Apter and is giving away two blessed winners with $25 GC each to their shop.  Can't wait to see your projects  and leave some encouragement on your Blogs.  Though the world is surrounded by darkness, let your faith in Jesus Christ shine like a beacon on a hill. Demonstrate the love of God to everyone you meet.  Pray without ceasing and believe that God can do the impossible! 

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!  

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. 

Scripture Series: Serve Him in Truth Card---Join Us for Inspirational/Anything Goes Challenge at Word Aet Wednesday!

Hello everyone.  It's Christmas Eve and I would like to greet you all a VERY MERRY AND BLESSED CHRISTMAS!  This is quite a late post of this card I made for our Challenge at Word Art Wednesday (WAW) that is currently going on.  What can I say?  It's just a crazy busy December for me.  Head on over our WAW site to avail of the free Scripture Word Art that I used in my featured card here.  It comes from 1 Samuel 12:24 which says, “Only fear the LORD, and serve him in truth with all your heart: for consider how great things he hath done for you.”  I love what my Life Application Bible shared about this verse which says, "This is the second time in his farewell speech that Samuel reminded the people to take time to consider what great things God has done for them (1 Samuel 12:7).  Taking time for reflection allows us to focus our attention upon God's goodness and strengthens our faith.  Sometimes we are so progressed---and future oriented that we fail to take the time to recall all that God has already done.   Remember what God has done for you so that you may move ahead with gratitude. 

CHRISTMAS is truly my most happiest time of the year.  I have fond memories to look back to during this season.  It's not filled with parties and big celebrations but intimate moments with friends and family where we are all awake on Christmas eve, sharing the wonderful blessing that Christ's birth brings to us all.  Though I didn't have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ (Born-again, John 3:3) during my growing up years nor was I adept in His Word, something in me knew what a glorious day it was compared to many other celebrations.  After coming to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, now more than ever, I can fully rejoice in what His birth meant for me personally.  Next to the Resurrection,  I often celebrate this time with "tears of joy" knowing that two thousand years ago, He came to this earth to die for me and all of humankind.  He was and always will be the "greatest gift" that's available for anyone who chooses to receive Him.  It doesn't matter where you are and your status in life---He has the GIFT of Life---ETERNAL LIFE! But like any other gift that is given, IT CAN ONLY BE YOURS IF YOU CLAIM IT.  Recently,  I've seen a movie about a Pastor that preaches the truth of God's Word till deception entered his life that brought him to believe that Salvation included everyone even in the absence of receiving Christ as one's Lord and Savior. He strongly preaches against Hell and questions the judgment of God.  He has problems reconciling the truth that while God loves, He is also holy and could not tolerate Sin.  The question I have for him is this: For if Almighty God only operates in love, why must he sent Jesus, His One and Only Son,  to die on the Cross to redeem mankind? Why was there a need for redemption if God can do away with the consequences of Sin?  At the Cross, the heart of God is in full display.  Man's Sin needed to be paid by no less than a holy Man (non-existent) so He sent His One and Only Son (A Holy God), to be clothe in flesh as a Man.  This hundred percent God and hundred percent Man in the person of Jesus Christ bore the sins of mankind so that the judgment of God can be carried out and totally satisfied by a qualified/perfect Lamb.  In essence, God sent Himself to atone for His own wrath and judgment against mankind's Sin.  In His death and resurrection, the LOVE and JUST ways of God was fully satisfied! Nobody should promote God's love apart from His just ways like that Pastor did.  As I was watching, I was routing for him to repent but it never came.  Sadly to this day, he is still deceive and deceiving others with the heresy.  It just goes to say that it doesn't matter how long, successful and famous a preacher is, we should not depend on them to study God's Word on our behalf.  We should always check the validity of their teaching by studying God's Word ourselves. When I hear someone preach, I listen while chewing every doctrine presented to me.  If it's sound and in accordance to the Word, I let it settle in.  Those that are questionable, I take note and study and those that are false, I discard.  If I have the chance, I would bring my concern to the preacher and allow him to defend his position.  What I wish to convey here is that we need to know the genuine in order to spot the fake.  The Word of God is Truth and if we value and study it day and night and ask the Holy Spirit to guide us to His Truth, He is going to lead us to all Truth.  His Word transcends how we feel of even think.  So many times, we fall into the trap when we exalt our feelings above God's Word.  In short, we place God in our level of thinking instead of conforming to what God tells us in His Word.  Our human nature (self) is our own worst enemy.  Each day we have to contend with it and put it in check by subjecting it with the daily dose of God's Word.  The Word of God is our standard---accept nothing less!

On a side note, is it just me or some of you notice that more traditional Christmas music (that capitalizes on the birth of Christ) are playing as background music in stores this year?  People greets me back with a Merry Christmas in stores and restaurants too.  I love it! I am grateful to the Lord for giving us a leader in the White House that respects the Lord and our Judeo-Christian values.  Like all of us, President Trump is not perfect but he sure does love this country and our people.  And that folks is something to be thankful for.  

For this Card, I used an image from Art Impressions called "Bench Set" and colored it using my Kimberley watercolor pencils.  The base is white CS, cut and scored to make a 5.5 inches square card.  The DP's are from Pebbles, the nail head gems is from Imaginisce and the glitters are from Stickles (Crystal).  I also used image from WPlus9 of the Doodlebuds Set.  Lastly, I stitched all over this card. 

SERVE HIM IN TRUTH CARD

SERVE HIM IN TRUTH CARD LAYERS

SERVE HIM IN TRUTH CARD INSIDE

SERVE HIM IN TRUTH CARD WITH AN ENVELOPE-BOX

This Card is entered into the following Challenges:

Createful Heart---ATG
Creative Sketchy Girls---ATG
Worldwide Open DT---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 per week.  I can't wait to see your projects  and leave some encouragement on your Blogs.  Though the world is surrounded by darkness, let your faith in Jesus Christ shine like a beacon on a hill. Demonstrate the love of God to everyone you meet.  Spread the true meaning of this season saying MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL and a BLESSED NEW YEAR.

Scripture Series: Child of the Holy Ghost Card---Join Us for Inspirational/Anything Goes Challenge at Word Art Wednesday!

Hi there, everyone!  A few days ago, we started another Anything Goes/Inspirational Challenge at Word Art Wednesday (WAW) as we feature another great Scripture Word Art (free for you to download at the WAW site). It comes from Matthew 1:18 which says, "Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost."

I read what my Life Application Bible shared regarding our highlighted verse and would like to share it with you first.  It says, "A Jewish marriage involved three basic steps.  First, the two families agreed to the union.  Second, a public announcement was made.  At this point, the couple was "pledged."  This was similar to engagement today except that their relationship could be broken only through death or divorce (even though sexual relations were not yet permitted).  Third, the couple was married and began living together.  Because Mary and Joseph were engaged, Mary's apparent unfaithfulness carried a severe social stigma.  According to Jewish civil law, Joseph had a right to divorce her, and the Jewish authorities could have had her stoned to death (Deuteronomy 22:23-24).  Why is the virgin birth important to the Christian faith?  Jesus Christ, God's Son, had to be free from the "Sinful Nature" passed on to all human beings by Adam.  Because Jesus was born of a woman, He was a human being; but as the Son of God, Jesus was born without a trace of human Sin.  Jesus is both fully human and fully divine.  Because Jesus lived as a man, we know that He fully understands our experiences and struggles (Hebrews 4:15-16).  Because He is God, He has the power and authority to deliver us from Sin (Colossians 2:13-15).  We can tell Jesus all our thoughts, feelings and needs.  He has been where we are now, and He has the ability to help.   

Throughout history, we can attest to how God Almighty fulfilled His promises.  These promises are contained in His written Word that people from one generation to another carefully studied, meditated and passed on.  We are blessed to live at this time where we have the entire revelation of the Scripture with the account of  the Gospel (death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ) and what it meant to the Body of Christ (Church) and His chosen people to guide us in our journey.  I love this illustration from my Pastor's teaching many weeks ago of how the Old Testament and New Testament relates to us as a whole in which he pointed,  "The New is in the Old contained and the Old is in the New explained.  The New in the Old concealed and the Old is in the New revealed." Jesus Christ is the central theme of the Bible and was prophesied in the Old Testament and fulfilled in the New Testament.  God announced the coming of Jesus to this world right after the Fall of Man (Adam's disobedience) as early as Genesis 3:15 in which God spoke to Satan/serpent. "And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.” From then on, Satan tried to prevent the prophesied Messiah from being born.  From corrupting the make up of humankind (Nephilim) in Genesis 6 which ushered the great flood  that wiped all the inhabitants of the earth except Noah and his family all the way to the time when Jesus was born when King Herod the Great commanded for all male children to be killed from the ages two and younger (Massacre of the Innocents), he tried his best to eliminate the "Seed of the woman." I don't know with you but I'm appalled by the audacity of Satan to think that he can outsmart God, his Creator!  Understanding that God is omniscient (all knowing), omnipotent (all powerful) and omnipresent (present everywhere at the same time), God already laid out solutions before problems occur.  God had/has a plan and though He allowed/allows the twist and turn of events, His plan always prevailed/prevails.  

Mary was the chosen vessel to carry the Messiah---conceived NOT of mortal man stained by Adam's Sin but by the Holy Spirit which made Him pure and holy.  God did not discount the laws, customs and traditions of that time to safely bring Jesus to this world.  He sent His angels both to Mary and Joseph to give them a glimpse of His divine plan and they willingly gave themselves to the plan of God.  This just tells us that when God assigns us to do something for His purpose, He arranges our coming in and going out.  Sure, we would have difficulties, mixed emotions, times of fear and uncertainty but knowing that God would always come through for us should propel us to keep obeying.  From Nazareth where they lived, Joseph and the pregnant Mary had to travel to Bethlehem to fulfill what the government mandated them to do, that is for census/taxation purposes.  The Roman Emperor, Caesar Augustus, whose purpose is to govern Roman territories didn't have a clue that his decree was instrumental in fulfilling the prophecy written about the Messiah being born in Bethlehem.  How cool is that?  This brings me to a greater understanding that as believers, we are to be active in every affairs of the world, our nation, our state and our community.  We are to be an integral part of our society for they truly affect our lives.  Let us not leave our government in the hands of the ungodly for they will hunt to destroy us the moment they take power.  Nevertheless, all authorities in this world are subjected to God.  So if were trapped in an oppressive leadership, we are to pray, keep the faith and act in accordance to the leading of the Holy Spirit in our lives. The separation of Church and State as liberals/progressives define it is a hoax.  We are called to be the head and not the tail (Deuteronomy 28:13).  We are called to righteous leadership so that we can live in a peace and order.  Beloved, the change must come from the Body of Christ (Church) first.  Don't ever say, there's nothing you can do?  Each of us has a sphere of influence, great or small, and we can start with what we have.  Be bold knowing that our labor birthed in obedience to God is never in vain.  Like Joseph and Mary, we are here for a purpose---that is to glorify that One who came to save us!

For this Card, I used an image from Saturated Canary named "May" and colored it using my ProMarker markers.  The base is a white CS, cut and scored to make a 5.5 inches square card.  The DP is from DCWV and the nail head gems from Imaginisce.  The Scripture is computer generated and for the clouds, I used my own cloud stencil to create the background.  I added a bit of glitters (Stickles-Crystal) to the butterfly and stitched all over this creation.  Simply beautiful.

 CHILD OF THE HOLY GHOST CARD

 CHILD OF THE HOLY GHOST CARD LAYERS

 CHILD OF THE HOLY GHOST CARD INSIDE

CHILD OF THE HOLY GHOST CARD WITH ENVELOPE-BOX

This Card is entered into the following Challenges:

Perfect Time to Craft---ATG
Ching-Chou Kuik---Christmas/Birthday
Classic DT---ATG
Crafts Galore---ATG
Craftyhazelnut's---Patterned Paper
DL Art---Christmas
Happy Craft---ATG/Christmas Flowers
LeAnn's World---ATG
Let's Craft and Create---ATG
Love to Craft---ATG
MLCCB---Christmas
Morgan's Artworld---ATG
Sognando---ATG
YSP---ATG


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 each week.  An adhesive package awaits our winner from our lovely sponsor for this Challenge---Stix 2 Anything.  So excited to see what you come up with.  Anyway, meditate on the goodness of the Lord and rely on His promises.  Expect only wonderful things from Him each day.  We are part of His plan in this world.

Ready to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior? Find out how on the sidebar...

CAS Series: Single Layer Birthday Note Cards---Join us for this month's Anything Goes Challenge at 613 Avenue Create!

Hi there, Crafty Peeps!  Nearly a week ago, we started our monthly Anything Goes Challenge at 613 Avenue Create with the optional theme of "Doodling or Zentangle Art."  I would like to show you the Birthday card that I  made for our Challenge below.

Wow, it's already December and for many (including me), it's the happiest time of the year.  In the midst of this busy season, one thing is constant and never changes and that is my understanding on why I celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ.  I remember my Pastor quoted these words when he preached last Sunday that says, "All the babies in this world are born to live but only one was born to die." That truly touched my heart!  Jesus came to this world fully aware of the horrendous death awaiting Him in the hands of sinful mankind He purposed to save.  So, I am not going to be dogmatic about the exact day, month or year the Savior of the world came.  The  very reason for my celebration is because He actually came to give hope and life to mankind.  We're living in these days that seemed more and more hostile to God's Word in utter rejection of God and the Body of Christ (Church), it's easy to be swayed by the message of the world that centers on the demonic agenda of "do what thou wilt."  It disguises itself as "love" but in a perverted kind of way.  I say this because "true love" (Agape) is not self-centered, perfectly demonstrated to us by Jesus when He bore all our sin, nailed it at the Cross to redeem everyone who would believe and receive (Born-again, John 3:3) what He has done on our behalf.  Perverted love capitalizes on what the person receives rather than what he/she can give.  Think of this for a moment, each of us are condemned, vanished from the presence of God for all eternity because we all came from one man, Adam, and we inherited from him what he got from Satan after he disobeyed God---the Sin Nature!  From this vile nature comes all acts of sin which none of us in our own effort could ever break free from.  This was our situation, this was our fate---till the Lord Jesus came and provided us a way out.  Before the New Testament was ever written, the Old Testament prophets have been given a glimpse of the coming Messiah although they did not fully comprehend the blessed mystery (meaning) of what they were writing at that time. Isaiah 53:4-6 tells us about this coming Savior, "Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins!  But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed. All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God's paths to follow our own. Yet the LORD laid on him the sins of us all."  I would like to share the exhortation my Life Application Bible shared about these verses.  It says, "How could an Old Testament person understand the idea of Christ dying for our sins (our transgressions and iniquities)---actually bearing the punishment that we deserved?  The sacrifices suggested this idea, but it is one thing to kill a lamb, and something quite different to think of God's chosen servant as that Lamb.  But God was pulling aside the curtain of time to let the people of Isaiah's day look ahead to the suffering of the future Messiah and the resulting forgiveness made available to all mankind.  Isaiah speaks of Israel straying from God and compared them to wandering sheep.  Yet God would send the Messiah to bring them back into the fold.  We have the hindsight to see and know the identity of the promised Messiah who has come and died for our sins.  But if we can see all that Jesus did and still reject Him, our sin is much greater than that of ancient Israelites who could not see what we have seen.  Have you given your life to Jesus Christ, the "Good Shepherd" (John 10:11-16) or are you still going your own way like a wandering sheep?"  Wow, what a powerful truth that we have to ponder on today.  From the beginning of time till it's end, Jesus was, is and still the hope of this world.  Every wonderful gift you receive this season will in no way compare to the true value of the gift of love and mercy given to us by God's One and Only Son.  He's the Gift that keeps on giving throughout eternity. 

For this 3 inches square Note Cards, I used 2 different stamp set namely "Birthday Brackets" and "Cupcake Numbers" from Stampendous Stamps.  I stamped them with different Memento Inks and added some washi tapes from Tape Works.  The mini card base is from Studio G that came with envelopes. The sentiment stamped on each envelope comes from Studio G as well.

 SINGLE LAYER BIRTHDAY NOTE CARDS

 SINGLE LAYER BIRTHDAY NOTE CARD 1

 SINGLE LAYER BIRTHDAY NOTE CARD 2

SINGLE LAYER BIRTHDAY NOTE CARD 3

This project is entered into the following Challenges:

Perfect Time to Craft---ATG
Ching-Chou Kuik---Christmas/Birthday
Classic DT---ATG
Crafts Galore---ATG
DL Art---ATG
Happy Craft---ATG/Christmas Flowers
LeAnn's World---ATG
Let's Craft and Create---ATG
Love to Craft---ATG
Morgan's Artworld---ATG
Sognando---ATG
YSP---ATG

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 this Christmas season.

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