Come, Lord Jesus

He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. 

Revelation 22:20

Hello friends!

I hope 2023 is getting off to a good start for you. Today our verse is from one of my very favorite books of the Bible, Revelation. Yep, you heard that right. I LOVE Revelation. Yes, it has some pretty scary, crazy stuff that happens in it. But it also has letters to us from Jesus and it shows us Jesus in all His glory. And Jesus, my friends, is outright amazing.

After John gives us Jesus’ letters to the churches, describes God’s throne room, what will happen in end times, and Jesus’ return after the great tribulation, he ends the book with a plea. Come, Lord Jesus. It’s not an unwarranted plea as Jesus has just said He would come soon. So it’s a hopeful plea. Come, Lord Jesus.

God’s timing is perfect. But for me, Jesus won’t come too soon. I’m tired of this world. I’m tired of struggling with my own sin and flesh. I’m tired of watching the world celebrate its sin and flesh. Do you feel tired too? Sometimes it feels hopeless. That’s why truth isn’t tied to our feelings. That’s why joy isn’t tied to our feelings. Because it’s NOT hopeless. And when we’re tired, Who can give us rest? Who invites us to that rest? Jesus is our Savior, our rest, our All in All. He will help us in this world until He comes again. Oh how I look forward to His coming! Come, Lord Jesus! Please come soon.

Page details: I used the following Sweet ‘n Sassy Stamps supplies: My Savior’s Love, Funky Textures, Print Blocks Alpha, Armor of God, and Jumbled Hexies Stencil. I applied distress oxide ink to the page with blending brushes for the background and then used the stencil and stamped.

Have a blessed New Year!

Andrea

Put on the Full Armor

No matter where you stand on the events of our world right now, one thing is certain: there is so much more going on in the spiritual realm than we could even begin to imagine. The battles that we face day in and day out on this earth are all part of a bigger, spiritual battle that we can’t see. Now, more than ever, Christians need to be on guard, dressed and ready to fight. Ephesians 6:12-13 reminds us, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.

Today I want to take a look at the armor of God and what that means for us today. All of this is taken from Priscilla Shirer’s study, The Armor of God if you want to go check it out (note: this study was so rich. She spent an entire week on each of the pieces of armor. Below is only a teensy snippet of what you will find in her study.)

The Belt of Truth

“Truth—which we could basically define as God’s opinion on any matter is our standard. Truth is who God is and what He says it is, which is best summed up for us within the person of Jesus Christ. God’s truth. Biblical truth. Without concrete allegiance to and affirmation with this truth –with real truth—you’re left weak and susceptible to things that may look right yet aren’t right. But with the standard of truth in place, you can adjust everything else in your life—your ambitions, choices, and feelings; you mind, will, and emotions—until all of it is “tuned” correctly. When you have a strong, stable, well-supported core, you can’t easily be led astray by the enemy’s clever lies. Gird yourself with truth and you’re on guard from the word go.”

The Breastplate of Righteousness

“Righteousness literally means justice—the quality of being upright, fulfilling the expectations set in a relationship. In our case as believers, this relationship is with God Himself. Righteousness, then, is upright living that aligns with God’s expectations….Wearing the belt of truth, putting on the shoes and the helmet, using the shield or sword- they’ll do you no good if you leave your heart open to a full frontal attack by the devil. You must intentionally protect the organ that pumps vibrancy into your spiritual life. So pray fervently. Seek God fully. Ask Him to reveal anything “spoiled” in your life that’s attracting the pesky fruit flies of demonic activity. Then confess it and repent of it, defusing the accusations of the enemy.”

The Shoes of Peace

“Of all the things the enemy seeks to steal, kill and destroy in your life, peace is almost always near the top of his list. He intentionally stirs up discord, division, disruption, and disturbance, both within you and around you. He is the lord of chaos and confusion, using every opportunity to upset your sense of wellbeing and stability. He wants you uneasy, unbalanced, filled with anxiety, worry and turmoil. Lacking peace….any time you feel worry or anxiety creeping into your heart, take it as your cue to turn your attention to God. Pray. Trust Him. Be grateful. And watch His peace—a peace you cannot even begin to explain—swell in your experience…When God sees this type of prayerful, grateful faith, when our mind is squared on Him, the peace of God expands within us. It stabilizes our runaway emotions, centers our minds, guides our footsteps and even overflows into our experience with others…”

The Shield of Faith

“Simply put, faith is acting like God is telling the truth…It is the process of adapting your behavior, your decisions, and ultimately your whole lifestyle so that it accords with what God has asked you to do—without needing to see the evidence that it will all work out in the end…Faith is acting like it is so, even when it is not so, so that it might be so, simply because God said so…. With the belt, breastplate and shoes, he conveys them as a spiritual uniform that should be worn by believers at all times. Minute by minute. Day by day. But he approaches this piece of equipment differently. With the shield, he commands for it to be “taken up.” Look at it this way. A nurse might wear scrubs to work every day because it’s her uniform. But when the need arises, she will pick up a stethoscope, blood pressure machine, thermometer, or any number of tolls to use on her patient. Likewise, we must always wear our daily, divinely given uniform, but also be prepared to “take up” the others when required.” The first of these pieces of armor is the shield of faith. The moment when we first sense a flaming plumbata infiltrating our life in some way, we activate faith as a shield of protection over our lives. So don’t miss the irony here. The enemy sends flaming arrows into your life specifically when you are being called to walk in faith. Those arrows are deliberately intended to disable you from doing the only thing that has the power to extinguish them: walking in faith!...He knows that if you’ll ever push past the insecurity or doubt or fear that’s burning in your soul, choosing instead to believe the truth of God and walk in accordance with it, you’ll erect a shield of protection that will smother his plans.”

The Helmet of Salvation

“…part of what it means to wear the helmet of salvation is to live every day in light of eternity and the promised future that we have. Doing so will, without a doubt, change the way we live in the present… Receiving salvation is not the same as applying salvation. The first redeems us; the second restores, protects and shields us daily from the attacks of the enemy…Understand that living in light of this salvation inheritance enables you to not only stop living below your spiritual station in life, but it also protects your mind against the enemy’s attempts to cripple your thinking, to convince you that you are worth less than you really are. The ripple effect of this protection will be a change in your mind set, lifestyle and the choices you make. All of that will now be based on your wealthy spiritual income status…. This helmet of salvation, positioned to a snug fit, is representative of the high value items that are ours “in Him”—our inheritance in Christ. Choosing not to wear it means leaving our mind exposed, unprotected, like people who don’t even own a helmet…what the brain is to the body, your mind is to your soul. It is the spiritual expression of your brain. The control center. If your mind doesn’t send out healthy impulses, your soul will not respond in healthy ways. This is why the enemy works so diligently to cripple you through negative thoughts and unhealthy patterns of imagination.”

The Sword of the Spirit

This was the only piece of armor that Shirer did not spend a week on in the study. But it is interesting to note that this is the only piece of armor mentioned that is actually used for fighting. And what is it that we fight with? The word of God. Take a look at these verses:

“and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God” (Ephesians 6:17)

“For the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword…” (Hebrews 4:12)

Knowing, believing and living the Word in our lives is what will keep us alive. It is our only defense against the schemes of the devil. It contains the truth we need to know to build our lives on and will provide us victory for whatever battles that we may face.

Whatever battle you are facing today, suit up---with the FULL armor. Victory is promised to those who believe (Ephesians 6:13; 1 John 5:4). Have a great weekend!

Jennifer

IG: @lifeintherace

Crafty Details

For this page, I started by stamping all the images from Armor of God onto cardstock and coloring them with my Prismacolor pencils. I cut them out and laid them aside and then stamped the words for all the armor pieces (belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, etc) with Tattered Rose distress oxide.  I then stamped “Put on the Full Armor” with both Armor of God and County Fair Alpha. I added some texture with Texture Tiles 1 and then glued down my armor pieces around the page.

Blessed Justice...

Hi friends,

I've been thinking a lot about justice lately, particularly in the light of events going on in the world at the moment, with many people being treated unjustly because of skin colour. I did a search for the word 'justice' in the Bible and there are so many scriptures that show God's heart for justice.

One of the verses I found was in Psalm 106:3, which says 'Blessed are they who observe justice, who do righteousness at all times.' God is just and he desires that his children are just in all their actions. There are so many scriptures that demonstrate God's heart for justice. Over and over again God tells his people to look after the orphan, the widow and the stranger, and to do justice for the oppressed.

Psalm 89:14 and Psalm 97:2 say that righteousness and justice are the foundation of God's throne. These qualities and related actions are the foundation of God's rule and as his children, they should be the foundation of how we live our lives on earth in relation to those around us. Psalm 106:3 emphasises the 'all times' nature of this way of living - this is not something we can dip in and out of when convenient, but it how we should be desiring to live every day, in every decision. The only way we can do this is through the help of the Holy Spirit, who leads us in God's ways when we ask him for wisdom and yield to him in obedience.

I created this page in my Journaling Psalter using acrylic paints; stamping and embossing the clocks from Time Well Spent (June's Stamp of the Month) with white embossing powder. I added some stencilling with Nuvo embellishment mousse. The text was stamped using All of Me Alpha, Bold & Outline Caps Alpha, Armor of God and Typewriter Blocks Alpha. Here are the sets I used:

I pray that we would follow after God's heart for justice and follow the leading of the Holy Spirit and the commands of Scripture to observe justice and do righteousness at all times.

Be blessed...

x Amy x

Salvation and Righteousness

You heavens above, rain down My righteousness; let the clouds shower it down. let the earth open wide, let salvation spring up, let righteousness flourish with it; I, the Lord, have created it. Isaiah 45:8

Hi Friends,

In chapter 45, God through Isaiah tells the people that He will return the Jewish people to the Promised Land from the Babylonian exile through Cyrus. God makes it clear in verses 1-8 that God is in complete control. It's not by Cyrus' power or because of him that the Jewish people are restored. It is by God's power and because of Him. He, and He alone, is sovereign.

I just love the word pictures in this verse 8! God, of course, created the heavens and the earth. He can make it rain literally, in the natural sense, but He can also rain down on us in a spiritual sense. When He rains down His righteousness, the only response is salvation! Again, God is telling the people, their restoration is from Him, and Him alone.

There is a lesson in this verse for us as well. Our restoration is also only found in Him. Righteousness and salvation are tied together. God sent Jesus, our Righteousness and Salvation. When we accept Jesus as our Savior, we receive salvation and He clothes us in His righteousness. Just think about that- God rained Jesus on this world, on me, on you. Because of that, salvation sprung up in me when I accepted Jesus. But, not only that, righteousness also grows in me because of Jesus. And the same is true for any of us who accept Jesus. WOW! WOW! WOW! We serve such an awesome God!

Page Details:
I used the following Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps sets: Delightful Daisies, Armor of God, Women of Praise, Refresh My Soul, & Sweet & Simple Alpha. I used Salty Ocean Distress Oxide for the background. I applied the ink with a sponge dauber. I stamped the daisy on an address label and colored it with alcohol markers. Then I cut it out and stuck it to the page. I did this as alcohol markers will bleed through Bible pages, and that way it would look crisp against my blue background. I finished the page by highlighting "up" and "flourish" with a white pen.

 

Have a blessed week, my friends! Andrea

The Word of God

For the word of God is living and active, 

sharper than any two-edged sword,

 piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, 

of joints and of marrow, 

and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Hebrews 4:12

There is so much I love about the Word of God.  It speaks to the deepest part of me and is always relevant.  It opens the door of my heart to see and know God, to be known by Him.  It is sweet; it is hard; it is powerful; it is tender; it is helpful, comforting, challenging, convicting.  It is all of these but of the list of descriptors that mean so much to me, it is the fact that it is living that amazes me most.  It distinguishes itself from any other book, even deeply moving theologically profound books.  No other book is living, is organic and consistently, constantly dynamic.  What gives it life and exactly what does that mean?

In John, chapter one we learn that, "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.  The term "word" is different in John and Hebrews.  The Word is "the Logos," is complex but refers to the person of Jesus.  The term "word" in Hebrews refers not to Christ, but to God's written, recorded and inspired word...the Bible.  The Bibles we hold in our hands are obviously not breathing, growing--not in the sense as defines life.  Yet it IS alive, and it IS active.  God's word is alive because it brings life...it perpetuates spiritual life was giving life by the breath of the Holy Spirit.  It brings real, supernatural transformation in the living soul of the human who accepts it as truth.  "Faith comes from hearing [or reading] the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ," (Romans 10:17).  It brings life and vitality, light and salvation.  It is not powerless, but has the power to save.  

As we come to the Word of God for the life it can give, we find it renders much to feed our spirit.  It is a sword; it is strength; it is a foundation for living our lives; it is absolute truth; it contains the only gospel of Christ; it points to Christ--our peace and our salvation.  I'm so very grateful that God prepared my heart as a twelve year old girl to receive the Word...and thereby trust its Author.  God's Word led me to Him...and He is my all in all.  

I'm grateful each and every day that I have the living and active Word of God at my disposal.  I cannot imagine not having a Bible.  That's why it's so important for those of us who do to read it and to hide it in our hearts, to share it with others.  I've known several people who have owned Bibles but never read them.  Others give cursory attention but depend mostly on someone else to preach or teach from it.  Some think they know scriptures from platitudes they hear literally on the street and take such triteness as truth.  The only way God's Word can bring your spirit alive is to take it in and let the Holy Spirit do His transforming work through it.  

God's Word is my sure foundation.  It is the one absolutely trustworthy thing on which I can stake my life...because it reveals my faithful, totally trustworthy Father. 

Design Details:

I just added a little more color to the page (100 Days of Bible Promises Devotion Book by Shanna Noel/Illustrated Faith with gelatos and a water-brush.  I drew a simple sketch of a Bible then added stamps to the central image and words over the pages.

Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps Sets Used:

 Doves of Peace

Mighty Fortress

Armor of God

Justice, Mercy & Faithfulness...

Hi friends,

Have you ever focused so much on little details that you've missed the big picture? Whether it's focusing on the imperfections of our homes and missing the fact that we have one to be grateful for, or nitpicking at the faults of others instead of cherishing the gift of relationship, this is something that I can be frequently guilty of!

Jesus faced people who also focused on the small things instead of the more important matters - those people were called the Pharisees. In Matthew 23, Jesus does not hold back in his criticism of their attitudes, behaviour and heart condition. In this list of rebukes, Jesus points out that the Pharisees were really great at tithing (giving 10%) of every... little... thing (including herbs and spices!!) but they were neglecting the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy and faithfulness.

The Pharisees were so consumed with box ticking in the small matters and making sure they looked good and had done their duty, that they missed the heart of God's instructions: they way they treated people. This verse is very similar to one found in Micah 6:8, and I suspect that Jesus was reminding them of this verse of Scripture (which they would have been familiar with), which says "what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?" These three actions/attitudes correspond to Jesus' words in Matthew 23: justice is mentioned first in both, mercy and kindness come from the same Hebrew word, and faithfulness could be described as walking humbly before God. You see, God hasn't changed. The heart of the Old Testament law is the same as the heart of the Kingdom of God that Jesus came to teach and demonstrate. God places the highest value on how we treat one another and how we follow Jesus. It's that simple.

I used one of the stamp sets that you can get for free as a Stamp of the Month during November, called Poppies and Greetings, on this page, watercolouring the flowers. I also used Life in Jesus, Skinny Caps Alpha and Rebecca Script Alpha for the three main words, with little words from Armor of God along with some small alpha stickers to complete the text.

Let's remember to keep focused on the things that matter most to God: justice, mercy and faithfulness. When these things are our priority, the little things tend to take care of themselves, or they get put into their proper perspective!

Be blessed...

x Amy x

A Life of Praise

Hi friends,

I've been really enjoying studying the Psalms this term at college and have learnt so much already about the nature of praise and worship, as shown to us in the examples of the psalms. One of the things I have found fascinating is seeing how the whole book of Psalms unfolds from a position in the earlier psalms of distress and lament to a posture of praise at the end of the book. If you read the last five psalms you will notice a strong theme of praise that includes every part of creation. This structure of moving from distress and difficulty to praise for God's love and faithfulness is also seen in many of the individual psalms.

This has really made me think about the way we praise God in our own lives. The psalms show us that it is totally ok - in fact encouraged - to bring all of our lives to God (warts and all!). We can pour out our hearts to him in total honesty about how we feel and what is happening to us. But here's the thing: it shouldn't end there. There should be a BUT moment, where we choose - despite the circumstances - to praise God for who he is and what he has done. There are so many reasons to praise our God (and the Psalms give us lots of examples that we can follow) that no matter how dark it may get, we can always lift our head in praise and allow his light to shine in our hearts.

I created this page in Psalm 146 as a declaration of my heart, which desires to praise the Lord at all times, for as long as I live, no matter the circumstances, in every season - because he is good, faithful and loving, and he is the Creator, Sustainer and Redeemer of all things. PRAISE THE LORD!!

I used the fun new Texture Tiles 4 stamp set (October's Stamp of the Month) for the panel at the side - I love how you can create your own patterned paper effects with this! I also used Armor of God, Refresh my Soul and Teeny Alpha along with some alphabet stickers to create the verse. The other fun new product I've used on this page is Diane's Starry Sanctuary Printable Bundle & Devotional. There are so many lovely images to print and use in a variety of ways. I printed mine on clear sticker paper, then cut out by hand and stuck on this page once I had stamped and sponged the background. Here are the new goodies I've used on this page:

I want to encourage you to pour out your heart to God, and in the process to choose praise as the final word in your situation. Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!!

x Amy x

Open Doors

To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write:

These are the words of him who is holy and true, 

who holds the key of David. 

What he opens no one can shut, 

and what he shuts no one can open.

 I know your deeds. 

See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. 

I know that you have little strength, 

yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.

Revelation 3:7-8

The letters to the seven churches of Revelation 1-3 are both historical and prophetic.  These churches actually existed and the descriptions of them are accurate.  The passages picture each church being held accountable for actions and lack of action.  One receives commendations from Christ, one encouragement for the persecution they are suffering, and the rest are judgments against the churches. I've always been fascinated with their application today because we can see so many churches reflecting one or more of the churches in Revelation.  The church at Philadelphia is the only church that received praises for their complete faithfulness to Christ. In these verses we receive instruction for our own faith walk. 

We hear many colloquialisms about God opening and closing doors, most of which are not actually biblical.  For example, "When God closes a door, He opens a window."  I'm not sure how this "work -around" mentality crept into church culture, but I've heard it a ton. To me it implies that if God chooses to close a door to something you want, He will still provide it, just in mode different from what you were seeking.  He'll work it do get you want you want.  He might close one door and open a different door altogether, sending you on a direction you didn't anticipate.  Regardless, we can take hold of what scripture says.  Christ holds the only key to heaven; He is the only way.  He opens and closes the door to heaven according to His perfect judgments.  There are no window through which people can climb in, escape or alter our eternal destination.  

I think the passage holds other implications as well.  God opens doors to us in this life too.  His primary goal is the gospel.  Ours should be too.  God will open doors for us to give testimony to both the gosple and our own salvation experience.  When He opens those doors, nothing can prevail against it to close it.  Likewise, if He closes the door, if His judgments are enacted, no one can find another way.  The lesson for us I believe is clear.  If God impresses us with an opportunity to share the gospel with someone, we better walk through the door.  He may close the opportunity to us if we don't.  The Spirit will prompt us; we need to take that seriously.  There is great joy is sharing what Christ has done.  Regardless of the person's response, we know we have acted faithfully when we take the opportunities granted by God. 

-----

Design Details:  I used Distress Oxide inks for the background. The door image is stamped as are the distressing details.  The door and stone were colored using Copic Markers.  Stamps used are listed below. 

Don't Fight Naked

I may be dating myself by referencing this, but I remember a "Fight Naked" t-shirt trend.  I wouldn't go so far as to say they were popular, at least not among my high school crowd.  Neither me nor my friends would ever wear one--we thought they were more of a joke.  I'm not sure when or why the trend started.  Some clever person, however, took that theme and applied it to Ephesians 6, where the Bible talks about the armor of God, and make t-shirts with the phrase, "Don't fight naked!  Put on the Armor of God!"  Now that's a t-shirt I would wear!  So I knew I had to journal this phrase in my Bible using the Armor of God stamp set. 

We are fighting spiritual battles everyday, and unless we put on God's full armor--the Shoes of the gospel of peace, the Breastplate of righteousness, the Shield of faith, the Sword of the Spirit, the Helmet of salvation, and the Belt of truth--we are indeed fighting naked.  Without God's spiritual weapons to help us, we are powerless against Satan's flaming darts and wiles.  So get dressed, brothers and sisters!  Don't fight naked!

I created this collage page in my interleaved Bible with Distress oxides and stamps.  I began by stamping each of the images onto sticky notes and cutting them out to be used as masks.  I then used the colors Worn Lipstick, Tumbled Glass, and Mustard Seed to stamp the various images onto the page.  I masked each image as I sponged around them in varying colors, overlapping the colors in places.  Next, I stamped the words in the same colors.  I used some water on the background to give the distress oxides a distressed, layered effect, then dried it with my heat tool.  Black texture is always good to add, so I splattered some paint and used Texture Tiles 1 to stamp some grid texture.  I used Lowercase Chunky Alpha for the title, and added detailing with a white gel pen.  I finished by drawing lines around the edges of the page with a black pen, stamping the date, and journaling a prayer.  I also created a tag using the same process, that I could clip to the opposite page. 

Don't leave your house naked!  Make sure to dress yourself in the armor of God!  

God bless--

Julie

The Armour of God...

Hi friends,

I don't know about you, but when I get up in the morning and look at my wardrobe to decide what to wear for the day, I don't think about reaching for my helmet or shield! I think about the weather, the occasion I'm dressing for and what is clean and ready in front of me. In Ephesians 6:13-17 Paul writes to the church in Ephesus and tells them that they need to suit up with a different kind of outfit: the armor of God.

Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God...

I was thinking about the parts of the armor and how each one is vital to our spiritual protection. Just like we wouldn't (hopefully!) forget to put on clothing each morning, we need to get into the habit of dressing in this armor regularly and intentionally so that we are ready for any weather and any occasion. I find it interesting that of the six parts of the armor, only one is an offensive (attacking) weapon and that is the sword of the Spirit: the word of God. When things come against us, how do we respond? Do we hide in fear? Do we run to others for help (there is definitely a place for that!)? Or do we reach for our sword? How often is our first response to pick up the sword of the Spirit and begin to fight using the word of God in our hands and our mouths? I know for me, this is not my first response as often as I want it to be.

I want to encourage you to meditate on each piece of this armor that we have been given and ask God what it means for you to put on and use each of these things. He is faithful to teach and train us to use and walk in the gifts he has given us.

I absolutely love the fact that the new Armor of God stamp set has all the words and pictures necessary to journal this Scripture - and there are SO many ways you could do that. I chose to base my page in my Interleaved Bible around hexagons, because there are six pieces of armor and so a hexagon with six sides will help me to remember that! I cut out a hexagon shape using a set of dies, then drew around it over and over to create the pattern. Then I stamped the text and images into each, sometimes needing to overlap and use another hexagon below so everything would fit in. I used a combination of watercolours and metallic paint to colour the page in. Here's the whole stamp set I used:

The next time you stare at your wardrobe wondering what you will wear that day, remember that God has given us this armor and has told us to put it on. So let's be intentional about wearing our defensive clothes and using our offensive weapon!

Be blessed...

x Amy x