You, Lord, Raise Me Up!

But you, O Lord, be gracious to me,

and raise me up...

Why are you cast down, O my soul,

and why are you in turmoil within me?

Hope in God for a shall again praise him,

my salvation and my God.

Psalm 41:10, 42:5

If we are honest, we have to confess there is much in this life to get us down, so weary us, to confuse and create turmoil within.   I think of Hannah in 1 Samuel and how she suffered to the point of deep depression over her life's circumstances. Or what about Elijah, so frightened by the evil power and death threats of Jezebel that he ran as far away as he could and begged God just to take his life.  We experience enemy assault, the pressures of life, loss, and tiredness and we can certainly understand being downcast and wanting to run away.  And at the very moment we feel ourselves losing our grip, God grabs hold!

God promises again and again that he will not leave us or forsake, that we never have to figure out life on our own.  He will come to us at our point of need and raise us up.  He will lift us by his mighty hand above our circumstances to see things from his perspective.  He will walk with us in the middle of trouble and he will absorb all that would harm us if we relinquish all to him.  

In God there is always, forever hope.  He will raise us up.  Once we surrender to his Lordship, we can never be defeated.  The victory is already ours.  If you feel like you're falling, look up, reach out to God and let him grip you and lift you up. 

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Design Detail:

• watercolor paints on the background, flamingo and the heart-balloons applied with a water brush
• texture was created with a stamp
• Sets Used:

 Candy Hearts

 Be a Flamingo

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

JOY: Jesus Overflowing in You

These things I have spoken to you,

that my joy may be in you,

and that your joy may be full.

John 15:11 

As Jesus nears the time of his crucifixionhe pulls his disciples close to him for some final instructions and words of comfort and encouragement.  He speaks about their relationship to him and the need for them to abide in him.  He warns them of the difficulties that lie ahead in identifying with him, because the world has shown its hatred of him already.  He already knows what will conquer evil and hate. His love will bring victory.  And as we abide in him and allow his love to spill out we too will be more than conquerors.  

I used the stamp, Joy to the Word, to create the acrostic Jesus overflowing in you...to show the truth of this verse in John.  There is a direct link between Jesus's vine discourse and the antidote for evil and hate he discusses later.  

Design Detail:

I used gelatos more like watercolor paints to create this background.  I stamped the joy from the set, colored it with copic markers and cut it out to place it vertically on the margin.  Then I used the Teeny Alpha set for all the lettering.  The "t" from this set formed the small crosses on the page.  I also used the Texture Tiles set for the distressing on the page.  

Sets Used from Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps:

Joy to the World

Teeny Alpha

Texture Tiles 1

The Lord Is So Very Good

Give thanks to the Lord of hosts,

for the Lord is good,

for his steadfast love endures forever!

Jeremiah 33:11

I recently reread the story of the 10 lepers healed by Jesus.  Leprosy was a slow, agonizing and ostracizing disease.  To be brought back from the brink of this torturous nightmare would have indeed been a miracle that demonstrated unfathomable power and obvious love.  Most lepers were shunned by their community and even their families.  To have been a leper, then to have been made clean would have been more than freeing, more than miraculous for the suffering one.  This miracle restored life in so many ways. Thus, we are incredulous to know that only one of the ten came back to Jesus to praise God and to thank his healer.   We just shake our heads and ask, "How could they not?"

Yet, look at all the blessings so many people receive today and take for granted or fail to give credit for the goodness in their lives.  Our God blesses even the unbeliever!  We wouldn't expect them to acknowledge God as the source of blessing.  But it is surprising to hear believers complain even when their lives compared to some are amazingly good. If my memory serves me correctly, I've been guilty myself!

I know God has been so very good to me.  Daily, I can see blessing after blessing, each as undeserved as the one before.  I experience joy in His presence and He showers me with His unfailing love.  I pray each day to see His gifts over the grit of life.  The best antidote to the growth of thankless callouses on our heart, is to run back to Him every day and praise God, thanking Him for all He has done for us.  May we never be like those 9 lepers that prioritized their perfunctory duties and headed to the priests first, instead of running back to Jesus who took the blight off their lives.

We can thank God every day for who He is, for His steadfast, unfailing love toward us.  He wouldn't have to do a thing for us and we'd still have reason enough to praise.  But that He showers us with blessing because of His great love...that is the great miracle. 
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Design Details:
I had so much fun creating this background, especially the pattern in the margin.  I created my own color spray using a gelato and water and it turned out so well.  I love it more than so many of the sprays that stain so deeply and permeate the page.  I sprayed over a stencil.  I have this quick video for you to share my design process.


Sets Used:

Crazy About Snowmen

The Good News

Check out the video to see how I masked off the unwanted portion of one stamp. 

Joy in Your Presence

You make known to me the path of life;
    in your presence there is fullness of joy;
    at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Psalm 16:11

I absolutely loved the movie, The Greatest Showman.  Everything about it was pure entertainment, especially the upbeat, positive message of the movie and the endearing music and lyrics.  Every musical piece stood alone as a stellar performance and each had its intrinsic meaning.  The song, Never Enough, was so powerful, though secular in its message.  It did make me think about how empty all the pursuits of this world really are and how our only joy and fulfillment come through our relationship to our heavenly Father.  Our trust and obedience to Christ is what gives our lives meaning.  Earthly relationships and aspirations don't even compare.  Though fictitious, the relationship between Barnum and Jenny Lind was electrifying.  Jenny is portrayed, especially through the song, as being so enraptured by the man in the wings that nothing in all the world would satisfy if she couldn't have Barnum.

When I encountered this verse in Psalm 16, I for some reason thought of the lyrics to the song.  It should be true of the believer's heart that nothing would satisfy like being in the presence of God.  I have often told my husband that I find enjoyment and satisfaction in just being with him.  We don't have to be doing anything special.  I just like to be in his presence.  I feel the same about my God, multiplied!  

When you glance at the verses above the passage, there is even more joy apparent in the psalmist's heart.  I could say exactly the same.  My Wonderful Counselor instructs my heart day and night and leads me in the path of real life.  I need never be shaken because I'm securely held in His might hand.  Look at verse 9 above.  "Therefore my heart is glad and my whole being rejoices..."  That is my heart's song when I dwell in the presence of the Lord.  

Truly...all things, all relationships in life will never fill me with the complete joy I find in God.  I LOVE my family, my husband, my children, my grandchildren.  I cannot imagine life without them.  But the joy I know in the presence of God surpasses it all...for I know that in Him and through Him, my family and I have life everlasting.  If I give over my heart completely to God, I will have the capacity for a deeper joy in all earthly relationship too!

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Design Details:   I'm doing something a little different for my post today and I hope you enjoy it.  I'm embedding the process video for this page.  I created the background using gelatos.  I'll show you in the video how I did everything on this page.  And below that are the Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps products I used for the page.  The video explains other supplies used.  (I hope it works...I've never done this on a blog post before!)

Joy in His Presence Process Video

Click on the arrow to begin.

Joy to the World

Starry Sanctuary Printable Bundle

3 pages of colored print and cut images, scripture prompts and my devotional study

Most of the color images and some images as outlines are included in the digital files of the bundle.

Come into His Presence

Oh come, let us sing to the Lord;
    let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! 

Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
    let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!

Psalm 95:1-2

God is omnipresent--present in reality at all times.  Every believer also has the reality of the indwelling Holy Spirit...God present in us.  So why would scripture allude to a "coming into his presence" as though we could be away from it?  

We've had an absolutely stunning fall around our home place this year.  One breathtaking scene after another appears all along the roads in the short distances we travel nearly every day.

I don't know why, but fall brings me into the presence of God in fresh ways every season.  He created me to love color, so when He displays the splendor of His artistry as these photos barely capture, I am so awed by Him.  I know God is always near me, but there are times when I "come into His presence."  These are times I feel closer, I move closer to Him in prayer or through something His Word speaks to me.   

There have been times when I've been brokenhearted and I come into His presence for an extra measure of closeness and comfort.  When I hold my grandson while he sleeps and I ponder the potential of his life, I come into God's presence.  In worship at my church, I feel God tugging at my heart to forget all those around me and just come into His presence.  His presence is sweet, secure and surges with power. 

I fall so short of being able to adequately describe the wonder and awe of coming into God's presence.  But I know when I do, He is always there, always ready to take my spirit to new heights, to deepen my faith and broaden my vision of His plan for me.  And every time, without fail, when I come into His presence I have to bow in thanksgiving.  That incredible, breath-taking moment of feeling the rush of His presence pulls gratitude from the innermost reaches of my soul.  All that He is, all He has done, all He has planned for me, all He will accomplish...all of Him makes me want to run into His presence and always....always with thanksgiving!

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Design Detail:  I just had to pull out my fallish and very fun printable, Sunflowers and Pumpkins for this page.  These are so perfect for the season.  Here I used a clear, matte finish sticker version of my images.  And just because I could, I layered them right on top of each other.  A few simple splashes on the page and words from one of my favorite stamp sets, Incredible Blessed and a very simple page took only minutes to do.  

 

You can check both of these out on the Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps store page.  

Be the Light!

You are the light of the world. 

A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.   

Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, 

but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.  

 In the same way, let your light shine before others, 

so that they may see your good works 

and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.  

Matthew 5: 14-16

Christ stands on a hill by the Sea of Galilee and delivers what we know as the Sermon on the Mount.  He just finished the Beatitudes...a list of blessings for those who choose to follow the Way.  I love the way Jesus taught. He has the perfect blend of encouragement and challenge in his teaching.  Verses 13-16 are sometimes referred to as the Similitudes...and these two compelling comparisons have beautiful literary expression.  We are to be salt and light.  Salt both flavors and preserves.  And light pierces through the darkness.

Have you ever noticed how little light it takes to dispel darkness?  A room can be engulfed in a blanket of black and a spark of light, just a pin point, opens a way through the dark abyss.  We are that light in our world darkened by sin.  We may think our light is insignificantly small.  Nothing could be farther from the truth.  Our purpose is to shine our light.  

Someone once asked me about the command to shine your light so others would see your good works.  They thought the verse encouraged self service, or self glorification.  To clarify, we have to remember we are not the source of the light we shine.  All our good works are to point to Christ.  That's why ministry must be more than humanitarian effort.  Help may come from caring gestures, but no light emanates from works that simply serve to help others.  While these efforts are good and kind, unless we shine the light of Christ, people may walk away with all our help and step right back into the darkness of their world.  Feeding the hungry may fill stomachs, but unless we shine the LIGHT into the dismal world of the needy, they will hunger and thirst again.  We may build shelters for the homeless, but unless we shine the LIGHT into their hearts, their habitats remain cold and dark.   

Let your light shine...

the light inside you is the living Christ.

Shine the light of his grace-filled gospel 

and truly lead others out of their darkness. 

In this way, you give glory to God. 

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Design Details:  This simple page took minutes to design.  The wreath is printed on clear, matte sticker paper and adhered to the page.  The fun lettering from an alpha stamp lends color while helping to focus on the simply but powerful message of the text.  The passage is highlighted with yellow watercolor paint, and with a simple page like this, the eye is drawn to the message.   

Product Used:

Christmas Joy Printable Bundle

Sunshine Girl Alpha Clear Stamp

No Brain of Straw!

We demolish arguments and every pretension 

that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, 

and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

2 Corinthians 10:5 

But we have the mind of Christ. 

1 Corinthians 2:16

 The scarecrow in the Wizard of Oz was a likable but pitiful character.  No brain...well, a brain of straw.  Fortunately, he at least knew he had straw for a brain and had both the desire for a real brain and the courage to go in search of one. His plight is not so different from those who are held captive to carnal thinking.  Before Christ, our minds are trapped in the world's thinking, and we do not understand the things of God. 

There were so many miracles that took place when I opened my heart to Christ over 50 years ago.  But one instantaneous transformation was new spiritual thinking...a new mind to see, understand and love God's truth.  I had grown up in a whole family of pseudo-Christians who adhered to a false religion.  Thankfully, we were nominal in church attendance so I didn't get a steady diet of their lies.  Looking back I know that God was protecting our family, preparing all of us to see and know the truth.  Even as a young girl, I sensed that what I was being taught in church was error.  Quite honestly, it didn't make sense.  Sitting under the gospel message I heard the full truth about Christ, my sin, and the way to salvation and I knew...I just knew this was it! This was truth and I was set free! I embraced Christ as Lord and Savior and have been amazed by his presence in me all these years.  

At salvation we are given the Holy Spirit who begins a mighty work of transformation within us.  He not only changes our hearts...He changes our minds.  Suddenly we see things from a spiritual...a truth perspective.  Throughout our lives God is constantly, consistently working to transform us and draw us closer to Him, to make us more like Jesus.  It is an incredible truth to me that we are given the mind of Christ.  I fear that much like the research that says we only tap into a fraction of the power and potential of our physical brains, many Christians don't access the power of Spirit with us, within our minds.  We still allow the trappings of the world to have influence over us.  The only protection is to daily fill our minds with God's truth.  When we seek His wisdom we are thinking with the mind of Christ.  When we look at life, circumstances, what the world say through the lens of Scripture, we are thinking with the mind of Christ.  When we fear, worry, doubt...we are letting the world creep in.  We have to pull out any remnant of our old straw brain...and fill our heads with all that is God's truth.  Only then will we really be free of the captivity of this world. 

Design Details:

This is the 100 Days of Bible Promises book by Illustrated Faith.  I'm skipping around in it as I find the themes and messages that I seek to illustrate.  Shanna Noel, author, really hit this one square on.  Her devotional thoughts and scriptures always reflect the truth.  They are very sound and very well written.  I highly recommend this book if you don't already have it.   I used the newest stamp set from Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps called, Happy Scarecrow by Krista Hamrick.  It's an adorable set and so versatile.  I stamped the scarecrow on white cardstock, then stamped parts of the image on various designer papers to be able to paper-piece the scarecrow.  I also stamped the flowers from the set on cardstock and colored with Copic markers.  Then I adhered to the page.  Since Copic markers will bleed through these pages, it's perfect to just do them on cardstock first, then fussy-cut and color off the page first.  I also used Sunshine Girl and Cold Coffee Alphas for the larger lettering.  I used a variety of acrylic paints, stencils and texture stamps to add color and dimension to the page. 

Happy Scarecrow

 Sunshine Girl Alpha

Cold Coffee Alpha

 

Reflecting Jesus

But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror 

the glory of the Lord, are being transformed 

into the same image from glory to glory, 

just as from the Lord, the Spirit.

2 Corinthians 3:18

For some like me, standing in front of a mirror is an intimidating, even discouraging thing. Recently, when I was getting ready for the day, putting on my make-up, I was noticing the sags and wrinkles and I said out loud, "Girl, you've come a long way...and it shows!" I've never liked mirrors...ever! They show what I do not normally see, what I don't want to see. I can't explain it, but I'm about 20 pounds thinner looking down than when looking at my reflection in a mirror! I think the simple matter, like it or not, is that the mirror in front of me is revealing a truth that makes me uncomfortable. I'm uncomfortable because the world tells me I should look very different. It tells me I should be fit, trim and look like I stepped out of a magazine. What should we see when we look in the mirror?

We should see Jesus. When we stand before the mirror we should see the precious soul Jesus died to rescue. We should see the value He placed upon us...body and soul, and know that He deeply, completely loves us. We should see worth and beauty. We should see a relaxed face that glows with the glory of the Lord within us. We should see eyes that look beyond the mirror reflecting self to see others as Jesus sees them. The mirror should reflect another mirror. I become a mirror. And when people look a me, they shouldn't see my reflection. They should see Jesus. My words, actions, thoughts (YES...others can often read our thoughts by the look on our faces) should all reflect Jesus.

Oh, that we could free up self image by concerning ourselves more with our Christ-reflection. Most of us stand in front of a mirror on a daily basis. It's a great time to remind ourselves that when we walk away from that mirror, we become one ourselves. We decide each morning what or who we will reflect that day. Today, I choose Jesus!

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Design Details: This layout is in my 100 Days of Bible Promises by Illustrated Faith. I used both my Words of Wisdom printable bundle and my Sunflowers and Pumpkins printable (the outline images page) available at Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps. To add color and texture to the page, I scraped on acrylic paints in two colors. 

 Sunflowers and Pumpkins Printable

 Words of Wisdom Printable Bundle