Work Boots | Bible Journaling with Julie

"Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord."  (Colossians 3:23-34).  

Growing up, my daddy worked on construction sites. He always wore his work books (and his helmet) on these sites. Those work boots sat waiting for him behind the door every morning.  They reminded me of firefighter boots sitting next to the fire truck, at the ready for the next emergency call.  

We put on work boots when we are ready to go all in:  to the dirtiest, or most hazardous of construction sites, to the muckiest of barns, to the deadliest of fire emergencies--or to the largest of laundry piles.  

Ok, not many of us don work boots to do our laundry (although with my three boys, I've had some pretty toxic laundry piles!). However, according to Colossians 3:23-24, we should put on a positive, can-do attitude. Work heartily at WHATEVER you do, as for the Lord.  If we're doing laundry, do it with all your heart.  If it's the dishes, work heartily.  If it's the weeding the garden, work heartily.  If it's completing paperwork, work heartily.  If it's writing that report, work heartily.  No matter how mundane a task may seem, when we work heartily, we are working for the Lord, and His character of love, joy, and excellence shines through. 

 

I created the background of this page in my Interleaved Bible with Distress Oxides in various shades of brown and beige.  I stamped the pair of boots using The Lord's Battle stamp set, and colored the boots with some watercolor pencils. I used several alphabet sets for the title (although the words "for Jesus" also were from The Lord's Battle):  School Days, Typewriter Block, and Lollipop Alphabet sets.  I added some washi from my stash, the verse that I had typed on my typewriter and blocked, and some grunge elements with Texture Tiles 3.  I added a border around the page with my precision journaling pen, and wrote my journaling on the opposite page next to the verse.  I finished with a date stamp, a tab, and a fabric bow.  

I've linked the various sets below.  Right now, through the end of the March, Sweet'n Sassy Stamps is holding a Moving Sale with 15% off.  It's a great time to stock up on those sets or products that have been sitting on your wishlist for a while!  

Thanks for visiting today.  You can click the images below to go shopping with my affiliate link (I appreciate your support!).  

God bless--Julie 

@julesk.jewels (IG)

Jules Jewels YouTube

The Lord's Battle

School Days Alpha

Typewriter Blocks Alpha

Lollipop Alpha

 

How do you fight your battles?

"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

We are in a battle every day, and that battle is won or lost in our mind. While the enemy cannot take you from God's family if you are a child of God, he can defeat and discourage you and make you completely ineffective in your spiritual life. Sometimes the battle is external - a conflict, a disagreement, a physical ailment - but often it is internal, and it stems from our own sinful heart. This is not a battle that can be fought with physical weapons. The only way to fight back is with truth from God's Word. 

The Bible tells us in 2 Timothy 3:16-17 that:

"All scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work."

You can't trust your heart ("The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked" Jeremiah 17:9), you can only trust what God's Word says is true. And the only way to know what God's Word says is true, is to get His Word in your heart and mind ("be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God." Romans 12:2). 

So when you find yourself in a battle for your mind, solidify yourself with God's truth. 

God's truth about worry:

• John 14:27, "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give unto you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be trouble, neither let them be afraid."
• Matthew 6:25-26, "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?"
• Psalm 59:16, "But I will sing of your strength; I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning. For you have been to me a fortress and a refuge in the day of my distress."
• Matthew 6:34, "Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."
• Psalm 4:8, "I will both lay me down in peace and sleep: for thou O Lord only maketh me dwell in safety."

God's truth about discouragement:

• Joshua 1:9, "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."
• John 16:33, "I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world."
• 1 Peter 5:7, "Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you."
• Romans 15:13, "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may about in hope."

God's truth about body image:

• Psalm 139:14, "I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well."
• Proverbs 31:30, "Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised."
• Ephesians 2:10, "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."
• Genesis 1:27, "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them."
• 1 Samuel 16:7, "But the Lord said to Samuel, 'Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees; man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart."

God's truth about forgiveness:

• Ephesians 4:32, "Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you."
• Mark 11:25, "And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses."
• 1 John 1:9, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
• James 5:16, "Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working."

What battles are you fighting today? Are they external or internal? Are you trying to fight them on your own power, or are you relying on truth from God's Word? I encourage you to take a few minutes today to see what the Bible says about your specific battle. The enemy is the Father of Lies (John 8:44) and will do all he can to defeat and discourage you. Don't let him win the battle for your mind today! Fight your battle with TRUTH. 

Page Details

Getting messy with Distress Oxides and stamps really is my happy place. I used Distress Oxides in Peacock Feathers, Picked Raspberry, and Wild Honey to create this page. I first prepped the page with gesso so I could get the fun water effect, then taped off my scripture passage with washi tape (careful when you pull it off at the end so you don't rip the page!). I then used daubers to apply the ink to the page and immediately spritzed with water. It's fun to spritz the page, then tip the page up so the water runs down the page - gives it a really great effect. I then stamped the page using the following stamp sets: Fall in Love with Jesus, The Lord's Battle, Marker Alpha, and the Texture Tiles 1 and Typewriter Text Background stamps. 

    

These two background stamps sets are probably my most used stamp sets ever! They are great for adding dimension and depth to any page. 

  

I pray you use the Word of God to fight all your battles this week. 💛

Love in Christ, 
Janelle
Let's connect on IG: @journalingjoy

Fight the Good Fight

Fight the good fight of the faith. 1 Timothy 6:12a

Hi Friends,

Today we're in 1 Timothy 6 where Paul directed Timothy to "fight the good fight of the faith." What exactly did Paul mean by that? To fight the good fight of faith is to stand firm in Jesus by abiding in His Word, no matter what we may feel or what we think we understand. Our feelings can get us into trouble. Many people say,"Follow your heart." That's the last thing we need to be following! The Bible tells us in Jeremiah 17:9 that the heart is deceitful and sick. We don't need to follow our hearts. We need to follow Jesus and stand firm in Him. How do we fight the good fight? Ephesians 6:10-18 is a good place to start.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 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. 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, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints.

We must be strong in the Lord. We can't fight on our own. We need to depend on Him 24/7. We must put on the armor of God. This is the only way to fight for Him. We must believe in His authority and in His promises. As I said earlier, our hearts and our feelings can lead us astray. Feelings aren't truth. God's Word is truth no matter what we may be feeling or think we know. And we must pray. We need to pray for His help, His strength, His wisdom.

Our world is hurting so badly. Some people think the fight is against each other. We need to remember who it's really against. Stand firm. Fight the good fight.

Page details: I used the following Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps sets: The Lord's Battle, Send Me, Walk by Faith, Be a Flamingo, Mighty Fortress, and Itty Bitty Blossoms. The Lord's Battle is part of the August release and it's fantastic! Don't ya love the boots??!! I added a flower and heart to these boots. Who says military boots can't be cute? I keep my pages pretty simple most of the time. This was just stamping and using watercolor crayons to add color.

Have a blessed week! Andrea

A Call for Faith and Endurance

Hi friends,

Looking around at the world today I know that I am in need of endurance and faith. Whether it is the impact of the Covid-19 virus on the world, or the fractious disagreement over politics (which is particularly saddening in the church), or the doctrinal disputes that descend into name-calling and 'cancelling' of our brothers and sisters in Christ, or the increasing secularism that denies the lordship of Christ and dismisses his followers... there is a lot going on that could lead a person to want to give up, stick their head in the sand or lose heart. 

That's why we need to hear the words of Revelation 14:12 which says, 'Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus.' In the midst of the strangeness, disorientation and terror of Revelation, the saints are called to be steadfast in their faith. I think we need to hear and receive this encouragement and call today. As followers of Christ, we need to endure the various aspects of suffering and challenge that we are faced with at the moment, drawing on our faith in Jesus and the enabling of the Holy Spirit to keep standing strong. We are not promised an easy or comfortable life, but we are promised the comfort and strength of the Lord when we experiencing trials. I pray that we would respond with endurance and faith. 

I used the new The Lord's Battle to stamp the boots, then masked the top of them and stamped flowers from Country Garden over the top, colouring in the whole image with coloured pencils. I created a background with acrylic paints and Nuvo mousse, then stamped the text using the new Marker Alpha together with Happy Alpha. 

          

May we heed the Lord's call to endure with faith the challenging times we are facing, knowing that Jesus has won the victory already.

Be blessed...

Amy