I loved the idea of this Pinspiration. My other mother asked me to create a wedding card in a box that she had found. Being true to my own style, I found this box to be a beautiful creation. I'm excited and I hope she loves it as much as I do.
For any of you preparing to travel this holiday, I pray that the Lord our God gives you traveling grace and mercy and that all of you have a safe and blessed holiday!!
Yours in Christ 😃
© 2015 gracebuiltthis@outlook.com
The Envelope Pouch was a delight to make. I created my own variation using the tutorial found on Kimberly Van Diepen's website. I was thinking of my wonderful husband when I created this card. I wanted to let him know that he is very appreciated. If you're reading this baby, I love you ♡♡ 😙.
As always, it's a joy and a privilege to create things for those I love. Have a blessed day!! 😄
Walking for Christ
Ephesians 5:14 “Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.
Have you ever noticed the routines of life? How everything is the same day after day? We get up, go throughout our daily activities, go to sleep, then do it all again the next day. Going through the motions, life seemingly has no meaning, until one day, you decide to give your life to Christ. You’ve awaken, and you realize that so much time has passed by, and you wonder “Why didn’t I do this sooner?” Life suddenly has meaning. You want to give up old habits, change up your routine some. You’re no longer just going through the motions. Your whole life has come alive, you have a purpose, a reason for living. That’s when you begin to notice that everyone around you is asleep, doing the same things you once did.
I often watch the tv show on AMC called “The Walking Dead”, and it’s based on a zombie apocalypse. For some reason, zombies have taken over the world, and there’s little life left. There are a handful of survivors, and the more the show progress, the fewer they become. As I’m watching the show, I realize that until we give our lives to Christ, we are nothing more than zombies walking the earth. We may be living, but we are dead on the inside.
Zombies are dead people who mindlessly walk the earth looking for people who are alive to eat. Once they bite a living person, that person becomes a zombie as well. And even is someone die of natural causes, eventually they will become a zombie too. When you think about it, that’s Satan’s job too. Satan walks the earth looking to suck the spiritual life out of us. To make us become busy with unhealthy habits, or negative influences that causes us to forget the reason we are here. The good news is, that when we give our lives to Christ, we gain life. We’re given the opportunity to live freely, we are awaken from that zombie-like state, and we are charged to wake others. That’s why the Word urges us to “Awake and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give the light.” And when we receive that light, we are called to “Let our light so shine before men, that they may see our good works, and glorify our Father which is in Heaven” as stated by Jesus in Matthew 5:16.
To live for this world is to die, to live for Christ and die to this world is to live eternally. When we make the decision to live a life that models Christ, our lives become more than about ourselves. We must become conscious about winning souls for our Lord, and we can’t straddle the fence to do it. It’s time to come out of that zombie-like state and recognize that life has so much more meaning when we live in Christ. It has purpose. So my question today is, “Are you ‘The Walking Dead’ or are you ‘Walking for Christ?’
© gracebuilthis@outlook.com 2015
Genesis 1:26-27
When you look into the mirror, what do you see? Do you see a broken person? A person who has hurt others? Do you see yourself and think that you are unworthy? Do you see a sinner? I know what I have seen in the past, and I know what my mind tries to tell me now. That I am worthless, that I will never be anything. That I can't love because I don't know love. And that God doesn't love me because I messed up so many times. But then the Holy Spirit steps in and let's me know that those thoughts are lies and that because of Christ, I will always be somebody.
That's why the Bible tells us to bring ALL thoughts under subjection. Negative thinking poisons our minds and then it trickles down to our hearts. We become bitter, angry and depressed. When we learn to love ourselves the way God does, we begin to unlock that true happiness, that true joy. When we do that, nothing anyone says to us will take away that joy. In today's society, we are taught to hate ourselves because of mainstream media, which causes us to hate the image of God. We can't love God with any form of hate, including self hate. The Bible asks us " How can we love God, whom we have not seen, yet hate our brother whom we have seen?" But I want to ask you, how can you say you love God, and yet hate yourself. God is love. God embodies love. Therefore love and hate cannot dwell in the same vessel. As Christians, we must learn to be happy in all things. This may seem easier said than done, but with practice it becomes easier.
Genesis tells us that when God created man and woman, He created us in His image. Not the image of angels, not the image of the devil, not the image of animals, but His image. So you know what that tells me, that if God is Holy, that if God is righteous, then we must be too. God has a purpose for everything that He does. Why would He create us in His image of we were worthless? That would defeat His purpose. Yes, we may fall, but He will pick us back up if we REPENT and turn from those things that make us fall. Learn from your mistakes and move on, don't let them hinder you. The first step to moving forward is to forgive yourself and others, because if you harbor unforgiveness for yourself and others, then God won't forgive you. Forgive and let it go.
At times we are our own worst enemy. We know everything about ourselves, those secrets that we would never tell anyone else for fear that they wouldn't look at us the same. And we wonder how anyone can love us in our mess or out of it. We become depressed because we suppress those horrible things about ourselves instead of releasing them to God. He already knows, He just wants us to confess our sins to Him. He has enough love to love us in, through and out of our mess. God allowed us to live so that we could get it right. Although we were created in His image, we are still in the flesh, and Galatians tells us that the flesh lusts after the Spirit and the Spirit lusts after the flesh. The flesh in all its sinfulness must die daily. This is a daily walk, not a weekly, monthly, or a wait until revival yearly walk. We must seek God daily in order to reveal His glory, and in order to radiate His presence. That's the key to staying saved. If the flesh had its way, we would be our old selves, doing the things that would send us straight to hell. But Christ gave us a way out when He died for us. Don't allow negativity and the lusts of this world keep you down. Fight back with the the Word of God. The Word gives us the strength we need to withstand all things that come against us. So the next time you look at yourself in the mirror, tell yourself that you are a child of the Most High God, created in His image, and that you are far more valuable than anything this world can offer. Always remember "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."
Our Redeemer is alive and He's waiting to love in you.
Ephesians 6:11-18
"Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;"
I don't normally put much thought into fortune cookies, but today I read one that said, "In life you won't go far unless you know where the goal posts are." When I thought about this, I immediately started thanking God for the revelation that I received. In this life, our goal post is Heaven. God is our coach, Jesus is the quarterback, and the Bible is our playbook. God speaks to us through the Holy Spirit, coaching us in the right way of doing things. He doesn't yell or scream, but there's a gentle nudging in our spirits to always follow His path. When we study the Bible, Jesus is able to call "plays" in order to direct us in which way to go. God gives us knowledge of Him through His Word. Studying daily allows us insights on how to live Holy in God's eyes. We have to learn how to use the resources that are given to us to stand strong. The battle has already been won. The Word promises us that. We just have to prepare ourselves for the fight that the enemy is putting up. Sometimes, the best defense is a good offence. Continual study of theWord keeps us fresh. We will always be prepared for battle. When we allow God to use us for His Glory, we allow room to live according to His purpose.
We acknowledge that the devil is lying in wait, ready to pounce, but if we put too much focus on him, we'll lose sight of God, and that's when we stumble. It's just like watching a football game. If your favorite team is playing, but are too focused on how the other team plays, they will become disoriented and confused, and forget that it's not about what the opposing team does. The primary goal is to play to their own strengths. They practice for the specific purpose of perfecting plays, and honing skills that will help them win the game. If they lose focus, which is the opposing team's goal, the result will be the loss of the game. It's the same with us as Christians. We must study the Word, spend time with God, and prepare ourselves daily. When we allow our circumstances to distract us even for a second, we tend to lose composure. Temptation is around us all the time, but it's up to us to give in or walk away. In the beginning, I stated that God is our coach, Jesus is our quarterback, and the Bible is our playbook, and while that is true, here's another way to look at it. When a football player prepares for the field, he has his helmet, shoulder pads, and a mouthpiece to guard their mouth. It should be the same with us, God is our helmet, Jesus is our shoulder pads, and the Holy Spirit is our mouthpiece to guard our mouth. Ephesians 6:11 says to put on the whole armor of God, ( not part of it, but the whole armor of God) so that we would be able to stand against the rules of the devil.
When we look at it this way, it should be easier for us but it's not. We all make mistakes, we even fumble or throw interceptions, but we must regroup and refocus. The previous play doesn't win or lose the game. It's the following plays until the clock hits 00. Don't allow your past mistakes keep you from moving forward. For the race is not given to the swift, nor to the strong, but to the ones who can endure until the end. So endure men and women of God. When the storms come, endure. When afflictions come, endure. When you can't see your way out, endure. When family and friends turn their backs, endure. Make it to your goal posts. Trust and believe that God can and will fulfill His promises. There is an expected end for those who love the Lord and keep His commandments.
© Grace Built This Creations 2015
gracebuiltthis@outlook.com
gracebuiltthiscreations.blogspot.com
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