Resisting Worldly Approval

     There are a lot of people in the world that are hurting because they are looking for love in the wrong places. They don’t recognize that their worth isn’t found in social status, significant others, money, family or friends. I’m going to be a tad transparent for just a few moments. I used to be like this. When I was younger, I would look for validation in other people. I was constantly searching for something to fill this void inside of me that could not be found on this earth. Even today, I look at the social media platform, and I think about how many “likes” I may get to things I post, compared to the “likes” of others who either make inspirational posts or post secular stuff. Sometimes I become discouraged, because I still battle with needing the approval of people. But God dropped a little nugget in my spirit that I am going to share with you. He said that everything you do, do it for applause in Heaven, not for applause from man. If that didn’t set me free, then I don’t know what would. I want to receive a standing ovation when I see the Lord, I don’t want Him to tell me that by trying to please this world, I had already received my reward. How devastating would that be?

     There is someone reading this that is feeling inadequate because of the people around you, but the Lord is telling you that you are more than enough for Him. All He wants is for you to live for Him fully. He wants you to freely choose His love and acceptance. By doing so, you must to give up those things that will keep you bound in sin. I had a conversation with one of my best friends about giving her life totally and completely to Christ, and she was resistant to the idea although she attended church. I asked her why, and she told me that she thought that she would have to be perfect in order to do that. But what she failed to realize is that Christ has already made us perfect. He did the work for us on the Cross. We can still live a fulfilling life outside of sin. The enemy of our souls just want us to think it isn’t possible. This a lie from the pit of hell. It says in Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans that I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” God desires for us to live a good life with Him. It goes on to say in verses 12-14, “Then you will call on me and come and pray to me and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart, I will be found by you” (NIV). How do we seek God with our whole hearts? Hebrews 12:1b-2a says, “Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith (NIV)”. Sometimes you have to separate yourself from those things that are causing you to fail in your walk with God. Even if your friends think you are anti-social, let them think it, because a real friend would understand that you are trying to do better for yourself.  The question you have to ask yourself is will this be good for the edification of your soul and others who may be looking at you. When you first start walking with the Lord, the enemy will throw up every obstacle possible to make you feel like it’s too hard. Until you are strong enough to resist the devil, you will have to take a step back and trust the Holy Spirit to lead you. The Holy Spirit perfects us, not our own works, but the faith we have in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. Remember, Jesus is the perfecter of our faith. The Lord will gives us the strength to resist. All we have to do is submit our issues and ask for help. James 4:7, “Submit yourselves therefor to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. (KJV)”

Yours in Christ,

Erica J Hill

© Grace Built This Creations 2015

gracebuiltthis@outlook.com

gracebuiltthiscreations.blogspot.com

First Ever Fall Festival

I am super excited, I attended my first ever Fall Festival and set up my first ever booth!! It was a great for firsts. A big thanks to everyone who supported us on our first milestone!! Looking for many more to come. Praise the Lord!!

I still have some items for sell from the Fall Festival if anyone would like to purchase them. If you are interested, please email me.

This set is $20

This set is $15

This set is $15

This set is $20.

Thank you,

Erica J Hill

Change My Identity

             How many of us struggle with self-worth? If we were sitting in a classroom and the teacher asked us that question, who would be brave enough to raise our hand first? It’s not easy to admit that we have flaws, but the first step to overcoming them is to admit that they are there. Look deep within yourself. What are the things you struggle with the most? Those hidden things that no one knows about. I recently began to write a letter to God about how I am struggling with feeling as though my best effort isn’t good enough. That’s a terrible feeling. Living day to day wondering if you’re getting it right, but knowing that you are not. That’s where Jesus steps in. He gave God His best so that we could have a chance to give God our best. Because of Jesus, we have nothing to prove other than that we love God. The thing is, we can’t show God that we love Him through lip service, we show Him by living like we say that we love Him. The Lord calls us to a life of purity, free from the restraints of sin. In order to do that, we must put away our fleshly lusts, and walk in the true way of the Spirit. It is so easy to say that we love God with our mouths, but our lives tell a different story. We give in to this world by following it, but then think that one day of praising God is enough to atone for all our sins committed throughout the week. When do we stop playing church, and starting being the church? When do we allow Jesus to metaphorically wreak havoc upon our hearts, and clean out our temples like He did at the temple in Jerusalem? That’s the only way we’ll truly be clean. Those things that are lurking in the back of our minds, the things that we hide from everyone else, those are the very things that the enemy will use to condemn us, or use to hurt the ones that we love. We must truly, truly confess everything to God, and allow Him to heal us completely.

            When was the last time you had a real talk with God? A talk where you were asking Him what He wanted you to do, and not just what you can get from Him. We all have developed a cycle of seeking God only when it’s convenient for us. How many friends have you lost in the past because you were tired of being used by them. You know, those friends that only called when they needed something. God is tired of us using Him as well. God’s Word has not changed. It clearly tells us to “seek ye FIRST the Kingdom of Heaven and all His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.” Nowhere does it say to seek these things and His righteousness will be added. We’re all out of order. I heard someone say before, that we are always seeking the hand of God and never His face. We have to break that chain. Tradition is sometimes wrong. Ask the Lord to change your heart, ask Him to change your name. Ask Him to change your identity. To give you a zeal to seek Him and not just His riches. Our self-worth is not found in money, houses, family or even our spouses. Our self-worth is found in God. He thought that we were worth the price of His Son’s blood. How many people do we know that would die for our sins? Jesus is proof enough to know that we are worth more than anything this world could offer us. Start believing that you are more valuable than rubies, Jesus did. Then start living like it. Honor His sacrifice, by honoring His commandments. Jesus paved the way so that you could be saved. Declare over your life that God loves you, then believe it in your heart. I promise you’ll see a change. Remember these words,

  2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things have passed away; behold all things are become new.” 

Yours in Christ,
Erica J Hill
 © Grace Built This Creations 2015
gracebuiltthis@outlook.com
gracebuiltthiscreations.blogspot.com

Crafting Firsts

I first developed a love for crafting when I decided to design and create my wedding invitatations. I know, I know, we've all heard this story, but it's true see,

I really enjoyed making and sending out these invivtations.

But I always knew that I had a passion for crafts, because when I was younger, I would make candy vases, gift baskets, and I would crochet. So it was only fitting that I would have a love for making beautiful cards and other gifts to make people smile.

After making the wedding invitations, I had been hit by the bug 😍. And I just wanted to make and make and make some more.

I wanted to share with you all some of my first creations today.

I created a few of these just for fun, but others were created for Coworkers. I hope you enjoyed looking. Thanks again for checking out this blog. If anyone would like to order, you can email me at gracebuiltthis@outlook.com and we'll discuss pricing and shipping of you aren't local.

Yours in Christ 😃
Erica J Hill

To One Fabulous First Lady

Hello everyone. Today I'm posting a project that I did for a Co worker who wanted something for her Pastor and his wife. I named the post "To One Fabulous First Lady" because of what the card says. I just love that expression. It's great to be and feel like a Fabulous Woman of God 😄

For the Pastor's card, I did a step card with a poem honoring him as a Shepherd for the Lord. I think it turned out wonderfully for my first step card. And I'm excited to share with you all. Again, if anyone wants to order this card, then email me at gracebuiltthis@outlook.com  and we'll talk pricing and shipping if you aren't near me. Thanks for looking!!

Yours in Christ 😃
Erica J Hill

Many Thanks

My Pastor's wife, Evangelist Geraldine Davis, and my sister, Prophetess Darlene Calhoun hosted separate Women's Conferences back in June and asked me to make some gift bags to give to their speakers. I was very pleased with the outcome of both sets of bags with matching cards and am very thankful for the opportunity to create for them. If anyone would like to place an order, then email me at gracebuiltthis@outlook.com and we'll work discuss pricing, shipping etc. Thanks for looking!!

Yours in Christ ,
Erica J Hill

 ^<This set went to my sister.

 ^<This set went to my Elect Lady.

 Close ups of the different sets.

 

The Mini Piano

Hello everyone. I do apologize for the length of time that I have been absent from my blog, and I must make more time to get some posts up and soon. I have a lot of projects that have been finished and are just waiting for me to share. On the first Sunday in July, we had an appreciation ceremony for our musician at the church. We had an awesome time celebrating the work that she does for the God we serve. I love this woman to pieces, and am grateful to have her in our lives. ♡

I was searching for a unique gift that I could give her that I knew would make her smile and so I hit the crafting world and came up with this beautiful mini piano. I love love love it. I made a trial version but I must say that I love this one much more. If anyone would like one made for someone special, I would be more that happy to make one, just email me and we will iron everything out. I hope you enjoy this project as much as I did.

Yours in Christ 😃
Erica J Hill

The Spirit of Sin

Galatians 5:16-26

      How many of us recognise that sin is a spirit that can minister to us? And if allowed to, it could minister death to our souls. Lying is a spirit, stealing is a spirit, fornication is a spirit, adultery is a spirit, homosexuality is a spirit, in essence, anything that is not not like God is the "Dead Fruit of Sin". When we go back to the beginning to when the first sin occured, we will see that Eve was ministered to by the serpent. When her mind became open to the possibility of obeying or disobeying God, she chose to disobey Him and then ministered the same idea of disobedience to Adam, and he sinned too. Thus sin and disobedience are the same.

       We all have a choice to either obey or disobey. Sin or not to sin. Think back over your life, everything bad that you did, did you think about it first? A lot of the things that I have done in my past, I can guarantee that the thought was on my mind well before the action was carried out. I plotted then executed. More times than not, we all have done this. I'm here to tell you that this is the spirit of sin. It's always there trying to minister disobedience to our minds and hearts.

    Galatians 5:19-21 gives us a list of fleshly deeds that will keeps us from going to Heaven. All of these things come from the spirit of sin. The Word tells us to bring all our thoughts under subjection to the obedience of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5). This means that any negative thinking needs to be cast out and replaced with thoughts that glorify the Lord. The latter part of Galatians 5 gives us the Fruit of the Spirit of God, which ministers life to us. 

    When preparing for battle, the officers in command will draw up a strategy that they believe will help defeat their enemy. They'll send out scouts to find weak spots and other information, they will look at maps of the area to determine the best point of attack. They'll get advice from their most trusted leaders, and they realise that they are only as strong as their weakest soldier. So they train them for combat, instilling discipline, courage and love for the brotherhood, and teaching them that there is strength in unity.
    We have to be the same in Spiritual Warfare. The enemy is drawing up battle plans according to the maps of our minds. He studies our weaknesses and our past failures because he knows that the way to winning this war is to subdue our minds. He'll feed thoughts of discouragment, self-hate, depression, and all manner of things to create strongholds on our minds, then sin steps in and ministers to our spirits to act on those thoughts. So, we must become proactive in this fight, not reactive. We must use prayer to communicate with God, building up a store room of protection, so that when the enemy attacks, we'll be strengthened for the battle that's being proactive. If we wait until the enemy attacks before we reach out to God, then we set ourselves up to fail.
    The Bible is our map in more ways that one. It allows us to seenwhere the enemy plans to attack, then gives us the Living Word to push him back. We should use the Holy Spirit as our Spiritual Advisor to help call scripture to our remembrance when we are under attack. Our flesh, being the weakest member of the team, should be disciplined to withstand temptation. And we must unify ourselves within the Body of Christ. Once we are able to start recognizing the attack of the enemy, we will know what to seek God for in preparation for battle.      
     I truly believe that the thoughts we feed the most will be the thoughts that win. If we feed sinful thoughts, then sin will win. Sin ministers to our spirits to keep us out of the Will of God. The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life (Romans 6:23). Feed the positive thoughts that will give you life. Submitting our lives to Jesus , means that we receive life eternally. When we receive the Holy Spirit, the Fruit of the Spirit has been planted in our hearts, but its up to us to give sunlight and water to those seeds. So my question today is, which spirit will you feed?

 Yours in Christ

©Erica Hill
gracebuiltthis@outlook.com
gracebuiltthiscreations.blogspot.com

Comfort for the Soul

        I’ve been searching for the biblical meaning of the word “faint”, and I have come across scriptures that talk of “fainting”, but they also offer comfort in knowing that God is always there, if we hold on. The definition of faint is to become weak or dizzy; close to losing consciousness. It also means not clearly seen or felt. Sometimes when we lose sight of God, we feel a ‘faint’ touch, but it seems as though it’s not enough for us to know that He’s there, so we feel ‘faint’ at that time. The bible tells us in Isaiah 40:29 that “He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might; He increaseth strength.” I delight in this promise because the scripture tells me that He is always there. It goes on to say in verse 31 “but they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles, they shall run and not be weary, and they shall walk and not faint.” The keyword is shall. It doesn’t say maybe or could or probably. The promise is that we shall. That waiting on the Lord not only keeps us from fainting, but there’s a constant renewal of strength in times when we feel like giving up. In a world filled with uncertainty, it feels great to be rooted and anchored in the Lord. To know that being able to access Him through prayer and seeking His face constantly, should give us more reason to do so. I know what it feels like to be empty because I walked without God. It hurts. Then one day, I listened to a song and the singer quoted Psalm 27:13, “I had fainted unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.” And I often wondered what that meant so I set out to learn. I wanted to grow closer to God so that I wouldn’t faint. Psalm 27:14 says, “Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and He shall strength thine heart. Wait, I say on the Lord.” Another promise. Promises to keep us strengthened if we trust in the Lord. Trusting God’s plan is more important than anything else we can do. Once, I worked in a daycare and I had a conversation with my boss, Ms Fran, about God, and she told me that she trusts God because she has nothing to lose, and everything to gain. Because if she dies believing in God, and nothing happens, then nothing happens, but if she dies not believing in His Word, living His Word, and it turned out that He is real, then she would go to hell, and that’s not an option. So she lives her life trusting and believing in God’s Word. I took that with me, because I honestly believe that trusting and believing in God is far better than not having anything to live for. Galatians 6:9 “Let us not be weary in well doing; for in due season we shall reap if we faint not.” This is yet more comfort in knowing that if we come out of living in the world and live for God, then our living won’t be in vain. Because if we live contrary to God’s Word, then we will lose our souls. There is no destiny, nothing to look forward to outside of God. This world is becoming more and more dark every day.
           I recognized today that the Holy Spirit is urging us to not give up when the term “faint” is used. But the first step is to acknowledge that we need God in every aspect of our lives. Building a foundation with Christ requires us to communicate with Him daily through prayer, the reading of His Word, worshipping Him, and fasting. Coming to God is not as hard as we make it seem. Sometimes we may not understand things, but it’s not for us to understand God’s ways, we just need to trust Him. So don’t give up on your dreams just because you don’t see things happening according to your schedule. Trust God. When His timing and season for your life aligns, then everything will fall into place. Now, I’ll leave you with this, Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not to your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your path.”

Yours in Christ

 Erica J Hill

© gracebuiltthis@outlook.com
gracebuiltthiscreations.blogspot.com

Wedding Card in a Box

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

Envelope Pouch

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

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

Box in a Bag

So, I've decided to go back in time and pull out some oldie, but goodie tutorials that I've found on Pinterest.

This cute box in a bag can be used for all kinds of small gifts or treat bags, and it's was very easy to make.

I'm doing my first shout out on this blog, and it goes to the little blue room blog writer, Rachel. Thank you so much for this tutorial, it's really awesome!

Mother's Day

I know I am a day late, but I would like to wish all the mothers a very Happy Mother's Day. I am new to the crafting world, but I must say I am enjoying it very much. I'm learning so much from Pinterest and the different Stampin Up! Demonstrators that I can't mention them all, but I'm very appreciative to everyone. For Mother's Day, I created some explosion boxes for my mother, my husband's mother, and his grandmother. I really enjoyed making these. Hopefully you will enjoy them as well.

This one went to my wonderful mother n law.

This box went to my beautiful mother.

And this box went to my wonderful grandmother n law.

As I stated before, I really enjoyed making these boxes, and it was awesome seeing the smiles on their faces. I used Petal Pizzazz, Petite Petals, and the Flower Shop stamps from Stampin Up! For the flowers. 

© gracebuiltthis@outlook.com

images © Stampin Up!

Reflections

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.

When God is Your Coach

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