WELCOME, everyone! What a beautiful week it has been. We are so happy that you've chosen to stop by and play along with us. You won't be disappointed that you did, because we have TWO AWESOME SPONSORS again this week, and YOU could be one of our very lucky winners. We look forward to seeing the beautiful cards and projects you will share with us, and we are grateful that you choose to play along in our challenges. Thanks for stopping by.
This week's scripture is Acts 17:27, and says "That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us." As I thought about this verse, and asked the Lord to give me something helpful to share with all of you; He reminded me of a very dark time in my life. We've all been through those times; and although we'd rather not remember those experiences, it's helpful to examine the choices we made that got us in that dark place. For me, I was in a dark valley for a while because of bad choices (because of my own sin). Nonetheless, as a Christian, I would call out to God for strength. Despite my sinfulness, there He was EVERY time to pick me up and restore me. I finally got to a place where I realized that I could no longer live in that dark valley; and I needed His help to truly restore my relationship with Him. As I prayed and sought after Him, I quickly realized that HE had never left my side. It was ME who had strayed from Him. As I think of the part of this verse that says "though he be not far from every one of us", I realized once again that when we are feeling separated from Him, we must remember that God NEVER leaves us or forsakes us. It is US who move away from Him when we are sinning and suffering. The other part of this verse says "haply they might feel after him, and find him". Truth be told, He isn't hiding, and is never hard to find. When we move away from Him, WE are the ones who need to get right and bring our hearts back into fellowship with Him. I still go through times when I find myself in sin, pulling away from God; but He is never far from me. When I want that closeness to God, that sweet fellowship and feeling of safety that I crave SO much, I don't have to look very far. It's always a simple matter of confessing my sin, and calling out to ask Him to draw close to me. He ALWAYS WILL! If you're going through a dark valley, please know that you are NEVER alone. God is there in the midst of ANY trial. All you have to do is call out to Him, and ask Him to pull you out of that valley. Confess your sins to Him, and you will quickly find peace and happiness, and realize that He never left you. We pull away from Him because of our sin; but PRAISE GOD, He will forgive us and restore that sweet fellowship that only He can provide. Seek after the Lord, and leave that dark valley. PRAISE GOD - You NEVER have to walk it alone.
As always, you are welcome to save this week's free scripture/word art file to your computer, but are not required to use it in order to play along in our challenges. We welcome you share your art with us; remembering that Anything Goes as long as it's family-friendly, and uses an encouraging or uplifting sentiment. This includes any type of altered or digital art (not just limited to cards). You may link up to five (5) projects each week. The more you enter, the more you increase your odds of winning. It is our desire that God's Word will be a blessing and encouragement to you each week. If you have any questions about the rules, be sure to read the complete list of rules under our page tab for "Challenge Rules". Because our ultimate goal is to honor God, we have no other choice but to delete any entries that do not adhere to these guidelines. Let us know if you have any questions, and thanks for your understanding and participation!
This week's scripture is Acts 17:27, and says "That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us." As I thought about this verse, and asked the Lord to give me something helpful to share with all of you; He reminded me of a very dark time in my life. We've all been through those times; and although we'd rather not remember those experiences, it's helpful to examine the choices we made that got us in that dark place. For me, I was in a dark valley for a while because of bad choices (because of my own sin). Nonetheless, as a Christian, I would call out to God for strength. Despite my sinfulness, there He was EVERY time to pick me up and restore me. I finally got to a place where I realized that I could no longer live in that dark valley; and I needed His help to truly restore my relationship with Him. As I prayed and sought after Him, I quickly realized that HE had never left my side. It was ME who had strayed from Him. As I think of the part of this verse that says "though he be not far from every one of us", I realized once again that when we are feeling separated from Him, we must remember that God NEVER leaves us or forsakes us. It is US who move away from Him when we are sinning and suffering. The other part of this verse says "haply they might feel after him, and find him". Truth be told, He isn't hiding, and is never hard to find. When we move away from Him, WE are the ones who need to get right and bring our hearts back into fellowship with Him. I still go through times when I find myself in sin, pulling away from God; but He is never far from me. When I want that closeness to God, that sweet fellowship and feeling of safety that I crave SO much, I don't have to look very far. It's always a simple matter of confessing my sin, and calling out to ask Him to draw close to me. He ALWAYS WILL! If you're going through a dark valley, please know that you are NEVER alone. God is there in the midst of ANY trial. All you have to do is call out to Him, and ask Him to pull you out of that valley. Confess your sins to Him, and you will quickly find peace and happiness, and realize that He never left you. We pull away from Him because of our sin; but PRAISE GOD, He will forgive us and restore that sweet fellowship that only He can provide. Seek after the Lord, and leave that dark valley. PRAISE GOD - You NEVER have to walk it alone.
As always, you are welcome to save this week's free scripture/word art file to your computer, but are not required to use it in order to play along in our challenges. We welcome you share your art with us; remembering that Anything Goes as long as it's family-friendly, and uses an encouraging or uplifting sentiment. This includes any type of altered or digital art (not just limited to cards). You may link up to five (5) projects each week. The more you enter, the more you increase your odds of winning. It is our desire that God's Word will be a blessing and encouragement to you each week. If you have any questions about the rules, be sure to read the complete list of rules under our page tab for "Challenge Rules". Because our ultimate goal is to honor God, we have no other choice but to delete any entries that do not adhere to these guidelines. Let us know if you have any questions, and thanks for your understanding and participation!
Here's this week's scripture/word art file.
We hope it will be a blessing to you.
Here are this week's AMAZING sponsors:
The Flying Unicorn is a SUPER SWEET
store filled with ALL the big names in crafting.
One very lucky person will win a
$25 Gift Certificate to The Flying Unicorn
AND
Fred She Said is our Digital Sponsor this week
and they carry SO many sweet images.
We're excited to have them with us!
AND NOW.....Our lucky winners:
V's Sweet Ideas is a DARLING SHOP filled
with stamps, trims and embellishments to make
you smile with excitement. The winner of a
$10 Gift Certificate to V's Sweet Ideas is
Lucky Entry #29 - Lisa (Royal Pumpkin Art)
Robyn's Fetish is our Digital Sponsor this week
and the winner of three of their sweet images
is Lucky Entry #149 - Kris B.
AND
Lilla Rose with Consultant, Elizabeth Williams
is donating this lovely hair clip to one winner.
The winner of this awesome prize is
Entry #119 - Jennifer Scull
WINNERS: Please email Karen THIS WEEK
to claim your prize! Thanks.
May God bless all our amazing sponsors.
We appreciate them all SO very much!
We appreciate them all SO very much!
Here's Some Inspiration to Get You Started
Using Sponsor, Fred-She-Said
Image, I Love You This Much
Using Sponsor, Fred-She-Said
Image, Happy Flowers
11 comments:
Congratulations to each winner AND thanks for these wonderful reminders that we are never alone! Wishing everyone at WaW a beautiful week!! xx Donna K
Very nice work DT
Very nice DT work and words of inspiration. Thank you for the challenge.
what beautiful, inspiring projects by everyone on the team! thank you for always having such wonderful words of encouragement and hope.
thank you, also, for choosing my card as one of your winners! congratulations to all of those who won prizes. :)
I'll be sending an email out right away.
Karen what a beautiful devotional post today! I really appreciate being so transparent! Thank you for always reaching out and bringing us a little closer to Jesus! Hugs, Ginny
Truly inspiring creations from everyone. Smiles.xx
I enjoy your inspirational posts each week. I think we all go through dark places, but Solomon says in 1 Kings 8:12 and 2 Chronicles 6:1 that God dwells in the "thick darkness" so when all is dark around us remember that God is there too. I am fairly new at entering my cards, but the ones I see are an inspiration for me. I live in the panhandle of Florida and there are no card makers nearby that I know of. Thanks for your inspiration.
Thank you for another challenge. Lovely cards by the design team.
Congrats to all winners!!
Wonderful inspiration and thank you for the words of encouragement.
Have a wonderful day,
Millie
Crafting With Creative M
Beautiful & inspirational DT creations, as always! Thank you for how eloquently & sincerely you spread God's word. It is appreciated & cherished more than you know....
{{{Hugs}}}
Diana ♥
Leelee Card Designs
Thanks for the great word art scripture and fabulous DT inspiration!
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