My heart is filled with gratitude and hope after prolonged exposure to ‘spiritual warfare’ originated from a sinful world.

We live in a broken world. People’s mind are perverted, hearts are hardened and actions are undoubtedly conniving and evil.

Spiritual warfare is real. We can easily be sucked into it. It’s an on-going struggle.

Hearing the latest news on TV, navigating thru unexpected circumstances, facing adversity or adopting world’s views will either consume all of our energy or exhaust our emotional, intellectual and/or physical resources. If our resources are depleted, we will drift away from our close fellowship with Abba Father.

Be alert, a thief comes to steal, and destroy one’s relationship with the Lord!

I often pray, ‘Lord, guard my mind, heart and soul’. 

Because the Lord is faithful and merciful, I just wrote Him a “Heart2Heart” note today.

Dear beloved Father, you have been my refuge since I invited you to come into my heart. You acknowledge all struggles and distress, and counsel me when facing dilemmas. You are a shining light to a disturbed and chaotic world.

You know me by name and even pronounce it correctly with a Latin flavor.

Help me capture the essence of your promises so I may remember them in the midst of intense, unexpected  spiritual warfare. My deepest desire is to always be courageous, brave and stand firm in my Faith.

Spiritual warfare is real and is here to stay!

But, there is victory in the name of Jesus.

If I seek you, I will find you. You are my strength in my weakness. Your faithfulness is my shield in any given challenge, Lord.

Your love never runs out and I appreciate when you extend grace when teaching the hardest, life lessons. Yes, I heard you ‘loud and clear’ this afternoon when you highlighted the importance of being still and relentlessly prayerful right before entering the battlefield.

Shape my thoughts, mold my character and set my paths straight. I always want to act justly and walk humbly.

Direct my steps, and cleanse my heart from unforgiveness, bitterness and hatred.  I surrender my plan(s). Your plans are better than mine indeed!

I do believe so help me with  my unbelief. I’ve wrestled with you way too many times. I know you understand my struggles, dilemmas, and uncertainties. I repent for hidden sins in my heart.

I will trust you with all of my heart, mind and soul regardless of current circumstances.

Let your will be done always, in Jesus’ name I give praise and pray, Amen.

Bible Journaling refreshes our minds, hearts and souls creatively. The experiential activity will redirect our attention to what’s true, trustworthy, lovely, admirable and noble. When our minds are renewed, we can endure the next challenge, rejection and/or opposition. When fully engaged  in creative bible journaling, I love using a confetti-colored, royal blue pair of scissors to cut out the elements, strategically place them on a bible page, highlight a verse or two, reflect on His message and engrave it permanently in my heart. It’s a fun way to unwind at the end of a hectic day,  diffuse the intensity of toxic stress and preserve the fellowship with the Lord.

In 2017, I created at least 43 different page layouts and prayed over these Scriptures. God speaks to us thru His Word.

“Is anything too hard for the LORD? I will return to you at the appointed time next year, and Sarah will have a son.””
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭18:14‬ ‭NIV‬‬“I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies,”
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭22:17‬ ‭NIV‬‬“And the LORD said to Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.””
‭‭Exodus‬ ‭33:17‬ ‭NIV‬‬“Then you will remember to obey all my commands and will be consecrated to your God. I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt to be your God. I am the LORD your God.’ ””
‭‭Numbers‬ ‭15:40-41‬ ‭NIV‬‬“But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul. For the LORD your God is a merciful God; he will not abandon or destroy you or forget the covenant with your ancestors, which he confirmed to them by oath.”
Deuteronomy‬ ‭4:29, 31‬ ‭NIV‬‬And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul,”
‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭10:12‬ ‭NIV‬‬
“But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.”
‭‭Ruth‬ ‭1:16‬ ‭NIV‬‬“So he sent for him and had him brought in. He was glowing with health and had a fine appearance and handsome features. Then the LORD said, “Rise and anoint him; this is the one.” So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the LORD came powerfully upon David. Samuel then went to Ramah.”
‭‭1 Samuel‬ ‭16:12-13 NIV“Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.”
‭‭1 Chronicles‬ ‭16:34‬ ‭NIV‬‬“Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all. Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name.”
‭‭1 Chronicles‬ ‭29:12-13‬ ‭NIV‬‬“if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”
‭‭2 Chronicles‬ ‭7:14‬ ‭NIV‬‬For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”
‭‭Esther‬ ‭4:14‬ ‭NIV‬‬“Answer me when I call to you, my righteous God. Give me relief from my distress; have mercy on me and hear my prayer.”
‭‭Psalm‬ ‭4:1‬ ‭NIV‬‬“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.”
‭‭Psalm‬ ‭19:1‬ ‭NIV‬‬
“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.”
‭‭Psalm‬ ‭23:5-6‬ ‭NIV‬‬“Show me your ways, LORD, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.”
‭‭Psalm‬ ‭25:4-5‬ ‭NIV“He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.””
‭‭Psalm‬ ‭46:10‬ ‭NIV‬‬
“I know every bird in the mountains, and the insects in the fields are mine. If I were hungry I would not tell you, for the world is mine, and all that is in it.”
‭‭Psalm‬ ‭50:11-12‬ ‭NIV‬“In your righteousness, rescue me and deliver me; turn your ear to me and save me.”
‭‭Psalm‬ ‭71:2‬ ‭NIV‬‬“He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.”
‭‭Psalm‬ ‭91:4, 7‬ ‭NIV‬‬
“Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.”
‭‭Psalm‬ ‭100:4‬ ‭NIV‬‬
“Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced,”
‭‭Psalm‬ ‭105:5‬ ‭NIV‬‬“Blessed are all who fear the LORD, who walk in obedience to him.”
‭‭Psalm‬ ‭128:1‬ ‭NIV‬‬
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭3:5-6‬ ‭NIV‬‬“a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak,”
‭‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭3:7‬ ‭NIV‬‬
“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭7:14‬ ‭NIV‬‬“Awake, awake, arm of the LORD, clothe yourself with strength! Awake, as in days gone by, as in generations of old. Was it not you who cut Rahab to pieces, who pierced that monster through?”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭51:9‬ ‭NIV‬‬“Yet you, LORD, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭64:8‬ ‭NIV‬“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭29:11‬ ‭NIV‬‬“Let us acknowledge the LORD; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth.””
‭‭Hosea‬ ‭6:3‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”
‭‭Micah‬ ‭6:8‬ ‭NIV‬‬“After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.””
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭2:1-2‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.””
‭‭Luke‬ ‭22:42‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.””
‭‭John‬ ‭8:12‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭6:6-7‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”
‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭13:4-7‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.”
‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭16:13‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”
‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭5:17‬ ‭NIV

“Speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord,”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭5:19‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.”
‭‭Colossians‬ ‭1:15-20 NIV

“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.”
‭‭1 Thessalonians‬ ‭5:11‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain,”
‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭6:19‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
‭‭Revelation‬ ‭21:5‬ ‭NIV‬‬

—————————————–  Bible layouts can be purchased from Etsy store titled “Lot95Designs”. There is also a FB community available for encouragement, teachings and ideas led by Lynn Shokoples. You may request membership at the following link: https://m.facebook.com/groups/1592533074392323