Joyful is the person who finds wisdom, the one who gains understanding. ~Proverbs 3:13

The pearls in this artwork represent wisdom.

Praise God for Wisdom! Wisdom is such a great gift. I realize that the more I pray for wisdom, God is really saying to me that He wants me to be happy, so I need to pray for more wisdom! The Bible says that the person who finds wisdom is happy. So 2013 brings refreshment of the abundance of wisdom that God freely provides to whoever asks! God has been giving me Words of Wisdom regarding truth and words that are spoken out loud. James 3:6 says, "The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell." What lies have we believed from the enemy? God wants to set us free from words of death that may have been spoken over us in our past or present. My prayer is that God would reveal to us these words and replace them with His abundant Word of LOVE, LIFE, PEACE, JOY, and RESTORATION. God can birth movements in His people with just one Word! I would encourage you to pray and seek the Lord's face. What agreements have you made with the enemy? What lies do you need to reject and replace with God's truth? What Word of Wisdom is God giving to you for 2013?

"Leap of Faith" was recently published in "Horizons." You can see the magazine issue here.

I've been in a storm of a busy season and unfortunately the art has taken a back seat. God has been so faithful and gentle in His whispers.... this to shall pass and the art will make a comeback. The hardest part is realizing how much communion I have with Him while creating and how that has been lacking lately. In 2013, Lord Willing, I pray I will have more time and room for the art. I want to be sensitive to God's heart and His timing, but I feel that gentle nudge in that direction. This recent publication was an encouragement to me, a blessing and an honor.

To my fellow art watchers and lovers out there, thanks for being patient during this quiet season. I feel an outpouring building up in my Spirit. All in His time.... He restores all things in His time.

Blessings,

Stacy

With every sin committed, in Christ, there is a bridge already waiting to close the gap. It's overwhelming.

So I'm writing this to say, "Thank You." Because He didn't have to die for us.... but I'm so glad He did.

Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops. ~James 5:17-18

When Elijah prayed this prayer, he was in the birthing position. He was giving birth to the desires that God had placed in his heart. Are we so in tuned with God that we carry His desires? Are we willing to pray the prayer of faith and labor in pain so the baby can be born? Elijah was just like us! How encouraging that we too can be so connected to God that we can carry His desires and give birth to them! Can God trust us with what He wants?

Ask God today to realign your heart with His. Ask Him to remove the desires that are not of Him and to place His desires strong in you. Can He trust you to carry those desires to full term? Can you trust Him to wait for them?

I want to get a hold of God like the woman in the artwork and pray. I believe this kind of prayer that is caught up in God can move mountains!

(Sorry for the long delay in posts. Life has been a lot crazier than I'd like it to be lately, but God is faithful!)

This artwork is about God restoring and redeeming Eve. Although she fell and was kicked out of the Garden of Eden, God is building her an even better garden where she will live forever. This time nothing will be able to tempt her to fall because of the sacrifice Jesus made for her on the cross.

His Promise:
For I will set My eyes on them for good, and I will bring them back to this land; I will build them and not pull them down, and I will plant them and not pluck them up. ~Jeremiah 24:6

God reminded me of how He sees His beautiful creation during the creation of this piece. It's so sad to see so many women struggle with their appearance in light of knowing how beautiful they really are in the eyes of God. I hope this piece will encourage women when they see this artwork. This is how God sees you! You are beautiful-- your spirit is overflowing with His love and mercy! And to go along with it, He is building you a beautiful garden that will never be destroyed by the enemy. You can count on it :)

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! See you next year :)

Ever feel like this? (I have!) Looking back over our pasts can be excruciatingly painful if we don't let God radically transform our trials and wounds for His Glory. We have to be willing to let go of those memories and allow the healing power of God to come in and restore those areas of our lives. That is what this artwork is all about. It is about allowing God to restore our memory and align our history up with His truth.

Here is the thing (and I know this from first hand experience), Satan attacks us through our wounds and memories. If we let our memory and wounds remain in the dark, we will continue to live in unhealthy cycles of pain. Once we allow our history to be exposed to the light of Christ, He removes the lies and the darkness of the enemy and sets us free to walk in truth.

I pray that as you are reading this blog and looking at this artwork, that God would do a mighty work in you. I pray He would reveal to you the memories and wounds He wants to heal you from and expose all the lies you have agreed with the enemy on. I pray in the Name of Jesus that He would break those agreements you've made with the enemy and set you free forever with His Truth. May His Truth be planted in your hearts and take root in a mighty and powerful way--so much so that many others will also be brought to the Truth of Christ as a result of the fruit that springs forth from the seeds of Truth that Jesus has planted in you. In Jesus Name I pray this, Amen.

On a side note, please forgive my absence. I am in the middle of a major season of transition because God has opened up a new door in my life. It is an exciting but crazy time and I'd appreciate your prayers as I await God's provision. I am now on a church planting team and will be putting a lot of time and effort into building His church. Praise Him!

Don't we all wish we could have a little more faith? I'm in a season where God is making it clear that I must expect Him to do great things--things far beyond what I could have imagined or thought in my own mind (Isaiah 64:4). Welcome to the harvest (although I'm not quite seeing it yet). But God wants us to BELIEVE Him for one! You can trust Me; I am faithful, He says.

I love the above Matthew scripture because faith depends so much on our perspective and how we see. Lord, open up our eyes so we can SEE! Perspective is everything! We have to get God's perspective on our lives--now, in the past and future. With His perspective we see things clearly through the light of His Truth (which sets us free to dance) and not through the lens of Satan's lies.

Our satisfaction and joy should come from God alone (not from our circumstances) and if you aren't feeling it-- I promise you there is a lie from the enemy that you are believing. Go to God and ask Him to reveal that lie (or lies). Ask Him to help you come clean. Once you have accepted the truth, you are free to love, laugh and dance no matter how bad your circumstances may be. I learned this in the valley. I learned it the hard way, but I'm so glad I finally learned. I pray what I learned with help you too?

Are you ready to believe God for something bigger, greater? Take a leap of faith--believe and obey. I think we will all be blown away by what our Great God can do :)

Yet I am confident I will see the Lord’s goodness
while I am here in the land of the living.

Wait patiently for the Lord.
Be brave and courageous.
Yes, wait patiently for the Lord. ~Psalm 27:13-15

Who or what is the cornerstone of your life (Isaiah 28:16)? If it's not Jesus, then you are on shaky ground. Sure, circumstances can make us happy for a while, but if they are our foundation, then we are sure to fall as soon as one thing goes wrong (and it's only a matter of time before it does). If our whole world rises and falls based on our circumstances or another person (maybe a friend, spouse, parent, etc) then have idolized that circumstance or person. God wants to remove all the high places in our lives to allow us to make Him our solid foundation so we can live on an even plain (Isaiah 40:4). If Jesus is our cornerstone and foundation, we can live out of the JOY of a relationship with Him. Only Jesus is the abundant supply of living water. We must have this living water to have abundant life. Thus, if you want abundant life you must have Jesus as your foundation. Once He is the cornerstone of our lives, we cannot be moved by any circumstance or person. Think about how powerful that is!!! No human or circumstance has the ability to move you or me! We can live on a constant, even plain of worshiping God and being in a state of joy that only knowing and pursuing Him can bring. People will let us down eventually. They also will never fully live up to our expectations. However, God never fails and He never stops loving us. We can live in 100% security based on His love for us and His character.

Do you want to be fully satisfied? I believe only Jesus Christ can satisfy the deepest longings of our heart. Is your cup empty? Do you know that as a believer you can take your empty come to Jesus Christ and He will fill it overflowing with the Living Water? Do you realize that your empty cup can be filled this way no matter how terrible or great your circumstances are? You see, our cup never runs over because of our circumstances, but because of our relationship with Jesus Christ. That's why we can have life and have it abundantly no matter how deep and dark the valley is that we are walking through.

Are you waiting for God to give you a desire He has placed on your heart? Do you realize that God can fulfill that desire completely with Himself while you wait for it to come to fruition in your life? God let Abraham understand this: