My Fault

  Like I mentioned earlier in my post about rain, I recently learned what I had done to get such terrible resolution on my blog header. Here's the story, with a little lesson attached.
  I used a combination of Illustrator and Photoshop to create my design (Illustrator to create the graphics and Photoshop to assemble everything). I kept on noticing that the graphics looked very pixelated once I put them in Ps. In the past, I had not used Ps for much more than editing photos, so I didn't really know what to do. I finally concluded that it was because I had tried to copy and paste the graphics from Ai. I almost discredited the programs and accused them of not working together as seamlessly as claimed, but I have faith in the Adobe software (Adobe is my hero) and so I accepted the blame.
  I think sometimes we are tempted the same way in our spiritual experience. It is so easy to discredit God or his salvation and sanctification when we don't have the victory we want or we don't understand life. However, faith in God says that He is not the problem, but it is self that messes things up. A little more humility--a little more submission to his will--and victory can be ours. Any time the thought comes that there must be nothing to salvation, that is an indicator that self is becoming too involved in the situation.  God's plan is perfect.  Furthermore, I had to admit that there are amazing artists out there that do great things with Adobe programs.  There are also a "great cloud of witnesses" that can tell us that they were able by the blood of Jesus.  Therefore, let us stay encouraged and never give up our faith in God.

Blessings,

Alyssa

Whom the King Delighteth to Honour

Esther 6:3,4,6  And the king said, What honour and dignity hath been done to Mordecai for this? Then said the king's servants that ministered unto him, There is nothing done for him.  And the king said, Who is in the court? Now Haman was come into the outward court of the king's house, to speak unto the king to hang Mordecai on the gallows that he had prepared for him...So Haman came in. And the king said unto him, What shall be done unto the man whom the king delighteth to honour?...

The end of Mordecai's story was victory, and the end of Haman was destruction.  Haman had evil planned for Mordecai, and it looked as if he had the power to accomplish it.  The king--the one with the real power--turned everything around.  Haman came to the court to get permission to hang Mordecai, but he left with an order to honor the Jew he hated so much.  What a delightful story that makes!  The evil prince plots to hang Queen Esther's cousin, but everything goes wrong.   He is humiliated and has to run through the streets honoring Mordecai--the one he hates.

Satan wishes to destroy us all.  He has plans and schemes, and his gallows for our souls are seen rising in the distance.  Does that sound discouraging?  The story, however, has been told, and we know that the soul that is hid in Christ has the assurance of victory.  All the evil plans of the Devil will be turned into a victory for God's children, and the devil will be defeated once again.  God has all power, therefore, we are safe from the threats of the devil.

The devil's most evil scheme--the crucifixion of Jesus Christ--was his greatest defeat.  When Jesus rose from the grave, sin was forever under His feet.  We now have the power through Jesus Christ to resist temptation, claim the victory for each day, and watch as evil is turned for our good!