Ephesians 1:
17That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:
18The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
19And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,
20Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,
21Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:
22And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,
23Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.
What has changed in my life from the last blog until now? Not really much on the physical realm. The world continues to twirl around me. The difference is inside of me. I am at complete peace with God. My hope is in Him. Satan is constantly trying to destroy my life’s testimony. Yet, the exceeding power of God toward me is such that I will win in this war against Satan; even though I may on occasion lose a battle—God has equipped me with all I need. God gave His only Son, that the war has been completed. He will finish His work in me. If we go back to Habakkuk and look one more time. God reminded Habakkuk that He was in control and though it might seem strange that God would use the very evil Babylonians to fulfill His full purpose. This evil nation came down to conquer the Israelites. These evil people then took the best of their youth, including Daniel. As noted in Daniel 1: 6Now among these were of the children of Judah, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah:
7Unto whom the prince of the eunuchs gave names: for he gave unto Daniel the name of Belteshazzar; and to Hananiah, of Shadrach; and to Mishael, of Meshach; and to Azariah, of Abednego
A review of the Book of Daniel would reveal that God was fully in control and that these young men repeatedly revealed God’s Glory by their steady faith. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were thrown into a fiery furnace where they did not burn and Christ stood there with them. At that point the heathen King had to acknowlege that God was mighty and powerful. Daniel 3:
28Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God.
29Therefore I make a decree, That every people, nation, and language, which speak any thing amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill: because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort.
Note that the king was ready to declare that the people allow these young men to worship their God. He was not willing to worship God; but he did acknowledge His power. As time went by even these events must have been forgotten as also the king had changed from Nebuchadnezzar to Belshazzar . Tthere came forth a decree that no one was to pray to anyone except the King himself. Daniel continued to pray as always and therefore was thrown into the lion’s den. Once more God’s Glory was demonstrated. This time the king declared. Daniel 6: 26I make a decree, That in every dominion of my kingdom men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel: for he is the living God, and stedfast for ever, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed, and his dominion shall be even unto the end.
So it is very clear that God had and perfect plan that was to demonstrate His Glory and even touch a very evil nation. Habakkuk 2:
13Behold, is it not of the LORD of hosts that the people shall labour in the very fire, and the people shall weary themselves for very vanity?
14For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.
So, let the eyes of our heart be opened that we might see fully the hope of His calling. That we press forward filled with this hope forever reaching and pressing forward even when the storms of this present world surround us. God, almighty stands upon His throne and His plan is to bring Glory to Jesus Christ and thereby fulfill His Glory through me. The full riches of His Glory inherited through this adoption as His child. So why fear anything. When the eyes of our hearts are opened and the cataracts of this worlds appeal removed, then we can begin to understand the very depth of His Mighty Power toward us. As we appreciate the power of Satan and sin in our lives then we can come to realize the Awesome power of God that indwells us as believers to allow us to win in this war. So I must surgically remove the cataracts of desires for such vanities as this world would offer that I might continually seek His face and look fully into His Face of Glory with eyes that savor the beauty of all that He is. When I do this I am filled with joy in the midst of sorrowful world, hope when disaster surrounds, and peace in the center of turmoil. God is in Control.
I had the wondrous opportunity to listen to an incredible sermon by John Piper who God has truly placed as my mentor on this earth, I hope to share this with you.. Just follow this link. Love, Effie Darlene Barba