Category Archives: Blog

Blog, Christian Blog

What Does It Mean to Be Complete?

In Jesus Christ, we are made complete! In Him, we have hope,  joy, and power to overcome the evils of this world. Without Him we have nothing!  Because of sin’s dominion in this world, our hearts are encased with an outer skin of hardness toward God. Because of that, we have missing pieces in our spirit and heart preventing us from knowing true love or joy.

GOOD NEWS!

Breaking through that hardness: God, through the atoning sacrifice of His Son, removes that hard shell from our hearts so that we might in Christ be made complete.  This is the mystery and the Glorious beauty of the Salvation we are given through faith!  Complete, whole, and filled with everything that we could ever need or hope for! This is a gift of God given freely to all who believe.  I cannot add anything to that Salvation.  I come, just as I am to be washed and made whole. Let’s look at what Paul wrote to the church of Colossae and break it down into 4 major amazing Truths.

COLOSSIANS 2:9-15

For in him (Jesus Christ) dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power: In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ: Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.

And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.

UNIMAGINABLE POWER

Jesus Christ is the head of all principality and power.  That means there is no authority within the spiritual realm that is higher than Jesus Christ.  No evil force but which must fall beneath His ultimate rule.  We see that when He cast out demons!  (Mark 5) Beyond that, we see this fully displayed in His remaining perfectly righteous despite Satan’s bombardment of temptations!  Furthermore, when He rose from the grave after having conquered death; He displayed the ultimate power over Satan’s curse of death.  Because of all He did, Jesus Christ gave  power over sin’s curse in our own lives to all who believe by faith.

All too often as believers, we believe we are too weak to overcome the temptations in our own lives; but that is just not true.  In Christ, we are given the power to slay sin in our lives! Unless we recognize that; then, we remain victims to our own flesh.  The first step to overcoming our own sinful desires is to recognize that when in Christ we are given power over sin.

TENDER HEART OF LOVE

Our hearts are by nature covered with a thick, hard covering that is more concerned with self-fulfillment than it is with loving others or God. Part of our sin nature is that! We are always concerned with “what makes me happy!”  We want what we want! Selfish and self-exalting by nature; it takes a surgical intervention to transform our hearts into those that are tender and loving toward God.  Only when filled with God’s Love can we truly be loving toward others.  In Christ, our hearts are made complete as well.

And the Lord thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live. Deuteronomy 30:6

Circumcision of the flesh throughout the old testament was a symbol of the covenant between God and Man-an act performed to display faith.  It’s deeper symbolic meaning came to fruition in God circumcising the heart of mankind so that man might love god fully and in Him be made complete in love.

RAISED TO NEW LIFE

Circumcision of the flesh was symbolic to the circumcision of the heart. Furthermore, baptism a symbol of being raised to new life. Baptism is an outward symbol that our sinful flesh is buried, washed clean by the blood of Christ, and then raised again into newness of life.  Because Jesus Christ rose from the grave we, who were spiritually dead to God, are made alive to Him.  We are made complete in Jesus Christ. Because of this salvation,  we have a vibrant spiritual communion and life with God.  This life is a source of joy, hope, peace, and love.

FORGIVEN, REDEEMED

Never forget that the power over sin, the tender heart of love, and this vibrant life given to us is because of the redemptive work of Jesus Christ on the Cross.  Our hearts, spirits and souls are made complete in Jesus Christ through our faith in Him and Him alone.  He made it possible for us to be forgiven and redeemed.  We cannot do that of our own works.  We are made complete in Jesus Christ.  Complete with nothing missing!  Stop for a moment and imagine that.  No more missing pieces in my heart or spirit.

CONCLUDING TWEETS

[tweetthis]No more missing pieces in my heart because in Christ I am made complete![/tweetthis]

 

[bctt tweet=”God can cut away the hard shell around my heart; that I might love fully and completely.” username=”effiedarlene”]

 

[tweetthis]Redeemed, forgiven: what a wonderful gift of Grace that I might share.[/tweetthis]

 

[tweetthis]In Christ, I am given the power to overcome sin in my life through faith.[/tweetthis]

 

Photo courtesy of https://unsplash.com/@majapetric

©Effie Darlene Barba, 2017

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post.  I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

Blog

How to be Rooted in Jesus Christ

[bctt tweet=”When our roots are dug deep into our foundation, Jesus Christ; the storms will not blow us over.” username=”effiedarlene”]As Christians, We are to be rooted in Jesus Christ; stretching deep into the fountain of living water. There is where we find our hearts satisfied.  Jesus Christ is that fountain of living water which fills us with joy, peace and hope!  When we are rooted in Him, we can’t get blown over when the storms of life come.   Grounded in Him, the truth,  we will not sway with every philosophical wind of society that blows our way!  That is what Paul the apostle wanted the Church of Colossae to learn.

As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. Colossians 2: 6-9

A VIEW FROM CREATION

I traveled along the highways into central Mexico a lot, during one season of my life.  My husband, children and I would travel along the main highways downward until near Queretaro.   Then we veered off onto a small and winding path heading our way to Pachuca, Hgo.  Along the roadside were areas of barren desert  and mountainous terrain.  Little streams of water etched their way across the land. Along the sides of the steep, rocky terrain,  trees stood, stretching toward the heavens. Defying gravity, each was supported by winding, tumultuous roots stretching across the rocky surfaces down into the water’s edge below.  Because of their strength and endurance; my heart yearned to have their strength. Little did I know that they would be my inspiration years later as all alone I traveled those roads after my husband’s death. Continue reading How to be Rooted in Jesus Christ →

Blog

How to Discern Truth in a Liberal World

Discerning truth and wisdom should be easier in a world with so many technological advances.  After all, a simple  word search provides us with thousands of possibilities on the internet.  We are surrounded by 24-hour a day news broadcasts filled with endless opinions being presented by various hosts. Not to mention, the millions of books written, talk radio, talk shows,  and  even smart phones which bombard us with information every moment of the day.  We say, “enough”!  Then we decide to watch a movie or other entertaining show to relax; only to find it is filled with ideologies and hidden agendas attempting to transform our minds to believe that this or that is true.  How can we ever really discern truth with so many conflicting ideas bombarding our hearts and minds?

THE DISTORTION OF TRUTH

We might think this is a new phenomenon in which conflicting ideas fight for relativism. However, the liberal philosophy of relativism began with Satan in the Garden of Eden. It was first introduced  the moment Satan whispered his provocative questions to Eve.  He suggested that what God said might not be absolutely true.  Instead, Satan contended that truth was relative. Ever since then,  the human race has faced difficulty discerning truth from fiction. The same was true for the early Christian churches.  They were being bombarded with false doctrines and ideologies.  Because of this, Paul prayed for the church and he wrote them. He reminded them  that all the truth of this world can be found in God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.  Read these words: Continue reading How to Discern Truth in a Liberal World →

Blog

HOW TO CONTINUE WHEN TRIALS AND CONFLICTS CONFRONT YOU

When trials and conflicts confront us from every side; it is difficult to stay the course and to press on.  We must stop for a moment to reassess our motives and our goal.  By examining our heart, we can find the strength to continue the course or the wisdom to find a new path within God’s Will.

An recent example

These past two weeks, I have had some technical issues with my website that required a lot of time and money to fix.  Once more, I had to reassess my reason for having this site and what my desires and goals are for continuing this website.  It certainly has never been money; as, I receive no compensation or financial gain from it.  No advertising, no sales, and no donors.  Every penny to maintain the website are my own expense.

BACK TO THE BEGINNING

It began back in 2010, when I realized that God had so ordained my life to be a testimony of His Grace, His love and His mercy.  Through many trials that I walked including abuse, failed marriages, widowhood, illness, and financial distress; He had prepared me to reach the lost, the lonely, and the suffering.  So, I began writing to tell others my story; hoping that in that, God could reveal Himself to anyone He chose to.  Most of my readers, I will never meet; but, God knows each one by name.

over time

As time went on, I began to do Bible Study series through books of the Bible or message series as I felt lead by God to do.  Because I want God to lead the way,  I have spent a lot of time in prayer before choosing which book of the Bible or series would come next.  It has been amazing how God has been so faithful! When, I myself needed an answer to a question; often I found that it was right there in the next verses I would be teaching.  The same was true today.  Our next verses to study in this series are:

For I would that ye knew what great conflict I have for you, and for them at Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh; That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ; In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Colossians 2:1-3

PAUL’S CONFLICT AND DESIRE

Continue reading HOW TO CONTINUE WHEN TRIALS AND CONFLICTS CONFRONT YOU →

Blog

When Grace Leads Us to the Good Pleasure of God’s Will

What wondrous grace is mine that I have spent the last week with my dear son and His family.  I am so blessed, it has been God’s Grace that lead my family and that gave me such wonderful, children, grandchildren, and the wonderful spouses that God gave each of my children.  Let me refer You to a previous post as my plane is loading at present.  Will be back on Wednesday with new messages.

 

What really is the good pleasure of God’s Will