What Have You to Fear, Oh Heart of Mine?

September 19, 2016 Effie Barba

Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee. Isaiah 41: 10,13

Fear can be that sudden sense of panic with its heightened awareness allowing us to flee danger or it can come as a deep seated dread-a weariness of soul and spirit. In this world there are many things which attack our hearts with fear. It may be a fear that we will make the wrong decision concerning a job, the fear of failure, the fear of loneliness, fear of financial distress, fearfulness for a child, illness, or fear of the unknown. We know that there are unexpected storms. We know that we live within a world where evil happens-from pipe bombs to terror. As Christians we are certainly not exempt for such evil. Indeed, we may even be the target. We lock our doors, build walls around our hearts, and prepare to stand firm against whatever force comes. Yet, there is one fear; I daresay is the one that can destroy us faster than any other. That one we cannot build walls against, no barriers can keep it out; because, it is buried within our own heart and mind. Continue reading What Have You to Fear, Oh Heart of Mine? →

Christian Poetry

The Greatest Love, I Give to You

September 18, 2016 Effie Barba

God wanted to make known to them the glorious riches of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.We proclaim him by instructing and teaching all people with all wisdom so that we may present every person mature in Christ. Toward this goal I also labor, struggling according to his power that powerfully works in me. Colossians 1:27-29 (NET)

The greatest gift that we can give to another is Jesus Christ; yet, so often we struggle within our world, never really knowing how to present Him. Society would call us to be “politically correct” so as not to offend another. Yet, does not love demand that I speak truth. Sometimes, my own frailties bid me to silence. After all, when they see all my faltering steps; won’t they think me only a hypocrite. It is God’s Grace that called me to Himself and not my eloquence nor my own strength. Having received such a precious gift from God, how can I let fear of failure cause me to be silent? I must not. Love demands I speak. For I cannot truly love you and not share with you my greatest treasure which is Jesus Christ. So, if today is the last day I ever hear your voice or even if you walk away; I must say I love you too much to not present to you, Jesus Christ.

The Greatest Love, I Give to You

By Effie Darlene Barba

Throughout the story of my life

My days of joy, or days of strife

God has been there upon His throne

Into my darkness, light has shone

To guide me toward His perfect Will

Though I at times a rebel still

It was His pleasure to love me true

Transforming Grace each day renew

One day I’ll see Him face to face

With tears of joy, Amazing Grace

To think that He would love me so

His precious righteousness bestow

So undeserving that I be

He took the time to call to me

And so, my friend, this truth I know

This love I have it bids me show

To You His truth, His life, His way

And so dear friend, I must now say

The Greatest Love I give to you

Is to stand firm on what is true

That Only Jesus, Lord and King

Can cover sin, Salvation Bring

And though at times my faltering lips

Or stumbling feet, too often slips

I pray that God, in spite of me

Does open up your eyes to see

The magnitude of His love and Grace

That you will seek His lovely Face

[tweetthis]If I truly love someone I must boldly speak the truth of the gospel 2 them[/tweetthis]

[bctt tweet=”Even if my lips falter and my feet stumble, I must proclaim the truth of God’s love.” username=”effiedarlene”]

Photo used by permission https://unsplash.com/@kevar

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.

Christian Blog

How to Really Know Joy in Love of the Forsaken

September 16, 2016 Effie Barba

Therefore, if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort provided by love, any fellowship in the Spirit, any affection or mercy, ²complete my joy and be of the same mind, by having the same love, being united in spirit, and having one purpose. Instead of being motivated by selfish ambition or vanity, each of you should, in humility, be moved to treat one another as more important than yourself. ⁴Each of you should be concerned not only about your own interests, but about the interests of others as well.⁵You should have the same attitude toward one another that Christ Jesus had, Philippians 2:1-5 (NET)

We live in a world, a society that would tell us that “happiness is found in rising to the top, fulfilling our desires for pleasure, and in gaining the applause of others. To do so, we must avoid the friendships that are hard, shun the downtrodden for fear they might pull us down, and fight against anyone who gets in the way of our success. We cannot be distracted from our own happiness by someone else’s pain. We must shun those who do not fit our image for fear of what others might think.” Yet that is NOT what the Bible teaches nor is it the example of what Jesus Christ lived before us. Jesus showed us that true joy is found in humility, kindness, and in reaching out to the downtrodden, the broken hearted, and those whom society have cast aside as deplorable or unredeemable. Continue reading How to Really Know Joy in Love of the Forsaken →

Christian Blog

What Is the Greatest Treasure of This Life?

September 14, 2016 Effie Barba 4 Comments

Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, Philippians 3:8

Throughout this journey of life, we meet with unexpected storms, rocky terrain, emotional upheavals, and trials that cause us to grow weary. At times we would despair of the weariness of heart and spirit, losing focus of the prize before us. Tears may stream down our face, we fall to the ground in despair and we wonder if there is any hope of joy. For most of us, our journey is an uphill climb; a race through boulders and rocks. We feel the struggle has left us bruised, bleeding and too exhausted to press on. We are overwhelmed with a deep, unrelenting weariness of heart and spirit that presses in. Continue reading What Is the Greatest Treasure of This Life? →

Christian Blog

How to Impact the World Turning Despair to Joy

September 12, 2016 Effie Barba

Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice. Philippians 4:4

Paul wrote this to the early church at Philippi, while he was imprisoned in Rome. It had not been the first time the Philippian Believers had seen Paul imprisoned. Indeed, when he first had come into Philippi to preach the gospel of Christ, Paul had been beaten and thrown into prison.

And the multitude rose up together against them (Paul and Silas): and the magistrates rent off their clothes, and commanded to beat them. And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely: Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks. Acts 12: 22-24

There was never a time within the early church that those following Christ were not subject to ridicule, hostility, imprisonment, and even death for their belief. In many nations today, the same remains true. Continue reading How to Impact the World Turning Despair to Joy →