Skipping Stones to Your Glory

May 22, 2016 Effie Barba

Tragedies and sorrows seem to always be present surrounding us in this world. So how can I or you hold onto a steadfast joy despite the tragedies and sorrows of this life?

by Effie Darlene Barba

Storms surround my life today

Sorrows urging me to pray

With gentle voice, I hear You say

Trust in me I’ll guide your way

A pilgrim in this foreign land

Where is the hope in which I stand?

You paid the price- that just demand

And hold me firm within Your hand

Chorus:

So, Precious Lord let my eyes see

That you have won my victory

Whatever sorrows facing me

Are skipping stones to Your Glory

Fix my eyes on Christ my Savior King

And then, oh then my heart will sing

Of Your wondrous Joy in everything

No matter what this life may bring

The sorrows of life, their ebb and tide

That force me on my knees abide

And rips away my selfish pride

That in thy Grace my tears subside

The trials that would tear apart

This fragile, broken, lonely heart

Except thy love can ne’er depart

Each day, Your Grace-my fresh new start

Chorus:

So, Precious Lord let my eyes see

That you have won my victory

Whatever sorrows facing me

Are skipping stones to Your Glory

Fix my eyes on Christ my Savior King

And then, oh then my heart will sing

Of Your wondrous Joy in everything

No matter what this life may bring

Jesus Christ has already won the victory. All I need do is to focus upon Him. How can I hope for Joy if I do not focus upon the very source of Joy? All these trials, pains and sorrows are merely stones on which I may skip closer to Him. If I embrace the truth that Jesus Christ holds all things by the power of His word; then, I can have the assurance that “all of this works together for my good.” Everything is but a skipping stone on my journey toward seeing Glory, Beauty and Majesty beyond any thing this heart could imagine. If I know that God is and that He rewards all who seek Him, then I can trust Him in the midst of every trial that comes my way; knowing that His plan is to bring me into His bosom of everlasting Joy. There are no “bad days” for those who know Christ as their Savior. All of those days we might have once thought bad are merely stones upon which we may skip our way closer to Him. The more I see Him, the more I realize that He is my Joy, my greatest Treasure, and my Everlasting love. So what Satan meant for evil in an attempt to steal my Joy; God has used for good every single time. [tweetthis] Every trial, pain, and tear have brought me one step closer to Glory. [/tweetthis] I hope this poem warms your heart today reminding you of Him. My prayer each morning is that God reveal to You His Joy, His love and His Glory that you might seek Him. May He establish your faith in Jesus Christ and comfort you through whatever trials you face today.

Photo used by permission of Arto Marttinen via Unsplash.com The inscription I added.

©Effie Darlene Barba, 2016

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

3 Truths That Will Catapult Your Life into Joyous Victory

May 20, 2016 Effie Barba

Jesus Christ “his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high: Hebrews 1:2-3

As I go about my days along this life journey, why is it so important that I recognize the magnificence and glory of Jesus as King, seated upon His throne? How would that change my view of life’s struggles? How can that affect my relationships with friends, co-workers, and family? My life is filled with dreams, desires, decisions, work, and activities. We must constantly think about our health, our car, our house, our finances, our relationships, and our jobs. Even when it comes to our faith, we fill our lives with the “activities”; yet, in all that do we truly stop to realize the importance of seeing Jesus upon His throne.

The writer of Hebrews wants us to realize that Jesus is already the King. He is the obedient son who died upon a cross at His Father’s bidding; yet, He is also the express image of the Father and the bright radiance of His Glory. Not only was Jesus the humble sacrificial lamb who died to save the world; but, Jesus is also the one through whom the Father spoke the world into being and the one who holds everything in place by the word of His power. This is the same truth that John expressed when he wrote,

Continue reading 3 Truths That Will Catapult Your Life into Joyous Victory →

Christian Blog

Dear God, Will You Really Speak to Me? Absolutely!

May 18, 2016 Effie Barba

God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. Hebrews 1:1-4 NKJV

“Speak, Oh Lord, tell me why this pain! I need to know what to do next; if you would only tell me, then I could follow!!” Has that ever been the cry of your heart? I know it has been mine. Yet, does God speak to us? How does He speak and how can we know it is His voice?

In the midst of a storm, we turn our eyes upon the cross, seeking to hear God’s voice.

As we begin to study this book of Hebrews, we are immediately confronted with the words that God spoke through the prophets in various ways and various times. Throughout the Old Testament we have God’s word presented. He spoke in the narratives of the history. He spoke through the miracles in the lives of His people. At times He spoke through songs as He did in the book of Psalms; while at other times He spoke through instruction such as Proverbs. He spoke through the Old Testament prophets. He spoke in many ways so that each of us could uniquely hear His Voice. There was one major truth that rings throughout every scripture. “We are sinners incapable of reaching God were it not for His Grace and Love reaching forth to save us.” All of the Old Testament scripture points us toward Jesus Christ; the Son of God who took on flesh to live among us and to die that we might have life.

Continue reading Dear God, Will You Really Speak to Me? Absolutely! →

Christian Blog

How to Really Have a Faith to Overcome Adversity

May 16, 2016 Effie Barba

Now it happened, on a certain day, that He got into a boat with His disciples. And He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side of the lake.” And they launched out. ²³But as they sailed He fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water, and were in jeopardy. ²⁴And they came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” Then He arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water. And they ceased, and there was a calm. ²⁵But He said to them, “Where is your faith?” And they were afraid, and marveled, saying to one another, “Who can this be? For He commands even the winds and water, and they obey Him!” Luke 8:22-26 (NKJV)

Where is your faith when everything seems to come crashing in around you? How do you hold on when facing cancer, loss, heartbreak, trials, and suffering in this world? We look around us and see the evil effects of sin surrounding us. We look within and see the effects of evil lurking there within our own hearts, always crouching near (selfishness, pride, anger, desires and our inability to love God as we should). Where can we find the faith to overcome adversity? How do we know hope, joy and peace in the midst of life’s storms?

We who might think ourselves skilled navigators upon this sea of life are taken by surprise by the raging waters and find ourselves drowning. We cry out for help to God. Jesus speaks. The raging storm stops as He asks, “Where is your faith?” Once more we tremble as we realize that we don’t even know, as we cry out concerning Jesus, “Who can this be?” We, the followers of Jesus, don’t know Him as the one who spoke the world into being nor the one whose very words hold the world’s existence in place.

Continue reading How to Really Have a Faith to Overcome Adversity →

Christian Poetry

Joy Pours Over Me

May 15, 2016 Effie Barba

The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing. Zephaniah 3:17

Out of the darkest valleys or sorrows that life can bring, God remains Sovereign and His Plan is always to bring us good. It all goes back to Faith is 1. Knowing that God is and 2. Believing that God richly blesses those who seek Him. My journey to discover the truth of love and joy took me down a lot of winding roads. Some of those roads seemed at the time very treacherous indeed; but, God had a plan for my good. That plan never depended on my figuring it out or my getting it “right.” It depended 100% on God’s Grace, Love and Sovereignty to complete the work He began in me. My life is filled with peace, joy, hope and love. Oh, don’t get me wrong; there are trials as well. The difference in my response is how I view the trials. I have learned to embrace each trial as a precious gift that once unwrapped will reveal to me some precious aspect of God’s Glory that I had not seen before. As I concluded the series, In Search of True Love; my prayer is that I have helped you to see the magnitude of God’s Grace and Love toward you. Tomorrow, we will begin a new series through Hebrews (at least that is my plan for now, unless God chooses otherwise). I wrote this poem today and hope it touches your heart with joy, peace and hope.