Effie Darlene Barba

2 Corinthians 4:  Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not;

² But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.

³ But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:

⁴ In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

⁵ For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake.

⁶ For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

⁷ But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.

⁸ We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;

⁹ Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;

¹⁰ Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.

So often as I go forward in this Christian walk, I feel overwhelmed by the need that I see before me.  So often, I wonder what can I do? Where is the strength found to minister to a world that seems to be blinded to this great treasure of God’s love which I so graciously have been given?  Is there any hope that this frail earthen vessel can shine forth the light of the knowledge of the Glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ to anyone?  As I jump out of bed realizing I am late, I overslept and must rush to get the dog walked, the cats fed, and go off to work; what can I say to my listening world that can give them hope?  Feeling inadequate because every task at work yesterday seemed to go slower than it should and my work seems to carry into the night, unfinished or at least not where I feel it should be with a sense of being a failure.  Who am I to shine any light into a darkened world?  Why would God have chosen such a vessel as I for His work?  Ahhh, but in that very moment comes the answer.  It is only because of the mercy I have received that I faint not.  I was chosen for such a time as this not by any great merit of my own; but through His mighty powerful Hand, so that it might be the power of God that shines forth and not my own.   It is the very frailty of this earthen vessel that allows it to be broken at times, very strategically so that the great treasure found within might pour out to those around.  If I were made of brass, the light of the Gospel hidden inside could not be seen by the world around me.  Yet, the cracks, holes and chips that make up this vessel allows the light of Christ to shine forth ever brighter as His Glorious light shines forth.  I may at times wonder why He would choose me, but I can be strengthened and assured that He will complete the work He has begun in me by His Strength alone. Look at Hebrews 11 and the great hall of fame for faith that is presented.  A deeper study of all of these men by reading the scripture point out that they were some of the most fragile vessels; yet, God did a mighty work through each of them.  So if you feel you are too broken for God to use you or that you just don’t have the strength to go on; remember this, (I Corinthians 1:) 

²⁶ For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:

²⁷ But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;

²⁸ And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to naught things that are:

God is on His Throne and He loves you.  If you are hearing Him calling your name, run to Him with all your blemishes, all your failures, all your scars and accept His Gift of Mercy and Grace which was bought on the cross where Christ died for you, was resurrected and forever sits at the right hand of the Heavenly Father making intercession for you.  Take His Courage, His Hope, His Love, and His Joy to go out to perform His work today.  Below is a poem I wrote that I hope sums it up for you.  I hope you have time to stick around for the song which I think is incredible, sung by Dennis Jernigan.

The Grace in Which I Stand

 

Oh feeble heart, Oh fragile soul

Where is the hope on which you hold

With all the failures of your past

Where is the faith to make you bold

Where is the faith to make you bold

There was a King though blameless He

That came to pay my penalty

And in that act He set me free

To follow Him in liberty

To follow Him in liberty

 

It is His love that drew me out

And in His Grace I shall not doubt

That He who started this work in me

Will finish it with a Glorious Shout

Will finish it with a Glorious Shout

One day the finished work be done

That I might look then like God’s son

Sifted, shined just like pure Gold

As Glory shines forth, Glorious One

As Glory shines forth, Glorious One

And in this hope my faith conformed

I know my life will be transformed

I stand upon this future grace

So for His work my passion warmed

So for His work my passion warmed

So in this faith I firmly stand

That formed in me as God had planned

No force on earth can shake me free

My future held by God’s great hand

My future held by God’s great hand.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAYgmKFYDJA&feature=related

Zechariah 8: ¹⁶ These are the things that ye shall do; Speak ye every man the truth to his neighbour; execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates:

¹⁷ And let none of you imagine evil in your hearts against his neighbour; and love no false oath: for all these are things that I hate, saith the Lord….

²⁰ Thus saith the Lord of hosts; It shall yet come to pass, that there shall come people, and the inhabitants of many cities:

²¹ And the inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, Let us go speedily to pray before the Lord, and to seek the Lord of hosts: I will go also.

²² Yea, many people and strong nations shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem, and to pray before the Lord.

II Chronicles 7: ¹⁴ If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

We must all be in fervent prayer for this nation, even more as this election  draws near.  We need to pray for our sins and for the sins of our nation.  This is a call to all to pray for a revival in this nation which is our only hope.  We need His wisdom to guide our vote.  We need strength to not merely talk but walk the life that would represent Christ to our nation and the world.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXLQ2RPLO78

Esther 4: ¹¹ All the king’s servants, and the people of the king’s provinces, do know, that whosoever, whether man or women, shall come unto the king into the inner court, who is not called, there is one law of his to put him to death, except such to whom the king shall hold out the golden sceptre, that he may live: but I have not been called to come in unto the king these thirty days.

¹² And they told to Mordecai Esther’s words.

¹³ Then Mordecai commanded to answer Esther, Think not with thyself that thou shalt escape in the king’s house, more than all the Jews.

¹⁴ For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father’s house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?

Esther was an orphaned Jewish girl who was raised by her Uncle.  The King Ahasuerus which reigned, from India even unto Ethiopia, over an hundred and seven and twenty provinces became angry with the queen for disobeying him and sent her into exile.  He then chose a new queen from among many who were captured and brought to the palace.  He chose Esther.  There came a time when the king’s right hand man requested a decree to have all the Jews destroyed.  Esther, though queen, knew that if she went before the king while he was holding court; she could be killed.  She knew what had happened to the former queen.  She knew that as a woman she was not allowed to enter the gates of the court when the king was on His throne holding court; yet, she went.  As a result of this she saved her people.  If you read the entire book of Esther you will definitely see how God provided for His people and had placed everything in place to prepare a way to save His people.  The book points out also that all of God’s people were in prayer for their nation. 

We too should be in prayer for our nation; even, more so this election year.  We must exercise our right to vote.  We need never to be afraid to proclaim the name of Christ.  We need to be bold in declaring God’s word, even when it is "politically incorrect"  We need to fervently pray. We need to examine our own lives so we might portray Christ in our lives–His truth shining forth like a beacon of light to a world covered in darkness and despair.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=7neahQp66mQ&NR=1

Psalm 147: ³ He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.

⁴ He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names.

Psalm 34: ¹⁸ The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.

Psalm 51: ¹⁷ The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

2 Corinthians 3: ¹⁸ But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

Romans 8: ²⁸ And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

²⁹ For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

³⁰ Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.

Within this Christian Journey, there are moments of brokenness and sorrows; but be of good cheer–they too have a purpose in our transformation.  We are never forsaken by God once we have accepted Christ as our Savior.  He stands very near to comfort us in our brokenness and yes, He is Sovereign over all the earth and wrapped deep within what we momentarily perceive to be sorrow is a gift of love that will draw us ever closer to Him where true Joy is found.  We are being transformed into the image of Christ so that we may truly understand and share in the love, joy, peace, and glory that is in Him.  This is a treasure beyond any treasure so do not lose heart along this journey and know He is right there beside you, upholding you and comforting you.  He who calleth every star by name also knows your name and loves you.  For those of you who do not know Him, know that He provided for you a way of salvation in Christ’s death on the cross. He wants to hold you, guide you and give you the love your heart longs for.   I urge you to seek Him. 

I hope you enjoy this song

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygx4Qe27lBw&feature=g-upl

The Master Weaver

Broken threads my life you found

And with your love each piece you bound

A song of love your lips resound

With gentle hands, each thread you place

Oh could it be, amazing grace

A picture clear, my Savior’s face

What joy divine, could it be true

Each broken thread, you only knew

When woven tight would look like you

The Scarlet threads my broken heart

The deepest sorrows blue impart

Each silver thread of tears that fell

You guide my life with such detail

A brilliant gold, your love divine

My sins were washed, a white sublime

You gently weave with skillful hand

The portrait mine that you have planned

Oh, let me Lord remember this

That I might know with joy and bliss

You did ordain my every tear

That I might learn to never fear

That I might trust the weaver’s hand

And on this hope and promise stand

Your love will always know what’s best

Your cradling arms are where I rest

Broken threads my life you found

And with your love each piece you bound

A song of love your lips resound

With gentle hands, each thread you place

Oh could it be, amazing grace

A picture clear, my Savior’s face

What joy divine, could it be true

Each broken thread, you only knew

When woven tight would look like you

Psalm 27: ¹³ I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.

¹⁴ Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.

Psalm 37: ⁴ Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

⁵ Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.

⁶ And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.

⁷ Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him:

Psalm 40: 1 I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.

² He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.

David had been chosen to by God to be the next King of Israel.  King Saul became exceedingly jealous as David’s popularity grew among the people of the nation and even within his own family.  David was forced to run for his life into exile and lived hidden in caves.  How many years was he forced to wait, hidden and at moments afraid for his life?  Some say 15 years.  All the while in those dark caves, alone with God–David was being prepared to become King.  There are times in which you note that David’s songs began with deep desperation wanting to know how God was going to perform His will; yet, David ended always with "wait upon the Lord." When we reach those moments of deep dark pits that we believe will overcome us, we need to be reminded within our soul to trust and wait.  God is still on His throne.  He is omnipotent, omniscient, and has already proven the depths of His love for you.  He has the perfect plan for your life and He continues to unfold it in His perfect timing.  So with patience, wait-trusting His heart.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLn0cRl-0GE

While waiting there are some steps you can take as follows:

1.  Pray.  There is power found in prayer.  Even if you do not know what to say, just sit quietly before God.  The Holy Spirit will make intercession for you.  Pray even if you are feeling frustrated or angry with God; because He knows already how you are feeling.  This prayer is not because God doesn’t know; but it gives Him the quiet time to soothe and comfort you.

2. If there is ever a time that you need to be studying your Bible morning and evening or sometimes all day long, it is when facing a valley.  It is better to have studied always, but especially during valleys.  How can you claim His promises, if you don’t know what they are?

3. Remember every trial (big or small) you have ever been through in the past and remember how God had carried you through.

4. Make a list of God’s promises concerning finances, illness, loss or whatever your valley is.  Keep those scriptures with you and reread them frequently

5. Find Christian Songs that declare His Might and Power and Love—hum them to your own self throughout the day.

6. Each morning make a list of those things for which you are thankful to God and read them to God.

7. Do not skip meals or do without sleep.  Even if you don’t want to eat, do it anyway.  If you awaken in the night, pray quietly while taking deep slow breathes—you can hear God’s response clearer when you quiet your own mind.  This is not your moment to diet or deprive yourself of sleep.

8. Neither should you spend all day in bed. Get up and put one foot in front of the other, one step at a time until you do finish that day something you can call an accomplishment—then say “Thank you, Lord for today.