Tag: God

Little Soldier, Are You Ready?

Little Soldier, Are You Ready?

By Effie Darlene Barba

 

Little Soldier, are you ready?

The battle’s drawing near

Have you put on all your armor?

To stand, don’t run in fear!

 

Did you put on your helmet?

Remembering all God’s done

He provided your Salvation

When He gave His Only Son

 

Did you strap on your breastplate?

Is your passion now on Him?

To follow in His footsteps

And shun all willful sin!

 

Did you tightly wrap your waistband?

With all that God has said!

So that never compromising

By His Truth you can be lead!

 

Are you holding high before you?

Your shield of faith in God!

Our Sovereign, Omniscient, Shepherd

Who protects us with His Rod!

 

So, where now are you going?

To spread Salvation’s song

Feet now shod with love and peace

March Boldly toward the throng

 

Say a prayer and off you go

To near or distant land

Spreading His Gospel to a world

That is God’s one command!

 

And rest assured, my little one

God ‘s always at your side

The victory sure, the battle won

In Christ you can abide

 

The Holy Spirit goes with you

To guide you on your way

Protecting you with every step

Reminding you to pray

 

For prayer, you see, my little one

Along with truth your sword

Are all the weapons you will need!

With Jesus as your Lord!

[tweetthis]Every doubt, fear or trial we face is Satan trying to steal our joy! [/tweetthis]

Our Joy is in Christ!

[bctt tweet=”Our battle is not against people ” username=”effiedarlene”]

Our Battle is against the spirits of pride, anger, selfishness, & despair!

[tweetthis]We Win This Spiritual Battle on our Knees![/tweetthis]

So we must fight that battle within the spiritual realms, beginning with our own heart.  By standing firm in God’s truth (His Word), through prayer and boldly proclaiming the Gospel; the victory is already ours. [bctt tweet=”The only way I can spread the truth of the gospel is by remembering and naming the true enemy-Sin” username=”effiedarlene”]Only then can I see those who hurt me as souls in need of a Savior, rather than seeing them as my enemy. Then, I can respond with words of truth and love.

©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.

What is the Only True Hope for Our Nation?

But you his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, although you knew all this. And you have lifted yourself up against the Lord of heaven. They have brought the vessels of His house before you, and you and your lords, your wives and your concubines, have drunk wine from them. And you have praised the gods of silver and gold, bronze and iron, wood and stone, which do not see or hear or know; and the God who holds your breath in His hand and owns all your ways, you have not glorified. Then the fingers of the hand were sent from Him, and this writing was written. Daniel 5:22-24 (NKJV)

 

The Mede army was encamped just outside the walls of Babylon; yet, Belshazzar cloaked in his arrogance and false sense of security proclaimed loudly to all the people that there was nothing to fear. “No one could take down their mighty empire,” he declared with confidence. He knew the stories of his grandfather, Nebuchadnezzar. He was well aware that Nebuchadnezzar had surrendered his heart to worship God. Yet, he did not take heed. While the Mede army was pressing in, Belshazzar called the people to a lush and extravagant party. This was a party filled with drunkenness, sexual immorality, and blasphemy against God. Indeed, they had all of the sacred golden goblets that had once been in the Temple of Jerusalem brought to the feast that they might drink their wine from them. While they were partying, declaring that all was good; the hand appeared and wrote these words upon the wall. “MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN”— “Account, Account, Weighing, and Bisecting”. Belshazzar was suddenly filled with fear. He could not even read the words, nor did they make sense. But how did a large hand with no body appear and write this? What could it mean?

Continue reading “What is the Only True Hope for Our Nation?”

IT BEGINS WITH ME

These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. Revelation 3: 15-20

How sad the tragedies of this week which cry out to our hearts.  We stand in fear, sorrow, and ask, “God, where are you?”  Yet, all who proclaim the name of Christ, think about this:  How long have we been complacent?  How long have we closed our eyes?  How long have we been too busy to pray or to extend our hands in mercy and love?  Have we allowed roots of bitterness to grow up in our own hearts?  Revival begins with me!  If I die proclaiming the name of Christ, let me do so with honor, grace, and love!!  But let me not be silent; nor let me be filled with fear or anger!!  Let me stand with love, grace, mercy and truth on my lips proclaiming the truth that our only hope as a nation, as a people and as a world is to stand firm in proclaiming the name of Christ as the only hope for all nations.  It begins with ME!!

darkness-reigns-compressor (1)

 

IT BEGINS WITH ME

By Effie Darlene Barba

 

With all the pain across this land

What can I do to take a stand?

For hope, for joy and virtue too

Oh Lord, to take my stand for You!

 

There is no hope for truth to reign

While men do use Your name in vain

Their selfish lies Your gospel feign

Our streets now filled with bloody stain

 

My Lord, I come with heavy heart

To ask You Lord, “What is my part?”

“What can I do? Where do I start?”

I have no strength lest You impart!

 

For if I speak, they will not hear

Angry, embittered, deafened ear

With hearts of rage and hearts of fear

Until truth and love all disappear

 

Such bitter rain of dark dismay

“What can I do? What can I say?”

Except on bended knee to pray

To plead You come to heal today

 

You are the ONLY Hope I know

Where virtue, truth doth overflow

I plead for them, that You might show

Your mercy, Lord to men so low

 

And let Your victory on the cross

Cover our shame, our bitter loss

Open our ears to hear Your voice

Let peace and love now be our choice

 

Turn evil hearts that they might see

Their only hope of victory

Is to bow down on bended knee

Pleading for Grace, humility

 

I cannot see my brother’s pain

While anger, fear within me reign

So, first I come before You now

Clean my heart, Your truth avow

 

It all must now BEGIN with Me

So, open now my heart to see

My selfish heart, my guilty stains

Let truth and mercy fill my veins

 

That I might boldly go proclaim

That if each one would call Your Name

And lay aside their selfish pride

Your peace and love could then abide

 

Our freedom, liberty renew

Our torch of hope for all to view

And so Dear Lord, I clearly see

Revival now, begins with me.

I plead with each and every person that hears my voice to in humility bow your knees before the throne of God and pray for our nation.  Pray that He reveal to you the sins, doubts, bitterness, and pride that lies within your own heart; so that you might repent and be cleansed.  Lay down before His mighty throne any root of bitterness in your own heart, so you might then stand in mercy, truth and love to proclaim His Name to a despairing world in need of Him.

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. 2 Chronicles 7:14

[bctt tweet=”As a nation we must pray for grace & love to reign  in our lives. It begins with me!!” username=”effiedarlene”]

[tweetthis]I must be responsible for my own behavior!! It begins with my own heart.[/tweetthis]

[bctt tweet=”If I desire Peace, Love, and Grace from others, it begins with me giving Peace Love and Grace.” username=”effiedarlene”]

[tweetthis]Let’s start a new movement of hope, love and harmony. “It Begins with ME”[/tweetthis]

©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.