Tag: victory

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.

Skipping Stones to Your Glory

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?

Stones to Glory

Skipping Stones to Your Glory

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.

3 Truths That Will Catapult Your Life into Joyous Victory

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.

Christ Holds together

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,

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Would You Feast Upon The Suffering That Was Christ’s?

Would You Feast Upon The Suffering That Was Christ’s?

He had turned the water into wine, healed the lame, and given sight to the blind. For this Jesus had gained many disciples who followed Him. They followed Him into the mountains to see His miracles. With great compassion, He fed the 5000 men plus their families from 5 barley loaves and two small fishes. They desired the miracles. They wanted with great desire that Jesus become King on earth to remove all their oppressions and to supply all their needs. They did not really believe that He was the Son of God; but, a prophet like Moses to lead them. As the crowd pressed more, Jesus slipped away to be alone with the Father. He did that regularly. Did He in His humanity need that time alone sitting in His Father’s presence? Would the crowd pressing to make Him King now be a testing of Satan? Yet, Jesus did not waiver from the Father’s will. Instead, Jesus went on to teach in the Synagogue as the crowd found Him and continued to follow.

used permission: http://www.123rf.com/profile_subbotina

 

      Jesus is the bread of life to fill your spirit and soul.  Come and feast at His table.

 

 



picture used permission 123rf.com/profile_subbotina

 

A TRAGIC FAILURE TO UNDERSTAND

As Jesus spoke, He told them that it had not been Moses who gave them bread, it was His Father who had supplied the bread. The crowd began to murmur again. Jesus told them that He was sent down from heaven and was the bread of life. Yet, more murmuring among the crowds. They did not see and did not understand. Jesus knew their hearts of disbelief. He pressed on to explain that “Verily, verily I say unto you. He that believeth on me, hath everlasting life. 49 Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead.50 This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die.51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world” (John 6). Yet, they still did not understand that He was speaking of spiritual bread because they were so caught on their human desires here and now. They wanted bread to fill their bellies, not bread that fills their soul.

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30 Days That Really Promises Victory, Joy, and Hope

30 Days That Really Promises Victory, Joy, and Hope

There have been so many challenges over the last 30 days. Challenges that pushed and pulled at my heart. There came a moment when all of life seemed to crash in around me. Suddenly overwhelmed with tears, I cried. I cried for struggles my daughter was facing, I cried for the suffering and death of a woman I knew by name only, I cried for the struggles a son was facing, I cried for a husband’s loss of his life partner, I cried for mom, and I cried for all the suffering of the world. So, did all of this matter? Do all of these prayers make a difference? Yes, a resounding yes!! We live in a broken world.  We will face sorrows and trials; but, that is even more why Prayer Matters and must be an important part of our daily lives as sojourners here.  I could never face the chaos of this world were it not for a heavenly Father’s loving arms to run to!!

kacas0457

© Kevin Carden/Licensed from GoodSalt.com

[bctt tweet=”It is those early mornings alone with God that transforms me to know His Love, Joy&His Glory.”]  It is there where He restores me, cleanses me, and renews my hope.  He provides me with His guidance for today and the future before me.

I began this 30 day prayer challenge with you. This was an additional challenge to myself. Before this I believed I prayed a lot; but, I had not set aside a time specific to pray with no interruptions 30 minutes each day. At the same time, I promised you that I would post every day for all thirty days. God is so good and so gracious. Many mornings I awoke with no idea of what to write. By the time the 30 minutes of prayer ended; I had clarity to write for the day.

What are the benefits of such a prayer life?

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