1-19-16 One Eighty

¹⁶ But they and our fathers dealt proudly, and hardened their necks, and hearkened not to thy commandments, ¹⁷ And refused to obey, neither were mindful of thy wonders that thou didst among them; but hardened their necks, and in their rebellion appointed a captain to return to their bondage: but thou art a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and forsookest them not.

Nehemiah 9:16-17 KJV

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You’ve sinned though saved and now are on your knees

Afraid salvation’s lost, God’s turned His back.

Conviction weighs up your chest to squeeze;

You think your white as snow has changed to black.

Repent! One Eighty what you’ve done right now,

Confess to God your sin with sorrowed heart.

He WILL forgive! God’s mercy will endow.

He loves you SO; you’ll never be apart.

Did He not send His own begotten Son

To pay for every sin on your behalf?

Renounce with all you are for what you’ve done

And know God’s written that sin’s epitaph.

He loves you more than you can ever know.

You are His child! Repent and let it go.

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REMEMBER: Look at all God’s chosen people did after He brought them out of bondage in Egypt. He did not forsake them. He likewise will never, ever forsake you.

10-28-15 Wise in Your Own Eyes

Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!

Isaiah 5:21 KJV

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Whenever you should fancy you are wise,

That’s when you are the closest to a fool.

So shrewd and smart are you in your own eyes,

Like thinking you’re a steed when you’re a mule.

Such arrogance can only lead to woe,

So blind by self you step right off a cliff.

The only way to wisdom is to know

Compared to God your mind’s a hieroglyph.

How humble is a man upon his knees,

His head bowed to the One in tearful prayer.

Obedient and meek, he aims to please,

To do his Father’s will with every care.

The wisest man is one who listens well,

Subservient to God his mind does dwell.

5-29-15 Serve

And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant

Matthew 20:27 KJV

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If you would be a servant of the Lord,

Then be a servant now to all you meet,

But don’t serve others for some great reward;

Expecting something back just spells defeat.

The greatest of you thinks that they’re the least

And does not know that they are great at all.

You will not find them sitting at the feast;

You’ll find them washing dishes down the hall.

Give up your vain ambitions now, my friend,

For Hell would be the thing that you deserve.

There’s feet to be washed now until the end,

So roll your sleeves, get on your knees and serve.

The chief among you, let him give the most.

The more he gives the less he’s bound to boast.

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sonnet #373

4-3-15 It’s Now or Never

The battle lines are drawn, the challenge made

That who is not with Christ is now His foe.

All those who hate the Word will taste His blade;

The blood of evil will begin to flow.

The Shepherd that is Good now gathers near

The sheep that hear His voice and heed His call,

But wolves still scour the Earth fomenting fear,

To scatter with their lies the ones who stall.

There is so little time to save the rest:

Your friends and family and strangers, too.

More knees should bend and sinners be confessed;

Today might be the day it all comes true.

The Shepherd calls your name across the field.

Please harken to His voice and gently yield.

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He that is not with me is against me;

and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.

Matthew 12:30 KJV

3-31-15 In My Darkness

I wake to silly music in my head

And when I try to pray it hangs around.

How pitiful I am to be misled

By such a meaningless and petty sound!

In honesty, I don’t know what to say,

For who am I to speak a word to God?

I get down on my knees, begin to pray,

The things I say just proves that I’m a fraud.

There’s darkness in my mind down to my soul

And I feel dead inside most of the time.

Oh Jesus, I need You to take control!

Please teach me what to say, please help me climb.

The Spirit intercedes with wordless groans. *

Why would I ever think that I’m alone?

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Teach us what we shall say unto Him; 

for we cannot order our speech by reason of darkness.

Job 37:19 KJV

* Romans 8:26

2-9-15 Just Ask

A father that will give his son a stone

Who asks of him some bread is not a dad;

If you asked God for help with soulful groan,

He’d give you what you need with all He had.

A day will come when you are on your knees,

Your spirit crying out in agony,

Then God will know your heart and long to please;

He sent His Son to save and set you free.

There is no thing a father would not do

To satisfy the longings of his child.

Let Jesus intercede, just ask Him to;

He grants you peace on earth and mercy mild.

God gifts His Spirit if you just request;

If you but ask from Him you will be blessed.

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If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father,

will he give him a stone?

or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?

Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?

Luke 11:11-12 KJV

1-12-15 Dark Nights

A homesick ache will sometimes strike my soul,

A  tired longing from all earthly bonds;

Then there are moments when I doubt the goal,

A skepticism of the great beyond.

When faith grows weak, I turn to God in mind

In hopes that He will hear my weakened prayer,

And groan in spirit, feeling unrefined,

To save me from my anguish and despair.

Then quietly my pleas turn into praise,

A subtle shift from fear to gratitude;

With just a touch from Him my spirits raise,

My heart grows lighter, larger and renewed.

When melancholy brings me to my knees

I put my faith in Christ; He won’t displease

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Why art thou cast down, O my soul?

and why art thou disquieted within me?

hope thou in God:

for I shall yet praise him, 

who is the health of my countenance,

and my God.

Psalm 42:11 KJV

10-23-14 The Shoe Fits

The news each day is filled with hate and greed;

The leaders of the land evade and lie;

No matter where you go they all have need

To reach into your pocket, slick and sly.

And worst of all, you too have joined the crowd;

Your anger’s like a cloud around your head.

The wish for more and more is clear and loud;

You lie and cheat and steal your way ahead.

O friend! Repent right now and turn away!

This world of flesh and sin will bring you down!

Get on your knees this second, start to pray,

And give your life to Christ before you drown!

To separate yourself from sin and death

You must cede all to Jesus with each breath.

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For from the least of them even unto the greatest of them

every one is given to covetousness;

and from the prophet even unto the priest

every one dealeth falsely.

Jeremiah 6:13 KJV