This poem, I think, is themed rather well. I wrote it towards the end of my final college semester in 2009; while contemplating the path(s) lying beyond graduation, God spoke to me saying “Daniel, one part is over, but another is just beginning; it’s all part of the same journey we began years ago.” I continue to pray this as I continue moving forward in my walk with God, and I pray that you are blessed as you read.

“The Continuing Journey”

Lord, I now stand at the crossroads again,
Wondering which way to go.
I pray, Holy Spirit, that my Guide and Helper You will be,
Showing me what I need to know.
I trust in Your plans for me, O God,
Even if right now I don’t see
What lies just ahead around the next bend
Of what life will now be.
May my life give You glory as I go on the way,
Growing closer to You as together we go.
Lord Jesus, forge me into an instrument of peace,
One that will bear abundant fruit as You sow.
Life is a journey; only You know where it ends,
And how the path will rise, fall, twist, and turn.
I thank You that You are with me always;
May my soul for You forever yearn.

In this poem, I reflected on how callous or apathetic we can become to the Gospel and its eternal implications.

“No Tears for Jesus”

Who lifted up their voices and wept when Jesus Christ was condemned to die?
Who takes the time anymore to contemplate what He did to save you and I?
So often, we think concealing emotions is good, that somehow, doing so makes us strong.
But the truth is, to deny the hurt and hide the pain was and always is wrong.
On the cross, Jesus took on all sins from all time; He bore the punishment for humanity’s every crime.
Jesus came to free us from our sins, and a way to new, everlasting life make.
We are bound as prisoners by our nature and choices, and those chains only He can break.
Yet do we consider how much He hurts when against Him we choose to rebel,
Forsaking Him for our own desires and for pleasure our lives sell?
If not for Jesus, then weep for yourself, for having rejected His grace for the world’s scraps.
The life it promises is but a fleeting mist, a field in which souls are ensnared in baited traps.

“A Prisoner of Passion”

In my mind, I find myself asking “What kind of life do I truly desire?”
Jesus is the rightful ruler of my existence, yet I long for sensations that fill my veins with fire.
I am called to a life of purity and service to my Lord, yet in sin’s pleasures do I bask.
I am bound and enslaved, a prisoner of passion, and so for strength and deliverance I do ask.
I cry out “Father, free me from the garbage in my life that keeps me from being the man You desire;
Give me the strength to turn away from sin, and quench its passion-filled fire!
Break the endless cycle of failing battle that consumes and cripples me with strife,
And bring Your glorious victory over sin and death into my life.
When You enter in and cleanse my heart, evil and sin disappear like a mist.
Your Word is bread and living water for my spirit; only through You I truly live and exist.
Give me a heart that is willing to learn how to follow all of Your ways;
Change my mind and heart to reflect Your own, so that nothing of sin stays.
Teach me how to properly obey Your commands as I follow You, away from my captivity.
May I praise You for all the things You have done, and in my life to You be all the glory.
May You, Lord Jesus, always be my first love and passion,
Because You showed me, a sinner, Your love and compassion.”

“The Promise”

My children, look at the choices before you and consider them with care;
Keep in mind the results at the end that await you there.
The path I call you to walk is difficult, but eternal life and My blessing are yours
If you follow Me faithfully; take a step of faith, go forward as I open the doors.
The world offers pleasures for a time, but, in the end, it never satisfies.
Everyone who chooses to follow that road sooner or later twice dies.
The world’s pleasures blind you to all, even yourself, robbing you of your potential and ability to truly live.
Follow Me, and have no fear of what may come, for with My presence in you, strength I will give.
Choose this day what you will do, which path your feet will follow.
Always remember that in life, every choice matters- you will surely reap what you sow.

“The Mirror and the Glass Window”

When I think about God’s light and how we are called His love to spread,
It makes me wonder how we live our lives, from our waking to when we go to bed.
Do we let His light shine through us, like an empty space, leaving no trace of its touch?
Do we merely reflect it like a mirror, never absorbing, though “giving” much?
In reality, we are like windows of stained glass, created to magnify God and show the glory of His light,
Reliant upon Him to fill us with His Spirit, that we may for Him shine bright.
It is the Lord who brings light into our lives, and gives diversity and color to our human existence.
As citizens of His kingdom, we should allow Him to shine in and through us without resistance.
Lord, I pray that we would always desire to remain close to You,
That Your light in our lives will be a testimony that our faith is true.

“God’s Business, My Pleasure”

Lord, You have a plan for this world, and You are fully able to see it through.
However, it is also Your desire for Your children to have a part in it, working alongside You.
Lord, I pray that You would use me mightily to bring Your kingdom on Earth,
Preaching the message of the Cross, showing the lost the way to Jesus and spiritual rebirth.
But I also pray that I would be diligent and obedient in the small things first,
Such as prayer, fellowship and daily reading Your Word-to tire of and ignore them would be the worst.
Teach me to follow You closer in deed, word, and thought,
That to the lost I might reach out in Your love, as I ought.
Lord, may I live my life looking with great anticipation
To the day when You will call Your children home from every nation.
When You look at me, may it be with a smile brighter than the sun
As You say, “Good and faithful servant, well done.”

“Fulfillment is of the Lord”

Lord, how true is Your Word that sin’s pleasure only lasts for a season;
After the buzz, it leaves me feeling drained and hollow, and here is the reason:
Nothing of this world can truly satisfy the crucial need we have in our innermost parts.
Only You can enter our lives and make us whole, bringing restoration to our souls, minds, and hearts.
If we allow You to enter our lives, a journey we could not imagine begins.
In You we have the promise of life everlasting, as well as freedom from our sins.
Open the eyes of our hearts, O God, that we may see the truth and desire
To dwell and fellowship with You in this life and forevermore, and pray that Your Holy Spirit light in us a fire
To follow and obey Your perfect will, to seek after those who are lost.
May we ever seek to honor and obey Your commands, to follow You, no matter what the cost.

The primary inspiration for this poem are the words found in Matthew 18:18; through Jesus Christ, we have the authority to bind evil or unleash good in His name. Yet how often do we fail to practice this, for whatever reason?

“Binding Up and Setting Loose”

Lord, the things You desire to do in our lives are like gifts wrapped up with a bow.
But in Your plan, they will not open and begin to work until we ask You to do so.
You have given unto Your children authority to bind and defeat the powers of darkness
And to set loose Your good and light in lives that would otherwise be lifeless.
But perhaps we have become accustomed to this gift, or its true meaning we forgot.
If we complain about the Spirit not moving in us, we do not have because we ask not.
Whether it be strength in weakness or joy in suffering, Lord, let us not be afraid to ask.
I pray that we would use all the gifts You give to equip us for success in each and every task.
May Your Spirit be poured out in our hearts and fill us with boldness and power,
That we may stand strong against the Devil in Your name until You return in the final hour.

Admittedly, my view about the Holy Spirit has changed somewhat, but the rest still very much applies as it did the day I wrote this. So often, I have lost spiritual battles because I refused to fight; it seems so much easier to give in, and yet by doing so we sacrifice victory in Christ, who can give us victory in all things.

“Passionately Devoted”

Lord, when I think of the way that I live, I am often filled with shame
When I consider how many other things I do instead of praising Your holy name.
I know the things that I ought to do, but I choose to do them not.
I know that I should call upon You for strength, but fail to act when the battle is to be fought.
Cleanse me from impure thoughts, O God; fill me afresh with the Holy Ghost,
So that I may serve You with passion as I serve You with my all, not just almost.
I have stumbled and lost my way, like a sheep wandering from the fold.
Bring me back to Your presence, Lord; may Your light in my life be as bright as pure gold.

Some people think that just because God is so vast and eternal, that we cannot possibly know Him. While it’s true that God’s divine nature will always be a mystery to us, He has taken steps to make Himself knowable to us through Jesus and the Holy Spirit.

“Above all, but in reach”

God, the world around us shows how great and awesome You are.
You made everything-all that lives; You gave a place to each and every star.
Your ways are beyond our understanding, how You think and choose what is to be done.
Yet You chose to meet with us through the sacrifice of Your Son.
You made a way for all to come near to the foot of Your heavenly throne.
You sent Jesus to die on the cross, so that sin and death would be overthrown.
Thank You, Father, for Your wonderful ways, and Your miraculous grace and love, constantly new.
You are above all, yet You dwell with us, and when all is done, we will forever dwell with You.