Fallitur Malicia: Versifications of God's Saving Grace

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©2018 Valerie Lynn Stephens

We must believe, then follow,

Or else we are hollow,

For mere mental assent,

'Tho well-meant,

Doth not a disciple make.

And remember Our Christ,

Who didn't think twice,

Of Hell for Heaven's sake.

If time spent,

'Tis not Heaven-bent,

We are decaying at the root,

To remain in the Vine,

Of our Gardener Divine,

Pruning must follow suit.

Who am I to presume,

Upon God's sovereign grace?

Justifying my sins, since I cannot see His face? Father, forgive me,

For such things You abhor,

Fill me with Your Spirit,

That I may sin no more.

Joy & Mercy can be found,

In sins confessed & unwound,

For He forgives hearts sincere,

That, to Him, do draw near.

We must descend to Hell,

To get to Heaven,

Bow to the One,

To reach the Seven,

All things due in His own time,

Speaking in perfect reason & rhyme.

He upholds with steady hand,

Shattered vessels of a desolate land,

And 'tho the Evil One tries to destroy us,

For Goodness' sake, He shall employ us.

Blessings must be earned,

Like all heavenly things,

As rewards of this world,

Are ephemeral flings,

Our true love reigns,

At the Father's right hand,

Granting our hearts' desire,

When in Him we stand.

Although we be slow to learn,

Our Rabbi teaches with patient turn,

'Til that day when we are made complete, Raised with Him in Joy replete.

Even the Darkness serves the Light,

Ruled by a King with perfect might,

All things created in perfect Love,

Set free to choose, of things hereof.

Asleep in Him our souls find rest,

Only when cursed, are we blessed,

Help us Lord, to remain in Your vine,

To reap that harvest, Eternally Divine.

Those who remain, asleep in Him,

Spare their souls' life & limb,

For 'tho the flesh doth decay,

Inward renewal 'tis underway.

Many are the tests to endure,

To grade a heart as pure,

Refined by the furnace of affliction,

Are souls redeemed, from dereliction.

Christ in the heart restores youth,

Refining all ways found uncouth,

Without Him we can do no good thing,

In Christ alone, let freedom ring!

The sun shines brighter upon these days,

And the path runs smooth along all ways,

So what's the difference, I often wonder?

True faith applied on days of thunder.

The Enemy of God & of Man,

Holds no power over His plan!

You will be glad that you waited,

As the devil's schemes are soon abated.

Discernment is given,

To pure heart and sound mind,

Reaping fruits of Holiness and Peace in kind, A wolf changes his coat, not his disposition, Steering us clear of perfidious fruition.

It's not about our wounded pride,

But about He who died,

So draw your Enemies to Him,

By demonstrating Christ-like vim!

Submit my flesh to the workings of Thy Spirit, Let me who has the ears to hear, fully hear it, Grant the heart's desire in serving Thee,

That torments be quenched, of carnality.

The devil knows our weakness within,

All designed so we stumble & sin,

Mine might not be the same as yours,

But rest assured Hell, has many doors.

Fear of rejection creates opportunity,

For an infection of soul, with no immunity, Isolating us thus, from our fellow man, Causing us to stray from God's plan.

To listen intently each precious day,

For God's guiding voice this I pray,

It may be a whisper, it may be a shout,

But whatever I hear, He leadeth me out.

The devil assumes many forms,

Yet God's Word, always forewarns,

Keeping us from harm & disgrace,

So we may one day, glimpse of His face.

Jesus, let not your spirit depart,

From all unrest within my heart,

Anoint my wounds with your Holy power,

So that I am no longer caused to cower.

In Apostasy hath the Holy Spirit,

Been aggrieved,

As a heart hardened,

Is an afflicted mind relieved,

Allowing Truth to forge its indelible imprint, For travelers both Heaven and Hell-bent.

Most gladly therefore, will I bow to infirmity, So the power of Christ may rest upon me,

The Soul so malaised needs His loving care,

Its seams reinforced for Life's wear and tear.

There's no learning curve for Faith's test,

'Tho He gives credit for doing our best,

And at the close of Life's long semester,

We will thank God, our tenurely tester.

Those who belittle are afraid of your power, Inside it is they who tremble & cower,

So keep on shining that light that is true,

A priceless worth, God so sees in You!

Practice a turn of the cheek,

For we are called to be meek,

So that His countenance displayed ensures, That His example endures.

Self-control, confectious fruit of the Spirit, Offered up daily, when we draw near it, Sating the Soul with sophrosyne Divine,

As true hunger abideth, deep within the Vine.

A warrior unsettled by peace,

Will shorn the Lamb of its fleece,

Forgetting at once, a hide soft & warm,

Even during the waspy swarm.

The fermented grape is weak,

'Tho in it, revelation I seek,

Perhaps I've forgot to be intoxicated enough, By that purely spiritual stuff!

Perfect love casts out all fear,

We are safe only in drawing near,

To the light & the truth of every situation,

In that we're redeemed from condemnation.

Sturm und drang,

Amidst the throng,

Lord reveal them,

So You can heal them!

Have I the strength to be soft,

With a heart that wants to harden & cower?

Only in leaning,

'Pon the Heavenly Father's power!

In Him we move & have our being,

Only the Spirit, is truly freeing,

Continue to pray for both lost & found,

For His mercies are, infinitely unbound.

In my own self-mortification I find,

To others' pain, I am blind,

But our Heavenly Father knows

Our truest hearts,

We belong to Him, in our inmost parts.

Resist the devil & he shall flee!

Get thee, Satan, behind me!

Absolute power in how we play the game, Relinquishing the pieces, in Jesus' name!

Treat others with a spirit of love,

And not of control,

And ye shall preserve, Thy Heavn'ly Soul.

The players may change,

But the games remain the same,

But human hearts are not for play,

When rallying in His name,

For there is nothing to win

And everything to lose,

When God's very own,

Their brethren, abuse.

In this world we may not get our due,

But this merely means that we've stayed true, To all of those things, Heav'nmost bound, Waiting when we arrive, safe & sound.

Has not, is not, nor ever will be,

I know what I know, & see what I see,

A woman of the cloth, & not of this world, Nevertheless, upon it, ceaselessly hurled,

Yet one thing there is, from this to be gained, 'Tis a moral striving, anything but feigned.

The more clearly we show ourselves,

The less we are seen,

Yet this keeps us from vanity,

A thorn to not preen.

Thy tender mercies, never ceasing,

Other chances, ever leasing,

Your right hand, keeping me steady,

'Til for Heavenly entrance, I am ready.

A momentary light affliction,

Unbinds their dereliction,

Preserving both heart and mind,

From worldly ways in kind.

Not on my strength but on His alone,

His yoke is light, time & again shown,

Come ye all who are weary, & find your rest, And trust that He alone, surely knows best.

'Tho taking root is perhaps not in my Fate, God paves new paths, all leading

To Heaven's gate,

And 'tho the devil may burden,

Every answer with doubt,

What better reason need I, to remain devout.

Being close to the fire keeps us refined, Masterfully crafted by the Hand Divine,

And Faith, by worldly kiln 'tho tested,

Keeps the Dark Prince, staunchly bested.

By His stripes are we healed,

When our sin is revealed,

For God alone is just & good,

Perfect in Triune personhood.

Trust in God & not in man,

Wait for His perfect plan,

To unfold unto your destiny,

As who you are, in Christ, to be.

And you shall know them by their fruits,

They are rotten at their roots!

Seeds apart from the vine,

Of the Holy God Divine.

We must remain in the Vine,

Of our Redeemer Divine,

To reap utmost spiritual fruit,

Of sanctification from the root.

What blessed assurance have we in Him,

A becalming Spirit restoring vim,

When we lean not on our own strength,

His love abounds, in infinite length.

Lord let me lie asleep in You,

That my soul may heal and renew,

For Thine is a power undenied,

Staying us thence, by Your side.

No good thing doth He withhold,

From those who walk within His fold,

For His will 'tis perfectly set,

To grant that our needs should all be met.

When Ego-Monster needs fed,

I quickly put it to bed,

For true hunger can only be sated,

By fruits of the Spirit duly feted.

May we walk not in the flesh but in the Spirit, So when our passing comes,

We shall not fear it,

For only those asleep in Him are well-suited, To be presented in righteousness imputed.

He removes the thorns from our flesh,

As His Spirit & our souls enmesh,

And we slumber, resting fully in Him,

To someday awaken, to celestial vim.

Human souls are best refined,

By those kilns Divinely designed,

And 'tho their flames burn bright & hot,

They keepest from infernal lot.

Lord, I hasten unto Thee,

So ever chasten unto me,

Whilst that I withal escape,

The hounds of Hell, its doors agape!

As dead to sin we strive to remain,

The Holy One heals, of iniquitous bane, Quickening both heart & mind,

Unto His will, perfectly aligned.

Truly He will never forsake or leave me,

So bend me to Thy will, Lord,

Even if You have to break me!

The light of God's love,

Shone down from above,

Brings peace in danger,

And the kindness of a stranger,

We must remember to Whom we belong, Even those times when we have done wrong, For against mere flesh, we battle not,

Yet final victory, has been won & fought!

You keep in perfect peace,

Whose mind is stayed on Thee,

Your perfect ways-what a sight to see!

Your Holiness assures a wounded soul reeling,

They shall be restored,

Unto wholeness & healing.

'Tis easier to destroy, than to create,

Harder to love, than to hate,

For 'tho a thing, natural, may flow,

Iniquity abounds, both high and low,

Filthy rags cannot wash, a soul clean,

'Cept when fleshly tomb rests, in Him unseen.

The Lord brings healing,

After heavy kneeling,

Ever bringing us to fruition,

If we so heed His admonition.

When all your troubles are done,

My good & precious one,

Your time too, shall come,

Just wait for the Son,

And your time shall come,

Tilt your head towards the Son,

And your time, shall come.

Along with blessing comes equitable curse,

All deigned to rob, thy spiritual purse!

So hold on tight, to the heavenly tenure,

Ye have earned it, with penurious splendour!

Grant this your servant, the joi de vivre,

To pursue Your will without leave,

That joy and peace may make,

A fixed dwelling for Thy sake.

Trigger points pressed on all the right spots, Everyone breaks-haves and have-nots,

But in our weakness His power is perfected,

A King over all, duly elected.

The Author & Perfecter

Of our Faith still writes,

Thereupon celestial heights,

Penning the Opus that is our life,

A dramedy full of joy & strife,

'Tho creative license, to us is sent,

The galleys are viewed, pre-print!

Those bodies and souls do best,

That pass the tenurely test,

Paying each their own tuition,

So all may reach fruition.

Whether 'woman' or 'man',

The Lord calls us to His plan,

Each one's value and task not pardoned,

'Tho minds be narrow and hearts hardened! For should one limb ill-formed,

Be put to use before it is warmed,

The whole Body suffers in the grossest ways, Writhing in agony for better days.

So children of God, serve Him free!

Wherever He leads-He needs Thee!

For many a men are poorly placed,

In vertiginous positions and soon defaced!

A leader, by inmost character is defined,

Not by gender, by birth, assigned.

Restless 'til they find their rest in Thee,

Human hearts pine, in Christ, to be,

For in Him alone can we find,

Abiding joy & peace in kind.