Author: Jodi

Sin

Poetry

Giving into it

Made it stronger

Giving it attention

Made it hold on longer

Always seeking it’s own satisfaction

While pretending to be my friend

Yet every road it chose for me

Led to pain and destruction in the end

Now seeing, I’ve turned away

From sin’s wicked ways and selfishness

I’ll follow Your Spirit to overcome

This battle with my own flesh.

Colossians 3:5

Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.

Galatians 5:16-18

So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses.

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Tether

Poetry

Tether me

Tether me

To Your side

For in my heart

Lurks desire

To go astray

Tether me

Tether me

To Your side

To keep me near

And protect me

From my own way

 

Romans 7:15

I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.

Friendship

Poetry

A true mark of friendship is when you become a better person because of it.  A true friend can love you where you are but also encourage you to change for the better. 

Proverbs 17:17

A friend loves at all times…

Proverbs 27:17

As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.

Proverbs 27:6

Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses.

When There Seems to be no way

Poetry

Shake off the dust

Get rid of the junk

Junk that’s been piling on for years

It’s weighed you down

Brought you down roads

That never were planned for you here

Your exit is now

Don’t miss the turn

This new road will be free and light

I’ve heard your prayers

It’s never too late

I’ll turn all this wrong into right

Isaiah 43:18-19

Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old.  Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.

Give

Poetry, Thoughts

The other day I was approached by (I assume) a homeless man asking for money. I rarely have cash but happened to have some that day so I felt compelled to give him $5. Someone with me made a comment like “ya we know what he’s going to do with that!” And it was said in a not so nice way.

I understand that thinking and I’ve struggled with it myself. But at the end of the day, I don’t know his story and I don’t need to. I’m just called to help others in need, not just with my money but with compassion as well.

The beggar is an opportunity for me

To offer my help to a person in need

Will I glance away pretending not to see

Assume the worst and count him undeserving?

Or will I give simply because he is in need

No judgement or condemnation, no expectation

Just help for a man life has knocked to his knees

Matthew 5:42

Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.

Treasures

Poetry

I give you my treasures

All tattered and torn

They’ve lost all their luster

They’re long over worn

At first I couldn’t see it

I didn’t have a clue

How worthless they were

Until I saw You

Philippians 3:8

Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ

Will You

Poetry

Will You do it for me

Will You be my strength

Will You face my enemies

And counsel me at length

Will You bring redemption

And hold me safely there

Will You offer forgiveness

Will You hear my prayer?

Psalm 91:4

He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

Heaven’s Power

Poetry

He’s the hope for the broken

The light in the dark

Our sight 

when we can no longer see 

where we are

He’s the producer of miracles

The way out of our storms

Bringing heaven’s power

To our fading earthly forms

Revelation 19: 11-13, 16

I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. …. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written:
KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

Daily Prompt: Loop

Poetry

There’s a loop in my brain

Going round and round

No beginning, no end

No solution to be found

 

Traveling the loop

Day and night

Looking for answers

To make this loop right

 

Time to desert this train of thought

And leave my loop behind

Let it sit uninhabited

While I go live this life of mine

 

via Daily Prompt: Loop

Sin

Poetry

One thought and nothing more

Maybe fate guiding, intended for me

Just a thought lingering

Tempting me to make it be

So I examine it, explore it

Start wanting it to become true

It intertwines my being

Influences what I think and do

This thought, this seed

Fighting day and night to win

What if this thought feeling like destiny

Is really just my sin

1 Corinthians 10:13

No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.

Hebrews 12:1

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,

Messy Life

Poetry

 When things got tough and my dreams were taken away, I ran away from You.

When I felt Your hand convicting my heart, I threw my anger at You.

When my world gets mixed up and my vision disappears,

I fumble in the darkness scared to face You to ask for forgiveness again.

Especially when I can’t seem to get rid of my sin.

But You keep calling me. You keep calling me home.

I don’t even know where to start so You help me to pour out my heart.

By this time, there are so many dark corners I’ve hidden.

The messes were piled up too high.

Moment by moment You chipped them away

And overflowed Your grace on me.

It’s alright to feel the heaviness of wanting to live right for You.

In my desperation, I saw how many things are impossible for me to do.

But there You were again, offering Your help to me.

Your power to take away my sin.

Your love to see me through.

Your friendship because You’re the best friend I have.

Your Spirit to make me more like You.

Tears

Poetry

My tears are released when I sleep

To let go of the pain of yesterday

And make room for a new tomorrow

My tears are released when I sleep

To wash away the deeper hurts

And rid today of yesteryear’s sorrow

Psalm 56:8
You keep track of all my sorrows.. You have collected all my tears in your bottle.  You have recorded each one in your book.

Revelation 21:4
He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.
Tear drops oh tear drops

You carry the pain away

With each new drop, a memory

Slowly fading away

At This Point in My Life

Poetry

Excerpt from “At This Point in my Life”

by Tracy Chapman 

…..

At this point in my life

Although I’ve mostly walked in the shadows

I’m still searching for the light

Won’t you put your faith in me

We both know that’s what matters

If you give me a chance I’ll try

You see I’ve been climbing stairs 

but mostly stumbling down

I’ve been reaching high 

always losing ground

You see I’ve conquered hills 

but I still have mountains to climb

And right now right now 

I’m doing the best I can

At this point in my life

…..

At this point in my life

I’d like to live as if only love mattered

As if redemption was in sight

As if the search to live honestly

Is all that anyone needs

No matter if you find it

You see when I’ve touched the sky

The earth’s gravity has pulled me down

But now I’ve reconciled that in this world

Birds and angels get the wings to fly

If you can believe in this heart of mine

If you can give it a try

Then I’ll reach inside and find and give you

All the sweetness that I have

At this point in my life

At this point in my life

Songwriters: Tracy L Chapman

Your Will Be Done

Poetry

 I desire immediate gratification.

But often Your timing is different than mine.

Please help me to remember in my struggle for pleasure,

That Your will be done, not mine.

In my need, I surrender my heart to You.

One broken area at a time.

In Your grace, I offer my thanks to You.

For being patient when I am so stubborn and blind.

May I trust You enough to ask every day that Your will be done, not mine. 

Driver

Poetry

Step away from the wheel

You are just a babe

Your feet don’t even reach the floor

The wheel is too heavy

You can’t hold it straight

I see you keep veering off course

Let me take over

I’ve got it from here

You don’t need to steer anymore

Isaiah 43:16-19

This is what the Lord says— he who made a way through the sea, a path through the mighty waters, who drew out the chariots and horses, the army and reinforcements together, and they lay there, never to rise again, extinguished, snuffed out like a wick: “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.

In Freedom

Poetry

Do not promote guilt

When I died to set you free

Who decides which sin is worse

When this wasn’t even clarified by Me?

It is the condition of the heart

That only the Father can see

And He deals with it in grace

Not in condemnation to imprison thee

1 Samuel 16:7

“…The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”

Matthew 15:14
“Leave them; they are blind guides. If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.”

I’ll Wait

Poetry

I’ll wait for you, I’ll wait

Won’t do it as in the past

Won’t go my own way

Won’t jump in too fast

Your eyes see ahead

Your hand holds all the cards

You’ve made and erased all the rules

You’ve let me taste your heart

So I’ll wait, I’ll wait for you

Lest I err in my own way

I’ll take it slowly, let it unfold

And keep waiting on you today

See Beautiful

Poetry

I see your beauty

your strength

Your kindness

Caring

Intelligence

Your humor

Smile

And tenderness

I see your vulnerability

Your desire to be loved

Your hope for acceptance

Toughness that covers it up

I see you standing tall

And gifted in all you do

I see your beauty

Your strength

I see you

Turn to Me

Poetry

People will let you down

They’ll disappoint you, fail you, 

misunderstand, mistreat and leave you.

And when they do, turn to Me.

Turn to me in your hurt, 

your sadness, disappointment and fear.

Turn to Me to learn forgiveness

To gain understanding

Turn to Me to be healed.

I forgive and love like no one else

I’ll teach you to do the same

It won’t always make sense 

but My way is the best

not just for you 

but for everyone here. 

Your Thoughts

Poetry

When it comes to things

 I don’t understand

I give them to You 

and trust what You say

When worry is tempting me

To care what others think

I remember your thoughts

Are all that matter anyway

Isaiah 55:8-9

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
    neither are your ways my ways,”

declares the Lord.

“As the heavens are higher than the earth,

    so are my ways higher than your ways

    and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Prayer of Thanks

Poetry

Thank You

     for never leaving

     for treating me with such kindness. 

Thank You 

     for never abandoning me 

     for never condemning me

Thank You 

     for wanting a relationship with me      

     for fighting to show me you care 

Thank You 

     for responding to me 

     for hearing my prayers 

Thank You 

     for creating me as a unique person 

     for designing a place for me in this life

Thank You

     All I have is a thank You today

     Thank You is all I can say

Life Races

Analogies

Last weekend I ran a 5k and this weekend was our Sprint Tri. The 5k was rough for me. I didn’t feel strong, had a few moments of feeling nauseous and had to stop and walk a minute or two. That’s never a good feeling because we all want to do our best all the time, right? I would’ve loved to have flown through the course, beating all personal records. But that didn’t happen.  
So I looked at all my choices surrounding the race. Why did I eat that morning? What did I drink? How was my sleep? And I decided on a few things I needed to change for this upcoming Tri and it made a huge difference! I still didn’t run my fastest but I felt much better and stronger through each portion of the race.  
While I was running and thinking about this, I realized that if it weren’t for having a “less than great” run last weekend, I wouldn’t have had the great experience I had today. The best outcome for the 5k wasn’t winning that day but was in learning for tomorrow.  
Ecclesiastes 3:1
To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

Blinded

Poetry

You were in front of me

Proving You’re true

Then You hid and allowed me to be tested

My blinders came on

And I forgot all I knew

 

James 1: 23-25

Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.

Nothing Else

Poetry

Rest me not on my laurels

My good looks, fortune or fame

If I shall gain the whole world but not have You

I’d have nothing to my name

 

No applause shall appease me

No friendship, lover or affection due

My heart would be left cold and empty

Without the fulfillment of You

 

Mark 8:36

 

“For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?”