Indwelling sin

But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. 19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. 20 These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone.” Matthew 15:18-20
My heart is desperately wicked,
Out of it comes the most unimaginable thoughts.
I am even surprised at times
By my own evil desires.

There is a deceitfulness in my heart
That is without rival or compare.
Despite the fact that Christ has purified my heart
I still do not do the good that I desire to do.

I am aware more each day that I am in need of a Savior,
And that my sins sent Jesus to the cross.
Father, wearily I cry out, reconcile me to yourself again,
Fill me anew with your Holy Spirit.

Thank you for your heart of compassion to me.
I have failed you time and time again,
But by the grace of your unfailing love to me
You are faithful beyond measure
And have given me never ending unconditional mercy.

Unbelief

I always want to be on guard

Against the heinous sin of unbelief,

Strengthen my grip on your truth

Allow me to never lose sight of the Gospel.

Unbelief is one of the deadliest sins,

It clouds my mind and turns my heart cold.

Make me always mindful of your word.

Let me never stop applying your spirit’s teaching.

My path will be dark if I go the route of unbelief

But your Word is my light and my salvation.

People become slaves to condemnation because of unbelief,

Christ shed His blood, by His race, so people may have redemption.

Lies and truth

“a bruised reed he will not break,
and a smoldering wick he will not quench,” Matthew 12:12

Sin had left me as nothing.
I was bruised and broken
With nothing good left to give,
But Christ in His compassion
Kept me alive and revived me.

My faith was at the end of its wick
I was fearful to come to Christ.
Satan’s lies comdemned and discouraged,
But Christ truth reassured me of His mercy,
As my sin increased, grace increased all the more.

Fix Your Gaze

23 And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. 24 And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. 25 And they went and woke him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.” 26 And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. 27 And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?” (Matthew 8:23-27)

In the sea of life
There will be times
When the waves rage
And the boat rocks.

No matter how fierce the storms,
Or how much the wind blows,
Fix your gaze on Jesus,
The author and perfect of your faith.

Only He is the source of divine peace.
Because of Him there is no need to fear.
His grace is a shield and sure defense
Against life’s circumstances and trials.

All we have to do is rest in His unfailing love.
When we look back on His death in our place
Then we can assuredly look ahead
Aware of His desire to do us good.

Confession

After leading a recent discussion with my small group on evangelism I was led to write this poem/prayer that reflects my heart to grow in this area.

I am a weak and fearful sinner
Whose only hope is grace.
To carry forth your call
I am reliant on mercy.

Despite past failure in evangelism
I do not despair, but cling to the cross
Knowing that success does not come from me
Except only by the power of the Spirit.

Compelled by Christ love, I go forth,
As He has been faithful to me since eternity past,
So I will be faithful to those that are dead in sin,
Christ died to love them, so I must die to self.

My living is my dieing.
When I lose my life I gain more of Christ
And reflect Him as His ambassador
So that other might have life and have it to the full.