A man standing tall and stout
may indeed be a friend without,
but suffering from the curse of sin,
the enemy may lie within!-
this being of his own accord
by wandering from his gracious Lord;
none to blame but he himself
who puts his Armor on the shelf,
and leaves his tarnished will to pine
with lack of victory's battle shine.
Therefore, we wear the armor planned
by God's own ever-fashioning hand
to aid each soldier to withstand
in evil days and battles grand.
We have the loins with truth to girt
and righteousness our sacred shirt,
forgetting not that feet be shod
with the gospel peace of God;
the shield of faith to guard the heart
from each and every fiery dart,
the helmet of salvation brought
to filter through our wayward thought.
Our weapons? One- the Spirit Sword,
the message of God's Holy Word.
And lastly, in a veil of prayer,
He shelters us with loving care.
We need each piece as on we go,
by friend en route or passing foe
for Satan uses many styles
of people for his wicked wiles.
And though we know the war's been won
by Jesus Christ, God's Holy Son,
we must fight battles day to day
as we walk the narrow way.
When encircled by your friends, beware,
for it's unknown who's truly there;
be sure to put your armor on
before the day has yet begun,
for traitors lie in allies who
are not as well prepared as you.
Author notes
I chose option number three, since I kind-of already had this poem about spiritual warfare.
And, God will always get the glory for the poems He inspires.
Written June 2nd, 2004
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Comments
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Wow! Your wording and rhymes were powerful. The poem makes one wonder about the people he chooses as friends, and if he has the Armor of God to protect him and help him fight the ways of this world. Great poem, I look foward to reading further of you writings.
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Good Write
not bad, I enjoyed what you had to say about it all. Good write, continue to improve n' live for Him, your brother in Jesus Christo, Lost Crow Child -
Wow! You portrayed the painful truth of the world... you never know who you can trust
. But you did it with such vivid images and rythmic wording that it made for a very enjoyable read. Great job!!
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I wouldn't call it MY talent- I'd call it the Lord speaking through the talents He gave me. There are just some things that He allows me to best say through poetry.
Part of this poem was inspired by some lines from Alfred, Lord Tennyson's poem "Ulysses": "How dull it is to pause, to make an end, tu rust unburnished, not to shine in use!" What a shame that some Christians never get in the battle!
Another part of it was personal, as I was in college when I wrote this, and dealing with some upheavals relationships among friends. I have a quote lying around here somewhere that says something to the effect that true Christian friends are the ones that push you closer to God. This was something I was realizing in college.
Thanks for the comments! -
Amen, This is awesome. I loved it, a poem very well written with a lucid view on one of my favorate scriptures. I loved it. You did an awesome job. You wrote this with alot of insight and heart. All that I've read from you shines tallent.
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I like how you bring scripture to life, give it extra detail. I've had that image of holy armor in my head for a while.
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There's more where that came from! God has a way of giving me some really good stuff to write.
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Great poem
This is a very inspirational piece that obviously flows from your faith and heart. Well done -
Awesome
Alright, so since, you were one of the first two entries, I know which poems you commented on.
As far this piece goes...
I think it is a very well done. I like the way it has elaborated on scripture and brought the application of the scripture to our daily lives. The end of the poem itself, "When encircled by your friends, beware,
for it's unknown who's truly there;
be sure to put your armor on
before the day has yet begun,
for traitors lie in allies who
are not as well prepared as you," reveals a Truth that I am afraid most people have not caught onto yet, but then, there are always those who take it so far as to cynicism, and that is a form of distrust which contradicts true love. Well done. I am impressed. -
Hey this was great! It had an awesome flow and an awesome message. I don't think I've seen anyone adapt a Bible verse so well on here before. That makes you a first. Very inspiring and great piece.
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Oh- okay! I wasn't sure if I was supposed to comment on those to, or if it were just if I did option #1 or #2. I'll get to that as soon as I can!
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In order for this poem to be taken as a contest poem, you will need to comment on the two poems mentioned in the rules, and state the poems commented on in ur author's comments. Sorry, I'm a bit of a stickler for rules. I hope you are doing well, and I really like this piece of work. I will actually comment on it a little later on. Have good day, and God bless.
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Awesome rework of Ephesians! It's got a really important message here, put on the armor... BUT wait, you brought out something really important other than that... the need to be careful that you don't trust just anyone. Well done! ~Melissa
Edited on Jun 12, 11:30 because 'typos but hey it's not my fault.. it's the keyboard!'. -
I do like the message in this, always be prepared. Very well written, thank you so much for entering the contest.
~whisper
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God Bless You
Great poem from a great Scripture verse.
Nice flow through as well. Reminds me of my work.
Armor of God
Ephesians 6:13
Take unto you the whole Armor of God,
Stand firm as a soldier to praise and laud;
Withstand all the evil as you do battle,
Having done all to stand ever watchful;
Being a soldier for God is being prepared,
If you're not ready, you could be snared;
By letting down your guard allows anxiety,
To enter within and take over your dignity;
When we worry, our guard begins to weaken,
A gloomy attitude as it starts to darken;
You begin to panic as you drop your shield,
And you run out naked on the battlefield;
Be calm and cool as the chaotic mess hits,
Continue your battle never calling it quits;
When you have done all that you can do,
Never retreat from your enemy's view;
Just stand to relax and don't make a fuss,
Go to God in prayer and never try to cuss;
You have done everything that is possible,
As God consoles He'll make you comfortable;
Be strong in the Lord and power of His might,
Stand firm as His servant and a bold knight;
Put on the armour of God against the devil,
Stand firm all he represents that is so evil;
For we wrestle not against what we can see,
What we have become blind to is the real key;
Against the rulers of darkness of this world,
Against spiritual wickedness that's unfurled;
Take the full armour of God and to resist,
In the days of evil as those forces persist;
Have your loins girt about you with facts,
Breastplates with purity tied on your backs;
Feet shod with the prep of gospel of peace,
Shield of faith for fiery darts never cease;
Helmet of salvation and the Spirit's sword,
For this is truly blessed with God's word:
Praying always with prayer to our Creator,
Watch with perseverance for none are greater;
That I open my mouth boldly to speak to you,
Know the mystery of the gospel which is true.
Richard Newton Sherrer
Copyright 2003 Richard Newton Sherrer
Edited on Jun 09 because ''. -
Excellent work, and painfully true. The rhyme scheme enhances the flow and message quite eloquently. This is a very good work. If you are interested, I have quite a few works with spiritual subjects. Most excellent.
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I think God has given me a natural desire to rhyme! It may have something to do with the fact that I love music... I often say that I'd like to write a hymn of my own some day!
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This poem is so rhythmic--it's almost trance-inducing! It's very Christian in its epic scale and you're poetically effective at portraying your thoughts on the battle between good and evil.
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A point of interest for you... the part about "puts his armor on the shelf...lack of victory's battle shine"- I got that thought from reading a poem by Alfred, Lord Tennyson, entitled "Ulysses." The line from that poem reads like this:
How dull it is to pause, to make an and,
To rust unburnished, not to shine in use!
In the context of spiritual warfare, what a shame it is when we don't fight, and "shine with use" as we should!
Edited on Jun 03 because ''. -
Niiiice!
Wow!!! This is great! It sounds exactly like something I'd write, your style is so similar to mine. The flow is great and so are the choices of words to rhyme. And I LOVE the last two lines--
for traitors lie in allies who
are not as well prepared as you
Very doctrinally sound as well. You did a fantastic job, I give thee a golden clapping smilie-face for thy work.
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