Though Chains Endure, the Peace of God Stands Sentinel by Debbie Harris

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Philippians 4:6–7 (KJV)

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

In Roman chains, where shadows darkly fall,
Paul writes of joy amid the iron’s bite;
No sunny shore, no ease to ease the thrall,
Yet bids the heart release its anxious night.

Be careful for nothing, though the storm may rage,
Though future veils its face in threat and fear;
The trouble stands, yet need not hold the stage—
‘Tis not the trial, but the lonely tear.

In every thing, by prayer and earnest plea,
With thanks that anchor to the cross’s tree,
Lay bare your wants, your wounds, your frailty—
Surrender all; let God the burden see.

No vague entreaty, no half-hearted call,
But supplication sharp with real despair;
Then thanksgiving, though pain would claim it all,
Recalls the grave that could not hold its Heir.

And lo, a peace beyond all mortal ken
Shall keep the heart, the mind, with soldier’s might—
A sentinel that bars the gate to when
Despair would storm the soul in dead of night.

Not circumstance transformed, nor chains undone,
But inner keep held fast in Christ the Son;
The diagnosis lingers, storm undone—
Yet you are guarded; fear’s wild reign is won.

So bring your worry, trembling, to His throne;
Exchange the weight for peace that will not break.
In Christ you stand, not by your strength alone—
The peace of God your heart and mind shall wake.

Though prison walls or trials press severe,
This truth endures from one who knew the rod:
You do not carry sorrow lone and drear—
The guarding peace is yours, in Christ your God.

For Such a Time as This(A Prophetic Proclamation) by Debbie Harris

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Summary of the Poem: “For Such a Time as This”

This is a bold, prophetic proclamation poem written in a repetitive, declarative style inspired by Esther 4:14 (“for such a time as this”). It serves as a rallying cry for conservative evangelical Christians, calling believers to stand firm in faith amid perceived cultural, spiritual, and moral crises in the modern world (framed as “such a time” of urgency before Christ’s return).

Core Themes and Structure

  1. Unashamed Gospel Proclamation & Rejection of Compromise
    The poem opens with a commitment to boldly proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ without shame, while refusing to love the world, compromise truth for unity, or embrace false doctrine.
  2. Cultural & Ideological Resistance
    It strongly opposes:
  • Progressive “woke” ideologies, blasphemous teachings, and moral relativism.
  • Specific philosophies seen as anti-God: communism, Marxism, radical feminism, secular humanism, progressivism, atheism, postmodernism, evolutionism, and others.
  • Institutions and influences: universities that indoctrinate youth, media propaganda, godless entertainment.
  1. Positive Biblical Stands
  • Unwavering support for Israel as God’s chosen people.
  • Defense of traditional marriage (one man + one woman as God’s design from creation).
  • Sanctity of human life from conception (opposing abortion).
  • Authority and inerrancy of Scripture as the final rule for faith and life.
  1. Moral Purity & Personal Holiness
    Calls for fleeing all sexual immorality (fornication, adultery, lust, impurity), pursuing holiness, self-control, and examining one’s own heart to avoid hypocrisy within the church.
  2. End-Times Readiness & Vigilance
    Emphasizes living alert and sober, keeping spiritual lamps burning, purifying oneself, enduring faithfully, and eagerly awaiting Christ’s return (with references to the trumpet call, Bridegroom at midnight, and not delaying).
  3. Mission, Revival & Triumphant Hope
    Urges active evangelism (Great Commission), prayer for national repentance and revival (2 Chronicles 7:14 style), pursuit of true biblical unity (without doctrinal compromise), and making disciples despite opposition.
    It closes with a doxology exalting Jesus as King of kings and Lord of lords, ending in expectant prayer: “Amen—come, Lord Jesus!”

Overall Tone & Purpose
The poem is urgent, confrontational, and hopeful—positioning the current cultural moment as a decisive time for believers to resist darkness, uphold biblical truth uncompromisingly, prepare for Christ’s soon return, and shine as lights while calling others to repentance and faith. It functions as both personal devotion and a public manifesto/call to action for like-minded Christians.

In essence: Stand unashamed, resist compromise, defend biblical truth and morality, prepare for the end, pray for revival, proclaim Christ, and await His victorious return—for such a time as this.

For such a time as this
we stand unashamed for the gospel of Jesus Christ!

For such a time as this
we stand against false doctrine.

For such a time as this
we refuse to love the world
and all that is in it.

For such a time as this
we claim our country for Jesus Christ.

For such a time as this
we live to make our Savior known.

For such a time as this
we do not sacrifice truth for unity’s sake!

For such a time as this
we call out the blasphemous and progressive woke!

For such a time as this
we stand and support Israel, God’s chosen people.

For such a time as this
we call out universities who indoctrinate
and radicalize our youth.

For such a time as this
we become like Bereans—
searching the Scriptures daily,
testing every spirit, every teaching,
to see if these things are so.

For such a time as this
we expose the lies of media giants
who twist truth into propaganda
and silence the faithful voices.

For such a time as this
we guard our homes and hearths
against the invasion of godless entertainment
that poisons young minds with rebellion.

For such a time as this
we watch and pray without ceasing
keeping our lamps trimmed and burning bright
for the Bridegroom comes at midnight.

For such a time as this
we live sober and alert
not sleeping as the world sleeps
but standing ready for the trumpet’s call.

For such a time as this
we purify ourselves as He is pure
clothing ourselves in righteousness
spotless and blameless at His appearing.

For such a time as this
we set our minds on things above
not on earthly things that fade
eagerly awaiting our Savior from heaven.

For such a time as this
we endure to the end in faithfulness
refusing to grow weary in well-doing
for He who promised is faithful and will return.

For such a time as this
we stand against communism and Marxism
godless systems that exalt the state above the Creator,
deny the soul, and crush freedom in the name of equality.

For such a time as this
we reject radical feminism
that wars against God’s design for manhood and womanhood,
promotes rebellion over biblical submission and mutual honor.

For such a time as this
we expose secular humanism
that crowns man as god, erases the need for a Savior,
and builds towers of pride without the fear of the Lord.

For such a time as this
we refuse moral relativism
where truth bends to whim and “my truth” supplants God’s Word,
calling good evil and evil good in brazen defiance.

For such a time as this
we call out progressivism
that marches under banners of “inclusion” while advancing sin,
redefining marriage, life, and justice apart from Scripture’s unchanging standard.

For such a time as this
we oppose every philosophy contrary to God—
evolutionism that mocks creation, atheism that blinds the heart,
postmodernism that dismantles absolute truth,
and all idols of the age.

For such a time as this
we stand firm for traditional marriage
God’s sacred design from the beginning:
one man and one woman united as one flesh,
a lifelong covenant reflecting Christ and His church.

For such a time as this
we defend the holy union of husband and wife
against every attempt to redefine or distort it,
honoring the marriage bed undefiled
as Scripture commands, without compromise.

For such a time as this
we take a stand against all immorality
fleeing sexual sin in every form—
fornication, adultery, lust, impurity,
and every defilement of the body, God’s temple.

For such a time as this
we call out the works of the flesh:
sensuality, debauchery, uncleanness,
and all that grieves the Holy Spirit,
refusing to let sin reign in our mortal bodies.

For such a time as this
we proclaim no hint of sexual immorality
among the saints, no tolerance for what God calls evil,
but rather holiness, self-control, and purity
in thought, word, and deed.

For such a time as this
we proclaim Christ crucified and risen
the only hope for sinners
in a world that calls evil good and good evil.

For such a time as this
we refuse compromise with darkness
choosing instead to shine as lights
in this crooked and perverse generation.

For such a time as this
we proclaim the soon return of Christ
warning the lost, urging repentance
for the day of the Lord draws near.

For such a time as this
we hold fast our confession of hope
without wavering, for He who is coming
will come and will not delay.

For such a time as this
we cry out for revival in our land
humbly ourselves before the Lord,
praying without ceasing, seeking His face,
turning from our wicked ways
that He may hear from heaven, forgive our sin,
and heal our broken nation.

For such a time as this
we affirm the Bible as God’s infallible, inerrant Word—
breathed out by Him, the supreme authority,
profitable for teaching, reproof, correction,
training in righteousness—
the final rule in all faith and practice.

For such a time as this
we defend the sanctity of human life from conception to natural death,
proclaiming every unborn child fearfully and wonderfully made,
a gift from God, image-bearer of the Creator—
calling out the shedding of innocent blood in abortion,
and standing against every assault on the vulnerable.

For such a time as this
we go into all the world making disciples of all nations,
baptizing them and teaching obedience to Christ,
compelled by His love, undeterred by hostility,
for the harvest is plentiful and the workers few.

For such a time as this
we examine our own hearts first,
repenting of hypocrisy and secret sin within the church,
pursuing holiness without which no one will see the Lord,
overcoming compromise that dulls our witness.

For such a time as this
we pursue the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace,
standing together on the essentials of the faith,
but never at the expense of sound doctrine or truth.

For such a time as this
we lift high the name of Jesus Christ,
King of kings and Lord of lords,
to whom every knee will bow and every tongue confess
that He is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Amen—come, Lord Jesus!

The Faithful Rose by Debbie Harris

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In verdant spring, the faithful soul awakes,
And trusts the Triune God’s eternal word;
Through tender buds, new life its promise takes,
And blooms where once the barren earth was stirred.

In summer’s blaze, they stand with fragrance sweet,
Relying firm upon His steadfast grace;
Petals unfurled in noonday’s fervent heat,
Adoring Him who holds them in their place.

When autumn comes with golden leaves that fall,
They yield their beauty in surrender’s art;
Yet trust remains, though colors fade and pall,
For roots drink deep from promises apart.

In winter’s frost, when snows entomb the ground,
The rose lies dormant, veiled in silent night;
But faith endures—no chill can hold it bound,
For God’s sure vow revives it into light.

Through every turn of season’s ceaseless wheel,
They bloom, they rest, they bloom again in praise;
Believing, trusting, adoring what is real—
The promises of God through endless days.

Thus do the righteous flourish like the rose,
Planted in grace, where wilderness rejoices;
Their fragrance rises where the desert grows,
And heaven smiles upon such faithful voices.

We Bloom As Roses by Debbie Harris

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Isaiah 35:1 (KJV)
The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose.

Isaiah 35:1–2 (ESV)
The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad; the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the rose. It shall blossom abundantly and rejoice with joy and singing…

Song of Solomon 2:1 (ESV)
I am a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valleys.

Hosea 14:5–6 (ESV, adapted for floral imagery)
I will be like the dew to Israel; he shall blossom like the lily; he shall take root… His beauty shall be like the olive, and his fragrance like Lebanon.

And so we believe, trust, rely, and adore
the promises of our Triune God
and thus bloom like roses!

Free Verse: Divine Love’s Decree: Repent, Believe, Eternal Life Is Thine by Debbie Harris

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God is love.
Not sentiment. Not nostalgia. Not a warm blanket thrown over chaos.
Love that is fire—uncreated, unconsuming of itself,
yet consuming everything that stands against its holiness.

He spoke galaxies into being,
named the dust, gave it breath,
set eternity in the human heart
so it would ache for Him.

Then the fracture:
a turned back, a grasped fruit,
a lie believed louder than the Voice that made light.
Sin entered like smoke—
and love did not flinch.
Love looked straight at the wound
and refused to call it small.

Wrath is what love looks like
when it will not negotiate with death.
Not petty anger. Not loss of control.
Wrath is love saying No
to the thing that murders children,
enslaves image-bearers,
and calls darkness good.

So the Father did not bargain.
He gave.
Gave the Son—
the radiant exact imprint of His being—
gave Him to the wood,
to the nails,
to the full weight of what justice demands.

The cross is where love and wrath kissed—
violent, voluntary, final.
“It is finished,” He said,
and the sky tore open like torn cloth,
the veil between God and rebel torn from top to bottom.

Now the invitation hangs in the air,
simple, unguarded:
Come.
Live.
Believe in the One sent to bear what you could never carry.

To refuse is not neutral.
It is to stand in the open when the storm arrives,
to walk away from the only door
that opens into life.
The wrath remains—
not because God changed His mind,
but because He never lies.
Justice does not evaporate.
It was satisfied
or it will be executed.

Yet even in this moment—
right now—
the pierced hands are still extended.
The voice that called Lazarus from the grave
still calls.
God is love,
and love will not stop calling
until the last heartbeat fades
or the last heart turns home.

Turn, repent, believe,
so that your eyes can not be blinded by the enemy’s lies and deceit!
You must be born again!

The call thunders now,
sharp as a sword, tender as a Father’s plea—
don’t wait.
The light is breaking through.
See it.
Turn.
Be born again.
Live.

Divine Love’s Decree: Repent, Believe Eternal Life Is Thine by Debbie Harris

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God is love, eternal, vast, and pure,
Not fickle flame that warms and then grows cold,
But justice clad in mercy’s robe secure,
Whose wrath defends what grace would fain uphold.

He formed the stars, the seas, the breathing clay,
And breathed His image deep in man’s first frame;
Yet sin arose, rebellion carved its way,
And broke the bond that bore His holy name.

Love cannot wink at evil’s dark design,
Nor let the rebel mock the throne above;
Wrath rises—not from hate, but law divine—
To guard the good, to vindicate His love.

Yet mercy moved the Father’s heart to send
His only Son, the spotless Lamb most dear;
On Calvary the rod of wrath did bend,
And every stroke of judgment fell Him near.

“It is finished!” rang through earth and sky—
The cup was drunk, the veil was rent in twain;
The curse was borne, the debt was lifted high,
And death itself lay broken in its chain.

Now stands the summons, tender yet severe:
“Believe on Him whom God in love has given;
Flee to the cross, let every doubt forswear,
And find in Christ the way from wrath to heaven.”

But whoso turns, rejecting mercy’s call,
Shall bear the weight that none but Christ could take;
The wrath abides—not vengeance without cause,
But justice answering for mercy’s sake.

O sinner, hear! The arms once nailed are wide;
The blood once shed still pleads for rebel kind.
God is love—turn now, in Him confide,
Lest love’s own justice leave thee lost, and blind.

Repent, believe—eternal life is thine;
The door stands open while the day remains.
Come to the Son, and wrath no more is thine;
In love’s embrace, the heart forever reigns.

Unashamed in a Lukewarm and Compromising Age: Lifting a Roaring, Repeated Refrain of Radical Devotion and Fervent Zeal as Highest Praise to Our Precious Lord and Savior by Debbie Harris

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My passionate pursuit is found in Thee,
our precious Lord and Savior.

My goal: to be a radical Bible-thumping believer.
They say these terms as insults!
May we take them as highest praise.

My passionate pursuit is found in Thee,
our precious Lord and Savior!

In the hush before the dawn breaks wide,
I kneel with pages worn from seeking You,
every verse a spark that lights my soul.
They call it narrow; I call it alive.
My passionate pursuit is found in Thee,
our precious Lord and Savior!

When the crowd demands I soften truth,
trade conviction for a comfortable nod,
I lift Your Word like a banner unbroken—
unashamed, unwavering, wholly Yours.
My passionate pursuit is found in Thee,
our precious Lord and Savior!

Through tears and trials, through fire and flood,
Your promises anchor what the world would shake.
I thump the Bible not in anger, but in awe—
it’s treasure, it’s life, it’s You breathing still.
My passionate pursuit is found in Thee,
our precious Lord and Savior!

Let them mock the fire they cannot understand,
let labels fall like arrows on my shield of faith.
I run this race with eyes fixed on Your face—
radical, relentless, redeemed by grace.
My passionate pursuit is found in Thee,
our precious Lord and Savior!

The King Eternal Enthroned in Unending Light: Sonnet of Immortal Praise and Boundless Glory by Debbie Harris

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1 Timothy 1:17 (KJV)
Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

To Thee, great King eternal, throned on high,
Immortal essence, death can ne’er assail,
Invisible, yet felt in every sigh
Of wind and wave, where mortal senses fail—
The only wise, whose counsel none may scan,
Whose boundless mind the ages all contain,
We lift our voices in the dawn of man,
And raise Thy name through joy and through all pain.

No shadowed veil can dim Thy radiant might,
No fleeting hour Thy sovereign glory mars;
Forever, ever, in unending light,
Honour and glory stream from distant stars.
O God alone, to Thee our souls ascend—
Victorious praise shall never, never end!

Triumphant Praise Based On I Timothy 1:17 by Debbie Harris

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Now unto the King eternal,
Immortal, invisible,
The only wise God—

Be honour and glory
For ever and ever—
Amen! Amen!

(Repeat, faster/softer then louder/soaring)

King eternal! Immortal!
Invisible! Only God!
Honour and glory—
Forever and ever!
Amen! Amen! Amen!

(Final soaring build – all voices together)

Now unto the King eternal!
Immortal! Invisible!
The only wise God!
Honour and glory forever—
And ever! And ever!
Amen!