A nation rises on the wings of right, Where justice flows like streams through verdant lands, Its people bound by honor’s sacred might, Their hearts aligned with virtue’s high commands. Exalted high, the righteous banner waves, A beacon bright through time’s unyielding tide, For in its soil no root of evil craves, But truth and grace in harmony reside. Yet sin, a stain, brings shame to any shore, A creeping blight that humbles proudest kin, Its whispers turn abundance to deplore, And cast reproach where glory might have been. So stands the choice: to rise or fall apart, It thrives when Christ reigns first in every heart.
Fools make a mock at sin: but among the righteous there is favor!
Proverbs 14:9 (KJV)
The fools in mirth make mock of sin’s deep stain, With laughter blind, they dance on crumbling ground, Their jests a shroud, their wisdom turned to vain, While shadows cloak the ruin they have found. Yet righteous hearts, with Christ upon the tree, Find favor sweet where mercy’s arms extend, Crucified, they rise from death’s decree, In Him their souls and brokenness transcend. Sin’s weight, a fool’s delight, they cast aside, But grace, to those who kneel, becomes their crown, Through blood and cross, the faithful will abide, Where favor reigns, no scorn can pull them down. So let the mockers jeer, their end is near, While righteous stand in love’s eternal sphere.
I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
Galatians 2:20 (KJV)
Upon the cross with Christ my soul is bound, A death to self, yet life in Him I find, The nails of grace pierce deep, a love profound, To slay the flesh and free the captive mind. No longer I, but He within me reigns, A holy fire burns where sin once stood, Through veins once cold now flows His warm domains, A stream of mercy mingled with His blood. The world recedes, its shadows fade away, While faith ignites a dawn that never dims, Each breath I draw sings praises to His day, Each step a verse in resurrection’s hymns. So crucified, I rise, no more to roam, In Christ alive, my heart has found its home.
Here are six sonnets inspired by the Armor of God from Ephesians 6:10-18, each dedicated to a specific piece—belt, breastplate, shoes, shield, helmet, and sword. I’ve woven in rich imagery with gemstone references to reflect their spiritual strength and beauty.
The Belt of Truth
Upon my waist, a girdle shines with might, A sapphire band, unyielding, pure, and deep, Its facets catch the dawn’s unerring light, To bind my soul where falsehood dares not creep. No shadow bends this jewel’s steadfast gleam, No lie can pierce its crystalline embrace, It anchors me to Heaven’s sacred stream, A cord of grace that holds me in my place. Through storms of doubt, its luster never fades, A gemstone forged in God’s eternal flame, With truth as clasp, my spirit it persuades, To stand unbowed, proclaiming His great name. So girded firm, I walk the narrow way, A sapphire truth to guide me through the fray.
The Breastplate of Righteousness
A ruby glows upon my chest, a shield, Its crimson fire a testament of grace, No sin can crack the fortress it does yield, A gemstone heart to guard my sacred space. Each facet gleams with righteousness divine, A blood-bought stone, unblemished and supreme, It turns aside the arrows of design, That seek to pierce my soul’s eternal dream. The furnace of His love this jewel shaped, To fit my frame, a warrior’s bold attire, No darkness dares where ruby light has draped, For holiness outshines all base desire. With breastplate firm, I face the tempest’s roar, A ruby guard to keep me evermore.
The Shoes of Peace
My feet are shod with emeralds so green, A verdant path where peace does gently tread, Their soothing gleam through chaos intervenes, To bear good news where strife and fear once spread. Each step resounds with mercy’s quiet song, A gemstone road that calms the raging sea, No thorn can halt, no mire can prove too strong, For emerald peace has set my spirit free. Through battlefields, these shoes of grace endure, Their luster soft, yet steadfast as the stone, A gospel light, unwavering and pure, To carry me where Christ has overthrown. With every stride, I crush the serpent’s guile, An emerald way, serene through every trial.
The Shield of Faith
An amethyst, my shield, aloft I raise, Its violet depths a bulwark strong and wide, Each fiery dart in purple flame decays, For faith’s rich hue no evil can abide. This gemstone wall, translucent yet secure, Reflects the light of promises divine, Its edges sharp, its center ever sure, A prism forged where hope and trust align. No doubt can dim its deep, resplendent glow, No spear of fear can rend its sacred frame, With every blow, my faith does stronger grow, A shield to quench the adversary’s flame. Uplifted high, this amethyst I bear, A steadfast guard through peril’s dark despair.
The Helmet of Salvation
A diamond crowns my head, unyielding, bright, Its prism gleams with Heaven’s holy spark, Salvation’s helm to guard me day and night, A radiant stone to pierce the deepest dark. No fracture mars its everlasting sheen, No blow can dull the brilliance of its ray, It holds my mind where grace has intervened, A crystal dome to keep all foes at bay. This gem, a gift from Christ’s own wounded hand, Refracts His love in beams of endless peace, A fortress sure where thought and soul expand, Till mortal doubts in dazzling light release. With diamond strength, my hope shall never fade, A helmet pure, in God’s own image made.
The Sword of the Spirit
A topaz blade, my sword, with golden fire, The Word of God in gleaming edges cast, Its amber light cuts through the world’s desire, A gemstone sharp to sever lies at last. Each stroke ignites with truth’s unyielding spark, A living flame that carves the narrow road, No shadow stands before its piercing mark, For Spirit wields what mortals can’t erode. This jewel sings with Scripture’s ancient tone, A double edge, both mercy and decree, It sunders chains and topples every throne, That dares defy the One who set me free. With topaz raised, I battle through the night, A sword of Spirit, blazing in His might.
These sonnets paint the Armor of God as a radiant, gemstone-clad ensemble, each piece a unique treasure reflecting its spiritual purpose.
Inspired by Psalm 46:10, “Be still, and know that I am God”
Be still, my soul, where tempests carve their scars, And know His voice, a hush through cedar’s sigh, A quiet thunder rolls from distant stars, To cradle earth beneath a boundless sky. The torrent bends, its fury turns to mist, When silence falls like dew on trembling sod, His presence gleams where mortal hopes resist, A steadfast rock amid the flood of God. No gale can shake the stillness He bestows, A peace that blooms through ash and shattered stone, Like olive branches kissed by dawn’s repose, His whisper reigns where chaos once had grown. So rest, and hear the anthem soft and slow, For in the calm, His sovereign love I know.
Call wisdom sister, crowned with sapphire’s fire, And call understanding kin, a ruby’s glow, Twin sentinels who blaze through storm’s desire, To trace a path where onyx shadows flow. Her voice, a stream, spills topaz through the dark, Its currents gleam with pearls of sacred lore, While understanding, torch with amber’s spark, Illumes the depths where doubt’s grim emeralds soar. No fleeting shades, they rise from hallowed stone, With roots that clasp the bedrock of God’s will, Through chasms strewn with jasper yet unknown, They guide where opal blooms crown Zion’s hill. So bind them near, these jewels fierce and bright, For wisdom dances, insight rends the night.
Do not cast pearls where muddy hooves tromp free, Nor spill your treasure in the mire of scorn, For swine, unseeing, trample grace with glee, And rend the giver, leaving soul forlorn. The heart’s fine gems, by Christ’s own blood refined, Deserve the meek who seek His holy face, Not brutes who wallow, deaf and dumb and blind, To truth that shines through time and boundless space. Yet still we yearn to share the sacred light, To sow where stony fields refuse to bloom, But wisdom bids us guard what’s pure and right, Lest holy gifts meet undeservèd doom. So hold your pearls for those with ears to hear, And save your song for souls who hold it dear.
The tongue of wisdom weaves a gentle thread, A balm to soothe the wounds of weary hearts, Its words, like rivers, flow where pain has bled, And mend the soul with healing’s tender arts. No reckless barbs escape its careful guard, No venom drips from lips so finely tuned, But peace unfolds, a gift not won by shard, A melody of grace, softly crooned. The foolish speak, and storms begin to rise, Their syllables a blade to pierce the day, Yet wisdom’s voice, with health in every guise, Turns night to dawn, and drives the dark away. So let the wise with measured speech abide, For in their tongues, true healing does reside.
Within us glows the Christ, our hope supreme, A beacon strong through shadows thick with strife, Yet round us lurk the hearts that scorn the dream, Unreasonable souls who shun the life.
Not all men bear the faith that lifts the soul, Some wicked turn from truth’s unyielding call, Their malice weaves a dark and bitter toll, A snare to trip the faithful lest they fall.
But grace divine, our shield through every plea, Delivers us from hands that seek to bind, For in His love, we find the strength to flee, The peace that calms the storm of mortal mind.
So stand we firm, with hope as our refrain, Saved from the lost, through faith we shall remain.
In humble hearts where self takes lesser throne, We lift each soul above our pride’s high claim, Esteeming all as treasures yet unknown, Their worth in Christ’s own image still the same. No clamor seeks the crown of fleeting praise, But gentle hands extend to bear their load, For in the bending low, we find our days, Enriched by grace along this sacred road. His love, the pattern traced in dust and blood, Compels us to the meek and selfless art, To wash the feet where once our Master stood, And bind His joy within each tender heart. So may we live, their good above our own, A hymn of lowly love to Him alone.
Passionately Pursuing Christ 