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Passionately Pursuing Christ

~ Christ Centered Poetry by Debbie Harris

Passionately Pursuing Christ

Category Archives: Pleasing God Not Man

An Iron Anathema Upon the Bastard Gospels: A Solemn Heroic Ode Against the Pernicious Errors of Moral Relativism, False Tolerance, the Prosperity Heresy, and All Manner of Immorality that Corrupt the Pure Grace of Christ in These Perilous Latter Days by Debbie Harris

26 Tuesday May 2026

Posted by Debbie Harris in Christian Poetry, Exalting Jesus Christ, Holy Bible, Inspirational, Pleasing God Not Man, Royally Redeemed, salvation

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bible, Biblical Truth, Christian, Christian Poetry, christianity, faith, Inpirational, Inspirational, jesus, Poetry, Royally Redeemed, theology

Galatians 1:6-10 (NIV)

⁶ I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— ⁷ which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. ⁸ But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse! ⁹ As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse!

¹⁰ Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.

In Galatia’s sunlit vales where first the pure

Glad tidings rang from Paul’s unyielding tongue,

The heavens shook when swift apostates turned

From grace’s fountain to a gospel dunged

With human pride. “I marvel,” thundered he,

“Ye desert Him who called you into light,

To clutch a phantom gospel, no gospel be,

A twisted shadow born of darkest night.”

So now, in latter days more vile, I raise

This iron song against the creeping blight:

Moral Relativism, that serpent’s praise,

Which melts all truth to mist and calls it right.

“No absolute!” it hisses soft and sweet,

“What thou deem’st vice another holds as bloom;

Thy lust, thy greed, thy wrath—these are complete,

For every man his god, and every tomb

A door to self-made paradise.” Thus dies

The eternal Law, dissolved in vapid air,

While consciences, unanchored, fall and rise

On every fashionable, filthy stair.

Then Tolerance, that painted harlot, comes

In rainbow robes and voice of honeyed lies,

Proclaiming, “Judge not!” till the Church grows dumb

And opens wide her gates to every vice.

“Repentance wounds the soul,” the new priests cry;

“The Cross offends—make broad the narrow Way!”

They crown as sacred what the Scriptures name

Abomination, turning night to day,

Till heaven’s pure light and hell’s just fire seem

But equal shades in tolerance’s dream.

Behold the golden calf of Prosperity!

A gospel fat with promises of ease—

“Sow money, reap dominion, health, and glee;

Thy faith hath failed if suffering thou see.”

They nail the Man of Sorrows to a coin,

Make Calvary a marketplace of gain,

Trade thorns for crowns of plastic, and enjoin

The poor to “name it, claim it” in His name.

The blood that purchased pardon now is sold

For private jets and mansions built on sand;

They feast while Lazarus starves outside the fold,

And call their greed the touch of God’s own hand.

All Immorality now struts arrayed

In robes of “liberation,” bold and bright:

Lust hailed as love, pride as empowerment made,

Wrath as justice, sloth as self-care’s right.

A Christ remade who winks at every chain,

A Spirit soft as down, a Father mild

Who never thunders “Turn!” nor counts the slain

That slide in silken ease to darkness wild.

They preach a bloodless cross, a crownless King,

A gospel shorn of power to save or kill—

And bid the nations dance and clap and sing

While souls descend the broad and pleasant hill.

Yet hear the apostolic curse resound,

More fierce than Sinai’s thunder, sharp as flame:

Though Paul himself, or angel heaven-crowned,

Should preach another gospel in Christ’s name—

Anathema! Let him be damned, cut off,

Devoted to destruction’s holy ire!

Twice spoke the Apostle; twice I set it forth—

The gospel stands eternal, fixed, entire.

For am I now a servant seeking men’s applause,

Or God’s alone? Shall I please mortal breath

And lose the crown? Nay! Let the whole world pause

In outrage—still I cleave to living death

Of Calvary. One gospel, one sure blood,

One narrow gate, one Saviour, crucified,

Risen, returning. All the shifting flood

Of lies shall break against this Rock and die.

O Church of the last days, awake! Arise!

Cast off these bastard creeds that wear His name

Yet bear no scars. Cling to the truth that buys

With precious blood, not cars or fleeting fame.

Let every false apostle stand revealed,

Every gilded lie meet its appointed doom,

Till once again the ancient Word is sealed

In hearts that serve—not man—but Christ the Groom.

*Let him who has ears to hear, hear.*

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Lament For The Wandering Flock by Debbie Harris

22 Friday May 2026

Posted by Debbie Harris in Christ-centered poetry, Christian Poetry, Exalting Jesus Christ, Holy Bible, Inspirational, Pleasing God Not Man, Royally Redeemed, salvation

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Biblical Truth, Christian Poetry, Inpirational, Inspirational, Royally Redeemed, theology

O grievous woe, when souls profess the Name
Yet chase the fleeting fashions of the age,
And know the lore of courts and poets’ fame
Far better than the Christ who calmed the rage
Of Galilee’s wild sea. What tragedy
When hearts, baptized in Jordan’s ancient stream,
Drink deeper from the wells of vanity
Than from the living Fount, the endless Theme
Of Heaven’s Lamb, whose wounds still bleed for thee.

The marble busts of Athens line their walls,
The verses of old Rome they can recite;
They trace the Renaissance in gilded halls
And quote the wits of Paris by firelight.
Yet scarce can name the Beatitudes’ pure light,
Or linger long where Golgotha once stood,
Or speak with trembling of that dreadful night
When Love Incarnate bowed His head for good
And cried, “Forgiven,” from the cursed wood.

This ought not be. The Shepherd calls His sheep
From Babel’s glittering towers and siren song;
He bids them leave the meadows where they creep
Among the tares, and where the world belongs.
Return, O ransomed ones, to Scripture’s page—
There burns the Bush that time cannot consume;
There walks the Word through every storm and age,
The Alpha and Omega, Sun and Tomb,
Whose knowledge is eternal life, not doom.

Awake, beloved! Let culture serve as slave,
Not master of the soul redeemed by grace.
Let every knee before the Cross be bowed,
And every tongue confess the Saviour’s face.
For what shall profit all the world’s applause
If, knowing much of men, we know not God?
O tragedy reversed when Christ is Cause—
The Pearl of greatest price, the living Word,
Our treasure, portion, joy, and great reward.

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Not Thunder’s Roar but Gentle Rain: The True Fruit of the Spirit by Debbie Harris

20 Wednesday May 2026

Posted by Debbie Harris in Christ-centered poetry, Exalting Jesus Christ, Holy Bible, Inspirational, Pleasing God Not Man

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bible, Biblical Truth, Christian Poetry, christianity, faith, god, Inpirational, Inspirational, jesus, theology

Dear Precious Reader,

In the body of Christ—His beautiful, blood-bought Church—there should be no place for the loud, the domineering, or the unteachable. Yet how often do we encounter the boisterous know-it-all? The one whose voice drowns out every other, whose “I already know” shuts down conversation, whose pride masquerades as spiritual confidence? This grieves the Holy Spirit. The poem you have just read was born from that grief and from a longing for something better. Too many in Christendom today speak with thunder but little fruit. They claim to stand for truth while trampling the very graces that prove the truth is alive in them: love that listens, patience that makes room, gentleness that soothes, and self-control that bridles the tongue. The Scripture is clear. The fruit of the Spirit is not optional decoration—it is the natural harvest of a life yielded to God. Where arrogance grows thorns, the Spirit desires to grow holy and humble things. This poem is both a warning and an invitation: a warning against the corrupted tree of self, and a tender call to every heart (including my own) to release the braggart’s noisy chain and let the Gardener do His quiet, transforming work.

May these words stir reflection rather than accusation. May we examine ourselves. And may the Church once again be known not for its volume, but for its fruit.

With prayer and affection,
The Poet

Poem Format Summary

The poem is structured as a series of seven quatrains (four-line stanzas) followed by a closing rhyming couplet, creating a balanced, hymn-like progression that moves from observation to contrast, exposition, and final exhortation. It employs a consistent ABAB rhyme scheme throughout the quatrains, with strong, classical-sounding end rhymes that feel both timeless and accessible. The meter is predominantly iambic pentameter (approximately ten syllables per line with an unstressed-stressed rhythm), giving the piece a smooth, natural flow when read aloud while allowing subtle variations for emphasis. Modern phrasing blends seamlessly with elevated, biblical imagery, and strategic enjambment and dashes create thoughtful pauses without disrupting the overall rhythmic unity. This classical-yet-contemporary format reinforces the poem’s gentle, reflective tone—mirroring the very Fruit of the Spirit it celebrates.


Galatians 5:22-23 (KJV)

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

In ancient halls where wisdom’s voices call,
Where prophets’ words in golden letters shine,
The Spirit’s fruit descends like gentle rain—
Not thunder’s roar or pride’s unyielding line.

Behold the one who loudly claims the right,
With bossy tongue that bends all wills to break;
A know-it-all whose gaze rejects the light
Of every other, scorning what they say.

Such fruit grows thorns from self’s corrupted tree,
Refusing ears to hear another’s plea;
No love that listens, no peace that bends the knee,
But only storm where meekness ought to be.

Yet gentle Spirit whispers soft and true:
Love stands with patience where arrogance would shove;
Joy blooms in quiet hearts, not noisy show;
Peace reigns when pride makes room for others’ good.

Kindness turns the other cheek, not rules with rod;
Goodness seeks the good in every view;
Faith walks in trust, not trampling paths untrod;
Gentleness soothes where bossy tempers flew.

Self-control becomes a bridle on the tongue,
It bows to learn where “I know best” once sung.
These are the harvest heaven’s Gardener brings—
Not clamor’s crown, but humble, holy things.

O heart, release the braggart’s noisy chain,
And let the Spirit’s virtues bloom again!

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The Redeemed Heart: An Ode Against Every Type of Cruelty by Debbie Harris

08 Friday May 2026

Posted by Debbie Harris in Exalting Jesus Christ, Holy Bible, Inspirational, Pleasing God Not Man, Royally Redeemed

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bible, christianity, faith, god, jesus

In Christ’s dear name, where crimson mercy flows,
Redeemed souls rise, washed clean from Adam’s stain;
No longer thrall to sin’s unfeeling throes,
But bound in love’s bright, everlasting chain.
If thou art His, and bear the Savior’s mark,
Then hate the lash that scars the tender back,
The fist that strikes the child in shadowed dark,
The blade that lays the harmless creature slack.

O cruelty, thou viper from the pit,
Thou mock’st the Lord who healed the broken reed;
Who gathered lambs and bade the sparrow flit
Beneath His gaze, in gentle, sovereign heed.
He wept for Lazarus, for Jerusalem’s woe,
And stooped to lift the fallen, bruised, and low.

Shall we, bought dear with blood on Calvary’s tree,
Endure the groan of woman in her chains?
The orphan’s cry that rends the midnight sea,
The beast that bleeds beneath uncaring reins?
Nay—let the redeemed soul blaze with holy ire,
A furnace hot against each brutal wrong;
For love and hatred twine as sacred fire:
Love to the weak, and hatred fierce and strong.

To every hand that lifts in needless pain,
To every tongue that wounds the widow’s breast,
To every eye that sees and turns in vain—
The Christ within cries, “This shall find no rest!”
For He who made the eagle, ox, and dove,
And fashioned man in His own image bright,
Commands us guard the weak with jealous love,
And tread down cruelty with warrior’s might.

Thus walk, O soul, in garments white and pure,
A pilgrim marked by pity’s thorn-crowned brow;
Let mercy be thy banner, swift and sure,
Till heaven’s dawn dissolves all shadows now.
In Jesus’ name, where every tear is dried,
No cruelty shall stand—hate it, justified.

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Seen and Delighted In by the Audience of One by Debbie Harris

17 Friday Apr 2026

Posted by Debbie Harris in Christian Poetry, Exalting Jesus Christ, Holy Bible, Inspirational, Jesus Christ, King of Kings, Pleasing God Not Man

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Christian Poetry, Inpirational, Inspirational

Unrecognized work done for the glory of God
is always seen by the Audience of One.

He who formed the stars and numbered the hairs
marks every hidden hour, every unseen prayer.
No labor offered in quiet faithfulness
escapes the gaze of the King who stoops low
to crown the faithful with His own “Well done.”

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Upon the Finished Work of Jesus Christ: Wherein the Soul Finds Rest in the Father’s Unchanging Delight and Rejoices with Singing by Debbie Harris

15 Wednesday Apr 2026

Posted by Debbie Harris in Christian Poetry, Exalting Jesus Christ, Holy Bible, Inspirational, Pleasing God Not Man

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bible, Biblical Truth, Christian, Christian Poetry, christianity, faith, Inpirational, Inspirational, jesus, Poetry, Praise, theology

O Thou who seest not as mortal eyes,
Nor weighs the soul by merit’s fragile scale,
But lookest through the veil where Jesus dies,
And finds in Him the worth that cannot fail—

What though my hands be stained, my steps unsure,
My heart a field half-tilled and overgrown?
Thou countest not the debts I still endure,
For on the Cross Thy reckoning was done.

“Beloved Son,” the heavens once proclaimed,
And now in Him I stand, by grace made one.
The aroma sweet of Christ, not mine, is named;
In that sweet savour Thou delightest, Son.

No thunderous voice of wrath pursues my shame,
But Zephaniah’s song breaks forth in glee:
The Lord in midst of me, exulting flame,
Rejoices with loud singing over me.

My sins, like scattered clouds, are blown away;
No ledger dark records what Christ has paid.
Thou art not wroth when I in weakness stray—
Thy love abounds, slow anger, quick to aid.

I am Thy child, not striving to become;
The Father’s love hath called me what I am.
No better self awaits a fuller sum—
I rest in what the finished work hath won.

Then let me cease from toil to earn Thy smile,
And walk as one already well approved.
The pressure falls; instead, a holy guile—
To live from favour, not for it be moved.

O God, who in Thy Son art pleased with me,
Though I see naught but failure in my glass,
Let this truth shine: Thy pride is full and free,
Rooted in Christ, and changeless as Thou art.

For nothing in my past or present frame
Can dim the glory of redeeming grace.
I am accepted in the Beloved’s name—
And in that name, I find my resting place.

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Two Souls: Pleasing God or Man by Debbie Harris

12 Sunday Apr 2026

Posted by Debbie Harris in Christian Poetry, Pleasing God Not Man, Royally Redeemed

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Biblical Truth, Christian Poetry, Inspirational, Pleasing God Not Man

Galatians 1:10 KJV
“For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.”

Upon the page where Paul his calling spake,
“For do I now persuade men, or God?”
One soul its gaze on Heaven’s throne doth take,
And seeks alone the Lord’s approving nod.

This soul, though mocked by worldly scorn and jeer,
Stands firm, a servant true of Christ the King;
No compromise its holy path doth veer,
In pleasing God it finds eternal spring.

Bold is its witness, free its every breath,
Unfettered by the crowd’s approving sigh;
It walks in light, defying fear of death,
And reaps at last the crown that cannot die.

Yet lo, another soul—though saved by grace—
Still courts the favor of the sons of men;
To win their smile it hides its Savior’s face
And softens truth to please the crowd again.

Dire are the fruits of such a pleasing game:
A snare it brings, as holy writ makes plain;
The heart divided knows no peace or fame,
Its light grows dim, its witness but in vain.

No servant bold of Christ can such one be,
For fear of man a mighty trap doth lay;
Rewards are lost at heaven’s great decree,
And fellowship with God doth fade away.

O soul, choose well whom thou shalt seek to please—
The Eternal One or fleeting mortal breath.
In God’s delight true joy and freedom seize,
Lest pleasing men become thy soul’s defeat.

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Recent Posts

  • A Call to Berean Fidelity by Debbie Harris
  • Three Prophets Who Feasted on God’s Word by Debbie Harris
  • An Iron Anathema Upon the Bastard Gospels: A Solemn Heroic Ode Against the Pernicious Errors of Moral Relativism, False Tolerance, the Prosperity Heresy, and All Manner of Immorality that Corrupt the Pure Grace of Christ in These Perilous Latter Days by Debbie Harris
  • The Philosopher’s Toga: Moral Relativism’s Ancient Deception Reclothed, and the Seamless Robe of Christ Our Only Freedom by Debbie Harris
  • Tears To Chandeliers by Debbie Harris

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