Till Every Soul Is Free

It’s beautiful when

Your past,

As dark as it may be,

Brings light into someone’s darkness now;

When you share your story,

Your past experiences

And pain,

And show people your real side,

It’s all people really want

To see,

To experience,

Cause fake is so common

In this world,

That’s why victims

Need to know they’re not alone,

That they’re beautiful,

That they matter;

The way you can show them they matter

Is by breathing truth

In the midst of their pain,

Bleeding love to them

Cause all they know is shame;

No matter how painful,

How damaged their past was,

Anyone can be free

And live their lives to their full potential;

It is a choice

I choose to be obedient to God

And be a light in others’ darkness

No matter how uncomfortable,

Inconvenient,

Or scary it may be for me;

I won’t stay silent for justice

Till every soul is free

From bondage

To shame,

Fear,

And pain;

Our past doesn’t define us,

What we choose to do with it, does.

~ Bethany Anne

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New Truths

What New Truths have you been discovering?

Out Of The Forest

It is gripping my arm,

Pulling me in

Deeper and deeper

Into the forest

Where I find myself lost,

Looking for a way out,

But fail to find one;

It’s shadows cover me

And I wonder

When I will wake up

From this nightmare,

So I can get back to reality;

The harder I try,

The more thorns cut into my flesh,

Thoughts swarm my mind,

And reality

Drifts further and further away;

I want it to leave me alone,

So I can return back here

And keep moving forward

Without this nightmare

Enveloping my mind,

Causing this warrior

To be weak and tired;

Even though it’s draining,

I’m still fighting

With every single breath I take,

Word I say,

I will not allow this fear to kill me,

I am in control of my direction

And I’m not giving up

Till I beat this ugly monster,

He will fall hard

And be destroyed,

But only then, will I be free from it;

Till then,

I’ll keep my head up

Look for the ray of sunshine

And follow it

Out of the forest

It has led me into;

Even though I’m terrified

I will fight with all I got,

This fear will soon be destroyed

And I will be free from it,

I will face it straight on

And kill it,

I will rise above this.

~ Bethany Anne

Dare To Dwell

Lord, who dares to dwell with you?

Who presumes the privilege of being close to you, living next to you in your shining place of glory?

Who are those who daily dwell in the life of the Holy Spirit?

They are passionate and wholehearted, always sincere and always speaking the truth— for their hearts are trustworthy.

They refuse to slander or insult others; they’ll never listen to gossip or rumors, nor would they ever harm another with their words.

They will speak out passionately against evil and evil workers while commending the faithful ones who follow after the truth.

They make firm commitments and follow through, even at great cost.

They never crush others with exploitation or abuse and they would never be bought with a bribe against the innocent.

They will never be shaken; they will stand firm forever.

~Psalm 15:1-5 TPT Living In The Shining Place

A poetic song, by King David

Traveling Texas

Mother’s Day Weekend I had a bit of a #RoadTripReset. I got to meet up with Elfin Morgan for an amazing time to be interviewed for her documentary and God did so much more!

Many a God winks and special moments and some good quiet time to reflect, read and rest.

One of the best parts was traveling Texas.

God downloaded this while driving back home yesterday.

I can hear my Daddy say –

Girl! You’re a poet and didn’t know it!

(Actually he knew it! I have written so many over the years, but this one feels like he and God helped me.)

Enjoy!

****

I set out a traveling

Just my truck and I

I didn’t even need to venture

pass the States line.

You see,Texas is plenty big enough for me

With lots and lots of things to see…

Oh, I saw farm houses and fences

And watering hole ditches

I saw rolling hills and flat lands

Passed by County road markers and

Stopped at old country stores

for cold drinks

I saw people shout “howdy”

Or a friendly wave hello

I drove a many undivided

and divided highways

Uneven lanes in unreachable places

I saw short fat oaks

And tall skinny pines

Plenty of road kill and rest stops

Some deserted shops

in sleepy one red light towns.

I saw so many things

From Main Streets to Moo Cows

Antiques to Armadillos

Gas Stations to Garage Sales

Wildflowers to Windmills

Boats to Bait shops

Dairy Queen’s to Dollar Generals

Dancehalls to Diners

Hospitals to Honey

It was downright funny!

Slow traffic to the right

And sudden merges left

Tons of churches, chapels, and cemeteries

In every town I went.

I saw trailers and tin roofs

And a few taxidermist too.

I saw everything from

Hay bales to Horses

Flying flags to flea markets.

I traveled over bridges

and down back roads

There were big shoulders for sudden stops

or to catch that Texas sunset

Even a right on time Dirt road

for the quick detours to do your business.

Oh, I traveled through a many counties

On roads with no center line

With plenty of folks with no hurry for time.

From Bridges and backroads

I caught a glimpse of it all.

Blinking lights

4 way stops

And the occasional Turnarounds

for fresh peaches pecans

and red ripe tomatoes

I saw Bulls and baby goats

RV parks and Ranches

Game rooms and Guitar shops

Water towers and Watermelons

Red necks and Rodeos

Tractors and Truckers

And some pretty crazy mother “lovers”!

I held my breath passed

DPS and those Car Chasing Yard Dogs

I saw my share of

Buzzards and Bugs on the windshield

Historical Markers and High Game Fences

Beauty shops and barber shops

Bingo halls and Banks

Feed stores to yellow fields

I think I just about saw it all.

From 55 to 30 to back up to 75

I rolled on down the roads

Past the pastures and the prairies

Past pickups and pawn shops

And an occasional pool hall.

I smiled at nature

and got a few good laughs

I prayed and I sang

But it was time to get on back.

I thought about my momma

And missed my family too.

I remembered old times as a kid

Traveling these Texas Roads is what

My Daddy and I did.

Things I have seen a million times

Suddenly felt like something new.

You see,

Sometimes we don’t know

where we’re headed

And sometimes we do…

So how about you go on now and load up

And set out on that next great adventure-

But be sure before you do

Ask the Good Lord to show you

somethings anew.

~ XXOO Michelle Bollom

Bad Or Good; Hard To Say

Explode with praise today!

Thank God for the spectacular and even the craptacular. When it doesn’t look or feel good; He is still good!

~ XXOO Michelle Bollom

What Will You Choose?

You must think that I’m weak,

that when I fall,

I won’t get back up,

that eventually, I will fail,

but you are wrong;

yes, I am terrified,

but I will run towards the enemy,

not away from it;

fear only remains as long as I give in

but I am done;

and no, that doesn’t mean

I’ll never be under attack

or feel fear ever again

cause I know I will,

but I won’t let it keep me enslaved;

I will fight back

I will be free, eventually;

We are warriors

and warriors fight

backing down is NEVER an option

making excuses,

running away from the storm,

hiding from the enemy

isn’t who we are,

it isn’t who I am,

it’s not in my blood;

my blood flows through me strong

and this body is my instrument

to use to push back the enemy,

to fight,

to use all the force I have

to crush darkness under my feet

where it belongs;

fear is meant to be destroyed,

but it can only be if you decide to follow through

it is up to you,

in your own life;

you can be a slave to fear

or free in Christ,

the choice is up to you;

what will you choose?

~ Bethany Anne

I Have A Reason And A Rhyme

It’s time to go, it’s almost time,

I have a reason and a rhyme.

Did you think I’d let you down,

Perhaps you thought I might skip town.

I came to bring your Destiny,

I came to make you fully clean.

You thought that I forgot the time,

But I Am always right on time.

You did not see My plans for you,

But I knew what to plan for you.

I saw before your destined birth,

Just how you fit right into earth.

The plan I made was just for you,

This plan is just what you could do.

No one else could take your place,

You have My love, you have My grace.

I called you for a time like this,

I promise you, you will not miss.

I’ve placed my words inside your soul,

So speak them out for that’s the goal.

The words I send will not be void,

Their here to stay, I’ve made My choice.

I gave you wings so you could fly,

You are the Apple of My eye.

It’s time to fly to see new lands,

I’ve got your back, I’ve got your hand.

Fear is not a place for you,

I Am here in all you do.

You need not fret, I’ve planned it all,

There are no limits and no walls.

You’ve asked for Me to hear your cries,

You’ve asked Me how and asked Me why.

My reply to you was always yes,

Even when you were a mess.

It just took time to get you ready,

I made you firm, I made you steady.

The time has made you strong and brave,

For I knew what you did crave.

I set you up for all to see,

To be all that you could be.

It took a wait but now it’s time,

I’ve made this time for you to shine.

So go ahead and step on out,

Give a praise and give a shout.

I’ve honored those who’ve honored Me,

It’s time to partner, just you and Me.

So take My hand, we’ll fly away,

Into your perfect promise place.

You will be safe , no need to fear,

You’ve got my heart, you’ve got My ear.

Go ahead and March on in,

I’ll show you where, I’ll tell you when.

You’ll understand just what I’ve done,

My plan for you has just begun.

It’s time to go, it’s almost time,

I have a reason and a rhyme!

~ Krista Shirley

I Have A Reason And A Rhyme

http://www.thronebuilders.org

Freedom Warriors

I will aim

I will shoot

And I won’t miss

Look out

I am coming;

Before, I hid from the war,

Fearing my enemies

And being a slave to fear,

But no more

I will not back down;

I am fierce,

Strong,

Unstoppable;

I will take my enemies down

One by one

Just watch me

Cause I can’t stop

Till peace and justice

Cover the land;

I am mentally strong

I won’t allow man’s words

To affect my decisions

Or to cause me fear

From failure

Cause that’s only possible

If I give up

And that’s not even an option;

I will not give up

I will fight

With every ounce of strength

I have,

Which is plenty

To carry out my mission,

Which is to destroy

All that’s trying to destroy me;

I will not stand idle

I will keep watch for the enemy,

And when he comes into view,

I will destroy him;

Watch me bleed his truth

In the midst of lies,

I will praise my Father

When I am wounded

Cause I know the pain

Can only make me stronger;

I will not leave the wounded

To fight for themselves,

But will help them

Take down their enemies,

So they to, can be free

And know that they’re not alone;

Who is with me?

Who will fight?

Who will not give up?

We are born warriors

It’s up to us to accept the challenge,

To be warriors and fight

For freedom-

For fear to take the back seat

And for us to be led by fearlessness

Cause we are stronger than we think

And we can only know how strong

If we practice and are ready

For war,

So stand up,

Take your place,

And FIGHT!!!!!

~ Bethany Anne

Good And Ready

“Son, go do your homework.”

“I will, Dad, when I am good and ready.”

Which of us has ever had the nerve to speak like that to a parent? However, there may be some truth to that son’s response.

Could it be that Our Father won’t even ask us to do something for him until he has first instilled goodness and readiness in us?

In Mark, chapter 4, Jesus tells a story of the various stages of a wheat plant’s growth.

To fast forward to the end, the harvester doesn’t harvest the wheat until it is fully ripe, and the wheat plant had little to do with its own growth; it just happened. The same is true in our lives; Our Father causes us to grow, and, when we are ready, he allows us to bear fruit for him in some way, either in word, deed, prayer or praise. Our part was to stay planted; his part was to cause the growth and, then, to harvest the fruit.

We may be afraid that the Lord is going to ask us to do something which we can’t do or don’t want to do. We can rest easy; he is first going to equip us before sending us into battle, and his commands come with enough lead time for us to fully discuss our objections and fully exhaust our arguments.

So, when we are “good and ready“, he will dispatch us to fulfill his good pleasure in our lives, and we will learn that he knew what he was talking about all the time. We will learn that his will is best after all.

“Son, go take out the trash.”

“I will, Dad, for you have made me ‘good and ready.'”

“Son, enter into the joy of your Lord.”

“Thank you, Father. I will.”

~ Brad Heilhecker