Darkness, a dark silence
Inks my eyes as I awake
Before dawn’s light
And then you assault me in my bed
(Sleep paralysis binding me)
With lies that fill my thoughts
Oh, deceiver
False light of day.
You ravage me
In my morning weakness
Accuser of the brethren
Freezing me cold with fell fears
The Father has forsaken me
Leaving me lost, abandoned
Alone with rivers of black thoughts
Flowing with lies down into my soul.
Ruler of this world
Your powerful words
Scream for attention
To weaken my resolve
Or so you wish
Tempter, son of perdition
As I lie in my bed
With dawn’s light
Now competing with
The dark, the darkness
In my room and in my soul.
And yet I fight, I stand.
Like a trapped lamb
Bleating for its shepherd
As the fierce lion creeps closer
I cry out
I say The Name
“Lord Jesus Christ
Son of God
Have Mercy!”
Fallen star you fade away
Frightened at the sound of
My Shepherd’s name.
Once frozen in fear
My body, my mind defrost
In the warmth of eternal love
As Abba’s forever
Cherished child.
“Stand firm, child.”
I fall upon His word
I fill my thoughts
With His truth
I am adored, I am redeemed
More precious than all fine jewels
He rejoices over me with singing
He delights in my presence
His pierced hands embrace my soul
His Spirit empowers me
With His truth.
As the sun’s dawn light
Bursts forth through the window
Glowing bright in my room
The Son’s true light
Shines beams of His truth in my heart
Shattering the dark thoughts
You, oh enemy, left behind.
His peace
Flows like a gentle stream
Of living water
Refreshing my mind
Redeeming my thoughts
As I worship Him
In morning’s light
Putting on the full armor of God
Preparing for the day
For the assaults
You’ll aim at me, still
Oh Tempter, Thief, oh Wicked One.
And yet I fight, I stand.
Armed with Abba’s armor
His salvation, His righteousness
His truth, His peace
As this is my fate
A soldier in His kingdom
Standing firm daily
Like a granite statue
Never yielding
To your wiles
Oh father of lies
Until the day
My Shepherd
My Redeemer
My Abba
Leads me into His glorious home
Singing over me with joy.
© Copyright 2021—Present, Jenise Cook, All Rights Reserved Worldwide.
Published: 5 November 2021, Agape Review [ on Twitter ]
First Published: 6 April 2021, www.JeniseCook.com
Image Credit: janrye on Pixabay.com
The Story Behind this Verse
For readers who are Christians, the concept of spiritual warfare will be well-known to them, a daily conflict. It’s also a conflict common in other religious beliefs.
As I was studying the topic, and remembering past experiences, this free verse poem composed itself.
Thank you, Agape Review team for giving my poem an online home!
Your Turn
For those who can relate to the conflict, to spiritual warfare, feel free to share your thoughts in the Comments. I’d love to chat with you!
Note: When you write a comment, I’ll respond. To view my response, make sure you get notified via email by selecting the checkbox for “Notify me via e-mail if anyone answers my comment.”
Thank you for reading. Come along on my adventures.
Select the image to join Jenise’s Journey!
Jenise, Wow! How did you know I needed a poem about spiritual warfare? I got rejected again from another Christian based job I applied to. I prayed for direction because I wasn’t sure what the Lord wanted me to do next. I’ve been worrying about finances, health, and our vehicle with over 313,000 miles on it. I opened up my email and read your comment from Pixabay. That photo you used is of my writing notebook and papers from 7 years ago! When I saw it, I knew the Lord wanted me to focus on writing and getting the Word out. I needed to stop applying for jobs and trust Him for absolutely everything. His timing is Perfect and He knows exactly when we need a boost of comfort and lovingkindness. That was exactly what your comment did for me, Jenise. He used you to give me the encouragement to soldier on and be a messenger for Him. Thanks you so much!
Rosemarie, what a powerful comment you wrote. Thank you for sharing your heart! I’m humbled and grateful that this story touched and encouraged you. I’m grateful for your seven-year-old image!
Please stay in touch as I’m eager to see how your writing progresses and serves Him. Stand firm!
This is empowering, Jenise. It is so apropos for this time of COVID19 with all the isolation, the shutdowns, the restrictions–both personal and corporate–that hem in our lives.
This brings Ephesians 6 to mind, but in a wonderfully updated way.
You have captured the image of waking up to the dark doubts and fears, only to have those doubts and fears allayed by the wonders of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit at work in our lives.
Thank you for sharing.
Lyn! Thank you for visiting and leaving a Comment. I’m glad you like this verse. I appreciate you and our community on Scribophile.
In 2018, my darling hubby and a few of our neighbors experienced intense “battles” around the same time in our thoughts, especially in the early morning hours. Reviewing Ephesians 6 helped a great deal, and those dark mornings vanished.
That experience, and learning to “stand firm”, has helped us through early 2020 forward.
There is power in His name!