Sword of Truth

Circumcise our stubborn hearts
With your two edged sword cut them apart
Correct, rebuke and reprove us
Encourage us and move us

We are transformed by what we have heard

By the perfecting power of Your Word

Your Word is a lamp and a light

It Illumines minds and gives us sight

It penetrates our scaled eyes

Convicts and convinces and makes wise

We are transformed by what we have heard

By the perfecting power of Your Word

Oh Sovereign, wield Your Sword of Truth 

Source of encouragement and reproof

Separate between marrow and bone

Expose the secrets only You have known. 

Lord if we love you then we will obey

We will treasure and ponder the words you say

For in it we find the key to your will

We fall in wonder as your heart you reveal

We are transformed by what we have heard

By the perfecting power of Your Word

On a glorious path your Word guides

In it all of Wisdom and Truth  abides 

Lord Help us have ears to hear and heed

The Word of Life  will to heaven lead

We are transformed by what we have heard

By the perfecting power of Your Word

We are transformed by what we have heard

By the perfecting power of Your Word…

Romans 2:29, Ps 119:105,Heb 4:12, Eph 6:17

Anthony Foster

October 31, 2021

Never Ever

You will never Never ever leave me
You will never  Never ever deceive me

I’m yours forever

No matter the mistake

The sins I make

You will never

Never ever leave or forsake

You will never Never ever fail to forgive

You will never  Never ever stop while I live

I’m yours forever

No matter the path

You guide with your staff

You will never

Never ever show me your wrath

Lord you never abandon your own

Shut us out or leave us alone

You will never ignore our need

You will ever intercede 

Before highest heaven’s holy throne.

You will never  Never ever send us away

You’ll forever Keep us and here we will stay

I’m yours forever

No matter the mistake

The sins I make

You will never

Never ever leave or forsake

Anthony Foster

October 30, 2021

God is Good

Life is hard but God is good
This simple fact must be understood
Life is not fair but God is Just
In this we all can place our trust

Count the many blessings you’ve been given

Count the curses from which you’ve been spared

And a heart of gratitude

Will well up inside of You

And you’ll praise the Lord for how it is you’ve fared

Goodness and mercy follow me

All the days of my life, every day

And we can become all we can be

If we seek to walk in His way.

Oh the goodness of God is overflowing

He delights in blessing all those who believe

As you become more satisfied 

In the grace of God abide

And His merciful love you can receive.

Life is hard but God is good

This simple fact must be understood

Like is not fair but God is Just

In this we all can place our trust

Anthony Foster 

October 18, 2021

I Want to Go There (Places in the Heart)

We meet to part and part to meet

The parting’s mostly bittersweet

When one is absent from our space

It leaves a hole one can’t replace

When loved ones are called away

To new horizons and can’t stay

Their memory may still remain

We still miss them dearly clear and plain

But there can be no regrets

And we will nevermore forget

The blessed tie that binds us still

While they seek their calling to fulfill.

Whether absent from the body 

Or absent from this place

The tie that binds us transcends time and space.

The ties that bond us are the stuff of grace.

I want to go there, where we shall never part

A place where new beginnings find their start 

Where memories and sweet endings dwell

Together they  say “All is well!”

I want to go there to those places in the heart…

We meet to part and part to meet

The parting’s mostly bittersweet

We miss what never mattered much

When one is absent from our touch

But there can be no regrets

And we will nevermore forget

The blessed tie that binds us still

While they seek their calling to fulfill.

Whether absent from the body 

Or absent from this place

The tie that binds us transcends time and space.

The ties that bond us are the stuff of grace.

Anthony Foster

October 18, 2021 

Song of Repentance

Lord crush me by the memories of my sin
And train my heart to see sin that remains
Search me and reveal to me
Open my eyes that I might see
And wash away all those filthy stains

Lord give to me the gift of true repentance

Quicken my heart to hear and heed your Word

Make holiness the main value

That while I live I will pursue

The righteousness you’ve already conferred

Then my sinful soul is changed forever

And the seeds of holiness will come to flower

For I will be transformed

And to Jesus be conformed

Supernaturally changed by your power

Anthony Foster

October 17, 2021

Ode to Glory

Sing, sing of the glories of the Lord

The many faceted glories of the Lord

The wonders of His grace

The beauty of the Face

That outshines every light this world affords.

Sing sing of the glories of the Lord

For His glory He abroad has shed

Before the Glorious One

Our souls become undone

When from glory unto glory we are led

Glory, glory, Hallelujah

Revel in the Glory God reveals

The glory of the Cross

Exchanges gain for loss

As our wounds He gloriously heals

Sing sing of the glories of the Lord

In the shekina of His presence now adore

With your soul it is well

When you come to dwell

In the presence of His Glory evermore.

Glory, glory, Hallelujah

Revel in the Glory God reveals

The glory of the Cross

Exchanges gain for loss

As our wounds He gloriously heals

October 17, 2021

Anthony Foster 

Exalted One, Your Name is Holy

We will worship the One who is worthy

For You have changed our willful hearts of stone

You have transformed us with quickened hearts of flesh

And shown our minds what we had never known

You have crushed us by the memories of our sin

You have opened eyes to see sin that remains

You have healed our broken spirits with your Word

You have turned our deepest losses into gains

Exalted One, Your name is Holy

Write Your Word upon our hearts that we might know

All the blessings now of dwelling in your presence

And the glories of  residing in your temple here below

Bridge

Holy Holy Holy is your Name

Your goodness and your mercy fuel your fame

So we cast our souls upon you and proclaim

You are the One from Age to Age the Same

We will worship  as we come to stand boldly

Before your high, majestic throne of Grace

We shall revel in the knowledge of your person

As we’re undone by the glory of your Face

We will walk in wonder with your Holy Spirit

And the holiness you author we’ll pursue 

And as we become the righteousness you’re giving

We shall live and move and find our being in You

Exalted One, Your name is Holy

Write Your Word upon our hearts that we might know

All the blessings now of dwelling in your presence

And the glories of  residing in your temple here below

Ezekiel 36:26

Isaiah 57:15-19; Jeremiah 31:31, 33

October 17, 2021

Anthony Foster

 

My Spirit Sings (Soul Symphony)

A glorious symphony conceives inside my soul
It wells up and my spirit raises up a sacred solo
A melody joins in harmony-and music is formed
With tempo and rhythm a newsong is born

At first it may seem like an improvisation,

They’re derived as part of the Creator’s creation

A motif of mercy- makes a joyful noise

As this music of myst’ry the Spirit employs

I will sing with my spirit, I will sing with my mind

I will sing with my spirit songs that are divine

I will sing I will sing, with all that is in me

All I am will echo with a soul symphony

Like a furious, furtive fire in my bones

A song is released as my spirit groans

Sacrifices of praise become my offerings

I am lifted up and my spirit sings

Compositions authored by the Holy Ghost

Ring out and are joined by the heavenly hosts

Their angelic voices are lifted and raised

To join with my song as I offer my praise

I will sing with my spirit, I will sing with my mind

I will sing with my spirit songs that are divine

I will sing I will sing, with all that is in me

All I am will echo with a soul symphony

I Cor 14:15

October 15, 2021

Anthony Foster

Pick Your Poison

Too much of a good thing Too little of the bad

Can both come to harm you They can drive you quite mad

‘Cause idols aren’t obvious Like a bad attitude 

They can steal right up on you -They’re subtle and shrewd

The lust of the flesh The lust of the eyes

The pride of life Can be a surprise

So man, pick your poison but better beware

They’ll bring you down low and you’ll come to despair

In the mind is the battle and that’s where it’s won

Take every thought captive and when the day is done

Next day there’s the conflict between right and wrong

The poison will find you cause you ain’t that strong

Each man has a cancer and there is no cure

It started in Eden  and still it endures

There’s only one treatment and only one plan

‘Cause God gets the glory  when in Him you stand

The lust of the flesh The lust of the eyes

The pride of life Can be a surprise

So man, pick your poison but better beware

He’ll take all Your poison –He’s your only prayer.

Anthony Foster

October 12, 2021

 

Hammer, Fire and Wheels

The Lord declares His Word is like 

A mighty a hammer in his  hand

The stone shall break with every blow

The rocks cannot withstand

The Lord declares His Word is like

A devastating fire

That consumes  his enemies

With ever righteous ire

God’s wheels grind finely, this wood stubble and hay

He will winnow them and a gale will blow them away. 

He will thresh the mountains and crush them like chaff.

These wheels are instruments of God’s righteous wrath.

The hammer strikes and fire consumes

One molds and shapes or means your doom

The fire, it  burns or purifies

The wheels are there to make you wise

To what you are made of in God’s eyes.

So in the hammer, fire and wheels

The righteous rods of God reveal

Whether wrath or grace attain

When Man’s deep motives are made plain

October 11, 2021

Anthony Foster 

The View From My Window

I thank God that again and again 

He has awakened my heart  to desire him, 

I thank God that again and again 

He has awakened my heart  to see him, 

I thank God that again and again 

He has awakened my heart  to sit down to His feast 

And worship the King of Glory.

I can see 

What I might come to be

If I sacrifice who I am In my eyes

I can see 

An eternity spent in resplendent Glory

And deepest desires realized

I can see

The freedom of being set free

From the things I renounce and I leave behind

I can see

With eyes of the heart opened to me

A vision to transform my soul and my mind

Bridge

And I apprehend the unseen 

Delights of my King

Then the sacrifice I bring 

becomes a paltry offering.

Through His eyes

The view from my window is changed

Transformed into a vision of what is to be

Through His eyes

My window opens on a view so strange

Beyond all I could ever have eyes  to see

October 10, 2021

Anthony Foster 

The Lord is on His Throne

The Lord is on His throne in heaven, 

He rules and reigns the cosmos  and each soul

According to His sovereign decree, it shall be

He is working out all things  under His control

The living God endures forever;

This world He does transcend 

His kingdom will not be destroyed, 

His dominion will never end. 

His kingdom will have no end.

His kingdom will have no end.

His kingdom will have no end.

His kingdom will have no end.

According to the counsel of His will (Eph. 1:11), 

Even the hard things as he writes the story

Directing them to our final good 

And always  to His final glory. 

The living God endures forever;

This world He does transcend 

His kingdom will not be destroyed, 

His dominion will never end. 

His kingdom will have no end.

His kingdom will have no end.

His kingdom will have no end.

His kingdom will have no end.

 Daniel 6:26

October 10, 2021

Anthony Foster 

Eyes of Mercy

Oh, while I move in You, Lord, go before me 
You neither slumber, no, nor never sleep 
In thy holy providence, Watch o’er me 
All through the darkness I rest in your keep

Oh look upon me with the eyes of mercy, 

This wretched sinner make into a saint

You are near to all who call upon Thee

Strengthen me Lord, lest my faith shall faint.

I pray  protect me from every danger,  

so that neither fallen angels of the devil 

nor any wicked enemy or stranger 

may have any power to do me evil.

Oh look upon me with your eyes of mercy, 

This wretched sinner make into a saint

You are near to all who call upon Thee

Strengthen me Lord,  lest my faith shall faint.

After a prayer by Lewis Bayly

October 10,2021

Anthony Foster

Song of Contrition

Cleanse me with hyssop and I will be clean

Lord open the book and let all be seen

Make me reckon the realities of my soul

Then wash me till I am whiter than snow

Clear off the fog of my wretched path

Filthy rags, fatal glories are storing up wrath

Let your hammer and your Fire begin

To Break my furious heart of Sin

Each futile fatal hope will fail

Every idiotic foolish tale

Uttered by a dark, depraved mind

Lord show light to the bullish and blind.

Write my name in the Lamb’s book

Cleanse every cranny, sweep every nook

Lord I know well that I am not good.

So cover me with your precious blood

What your mirror reflects is not good news

I am the man, there is no excuse

Convicted by my own evidence

Give me a new life, a life that repents

Repent. Confess. Be Forgiven.

October 10, 2021

Anthony Foster 

One Unholy Mess (Ever Present Help)

I am a sinner I confess

I am one unholy mess

Lord fix my heart on righteousness

For you can save my soul

Teach me Lord how to repent

Make my temptations to relent

Renew the Spirit you have sent

And Lord  please take control

Chorus

Ever present help

Help me your glory to know 

Jesus have pity on me

Cause my faith to rise and grow

I am a fallen sinnerman

Keep falling down, I cannot stand

But if you take me by the hand

I can finally get this right

Like a dumb sheep I’ve gone astray

Gone time and again to my own way

But you can set me straight today

And bring me into light

Ever present help

Help me your glory to know 

Jesus have pity on me

Cause my faith to rise and grow

October 10, 2021

Anthony Foster 

Light My Path and Load My Heart

There is a darkness all around underneath a thin veneer

A degradation there is found that mortals tend to fear

There in this present darkness deep Souls cry for help and for relief

They are weeping through the night, And longing for the light

But the night is nearly over;  the day is now in sight 

So put aside the deeds of darkness  and put on the armor of light.

The dawn has come.  Our God shall make the way

Nothing can stop the rising  of the Son to fullest day.

So Light my path and load my heart

Light my path and load my heart

Light my path and load my heart

With the fiery light of the Lord

The closer we draw to the light The clearer we apprehend

The darkness that indwells our souls We no longer can pretend

So be a lamp unto my feet A light unto my path

Lord show me clearly what I am And save me from your wrath

Light my path and load my heart

Light my path and load my heart

Light my path and load my heart

With the fiery light of the Lord!

October 10, 2021

Anthony Foster

 

Lifted Up

Like an eagle that stirs up its nest, and a new shelter brings

It flutters over its young, spreading out its wings, 

Catching them, bearing them, on its pinions they arise

No other God is WITH us For the LORD alone guides.

We are lifted up, lifted up we arise

We are lifted up into the sonlit skies

And as we soar on high the things of earth will fade

Oe’r mountain tops, upon the heights we’re stayed

My mighty tower and strong defense-He guards his children’s souls

He is our only confidence- When this world takes its toll

Ever present help- cause our faith to rise and grow

Draw us up beyond the storm that shakes the earth below

We are lifted up, lifted up we rise

We are lifted up into the sonlit skies

And as we soar on high the things of earth will fade

Oe’r mountain top upon the heights we’re stayed

Deuteronomy 32:11

October 10, 2021

Anthony Foster 

Beautiful Heart

Oh Lord I gaze upon your beauty

Compelled and constrained by the sight

No longer will I serve out of duty

But rather the duty of delight

Your beauty is more than fairest

I tremble as I seek your face

Surpassing the finest and rarest

Is the jewel of your beautiful grace

Chorus

Beautiful heart of Jesus

Your glory is to be adored

Jesus your heart is so lovely

I delight in your beauty my Lord

Reveal now the beauty of meekness

The beauty of holiness show

Disclose the perfect power in weakness

The glory of the cross help me know

Jesus your beauty astounds me

Greater than any work of divine art

With your bonny presence surround me

I revel in your beautiful heart.

Chorus

Beautiful heart of Jesus

Your glory is to be adored

Jesus your heart is so lovely

I delight in your beauty my Lord

I delight in Your beauty my Lord!

October 10, 2021

Anthony Foster