Sunday, October 31, 2021

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

Saturday, October 30, 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

Monday, October 18, 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

Sunday, October 17, 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

 

Friday, October 15, 2021

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

Tuesday, October 12, 2021

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

 

Monday, October 11, 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 

Saturday, October 9, 2021

Weaver of Wonders


These times, these times are not by chance
There is nothing no, there is no circumstance
There is no past nor present act that I have ever done
That God cannot redeem- no not even one

The weaver weaves His wondrous art
From failures’ threads that have fallen apart
And our stuff of hay, stubble and wood
What men mean for evil He means for the good

Oh Weaver of Wonders you weave wondrously
Each life is a picture you plan we can’t see
All things work together in this tapestry
Oh Weaver of wonders you weave life for me

I can rest in this  since I have understood
God weaves a tapestry that’s beautiful and good
Glorious images these threads can assume
The warp and the woof of a life on His loom

Oh Weaver of Wonders you weave wondrously
Each life is a picture you plan we can’t see
All things work together in this tapestry
Oh Weaver of wonders you weave life for me

Anthony Foster
October 9, 2021

Thursday, October 7, 2021

The Backside of the Desert (War in the Wilderness)

I recall I had the best laid plans -That I thought that I could understand
And they led me to where I’d have never gone
But though I sought my heart’s desire-God used that spark to start a fire
That would cleanse and purify me to the bone.
There are trials that transform a man-There’s a seminary in the sand
God gives a new heart for a heart of stone
Though I thought I knew how to trust-But wandering a wilderness of dust
Teaches us how to discern we’re not our own.

The backside of the desert is a classroom
Where the lessons of the heart come to be known
Things no seminary in the world can yield
On the backside of the desert there ‘s revealed
The battles of the heart aren’t fought alone

There I found my Midian it seems-There I traded all my dreams
There is where I lost and found my self
My faith had so much more to learn-By losing all the things for which I’d yearned
When I realized that God is all my help
For in the desert is a place-Where lessons learned are those of grace
And our values are examined and exposed
Self sufficiency and selfish pride-They come to naught and are cast aside
In Midian our thrones are all deposed

The backside of the desert is a war-room
Where the mind’s transformed  by the glories shown
Things no seminary in the world can yield
On the backside of the desert it's revealed
That the battles of the mind aren’t fought alone

We set our goals and put the stamp-Of God’s approval  then we camp
In ragged tents beneath our privilege
We must abandon every worldly end-God’s discipline is our best friend
For life is found in living on the edge
In every pilgrim path we’ve trod-There is a place where we meet God
In a very special way not known before
A place there in the desert dust-Where we truly have to learn to trust
A place where we need God and nothing more

The backside of the desert there’s a throne-room
Where God’s own Spirit teaches the unknown
Things that no seminary in the world can yield
On the backside of the desert they're revealed
For The battles of the flesh aren’t fought alone
The battles of the heart aren’t fought alone
The battles of the mind aren’t fought alone

Anthony Foster
October 7, 2021