Author: parasbovolos

It’s only by His grace

That each morning we awake;

It’s His undeserved favour

When each new day we face.

It’s by His grace alone

That He decided to create

And to fashion us so beautifully

By His mighty hand so great.

It is by grace alone

That eternal salvation is sealed,

To those who will receive Him

So their soul is cleansed and healed.

It’s only by His grace

That we all have breath today,

Because it’s only by His sovereignty

That life in us remains.

It’s never by good works

But only by His grace alone,

That we’re reconciled to the Father

Into our eternal home.

It’s only by His grace

We don’t receive what we deserve,

As we’re plucked from the pit

And for His purposes reserved.

When we taste His grace

We should extend our grace as well,

When we understand His mercy

And where forgiveness dwells.

It is by grace alone

That He gave us Jesus Christ,

To redeem us for eternity

And transform us through His light.

The most gracious and so precious

Lord and Savior that could be,

Who sacrificed His dear life

So eternal life we see.

(C) P.B. 2021

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”  Ephesians 2:8-9

“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.”  Ephesians 1:7

“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.”  John 1:12

“Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.”  1 Peter 2:1-3

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”  Ephesians 2:10

“My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.”  2 Corinthians 12:9

“But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift.”  Ephesians 4:7

“Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.”  Hebrews 12:28

“God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”  James 4:6

“Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen.”  Ephesians 6:24

As the sun’s rays penetrate

And the body absorbs same,

Is Your tender loving touch

With the wonder of Your name.

As the sun’s warmth and glow

Plants a smile on our face,

Is Your sweet and gentle fellowship

Enveloped with Your grace.

The sunshine always gives us hope

And lights up our darkest days;

It ignites a joy from within

With a beauty that remains.

The sun inspires us in many ways

To pursue many things,

Where adventures become a norm

With freedom this so brings.

But there is a special Son

That will light our path indeed,

God’s only Son, Jesus Christ;

A lamp for our feet.

This Son will never scorch us

And although we feel the heat,

His yoke is light and will ease burdens

So we do not taste defeat.

God’s anointed Son

Will warm our weary soul;

Bring sunshine to a heavy heart

To instil much joy behold!

Jesus is our sunshine;

A ray of hope and inspiration,

Who ignites our soul with true faith;

With faithfulness and patience.

And when our tear drops cascade

He’ll put a rainbow in our heart,

As His sunshine with His covenant

Guarantees a brand new start.

He will never flood our soul

So we’re overwhelmed with pain,

But instead will heal us as we cry

As we trust in Him again.

Our sunshine and our sweet delight

As we bow to only You,

And worship You with all our heart

As You transform and make things new.

(C) P.B. 2021

“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”  Matthew 11:28-30

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”  Psalm 119:105

“And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, ‘This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.’”  Matthew 3:17

“I will set a rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth…the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh.”  Genesis 9:13-15

“The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night.  The Lord shall preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul.  The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in from this time forth, and even forevermore.”  Psalm 121:6-8

“That you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.”  Matthew 5:45

“Be angry, and do not sin, do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil.”  Ephesians 4:26-27

“Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.”  John 8:36

The same way a flower needs soil

Is our thirsty soul towards You,

As the seed is deeply implanted

And blossoms to something new.

The same way clear water

Removes the scum from every dish,

Is Your cleansing word to wash our heart

Where the grime will be dismissed.

The same way a little child

Upon his parents will depend,

Is Your word as a shield and buckler

When our soul it will defend.

The same way we fall in love

With a hope and joy instilled,

Is Your love bestowed upon us

When our heart and soul You fill.

The same way a sperm

Requires an egg to produce life,

Is our soul as we’re betrothed to You

When You’re our groom and we’re Your bride.

The same way a canvas

Requires paint with an artist too,

Is Your hand that fashions us

To transform and to make new.

The same way a Writer

Will articulate his words,

Is Your law written upon our heart

When You become our Lord.

The same way a Musician

Produces music to soothe and heal,

Is Your melody within our soul

With Your song that You instil.

And You’re the same through and through;

Never-changing and filled with love;

You’re our inspiration as we learn from You

To spend eternity above.

(C) P.B. 2021

“If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.”  John 7:37

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; Old things have passed away; Behold all things have become new.”  2 Corinthians 5:17

“And as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you.”  Isaiah 62:5

“But now, O Lord, You are our Father; We are the clay, and You our potter; And all we are the work of Your hand.”  Isaiah 64:8

“As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God.  My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.”  Psalm 42:1-2

“I will love You, O Lord, my strength.  The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”  Psalm 18:1-2

“Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb’s wife.”  Revelation 21:9

“Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom, thanksgiving and honour and power and might, be to our God forever and ever. Amen.”  Revelation 7:12

“And the Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And let him who hears say, ‘Come!’ And let him who thirsts come.  Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.”  Revelation 22:17

We are all unique

With different qualities,

And although at times we’re broken and shattered

There’s a renewed hope to be seen.

When we are like worn out fabric

And to the maximum we’re stretched,

We extend our arm to God Almighty

Who wants our very best.

When our heart is torn and ripped apart

We cry to God above,

Who will stitch our pain with dignity

From His pure hand above.

He’ll repair us from the inside out

As we’re certainly recycled,

And reinforced with fresh new measures

When we’re taught and are discipled.

Our tattered soul will be refreshed

As we go against the grain,

Where evil thoughts are torn apart

And in our heart Jesus will reign.

There’s a purpose through our brokenness;

Our broken alabaster box,

When the bread that’s broken gives us courage

As it produces a large crop.

When we weep bitterly

And our tears they do rain,

Our broken heart is mended

So His grace and love remains.

There is no hopeless soul

Since there’s a purpose to brokenness,

When the broken soil of our heart

Much fruit will manifest.

(C) P.B. 2021

“God uses broken things.  It takes broken soil to produce a crop, broken clouds to give rain, broken grain to give bread, broken bread to give strength.  It is the broken alabaster box that gives forth perfume.  It is Peter, weeping bitterly, who returns to greater power than ever.”  Vance Havner

“Jesus said to him, ‘If you believe, all things are possible to him who believes.’”  Mark 9:23

“Take, eat, this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”  1 Corinthians 11:24

“And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitudes.  So they all ate, and were filled, and they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments that remained.”  Matthew 14:19-20

“Come, and let us return to the Lord; For He has torn, but He will heal us; He has stricken, but He will bind us up.”  Hosea 6:1

“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”  Psalm 147:3

Humans may regularly let us down

But our anchor should not rest,

In our expectations towards one another

Since disappointments can manifest.

Because we are all fallible

And perfect there is none,

As we’re dealing with our issues

And our problems one by one.

But there is One

Who will never let us down;

It’s the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ

Where every knee shall bow.

He will never disappoint us

Since His heart is unconditional,

And He sacrificed His dear life

So we have life and to the full.

He defines us when we’re found in Him

And grafted in His vine;

He untangles our thorny situations

As we leave the weeds behind.

He is our living bread

And our hunger He’ll satisfy,

As we thirst for His living waters

That can only gratify.

He heals our deepest wounds

And all abuse from our past;

He seals our heart with renewed hope

Where our faith will truly last.

He protects from fiery arrows;

From the enemy of our soul,

As we put on the full armour

So we can stand behold!

When our intrinsic value

Is found in Jesus Christ,

We’re in the safest hands we can be

As we’re guided by His light.

God will never let us down

Because there’s integrity in His soul,

With sincerity and all good fruit

Where all pure things unfold.

(C) P.B. 2021

“I am the bread of life…if anyone eats of this bread he will live forever.”  John 6:48-51

“He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”  John 7:38

“I am the vine, you are the branches.  He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”  John 15:5

“We are unprofitable servants.  We have done what was our duty to do.”  Luke 17:10

“To the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.”  Ephesians 1:6

“Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.  For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand.”  Psalm 95:6-7

“Therefore take up the whole armour of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”  Ephesians 6:13

“Turn your eyes towards Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace.”  Helen H. Lemmel

No soul is too hopeless;

It’s the reason Christ hung on the tree,

To deliver us from our brokenness

To be renewed, to be set free.

No situation is beyond reproach

No matter how dark it may be,

Because the blood that was shed for us

Total redemptive salvation we’ll see.

Hope will always be

The reason we do many things,

As we trust in You Lord every day

With the blessings You so bring.

Hope is the anchor of our soul;

It is deep and marries faith;

It gives us patience as we pray to You

When for Your promises we wait.

Those in the eternal pit

Would give anything to be,

In our worse situation and circumstance

But where hope may still be seen.

As long as there is breath

There’s hope that will remain,

That You’ll save our precious soul

So our lives will never be the same.

May hope always be

Embedded in our soul;

Where no thief can ever steal;

When we trust in You behold!

And our hope entirely rests

In Your promises so true,

That when we die we shall awake

To forever worship You.

(C) P.B. 2021

“For You are my hope, O Lord God; You are my trust from my youth.”  Psalm 71:5

“The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints.”  Ephesians 1:18

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”  Hebrews 11:1

“Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”  Romans 5:5

“Looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.”  Titus 2:13

“And now Lord, what do I wait for?  My hope is in You.  Deliver me from all my transgressions; do not make me the reproach of the foolish.”  Psalm 39:7-8

“As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness.”  Psalm 17:15

We’ve all been subjected

To words that pierce our heart,

And we remember the trauma at the time

When with those words we wouldn’t part.

They affected us in different ways

Because their wounds were deep indeed,

And although they were spoken in haste and anger

Those words we did believe.

But there are several words

That are the most devastating ever,

‘I never knew you, depart from Me’

Where in the Lord’s presence we’ll be never.

They’re amongst the most poignant of His words

Because we can be so easily deceived,

Into believing that we’re right with God

But where His eternity will not be seen.

The bible makes it very clear

That we must be born again;

It’s a spiritual birth from above

And in John 3:3 it’s penned.

Because our carnal and our fleshly ways

Cannot inherit a pure heaven,

And neither can our old nature

Which is absorbed with so much leaven.

When a soul is born again

A new vision will take place;

When man-made religion and false humility

By God’s Spirit will be replaced.

Because it’s comforting to believe

That our piety is sufficient,

But unless the Holy Spirit is received

Our soul will be deficient.

The devil also believes indeed

But we know he is not saved;

It requires the precious blood of the Lamb

In our heart and soul to stay.

(C) P.B. 2021

“And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’”  Matthew 7:23

“Most assuredly I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”  John 3:3

“And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.  If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.”  Galatians 5:24

“Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.”  Romans 6:6

“Having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever.”  1 Peter 1:23

“You believe that there is one God.  You do well.  Even the demons believe – and tremble!”  James 2:19

“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.”  Romans 5:8-9

“Repent, and let every one of you be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”  Acts 2:38

There are many reasons indeed

For us to be anxious with fear,

But the Lord expressly says

‘Be anxious for nothing’ since He is near.

Lockdowns with all frustrations

Can lead to much anxiety;

With financial loss and shattered dreams

Where hope cannot be seen.

Lockdowns strip the soul of a nation

Where fear can overtake,

But the Lord sends a timely reminder

For His extended hand to take.

We’re all suffering to some extent

But when we trust in Him,

His protection, love and comfort

Will envelop our soul within.

When we trust in Him

Irrespective of worldly events,

He’ll never leave us nor forsake us

Where His blessings are heaven sent.

If He can raise the dead

He’s able to look after our needs,

As His ways are higher and better

And when we ask He intercedes.

When we believe in His promises

That no weapon against us will prosper,

We trust in His sincere words

Where protection will be fostered.

When we become anxious for nothing

Our faith and hope within,

Becomes a shield and a guard for our soul

As we trust in only Him.

We thank God for Jesus Christ

Who settled our debt on the cross,

So undeserved, yet by grace alone

So there’s no eternal loss.

(C) P.B. 2021

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”  Philippians 4:6-7

“Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression, but a good word makes it glad.”  Proverbs 12:25

“It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man.”  Psalm 118:8

“For He Himself has said, I will never leave you nor forsake you.”  Hebrews 13:5

“The Lord is my helper; I will not fear.  What can man do to me?”  Hebrews 13:6

“By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches and honour and life.”  Proverbs 22:4

“No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgement You shall condemn.”  Isaiah 54:17

A delusion is a false belief;

An irrational one indeed,

And although there’s evidence it is not real

The lie is still believed.

Because when we believe we are good

Without God’s intervention,

We are living in delusion

With false ideas and perceptions.

When we believe we’re something we’re not

We are being delusional,

And by believing all the fallacies

We’re equipped for a mighty fall.

When our delusions are shattered

It’s actually a blessing in disguise,

When the layers of lies and idolatry

Are peeled before our eyes.

When our delusions are shattered

We’re actually set free,

Because the bondage that held us firmly in chains

With its deception will no longer be.

God wants to set us free

And it’s His will that to perish are none, 

And when He knocks upon our heart

He calls us one by one.

But not everyone will respond

But will harden their hearts even more,

And given over to a debased mind

To be lost forevermore.

What a remarkable moment

When we realise we’ve been bewitched,

For years of our entire life

And now time to make the switch.

We’ve been misled for decades

By everything mainstream,

But when real eyes realise the real lies

Shattered will be our false hopes and dreams.

It’s an immense blessing

When the eyes of our heart finally see,

The truth to be able to discern

The facts from the heresies.

It may be painful initially

But when our idols come crashing down,

We realise we’ve worshipped all the wrong things

And now time to turn our lives around.

When our delusions are shattered

Where true peace and joy we see,

We thank God for His revelation and grace

Where we can finally see eternity.

Because nothing on this earth

Is worth risking our eternal soul,

Let’s rejoice when delusions are shattered indeed

So we can see God’s truth behold!

(C) P.B. 2021

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”  Romans 3:23-24

“Having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever.”  1 Peter 1:23

“O foolish Galatians!  Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified?”  Galatians 3:1

“The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.  And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”  2 Thessalonians 2:9-12

“Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”  John 3:3

“The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9

When we trust in idols

We secretly bow to them,

Since they consume our thoughts

When they become our greatest friend.

When we trust in idols

We place God second on the list,

Because our heart and soul is absorbed

When lust and greed have kissed.

We may not realise we worship them

But if we stop so we reflect,

We’ll realise they envelop our entire being

But where we prefer just to forget.

They manifest in different ways

Either physical or mental indeed,

And when they possess our entire soul

More idolatry we will see.

God hates idolatry

And we must remember this,

That it’s deceptive and will cause a snarl

When idols are on our list.

Because they take the place of God

In our heart and in our soul,

And He wants us in entirety

For His blessings to unfold.

When we trust in idols

We’re effectively saying to the Lord,

That we don’t trust or believe He’ll provide

And doubt what’s in His word.

Idols can range from materialism

To comforts or fear and worry,

To believing lies of every sort

To unforgiveness when we’re not sorry.

It may be our unbelief

As this becomes a stronghold,

Or maybe a relationship

Or status and money behold!

But it’s when they grip our heart

Where we will not and cannot let go,

When they wrap our soul with a chain

And become our greatest foe.

Unfortunately we are all guilty

But when it’s pointed out,

We need to repent and ask God for help;

To trust in Him without any doubt.

He will provide our needs

And when we love simplicity,

We’ll be content with all we have

And flee from idolatry.

Let’s not be found with idols

When we stand on that day,

Because those words ‘I never knew you’

Is something we never want Him to say!

(C) P.B. 2021

“Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.”  1 Corinthians 10:14

“Their land is also full of idols; They worship the work of their own hands, that which their own fingers have made.  People bow down…” Isaiah 2:8-9

“For we have spent enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles – when we walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries.”  1 Peter 4:3

“What am I saying then?  That an idol is anything, or what is offered to idols is anything?  Rather, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to demons and not to God, and I do not want you to have fellowship with demons.”  1 Corinthians 10:19-20

“For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol’s temple, will not the conscience of him who is weak be emboldened to eat those things offered to idols?”  1 Corinthians 8:10

“Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry…”. Galatians 5:19-20

“Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have.  For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’”  Hebrews 13:5

“But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie.”  Revelation 22:15

“But the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, that they should not worship demons, and idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk.”  Revelation 9:20

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.  Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’  And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’”  Matthew 7:21-23