Spiritual Warfare

My armor bears the scars of battles fought;
I've wielded God's sharp sword while pressing on.
This fight has sapped the strength true faith has brought;
I fear an end has come before the dawn.

The evil one then roars that he has won,
And laughs at the mistakes that I have made.
His arrows slam my shield to end my run,
And claims I've been abandoned and will fade.

But I recall the mercy I've been shown
The times when sin assailed my gated door.
I know that in this war I'm not alone,
And so I march ahead as angels soar.

The love of God and Christ has shown the way;
I'll fight until the end my vow to pay.

© Angel L Villanueva

Come See

Come see a day when wars have ceased,
When lands from pain have been released;
Where mended hearts with love are tied,
And from all eyes sad tears have dried.

Come see a world of joyful peace,
Where hatred from all hearts will cease;
Where age no longer wrinkles skin,
And youthful vigor flows within.

Come see the blind regain their sight,
The mute sing songs with great delight;
The deaf hear voices once concealed,
The lame ones running on a field.

Come see that death cannot enslave
The ones God calls back from the grave.
The joy of seeing loved ones rise
Will fill all hearts with joyous cries.

I know that what you see is true;
Not man, but God, will see it through.
Come join the throng you warmly view;
Eternal life can be yours too.

Revelation 21:3-5; Daniel 2:44

Isaiah 35: 5, 6; Psalms 37:9-11

© Angel L Villanueva

Have Faith

A mighty giant rose from darkened lands
To mock the battle lines of Israel's sons.
His heavy shield and lance were in his hands;
He threatened to devour God's holy ones.

Great fear had gripped the men who held the line,
For terror stood before them on that day.
Not one had dared to rise to test the sign
That God's own hand would be on full display.

A child then strode to meet Goliath's dare,
But only with his faith and little stones.
He praised the One he loves and said a prayer,
Then used his sling to break Goliath's bones.

A stone he strongly flung with faith in God,
The One whose hand arose to break the rod.

© Angel L Villanueva

To Death I Spoke

One night in dreams to Death I spoke;
He sat nearby, then silence broke.
His icy words with scorn were filled,
Which gored my heart and my blood chilled.
He said to me my short-lived life
Was filled with pain, much grief and strife.
No need to live, for hope is dead,
Nowhere to turn, my faith has fled.
To end my life would be a gift;
He promised me it would be swift.
With fear my lips few words allowed,
But yet remained in strength unbowed.
I said, "my hope is quite alive,
And God my faith will help survive.
But you, O Death, destruction face,
At an appointed time in place.
So while my life you soon may take,
In faith I know that I will wake.
When dead, my life you'll briefly hold,
But yours forever God will fold."

© Angel L Villanueva

Babylon The Great

The earthly kings prepare to go to war,
To bring to ruin Babylon the Great.
This evil harlot sits on beasts that roar,
But swift will be the fall from her estate.

Her sins will be laid bare for all to see,
As beasts in anger shred her golden gown.
So great the tribulation is to be,
No soul can hope escape when she's thrown down.

But brief will be the time of the distress,
And many then will show with whom they stand;
Not haughty kings who wars will always press,
But He who sweeps them off with His right hand.

O sinful Babylon, your end is near!
So sip your last red wine, then quake with fear.

© Angel L Villanueva

Do not Give Up

Do not give up! Let faith be strong!
Do not look back, resist the wrong.
Sin tempts your heart with sweetened lies,
To bend your path to your demise,
To wreck your faith, bring death along.

Do not you fear the piercing prong
That stabs at you to join the throng.
Though narrow is the road you prize,
Do not Give Up!

Though storms you face where you belong,
Keep faith your goal will not be long.
The end is near, He hears your cries,
And lovingly more strength supplies.
So smile with joy and sing the song,
Do not Give Up!

© Angel L Villanueva

Velvet Sky

A hint of velvet drapes the evening sky
As stars afar in burning light arise.
I stand where sea meets land to watch, and sigh;
This captivating feeling I so prize.

The gentle ocean breeze begins her dance;
Her fingers grace my face as if a kiss.
I gaze in awe at this ornate expanse,
While bashful silence joins me in my bliss.

But I'm reminded of the flight of time,
Then sadness lades my heart as waters well.
Yet I do hope one day to write in rhyme,
Forever words of praise, of God to tell.

The splendor of creation shares with me
That One there is who made what I now see.

© Angel L Villanueva

Wondrous City

This wondrous city takes my breath away;
Protective walls do keep it free from dread.
It sends its riches far all night and day,
On flowing rivers filled with ships of red.

Its athenaeum holds a treasured scroll,
Which guides its work precisely from the start.
Its bustling center always in control,
Provides instructions for its world to chart.

When enemies attempt its walls to breach,
It sends a signal to its armies, fight!
Surrounding them with greatest rapid reach,
They slay the hordes before they spread their blight.

Designer of this city, You I praise;
Your work is wise, of this my lips will tell.
In awe my mind and eyes will ever gaze,
This wondrous fort, the humble human cell.

© Angel L Villanueva

You Are Not Alone

Sift the hurried ticks of time,
Seek to rise above the fray.
Life without a goal to climb,
Makes the heart an easy prey.

Frailty seeks the mind to numb,
Bitter words from lips to flow.
Selfish hearts to greed succumb;
Stand your ground against this woe!

Loss of faith will set ablaze
Pain that stirs to doing wrong.
Glimpse your life through better days;
Hope is sure to keep you strong.

Self-respect gives sense of worth;
Take good care of those who groan.
Grant no space for hate to birth;
Cling to hope, you're not alone.

© Angel L Villanueva

When Heaven Speaks

Night returns, and I gaze the sky;
The heavenly grandeur then speaks.
I listen intently, and sigh,
For this grand beauty I hold high;
There, now a star in silence streaks.

I smile and wonder where is He,
The one who set celestial laws
When He created all I see.
Some would say there is only we,
And credit no one as the cause.

When I observe what nature tells,
In awe I see design in all,
From grandest stars to tiny cells.
And now, as heaven shows what dwells,
I sense just why we are so small.

© Angel L Villanueva

The Blade

The stench of sin brought on when Adam strayed,
Plunged mankind into death's hand to enslave.
Then Adam to his children passed this blade,
To slit their throats before they kiss the grave.

'Twas ever since mankind the blade embraced,
With savage acts of wars that blood is shed.
Creation begs to have this stain erased,
Undo the grip of death the blade has spread.

Yet kindest love the Father did extend,
To mankind while in debt they were immersed.
He promised that redemption he would send,
Through one he loves, for sin to be reversed.

The greatest sacrifice in love was made;
Return and seek the one who breaks the blade.

© Angel L Villanueva

One Day

The darkness hanging over all mankind,
And blinding minds of those whose malice shines,
Congeals upon the hearts with hate inclined,
To send their steps away from augured signs.

So blinded by seductive sin's allure,
Their love they have replaced with selfish acts.
Uncaring in their ways with deeds impure,
They suffer from the pain that darkness stacks.

Yet darkness won't forever rule as king;
The promised life in earthly paradise
Will end its dreadful rule and painful sting,
Restoring peace on earth with love precise.

One day we'll raise our eyes in tears and see,
Eternal life of promise, you and me.

© Angel L Villanueva

God's Arms

The requiem tears her heart
As memories flood her mind.
She lost her mate to death,
With woe she's been confined.

In grief she calls to God,
In the stillness of the night,
To soothe her injured soul,
A mind in tortuous plight.

In pain she begs and pleads,
And hopes He clearly hears,
The mournful cries of a child,
Whose bed is filled with tears.

When alone she greatly felt,
And woe infused her heart,
His soothing voice she heard,
A calm it did impart.

Her Father heard her cries,
And eased from her what harms;
Then restful was her sleep,
While cradled in His arms.

© Angel L Villanueva

Doomsday Clock

The doomsday clock ticks closer now to death,
But why is this in light of seeming hope?
Two minutes tick along to end man's breath,
Where life is loved, but men with evil cope.

The hands of time reach out in tearing haste,
For men of hate their lives to blindly slay.
They reach the sun's hot brilliant fiendish gaze,
Where flash of lights the skin will deftly flay.

The clock will run as men of hate still plod,
Since sadly calls for peace they will forgo.
To stop the madness heed the word of God,
Where wisdom reigns and peace will soon bestow.

The answer does not lie in heart's of men,
Where hatred dwells and multiplies by ten.

© Angel L Villanueva

The Signs

See the signs as they arise,
Increasing quakes, reports of wars.
Godless hearts now mock the faith,
Near to death, they scorn the four.

Offensive words pour out from lips,
Fomenting strife and warring cries.

The signs they all refuse to heed,
Heaping scorn in ranting screed,
Enticing hearts to crave what's bad.

Toward the end the horsemen charge,
In steps with words of prophecy.
Men of faith recorded light,
Enlightened hearts are given sight,
See the signs as they arise.

© Angel L Villanueva

I Await

A child I was when upon my bed
I called out to you,
For I had dreamt a life of void
Where I no longer was.
No existence, nothingness,
Was what haunted my dream.
To bear that thought I could not,
Of no longer being.
Fear, fear quite deep and numbing
Embraced me;
Its coldness reaching
Into the deepest part of my being.
But this fear, this agonizing fear,
You removed from me,
And replaced it with hope;
Such a wonderful hope!
A hope of redemption, a hope of life!
But not just life that passes
Like mere wisping smoke.
This life, this wonderful gift,
Is eternal,
Like the one Adam squandered,
When he selfishly chose
To turn his back on you.
It's been years since that night,
When you answered my call,
Yet that wonderful hope still burns
Deep within me.
I know that you will bring
Your promises to fruition,
That your words of comfort
Will not go unfulfilled.
Till then, I patiently wait,
No longer in fear,
No longer a terrified child
Crying upon his bed,
But a man, a gray-headed man,
Who awaits your call.

© Angel L Villanueva