Defenseless Cities
This piece is dedicated to all people who have been hurt in any way and have decided to erect cities and walls to protect themselves from being hurt again. To people who are hiding their real selves behind fortified cites. To people who have become professional image managers because they are afraid of not being accepted. To ragamuffin souls who desire to just be, to live authentic and transparent lives, but are afraid to tear down the walls and leave their fortified cities.
I have built a fortified city
Where the walls are constructed of the mortar of
Duplicity
Hypocrisy
Missed opportunities
And inconsistencies
Uncried tears
Selfish motives
Anger
Pride and fears
I am safe within these walls
After all
These walls are
Impregnable
Impenetrable
Inaccessible
Impassable
Trackless, Pathless, Wayless
Would-be intruders are laughable
I have erected a fortified city
I am safe within these walls
However, an undesired fate awaits me behind these walls
I no longer desire to be safe within these walls
Today, Jesus, I invite you; Lord, I invoke you; Savior, I need you
To scale these walls
Fell these walls
Assail these walls
Break these walls
Shake these walls
Lord, please earth-quake these walls
I know I have erected these walls and
All my life I have protected these walls
Now, I need you to inspect these walls
Demolish these walls
And then resurrect these walls
Tear down these walls
Lay bare
and pare down these walls
Burn these walls
Help me unlearn these walls
I need you to day by day
to dismantle these walls
implode these walls
Deconstruct
and expose these walls
Reconstruct these walls
By your grace rename these walls
By your resurrection power reframe and reclaim these walls
Until it’s a defenseless city, where there are no walls
of vanity
none of suspicion
none self importance and none of inhumanity
No walls of inferiority
none of arrogant superiority
No walls of jealousy
none of envy
None of self-consciousness
and none of self-pity
Jesus is erecting a defenseless city, where the walls are constructed of
Unconditional acceptance, Undying love, Untamed grace
His reign, his authority.
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April 29th, 2009 at 10:49 am
My, my…our disguises have such strong lives, don’t they? Amazing poetry…you inspire me, my friend. “…All my life I have protected these walls…” incredible truth. whew!
April 29th, 2009 at 12:02 pm
“Missed opportunities
And inconsistencies
Uncried tears
Selfish motives
Anger
Pride and fear”
It’s funny how pride and fear seem to almost always show up together. Missed opportunities do make for inconsistencies, because you (I) began to doubt myself and second guess myself (you got me feeling poetic now) Uncried tears swell into an inner puddle of anger (oh how I know this to be true) So I begin to think someone owes me somthing: Selfish. Or maybe self-centered is a more accurate word.
Always provoking thought, aren’t you?
April 29th, 2009 at 2:12 pm
It’s so hard to trust. I battled alot of issues before coming to know Christ. I thought I could fix the things in my life by just shutting everyone out, demean them. I did all those things but it never satisfied me. Harboring guilt and being malicious got me now where. Some times I even turned on myself, hurting and abusing my soul. When I came to know Christ, I learned about forgiveness. I was some what confused and reluctant to forgive the people in my past who hurt me. All I knew was that I just did not want to hurt anymore. I first had to ask the LORD to forgive me and then come to forgive those around me. After forgiving I felt such a release, no worries, wow! The hate that kept me bounded is now torn from my heart. If the Lord can forgive me how can I not forgive others (Matthew 6:12). I praise the Lord for finding me and making me new again. Sometimes I do reflect back but that is to see how far GOD has brought me and blessed me. I give him ALL the Glory. I learned that GOD said be angry BUT not to use my anger in revenge for that is his job. My wall has been knocked down. My strength is in the LORD, he is where I seek comfort and safety.
May 2nd, 2009 at 9:22 pm
I was just reading these verses
MATTHEW 7:13,14 NKJV
THE NARROW WAY:
Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.