Karen Templin

Forces Of Darkness

An invisible battle is waged.
Revelations of the golden age,
and the darkness cries out in rage.
The wicked walk on every side,
but I trust in the lord, God to be my guide.
He looks down from Heaven on all men.
He sees it all, righteousness and sin.
Some prefer the darkness to the light,
least their deeds be revealed in God's sight.
To let in even a hint of darkness,
their soul is laid bare.
Night closes in and encamps around them,
Evil setting a snare.
Giving in to the temptation of the voices inside.
Only to discover too late, they were Satan's lies.
The wicked walk on every side.
The path to salvation is narrow.
The road to destruction is wide.
As my spiritual battle is fought,
I pray to the lord that my footsteps slip not.
Keep me firmly on the narrow path.
Guide me to do your will and not my own.
Keep me away from the things you don't condone.
I don't look to this world for treasures and gold.
Only my lord restoreth my soul.
Not one of us can afford to reject
the inheritance he has stored for us
in his heavenly home.
Cast your lot upon the Lord,
all of your sorrows and fears.
Believe when you call upon his name,
he will be quick to hear.
There is no escape the wages of sin.
Call on him now,
before your light has grown dim.
As I walk through the chasm of darkness,
the wicked walk on every side.
I struggle to make it through with all my might,
I continue my walk, with my gaze held high,
meditating on Heaven,
continuously reaching for the light.

By Karen templin

Betrayal Of Innocence

Betrayed with a kiss.
Judas had bargained with his soul,
but it was worth the risk.
For thirty pieces of silver in his hand,
he had betrayed the blood of an innocent man.
They had whispered together to plot his demise.
A trial held in secret, false witness, and lies.
A sign was engraved, and hung in plain view.
JESUS OF NAZARETH, KING OF THE JEWS.
His enemies were many.
His friends were a few,
but with God as his helper,
he would not be moved.
They hated him without a cause,
For the lamb was as white as snow,
Without a blemish, lacking in flaws.
Some would see, and not believe.
Others would hear, and not perceive.
Condemned for his transgressions,
and not for his sins.
Nailed to a cross
by unrighteous and cruel men.
Deep down in his spirit he groaned,
as they pierced his hands and his feet.
His muscles ached, and even his bones.
Stripped of his clothing, and hung up in shame.
He silently wept as they mocked him,
and shook their heads in blame.
They looked upon his affliction with great loathing.
At the foot of his cross, they cast lots for his clothing.
His spirit was grieved, shattered, and torn,
as they pointed, and chastised,
and laughed him to scorn.
They had sought to destroy his very soul,
and drag him down into the pit.
To devour him like wolves,
the lamb in their midst.
He thirsted, and was given only
vinegar and gall to drink in his lack,
but he trusted in the lord, God.
His footsteps had not turned back.
Darkness fell over all the land,
as his own people persecuted the just man,
but they only made excuses,
it couldn't be God's wrath.
Covered in the shadow of death.
"It is finished," His last words were said
before he drew his last breath.
The cruelty and punishment had taken their toll.
Soon after, his body waxed cold.
Though the Earth be removed,
and the mountains fall into the sea,
he had trusted in the lord, God to set him free.
Many would seek to make war with the lamb,
but he would overcome them.
Men shall seek death, and shall not find it.
They shall desire to die, but it shall flee them.
They had looked upon his death
with malice and glee,
and he would render their rewards
according to their deeds.
He was given a bitter cup to drink,
but his footsteps had not faltered.
The lord, Jesus Christ was greatly exalted.
On the third day, his spirit was reborn,
but as for Judas Iscariot,
it would be better for that man
if he had never been born.
His is mighty warrior, his power is real.
He came, and he conquered.
He crushed the head of the serpent with his heel.
It was chosen by God,
the servant he would send,
the alpha, the omega,
the beginning, and the end.

By Karen Templin

The Comforter Has Come

The Comforter has come
to dwell in our presence, and walk among men.
He would give his life a randsom for many,
even die for our sins.
His light shined forth like the sun
as the spirit of God decended upon him like a dove.
He walked the shores of Galilee.
A meek and humble man was he.
He had powers over the wind and sea.
Ruler of the Heavens, the Earth, and all things.
He shadows me under angel's wings.
In my darkest hour I call out the name of Jesus!
He comes to the sound of my voice.
He will never leave us.
When I feel I just can't take anymore,
A strong hand reaches down from Heaven,
and lifts me up off the floor.
You once seemed a million miles away,
but you are my calm after a storm,
shining upon me like the sun's rays.
As I wait on you Jesus, hoping you will come soon,
I realize you are not far away,
Even in the same room.
He is watching me always.
He is never far.
He dwells among us.
and lives in my heart.
He died on the cross to bring us redemption,
and has evolved into a soul of the highest perfection.
As I wait on you Jesus,
You are with me now.
Still I long for the day,
for no one knows the hour.
We will see you coming on the clouds
at the right hand of power.

By Karen Templin

My Testimoney I SAW JESUS by Karen Templin

I Saw Jesus

I had not been to church for many years, though I was a
believer in Jesus, and I loved him. Suddenly, I felt like he was calling me
to know him better. I started reading other people's testimonies of
him, also the near death experiences of people who had actually gone to
Heaven, and met him. The more I read, the closer I felt to him. I met a
new friend who invited me to church. I said,"yes." Anything that would
draw me closer to him.

As I sat in church, the minister asked the question, "What is
the mountain in your life?" He told us to take a few minutes to
meditate about it. I thought about things I had not been able to overcome in
my life. My biggest mountain was definitely the lack of forgiveness I
felt for people who I thought had hurt me or wronged me in some way. I
could easily walk out of people's lives, and hold a grudge for twenty
years or for the rest of my life for that matter.

As I thought about these things, I felt a deep wrenching pain
in my heart, even physical pain as though my heart was being squeezed
tight in my chest. I bowed my head. I knew what the Bible says about
forgiveness. I thought, Jesus is probably mad at me.

Still feeling the pain in my heart, I thought, look for the
face of Jesus. I had read that somewhere, but I didn't think I would
literally see him. If I did, I was sure he would come condemning me.

As I was thinking I should look for his face, I raised my
eyes, and I couldn't have been more surprised by what I saw. I saw Jesus.
He was actually there. It was just his face, but he was alive, and
moving around. He had dark, shoulder length hair with light streaks of
gray, and he was wearing a crown of thorns. I just gazed up at him, and he
was smiling at me with the most loving smile I had ever seen in my life!

The first thing I thought was, he looks a little different
than he does in his pictures, but only slightly different. I had
expected his hair to be longer, and his nose was a little different.

I felt no condemnation from him at all. That greatly
surprised me. Next I felt him sending me love that was full of sympathy and
compassion. It was an overwhelming kind of love that I was sure human
beings aren't capable of. I was in awe that he could love me that much.
It was blissful. I was totally absorbed by that love, to the point where
I felt my heart could burst. I have never felt anything like it, and
I'm sure that I never will as long as I'm on the Earth.

I just continued to gaze up at him. He continued to smile
at me like I was the only person on Earth who mattered to him, though
I'm sure he must look at each one of us that way. Throughout the whole
vision, he never once stopped smiling at me.

Next, I saw him sending beams of transparent, white light
towards my heart. I felt the light penetrating my being. The light felt
like nothing, other than pure love and compassion. Jesus was very kind
and loving towards me, not condemning at all. I only sensed a strong
out pouring of love from him. He seemed perfect in his goodness and
kindness.

Next he began to communicate to me, but no words were used.
He communicated by sending me feelings. There was knowledge in the
feelings that I understood easily and clearly as it was transferred into my mind.

He said that he already knew about it all, my lack of
forgiveness towards others, how I had been hurt by other people, and the
circumstances in my life that had made me feel that way. He said, "I know
everything about you." That surprised me greatly, but I also felt
comforted by it. It meant that he had never been far from me like I had
always thought. I realized that I had been constantly under his
supervision, like when our children are small, and we never let them out of our
eyesight.

Again, I felt more compassion from him pouring out to me.
He said, "I feel your pain. I grieve with you." He was like a loving
parent who will pick you up when you are hurting, and hold you in his
loving arms. He will comfort you, and wipe away all of your tears. I
actually felt like I had been comforted, and held in the arms of Jesus.

After he comforted me, he spoke again. He told me not to
worry or concern myself with these things because he would take care of
it for me. I sensed an incredible strength in him. I felt like a burden
had been lifted, and I felt like he could easily carry all of my
burdens. We have all been taught about the meek and humble man, but he exuded
strength, and I could feel it.

I was still looking at him. I was still surprised by
some of the things that he said. He was still looking at me. He still wore
that loving smile on his face that would melt the heart of the worst
hardened sinner. He was still sending me love, and it was to over
flowing. There was so much love that I felt like my heart couldn't hold it
all, and it may burst if I took in much more. I began to feel like I
couldn't handle it anymore. Maybe in human form we can't. I don't know.

Seeing all of the goodness and purity in him, I felt like
I may break down into tears and sobs. I started to feel unworthy of his
pure holiness. He was a soul at the highest level of perfection. Seeing
this makes you aware of even your smallest sins. I felt unworthy of
him, and then I looked away.

When I looked back, he wasn't there anymore, but I was
left with a feeling of total awe. Jesus had been there. I had seen him.
I had felt him. He had communicated with me. The thing I was left
knowing, above everything else, was that he loved me more than anyone had
ever loved me in my life!

A few days later, I thought about how I had sat in
church that day knowing I had sinned. Yet, Jesus had blessed me with a
wonderful vision. I knew he still loved me, unconditionally, in spite of
my flaws. I thought, how can this be.

Later that night, I started to read the Bible, the
book of John. Jesus answered my question clearly:
John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten
son, that who so ever believeth on him should not perish, but have
everlasting life.

As I read further it said: For God sent not his son into the world to
condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved.
He that believeth on him is not condemned, but he that believeth not is
already condemned because he has not believed.

I had sought to know him with my whole heart and
soul, and he had not disappointed me. He had restored in my spirit my
willingness to forgive all who had wronged me, because love cancels out
anger, fear, resentment, and any other negative emotion you can imagine.

I remembered that he had worn the crown of thorns in
my vision. I now realize that they were meant to be symbolic, a reminder
to me of how he loved us all enough to be lifted up, and crucified on
the cross for the forgiveness of our sins. The crown of thorns are a
symbol of his love that he feels for each one of us. He had truly shown me
how to forgive.

I Saw Jesus Again
I read about The Jesus Prayer. It is a meditation where you repeat a
phrase over and over again to Jesus. The first time I said The Jesus
Prayer, I said, "Jesus, the son of God, have mercy on me." I had been
laying in bed for some time saying the prayer when my six year old daughter
came into the room, and asked me for a glass of water. When I rolled
over and opened my eyes, I saw a small cross in the corner of my bedroom,
up next to the ceiling. It was wooden, about four inches long, with
four gold bands around all four sides. I looked at it for several, long
seconds. I saw it clearly, and was able to make out all of the details
it. When I looked away it was gone.

The second time I said The Jesus Prayer, I said,
"Jesus, the son of God, I trust in you." I had been saying the prayer for a
while as I lay in bed. I finally started to drift off to sleep.
Suddenly, I was stirred from my sleep.

As I returned to consciousness, I saw the back of
myself, the back of my head and shoulders. Then I saw two arms reaching
around my neck to hug me. As this person drew me into his embrace, I saw
the face of Jesus looking over the back of my shoulder while he was
hugging me, and then he smiled at me, the me that was watching the vision!
I thought, he is just too kind to me!
I just can't help loving him!